"No time for love, Dr. Jones!" - 1:09am

Sick of waiting for the Indiana Jones trilogy to finally be released on DVD? Well, you might not have to wait much longer...er, sorta. Indy helmer Steven Spielberg recently spoke with the Wall Street Journal about his upcoming projects, including the long-in-development Indiana Jones 4, as well as the original trilogy on DVD.

"We're aiming for next fall." Spielberg was quoted as saying. "George Lucas and I are having an argument with Paramount. Paramount wants to come out with all three movies in one package. George and I want to come out with one film at a time and then come out with all three movies, and maybe even the fourth one, in one package later."

While a Paramount spokesperson quickly followed up with a public statement that there is no argument, only that "discussions are ongoing," I think I have to side with the studio on this one. Am I the only one who would rather buy one big set than have to buy each flick one at a time, then rebuy 'em all later? Better yet, how about doing both? Release all three individually or as a set, take your pick. (And come to think of it, do I really want to see a 60-year-old-plus Harrison Ford in an Indy 4, complete with wheelchair and bullwhip? Not really.) Watch this space for news as it comes in...

Don't box me in - 1:09am

From the Whitney Houston "Crack is whack!" news of the weird department, did you ever think you'd see the day when a major studio was sued over a widescreen DVD?

Los Angeles resident Warren Eallonardo, 28, is suing MGM and several local area retailers over what he claims is false advertising. Citing claims made by MGM on the packaging of many of their DVDs (as well as unnamed employees of the accused retailers) that widescreen movies actually show more of the picture than their full frame counterparts, Eallonardo argues that so-called "open matte" films are actually cropped to widescreen dimensions, thereby showing less, not more, of the picture. Eallonardo named such titles as Rain Man and Hoosiers as prime offenders, and his attorney Clifford Pearson told the press that his client "felt like he was being ripped off." The suit, which seeks class action status, was filed late Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

While it is tempting to dismiss this guy as a Judge Judy also-ran, it is worth noting that many widescreen transfers do indeed show less picture information than their full frame counterparts. Many films today are shot "open matte," then matted to a widescreen aspect ratio for theatrical distribution. Thus, technically, you are getting "less," not "more." Of course, anyone who reads the back of an MGM DVD box carefully will note that the packaging clearly states "Theatrical Release Format," not "You're getting more picture!" I don't know what this guy is suing for (mental anguish?), but perhaps he just needs a good little primer on what widescreen really is. In any case, I can't wait to see what the outcome of this one will be! Stay tuned...