By Peter M. Bracke

October 29 through 31 : Indie wrap-up; Brief Artisan, Fox & Columbia update

Buena Vista : Has released their January slate and box art on their press site today, and look for more day & date with VHS releases and Miramax titles. In January comes the long-in-gestation The 13th Warrior, the indie hit An Ideal Husband, along with My Life So Far, My Son The Fanatic and finally From Dusk Til' Dawn 3: Hangman's Daughter. Let's just hope this last sequel is better than the other one! All the box art is in the database, and each title retails for $29.95.

Indie Weekly Wrapup : Not too much this time, but still some goodies in here...

From Pioneer comes about the last of their 1999 announcements. On 12/21 look for El-Hazard: The Alternative World - Dreams of Tomorrow, Kitaro: The Light of the Spirit and Tenchi in Tokyo - A New Ending. All are full frame and retail for $29.95, except Kitaro, which is $24.95.

Sterling delivers another of their very nice Millennium Series special editions, this time for the Abel Ferrara drama New Rose Hotel. The $29.95 disc includes a non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, 5.1 surround track, and two commentaries with director Ferrara, the writer and members of the cast including Harvey Keitel. There is also a still gallery, "hidden" behind-the-scenes footage and a trailer.

From MTI on 12/14 comes two $24.95 full frame action-adventures titles, Airborne and Rogue Force. No special features of note.

Duye next year on 1/25 from Synapse comes something called Organ. Apparently, it is a Japanese film, retails for $29.95, is full frame and features a trailer. Sounds interesting...

A new DVD company, Water Bearer, introduces some "sexually provocative" discs, all for $29.95. Look for Sex Is..., To Play Or To Die, and A Very Natural Thing on 11/2. Hmmm...sounds dirty, can't wait!

Coming from Wolfe on 11/23 are a couple of letterboxed indies, Broadway Damage and No Ordinary Love. Each also features a trailer and 2.0 Surround sound. Note that Wolfe also releases adult and erotica titles, but I don't include those in the database. (However, check out our sister site Adult DVD File, who have more on adult material.)

Finally, from A-Pix comes the interesting threesome of Ultimate DVD Silver, Ultimate DVD Gold and Ultimate DVD Platinum demo discs retailing for $12.95, $14.95, and $29.95 respectively. These discs feature anamorphic widescreen and pan & scan material, full motion video, icons, animated menus and graphics, access to DVD demonstration segments, web links and A/V setup and system enhancement tools, DVD-ROM programming with screen savers, no regional coding, multiple angle viewing up to 7 angles "on-the-fly" of the world's greatest implosions and explosions from the video series "What a Blast," multiple aspect ratio viewing - pan & scan and widescreen anamorphic video including "pan & scan on the fly" demo, parental control options to eliminate inappropriate content, select from multiple languages, subtitles and captioning "on-the-fly," multiple audio tracks including stereo, Dolby 2.0 Pro-Logic and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround demos. The Platinum edition features material not available on the Silver or Gold editions, including home theater setup and diagnostic tools DTS demo, Dolby and DTS Surround sound comparison with clips from Mickey Hart, Thomas Dolby and Jan Hammer, and finally 96/24 audio track with recordings from Mapleshade Studios and Wildchild Records. Yikes!

Artisan : Just an update on the Dirty Dancing special edition. Strangely, I got an update that it was due 1/18 of next year. However, it seems to be in stores already! Ah, well, don't ask me, I just work here! Anyway, it will still contain all the announced features including the featurette, music videos and Dirty Dancing Live program as well as an audio commentary by writer/co-producer Eleanor Bergstein. Retail is $29.95.

Fox : Just a quick note on two Fox titles due next week. First, The Commitments, though originally believed to be widescreen, is actually going to be a full frame open matte transfer (the film was originally 1.66:1). However, I'm told this was director-approved and is a brand-new transfer. Second, The Full Monty will feature 2 Dolby Digital 2.0 surround tracks, a British and and English version. However, the English version is not dubbed, and quite frankly no one at Fox I talked to seemed to really know what the difference is, either. Perhaps some of you smart Full Monty fans out there know?

Columbia : Lastly but not least-ly, just a note that The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad is full frame. I've gotten some worried emails, but rest assured that it was originally shot this way, so there is no widescreen transfer fans will be missing out on...

October 28 : Sony 2000 update; DTS Saving Private Ryan delayed?

DreamWorks : I've started to get a fair share of email from consumers and two retailers that the Saving Private Ryan DTS release is being delayed from its announced November 2 date next week. Reports indicate that some retailers are informing their customers that their orders for the DTS DVD will not be fulfilled according to Universal, who distributes DreamWorks titles.

However, a call to DreamWorks resulted in a firm commitment to the release date for the DTS version, and that product will be on store shelves come next Tuesday. However, it is worth noting that because of the tight deadline and number of Saving Private Ryan discs that needed to be produced, I'm wondering if there isn't just some nervousness surrounding such a big title. I know that we have yet to receive any sort of SPR DTS version for review, and I don't believe anyone else has, either. But, this is often normal with big titles, with replication finishing right down to the wire.

So, at this point, it seems we will see the DTS Saving Private Ryan disc next Tuesday, but it is also entirely possible that the number of copies dealers ordered may not all be fulfilled, which has happened in the past. Personally, I would contact whomever you preordered it from to double check if they are guaranteeing you your copy by street date if you are worried.

