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Scary movies Universal has just announced specs for more frightfully good Halloween titles. First up are six new Classic Monster Collection titles, all two-for-the-price-of-one double feature discs. Presented in 1.371 and with English mono tracks, Werewolf Of London/ She-Wolf Of London, The Mummy's Hand/ The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost/ The Mummy's Curse, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman/ House Of Frankenstein, Son Of Frankenstein/ Ghost Of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter/ Son Of Dracula hit retail on 8/28 for $29.95 apiece. Extras include a "Classic Monsters Montage," production notes, cast and crew filmographies and theatrical trailers. Also arriving on 8/28 is Classic Monsters: The Definitive Collection, a repacking of the previously-released Dracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein discs, for $69.95. Due on 10/2 is a new Terror In The Aisles-esque "best of horror" compilation, Boogeymen. The disc is presented in full frame and 2.0 surround, and features clips from some of the best horror movies ever made. The disc also features an audio commentary with Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund, "Name That Frame" and "FlixFacts" horror trivia, "Legend of the Boogeymen" character histories, theatrical trailers for Universal horror films, and DVD-ROM exclusive features including weblinks to Universal's new horror movie site 13th Street. Retail is $19.95. Finally, also on 10/2 comes Tremors 3: Back To Perfection, presented in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround, with extras still TBA. Retail is $26.95.
No habla espanol DreamWorks has revealed the specs for the upcoming special edition of The Mexican, due on 8/7. Though not quite the blockbuster one would expect for a movie starring "America's Sweetheart" Julia Roberts and Mr. Jennifer Aniston himself Brad Pitt, it did make a few bucks. The disc includes a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Gore Verbinski, deleted scenes, the HBO "The Making Of The Mexican" featurette, cast filmographies, production notes and the trailer. Retail is $26.95.
Attention fans of sick cinema. Before there was a Farrelly Brothers, there was John Waters. Volume Two of New Line's John Waters Collection hits DVD on 8/21, and features Water's epics Desperate Living and Polyester. Each film is presented in their original 1.37:1 aspect ratio (we wouldn't want to lop off Divine's head, now would we?) and in English 2.0 stereo, and each features a new audio commentary with John waters. Polyester also features, you guessed it, a Scratch N' Sniff card. Priceless. Retail is $29.95. Say it ain't so! Yikes! Looks like the big fall buying season is already underway...sort
of. The studios are already starting to announce retail dates for the
late summer and early fall lineups, and judging by the sheer number of
titles announced already, this season is going to be pretty tough on the
pocketbooks! Then on 9/4 comes a big slate of Halloween and family titles. First we have the kid-friendly fare To Walk With Lions, When Good Ghouls Go Bad (aka "The Warren Lieberfarb Story"), Mom's Outta Sight! and Ping!, the story of a homeless Chihuahua. (No, I'm not making this up, and Ping! even stars Judge Reinhold!) Both feature Fox Flix trailers, cast and crew filmographies and character profiles, while Ping! also includes a still gallery and Ghouls a making-of featurette. Lions is in full frame while the rest are in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Retail is $19.95 a pop. Also coming on 9/4 is some decidely more adult fare. Brian De Palma is really getting the DVD treatment lately, and Fox now has two of his earlier thrillers on tap. The Fury and Phantom Of The Paradise are sadly featureless aside from cast and crew filmographies and trailers, but at least we're getting new anamorphic widescreen transfers, and retail is only $19.95 each. Also arriving in time for Halloween is The Legend Of Hell House, in anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 surround, with a still gallery and the theatrical trailer. Retail is also $19.95. Finally, though fans of Buffy the television series still have a wait a bit longer for their DVDs, Fox will be releasing Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the movie, on 9/4. The disc features a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, 2.0 surround track, a making-of featurette, the trailer and TV spots. Retail is $19.95.
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Bye bye Miss American Pie Oh, come on now, you knew it was coming. Universal has just announced not one but two new American Pie Ultimate Editions, one R-rated and one Unrated. Unlike some of the other Ultimate Editions, these two actually boast a number of genuinely new features, as well as widescreen and pan and scan options, Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks, deleted scenes, music videos, a new photo montage with commentary and more. Check out the full press release for the details. Tomcat club Columbia has just announced a 8/14 for the latest box office comedy flop Tomcats. The disc is relatively featureless, with anamorphic and widescreen transfers, English 5.1 and English and French 2.0 surround and subtitle tracks, production notes, talent bios and trailers. Retail is $24.95. Due on 8/7 is the import Time And Tide, in anamorphic widescreen and Cantonese and English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Tsu Hark, talent files, production note and trailers. Finally, The Next Karate Kid has been bumped to 8/28, and watch for a John Carpenter three-pack featuring Starman, Christine and Vampires for $41.95, due on 8/7. Street Date Alert Well, time for another new mini-feature. Since lately many studios are starting to announce street dates for titles but not the full specs, we'll start posting "Street Date Alerts" with confirmed street dates when they arrive. Today's alert includes DreamWorks The Mexican and the controversial An Everlasting Peace, arriving on 8/7 and The Adventures Of Joe Dirt on 8/28 and director Todd Haines' Safe on 8/21 from Columbia. Also, MGM's Heartbreakers will hit retail on 9/18. Watch for specs soon...
