By Peter M. Bracke

November 30 : Artisan February announcements; a Status Report and Cut List update on David Lynch

Artisan : A few February announcements arrive from Artisan, and an interesting mix to say the least. First is the recent TV disaster epic Aftershock, due 2/22. Retail is a very affordable $19.95, and it features the full show and cast & crew bios. Aspect ratio is the original 4:3 full frame.

On 2/15 comes a wide range of titles. First up is the rather funny 1987 version of And God Created Woman..., starring Rebecca DeMornay. It features a new widescreen transfer, along with trailer and cast bios. Retail is $24.95.

Next comes two big miniseries, both of which will be DVD-18's and $39.95. First is Lonesome Dove, which in addition to the complete 360-minute series features interviews with author Larry McMurtry and producer Suzanne De Passe, a Western historical trivia game and cast & crew bios. Also coming is the biblical miniseries Jesus Of Nazareth, which perhaps surprisingly we've received a lot of requests for here over the past year! Both the above are 4:3 full frame and 2.0.

Finally, some Artisan and Pioneer (licensed from Artisan) titles. All are full frame except Stealth Fighter (which is also anamorphic). Look for the Dennis Hopper film Lured Innocence (sounds right up his alley!), the 80's "erotic thriller" Zandalee, the Ice-T action flick Stealth Fighter, and finally The Year My Voice Broke. All are $24.95 except Lured Innocence and Stealth Fighter, which are $29.95.

Pretty As A Picture : Well, since it is a slow news day, let's make it David Lynch day here at DVDFILE. I put together a little David Lynch status report on what is up with his work on DVD, thanks to (finally) some emails replies from Artisan, MGM and USA. Also, thanks for some help from the very nice site Lynch.net. Also, I added Dune to The Cut List as well.

November 29 : More Fox early 2000 titles; Warner January titles; Anchor Bay news

Fox : Quite a few new announcements have come from Fox for the first part of 2000. In addition to The Abyss and Independence Day news from last week, quite a few pretty cool new titles are on the way. As is the case with Fox lately, personally I find some of these to be hit-or-miss. Fox still likes to price day & date titles at $34.95 regardless of features, and though their increasing support for anamorphic is good to see, some of these titles utilize transfers made prior, so their overall anamorphic lineup is spotty at the moment. (Note, though, that Fox has released anamorphic discs in the past that were not specified that way. But, the only titles below that I have listed as anamorphic are stated that way on the release information.)

Since Fox was not able to attend Studio Day, I did approach them for a "look ahead" to 2000 piece, and in addition to the below, expect increased support for anamorphic as described above, as well as "a lot more two-disc sets in the future." Hmmmm...sounds intriguing. Also, there will be episodes of The Simpsons coming in 2000, but not until at least summer or later. With the sets for Ally McBeal and now The X-Files coming, guess here's another "multi-disc set" to look forward to. Anyway, here goes:

Due 3/7 is the next wave of Fox's "Millennium Collection" which is a cross-section of their biggest catalog titles from different eras. Look for How Green Was My Valley, An Affair to Remember, and Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, all in their original aspect ratios, non-anamorphic (if applicable) and contain English and French language tracks and English/Spanish subtitles. Each are $29.95.

Coming a week later on 3/14 is a day & date Drive Me Crazy with a non-anamorphic windscreen transfer and trailer. Retail is $34.95.

On 4/18 comes Fight Club, which is chock full of great features. The 2.35:1 transfer is apparently non-anamorphic, 5.1 English and French 2.0 Surround tracks, Spanish and English subtitles, and retail is a bit higher at $39.95. But lots of great stuff, including three commentary tracks, with David Fincher, Brad Pitt, and the composers; "The Making OF Fight Club" featurette; outtakes and deleted scenes; three still galleries, of the production design, the costumes and behind-the-scenes; and finally the theatrical trailers.

Also on this date comes Anywhere But Here.. It is non-anamorphic widescreen, and features a featurette, trailer and TV spots. Trailer, TV Spots. Also arriving a very highly-regarded television miniseries Walking With Dinosaurs. It is a two-disc set and the original full frame aspect ratio. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, the set also contains 24 minutes of deleted scenes and the 50-minute "The Making Of Walking With Dinosaurs" documentary (which was also shown on TV). Price for each of the above titles is $34.95.

In May comes more good stuff. First up on 5/2 is a day & date release of Light It Up for $34.95. It is widescreen, English 5.1 and French 2.0, and complete with trailers and TV spots.

Even better on on 5/16 are two cool sets we've all been awaitin' for! First is a special edition of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. This features a new anamorphic transfer, a 45-minute documentary on making of film, containing interviews and rare behind-the-scenes footage; an audio commentary by George Roy Hill, Hal David, Robert Crawford, and Conroy Hill; additional 1994 interviews with Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross, Burt Bacharach and writer William Goldman; the trailer and an interactive DVD-ROM history of Butch & Sundance. (Basically, this is a port of the lasedisc but with a new anamorphic transfer.)

Finally on 5/16 is (drum roll, please) a box set of the entire first season episodes of The X-Files. Included is the pilot and the next 23 episodes. These are full frame, of course, and also feature 12 introductions/interviews with Chris Carter (one apiece for two episodes); 20 "Behind the Truth" segments; a preview for each episode; and interactive DVD-ROM games "Paranormal" and "Alien Abduction Trivia." Note that this is spread across seven discs, so I'm a bit confused about how many episodes are per disc. Anyway, retail for the set is $149.95, and there is no information at this time about the discs being sold separately...

