By Peter M. Bracke

Vive le France!

Paramount has just announced the 3/27 arrival of the hit sequel Rugrats In Paris. It looks to be a feature-laden disc, with in addition to the widescreen transfer and English and French 5.1 mixes, a making-of featurette, alternate endings(!), a Sound Effects Showcase with Chuck E. Chan" (did I spell that right?), the "Who Let The Dogs Out" music video and trailers. Retail is $29.95.

All wrapped up with no place to go

Earlier this week, as you may recall, Universal surprised many of us by announcing a disc that apparently was just crying out to be made, The Mummy - The Ultimate Edition. Since the widescreen and fullscreen versions Universal released in 1999 were pretty dang good, why mess with a good thing? Well, with The Mummy Returns to promote this summer, why not, right?

So, just what is going to be on this "Ultimate Edition?" This 2-disc set features both widescreen and fullscreen versions (so at least the current and soon to be discontinued multiple versions will be merged into one), and yes, both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks. While the isolated score has been removed for this new "Ultimate Edition," the rest of the supplements from the previous version, including the commentary and all the featurettes, have been retained.

Additional supplements on the second disc include a storyboards to final version comparison, the complete script with direct scene access, a new still gallery with production photos,, a brand-new Spotlight On Location featurette on the making of The Mummy Returns, a new Mummy Returns theatrical trailer, and extensive DVD-ROM features featuring a "Pharaoh Lineage," live webcast from the premiere of The Mummy Returns, interactive game and more.

While I know this is supposed to be "The Ultimate Edition," who wants to bet we'll see a Mummy/Mummy Returns box set from Universal someday? In the meantime, check out the original press release here.

Since this week is the big VSDA convention in Las Vegas, we're going to forgo our usual release news daily format here to try and catch all the new announcements. We'll be updating this page all week whenever something new comes in, so just watch this space all week!

Oliver Stone - A peek inside the box

Alright, I hope this is, finally, our last post here on The Oliver Stone Collection box set. We finally got most of the discs today (except Nixon, of course!), and watch for reviews starting tonight. But, since there are a lot of discs here and I know many of you are wondering about them, I thought I'd post one last time before the reviews start going up. First off, the set is all packaged in snapper cases, even the (yes) 2-disc sets of The Doors and Any Given Sunday. They came up with an interesting foldout snapper case with slideable pouch for the second disc, and we'll take a picture of the packaging for the review. And, the JFK set is also a two-disc set, with the entire feature on one disc and the second disc filled with deleted and extended scenes and some other goodies. Also, alas, The Doors is not anamorphic...in fact, it looks like the same lacking transfer as was released the last time. Sigh. On the plus side, most of these discs have some great supplements, so watch for the reviews starting tonight.

Platinum!

As more and more "mainstream" folks buy DVD players and get hooked on the hobby (face it, DVD is worse than heroin) we continue to get emails asking "When oh when are all the real classic Disney animated films coming out!?" Sure, Disney has released some real gems (the Toy Story films, Tarzan) but also lots of, um, less-than-classic animated titles as well (Pocahontas II, anyone?) So where are all the big guns like Snow White, Aladdin, Lion King or Cinderella?

Well, if you are new to DVD, you may not recall that late in 1999, Disney finally announced their animated battle plan, including the Platinum Collection line of their 10 best and most loved classics. The first of these, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, was announced as due in 2001. Hey, it is 2001...so where is it? A Buena Vista representative, on the condition of anonymity (don't worry, we won't spoil your identity) revealed to one of our spies at the VSDA that plans for the Platinum Collection are still on track for 2001. Some retailers have already been notified to watch for Snow White in October 2001, the rep squealed, and the release will be backed by the kind of very aggressive marketing "event" that only Disney can pull off. (In other words, convince parents that if they don't buy their kids this DVD, they're going to burn in hell for all eternity.)