Sony Music : Has sent out some more street date changes and a few new titles they plan on releasing in late 1999 and early 2000. Changes to previously announced discs are in the database (you can use the "Studio Search" to get the entire Sony slate), and note the new date of 12/14 for Pink Floyd's The Wall. Also, newbies arriving in early 2000 include Mariah Carey's #1's, Rapefest '99, er, I mean Woodstock '99, and Celine Dion's All The Way...A Decade Of Song (please, no more, I give up!). Cool stuff.

October 27 : Tarzan swings onto DVD; Some Warner December titles

Buena Vista : The full press release arrived late today with details on both the movie-only and special editions of Tarzan, as well as A Goofy Movie. Disney seems to be sticking with their $39.95 movie-only price and $49.95 special edition price, which for me, at least on the movie-only version, is way too high. The sales stats will be interesting to say the least. Also, the special edition debuts on April 18 (not in March as was reported in earlier press mentions), about 2 months after the movie-only edition.

Anyway, I must say, the discs look good in terms of features and quality. Both Tarzan's will be anamorphic, and the special edition has a plethora of cool features. Check out the press release, and I will probably blab a bit more on this in tomorrow's editorial...

The full details Warner : A few of Warner's December title announcements have arrived, and though I believe there are more, this is all I have details for at the moment. All the following are due 12/14 and retail for $19.95, have trailers and feature anamorphic transfers and pan & scan versions on the flip. The catalog titles include Something To Talk About, The Exorcist III, more from the Castle Rock library with Extreme Measures, the long, long awaited Papillon (which will not feature a P&S transfer but also includes a making-of documentary) and, last but not least, Dead Calm. Note that this latter disc was rumored to have extra footage or an extended cut, but the runtime is the same as the theatrical and there are no extra features listed. But, it has been remastered, so that is cool. Papillon and Something To Talk About also have 5.1 mixes. Watch for more December title announcements possibly forthcoming...

October 26 : Criterion, Buena Vista & anamorphic; edited Friday The 13th?; Warner and Universal corrections

Criterion : Though I talk more about this in today's editorial, it looks like Miramax and Pixar are not the only ones to break through Buena Vista's rigid no-anamorphic policy. Though some were disappointed that the upcoming Criterion Rushmore special edition was postponed to early next year, the good news is that the title will indeed be anamorphic. It is nice to see Criterion now being allowed to do anamorphic transfers of their Buena Vista licensees, and I hope that Anchor Bay, who also licenses some Disney titles, gets to do anamorphic like they want, too.

Stay tuned for the full Rushmore features, price and street just as soon as they become available.

Paramount : Thanks to many readers who wrote in, I was encouraged to spend some time and compare the previous R-rated Paramount VHS release of Friday The 13th with the new DVD, and lo and behold, there are differences between the two. Note that two of the murders are different from the (original theatrical?) VHS version, and I watched it frame by frame to make sure I wasn't just imagining it.

In the early murder of Annie, the ill-fated cook, the death is a few seconds longer, and shows more blood than the VHS version. So, fans here get to see the uncut version. However, in the final decapitation of Mrs. Voorhees, note that it has been trimmed slightly to take out a bit of the slow motion part of her headless body falling out of frame in slow motion. So, a little bit of each gore, a little bit of less gore. Sort of a trick and a treat in the same package.

I put in a call to Paramount about the changes, and hope to hear back sometime in the future. Perhaps we can hope for a reissue, if only so we can have an instant collector's item! To be honest, I have no idea why the changes were made or how the transfer was chosen. I will be just as curious as you to find out why.

Universal : Just three brief corrections from yesterday's post. First, I screwed up and switched the special features and prices for Mystery Men and Fast Times & Ridgemont High. Both have the usual cast bios, production notes, web links and trailers. In addition, the former will contain a featurette and outttakes and retail for $24.95. The latter features a commentary with director Amy Heckerling and an all-new documentary, and is $29.95. Sorry fro the mistake.

Next, the Ron Howard Signature Collection will not contain the upcoming special edition of Backdraft, just the movie-only version. Guess Universal is gonna try to milk the old version for as long as they can.

Finally, I totally forgot to add the entry for the December special edition of Dracula. It contains the 1931 reshot Spanish-language version, as well as a newly-composed score by Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet, an all-new documentary, a brief "Spotlight On Location" featurette (should be interesting), and production notes and trailer. Retail is $29.95 and street date 12/21.

Warner : Just a brief note that I've received some concerned emails that the upcoming The Iron Giant DVD has been listed as 1.85:1, and not the original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio. However, rest assured, Warner confirmed that the transfer is indeed 2.35:1, anamorphic, and was supervised by the filmmakers themselves. I double-checked the database and the correct aspect ratio is listed.

October 25 : "Detroit" rocks your city; new Universal December titles

New Line : Has unveiled the full details on the Detroit Rock City Platinum Series edition...and it, uh, rocks! Aside from the anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer and English 5.1 Dolby surround track, look for hours and hours of additional material.

First up are not one but three feature-length audio commentaries. The first one is with director Adam Rifkin, the second with members of the cast & crew (alas they are not individually listed) and the third is with, no joke, all four members of KISS! This has to be a first, and if there is any justice in the world. New Line will buy the rights to KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park and get them to do a commentary for that, too.