Warner : Has a nice selection of titles on tap for 1/18. Included in this slate are Forget Paris, Ghosts Of Mississippi, The Goodbye Girl, Malcolm X and the 1995 version of Othello. All contain widescreen versions, except Ghosts Of Mississippi and Malcolm X, which are widescreen-only due to their length. Look for trailers for these as well. Retail for each is higher than usual for Warner, $24.95 (as opposed to $19.95.)

Then, on 2/1 comes a day & date special edition of Chill Factor, which features an 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and 5.1 mix. In addition, features include an audio commentary with Director Hugh Johnson, a special-effects featurette, 13 trailers (!) and some DVD-ROM links. Retail is $24.95.

Anchor Bay Fun : The great folks over at the Anchor Bay web site have sent along some information and a request for your feedback as well.

First, the have secured the rights to some great titles. Look for John Woo's A Better Tomorrow and its sequel in 2000, and Anchor Bay is trying to get the complete versions of these films as well. Also look for Abel Ferrara's Fear City and a guilty pleasure of mine, Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark. Further, Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 and Evil Dead 2 will all be discontinued, as their new special editions are due next year.

Lastly, Anchor Bay wants your feedback on what to release in the future, and is asking that you stop by and look over a list of some New World titles they are thinking doing on DVD. Some interesting stuff in there, including such cult gems as Angel, The Initiation, House, Nice Girls Don't Explode, Soul Man, C.H.U.D., Black Moon Rising and my favorite guilty pleasure, Fraternity Vacation. All I want to know is, when is someone going to release The Last American Virgin!? Please!?!? Anyway, stop by and cast your votes on what you want to see.

Where Does This Stuff Come From? By the way, some have asked why some of this release stuff like that above is so early. Well, the truth of the matter is is that retailers and the trades almost always get information before the press release arrives. This is just the way the home video industry works, and I did write an article about it a while back because I find it rather peculiar. Personally, I feel that the web erodes many of the boundaries between retail, trades and the "mainstream" press, since access to retail and dealer information is so easily accessible on the Internet. Luckily, we've begun to have better relations with the studios, and many are in agreement that early information for hardcore DVD fans like those that read sites like this actually benefit from release announcements far ahead of street date. Anyway, I will continue to announce titles here if the information contains the specs, pricing, etc., and street dates. Between here and The Digital Bits, and other retail/Laserviews-type sites, hopefully you can get a really good idea of what is to come on DVD in the future. But, for the database here, I only stick to stuff that comes from the studios, press releases, retail announcements or things like Studio Day...

November 26 and 27 : Sony music titles and The Wall

Sony : A few new date changes and (finally!) a final street date for Pink Floyd's The Wall. Sony has sent out a press release all about the upcoming The Wall DVD, and the street date is really going to be 12/2. They also have a new web site up for the disc, which will have more content added as the release nears. It certainly looks to be a great disc, and we are awaiting some review copies, and will take a long look at it as well. Very exciting!

Also, the following titles have new dates: Kathy Smith Personal Trainer, Andy Kaufman Midnight Special and MTV Grind Workout: Tai Funk Aerobicsare all due 1/4; George Michael Ladies & Gentlemen, Black Sabbath The Last Supper, MTV Classic Momentsand MTV Finest Moments arrive 1/11; and finally on 1/25 comes two new titles, MTV Unplugged Superstars and MTV Unplugged Ballads.

November 24 and 25 : Fox, Buena Vista and Columbia early 2000 details

Well, here I thought there would be no big release announcements this week, and of course I'm flat-out wrong! Go figure. Note that all these will be in the database soon, but I'm a bit behind with all the Studio Day additions. But, they'll all be in there soon...

Fox : Lots of new release announcements, including some real biggies has been finally announced. I suppose the biggest is a film I thought sucked, but is certainly heavily-awaited. Independence Day info has finally begun to be sent out, complete with specs, catalog number, etc., so I can finally list this stuff. Street date is 6/13, and the THX-certified two-disc set retails for $34.95. Disc one contains a 2.35:1, non-anamorphic transfer, as well as either the theatrical or extended cut versions accessible via the "seamless branching" feature. Also included is a screen-specific audio commentary with filmmakers Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. Soundtracks are English 5.1 and French 2.0 Surround, and English and Spanish Subtitles.

Disc two contains the following supplements: Three still galleries, one with production photos, the next with storyboards, and the third with concept art; 30-minute documentary "The Making Of Independence Day: Creating Reality"; Original "Biplane Ending"; links to ID4 Interactive Game; Theatrical trailers and TV Spots, and finally, "3-D animated menus." Sounds pretty good!

Next up is The Abyss on 3/21, which is also a two-disc, THX-certified set. This is also non-anamorphic (argh!), $34.95 and allows choice of the original theatrical and special edition cuts. Disc two features include:"Video Subscriptures" which contain captions explaining the special effects; the excellent documentary "Under Pressure: The Making Of The Abyss"; DVD-ROM access with script-to-screen; DVD-ROM interactive game access to "Titanic Explorer" and "Alien vs. Predator"; Two still galleries, one with concept art and the second with "James Cameron's Storyboards"; and finally Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots as well as 3-D interactive menus.

