Dollman [DVD]

A great three-pack, Tim Thomerson as a 13-inch Alien Cop in two of the movies and the joy of John Carl Buechler's talented Demonic Toy creations (in the first Demonic Toys). The only problem I have with this set is the ugly transfer these titles got onto DVD.

The quality rivals that of VHS, a VHS tape that has sat on a hot dashboard all summer to be exact. The set does come with a minor "behind the scenes" segment that is certainly worth the watch, and Demonic Toys the movie is worth buying the set for.

It's truly a shame that just to make a buck Charles Band or Full Moon or whoever just slopped this box-set together without the proper TLC is so rightfully deserves. Shame on you Full Moon-

When I was a growing up in the early 90's Full Moon films were some of my favorite things to rent at the video store. At that time in the 90's Full Moon was pumping out very high quality direct to video material in form of Puppet Master, Subspecies, Trancer sequels, and of course Dollman and Demonic Toys. Though Full Moon Entertainment still exists today pumping out really crappy films, their early offerings still are guilty pleasures of mine. Yes I am a Full Moon fan. I'm not happy to admit it, but their early films still hold a special place in my black heart.

Most fans today know about the situation Full Moon has with their old distributor Paramount Pictures. Paramount still holds the rights to Full Moon's old movies and will not allow Full Moon to release them on DVD. This is why the Puppet Master box was pulled from the market. For years their earlier (and FAR better films) never saw the light of day but thankfully Charlie Band found a way to get a round the system. He started releasing some of the early films as "Australian imports". What I find funny is that Australia is Region 4/Pal but the Australian imports are Region 0/NTSC. Fishy, Fishy but I'm still glad Band was able to get his films to fans.

Though these films are finally coming out on DVD...not is all well. All these films seem to be laserdisc rips (or in the Subspecies box set case...VHS!). My guess is that Paramount holds the original reels so Band/Full Moon can only use the sources they have available. The second problem with the releases of these older films is DVD glitches. The Subspecies box set was loaded with glitches that made it hardly worth fans throwing out their old VHS tapes.

Those of you that were upset with the Subspecies box set have nothing to fear hear. As far as I can tell the only "glitch" is two instances of audio drop-out on the Dollman DVD. This is very minor and should not detract you from getting this set. The Demonic Toys DVD surprisingly has a fantastic transfer. I was shocked when I first watched it. I just wish I liked the film more as I always found it to be one of the weaker earlier Full Moon outings. Dollman, on the other hand, has always been one of my favs of Full Moon. Tim Thomerson plays a Jack Deth-like clone named Brick Bardo. Bardo is a tough alien cop who crash-lands on Earth where he is only 13 inches tall. Dollman vs. Demonic Toys is a hoot of a film. It's a cheapy franchise tie-in that barely runs over an hour long but I still had a ball watching it.

Other than the original videozones that originally appeared on the VHS releases, these discs have nothing in the special feature departments. Still the quality is better than expected (especially if you bought the Subspecies box set) so the films are definitely worth "upgrading" to DVD if you are a fan of the films. The box set can be hard to find as it not released in chain stores but you can find it to buy on Full Moons official website.

Since I've been on my Full Moon kick lately it only felt right to take it back to the early years when they seemed to try a little harder. Like I've said before Full Moon produces extremely low budget films but they are so very entertaining to watch. There is something about their b goodness that just draws me in. However it's not for everyone, especially the very serious movie watchers then can't find the fun behind b flicks. Dollman vs Demonic toys is a spin off of a couple different past Full Moon productions by combing the stories into one funny feature.

Te story picks up somewhere after the first Dollman and first Demonic Toys as officer Judith Brown stakeouts the abandoned toy factory to uncover what's inside. She winds up getting arrested thanks to the tiny security guard Ray Vernon, Full Moon alumni Phil Fondacaro, who winds up trying to save the toys to keep them secret. Judith then requests help from the 12" tall alien police officer Brick Bardo aka Dollman and his equally tiny girlfriend nurse Ginger. Together the three make their way to the abandoned toy factory to stop the demonic toys from summoning the forces of darkness on earth.

Dollman vs Demonic Toys was released in 1993 back at a time when Full Moon was really putting in effort to keep their studio going. Things seem slightly different now but none the less they are still worth the watch if you like low budget features. The acting was not the worst thing I've seen from them. Especially from the little Phil Fondacaro who is a staple in the film library of Full Moon playing roles in The Creeps, Blood Dolls, Sideshow, & Evil Bong to name a few. I'd recommend the Dollman/Demonic Toys for the hardcore fans of Full Moons works.