Anyway, aside from that, look for the use of the generally-ignored multi-angle function for the big climatic KISS concert at the end of the film. You can either watch the normal theatrical version, or isolate each band member. Though I haven't seen the film (but will certainly now!), I believe the song in question is "Rock n' Roll All Nite," or maybe it is "Detroit Rock City"?). Also, you aspiring musicians will appreciate a instructional step-by-step lesson on how to play the song on the guitar!

But, wait, there is more. Also on tap are 15 minutes of deleted scenes, screen tests, two making-of featurettes, two music videos and, get this "voice-prompted interactive menus"! To be honest, I have no idea how this is going to work. Rounding out the disc are the usual cast & crew bios and trailers. Yes, all this can be yours for $24.95, and is due 12/21, three weeks before the VHS is released (see today's editorial for more on that topic.)

Universal : Though the titles were announced a while back already, the full features for Universal's December slate (and a January sneak peek, too) were unavailable until now. But, good things come to those who wait...

First on 12/14 comes Universal's first-ever dual Dolby Digital and DTS soundtrack on the same disc, for The Red Violin. It is a dual-layer disc with an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer, and also features an isolated soundtrack, cast bios and trailer. Retail is a bit higher at $29.95.

Due 12/21 are a nice selection of favorites, with a focus on high school hijinks, in time for the day & date with VHS release of American Pie. This release, er, releases are especially notable because they keep up the Universal tradition of dual-releases. There will be two versions of the film on separate DVDs, an R-rated theatrical cut and a never-before-seen Unrated version with just a few bits of excised dirty stuff, each of which retail for a very nice price of $26.95. Both are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, and contain the same extra features. Featured is a commentary with full cast of the film, outtakes, a Spotlight On Location production featurette, production notes, trailers and the usual Universal musical highlights and web links.

Also due this day is Fast Times At Ridgemont High, which features a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, the complete original soundtrack (note that prior home video releases had some music rescored due to rights issues), as well as a commentary with director Amy Heckerling and an all-new full-length documentary with most of the original cast. Should be cool to see 'em "all grown up." Also on the disc are the usual cast & crew bios, production notes and trailer. Retail is $29.95.

Also, look for a Campus Comedy Classics box set to go along with the above two new releases, which includes the R-rated version of American Pie, Fast Times and Animal House. All are the special editions, and this is a pretty good deal at $84.95 retail.

Also on 12/21 comes the sequel (what!?) to K-9, called K-911! Did this movie really need a sequel, and man, James Belushi must really need the money! Anyway, it features a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, 5.0 Dolby surround track, and cast bios, production notes and a trailer. Price is $24.95.

Following on 12/28 comes the new version of Dudley Do-Right, featuring a 2.35:1 anamorphic and full-frame transfers and English and French 5.1 tracks. Extras include a new "Fractured Fairy Tale" cartoon by animator Jay Ward, as well as cast bios, production notes and the theatrical trailer. Retail is $24.95.

Looking ahead to the new year, the superhero comedy Mystery Men arrives 1/11. It contains a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, English and French 5.1 tracks, a featuette and deleted scenes, and cast bios, production notes, and a trailer. Retail is a bit higher at $29.95.

Also look for the arrival of the somewhat overlooked comedy Bowfinger on 1/18. It features a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfers, English and French 5.1 tracks, a commentary with director Frank Oz, outtakes, cast bios, trailers and web links. Retail is $26.95, and is it just me, or is Universal really doing a good job with keeping prices low?

Finally, there are two box set collections of note. Due on 1/18 is a Steve Martin Comedy Classics Collection, which features the movie-only discs of The Jerk, The Lonely Guy and Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. Price is $59.95.

Two weeks earlier on 1/4 comes the Ron Howard Signature Series Collection, which features three collector's editions of Apollo 13, ED-tv, and, yes...Backdraft. Strangely, no information on the latter title is available, though I'd think if they were releasing it in the set, it would arrive separately as well. Let's hope the full details arrive soon!

October 22 through 24 : Disney animated gift set; Metallica "S&M" arrives; indie windup

Buena Vista : Joining the growing ranks of studios offering box sets and collections, Buena Vista has announced a limited edition Animated Classics Gift Set, containing all nine of this holiday seasons' Disney titles. The box retails for $359.95, which doesn't offer any discount over buying each separately, though you do get a "collector's case." The titles in the box are Hercules, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book, The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Peter Pan and Pinocchio, and the set is only available through 12/27.

Warner Music : The street date for that Metallica DVD has arrived. Look for the, uh, cleverly titled S&M: Metallica And The San Francisco Symphony on 12/14. It is a two-disc set with still gallery, behind-the-scenes footage and allows you to isolate either Metallica or the Symphony by themselves for the entire show. It features 21 songs including two new ones, No Leaf Clover and Human. Should be another cool Metallica disc, and retail is $34.95.

Indie Stuff : If it's Friday, it's indie day...

WinStar (formerly Fox Lorber) has announced their November slate due 11/23, and the titles are Brother's Kiss, the fine film The Draughtman's Contract, Leading Man, something called Lotto Land (what's next, Twister Town?), Twilight Of The Golds, Wedding Bell Blues, Yours For A Song: The Women Of Tin Pan Alley, Zed & Two Naughts, and Norman Rockwell: Painting America. Also, they are debuting their Directors series, which are documentaries on various Hollywood filmmakers. The first four titles are on Garry Marshall, John McTieran, Ron Howard and John Frankenheimer. All of the above are $29.95 and full frame, except Draughtman's Contract and Zed, which are non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen.

