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 MAY
18 - 21
Gump! A little late-breaking announcement that I'm sure most of you will be interested in. In anticipation of the full press release due this week, Paramount released details on the Forrest Gump DVD to retail, which not only marks the DVD debut of Robert Zemeckis' Oscar-winning smash, but also Paramount's first two-disc special edition. Arriving on 8/28, the set includes a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby surround mixes, and an audio commentary with Zemeckis and producers Steve Starkey and Rick Carter and two never-before-seen sequences. Disc two features the 29-minute "Through The Eyes Of Forrest Gump" documentary, plus the original EPK and four new featurettes "The Magic Of Makeup," "Through The Ears Of Forrest Gump," "Building The World Of Gump" and "Seeing Is Believing: The Visual Effects Of Forrest Gump, " never-before-seen screen tests, a still gallery and the trailer. Pretty dang sweet, and retail is only $29.95. Sounds like a great one from Paramount, and 8/28 can't come soon enough for me! A little late-breaking Sweet tooth Rounding up a rather slow week of disc news are a few new Buena Vista announcements. The full specs have come in for the Academy Award-nominated Chocolat, which will feature a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and English 5.1 surround mix, an audio commentary with director Lasse Hallstrom and producer David Brown, a making-of featurette and an additional feature on the film's costumes, deleted scenes with optional commentary and the trailer. Retail is $32.95 and street date 8/7. Also debuting along with Chocolat is the comedy Shake, Rattle And Roll and the Roland Joffe drama Vatel. Both feature 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby 5.1 surround mixes, trailers, filmographies and an audio commentary with Joffe on Vatel. Retail is $32.95 each. Finally, Disney has released specs for the Dumbo 60th Anniversary Edition due 10/23, and which features a full frame transfer, behind-the-scenes featurette, an all-new recording of "Baby Mine" by Michael Crawford, a Dumbo interactive game, still gallery with production photos and the trailer. Retail is $29.95. Road rage! Alright, so it isn't exactly highway-bound, but you gotta any film with a title like Air Rage. Paramount will unleash a special edition of this thriller on 7/24, complete with anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Ed Raymond and actor Cyril O'Reilly, cast and crew filmographies and a trailer gallery. Retail is $29.95.
Ramones forever New Concorde (formerly New Horizons) has just announced a new batch of titles due on 8/28. After bouncing around various distributors and being released not once but twice already on DVD, New Concorde will be reissuing Rock N' Roll High School, with the same features as the previous version. The disc includes a 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, audio commentary with director Allan Arkush, producer Michael Finnell and screenwriter Richard Whitley, an interview with Roger Corman, a "Special Film Dedication" by Allan Arkush, an essay on Corman by Whitle, audio outtakes of The Ramones' concert sequences, cast bios, trailers and TV spots. Retail is $19.95. Other upcoming New Concorde titles include The Nest, The Unborn and The Terror Within. All are full frame and 2.0 mono, with cast filmographies, production notes and more Corman info. Retail is $14.95 each. Two from Criterion Criterion has just announced a couple of new titles due on 7/24. Salesman features a full frame transfer and an English mono track, along with audio commentary with directors Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, interviews with Jack Kroll and David and Albert Maysles, NPR's "The Rabbit" on Weekend Edition, a still gallery with production photographs, filmographies and the trailer. Also coming is Grey Gardens, in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with a mono track, along with audio commentary with directors Albert Maysles, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer and associate producer Susan Froemke, interviews with "Little Edie Beale" by Kathryn G. Graham for Interview Magazine, and fashion designers Todd Oldham and John Bartlett, a still gallery with production photographs, filmographies and the trailer. Retail is $39.95 each.
Paramount August titles Paramount has just announced some of their upcoming August titles due on 8/14. Steve McQueen's last movie, The Hunter features a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English mono mix, and the trailer. Also due is Funeral In Berlin, in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, English and French mono, and with the trailer. Retail is $29.95 for both. Also arriving on 8/14 are two more volumes of Star Trek: The Original Series, Volumes 29 (episode 57 "Elaan Of Troyius" and episode 58 "The Paradise Syndrome") and Volume 30 (episode 59 "The Enterprise Incident" and episode 60 "And The Children Shall Lead.") Each is presented in full frame, English 5.1 surround and include TV spots. Retail is $19.95 a pop. And though no details just yet, word is to expect an announcement for Forrest Gump and Ordinary People real soon...
