By Peter M. Bracke

October 31

Street date alert - 5:31pm

A trio of updates on some upcoming titles just announced. First up, New Line will bow the indie comedy The Anniversary Party on 1/15, watch for full specs soon. Pushed back a few weeks to 1/22 is the Nine Inch Nails live extravaganza And All That Could Have Been, which was originally scheduled to street on 12/4. (View the teaser here.) Finally, arriving on 1/29 from Columbia TriStar is the 80's Blake Edwards comedy The Man Who Loved Women, starring Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews. The disc is a straightforward release, with anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, a 2.0 Dolby digital surround, track, and bonus trailers. Retail is $19.95.

Powerpuff recall - 12:42pm

If you picked up a copy of the latest Powerpuff Girls DVD release Meet The Beat-Alls, you might want to wait before you pop it in your PC. Warner has announced today a recall of all copies of the disc, as DVD spreads the "FunLove" computer virus to any PC that installs the included supplemental software. Warner representatives said the virus somehow infected the discs at the duplication master, and with no way of knowing just how many discs have been affected, is recalling all copies. Warner has already pressed new, virus-free versions, so if you've bought the disc, be sure to return it to the point of purchase for an exchange.

'Roots' arrives on DVD - 1:34am

The most-watched television miniseries of all time is finally coming to DVD. Just announced from Warner, a 25th Anniversary box set of Roots will arrive on 1/15, newly remastered and complete with plenty of extras. The entire 573-minute epic miniseries will be presented in its original 4:3 broadcast aspect ratio, and extras include an audio commentary with Executive Producer David L. Wolper and actors Ed Asner, LeVar Burton, Cicely Tyson, John Amos, Sandy Duncan, Leslie Uggams and Stan Winston, the new documentary"Remembering Roots," and DVD-ROM extras including a "Roots Family tree." Retail is $59.95 for this 3-disc set.

MGM February announcements - 1:34am

Just in from MGM is another wave of low-priced catalog comedy favorites. Kings Go Forth, A Town Without Pity and Hallelujah, I'm A Bum! are presented in full frame, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning and Girl With Green Eyes in 1.66:1 non-anamorphic widescreen, and Cast A Giant Shadow and After The Fox in 2.35:1 anamorphic, and all are mono. With a retail price of $14.95 each, extras a minimal, with only the trailers included. Street date is 2/5.

October 29

Matrix Gold - 2:34pm

In the grand tradition of Goldfinger, the Solid Gold dancers, and More ABBA Gold, on 11/27 Creative Design (on license from Warner) will release The Matrix Gold Collection. This set includes both The Matrix and The Matrix Revisited DVD releases, a 16-page commemorative booklet, limited edition senitype (film frame) and collectible packaging. Retail is $99.95, and note that the actual discs themselves do not differ from the standalone releases.

My life in plastic - 2:34pm

Going where even John Travolta dared not go, hitting DVD on 1/22 from Buena Vista is the box office bomb Bubble Boy. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with an English 5.1 Dolby Digital surround track and French and Spanish subtitles, extras include an audio commentary with director, two production featurettes, and the trailer. Ohhh, can't wait! Retail is $29.95.

Bjork cubed- 2:34pm

Everyone's favorite dead swan-wearing, Icelandic chanteuse is getting the full-on digital treatment on 11/19 with three new DVD releases. Bjork: Live at Shepherd's Bush, is a new, digitally remastered version of her February 27th, 1997 show previously released on VHS, while Bjork: Live In Cambridge and Bjork: Unplugged - Live N' Loud are never-before-released documents of 1997 and 1994/1998 MTV Unplugged performances, respectively. Each disc is presented in full frame and full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. Extras include discography, behind the scenes footage and lyric subtitles. Retail is $24.95 a pop.

More Universal price drops - 12:19am

Just announced from Universal and DreamWorks are another round of DVD price drops, effect 3/5. Dropping to $19.95 are Backdraft, EDtv, Field Of Dreams, Havana, The Jerk, Life, Man On the Moon, Forces of Nature and the Dolby Digital version of The Haunting. Lowered to $14.95 are Day Of the Jackal, remake of The Getaway, Secret Of My Success, and Sudden Death.

NFL's greatest hits - 12:19am

A late announcement from USA Home Entertainment for six new NFL "best of" DVD collections, due on 11/6. NFL's Hard-Hitting Grooves, NFL: Insider, NFL: Matchup Of The Millennium, NFL: The Greatest, and NFL: 21st Century Follies are presented in full frame and 2.0 stereo and feature clips and interviews with NFL's leading stars and commentators, and NFL's Hard-Hitting Grooves also features a bonus CD-ROM with two music videos and game demos. Retail is $19.95 each.