From RykoDisc comes the concert disc The McGarrigle Hour, which features a variety of musicians saluting Kate and Anna McGarrigle. It is full frame with both 5.1 Surround and PCM stereo tracks, all for $29.95.

On 12/7 from AD Vision comes the anime titles Battle Angel and Ninja Resurrection for $29.95. Both contain a still gallery and full frame transfers.

From Central Park Media on 12/7 comes some a trio of interesting titles, Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon, Wild Cardz, and a special edition of The Ultimate UFO: The Complete Evidence. All are $24.95 except the latter, which is $39.95 and features an audio commentary by UFOCity's Peter Robbins and J. Antonio Huneeus as well as extensive DVD-ROM "files" including government documents and controversial MJ-12 documents. Yikes!

PM Entertainment has announced their recent theatrical release Taxman for 12/21. It is full frame with trailer, and no other features of note. Retail is $24.95.

Finally, from Delta Entertainment comes a variety of $14.95 value titles. Due 11/9 are Andy Griffith Show: Classic Favorites and two double features of Beat The Devil and Humphrey Bogart On Film, and Blood On The Sun and James Cagney On Film. Special features of note are the theatrical trailers.

October 21 : DreamWorks goes a-Haunting for THX EX; new USA update; Disney adds Tarzan

DreamWorks : Boasting a really fine Dolby Digital EX surround soundtrack in the theaters, Dreamworks' The Haunting Signature Series DVD will also include a THX EX Surround soundtrack. However, note that it most likely will not actually be labeled on the box or contain the digital flag that tells the decoder there is a THX EX soundtrack on the disc. However, it will be on there! See today's editorial for more on this topic. To recap the disc itself, it is due 11/23, features a sure-to-be-great anamorphic transfer, a featurette and commentary including director Jan DeBont and more. Retail is the new DreamWorks special edition price of $29.95.

USA : Look for the day & date debut of the hip-hop comedy Trippin' on 12/7. It will feature an anamorphic transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and 5.1 mix, as well as two music videos and cast bios and trailer. Retail is $24.95. Also, the acclaimed Holocaust documentary The Last Days is finally due on 11/16. IT has many nice features in addition to its 1.85:1 aspect ratio, including a featurette, photo gallery and more. Retail is also $24.95.

Disney : With all the news on Disney's first batches of animated titles this holiday season, it is also good to consider what lies beyond. You astute readers remember the press release which indicated day & date support for future animated titles. Well, according to the Disney web site, it seems they are following through, and have listed Tarzan, which is due on VHS early next year, for DVD as well. No features or anything else are announced, but it is a good sign to expect more real Disney animated titles. I just hope the quality, features and price are right...

October 20 : Elite 2000 announcements; Space Ace compatibility update

Elite: Some nice upcoming Elite announcements for 2000 came in fro the nice folks at their web site, and I must say that DVD is really becoming a fine format for horror fans. As a buff myself, it is cool to see such varied fare.

Anyway, in 2000, look for titles as disparate as Bava's Black Sabbath, a double feature of Bucket of Blood and Attack of the Giant Leeches, Tobe Hooper's Eaten Alive, Roger Corman's Wasp Woman, Vincent Price in The Last Man On Earth, Castle of Blood, Kiss Of The Tarantula, Giant Gila Monster (!), I Eat Your Skin (!!), an uncut Vampire Bat, House on Sorority Row and The Howling 3 (no word yet on any of the other Howling films, though). A varied slate to be sure, and features and prices will be announced as the finalized dates are announced.

Digital Leisure : Just a little update for you Space Ace fans. We got a nice email from Digital Leisure that some prior incompatibility problems have been solved. Toshiba have fixed the problems in their 2109 and 3109 models that stopped Space Ace from working. Apparently all units shipped beginning in the summer have the new firmware upgrade. Customers with older versions of these model players can contact Toshiba and have their unit updated to the new firmware (which requires the unit physically be sent to Toshiba for the update). This is cool news, and check out our review of Space Ace if you are interested in the disc.

Buena Vista : Another quick packaging mistake update, but this time it is a good one. The new eXistenZ DVD, aside from being anamorphic, also has a 5.1 track in spite of the fact that on a 2.0 Surround version is listed...

October 19 : More Columbia 2000 titles; No recall for H20

Columbia : Some more early 2000 Columbia goodies have come in, and quite an interesting lineup to be sure, including some surprises to me...

First up on 1/11 are The Odessa File and Richard Pryor Live On The Sunset Strip. Both feature anamorphic widescreen transfers (and Odessa File also has a pan & scan version), 2.0 soundtracks and the usual production notes and trailers. Retail is $24.95 for both.

Then, on 1/18, comes the Mario Van Peebles actioner Solo, which features both anamorphic widescreen and pan & scan versions, a 5.1 soundtrack, and making-of featurette and cast bios. Price is $24.95.

Due 1/25 are a trio of titles. First is a special edition of Jumanji, features a load of extras in addition to the anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer and 5.1 English soundtrack. Look for four new featurettes, including one on the making of the film, two more on the special effects, and the last one on the production design, as well as a photo gallery, storyboard-to-screen comparisons, an isolated music track, cast bios and trailers. A pretty nice package for $27.95, and note that the original movie-only release will be discontinued.