Of course, this sounds good, but as faithful mousketeers know, all it takes is one statement from that spoilsport Michael Eisner (aka Disney CEO) to ruin it for everybody. So, will the Platinum Collection finally see the light of day in 2001? I hope so...or that mouse is toast.

'Scuz me while I kiss the sky

MGM has added another title to its usual mega-batch this March, the Jimi Hendrix docu-film Hendrix. According to the press blurb, "One of rock's music legends is brought to life in this captivating behind-the-scenes documentary...filled with the music that made him an icon, this biopic captures the energy of a generation!" The disc is pretty bare bones, featuring a full frame presentation, English 2.0 stereo mix and Spanish and French subtitles. Retail is $24.95.

A little Columbia spring preview

We received a little sneak peek at some of Columbia's upcoming spring DVD titles, and since we're called DVDFILE, we figured we oughta share them with you. Since anytime you get street dates for long-in-advance titles they often change, we're just going to list 'em by month for a little preview. Some real goodies in here...

Titles due in April include the German horror import Anatomy, The Last Dragon, The Natural, The Prince of Tides, Used Cars, Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Then the warm winds of May will bring us a special edition of (oh my god) Ice Castles and Absence Of Malice, Tootsie and that little Spielberg film called Close Encounters, as well as Threesome, Suspect, Cheech & Chong's Things Are Tough All Over, The Beast and Safe and Casualties of War.

Other titles we're told to watch out for around early-to-mid summertime include more Muppet films and special editions of A Few Good Men, My Best Friend's Wedding and Kramer Vs. Kramer, though dates are still not definite. For a full list of more Columbia 2001 fun, check out our Studio Day report. And oh, by the way, if you are wondering about new day & date releases, all you gotta do is add about 6 months on to <insert favorite new theatrical title here» and you've probably got a good idea of the DVD street date...

Faster than a speeding bullet

Slowly but surely, as May approaches, Warner continues to leak more Superman DVD details, and did you think they'd miss a prime opportunity like the VSDA to not maintain the buzz? The first movie will really be getting the deluxe treatment with a 2-disc set (originally it was thought to be a DVD-18, but now we hear it might be a double disc), and there will also be a 4-disc box set of all the films with minimal additional extras. All the films will be getting new anamorphic widescreen transfers and a new 5.1 mix, with the first film undergoing what rumor has it is going to be quite a spectacular restoration. Additional extras on the first Superman disc include anywhere from 8 to 14 minutes of additional footage (the length keeps changing, so guess we'll have to wait and see what the real final total is), additional deleted scenes as a supplement, multiple documentaries on the genesis of the film project, the casting, and an in-depth look at the special effects, rare screen tests and trailers. Even cooler is an isolated track of John Williams' terrific score, and additional alternate takes of key sound cues not used in the film. Sounds nifty, and I'm sure there is even more on here, so stay tuned for a full press release as May approaches...

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

...and totally worthless rocks, if you ask me! Before there was a Debbie Harry, before there was a Madonna, hell, before there was a Monica Lewinsky, there was the one, the only Marilyn! Fox has just announced the date for its spate of newly remastered Marilyn Monroe classics. Fox will be issuing five new Marilyn discs, all remastered in their original theatrical aspect ratios. Each disc retails for $24.95, and the titles include Bus Stop, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, There's No Business Like Show Business and The Anna Nicole Smith Story (oops, I mean How To Marry A Millionaire.) Fox will also be releasing all five discs in a spiffy box, appropriately entitled Marilyn Monroe: The Diamond Collection. This $99.95 set includes a bonus sixth disc featuring the documentary "Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days," plus forty minutes of never-before-seen footage from Marilyn's never-completed final epic "Something's Got to Give." Street date is 5/29.

