By Peter M. Bracke

February 28

Warner: Just a few titles from Warner to expect in May. Look for a You've Got Mail Premiere Collection title, featuring a audio commentary with writer/director Nora Ephron, making-of featurette, trailers, etc., on May 4. Also look for a few more titles in May, including some more of those crap-o-rama budget titles. A partial list of the titles are On Deadly Ground, Out For Justice, My Blue Heaven, Bonnie & Clyde (done right with widescreen this time) and potentially that SE of Caddyshack (which for some reason will not appear along with the VHS on April 6th).

February 26

Fox Announces ALIEN four-pack details:

• Alien: DD 5.1, 16x9, Ridley Scott audio commentary, deleted scenes, interviews with the cast and crew, 8-page booklet with production notes, four trailers and teasers
• Aliens: DD 5.1, 16x9, Director's Cut, Interview with James Cameron, storyboards/stills, 8-page booklet with production notes, trailer and teaser
• Alien3: DD 5.1, 16x9, Making-of Documentary, 8-page booklet with production notes, trailers
• Alien Resurrection: DD 5.1, 16x9, brief making-of featurette, 8-page booklet with production notes, trailers

February 24

Columbia plans more titles for 1999: Titles now in production at Columbia coming our way over the next six months...some good stuff coming includes The Last Picture Show, 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, Against All Odds, Heavy Metal, John Carpenter's Christine, Birdy, Anatomy Of A Murder, Guns Of Navarone, Never Talk to Strangers, Funny Girl, the camp fest Eyes Of Laura Mars and a tentative late-Fall release for Tootsie.

February 23

Amazing Fantasy: Look for head Of the family, Hidden Beauties, The Awakening, Lolida 2000 and Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity, all 3/23.

Anchor Bay: Adds Condorman, Island at the Top of The World and cult fave My Science Project for 5/18/99. Also, look for Ebony, Ivory & Jade and my vote for title of the week, Sadisterotica on 5/25.

Artisan: The nice folks at Artisan have dropped the price of some of their catalog titles to $24.95: Air America, Crying Game, Fabulous Baker Boys, Jacob's Ladder, The Piano, Sophie's Choice, Universal Soldier and Young Guns.

BMG: We'd like to welcome BMG as the latest DVD supporter, and it is nice to see some more music suppliers on board. Their first release will be something called Turandot (Zubin Mehta) on 2/23.

Criterion: Sets Most dangerous Game,The Red Shoes and Taste Of Cherry on 4/27.

GoodTimes: Has some more Universal licenses on tap...Mr. Baseball, Shoot Out, The Conqueror, Somebody Has To Shoot The Picture and Away All Boats. All are due 4/15 and nice priced at $19.98. However, only Mr. Baseball and The Conqueror will be 2.35:1 widescreen (and non-16x9). The rest are Full Frame only.

Warner Music: Adds Paul Simon's Graceland: The African Concert, Rod Stewart's Storyteller and one of my fave bands, Depeche Mode's The Videos 86-98 to their growing catalog. Look for them all on 3/23. (Note that the first two are $24.99, but the DM disc is $29.95 due to it being RSDL...yeah, whatever!).

February 21

HBO: Launches White Man's Burden and Shadowlands on April 27th. Both will be widescreen and retail for $24.95.

MGM: Look for At First Sight, Gigi, An American In Paris, Hair and Seven Brides For Seven Brothers all on April 20th, except for At First Sight, due the 27th. All are $24.95 and will feature widescreen aspect ratios (except for An American In Paris, which was originally 1.37:1). Gigi will also be 16x9 enhanced.

Warner: Look for some Thin Red Line tie-ins, including Terence Malick's magnificent Badlands as well as the Sam Fuller war epic The Big Red One. Both are $19.99, and contain both 16x9 wide and P& S versions.

(Note: The Release Update column was started on February 20th, so there are no more updates beyond this point.)