An army of the dead come calling, and the square jawed, chainsaw-toting hero Ash is ready for them in director Sam Raimi's outrageous sequel to Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn, Army of Darkness. Before there were six hundred separate editions of this film on DVD by Anchor Bay, there was Universal's release, which includes a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a mildly pleasing image that sometimes sports more grain and dirt than a viewer would like. While the black levels and color schemes are all generally spot-on, this original release tends to incorporate a lot of edge enhancement into the picture which makes for a rocky viewing. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital Surround in French and English. Unfortunately, this is not a very surround sound-friendly soundtrack; most of the dialogue, music, and effects come only from the center and front speakers while the rear speakers are left without much of a workout. Also included on this disc are English and Spanish subtitles. Unlike the new Anchor Bay versions of this film, Universal's Army of Darkness DVD includes only a few meager extra features, including a funny theatrical trailer, some production notes on the making of the film, and a few cast and crew bios and film highlights.

The third entry in the ultra-macho Rambo action movie series finds muscle-bound warrior John Rambo (co-writer and star Sylvester Stallone) refusing a request from his former Vietnam superior, Green Beret Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna). Trautman is to lead a mission to aid the mujahedeen rebels fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but the Buddhist Rambo turns his friend down. When the mission goes awry and Trautman is subsequently captured and tortured within a prison fortress, Rambo launches a rescue effort of his own, armed with his trademark bow and exploding arrows. Along the way, he allies himself with the freedom fighters and runs afoul of the villainous Russian commander Zaysen (Marc de Jonge). At the time of its release, Rambo III -- released in the same month in 1988 that Russian troops began withdrawing from Afghanistan -- was the most expensive film ever made, at $63 million.

Bruce Joel Rubin's tearjerker My Life comes to DVD with a pair of transfers. The widescreen anamorphic transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is preferable in every way to the standard full-frame image. A closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround, while Spanish and French soundtracks are recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. Subtitles are accessible in all three of those languages. Supplemental materials include theatrical trailers, and information on the cast and crew. This is a solid release from Columbia/TriStar.

The third of George Miller's Mad Max films, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. A closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include production notes and theatrical trailers. This release from Warner Bros. does a superb job of presenting the film, though surely the series' devoted fans would want more bonus features.