"Actor: Edith Ivey"

• Robocop 3 | DVD | (24/01/2000) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Early on in Robocop 3, an action figure of our metal hero on the nightstand in a little girl's room informs us that he's now become a children's toy. The image is right on the money; despite following up two of the most violent, hilarious sci-fi/action films ever made, Robocop 3 is strictly for the kiddies. It's not just that the gore has been toned down considerably to make for a PG-13 rating; also excised is the straight-faced portrait of a world run by corporate fascism. When evil corporation OCP, and its even more evil Japanese parent company, plan to raze a Detroit neighbourhood to put up the shining new Delta City, the residents (including the aforementioned adolescent, who conveniently happens to be a computer expert) gang up to fight back, just like the angry neighbours in Death Wish V. Robocop (played this time out by Robert John Burke, Peter Weller having wisely passed) could be a hindrance to the companies' plans, so a ninja android is sent in to deal with him. Even all this could have been enjoyable, in a campy sort of way, but nothing pays off as either comedy or action--tellingly, the two big showdowns with the ninja start exhilaratingly (Robocop's clunky movements hilariously counterpoised by the android's acrobatic leaps), only to end just when they're getting good. Director Fred Dekker has some nice stylistic touches scattered about, but not nearly enough to save the film. One high note, though: the animated "Johnny Rehab" spot may be the funniest ad in the whole series. --Bruce Reid, Amazon.com

• Madhouse | Blu Ray | (12/06/2017) from £9.39   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  MANY PEOPLE VISIT NO ONE EVER LEAVES. Helmed by legendary producer/director Ovidio Assonitis, the man behind such cult favourites as The Visitor and Piranha II: The Spawning, Madhouse is a crimson-soaked tale of sibling rivalry taken to a terrifying and bloody extreme. Julia has spent her entire adult life trying to forget the torment she suffered at the hands of her twisted twin Mary but Mary hasn't forgotten. Escaping hospital, where she's recently been admitted with a horrific, disfiguring illness, Julia's sadistic sister vows to exact a particularly cruel revenge on her sibling this year promising a birthday surprise that she'll never forget. An Italian production shot entirely in Savannah, Georgia, Madhouse (aka And When She Was Bad and There Was a Little Girl) fuses slasher elements with the over-the-top excess of ˜80s Italian terror resulting in a cinematic bloodbath so gut-wrenching that the British authorities saw fit to outlaw it as a video nasty. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition presentations Original Stereo Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Brand new audio commentary with The Hysteria Continues Brand new interviews with cast and crew Alternate Opening Titles Theatrical Trailer, newly transferred in HD Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Marc Schoenbach FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring new writing on the film

• We'll Never Have Paris | DVD | (16/05/2016) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99