New Line's 'Dance' in the dark

New Line has announced a couple of new spring titles, including the critically acclaimed "anti-musical" Dancer In The Dark, due 3/20. The disc is pretty feature packed, sporting an audio commentary Lars Von Trier and another commentary with Bjork, two new featurettes "Film Factory: An Exploration of DV Filmmaking in Lars Von Trier's Creative Infrastructure" and " Creating the Modern Musical: An Exploration of the Music and Dance," cast filmographies and the trailer. DVD-ROM features include the complete theatrical website and the new "New Line Hot Spot." The disc also sports an anamorphic widescreen transfer, and is also New Line's second DTS-encoded title, with English Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks. Retail is $24.95.

Then, also due on 3/20 is Turn It Up, featuring anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen versions of the film, English 5.1 surround, the trailer and the complete script and original website via DVD-ROM. Retail is $24.95.

'Requiem' for a nightmare

One of my favorite movies of last year, Artisan has just announced a special edition of Requiem For A Dream on 3/20. Darren Aronofsky's daring, dark exploration of drug addiction features a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 surround mix, an audio commentary with Aronofsky, two making of featurettes, cast interviews, deleted scenes, cast filmographies, production notes and the trailers. Retail is $24.95.

More on 'Highlander'

A while back we posted some info on the upcoming Highlander: Endgame DVD due on 2/20. Buena Vista has finally unleashed the full specs, and it looks to be quite a nice set. Billed as "The Ultimate Two-Disc Collection," this special edition features the original theatrical cut plus a new longer version featuring (I kid you not) "More Action! More Steamy Scenes! All-New Ending!" Gotta love those exclamation points! Also included is an audio commentary with Producers William Panzer and Peter Davis, and Actor Christopher Lambert, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, special effects "Before And After" with effects crew commentary track, the "There Can Be Only One" interactive game, and additional DVD-ROM features including expanded interactive game, a "Character Tree" covering all the Highlander films and series, and the complete screenplay with direct scene access. All this can be yours for $29.95.

January 9: VSDA week - Day One

Fox sci-fi bonanza

Fox has just announced a wave of sci-fi titles for the spring, including some pretty long-awaited fan favorites. On 3/27 comes the cult classic Zardoz, starring Sean Connery in a diaper. The disc includes a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 2.0 surround and English and French mono tracks, an audio commentary with Director John Boorman, three still galleries with concept art and pressbook material, and theatrical trailers and radio spots. Also coming is Alien Nation, starring a bunch of creatures with freckled butts for heads, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, English Dolby Digital 4.0 and 2.0 surround and French mono, with extras including a featurette, behind-the-scenes clip reel, and trailers and TV spots. Then we have Enemy Mine, starring Louis Gossett, Jr., in a giant chocolate puff pastry costume, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, English Dolby Digital 4.0 and 2.0 surround and French mono, with a still gallery montage and trailers. Retail is $24.95 for all of the above.

A week earlier on 3/13, Fox is releasing their next double feature disc, the indescribable Power Rangers: The Movie / Turbo duo. The disc features 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers, English 5.1 and English and French 2.0 surround tracks, and with making of featurettes and trailers on each film. Retail is but $24.95.

Lastly, on 5/15, Fox proves they just may be intent on releasing every older title they've ever done in a new edition (just kidding.) Watch for a new special edition of Tora! Tora! Tora! featuring a new "Historian's Commentary" with edited interviews with war historians, and a theatrical trailer. The rest of the disc seems to be the same as the previous version, with a THX-certified anamorphic widescreen transfer and English 4.0 and English and French 2.0 surround tracks. Retail is also lower for this edition, going for $24.95.

The 'Ultimate Mummy'

As if the first special edition wasn't enough, Universal is going back to the same well twice for The Mummy Ultimate Collection . Yep, that's right, if you thought the Jurassic Park tie-in was something, check out the full press release for the info. Not to sound like a spoilt sport, but instead of reissuing the same title over and over that was pretty dang good in the first place, why not redo those awful transfers on Born On The 4th of July and Somewhere In Time? Just a thought.

