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Who is Jackie Brown? - 12:15pm After years of waiting, Quentin Tarantino is finally getting the deluxe DVD treatment this year, with not one but three new special editions due in 2002. While we still await the full specs for Artisan's long-planned Reservoir Dogs SE, today Buena Vista has announced the details for both Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, arriving on 8/20. Both are two-disc sets, feature new anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby Digital and DTS tracks. Extras on Pulp Fiction include the "Tarantino Fiction" documentary, 5 deleted scenes with intros by Tarantino, a featurette on the production design, both Michael Moore and Charlie Rose interviewing Tarantino, a still gallery, trailers, TV spots, and the complete screenplay accessible to ROM users. Jackie Brown features an intro by Tarantino, the "How It Went Down" documentary, 6 deleted and alternate scenes with Tarantino intros, the "Chicks with Guns" full-length video, an interview with Tarantino, "Jackie Brown on MTV" excerpts, three still galleries, trailers, TV spots, and the complete script accessible to ROM users. Retail is $29.95 each.
May 9 Shades of 'Gray' - 1:40pm Though it didn't receive much of a theatrical run, on 7/9 Warner will bow a special edition of Charlotte Gray. The disc includes a 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English Dolby 5.1 surround track, an audio commentary with director Gillian Armstrong, the documentary "A Village Revisits History," and the trailer. Retail is $26.95. Supernatural - 1:40pm Just in from Universal are two new 7/30 DVD releases, led by the Kevin Costner supernatural thriller Dragonfly. The Disc includes an anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 Dolby and DTS surround tracks, an audio commentary by director Tom Shadyac, a featurette on best-selling author Bette Edie, deleted scenes, production notes and the trailer. Also debuting on 7/30 is the direct-to-video sequel K-9 PI (yep, another one!). Starring Jim Belushi and a dog, this one is presented in full frame and 5.1 surround, and extras include only a featurette, production notes and trailers. Retail is $26.95 each.
'Evil' has many faces - 12:06am Columbia TriStar has unveiled the full specs and box cover art for the upcoming Resident Evil special edition, due on 7/30. The disc features a 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English and French 5.1 Dolby surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson and the cast, five making-of mini-featurettes, a Slipknot music video, filmographies and trailers. Retail is $27.95. Santa strikes back - 12:06am Just announced from Buena Vista are new street dates and specs for a number of new late summer and early fall releases. Though it tanked in theaters, Buena Vista will release an extended 102-minute Director's Cut of the sci-fi thriller Impostor on 7/9. The disc is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and includes "The Impostor Files" featurette, the original short film upon which the film was based, and the trailer.
Debuting a week later on 7/16 is the acclaimed drama Pinero, starring Benjamin Bratt. The disc features a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, the "A Look at Miguel Pinero The Man" featurette, and the trailer. Retail is $29.95. Also announced are street dates for the box office hit The Count of Monte Cristo, arriving on DVD on 9/3, and a new special edition reissue of the Tim Allen blockbuster hit The Santa Clause on 9/24. Stay tuned for details... A tale of two covers - 12:06am Last but not least, it is the case of the dueling box cover arts. Below are two versions of the upcoming Criterion Collection/Buena Vista release of Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, the left from the Buena Vista website, the right from Criterion's. (Which one will it ultimately end up being? You're guess is as good as mine.) Also below you'll find the new covers for the Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch special editions, both due out on 8/20 from Warner. Check 'em out and see what you think...
Zombies R' Us - 12:23am Lots of new stuff just announced from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. James Belushi and Louis ("Whatever happened to him?") Gossett star in The Principal, debuting on 7/30 and complete with a full frame-only transfer, English 2.0 Dolby surround track, and minimal extras including filmographies and trailers. Sexy Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed disrobes on 7/16 in No Contest, yet another steamy direct-to-video potboiler, also presented in full frame only and English 2.0 Dolby surround with no extras. Finally, director George Sidney's classic The Eddy Duchin Story arrives on 7/23, complete with a new 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 3.0 surround track, and bonus trailers. Retail is $19.95 each. Finally, a couple of new street date announcements. On 7/30 comes the indie drama New Best Friend, then watch for a souped-up special edition of the recent video game adaptation Resident Evil, also hitting DVD on 7/30. Stay tuned for specs soon... More than meets the eye? - 12:23am Life is tough when you live in a swamp, eh? Proving that sometimes you can't tell a book by its cover, Dallas, Texas mother of two Mary Dorflinger was not happy when she picked up a copy of MGM's recent DVD release of the 1982 comic book adaptation Swamp Thing at her local Blockbuster and got more than she bargained for. Though labeled "Rated PG" on the packaging, the disc in fact contains only the unrated, International version of the film which features considerably more nudity and sexual content. Although numerous sites, including this one, already reported on the mislabeling of the disc (see our Cut List for more) MGM either remained unaware or nonresponsive to the issue. So, Dorflinger saw green and went on a crusade... Now, even after Blockbuster has already removed the title from its shelves, MGM has officially discontinued the Swamp Thing DVD until further notice. No word on whether they will reissue the disc with updated packaging to reflect the disc's actual content, repress it with the original PG-rated theatrical version, or simply discontinue the disc completely. Who knew Adrienne Barbeau's, er, ample assets could cause so much trouble? Stay tuned, and in any case, anyone already owning the title likely has a collector's item on their hands! Check out our review for our thoughts on the flick and the disc... May 6Not yet a woman - 4:01pm The announcement of the year is here! On 7/23, Paramount will debut the greatest movie of all time, Britney Spears' big-screen debut, Crossroads! Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, the supplements are - seriously - incredibly extensive. Extras include "Britney's DVD Welcome," an audio commentary with producer Ann Carli, writer Shonda Rhimes and director Tamra Davis, "The Making-Of Crossroads: 40 Days with Britney" featurette, "First In Line: Inside The Crossroads' Premiere" footage, 7 deleted scenes with intros by Davis, "Break Through Britney - Fun Facts and Inside Comments from Britney" accessed during the movie, the "Overprotected" and "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" music videos, "Sing Along with Britney" karaoke videos, the "Edit Your Own Music Video" workshop, "Taryn's T-Shirts: How to Make the T-Shirts" featurette, a photo gallery, trailers and TV spots. Retail is $29.95, and I swear to god I'm not making this up... Time after Time - 4:01pm Just in from DreamWorks is the press release announcing a 7/23 debut for the recent remake of HG Wells' classic The Time Machine. Looks like another feature-loaded disc from DreamWorks, complete with anamorphic transfer and a DTS track. Check it out.