Finally, in February look for two day & date with VHS titles. Due 2/8 is Best Laid Plans, which at least has some extras, including an audio commentary with Director Mike Barker and Writer Ted Griffin, a making-of featurette and trailer. This title is also anamorphic (thankfully) and features English and French 5.1 and English and Spanish subtitles. On 2/15 comes Brokedown Palace, which includes all the above audio formats, but is not anamorphic and only features a trailer. Both are the usually high Fox day & date $34.95 retail.

Buena Vista : Buena Vista has sent out some more details on their February DVD titles, as well as full details on the Tarzan special edition. Some interesting ones in here...

In February, in addition to titles already put in the database (Pretty Woman, When A Man Loves A Woman, Georgia and An Extremely Goofy Movie), look for Fist Of Legend on 2/8. Then, following on 2/15 comes In Too Deep, as well as a direct-to-video sequel I didn't even know was filmed, Total Recall 2070. Pretty interesting. All are movie-only editions and $29.95.

On 4/18 comes the Tarzan Collector's Edition, which truly looks to be feature-packed and just as comprehensive as the A Bug's Life CE, which we thought was great. The supplemental disc is broken into five sections:

History & Development features "From Burroughs To Disney," "History Of Production," "Early Presentation Reel," "Research Trip To Africa." The Music Of Tarzan features "The Making Of the Music," "Tarzan Goes International," "Behind The Scenes with Phil Collins," "Original Phil Collins Song Demos," and two music videos. Story And Editorial features " Original Treatment," "Building The Story," "Storyboard To Film Comparison," "Abandoned Story Reels." The Characters Of Tarzan Animation Production features "Concept Art," "Color Keys," "Layouts and Backgrounds," "Deep Canvas Process," "Early Deep Canvas Tests" and theatrical trailers.

Looks quite good, and if Disney keeps this up, they may start to rival on DVD what they did on Laserdisc. Other features include Tarzan Read-Along and Trivia Games, DVD-ROM Tarzan game demo and web links, and an anamorphic 1.66:1 THX-certified transfer. Retail is $49.95.

Columbia : Finally, Columbia has added a few February titles to their slate. Look for two Sidney Poiter classics To Sir With Love and A Raisin In The Sun on 2/1 and 2/22 respectively. Both are anamorphic and $24.95, and features trailers, talent bios and production notes.

On 2/1 also comes Rebirth Of Mothra 1 & 2 double feature. Both are anamorphic and English-dubbed 2.0 (the original Japanese tracks are not available). Retail is $27.95 for the single disc. Also on this date is Godzilla Vs. Destroyah, which is also anamorphic and with an English dub. All feature only trailers and production notes.

Finally on 2/1 comes the 1995 version of Persuasion, which is anamorphic widescreen only, and features Talent Files, Production Notes and a Trailer. Retail is $27.95.

Now, a word on Columbia's plans for Ray Harryhausen fun for 2000. I followed up with them after Studio Day on this, as I'm not familiar with his films (I know, I am shamed), and wanted to get all the titles right. Following up this years' releases of Jason & The Argonauts and 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, look for all the following throughout 2000: The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger, Mysterious Island and It Came From Beneath The Sea. No word on extras or price, but expect the usual great Columbia transfers...

November 23 : A few new HBO titles

HBO : A few upcoming 1Q 2000 titles from HBO. All the following are their original 4:3 full frame, and retail for a very nice price of $19.95. On 2/8 is Introducing Dorothy Dandrige; 2/15 the acclaimed Truman; 3/7 the crime drama Vendetta, and finally on 3/21 is the 3-part abortion drama If These Walls Could Talk. Nice to see HBO releasing someof their original programming on DVD. (Also, by the way, the Tom Hanks comedy Volunteers has been delayed to 12/21...)

November 22 : Nothing, Nada, Zip - The Sequel

As expected, no release news today, and probably won't be much this week with the holiday and all. Anyway, check out Studio Day '99, which should have plenty of news to tide you over. Also, I will begin updating the database with all this stuff this week...

November 19 through 21 : Nothing, Nada, Zip...

Well, hard to bellieve, but there is no new release news today, not even on the independent scene. Guess it is the usual end-of-year slow down. But, with Studio Day tomorrow, expect a report up from that which should contain some good previews of 2000 titles.

Aside from that, I update the database after the move the other day to a new IP address, so all the changes listed below should be in there, including the box art promised a couple of days ago. See you all back here on Monday!

November 18 : New stuff from BMG, Columbia, Warner, Trimark and HBO

BMG: Just a few new year-end announcements from BMG Music. Look for the following on 12/14 and 12/21: Return of the Killer B's Video Anthology, Blondie VH1-Live from Town Hall, Face to Face: The First Seven Years, Meatloaf VH1 Storytellers, Motley Crue Behind The Music, .38 Special Live at Sturgis, Time Out With Britney Spears, An Evening With Christopher Cross and finally George Thorogood and the Destroyers Live in '99. All are $24.95.

Columbia : has announced a film called Absence Of The Good due 2/8. To be honest, I've never heard of this film, but it says it is Rated R and stars Stephen Baldwin (er, one of the Baldwin brothers). There are no special features, and oddly for a Columbia press announcement, there is no aspect ratio listed (or even if it is full frame or widescreen). So, given Columbia's past output and the fact that it was a theatrical release, I'd assume it is anamorphic widescreen. But, for now I guess it is TBA. Price is $24.95.