Next up on that date comes the Richard Gere drama Mr. Jones, which contains a making-of feature, cast bios and trailers, and an anamorphic transfer (no pan & scan version, though, due to the length). Retail is $27.95. Also look for the classic James Stewart western The Man From Laramie, which features the original 2.35:1 ration in anamorphic widescreen and a pan & scan version, and 2.0 stereo. Retail is $24.95.

Buena Vista : After a year wait, umpteenth changes and frustration amongst fans, the Halloween H20 disc finally arrives today, and if email and general forum postings and the like are any indication, the response is into very favorable. Despite the fact of the misleading packaging (which lists a DTS track and commentary which aren't on the disc), many feel that if there is no recall or repressing of the disc, then at least the silly (in my opinion) $39.95 price tag for this "Collector's Edition" should be dropped. For that price, all we get is a featurette, music video and interactive trivia game...not even a trailer, and of course no anamorphic transfer, either.

What is odd here is that Buena Vista has put on these same features on other discs for $29.95, most notably Enemy Of The State, which had two featurettes, music video and a trailer. Alas, Buena Vista replied that there will be no recall or repressing, and that the fact of the matter is that there was never even a commentary track recorded at all, that it is just a box mismarking. However, I would love to hear from any of you overseas readers, because I seem to recall (but could be mistaken) that there were some additional extras on the foreign releases.

In any event, Buena Vista indicates they will redo the packaging and that most of the disc were caught before they went out. Alas, review copies are being held as well until new packaging can be redone, so I will be resorting to renting a copy for a review (I certainly won't be paying $40 for it, though I'll your own buying decisions up to you, of course). Stay tuned for a look at the exact features on the actual disc very soon.

October 18 : Anchor Bay adds more titles; Buena Vista sneaks out anamorphic title; two new December New Line titles

Anchor Bay : I must say, Anchor Bay is fast becoming one major boon to the DVD format, in my opinion. The nice folks over at there web site sent us along some upcoming new announcements for 2000, and there are some very highly-desired titles in there.

Though still a bit of a ways off (as they aren't scheduled until he second half of 2000), new Anchor Bay acquisitions include new special editions of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (which is great, as the originals were only so-so), Michael Mann's pre-Silence Of The Lambs Thomas Harris adaptation Manhunter, the incomparable Ilsa: She Wolf Of The SS and Ilsa: The Wicked Warden couplet, as well as other cool titles including the anthology Two Evil Eyes, The Werewolf's Shadow, The Curse Of The Devil (which is the sequel to Mark Of The Devil), and The Cockfighter. Way to go Anchor Bay, looks like some more great stuff from them!

Buena Vista : Aside from the H20 news in today's editorial, note that Buena Vista has snuck another unannounced anamorphic title, David Cronenberg's eXistenZ. Nice of them to do it, and for once it actually is correctly listed on the package (whoa!). Of course, according to Alliance up in Canada, whey did approach them to do a special edition, but turned them down. So, it could of been so much better, but at least we get anamorphic (thanks for small favors, eh?).

New Line : Forgot these the other day...a couple more new December catalog titles that were previously listed as TBA. Look for both Now & Then and the Luke Perry rodeo flick 8 Seconds. Both are scheduled to arrive 12/14, and feature remastered anamorphic and full frame transfers, 5.1 soundtracks, trailers and bios. Retail is $24.95 each.

October 15 : Bride Of Re-Animator menu screen; indie wrap-up

Box Art & Pics : I'd like to take a second and address the issue of box cover art and menu screens and how they are handled here. To be honest, I usually just plop box cover images into the database with little or no fanfare, and I don't think I've ever even printed menu screens before. The reason is because I wasn't sure how interested readers are in them, so I just haven't focused on them really.

Though I get a fair share of email about them, I will still post them sparingly, and usually only when something really interesting comes along. This is mainly because, in all honestly, they take a lot of time to download, resize and post! Since running this site is a lot of fun but really time consuming, one must pick and choose how you spend your time and on what features and/or stories. Personally, I've just made a choice to try and start focusing on new stories in the upcoming weeks and not box art and menu screens. I will continue to add box art, which you can find in the database (recent additions include many new Buena Vista and Fox titles, and most of Warner's October batch). I also want to mention that this stuff is made available by the studios via their press web sites or via slides, so to be honest there isn't much of a "scoop" associated with this stuff. Really, it is easily attainable by sites like this pretty regularly. But, if there are big and highly anticipated titles, I will make sure I mention it more often here after I've added them to the database.

Bride Menu Screen : Anyway, onto the good stuff! Sharpline Arts just sent me a nice screen shot from their upcoming Bride Of Re-Animator special edition, for the Theatrical Matte Option screen (cool, a new toy to play with!). This is a neat new concept for DVD, so it is certainly a good debut menu screen for us to put up. I got the chance to play with it for a bit, and being a film geek and all, I thought it was great to be able to see how the compositions were affected by matting, and the overall changes it made in the feel of the film.

Look for more menu screens to pop up here from time to time in the future, though selectively. Thanks to Sharpline Arts and Pioneer for sending this our way, and we are really looking forward to the arrival of the Bride Of Re-Animator disc on 10/26, which will also include the R-Rated and Uncut versions of the film, two commentaries featuring Director Brian Yuzna, Actors Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abott, and members of the cast and crew, and a few more surprises in there, as well...