New MGM April titles

Coming from MGM on 4/10 are another batch of titles. Under the Avante Garde Cinema banner is How I Won The War in 1.66:1 non-anamorphic widescreen, English and Spanish mono, Boxing Helena in 1.,85:1 anamorphic widescreen, English 2.0 stereo only and with none of the extra features from the laserdisc, Tank Girl in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, English and French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 stereo, The Adjuster in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, English 2.0 stereo only. All four titles have French and Spanish subtitles and the theatrical trailer.

Then in the World Films collection, we have Pedro Aldomovar's Live Flesh and Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown in 2.35:1 and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and Castilian Spanish 5.1 and mono tracks, respectively, and two Fellini films, Satyricon and Roma, with the former in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Italian and English mono, and the latter in 1.66:1 non-anamorphic widescreen and Italian and French mono. All of the above have trailers and English, French and Spanish subtitles.

And the last title is King Of Hearts, in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic widescreen with English, French and German mono tracks and English French and Spanish subtitles, and the trailer. Retail for all of the above is $19.95 each.

'Lawrence Of Arabia' arrives

Has there ever been a more gorgeous film than Lawrence Of Arabia? While Citizen Kane is often chosen as the "Best Film Of All Time," I think few would argue that Lawrence Of Arabia is pretty damn close. Now, outside of a pristine print at the best movie house in town, we'll have the chance to see it better than ever on the home screen when Columbia delivers the DVD this March. While the official US press release is still due soon, the disc has already been announced for a 3/21 debut in Region 4, with sources at Columbia saying to expect the Region 1 disc on 4/3. Retail for the U.S. set is not yet released, though perhaps we can expect the full press release by the end of the VSDA?

This two-disc set features a widescreen anamorphic transfer of the longer restored 216-minute cut that played theatrically in 1989 and a full English 5.1 surround mix. The second disc contains a wealth of supplements, including Laurent Bouzereau's new 62-minute documentary on the making of the film featuring new interviews (though, sadly, Peter O'Toole did not take part.)

There are also no less than eight additional featurettes. "The Making Of A Classic," "The New York Premiere," with rare footage of the film's 1962 debut, "Romance Of Arabia" on the film's locations, "The Marketing Of Lawrence," with rare advertising material, "In Search of Lawrence" which takes a look at the deserts of Arabia and the production challenges during filming, and the amusingly-titled "The Camels Are Cast" on, well, the film's camels!

Especially noteworthy is the last featurette, "A Conversation With Spielberg," with the filmmaker talking about why the film is such a classic. There is also the "Journey With Lawrence" photo gallery detailing the real Lawrence's trek including narration, photos, maps and detailed text. This set will be presented in the same collectible book-like packaging as Columbia's Bridge On The River Kwai release in late 2000, and will include a collectible booklet with extensive production notes.

By the way, speaking of Steven Spielberg, word comes to us that a tentative late May berth is planned for a two-disc set of the director's eagerly-awaited Close Encounters of The Third Kind. When you wish upon a star...

Fox goes Nuon

We've all heard about Nuon Technology now for a couple of years (well, okay, maybe you haven't) and now the first studio has taken the plunge and is introducing the first Nuon-enhanced title. Who is it? Why, Fox of course, with the 3/13 debut of Harold Ramis' Bedazzled.

But just what is Nuon? In brief, it is souped up DVD player with enhanced playback capabilities. But this is no DIVX. A "Nuon enhanced" DVD is a normal DVD like any other. Similar to disc with DVD-ROM features, a Nuon enhanced DVD still plays just fine in a "normal" DVD player - but if you are Nuon equipped, you can take advantage of any of the extra Nuon features embedded on the disc.

In addition to an anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French 5.1 surround tracks and English and Spanish subtitles, the disc includes a bevy of features including an audio commentary with Harold Ramis and Elizabeth Hurley, making-of featurette, still gallery, trailers and cast filmographies. Nuon-enhanced content includes a "bookmarking" feature that marks scenes by thematic content. For example, you can hear "digest commentaries" by Ramis and Hurley, a Hurley "fashion show"(!) and even the ability to zoom in on preselected elements of shots with descriptive text. The still gallery is also enhanced with clips from the film is played next to the concept and set design stills. Even the scene selections are enhanced with full motion and text. Retail for the disc is also competitively priced, at $26.95.