Warner : Has the next installment in their very fine Short (aka Short Cinema Journal) series, #2. Included in this entry (for only $14.95, great deal!) is the very cool "La Jetee" with 2 audio commentaries by Terry Gilliam and the "12 Monkeys" screenwriters talk about adapting the short, as well as the shorts "The Big Brass Ring" (and interview with filmmaker George Hickenlooper), "A Guy Walks into a Bar," "Depth Solitude" and "The Eye Like a Strange Balloon" with commentary by Guy Maddin as well as an alternate video track of storyboards. Sounds like a very nice set.

Trimark: Has three new titles coming in late December/early January. Coming 12/28 is Better Than Chocolate, and then on 1/11 comes Shaka Zulu and Blood Oranges. All are full frame, English 2.0 and $24.95, except Zulu, which is $49.95 and a multi-disc set, due to its length.

HBO : Coming 1/18 is Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker. The hour-long comedy special is full frame, 2.0 Stereo and $24.95. Nice to see HBO offering some more original and diverse programming on DVD.

November 17 : Columbia adds two titles; updates on The Haunting and Mohicans

Columbia : A couple more Columbia titles due 2/1. First is the rather overlooked The Winslow Boy, which features a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and 2.0 English surround mix, as well as a audio commentary with Director David Mamet and Cast Jeremy Northam, Nigel Hawthorne and Rebecca Pidgeon. Also, there is a making-of featurette, cast bios, trailers and production notes. Retail is $27.95.

Also due that day is the rather terrible comedy Love Stinks. It is also anamorphic widecreen only and English 2.0 surround, with a audio commentary with Director Jeff Franklin and Cast French Stewart and Bridgette Wilson, cast bios and trailer. Retail is $24.95.

Tidbits : Just a couple of notes on upcoming releases. DreamWorks' The Haunting will not feature a commentary track as originally listed, though it does contain a making-of documentary and 5.1/THX EX surround track. Retail is $29.95 for this Signature Series release. Also, we will have a review of this disc up for tomorrow...

Also, the running time I mentioned yesterday for the original version of The Last Of The Mohicans is 113 minutes. I checked the IMDB and Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, and though they list 122 minutes, the actual run time is 113 minutes (thanks a lot, Leonard Maltin!). So, Mohicans is indeed an "Expanded" cut after all...

November 16 : More on Mann & "Mohicans" and Paramount Polanski stuff; feature updates and new box art

Fox : Well, much has been made of the upcoming "Director's Expanded Edition" of The Last Of The Mohicans (which is somewhat ironic, since this new expanded cut runs 5 minutes shorter than the theatrical version) and the lack of extras and anamorphic enhancement. Since much often goes into the making of these discs, especially director's cuts, I decided to contact Michael Mann's office directly to find out a bit more about how this all came to be.

Though I didn't get to talk to the director myself (and after all I've done for him!), I had a very nice conversation with one of his assistants and his publicist to learn more about the release. When I first talked to Fox about the disc, it was indicated that it was really a Michael Mann project, and he was the one calling the shots on the disc. The reps from his office confirmed this, and though he likes the DVD format, it was indeed his choice to not add any supplementary materials, not even a trailer. Like many big directors, he is not necessarily a big commentary buff. Though he recorded one for Thief, his office indicated that he did not pursue the idea for either Heat or Mohicans. The director also was not happy with the rush editing job done for Mohicans, hence the new director's cut. Mr. Mann worked closely with THX throughout the production of the disc, and had total control over the final outcome, including the lack of an anamorphic transfer. Also, the director is not a big fan of promotion, hence no trailer nor "cheesy" making-of featurettes.

So, though I have received some concerned emails that Fox was behind the lack of supplements, it seems in this case it was indeed Michael Mann's baby. This brings up the interesting point that as more and more filmmakers get involved with DVD, it doesn't necessarily mean that discs will now have tons and tons of extras. Directors (especially big names) are often, um, eccentric and used to getting things their way. If Mr. Mann or whomever else doesn't want there to be a trailer on the disc, then there won't be one. Of course, I guess we should all be glad that at least Mr. Mann is releasing his stuff on DVD, unlike that Lucas guy...

Paramount : Speaking of big-time directors, famous, uh, ex-patriot Roman Polanski recently spilled some beans in an interview regarding two upcoming DVDs, Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby. Though the director remarked he recently completed two "commentaries" for the discs, the press materials list it as a "retrospective interview." A follow-up to Paramount indicates that perhaps Mr. Polanski is just using different terminology, as there are no commentaries for these discs, just interviews. As the disc arrives next week, I guess we'll know soon enough. And, yes, there will be a Rosemary's Baby DVD "sometime in the future." (I'm sure sometime in 2000...pretty good guess, eh?)

Feature Updates: Just a quick note on two upcoming releases. First, Columbia's TheLast Picture Show will feature a new director's cut with 8 minutes of additional footage reinstated into the film proper, in addition to the new 65-minute documentary. Second, Paramount's Runaway Bride will feature a music video, plus a commentary with director Garry Marshall. Third, Universal's Fast Times At Ridgemont High features director Amy Heckerling and writer Cameron Crowe on the commentary, and in addition to the new documentary, there is also "Hangouts At Ridgemont High: A Video Map" and Musical Highlights.