Indie Update: Time again for the latest installment of everything new and sundry in the independent DVD universe...

Coming 11/23 from AD Vision is the Japanese anime Queen Emeraldas, which features the original Japanese track as well as an English dub. Retail is $29.95.

Due next year on 2/1 from All Day Entertainment is volume 2 of the Edgar Ullman collection, 1944's Bluebeard. It features an original 15 minute featurette on the making of the film including never-before-seen color footage, as well as a till archive.

Our favorites at Anchor Bay have given a 11/23 street date to the Brooke Shields, uh, classic Brenda Starr. I know I can't wait...can you?

From Delta comes two classic actor $14.95 budget specials, Cary Grant's His Girl Friday, and James Stewart's Made For Each Other. Both feature only trailers, but hey, what do you expect for $15 bucks?

Due 11/2 from MTI comes something called Hidden Agenda. All I know is that it stars Kevin Dillon...just what did happen to him, anyway? Guess you can find out for $24.95...

Up next on 10/26 from New Horizons is the wonderfully-titled Born Bad, as well as the Jennifer Love Hewitt TV flick Home For Christmas. Both are $19.95 and full frame. Can't wait!

Speaking of B-movies, look for bad movie stalwart Jeff Fahey in When Justice Fails from PM Entertainment on 10/26. Not to be outdone, Xenon debuts Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story on 12/7. Yeah, baby! Retail is $19.95.

Lastly, on the music side of things, Shanachie debuts Art Pepper: Notes From A Jazz Survivor and Ladysmith Black Mambazo In Harmony: Live At Royal Albert Hall on 11/16. Each one will set you back $24.95.

¤October 14 : New stuff from Columbia, Elite and New Line

Columbia: Leave it to Columbia to already have some 2000 title info already. Geesh, these guys never stop, do they? Hey, I'm not complaining!

In January look for some day & date stuff, for a variety of titles many may not have heard of. First, due 1/4 is the Dolph Lungren masterpiece Stormcatcher, which features a commentary with director Anthony Hickox. Then on 1/11 comes The Big Brass Ring, featuring a commentary with director George Hickenlooper and co-writer Oja Kodar, some deleted scenes, and production notes, trailer, etc. Lastly, on 1/18 is the comedy The Suburbans (don't know anything about this one), which has no extra features of note. Also on this day is the only film here I actually have seen, Twin Falls Idaho. Most people missed this one in the theaters, but I found it to be very thought-provoking and worth a look. Anyway, it features the usual trailer, production notes, etc., as well as a commentary by Director and Star Michael Polish.

All of the above feature anamorphic widescreen transfers only, as well as English Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes. Retail for all is $27.95, except The Suburbans, which is $24.95.

Elite: Speaking of next year's titles, Elite has a couple of goodies coming our way soon. First on 12/21 is a German horror triple feature featuring Nosferatu, Der Golem and The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. In addition to the features, there are extensive linear notes and still galleries of vintage advertising materials. Retail for the pack is $54.95. Then, due 2/14 next year is a special edition of Whitley Streiber's famous alien confessional Communion. It features a new widescreen transfer, deleted footage, trailer and an audio commentary with director Phillippe Mora. Retail is $29.95.

New Line: Finally, from New Line, comes Drop Dead Gorgeous, due 12/14. It features both pan & scan and anamorphic widescreen transfers, a 5.1 soundtrack and the trailer. Cost will set you back $24.95. Also, look for the catalog titles 8 Seconds and Now & Then in early 2000, with dates to be announced...

¤October 12 : Status Report update; New Line December slate; Columbia price drops

Status Report: The changeover of the Status Report into the database is now complete. To your right in the search criteria you will now find a new listing for the "Status Search" called "Unknown." Thus, you can search for in production or status pending titles like you would any other title in the database. Most of you asked for this, as the previous text-only version was getting really long. Hope it works!

I added a couple of new updates today, for Grease . Grease has been held up for a while now, and I finally got through to Corporate Communications at Paramount about the music rights issues that have mainly caused the delay.

Note that the old Status Report is still active...I will simply be using it for more in-depth reports on a single title. This week will see a look at what is up with Back To The Future, and coming after that should be Superman and more. So, the quick entries go in the database, the longer stuff goes in the text Status Report. Hope this all works out well!

New Line: Has given dates to their catalog title announcements of National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, Surviving The Game and Pump Up The Volume. All are due 12/21, $24.95 and feature new anamorphic transfers. Way to go, new Line.

Also on that date and at the same price comes a Platinum Series edition of Detroit Rock City, which features audio commentary by director Alan Rifkin, extensive DVD-ROM features, a music video, cast bios, production notes, the trailer and more. Cool...now I have an excuse to catch up on the film, as I skipped it in the theaters like it seems most people did...

Columbia: Three cheers goes out to Columbia for being one of the latest to jump on the price reduction bandwagon, along with the likes of Warner, DreamWorks, Trimark and others. Though Columbia has used different pricing before, this is the first time I believe they have actively dropped the prices of titles already on the market.

Dropping from $29.95 to $24.95 is Candyman, Can't Hardly Wait, The Craft, Double Team, The Fan, Hush, Money Train, No Mercy, Replacement Killers, Stepmom and Wolf. Dropping from $29.95 to $19.95 is Johnny Mnemonic.