5¢ Paperbacks - 12:08am Well, it's about time! Buena Vista has just announced full specs and street date info for three most highly-anticipated titles. First up are the full details for one of my favorite movies from last year, Wes Anderson's latest The Royal Tenenbaums. Unlike past Buena Vista and Criterion Collection team-ups, there will only be one version released on 7/9, a two-disc Criterion Collection edition distributed by Buena Vista. Presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, extras include an audio commentary by Wes Anderson, a making-of featurette, "The Art of the Movie" art direction and production design featurette, cast interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes and outtakes, "The Peter Bradley Show" excerpt with cast interviews, portraits by Albert Maysles, trailers, collectible multi-panel booklets with set design drawings, a director introspective and a DVD guide. Sounds terrific, and retail is $29.95. Also just announced by Buena Vista are street dates for two Quentin Tarantino postmodern classics, a new two-disc special edition of the Academy Award-winning Pulp Fiction, and making its first appearance on DVD, a two-disc Jackie Brown. Street date is 8/20 and retail $29.95 each. Stay tuned for specs, and click on any box art image for a blowup.
Flint's your man - 11:12am Just announced from Fox is a batch of summer action comedies, just in time for the return of Austin Powers to the big screen. Back in the days of vintage Bond, Derek Flint was the Austin Powers of his day, a comedy take on the superspy that was a big hit with audiences. On 7/16 Fox will release the Flint adventures Our Man Flint and In Like Flint, both at the budget price of $14.95 each. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 stereo, extras include trailers only. And for the female Bond, don't miss Modesty Blaise, also presented in 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen and mono and with the trailer. Also arriving on 7/16 are the comedy hits Hot Shots and Hot Shots Part Deux. Each is presented in anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 Dolby surround, and include trailers plus the featurettes "The Making Of An Important Movie" on the first, and "Adventures In Filmmaking" and "Early Awareness" on the sequel. Retail is $19.95 each.
Phantom phonebooth - 12:01am The hits just a keep on a-comin' from Warner Home Video, with yet another wave of summer titles just announced. Arriving on 8/20 is the latest Scooby-Doo animated adventure, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman. Presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo, goodies include the "It's No Joke" interactive game, the original "Velma Dinkley" and "Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase" music videos, a "How To Draw Scooby-Doo" featurette, and promo spots. Then, from the fertile mind of R.L. ("Goosebumps") Stein comes two installments in his Nightmare Room series, Camp Nowhere and Scareful What You Wish For. Each is presented in full frame and 2.0 surround, with extras including an original interactive story by Stein, an interactive game, bonus episode, and promos. Retail is $19.95 each. For you fans of British sci-fi, Warner and BBC Home Video will be releasing (and rereleasing) a number of new Doctor Who adventures, some for the first time ever on DVD. 8/6 sees the release of Ark In Space, Robots of Death, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Caves of Androzani, Spearhead from Space, and The Tomb of the Cybermen, while The Androids of Tara, Stones of Blood, The Pirate Planet, Power of Kroll, The Ribos Operation, and The Armageddon Factor arrive on 10/1. All are presented in 4:3 full frame and mono, with noteworthy extras including a "Pop-Up Production Notes" option, multi-language scenes, a music-only track, "Who's Who?" trivia, and audio commentary on specific titles to be announced. Each has a retail price of $24.95. A gift pack with all six of the 10/1 titles will also be available for $124.95. Also on 8/6, BBC will rerelease a special edition of Doctor Who: The Five Doctors. According to the press notes, "This new version of the story features extended scenes, previously unseen sequences, new visual effects and a stereo soundtrack. Not intended as a replacement for the original edition of the story, this is an alternative version which uses state-of-the-art technology to embellish and enlarge one of the greatest Doctor Who adventures ever?" But, hey, where's the original version?
Three from Criterion - 12:01am Just announced are a trio of new classics from The Criterion Collection, all due on 7/23. It's been quite a year for fans of Akira Kurosawa, and here comes another of his best, Red Beard. Presented in a new anamorphic widescreen transfer with its original Japanese mono track, extras include an audio commentary by film scholar Stephen Prince, liner notes by fellow historian Donald Richie, and the original theatrical trailer. Retail is $39.95 Also arriving on 7/23 are two Rene Clair classics, Under the Roofs of Paris and A Nous la Liberte. Both are presented in 1.33:1 and mono, and extras on Nous include deleted scenes, the Clair short "Entr'acte," a video interview with Madame Bronja Clair, and the trailer, while Under features Clair’s silent film" Paris qui dort," a BBC interview with Clair, and the trailer. Retail is $39.95 each. Can you feel the love tonight? - 12:03am Here's an interesting little news tidbit...Disney has just announced a new December 2002 IMAX theatrical re-release for its megahit The Lion King. Hmmmm, can a DVD be far off in 2003? Just a hunch...
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