Lastly, I put up quite a few new box art pics in the database, for titles like U2 Rattle & Hum, Chinatown and The Two Jakes, The Presidio, The Last Picture Show, Deep Blue Sea, Run Lola Run and The Shawshank Redemption.

November 15 : Fox does TV on DVD with Ally McBeal; Rushmore update

Fox : Has announced their first television episodes for release on DVD, a two-disc et of Ally McBeal episodes. Given the rising popularity of the show, I suppose it isn't so much of an odd choice. Of course, I can hear the howls now..."where are The Simpsons? The X-Files!?." Don't know about The Simpsons, but given the pending lawsuit by X-Files star David Duchovny over residuals and sales of the episodes to other markets, perhaps any DVDs of the show may take a while...

Anyway, the Ally episodes included are "The Pilot," "The Attitude," "Cro-Magnun," "Silver Bells," "Theme of Life" and "The Playing Field." There are three per disc, and only available as a two-disc set. There is also a Vonda Shepard music video and a complete episode guide (PR hint: a nice advert for...more episodes to buy!). Price is $39.95 and street is 1/18.

Criterion : Just a few more details on the Rushmore special edition have come in. Due 1/18, in addition to a new anamorphic transfer, it features a commentary with Director Wes Anderson, co-writer Owen Wilson and star Jason Schwartzman; a new making-of documentary, a Charlie Rose show interview with Anderson, as well as some short the director did for MTV with the Rushmore actors. Also look for production notes and trailers. Price is $39.95.

November 12 through 14 : Indie Update

Indie Stuff : No real big major announcements today, so thought it would be good to talk about a few odds & ends.

Details have emerged for Anchor Bay's new special edition of my vote for Title Of The Week, Even Dwarfs Started Small (what did they end up as?). The $29.95 disc features its original black & white 1.33:1 aspect ratio, German 1.0 mono track and an audio commentary with Werner Herzog, actor Crispin Glover and Norman Hill. Since the irrepressible Crispin Glover is not in the movie, this will definitely be an interesting one to hear. Kudos must go to whomever at Anchor Bay thought this one up!

A last-minute one here, from Hopeless Records (oh cheer up guys, things really aren't that dire, are they?) on 11/23 comes Cinema Beer Belly , the first "punk rock DVD." It features videos from 20 bands including Bad Religion, Superchunk, Man Or Astroman?, The Melvins, Samiam, The Queers, AFI and a 3D video from Mustard Plug (glasses included). ¤The DVD version contains over 60 minutes of bonus footage including live shows, interviews, and behind the scenes footage. Price is $24.95.

From WinStar (formerly Fox Lorber) on 1/25 comes another wave of new foreign, cult and art house favorites. Look for 1-900, Beshkempir: The Adopted Son, Bloodmoon, Clean Shaven, Clockwatchers, Different For Girls, Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, Johns, Manhattan Merengue, One Hundred & One Nights and Vaudeville. All are $29.95 and 1.33:1 or open matte full frame.

Due from Sterling on 12/28 is a Millennium Collection edition of Corrupt, starring Ice-T. Features include 2 audio commentaries, one by director Albert Pyun, the second by stars Ice-T and Slikk The Shocker (?), isolated music track, Behind-the-scenes interviews, still gallery, trailers and Script-to-screen screenplay DVD-ROM access

November 11 : Release odds & ends including South Park and Columbia price drops

Odds & Ends : No real big major announcements today, so thought it would be good to talk about a few odds & ends.

A few have written regarding a radio appearance by South Park's Matt Stone and Trey Parker, where they mentioned that their first South Park short film "The Spirit Of Christmas" would appear on the upcoming South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut DVD. Contacting Paramount, they have no knowledge of it being on the disc and it is not listed on the completed packaging, either. So, I'll assume it (unfortunately) isn't on the disc.

Another recent topic has been what happened to the assumed special features on The Iron Giant DVD. Just talking with Warner and others about it, it seemed to have started with some public comments Brad Bird had made about a special edition of the film and his desire to do something more extensive. That may still happen, though according to Warner there is nothing on the way, but they were open that maybe sometime in the future depending on Mr. Bird's involvement. So, maybe someday there will be another, more extensive release of The Iron Giant...

Another cool bit of news is some price drops on a rather large number of Columbia catalog titles. Actually, over 50 Columbia titles have had their prices reduced from $29.95 to either $27.95 or $24.95, including titles such as Anaconda, As Good As It Gets, Bad Boys, Cliffhanger, Das Boot, Glory, People Vs. Larry Flynt, Philadelphia, Starman, and even Spice World, amongst others. Now, that's Scary Spice with a capital "S."

Sony : A couple of new Sony Music and Sony Wonder releases coming this December. First is Ricky Martin: One Night Only (and that is more than enough). Due 12/14, it features some new live concert footage and a bonus video for something called "Shake Your Bon Bon." This disc is not to be confused with the just-released Ricky Martin: The Video Collection.

From Sony Wonder on 12/21 comes The Adventures Of Elmo In Grouchland. Sounds cute, and it comes in both anamorphic widescreen and full frame, and with a nice little featurette as well. Retail is $24.95.

