Once again, Buena Vista has chosen to release a movie-only disc with no bonus material. In the case of Tombstone, the lack of extras is made even more incomprehensible in light of the fact that the laserdisc release of the film featured deleted scenes with director commentary, all of which added depth to the film. With a director's cut that was three hours in length, the decision to leave that footage on the cutting room floor is frustrating. Fans of the film will want to at least rent Tombstone on DVD, however, as the non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen transfer thankfully negates the pan-and-scan of the original tape and restores the film's epic Western feel. The picture and sound quality are even a notch above the Buena Vista releases of the time, and the picture would be even better if not for a little too much shimmering from edge enhancement at times. Regardless of the disc's shortcomings, the shootout at the O.K. Corral is a perfect showroom sequence for the benefits of DVD. While rumors of a special edition remain unconfirmed, hopefully Buena Vista will do the film justice in the future.

A small-time pool shark with dreams of the big time seeks revenge against the mentor who did him wrong in this drama. Johnny Doyle (Mars Callahan) was a teenaged orphan when Joe (Chazz Palminteri) took him under his wing and taught him everything there is to know about shooting pool. Johnny became a genius with a cue, but while he dreamed of becoming a respected professional billiards player, Joe preferred to keep him working along the lower rungs of pool hustling. When Johnny learns just how far Joe has gone to keep him down, Johnny breaks away from him, but Joe and his thugs take revenge against Johnny by breaking his wrists. Tara (Alison Eastwood), Johnny's upper-crust girlfriend, urges him to get out of the pool racket, and Johnny grudgingly agrees, though he feels empty without the excitement of the table. Johnny renews ties with his younger brother Danny (Michael Rosenbaum), and begins to fear he's going to fall into the same sort of traps that snared him -- especially when he finds out that Joe has his eyes on Danny. Johnny decides to give pool playing another go, and teams up with Mike (Christopher Walken), who bankrolls hustlers and would like to take Joe down a notch or two. But Joe has found a new player, Brad (Rick Schroder), whose talent rivals Johnny's, and he's not sure if he knows a way to beat him on the green felt. Poolhall Junkies also features Rod Steiger in one of his final roles; the film didn't see theatrical release until nearly nine months after his death.

Marvel Comics broke new ground with an African-American superhero named Blade. The movie adaptation tweaked action-movie formulas by mixing martial arts and not quite accurate vampire legend. Appropriately, the New Line Platinum Series DVD adaptation of Blade also contains some surprises. The disc has all the trailers, bios, and commentary DVD viewers have come to expect. More unusual inclusions: a 20-minute documentary on blood and vampire folklore, an isolated movie score with commentary from the composer (great for music freaks), and Blade's screenwriter philosophizing about "dark comics." The many features devoted to comics and vampires keep the extra features from turning into a love-in for the movie, though pure cinema fans will enjoy the printable screenplay, deleted scenes, and a look at an alternate ending. Viewers who also like to read and listen will be pleased, because this is a talky disc packed with information, interviews, and trivia. It all looks and sounds good (letterboxed, 5.1 Surround Sound or Stereo, original 2.35:1 aspect ratio) and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The back of the box exclaims, "It's More Than Just the Movie." It certainly is.