criterionforum.org

September, 5th

Fox Home Entertainment has announced a special edition of the 1981 Jim Sharman directed Shock Treatment which stars Jessica Harper and Cliff De Young. The disc will be available to own from the 5th September, and should retail at around $19.98 in total. The film itself will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with both English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Mono tracks. Extras will include a commentary by Fan Club Presidents "Mad Man" Mike Ellenbogen & Bill Brennan, a Making Of Retrospective featurette, a Music Retrospective featurette, the theatrical trailer, and the international trailer.

Is this a first for a fan club commentary?

Why not? A Fox classic with an immense cult following and one of their best DVD packages to date. Here are the reviews:

http://www.dvd-basen.dk/uk/home.php3?se ... region=%25

Released in the UK as a super-duper edition:

http://timewarp.org.uk/shocktreatment/

Fan website:

http://www.rockyhorror.com/

Myra, aren't you a fan of Rocky Horror? I never was and could never understand why anybody would want to be a fan of this very stupid, boring waste of celluloid. I would take Xanadu over this anytime. I'm glad that this movie isn't on the 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men list. Isn't Rocky Horror for clueless folks who want to look hip or cool?

Michael wrote: Isn't Rocky Horror for clueless folks who want to look hip or cool?

I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, Michael, but "Oh, Snap!"

Michael wrote:Myra, aren't you a fan of Rocky Horror? I never was and could never understand why anybody would want to be a fan of this very stupid, boring waste of celluloid.

It's nothing of the sort. It's pure, nostalgic, campy fun. I mean, where else could you find a transvestite playing Dr. Frankenstein, whose dream of creating the perfect human being (or should I say MAN!) goes terribly, terribly wrong. But that doesn't seem to stop him from going after some pussy or some beefcake either! And aren't those songs infectious? And the red! Dear God, the red! All over the scenery, giving Herschell Gordon Lewis' decorator a run for his money!

I came in very late to the whole Rocky Horror following. The first time I became aware of it was in the movie Fame, many moons ago as you can guess. Then, many years later, I decided to buy the SE DVD blind, on a whim (much to most of my friends disaproval, the same that later saw it and loved it... typical). And me and my brothers had such a laugh and a good time watching it that it's certainly become a cherished title chez moi.

I certainly don't like the movie to look cool or hip but I'm sure there must be some people out there that do. Don't know them, thankfully.

Rocky Horror is a very enjoyable musical romp, with the camp value elevated to the nth degree, with some very good musical numbers and comical situations but the thing that I like the most about it is its pure perverseness and subversity. Somehow, in this movie it feels good to see the so-called "normal folks" get degraded and enjoy it (Susan Sarandon and her beau). Not to mention the ending. Can you really have a more glorifyingly camp finale than that?

Watch it just for fun. That's really all it is.

Whenever it plays the Music Box here in Chicago (which is, what, every month or two?), I see Rosenbaum's little snippet in the Reader which is rather unfavorable, but ends with the line "but by now, I imagine this should be in the theatre listings, anyway."

That sums it up perfectly to me. The movie? Ehhhhhhhh.... not so great. But my god, the theatrical experience!

The first time I saw Rocky Horror was in a theater in Paris, a stone's throw from Notre Dame, that did weekly showings. I had a friend very experienced in the art of Rocky Horror who, in the weeks prior, who talk very guardedly about the film, but refused to let me watch it. I will forever thank her for that.

I own the SE, for nostalgic purposes, but I rarely if ever break it out. The Music Box, on the other hand, sees me quite regularly.

-Toilet Dcuk

The 'Freaks and Geeks' box contains fan commentary on at least one episode, but that's television of course.

Rocky Horror didn't make any damn sense to me until I saw it on stage. The movie just can't hold a candle and people who are 'fans' without having seen it performed don't know what they're missing. And no, I'm not talking about the film showing / performance strange mix which has evolved: I mean on stage as it was originally done. The wooden pacing and tackiness and sheer awfulness of the music becomes bizarrely involving there and I just can't stomach the thing on screen.

About time this gets a release, here's hoping Jessica Harper is interviewed.

Solaris wrote:About time this gets a release, here's hoping Jessica Harper is interviewed.

You mustn't worry about that. Her musical and writing career depends on it!

http://www.jessicaharper.com/

Artwork now available:

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=61755

and while you're at it, go watch some youtube goodies:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search=s ... rch=Search

First review that I know of is now up.

DVDTalk.

Already went through all the contents of the disc and to my surprise, Jessica Harper's input on the movie is nowhere to be found. She was not even interviewed. I wonder if she dismisses this one that much or was just too busy singing songs to children to even bother.

Still, a very good DVD with great A/V quality and a perfect showcase for the movie's visionary visuals and thematic approach. I'll definitely go back to this one many times in the future.