October 11 : Buena Vista's December slate; USA reissue

Buena Vista: With the arrival of their December slate, it looks like Buena Vista's full 1999 schedule has been released. Aside from their big animated titles, look for the Shakespeare In Love SE on 11/7, details for which are already in the database. Along with that, look for the Whoopi Goldberg comedy Eddie, and Senseless. Then, on 12/14 comes the foreign hit Farewell My Concubine, The Very Thought Of You and Rogue Trader. Following on 12/21 is Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Spike Lee's Summer Of Sam and Jackie Chan's Supercop 2. All are non-anamorphic widescreen, include trailers and retail for $29.95. Also, note that Everest has been delayed until 12/7.

USA: Just a quick note that after the demise of Polygram and its indie division October Films, USA Home Video now has the rights to some titles that Universal released. Look for a reissue of The Apostle, with the exact same features and transfer. However, the price is a nice $10 cheaper, with a retail price of $24.95 instead of $34.95. Snap em' up!

October 8 : Indie update; street date changes

Indie Fun: Just a like a spookhouse on Halloween, there are thrills and chills a plenty to come...

First off is a big batch of new Image titles, the full details of which can be found over at the Image Entertainment site. Highlights include an anamorphic widescreen special edition of Black Sunday (complete with commentary and more), The Iron Maze, KISS: The Second Coming (yuck yuck), a Night Tide special edition with Dennis Hopper commentary, Sweepers, Top Of The World, and finally, Volumes 14 and 15 of The Twilight Zone. Cool!

From Slingshot comes some interesting interactive "multipath adventure" games, including Ace Ventura: The Case Of The Serial Shave, Superman #1: Menace Of Metallo and Xena #1: Girls Just Want To Have Fun (does Cyndi Lauper get a cut of this?). All are $17.95 and due 11/2.

Also coming in November from Slingshot is The Roger Corman Retrospective #1 (which features Attack of the Giant Leeches, Bucket of Blood and Wasp Woman!), the Comedy Noir Collection: Beat The Devil/That Uncertain Feeling, Great Journeys: Nature's Great Events and Impossible Spy.

From A-Pix on 11/9 comes a special edition of the 1998 version of Phantom Of The Opera, which includes and interview with star Julian Sands, a Behind-the-scenes featurette, a text article from Fangoria Magazine, and the theatrical trailer.

MTI sets 11/9 as the date G2: Mortal Conquest will be unleashed. It all can be yours for only $24.95!

From Central Park Media on 11/16 comes Midnight Panther, which they are billing as "the first dually-rated DVD!." Um, guess they haven't seen New Line's Damage or Polygram's Kalifornia...

Finally, Program Power has set 11/9 for the arrival of the "notorious Mark L. Lester Watergate satire" Whitehouse Madness. This will be a pretty extensive $29.95 special edition, and features audio commentary by Mark L. Lester, "Origins and Making of 'Whitehouse Madness'" featurette, additional interviews with Mark L. Lester and Steve Friedman, a photo album with over 400 stills, as well as ads, presskit, newspaper clippings and reviews, theatrical trailers and TV spots, and some DVD-ROm features including the full original screenplay. Perhaps I should check out this film!

Changes-O-Rama : A assortment of Columbia Street date changes have come over this past week. The new dates are: 7th Voyage Of Sinbad on 11/30, School Of Flesh and Bizet's Carmen on 12/7, and The Way We Were, Pal Joey, Against All Odds and Ma Vie En Rose, all on 12/14.

Alas, The Shawshank Redemption has been indefinitely postponed. Though a press release was expected for October, it was never officially put out, and now there just simply is no new date, not even 12/21. Of course, the December Warner titles have not been fully released, so let's cross our fingers. Note that many retailers have been told there order are being returned, which is often a sign that a title has been completely cancelled. Let's hope not!

Lastly on the Warner front, the South Park collections have been pushed back to 12/14. Dammit, Cartman!

Coming Next Week: Buena Vista and Warner December titles, and our first "new" Status Report update on Back To The Future (note that the Superman story has been pushed back a week or two...)

Sort of "music day" today...

Sony: Has sent out what seems to be all or most of their fall DVD schedule. A nice variety here, and all retail for $24.95.

On 11/9 comes (ugh!) Ricky Martin Video Compilation, Domingo/Kass Christmastime in Vienna, Sesame Street's 123 Count with Me, Sesame Street's Do the Alphabet (note that if you buy the double feature, the first lucky 1,000 consumers get a limited edition copy of Sesame Street's Do Me Baby, Yeah Like That! as a bonus).

Then, on 11/16 comes (is this a joke?) MTV's The Real World: Hawaii. Following on 11/23 comes a now-delayed Pink Floyd The Wall, Ruffhouse: 10th Anniversary Special, Donna Summer's VH1 Special, Kathy Smith Personal Trainer, Andy Kaufman Midnight Special, MTV's Grind Workout: Tai Funk Aerobics, MTV's Classic Moments and (no more, please stop!) MTV's Finest Moments (isn't that an oxymoron?).

Lastly, on 12/07 comes the long-delayed George Michael Ladies & Gentlemen and Black Sabbath The Last Supper. A pretty good collection of stuff in all.

EMI: Just a couple of quickies for a special edition of Paul McCartney's Standing Stone, which retails for 10/19 and features extra conceptual video footage and photographic materials, visualization of the "Standing Stone" poem with commentary and onscreen "production notes." Retail is $29.95.

