By Peter M. Bracke

Just in from Anchor Bay is their November lineup of new DVD releases, another great mix of cult classics and other favorites. Top pick of the bunch is probably Richard Rush's The Stunt Man, in not one but three versions. The standard edition features a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS ES 6.1 surround tracks, the original Dolby 2.0 surround mix, English Closed Captions, an audio commentary with co-writer, producer and director Richard Rush and actors Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Alex Rocco and Chuck Bail, deleted scenes, the complete screenplay with exclusive director's notes, a still gallery, and theatrical trailers. Anchor Bay will also release the excellent 2-hour documentary The Sinister Saga Of The Stunt Man as a standalone release, presented in full frame and 2.0 mono. Retail is $24.95 for the movie, $19.95 for the documentary. Best of all for collector's, The Stunt Man Collector's Edition with both discs in collectable packaging, with a list price of $34.95.

Other goodies arriving on 11/20 include a new special edition of Peter Jackon's Bad Taste, sporting a new 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS ES 6.1 surround tracks, English Closed Captions, the "Good Taste Made Bad Taste" featurette, Peter Jackson bio, and the trailer. Retail is $19.95, and a separate limited edition with collectible booklet and packaging will retail for $34.95. Doctor Who And The Daleks and Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. both feature a 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French mono tracks, the "A History Of Doctor Who" photo essay, Peter Cushing bio, still gallery and the theatrical trailer. Doctor Who And The Daleks also includes an audio commentary with actors Jennie Linden and Roberta Tovey. Moderated by Jonathan Sothcott, and retail is $19.95 a pop or $34.95 for a two-pack.

Rounding out Anchor bay's 11/20 releases is Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde(!), complete with 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English mono track, audio commentary moderated by Hammer Films Historian Marcus Hearn and featuring director Roy Ward Baker, writer and co-producer Brian Clemens, and actor Martine Beswick, a still gallery, theatrical trailer and radio spot, and talent bios. And last but not least we have Lust For A Vampire, with 1.77;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English mono track, audio commentary with director Jimmy Sangster and actor Suzanna Leigh, a still gallery, theatrical trailer and radio spot, and talent bios. Retail is $19.95 each.

Street date alert (09.21.01 - 12:03am)

Add another Disney animated classic to your "to buy" list, as Disney has just announced a 2/12 street date for a new special edition of Peter Pan. No specs or list price available yet, but stay tuned. Also, DreamWorks has issued the full press release for the upcoming two-disc (plus one CD) set of Almost Famous Untitled - The Bootleg Edition. Click the image for an enlargement, and looks great!

Do the Osmosis (09.21.01 - 12:03am)

Just announced from Warner is the summer non-hit Osmosis Jones, the hybrid animation and live action comedy from the Farelley Brothers. Due on 11/13, the disc features an anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 surround track, audio commentary with Animation Directors, Producer and Writer, behind-the-scenes and "Voice Sessions" featurettes, deleted scenes, the trailer, and DVD-ROM features TBA. Retail is $24.95.

September 19th

Mars needs women (09.19.01 - 4:47pm)

Just announced from Columbia are full specs for three 12/4 releases. The final lineup for John Carpenter's Ghost Of Mars includes 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English 5.1 and English and French 2.0 surround tracks, an audio commentary with both Carpenter and actor Natasha Henstridge, the "Video Diary: Red Desert Nights" and "Scoring Ghosts Of Mars" featurettes, special effects deconstructions, filmographies, and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Also announced are specs for the catalog comedies Weekend At Bernie's II and Mixed Nuts, also due on 12/4. Each features anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English 2.0 surround tracks (Mixed Nuts also includes a 5.0 mix), trailers and production notes. Retail is $24.95 each.

Atlantis specs (09.19.01 - 4:47pm)

Just in are specs for Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, announced yesterday with a 3/19 street date. The disc includes both 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen THX-certified transfers, English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, an audio commentary with the filmmakers, the deleted "Viking Prologue," two featurettes "How To Speak Atlantean" and "Virtual Tours Of CG Models," something called "DisneyPedia," and trailers. There is no list price indicated, only a MAP of $19.95. Stay tuned for any box art or any further details when they become available...

Here we go again... (09.19.01 - 4:47pm)

More information has been released to retail outlets about the upcoming release of Jurassic Park III on 12/11, and if you've already bought the Jurassic Park and Lost World discs, you may not like it. While the specs for the Jurassic Park III release look good (see previous update), the Jurassic Park Trilogy box set, also due on 12/11, will reportedly contain a fourth bonus disc, The Jurassic Park Franchise, exclusive to the set. No details yet on just what additional material will be included, but it will only be available in the trilogy collection, so if you've already bought the previous Jurassic Park releases, you'll have to buy 'em again to get this fourth disc. Retail for the collection is $75.95, and we expect the press release to be announced soon. Sigh, here we go again...

Columbia digs deep (09.19.01 - 12:16am)

Just announced from Columbia are five new titles, a mix of the classic and little-known. On 12/18 Columbia will release Motorama, The Waterdance, Murder by Death, The Scent Of The Green Papaya and the 1953 version of The Big Heat. The first three include anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers (The Big Heat is full frame only), and all include mono tracks and trailers. Retail is $24.95, except Papaya which is $29.95.

Street date alert (09.19.01 - 12:16am)

just added to the Buena Vista website are street dates for two big Disney animated titles, the direct-to-video The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 2 and the recent box office hopeful Atlantis, both due on 3/19 (yep, that's next year). The site has also moved that upcoming Newsies special edition to "coming soon" status for sometime next year, and stay tuned for specs and street date when they're announced...