Hated the movie, love the disc. How many times have you thought that? MGM has announced the full specs for the upcoming Hannibal two-disc set, due on 8/21 with a retail price of $29.95. Perhaps the most exciting news here is that this is the first MGM title with DTS support (will this be the first, or the last?) Specs include a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 tracks, French and Spanish 2.0 surround and subtitle tracks, English Closed Captions, an audio commentary with director Ridley Scott, five "Breaking the Silence" featurettes, three multi-angle featurettes, deleted scenes and a still gallery, production notes and trailers. Also debuting on 8/21 is a new Silence Of The Lambs special edition, which has already been announced, and note that MGM will be releasing separate widescreen and pan and scan versions of Silence, each with the same features and retail price of $24.95. I've got a golden ticket Easily one of the sickest (and therefore one of the best) "children's movies" ever made, Warner has set a 8/28 arrival date for the new 30th Anniversary Edition of Willy Wonka And the Chocolate Factory. Warner has already once released this film on DVD back in 1997, though it was relatively featureless. This new edition promises to be a true special edition with some exciting supplements. In addition to a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, the disc includes a new documentary "Pure Imagination" from producer JM Kenny, a new screen-specific audio commentary with all five of the Wonka children (Charlie, Veruca Salt, etc.) a "Sing-Along" (not sure if this is an isolated music score or not), the original theatrical featurette, and the theatrical trailer. Retail is only $19.95. On 8/28 Warner will also release the family comedy See Spot Run, starring David Arquette as Spot (oops, wait, I think Arquette played the human this time.) The disc features an anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track, audio commentary with director John Whitesell, "Spot's Silly Tricks," a music video by Vitamin C and the trailer. Retail is $19.95. Finally, a note on the specs for the upcoming Waiting For Guffman DVD, due on 8/21. In addition to director and co-writer Christopher Guest, the audio commentary will include co-writer Eugene Levy, and the deleted scenes total 35 minutes and also feature optional commentary. Retail is $24.95.
The specs have just come in for New Line's second big Infinifilm release, the thriller 15 Minutes, due on 8/14. The disc includes a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, And, since this is an Infinifilm title, there are plenty of supplements, that can either be accessible directly or via the Inifinifilm experience. Included is an audio commentary with director John Herzfeld, the mini-documentaries "True Tabloid" and "Does Crime Really Pay?" (YES!), an interview gallery, a "fact and trivia" subtitle track; deleted scenes with optional commentary, never-before-seen rehearsal footage featuring Robert DeNiro and Robert Burns, "Oleg's Videos" which features actual video footage used in the film and shot by the actors, the God Lives Underwater music video for "Fame,"and for DVD-ROM enabled users, the full screenplay with direct scene access and the original website contained on the disc. Also included in this package are trailers and cast and crew filmographies. Packaged in the keepcase, retail is $26.95. Also coming on 8/14 from New Line is a movie that was just crying out to be made, House Party 4. This time, Kid N' Play is apparently too busy to partake in the fun, so in his place we have rapper IMX. The disc features 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital surround tracks (what, no DTS 6.1 Discreet ES?), a making of featurette, IMX music video and the trailer. Retail is $24.95.
Anchor Bay has just announced a new batch of DVD releases for 7/24/ starting off with a new special edition of one of my favorite 70's bad movies, The Stepford Wives. The previous, very mediocre Anchor Bay release has been discontinued, and this new version features a newly-remastered 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French 2.0 mono mixes, all new interviews with director Bryan Forbes, producer Edgar J. Scherick, and stars Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Nanette Newman and Peter Masterson, talent bios, theatrical trailers and TV spots. Retail is $24.95. Also coming on 7/24 is Hellbound: Hellraiser II. This disc was previously made available only in the Hellraiser limited Edition Tin, but now you can buy it separately for $24.95. The disc contents are the same...anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround mix, audio commentary with director Tony Randel, star Ashley Laurence and writer Pete Atkins, the "Lost In The Labyrinth" featurette and the trailer. But the fun doesn't stop there. Anchor Bay will also be releasing William Lustig's Vigilante, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and (I kid you not) the following soundtracks: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX, English 6.1 DTS-ES, and English, French, Italiana and German 2.0 surround tracks. Also on the disc is an audio commentary with director William Lustig and stars Robert Forster, Fred Williamson and Frank Pesce, a still gallery, promo reel, trailers and talent bios. Last but not least we have Jean-Pierre Melville's Un Flic, in anamorphic widescreen and French mono along with the trailer; Texas Adios, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Italian and English mono, and with an interview with Star Franco Nero, trailers and a Nero bio; Keoma, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Italian and English mono, with an audio commentary with director Enzo G. Castellari and journalist Waylon Wahl, an interview with star Franco Nero, talent bios and the trailer; and Companeros, in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Italian and English mono, with interviews with stars Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, and composer Ennio Morricone, talent bios and the trailer. Retail for all of the above is $24.95 apiece.