In an announcement that is gonna rock the DVD world, Columbia has just announced a 7/31 arrival date for the greatest sequel ever made (not), Short Circuit 2. This mega-disc features anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese 2.0 surround and subtitles tracks, talent files, trailers, and (I swear I'm not making this up) "An Actor's Profile with Fisher Stevens" featurette. Retail is only $24.95. Wow! This film has not yet been rated We just got a couple of new discs in for review, both of which have causing confusion for consumers as to whether or not they are the Unrated or R-Rated versions. Artisan will be releasing the controversial Requiem For A Dream in not one but two versions on 5/22. The R-Rated cut is relatively featureless, so the Unrated "Director's Cut" is the way to go, as it comes complete with commentary, making-ofs and plenty more. Watch for our review real soon, and make sure look closely at the box of what you're buying so you get the right one! Fox's Two Girls And A Guy DVD due on 6/5, despite being listed as "Unrated" on some retail sites, is only the 84-minute R-Rated version. Well, at least the copy we received is, anyway. We're a bit disappointed, though since the disc does feature an audio commentary with director James Toback, it will be interesting to see what he has to say about the whole controversy. Watch for our review of that title as well real soon. Random Notes As it is somewhat of a slow day, here's a few random updates and announcements
to finish off today's news. Warner has pushed back the DVD release of
The Black Adder series, which was supposed to street yesterday on 5/15,
all the way back to 6/19. Retail and specs remain the same. On the web
launch front, Fox has just unveiled a new site
celebrating the upcoming Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection DVD
box set release, including details on the all the discs, stills and even
some exclusive clips in streaming video. Not to be outdone, Universal
has just launched a new site
for The Klumps Uncensored, with the rather disturbing title of
"Hot Granny Action." Ick! Last but not least, Fox has sent some cool new menu pics from the upcoming Die Hard Ultimate Collection and MonkeyboneDVD releases. The Die Hard shots in particular look pretty snazzy, and you can check 'em out here, and the Monkeybone shots here...
Mondo trasho Attention, John Waters fans. When you pick up that John Waters Collection Volume One two-disc set hitting stores next week, featuring Hairspray and Pecker, don't throw out that seemingly innocuous little flyer you'll find inside. Rather than just another annoying advertisement, it is actually a coupon for your "Bonus DVD." That's right, if the upcoming Volume Two (featuring Polyester and Desperate Living) and Volume Three (Female Trouble and Pink Flamingos) wasn't enough to whet the appetites of Waters fans everywhere, if you collect 'em all and mail in your little coupon, New Line will send you a bonus platter featuring "documentaries, rare footage, interviews and more!" While I'm all for extra DVDs as part of box sets (heck, I don't mind buying a bunch of whatever if they throw in an extra disc or two of goodies), New Line's offer begs the question "Why not just release these Waters titles as a box set with the extra disc?" Good question. You longtime DVD enthusiasts might remember the negative reaction that greeted a similar "offer" Fox tried with the ALIEN saga that quickly became a fiasco - send away for an extra fifth ALIEN disc with documentary, limited time only, fans get pissed, copies now selling on eBay for big bucks, etc. - and which no studio has dared tried again since. Personally, I'd rather just buy a John Waters box set rather than have to go through all this trouble of sending off the coupon, saving my receipts and proof of purchase tabs, and adding the $5.95 shipping. Seems like a lot of effort, but hopefully this "Bonus DVD" will have enough content to make it worth our while? Watch for Volume Two of the Waters Collection street this summer, followed by Volume Three this fall, and if we get any further specs on this extra disc, we'll let you know...
Hot off its weak debut at the box office this past weekend (okay, it totally tanked) Columbia has already announced a 7/31 arrival for the animated kid flick Trumpet Of The Swan. The disc features anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English 5.1 and English, French and Spanish 2.0 surround tracks, a "Can you the sound?" trivia game, bonus trailers and production notes. Retail is $24.95 Columbia has also set a 8/8 release date for the fourth (and final?) chapter in the Karate Kid saga, The Next Karate Kid. Featuring a pre-Oscar Hilary Swank (boys don't cry, they wax on), the disc is pretty bare bones, featuring anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese 2.0 surround and subtitle tracks, trailers and a "multilevel" DVD-ROM game. Retail will set you back $24.95. Of course, all this recent Karate Kid action (Parts II and III are due this June) makes why wonder just when Columbia is going to get around to redoing the first Karate Kid DVD, which is featureless and pan & scan only. What would Mr. Miyagi say!? Suspicious minds In addition to issuing the full press release for the upcoming Die Hard: Ultimate Collection box set (filled with tons of great stuff,) Fox has set a 7/10 release date for the Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche thriller Beyond Suspicion. Though not a big hit at the box office, in addition to the anamorphic widescreen transfer and English and French 5.1 surround tracks, Fox is loading up the DVD with extras, including an audio commentary with director Matt Tabak, actor Jeff Goldblum and producer Daniel Stone, behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast, an alternate ending, cast filmographies and the trailer. Retail is Fox's pseudo-rental price of $34.95.