Also look for Sarah Brightman's One Night In Eden, which features a few extra songs, and also retails for $29.95. Both of these EMI discs are the original full frame.

Fox: Just a quick update on two upcoming Fox titles. Note that Patton is actually a two-disc set. The first disc contains a new anamorphic, THX-certified transfer, while the second contains a 50-minute documentary and soundtrack selections over the documentary. The set still retails for $29.95.

Also, note that the new director's cut of The Last Of The Mohicans is personally supervised by Michael Mann, and contains not only new footage but stuff take out as well. Hmmm. Also, it is THX certified as well. I was told earlier it is not anamorphic, but at the rate Fox is going, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't. So I'll leave it TBA for now.

Also, some interesting Fox news in today's editorial...

October 6 : Artisan adds December titles; more on Mohicans

Artisan: A trio of new Artisan releases on the way this December. On 12/14 comes the creepy 1978 thriller The Boys From Brazil, which features a new transfer and trailer, etc. Retail is $24.95. Also on this date comes Illuminata, which includes a commentary by director John Turturro and actor Amadeo Turturro as well as the usual cast bios and trailer. Retail is a bit higher at $29.95. Finally comes another of the infamous Artisan three-packs, the kind that aren't available individually. This one is for the horror trio Witchboard (starring Tawny Kitaen!), Rumpelstiltskin, and John Carpenter's Body Bags. All three are full frame and 2.0 stereo. Retail is $44.95 for the multi-disc set.

Fox: The complete finalized details have emerged on The Last of The Mohicans special edition. Aside from the deleted scenes, commentary with Michael Mann and making-of featurette, look for extra footage reedited back into the picture itself, too (should be interesting!). Due to production delays, the street has been pushed back to 11/23, and despite the hopes of many, myself included, according to Fox the disc will not be anamorphic. Retail has also been raised to $34.95.

October 5 : DreamWorks institutes new special edition pricing; day & date Paramount and Warner titles

Note that the database is still being worked on, and I'm putting al the status report stuff in there. Should (hopefully) be back up to speed tomorrow with all the recent announcements from the past week or so. Thanks for your patience!

DreamWorks: I must admit, it is nice to see a studio to not only do great transfers, soundtracks and supplements, but also now take the plunge and institute a new lower price point, too. Starting with the November 23 release of The Haunting, DreamWorks will lower the price of their Signature Series line of special edition DVDs from $34.95 to $29.95. No indication of this pricing being retroactive, nor of any changes to their regular non-special edition releases.

I'm very encouraged by this new price cut, which I think only shows that studios (well, at least some of them) realize that lower prices can increase sales, as DVD really isn't like the laserdisc market, which was primarily aimed at high-end collectors. Obviously, there will also be big mega-editions and such that may need to be priced higher, but I've always felt the "magic price range" for DVD is around $19.95 to $29.95, and it is prices in this range that will really continue to drive acceptance of the format. Cheers to DreamWorks for making this move!

Paramount: Just a quick bit on the announcement of the full details on The General's Daughter, which arrives day & date with the VHS on 12/14. IT features a anamorphic transfer and 5.1 mix, as well as a commentary with director Simon West, as well as deleted scenes and the original trailer. Retail is $29.95

Warner: Due a couple of weeks later, look for the Hugh Grant mob comedy Mickey Blue Eyes on 12/28. Expect the usual nice Warner $24.95 title, with anamorphic transfer, 5.1 mix, cast bios, production notes and trailer. Expect more on Warner's full December schedule to come soon.

October 1 : Weekly indie update

What a nice way to kick off the beginning of October, with a heap of new independent announcements...

From Pioneer comes a 11/23 title, The Judy Garland Show - The Christmas Special, presented full frame and retailing for $19.95. Then on 12/7 titles look for Battle Athletes Victory - The Human Race!, more Dragonball Z including Super Saiyan and The Ginyu Forces, as well as Hiroshima and the thetrical release Hoods. All are full frame except hoods, which is nonanamorphic widescreen.

Some of Anchor Bay's confirmed November lineup arrives, and on 11/2 look for a variety of cool stuff including Hell In The Pacific (with alternate ending), Krakatoa East Of Java (with an anamorphic transfer) and Last Valley. Price for each is $24.95.

Saturday Night Live fans havea lot to look forward to from Trimark, with two more volumes of the popular comedy series, The Best Of Adam Sandler and The Best Of Mike Myers. Both are due 11/9 and retail for $24.95 each. Also on this date look for something called Shark Attack...ouch! Then on 11/16 comes The After Dark Collection, including Tales Of Exotica, Woman Of Desire, Dangerous Touch and The Tigress. The entire set is $34.95, and all are presented full frame.

From DVD International comes the esteemable Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective. This interactive mystery game "puts you in the middle of world-famous sleuthdom!." Sounds interesting. Retail is $24.95 and street is 11/2.

Coming 11/9 from Xenon comes a special editon of Klash, which also features lots of reggae performance footage. Retail is $19.95, and features include Audio commentary by director Bill Parker, a behind-the-scenes documentary and the theatrical trailer.

Finally, from MTI on 10/19 comes the interesting-sounding Me & Will, the story of a group of female bikers in search of Peter Fonda's legendary bike from Easy Rider. Hmmm...