Studio Day update - 12:19am

If you're a big fan of cult horror movies, you're undoubtedly one of the ones who has been waiting for these two for a long time. A couple of big horror titles we've always gotten a lot of emails about we've gotten a post-Studio day update on, and both of which should hit DVD in 2002. As also mentioned in Home Theater Forum's live chat recently, MGM will be releasing the great 80's cult fave Return Of The Living Dead, while Anchor Bay is plotting a new special edition of Kathryn Bigelow's acclaimed vampire gothic Near Dark. Stay tuned for more news on these two highly-awaited titles next year...

October 26 - 28

Heavy metal - 12:36am

Hitting DVD on 1/22 is the tale of big hair, spandex and codpieces, aka Rock Star. Starring Mark "Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch" Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston, this box office underachiever is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Digital, along with a host of extras including an audio commentary with director Stephen Herek and writer John Stockwell, the HBO First Look special and an additional making-of featurette, an Everclear music video, filmographies and the trailer. Retail is $19.95.

More Paramount January titles - 12:36am

Just announced from Paramount is another round of new January DVD releases. First up is the summer hit Rat Race due on 1/22, which is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, along with an audio commentary with director Jerry Zucker, deleted scenes, a featurette, gag reel and outtakes, and the trailer. Retail is $29.95.

Next up are four romantic-themed catalog releases, arriving a week earlier on 1/15. The remakes of Sabrina and Cousins, the Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep romance Falling In Love, and An American Rhapsody all feature 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers, English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks (except for Falling In Love, which is 2.0 surround only) and the original theatrical trailers, while An American Rhapsody also includes an audio commentary with writer and director Eva Gardos and Producer Colleen Camp. Retail is $24.95 a pop.

Finally, 1/8 will also see the release of three new MTV titles, which are now distributed by Paramount. Watch for Behind MTV's Tough Enough, WWF: Tough Enough - The First Season, and The Daria Movie: Is It Fall Yet?, which also includes two bonus episodes and a music video. Retail is $19.95 each, with the 3-disc WWF set going fro $39.95.

October 25

Universal price drops - 1:15am

Just announced from Universal are a batch of new titles, celebrating Black History Month this January, as well as a round of new price drops on Academy Award-winning favorites. Due on 1/29 are Muhammad Ali - Through The Eyes Of The World, and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars. Retail is $19.95 each, though no specs were provided on the press release. Stay tuned.

Also on 1/29, watch for many of your favorite Academy Award winners to drop in price, including American Beauty, Out Of Africa, The Deer Hunter, and the movie-only version of Spartacus, which are all now $19.95 each, and Harvey and The Lost Weekend, which will be reduced to $14.95 a pop.

B-movie bonanza - 1:15am

Alright, forget Phantom Menace, forget Shrek, forget Jurassic Park III! The real big news in DVD is the announcement of a b-movie bonanza from New Concorde. Just announced for a 1/22 release are two of my all-time favorite T&A classics, The Great Texas Dynamite Chase and the early Jonathan Demme favorite Caged Heat. Both releases are presented in full frame with "Leonard Maltin's Exclusive Interview with Roger Corman" and trailers, and retail is $14.95 a pop.

Street date alert - 1:15am

Just announced from Columbia is a 1/29 street date for a new special edition reissue of the Bill Murray comedy hit Groundhog Day. No specs available yet, but stay tuned...

October 24

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - 12:40pm

Just announced from Buena Vista (finally) are the full specs for the upcoming new Sixth Sense and Tombstone Vista series releases, both arriving on 1/15 with a retail price of $29.95 each. The Sixth Sense features a new THX-certified anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, a new documentary on the paranormal hosted by M. Night Shyamalan, "M. Night Shyamalan: Storyteller," "A Conversation with M. Night Shyamalan," "Music & Sound Design," "Reaching The Audience," and "Rules & Clues" featurettes, deleted scenes, storyboard-to-film comparisons, early M. Night Shyamalan short film, biographies, the trailer and TV spots.

The Tombstone Vista Series two-disc set is also just as impressive. Included are a new THX-certified anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director George Cosmatos, "An Ensemble Cast," "Making An Authentic Western" and "The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral" featurettes, the Tombstone Timeline and Epitaph, the director's original storyboards for the O.K. Corral Sequence, "Faro At The Oriental" interactive game, a collectible Tombstone map, and additional DVD-ROM features. Note that whether or not the version of the film is the theatrical cut or the longer, extended director's version is not yet specified. Stay tuned...