Personally, I like Nuon. Since Nuon-enhanced discs play just fine in "normal" DVD players, compatibility is not a problem, And there are a lot of neat things Nuon can do that won't take away from non-Nuon equipped users. Like DVD-ROM enabled discs or a spiffy high-end player with extra features, Nuon to me just adds more cool functionality to the format. Bring 'em on.

Rocky Special Edition specs announced

Another exciting bit of VSDA news is the announced of the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Oscar-winning Rocky. The disc features a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, new English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, additional French and Spanish mono tracks and French and Spanish subtitles, an audio commentary with Director John G. Avildsen, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire and Burt Young, a new 33-minute "video commentary" with Sylvester Stallone; new behind-the-scenes featurette with Avildsen including deleted footage, still gallery with advertising materials, tributes to the late Burgess Meredith and James Crabe; and the theatrical trailer. Retail is $24.95, while the standard edition will remain availble but is being repriced to $14.95 (and note it is a non-anamorphic transfer, so why not go with the special edition?) Look for a box set called The Rocky Collection of all five films on 4/24 as well (though only the first has any real supplements of note), with new anamorphic transfers on each. Retail is $89.95 for the box, and Rocky 2-5 will only be available in the box.

Fox places 'Apes' on moratorium

Hmmm, here's an announcement I thought you'd all find interesting. A little over six months since the much debated Planet Of the Apes box set last August, Fox has made a very low-key announcement that all Apes titles on VHS and DVD are going on moratorium starting January 15, until further notice. Perhaps this has to do with the upcoming big-budget theatrical remake? Think we'll see a reissue of the set sometime in the future? I don't know, but my hunch is a big fat yes!

January 8 : New Top Pick contest; Lucky Numbers; Cruel Intentions 2 and more Hitchcock cover art

New Top Pick contest

This week's Top Pick is a bit of a romantic one, MGM's new special edition of Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally. They've produced a fine new disc, complete with commentary and all-new documentary. And as a little added bonus, MGM has also provided a copy of the Richard Gere and Winona Ryder romance Autumn In New York, so five lucky winners this week will take home both. Enter here for your chance to win.

And congrats goes out to last week's winner, Stephen Donovan of Boston, MA , who snagged a copy of Columbia's new Hollow Man special edition. Great job, Stephen!

Un'Lucky' number?

Well, there are some films that no matter how you try and spin, there is just no other way to say than that they just were a total bomb. Costing over $60 million, Nora Ephron's latest comedy Lucky Numbers completely tanked at the box office this past fall, despite the presence of John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow (I bet most of the budget just went towards their salaries!) Now, you'll have the chance to assess the damage for yourself when Paramount releases the DVD on 3/20. The disc includes an anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French 5.1 tracks, a cast & crew interview gallery and the trailer. Retail is $29.95.

Don't be 'Cruel'

After a series of street date delays, Columbia has issued a new date for the Cruel Intentions pseudo-sequel Cruel Intentions 2, now due 3/13. Originally filmed as the television series Manchester Prep, the series was canceled before it even aired, hence this reedited 2-hour "sequel." The disc is pretty bare-bones, with fullscreen and widescreen anamorphic transfers, a English 2.0 surround mix, talent files and trailers for other Columbia titles. Retail is $24.95.

Here's lookin' at you, Hitch

To finish off today's release news, here's a few box art pics from the upcoming Hitchcock Collection titles from Universal. As you can see, they went with the new Hitchcock mug shot graphics to give the set a consistent look, thus the older (and in my opinion kinda cooler) cover pics for Psycho and Vertigo have been discontinued. Watch for all these titles on 3/6.