September 18th

More Superbit (09.18.01 - 11:13am)

Though Columbia's first wave of Superbit releases - see press release - haven't even hit the shelves, they have announced a second, slightly smaller batch for 12/11. The three titles are The Patriot, Gattaca and Bram Stoker's Dracula, all three previously released on DVD, will be getting the Superbit treatment, which means Dolby Digital and DTS tracks and no extras (not even trailers) just maximum disc space devoted to the picture and sound. Retail is $27.95, and we'll be looking forward to checking these out and if the promised increase in quality will be worth the price and loss of extras...

A royal delay (09.18.01 - 12:04am)

In the wake of last week's tragedy, Sony has decided to pull the teaser trailer for next summer's box office hopeful Spiderman - featuring footage of Spidey trapping criminals in a giant web between the twin World Trade Center towers - from all copies of next week's VHS release of the studio's A Knight's Tale. To make the last-minute change, the VHS will now be delayed three days until 9/28. However, this does not affect the DVD, which will street as announced on 9/25 with the same features and $27.95 list price, and which does not feature the Spiderman teaser.

We've also received many emails regarding rumors that Warner Home Video is delaying the announced 10/30 DVD release of this past summer's action thriller Swordfish, supposedly due to the film's storyline involving terrorists. However, Warner has not publicly responded to these rumors (though in a like move they have pulled all advertising and postponed the theatrical release date for Arnold Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage, which also features a similar plot) and it is important to stress that Swordfish has not been delayed, and as of now is still on track for a 10/30 release.

Fox price drops (09.18.01 - 12:04am)

To help drive DVD sales even higher this Christmas, Fox has just announced two waves of price drops on many popular catalog titles, as well as two new low-priced direct-to-video titles. Effective 12/18, the following titles will all be reduced to $19.95: Quills, Brokedown Palace, That Thing You Do, Bachelor Party, Tigerland, Woman On Top, Courage Under Fire, Men Of Honor, Big Momma's House, Bedazzled, Entrapment (SE), Titan AE, and Edward Scissorhands. Reduced to a low $14.95 as part of a "DVD Blowout" are: Python, Rangers, Commando, Ravenous, Wing Commander, Marked For Death, Firestorm, Volcano, and The Poseidon Adventure. New to DVD on 12/18, and also priced at $14.95, are three direct-to-video action thrillers, Silent Trigger, Deep Water, and Boondock Saints. As expected for such a low price, these titles feature minimal extras, only trailers and cast listings.

September 17th

Street date alert (09.17.01 - 1:25pm)

A couple of new announcements from Columbia, including the Jerry Maguire special edition, due on 12/4, and the recent theatrical release Two Can Play That Game, due three weeks later on 12/26. Watch for specs soon.

Columbia has also announced a 1/8 (that's 2002) street date for the Damon Wayans comedy Blankman. The disc features anamorphic widescreen and full frame transfers, English 5.1 and English and French 2.0 surround tracks, trailers and production notes. Retail is $24.95.

Matrix to the second power (09.17.01 - 12:01pm)

To go along with the recently announced Matrix Revisited documentary, Warner will also release a Matrix Double Pack, featuring both The Matrix and Matrix Revisited. The set retails for $39.95, a $5.00 savings over buying each separately (though most likely Matrix fans already own the first disc.) Since this is about as close to an Ultimate Edition as Warner is going to get, a better discount on both titles would have been nice. Watch for The Matrix Revisited and the two-pack to street 11/20.

Across the 8th dimension (09.17.01 - 12:01pm)

Is it just me, or the older you get, the faster time passes? Can it really almost be 2002? We've just got our first new DVD announcement for 2002, MGM's long-awaited special edition of the cult fave The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai. MGM has announced a 1/4 release date for this one, and it looks quite packed with cool stuff to make fans happy. Sporting a new anamorphic widescreen and English 5.1 surround track, extras include an audio commentary with director W.D. Richter, a rare prologue sequence starring Jamie Lee Curtis, restored deleted scenes with Richter commentary, a new making-of documentary with Richter, John Lithgow, Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, and more cast and crew, the original behind-the-scenes featurette, storyboards, and "Lots Of Easter Eggs To Make Cult Fans Happy." The disc also includes an English 2.0 stereo and French mono track, and French and Spanish subtitles. No retail price has yet been set.

» Pre-Order: DVD Planet - $22.49

We will rock you (09.17.01 - 12:01pm)

No Closure for NIN fans? Trimark recently announced 11/6 retail date for the long-in-coming Nine Inch Nails video compilation Closure, though we've received word from the official NIN website that someone may have forgotten to tell Trent Reznor about it. Retailers are already taking preorders for this title, and you NIN fans may want to plop down the plastic with caution (though we've received no word of any sort of official cancellation or postponement).

Assuming Mr. Reznor is not involved with this release, which may sound odd to some, such a situation is not unheard of. Unlike theatrical features, and the arguably stricter DGA and SAG rules governing home video releases, it is becomingly more common these days for music artists to be unaware that a title is being issued or reissued on DVD. (And so it happened recently with two recently announced U2 and Tori Amos releases, which were quickly and indefinitely postponed pending "artist involvement").

Whatever the case is here, the announced specs for the $29.95 DVD included a full frame transfer, English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track, and additional behind-the-scenes and live footage. Let's hope the title is either released as announced, or if it is postponed it will be to make the release that much better. Stay tuned...

Also announced from Pioneer are specs for what looks to be a pretty terrific new special edition of Queen: We Will Rock You, due on 10/2. Two separate Dolby Digital and DTS editions will be released, and both feature THX-certified anamorphic transfers from a new hi-def master(!) an audio commentary with producer and director Saul Swimmer, photo gallery, discography, band time and plenty of easter eggs. The DTS version retails for $29.95. and the Dolby Digital $24.95.