Comedy crime story - 6:34am

Leading off this week's news are a batch of new announcements from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, all streeting on October 17th. It wasn't top cop at the box office this past June, so fittingly Columbia is giving the Harrison Ford starrer Hollywood Homicide the relatively bare bones DVD treatment: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, an audio commentary by director Ron Shelton, filmographies and trailers. Retail is $27.95

Two more new releases streeting on the 17th include the martial arts sequel Meltdown 2 and the Sony Classics release The Man Without a Past. Both are presented in anamorphic widescreen and Cantonese and english Dolby Digital 5.1, respectively. The only extras are trailers. Retail is $24.95 each.

Rounding out Columbia's October 17th lineup are four new library and TV titles making their DVD debuts: the classic drama Cromwell, two new Cirque du Soleil collections, Alegria and Varekal, and Sanford and Son: The Complete Third Season. All are in 4:3 full frame (except Cromwell, which is in anamorphic widescreen) and feature Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks, except Sanford and Son, which is in mono. There are no extras except bonus trailers on Cromwell, which retails for $24.95, while the Cirque du Soleil collections will set you back $14.95 each. Sanford and Son will go for $29.95 for the complete three-disc set.

Bogart quartet - 6:34am

Just in from Warner Home Video are another batch of new catalog releases just in time for the holidays. Leading the stocking stuffers are four Humphrey Bogart classics all streeting on November 4th: Dark Passage, High Sierra, They Drive By Night and To Have and Have Not. All are presented in their original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratios and Dolby Digital mono. Extras on each include a featurette, outtakes, musical shorts, a vintage cartoon, radio show, production notes and the trailers. Retail is a mere $19.95 each.

Next up are three creepy chiller favorites all making their DVD debuts on October 21st, each presented in their original full screen aspect ratios and Dolby Digital mono: The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (includes the featurette "The Rhedosaurus and the Roller Coaster: Making the Beast"), The Valley of Gwangi (in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen plus a featurette and easter eggs) and The Black Scorpion (also with a featurette and additional rare test footage). Retail is $19.95 a pop.  

Maximum overdrive - 6:34am

Rounding out today's news, it is yet another delay for Steven Spielberg's Duel. Originally scheduled for an August 12th release date, it has now been delayed until further notice. This is the second time in less than a year that this highly-anticipated DVD release has been postponed, and no word was given for the delay. Perhaps at this rate, it'll be ready for 2005? Stay tuned...