License to thrill

Proving he can give James Bond a run for his money, the Matt Damon superspy thriller The Bourne Identity became this past summer's dark horse blockbuster, grossing over $125 million at the domestic box office alone. Universal Studios Home Video will release the hit thriller on January 21st in separate 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and pan & scan versions. Each release features Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, an audio commentary by director Doug Liman and Damon, deleted scenes and an alternate ending with commentary, a Spotlight on Location featurette, the Moby "Extreme Ways" music video, the trailer, and ROM features including links to the Universal Total Axxess web portal with additional exclusive content (TBA). Retail is $26.95.

Despite phone calls not being returned from Universal, at least someone behind next week's releases of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial is speaking about what actually is and is not going to be on the discs when they hit shelves Tuesday, October 22nd. Steven Spielberg recently talked with NBC4.TV (http://www.nbc4.tv/entertainment/1719620/detail.html) about the DVD release, spilling the beans on Universal's reluctance to included both the original 1982 and 2002 versions of the film. Seems both versions are now being included at the director's insistence, and kudos to Mr. Spielberg! Due to the size of the sets, our reviews of both the 2-disc and 3-disc sets are still forthcoming this week...watch this space!

Just in from Buena Vista Home Entertainment is the press release for M. Night Shyamalan's blockbuster summer thriller Signs. Making its debut on January 7th as a full-fledged Vista Series two-disc special edition, this one comes packed with tons of features, including an audio commentary, extensive making-of footage, an early Shyamalan alien short film, and more. Check out the full release (http://www.dvdfile.com/news/web_wire/press_release/titles/signs.html) for all the details and stay tuned for final packaging. Retail for the set is $29.95.

Street date alert - 12:01am

Just announced from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment are four new early 2003 releases, arriving on January 7th: the art house hit Secret Ballot, and making their first-ever DVD bows, the controversial Last Supper, Brother John and The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human. Stay tuned for full details...

Make mine music - 12:01am

Attention music fans, here are some last-minute announcements on titles that will be hitting store shelves soon. Universal Music will bow New Found Glory: The Story So Far, Queen: Greatest Video Hits and an O-Town DVD single Live Sneak Peek on October 22nd. Retail is $24.95 each ($9.95 for the O-Town single) and there are no extras, aside from the fully-loaded Queen two-disc set, which also includes DTS and PCM sound mixes, audio commentary, "Inside the Rhapsody"
documentary, bonus videos, and more. Also on tap from BMG Music is Bluesland: Masters Of American Music, arriving on November 5th. Retail is $19.95, and there are also no extras.

Also just out this week from some indies are Echo and the Bunnymen: Live in Liverpool from Cooking Vinyl ($19.95, includes backstage footage and a discography), Lizzy Borden: The Murderess Metal Road Show from Metal Blade Video ($19.95, extras include band interview, still gallery and discography), James Brown: Live at Chastain Park from Cleopatra ($19.95, no extras) and a Sugarcult DVD single for Action from Ultimatum ($9.95, no extras).