Artisan : A quartet of new early 2000 titles are on the way from Artisan/Pioneer, due 1/11. Look for the 1974 version of All Quiet On The Western Front, Substitute 3: Winner Takes All, the Bruce Campbell Twister rip-off Tornado!, and finally the indie Bandit Queen. All are full frame and $24.95.

Following a week later on 1/18 comes the recent 1999 version of Animal Farm. The complete show is presented full frame, along with a TV trailer and featurette. Retail is also $24.95.

November 10 : Upcoming New Line early 2000 titles; more on Bram Stoker's Dracula

New Line : Some cool new New Line dates have arrived for a trio of very anticipated titles. First, due on 2/8 is In The Mouth Of Madness and The Hidden. Both are $24.95, and feature new anamorphic transfers in their original aspect ratios. The Hidden and In The Mouth Of Madness also feature pan & scan versions as well. All three feature 5.1 soundtracks, too. In the extras department, In The Mouth Of Madness features a commentary with Director John Carpenter and Director Of Photography Gary Kibbe, and a making of featurette. The Hidden features commentary with Director Jack Sholder and Writer Tim Hunter. All have the usual cast bios and trailers.

Most exciting of all perhaps is teh Se7en Platinum Edition that was announced earlier this year. I've been patiently awaitn' to hear something on the disc, as most of you have, and finally some bits have come from New Line. The release date is currently 3/28, and it will feature supplements from Criterion's terrific laserdisc box set of a few years back. The commentary alone with David Fincher, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman was probably worth the price of admission, and look for the complete disc specs to arrive in a month or so. In the meantime, I've put what I know if on the disc in the database, including some deleted scenes and outtakes as well. Price will be $24.95 like all New Line titles.

American Zoetrope : Just a bit of a correction on my post from a couple of days back on the upcoming special edition of the 1993 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I misinterpreted a bit, and though the disc is being worked on at American Zoetrope (Mr. Francis Ford Coppola's production company) and will contain supplements form the Criterion disc, it will actually be distributed by Columbia. No word yet on the complete features, but note that Coppola was quite involved with the earlier Criterion set, so this new disc should be a real winner. (For more on American Zoetrope and their new DVD production facility, see today's editorial and special report.

November 9 : Back...to the future?; Artisan hears "Echoes"; Warner Reprise brings you Filter in December

Status Report : Ah, the return of the revamped, retooled Status Report has arrived after much fits and false starts. Note that "phase one," so to speak, was done a few weeks back, when I moved all the previous status report updates into their new home, the DVD-Video Release Database (accessible to your right). Just use the "Studio/Status Search" option and select "Unknown" under status options to call up all titles that were in the Status Report. As usual, once a title is announced, it would become listed as "In Production" or "Confirmed" like any normal title. Also, you can check out all the titles still long-awaited via another of our databases, the DVD Request Line. This is more of a fun feature where you can vote on titles you would like to see on DVD, and we make these running tallies available to the studios when we can. It is still meant for enjoyment really, but occasionally we have had success in getting some studio attention to it, which is always a nice bonus.

Anyway, having moved everything to the databases, the new version of the text-based Status Report will now be home to only select titles that have such a long history or extended info that they work better in feature form. The first title is Back To The Future, we I have taken a short look at what is up with that title. These kinds of things sure take a while, and Back To The Future is a perfect example, in that trying to get quotes and info took forever. Future titles I"m interested in doing include Legend and Blade Runner, amongst others. So, expect more Status Report updates, but most will be like before and be short entries, and be announced here in the release news and put into the database. The longer nature of the new text-based Status Reports means those won't come as often as they take more time to do. But, expect the same amount of Status Report release info overall, just split up between straight database entries or Status Report features.

Artisan : Though not the big hit anticipated in light of the big horror resurgence of late, look for a special edition of Stir of Echoes on 2/1. The disc is features an anamorphic transfer and 5.1 mix, as well as a commentary by Director David Koepp and Kevin Bacon, a making-of featurette and a trailer. Retail is $29.95.

Warner Reprise : Hey Filter fans, here comes a DVD for you. Due 12/7 is Title Of DVD, a video companion to the band's Title Of Record. Look for six music videos plus some live footage and a EPK. Retail is $24.95.

November 8 : Buena Vista 1st quarter 2000 catalog titles; upcoming Criterion titles; another Warner December announcement; this week's Cut List

Buena Vista : Following last week's late 1999 and early 2000 updates, more Buena Vista catalog titles have come in for the first quarter of 2000 as well. With this news, it seems clear that they are going anamorphic on their new day & date releases, but utilizing non-anamorphic titles for older catalog titles.

First, note that the 1/18 titles An Ideal Husband, The 13th Warrior, My Son The Fanatic and My Life So Far are all anamorphic (confirmed through Buena Vista directly, though after the back and forth with Life Is Beautiful, I remain suspicious). Then, two weeks after Tarzan arrives on 2/1 comes all of the following non-anamorphic catalog releases Georgia, I Love You I Love You Not and When A Man Loves A Woman, as well as a repackaged 10th Anniversary Edition of Pretty Woman (same disc, same features, same price). Just in time for Valentine's Day, eh? Due 3/15 are Miami Rhapsody, Outrageous Fortune and (finally!) Martin Scorcese's The Color Of Money. Lastly, on 4/11 comes The Tie That Binds, The Rich Man's Wife and the most thrilling of them all, The Mighty Ducks, with the Collector's Edition of Tarzan arriving a week later on 4/18. All the above are $29.95 except the Tarzan discs, which are $39.95 and $49.95 respectively. Also, note that these are just catalog announcements, and I'm sure there will be plenty more new releases and more older titles to come as well.

