Same planet, new scum - 11:37am

One of this past summer's biggest box office hits, the Men in Black return on November 26 with the imaginatively titled Men in Black II. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment has announced the full specs for this mega two-disc set, which will be available in separate 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions. Each edition features English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital surround tracks (no DTS option is included) plus a host of extras including an audio commentary with director Barry Sonnenfeld (with optional "Telestrator Diagrams"), special Alien Broadcast and an animated short film on disc one, and disc two loaded with an alternate ending and gag reel, a Will Smith music video, multi-angle scene deconstruction, a gallery with theatrical one sheets, filmographies, and no less than fifteen making-of featurettes: "Take 2: Looping MIB II," "Alien Esoterics," "Serlenna Animatics," "Rick Baker make-up effects," "Danny Elfman Score," "Bo Welch Production Design," "Foley Action," "Frank the Pug," "Jeff the Worm," "June," "Junba," "Charlie," "Serlenna," "The Worms," and "Barry Sonnenfeld's Intergalactic Guide to Comedy." ROM extras include the MIB II script, three games, additional concept designs, a screensaver, and more. Oddly, no trailers are listed as extras. Retail is $27.95.

Columbia has also released a little preview of what we can expect from the December 31st release of Vin Diesel's action extravaganza XXX, available in separate single-disc 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen formats. Extras will include an audio commentary by director Rob Cohen, "A Filmmaker's Diary" documentary, four featurettes ("Diesel Powered," "The GTO is Back," "Designing the World of XXX," "Building Speed: The Vehicles of XXX"), deleted scenes, two multi-angle scene deconstructions, Gavin Rossdale’s “Adrenaline” music video, trailers, and ROM extras including the screenplay and more. Retail is $27.95, and watch for the full press release on October 7th.

A no-holds-barred Q&A with one of Hollywood's most beloved filmmakers, An Evening With Kevin Smith arrives on December 17th, a two-disc set featuring Silent Bob remaining anything but silent on everything from " spirituality to sexuality to human relationships." Culled from five appearances at Indiana University, Cornell University, Kent State University, Clark University and University of Wyoming, total runtime is 215 minutes, and the Q&A's are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 2.0 surround, with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The only listed extras are bonus trailers for other Kevin Smith films. Retail is $27.95.

Fox ups DVHS - 11:37am

About the only studio still consistently releasing titles on the format, on tap for November 5th from Fox Home Entertainment are three new additions to their growing lineup of D-VHS titles. New to the format are the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, Jet Li's Kiss of the Dragon, and the thriller High Crimes. Each features the film in their original aspect ratio, English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, and no extras. Retail is $34.95 each.