October 23

You'll believe a boy can fly - 6:55pm

Just announced from Buena Vista are the specs for the new special edition reissue of the 1947 classic Peter Pan. Due on 2/12, the disc is presented in full frame and English and French 5.1 surround, along with a host of new extras, including an audio commentary (participants TBA), two featurettes "You can Fly: the Making Of Peter Pan" and "The Peter Pan Story," a Peter Pan still and poster gallery, a DVD storybook, sing-along and interactive games, the trailer, and DVD-ROM weblinks. Retail is $29.95.

Also, more news on that Vista Series reissue of The Sixth Sense. We've received updated specs from Buena Vista, and it turns out it will not be a simple repackaging of the previous version. This new edition will be a two-disc set with additional extras to be announced, and the inclusion of a new DTS track. Stay tuned for full specs...

"I'm Gumby, dammit!" - 6:55pm

While we still don't have television masterworks such as Mr. Ed, My Mother The Car and Manimal availiable on DVD, Rhino has just issued a press release that goes a long way towards making up for such starting omissions. That's right, claymation fans, get ready for the entire Gumby catalog to make its way to VHS and DVD real soon. Though details on pricing, specs and street date for the first Gumby DVD adventures are not yet available, just the news that Gumby and Pokey are making their way to our beloved 5" digital format is news on the scale of a Star Wars or Indiana Jones announcement, don't you think? No!? Well, check out the release for the full details.

October 22

Be afraid, be very afraid - 5:48pm

Just announced from Columbia TriStar are a number of new street dates, and full specs for the recent comedy Two Can Play That Game. Arriving on 12/26, the disc includes anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers and English 5.1 and 2.0 surround tracks, an audio commentary with director Mark Brown, three featurettes - "How To Survive The Battle Of The Sexes," "First Time At Bat," and "Vivica A. Fox: Making the Move," a music video, filmographies and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Now, the scary part. Columbia has also announced a 1/29 street date for When Strangers Appear, the foreign import The Princess & the Warrior (from the same creative team behind Run Lola Run), Richard Pryor Here And Now, Lagaan, the 2001 remake of Brian's Song, and ... brace yourselves ... the camp classic You Light Up My Life. No specs are available for this one yet, but I only pray there will be no Debby Boone commentary.

All over the DVD - 5:48pm

Just announced from Lion's Gate is the "he said, he said" comedy All Over the Guy, due on 12/26. Presented in widescreen (anamorphic not specified) and 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, extras include an audio commentary (participants TBA), deleted scenes and an alternate ending, storyboard comparisons, cast tapes and interviews, a blooper reel, still gallery, and the theatrical trailer. Retail is $24.95.

Street date alert, 'Patton' update - 5:48pm

Just announced from Disney is a 2/26 street date for the direct-to-video sequel Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True. Stay tuned for specs...

Also announced a few weeks back, the new "Fox War Classics" repromotion of Patton due on 11/6 will actually not be a simple reissue of the previous two-disc set. This new version will only be the first disc, and does not include the full-length documentary and other extras on the second disc. However, note that the original two-disc version of Patton will still be available, so consumers can take their pick. Retail for this new single-disc release will be $19.95, versus $24.95 for the two-disc set.

E.T. phones home - 12:06am

While this isn't really DVD news per se, we received our review copy of Universal's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and whadda you know, when we popped the disc in we were greeted by a new trailer for the upcoming E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial theatrical re-release, due in February 2002. There has been much talk about possible digital alterations to the film, and this trailer seems to confirm it.

While we can't make the trailer available for you online (though one should be released officially on the web by universal) some changes are clear in a few shots. The FBI agents now hold walkie-talkies instead of guns, there is a new, digitally-created shot of the E.T.'s ship taking off, and we even get a new CGI E.T. as well. (Regardless of what you think of the changes, the new restored print sure looks good!)

The E.T. DVD is expected by late summer 2002, and personally, I hope they offer both the original and new extended cuts of the film, not just the new version. Stay tuned...

'Opera' return notice - 12:06am

If you purchased Anchor Bay's recent special edition of Dario Argento's Opera, you may (or may not) be aware that due to a defective pressing, Anchor Bay is offering a free exchange of the disc for a new, corrected copy. Visit the Anchor Bay website for the complete info, and note that despite any confusion, consumers who already filled out the form do not have to return their defective discs directly to Anchor Bay as originally indicated. Instead, Anchor Bay will ship corrected copies directly to purchases free of charge. However, if you fill out the form from here on out, you will have to return your disc for an exchange. Check out the site update for the full details.

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