To "Infini"-ty and beyond Always pushing the technology one step further, New Line recently announced their new "Infinifilm" line: souped-up special edition DVDs that promise to take users "beyond the movie." To help educate press folks like ourselves on just how the Infinifilm line differs from their already reference-setting Platinum Series brand (not to mention all these new "Ultimate Editions,") New Line held a roundtable discussion and demonstration last week highlighting their first Infinifilm release, Thirteen Days. Well, we were mighty impressed with what they showed us, so much so that you should watch for a feature story coming real soon. But in the meantime, New Line revealed some exciting news on upcoming Infinifilm releases and a little change in their packaging that "crapper case" haters will surely love... Planning on an average of six to eight Infinifilm titles a year, New Line revealed that their next three releases bearing the label in 2001 will be Blow, Rush Hour 2 and 15 Minutes. (What!? No Town & Country!?) New Line also revealed that in an effort to distinguish the brand, all Infinifilm titles will be released in Amaray keepcases, not the dreaded "snapper" used in the past. Since New Line is owned by Time-Warner, who have part ownership in the company that makes the snapper, this is a pretty significant move. The keepcase has pretty much become the defacto DVD packaging standard outside of Warner and their subsidiaries, so although it is still too early to declare "Ding, dong, the witch is dead" (sorry, I just can't contain my glee), one can always hope. Watch for more on Infinifilm in the days ahead...
Riding the wave of great entertainment, Anchor Bay has just announced another batch wacky and the wonderful releases hitting shelves on 7/10. Featuring wrestler turned actor Rowdy Roddy Piper, Hell Comes To Frogtown has its fans (well, at least three or four of you), and Anchor Bay will be bestowing the film with its first-ever widescreen transfer, in anamorphic no less. Extras include the trailer and an audio commentary with Director Donald G. Jackson and Writer Randall Frakes. Also coming is Def-Con 4 in anamorphic widescreen and mono along with the trailer, The Best Of Benny Hill, an 87-minute highlight show in full frame and mono, and three Dario Argento Collection two-pack reissues, Inferno and Phenomena, Demons and Demons 2, and Deep Red and Tenebrae. Each of the these two-disc sets feature the same extras as the previous editions, along with new 4-page booklet's and poster art replicas. Both two-packs are limited to 5,000 copies and retail for $39.95. Also, note that Anchor Bay's release of Argento's Cat O' Nine Tails has been delayed until 7/10 as well. Let the Goodtimes roll Goodtimes Entertainment, those kings of the value-priced DVD, has just announced a pretty extensive slate of new releases and reprices for 5/29. Leading off the pack is the first-ever widescreen release of the 1970 Oscar-nominated "classic" Airport. The previous release was pan & scan only, but this new version restores the film to its proper 2.20:1 (non-anamorphic) widescreen dimensions. Retail is only $9.95. Other Goodtimes $7.95 reprices include the umpteenth reissue of Angel And The Badman, Blue Steel/ Hell Town, Dawn Rider, Payoff In The Pacific, Sagebrush Trail, Shores Of Iwo Jima: WWII's Great Battles, Star Packer/ Hurricane Express and Texas Terror/ The Trail Beyond. Goodtimes is also releasing an impressive number of "classic" televisions series on 5/29, including six volumes of Little House On The Prairie for $7.95 each ("Christmas #1" and "Christmas #2," "Laura Ingalls Wilder," "The Lord Is My Shepherd" and "The Premiere"), as well as a four -pack for $29.95. Other new TV releases include four Little Rascals collections ("Bear Shooters/Waldo's Last Stand/Dogs," "Hook And Ladder/Hi Neighbor/Sun," "Little Papa/Dogs/Sprucin' Up" and "The Pooch/Arbor Day/Derby Day"), four volumes of Lucille Ball ("Barbershop/Plumber," "Lucy's Lost Episodes," "The Funny World Of Lucy #1" and "The Funny World Of Lucy #2"), The Lone Ranger ("6 Guns," "Hi-Ho Silver," "Lost Episodes" and "Old Timers"), Our Gang ("Comedy Festival #1," "Greatest Hits," "Our Gang Stories" and "Our Gang Varieties"), Red Skelton ("Bloopers, Blunders, Ad Libs," "King Of Laughter," "Lost Episodes" and "Public Pidgeon #1") and eight volumes and two four-packs of The Three Stooges ("Festival," "Funniest Moments #1," "Funniest Moments #2," "Lost Comedy Treasures," "Three Stooges Story," "Jerks Of All Trades," "Kings Of Laughter" and "Simply Hilarious.") Each of these releases are also $7.95 each or $29.95 for a four-pack, and all are presented in full frame and English mono. Unfortunately, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: The Ultimate Collection remains unreleased... |
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No.
5 is alive!
Triumph
of the swan
DVD
comes to Frogtown