Amazon Women on the Moon [Collector's Edition] [DVD] [1987]

Though it may come second to Kentucky Fried Movie in the eyes of many lovers of episodic, anarchic comedies, the side-splitting satire of television excess gets notable treatment from the folks at Universal in this special collector's edition release. A 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation without question tops the previous pan-and-scan release from Image Entertainment, and, with nicely balanced colors and even skin tones, proves a fair representation of a film that has gotten little respect. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio mix (presented in closed-captioned English and Spanish) is certainly passable with a clean mix that's free of any audible distortion, and English, Spanish, and French subtitles are also included. As much as the film is improved upon in this release though, Universal has truly separated it from the previous, bare-bones release by including the legendary deleted scenes from the theatrical release. For the most part, it's easy to see why the six deleted scenes were ultimately excised from the final cut, though Dick Miller fans will be happy to see the inclusion of director Joe Dante's "The French Ventriloquist's Dummy" skit that has previously found its way into network broadcasts of the film. Likewise, Jenny Agutter makes a brief appearance in a fun "Peter Pan Theater" skit. A series of outtakes indicate that the cast and crew were having a blast making the film with a series of flubbed lines and much on-set monkey play from Dante's "Roast Your Loved One" segment. A giddy theatrical trailer and a trio of film recommendations sound out the disc nicely.