Criterion : Has announced a few more upcoming 2000 titles for some great classic films, and anyone who knows Criterion's work won't be surprised by these three (and that's meant as a compliment!). Due next year are Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute, and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann.

Also, I inquired about long-in-production titles The Rock, Eraserhead and Sisters, and all are still on the way, but don't expect them until well into 2000 at the earliest. But, they should be worth the wait!

Warner : Yet another late addition to Warner's December slate, and I'm guessing this should be it for the month. Look for the early Kevin Costner bicycle drama American Flyers on 12/21. It is 2.35:1 anamorphic and P&S, English and French 2.0 Surround and includes a trailer. Retail is $19.95.

Cut List : This week's "slice" on cut footage on DVD has arrived, and this week I look at Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Halloween, Crimson Tide, and more on A Nightmare On Elm Street and Brain Dead (aka Dead Alive).

November 5 : Weekly indie update; Paramount runs off with "Bride"

Indie Stuff : Kinda a short one this week, though Image has their usual ton o' new releases!

In January, look for a varied assortment of new discs from Image, including a number of favorites and intriguing releases. Due are Bette Davis' Another Man's Poison, Cold Harvest, Buster Keaton's College, Curtain Call, a biography of the highly influential Salivador Dali, called simply enough Dali, my choice for title of the week, Fakin' Da Funk, the great I Am Cuba, the fourth volume of The Lost Films Of Laurel & Hardy, The Robin Hood Gang, Santa Fe, What-A-Mess and Volumes 16 and 17 of The Twilight Zone. The full details can also be found on Image's web site, including features and box art.

From Ventura on 11/30 comes the controversial Blair Witch precursor The Last Broadcast. Made cheaply, the DVD is the original full frame, 1.0 mono and with no extras, but retail is only $19.95.

Paramount : Due 1/25 is the big summer romantic comedy hit Runaway Bride, though I wish the projectionist would have just run off with the print so we'd never have to see the film again. Anyway, it will be anamorphic with a trailer, and no extra features of note. Retail is $29.95.

Coming Monday : More Buena Vista and Criterion 2000 titles, and, yes really truly, the return of the Status Report with a Back To The Future update.

November 4 : More on Life Is Beautiful and Buena Vista titles; corrections on Natural Born Killers; Paramount gets a "Wood"ie; Fox unleashes Lake Placid

Buena Vista : After waiting for a long time, the full details on next week's Life Is Beautiful have been released, and it seems this "Collector's Series" disc is more smoke and mirrors. The complete specs for the $39.95 are 1.85:1 widescreen, English and original Italian 5.1 surround tracks, a "Making Of Life Is Beautiful" featurette, Academy Award TV spots and a trailer. And that's it. Sigh.

Also, after trickles of information (and misinformation) over the past few weeks, the finalized complete specs for all of Buena Vista's remaining 1999 titles has been released, and only the following are anamorphic: A Bug's Life Special Edition, The Castle, Break Up, Shakespeare In Love Special Edition, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, The Very Thought Of You and Rogue Trader.

Finally, the following have been added to the 1/18 slate: A Price Above Rubies, Sister Act II, Mad Love, Encino Man, Adventures in Babysitting and The House of Yes. All are $29.95 and none are anamorphic. Please check the database for all the new updates on specs (nothing major) and a few date changes, most notably for the Everest "collector's edition," which now arrives 12/7.

Criterion : Just a note that the Rushmore Special Edition has been given a new date, 1/18. Price is $39.95, the disc is Criterion's first Buena Vista anamorphic disc, and features include a Wes Anderson commentary, outtakes, an interview and much more to be announced. Looks like it is shaping up to be a pretty great disc!

Paramount : Has announced a 1/18 date for the comedy The Wood, which features an anamorphic transfer, 5.1 mix and a trailer. Retail is $29.95.

Fox : Look for the killer alligator movie Lake Placid, which inexplicably was written by David E. Kelley and attracted talent like Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda, due 1/11. The disc contains the theatrical trailer, 2.35:1 non-anamorphic transfer and 5.1 and 2.0 sound mixes. Retail is the usual overpriced $34.95 day & date Fox scheme. Also, note that many discs, like Tora! Tora! Tora! and Patton, to name a couple, were not listed as anamorphic, but actually were. So, I have to go with what's listed and say it is just widescreen, but hopefully, at least with day & date titles. some of the promised anamorphic titles will start appearing in 2000 from Fox.

Trimark : Just an update on yesterday's announcement of Natural Born Killers. We talked briefly with a producer of the disc, and alas the initial released title information was partially inaccurate. The disc will not be anamorphic, and it is another case of a director's cut being edited on video, so it would need to be retransferred anamorphically and then reedited. Also, no definite word on if the Nine Inch Nails music video will be on the disc, but hopes are that it will. But, it still has lots of good features so it should be cool when the disc arrives on 1/25.