A clockwork box Creative Design Arts, in association with Warner, has announced two new Kubrick Collection mega-boxes, for Kubrick's tale of ultraviolence A Clockwork Orange and his war epic Full Metal Jacket. Like the other Creative Design Arts Kubrick titles already announced, both discs are the same as the Warner releases, only with some extra collectibles geared towards the movie buff. Goodies include a remastered CD soundtrack, 35mm limited edition film frame and commemorative 16-page booklet featuring production notes. Retail is $59.95 each and street 9/11. Check out the Creative Design Arts website for more info.
Universal Halloween preview Yikes! It's only May and already we're starting to get announcements for fall. (Guess it never hurts to plan ahead, as there are only 216 shopping days until Christmas!) If you are a horror fan, Universal has quite a lineup for you this Halloween. First up, and after what has seemed like an endless wait, Universal has serviced retail with a 9/18 date for the 1962 and 1991 versions of Cape Fear. The remake features a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix, a documentary by Laurent Bouzereau featuring all-new interviews with Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Jessica Lange and Nick Nolte, deleted scenes, a script-to-screen comparison, production notes, cast and crew biographies and the trailer. The original 1962 version features a 1.37:1 transfer, another new documentary from Bouzereau including new interviews with director J. Lee Thompson and actors Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, a still gallery with original score by Bernard Hermann, a poster gallery, production notes, cast filmographies and trailers. Retail is $26.95 each. Also due on 9/18 is a special edition of An American Werewolf In London, featuring a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and remixed English 5.1 Dolby Digital track, audio commentary with actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne, additional interviews with director John Landis and Rick Baker, the original promo featurette, never-before-seen storyboards, cast filmographies, production notes, trailers and DVD-ROM features to be announced. Retail is $26.95. Also coming in time for Halloween is the new "director's cut" of the Coen Brother's Blood Simple, featuring a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, 5.1 Dolby surround mix, production notes, cast bios and the trailer. And, believe it or not, 9/18 will see a new Halloween II special edition from Universal (personally, I'd have thought they would have licensed this one out to Anchor Bay, but go figure.) Featuring a new 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the disc also includes a 2.0 surround track, audio commentary with director Rick Rosenthal, deleted footage, and the usual production notes, cast filmographies and trailer. (Can't wait for that Halloween III: Ultimate Edition.) Finally, we have another long-awaited title, the Clint Eastwood thriller Play Misty For Me. This also includes a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, new Laurent Bouzerau documentary, "A Few Words From Clint Eastwood," another featurette, cast filmographies and the trailer. Retail is $24.95 for all of the above, and watch for exact street date and final specs in a future update. Oh, by the way, for you fans of classic Universal horror, watch for eight new Classic Monster Collection titles arriving on 8/28. Exact titles and specs should be announced soon...
Warner has a few new announcements, including the beloved 80s kiddie classics The Neverending Story and The Neverending Story 2, both hitting stores on 8/21. Both discs feature anamorphic widescreen transfers, English and French 2.0 surround tracks, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles and trailers. Retail is $19.95 each. (Also, Warner has dropped the price on the upcoming The Goonies special edition, from $24.95 to $19.95. The street date of 8/21 and features remain the same.) Coming a week later on 8/28 is the acclaimed series The Human Face, presented in 4:3 full frame and 2.0 surround, with deleted footage, a photo gallery, "fact files" and collectible packaging. Retail for this two-disc set is $34.95. Then on 9/4 comes Robbie The Reindeer, presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 4:3 full screen, along with an audio commentary, making of featurette, animated storyboard and cast and character files. Retail is $19.95. Finally, also due on 9/4 is a reissue of Wallace & Gromit, previously released by Fox Home Video. This new edition features the first three adventures of the claymated duo, runs 81 minutes and is presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo. Extras include audio commentary on all three films by animator Nick Park and his creative team, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, a Wallace & Gromit scrapbook, trailers and filmmaker biographies. Retail is $24.95. On 8/28 from Warner subsidiary HBO comes Benny Hill: Golden Greats. This two-disc set features six hours of the best of Benny Hill and is presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo. Extras include "Benny Hill: The World's Favorite Clown" 50-minute documentary, a still gallery, Benny Hill biography and "Direct Scene Access to Benny's Chases, Songs and Bedroom Skits." Retail is $39.95. Finally, on 10/16, Warner will bow the acclaimed miniseries Elizabeth R. This 4-disc set runs 540 minutes and is presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo. Extras include a new audio commentary with historian David Starkey; a still gallery with portraits and rare documents, and additional documents read by star Glenda Jackson. Reati is $99.95 for the set. Columbia new title update Though specs have yet to be released, Columbia has announced retail dates for a few recent theatrical comedies, Tomcats (due 8/14), The Adventures of Joe Dirt (8/28) and something called Wicked (also 8/28.) Stay tuned for further details when they come in... Skin Job You gotta hand it to that creepy Ed Gein. Despite being a mass murderer who liked to run around in women's skins, he's been the subject of no less than five big-screen biopics, including such little films as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But now, the most faithful and empathetic portrait yet, simply titled Ed Gein, hits DVD on 7/24 courtesy of Image Entertainment. Directed by Chuck Parello and starring Steve Railsback as Gein, not a lot of folks saw this film when it played a brief theatrical run earlier this year, but I thought it was a solid, small little picture. Anyway, the DVD features a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 2.0 surround mix, audio commentary with Parello and Railsback, and the trailer. Retail is $19.95.
Warner Home Video has announced a couple of new August arrivals, including New Line's next Infinifilm title, the Robert DeNiro thriller 15 Minutes. The disc arrives on 8/7 with a retail price of $26.95, and details have not yet been announced. Two weeks later on 8/21 comes Waiting For Guffman, which features a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 and French 2.0 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director and writer Christopher Guest, deleted scenes and the trailer. Retail is $24.95. New Columbia August titles Columbia has just announced a few new titles for August, including a couple of Three Ninjas titles, Three Ninjas Kick Back and Three Ninjas Knuckle Up. Both discs feature anamorphic widescreen and full frame transfers, English, French and Spanish 2.0 surround and subtitle tracks, and bonus trailers. Retail is $19.95 each and street date 8/7. Then two weeks later on 8/21 comes the Luc Besson import The Last Battle, featuring a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, French 2.0 mix, English subtitles and trailers. Retail is $29.95. In other Columbia news, those of you waiting for that special edition of My Best Friend's Wedding originally due in early July may have to wait a little while longer. The title has been removed from Columbia's press site, which usually signals a postponement. Stay tuned. Also, we threw up the press release for the upcoming Fly Away Home special edition, due this July.
Due to hit retail on 8/7 is the recent box office disappointment 3,000 Miles To Graceland, which despite the presence of Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell, failed to drum up much audience interest. The DVD features a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French 5.1 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Demian Lichtenstein, a making of featurette, deleted footage, and the trailer. Expect more features to be announced. Retail is $19.95. Warner Home Video has also set a 8/28 date for the family comedy See Spot Run, though no features or pricing is yet available. Stay tuned. And attention fans of British comedy, BBC Home Video and Warner Home Video have just announced a 10/16 DVD release date for the classic British comedy series Fawlty Towers. Retailing for $24.95 a pop, Fawlty Towers Series One, Fawlty Towers Series Two and Fawlty Towers Series Three each feature four episodes, presented in their original 4:3 broadcast aspect ratio and with English mono tracks. Also available will be Fawlty Towers: The Complete Series containing all three discs, and retailing for $59.95. Finally, we received a few titles from the upcoming remastered Kubrick Collection box set, and there are some interesting omissions and additions not mentioned in the press release. The Shining DVD includes not only The Making Of The Shining documentary found on the previous DVD, but also a new audio commentary with Vivian Kubrick. However, this commentary is on the documentary only, not the main feature, and check out our review of the disc here. Also, 2001: A Space Odyssey does not including any of the special features found on the previous MGM release (which Warner simply repackaged, complete with opening MGM logo, for the previous Kubrick Collection.) The Arthur C. Clarke interview, the 2010 trailer and the detailed production notes have all been removed - only the 2001 theatrical trailer remains. Watch for reviews of all the Kubrick Collection titles over the next week or so, and in the meantime check out some screenshots of these newly remastered beauties here. Family affairColumbia has just announced a 7/31 arrival date for the recent sleeper hit The Brothers. The disc looks to be fully loaded, with a 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 and English and French 2.0 surround and subtitles tracks, an audio commentary with director Gary Hardwick, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a music video and trailers. Retail is $24.95. |
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Splendid
squalor
Hannibal
specs
Tick
tock
Her
love is real. But she is not. 
New
Warner fall announcements
Tick
tock, tock tock...
Elvis
has left the building