November 3 : More Warner and HBO December titles; Natural Born Killers attacks DVD; last word on SPR DTS

Warner : The details for the remaining Warner December catalog titles have come in (at least as far as I know). In addition to the previous announcements, look for the underrated Peter Weir drama The Mosquito Coast as well as the not-so-underrated Young Guns II on 12/14. Both contain anamorphic widescreen and full frame versions, and trailers. Young Guns II also includes a making-of featurette and 5.1 mix, while Mosquito Coast is 2.0 Surround only.

A week later on 12/21 comes the Batman Beyond and Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm animated movies. Both feature full frame versions, while Mask Of The Phantasm also features a widescreen 1.77:1 transfer. Both are 2.0 Surround only, with no extra features of note. All of the above 12/14 and 12/21 titles are $19.95.

Also due on 12/14 from Warner-distributed HBO is Babar: King Of The Elephants and the early Tom Hanks/Rita Wilson comedy Volunteers. Babar is open matte full frame, while Volunteers features a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. Both have trailers and retail for $24.95, and Babar has some additional making-of footage as well.

Lastly, the following oft-delayed titles South Park Volume 4, 5 and 6 and The Shawshank Redemption arrive 12/14 and 12/21, respectively...

Trimark : Well, we've waited patiently for this one, and it finally arrives. A political hot potato, Warner long since avoided releasing this on video, but thankfully our heros at Trimark are courageous enough to pick it up. Look for Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers to arrive 1/24, and it features a non-anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer of the Director's Cut, a commentary with Oliver Stone, "The Storm Around Natural Born Killers" documentary as well as a trailer. No word yet on the Nine Inch Nails DVD. Retail is $29.95, and it certainly is cool to see this on DVD!

Saving Private Ryan DTS : Well, if you read yesterday's post on this right below you, undoubtedly it didn't turn out to be the case. Check out my editorial on the subject, and my futile efforts to actually find a DTS disc on store shelves...

November 2 : Saving Private Ryan DTS?; Fox starts off the new year with kisses

DTS & SPR : A growing topic of conversation the last couple of weeks has been whether or not the Saving Private Ryan DTS version would make its announced arrival date today, 11/2. Having already contacted Universal and DreamWorks, who both assured us that the discs would arrive on time, there are still many retailers who have alerted their customers that the disc has been postponed either a day or even a week later.

Our Tech Editor Shane contacted DTS today to try and get more, and a spokesperson provided us with their statement on the matter. "Several inquiries arrived at our office this morning, concerning the street date for the DTS-encoded version of Saving Private Ryan. We just got off the phone with an executive at DreamWorks, who confirmed that these discs were shipped last Friday, and will become available on Tuesday, November 2nd, as previously announced. Therefore, consumers who want to experience the total sonic realism of this exceptional soundtrack will be able to purchase the DTS version of this DVD release."

So, it seems that though retailers are still indicating delays, all on the studio and production side of things seem clear that the disc should be on store shelves as you read this...

Fox : The first Fox titles for 2000 have arrived, and strangely enough no December announcements arrived aside from a couple of things like Entrapment and Rising Sun. Anyway, look for some titles that were announced a while back as "coming soon" and now seem to have finally arrived.

All the following are $29.95, widescreen and feature English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks. There are also trailers on them, but no other extras. Due 1/18 are what looks to be "romantic comedy" day or something, with One Fine Day, Great Expectations, Picture Perfect and French Kiss all arriving at once (a prelude to Valentine's Day?). Alas, they are only listed as widescreen, but a Fox representative indicated to start looking for more anamorphic titles to start appearing in the new year, so I guess we can hope some of these may turn out to be anamorphic (much like current titles like Thin Red Line and Patton, which were never announced that way or even labeled as such on the box!).

November 1 : MGM's January slate; quick updates on Full Monty and Dirty Dancing SE

MGM : Like clockwork, the early 2000 titles are already starting to arrive. Don't you just love release news? I know I do, and I guess we're all addicts, huh? A friend once said DVD is like heroin, and I think I believe him. Anyway, an interesting variety of new titles from the lion in January. All are $24.95...

On 1/4 comes the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, which features anamorphic 2.35:1 and full frame transfers, English and French 5.1 soundtracks, an audio commentary with Director John McTiernan, a booklet with production notes and trivia and a trailer.

Next on 1/11 comes The Extreme Adventures Of Super Dave (?), which is anamorphic 1.85:1 and full frame, and has the usual MGM booklet.

Then on 1/18 comes their next batch of catalog titles, and an interesting variety we have here. Titles include Cooley High, Diggstown, Eye of the Needle, Jason's Lyric, The McKenzie Break, 1955's The Night of the Hunter, Original Gangstas, The Package and Scorpio. All are widescreen except for Cooley High and The Night Of The Hunter. No special features of note here, except 4-page booklets and trailers. However, this is all sales info, so sometimes extra features show up on final press releases, but for now I'll just assume there are no extras (which would be typical for MGM anyway).

Fox : Just a quick thanks to all who sent email about the two The Full Monty soundtracks. The differences between the English and European tracks is that some Americans found the accents hard to understand, so they dubbed some of the dialogue. So, both are available on the DVD, which is cool.

Artisan : Just another quick thanks about the email regarding the Dirty Dancing Special Edition. Indeed, it is already available. I actually called to find out about the disc, and was told it was postponed until 1/18! Oh, well, it is out there, so whatever! : )