disc news
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2004
'Hidalgo' due August; Warner Scorsese box set; Artisan special editions

Open Range - 1:52pm

It is the return of the king...well, not exactly. But Lord of the Rings superstar Viggo Mortensen will ride high again in the epic action-adventure hit Hidalgo. Due for release on August 3rd, Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release the flick in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, each with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 tracks but not too many extras: the "Sand & Celluloid" and "America's First Horse" featurettes and theatrical trailers. Retail will list for $29.95.

In-Flight Movie - 1:52pm

Taking its last, dying breath before being fully merged into new owner Lion's Gate, Artisan Entertainment will release three new special editions this summer on July 20th.

First up is Boomtown: Season One, the acclaimed crime series from producer Jon Avnet. This four-disc set includes 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby 2.0 surround tracks, plus six audio commentaries on select episodes with Avnet and other cast and crew, plus the featurettes "Building Boomtown" and "The Boomtown Shuffle." Retail will be $49.95.

Up next are two theatrical hits, both of which are also due on the 20th. Now newly remastered with "enhanced and reimagined visual effects" and a Dolby Digital EX soundtrack is Highlander 2: The Quickening. This two-disc set includes the "Renegade Version" of the film, plus a branching feature that takes viewers to additional behind-the-scenes vignettes, three new featurettes ("The Redemption Of Highlander 2," "The Fabric Of Highlander 2 " and "Shadow & Darkness: The Cinematography Of Highlander 2"), the original Cannes promo reel and theatrical trailers. Next, look up to the skies for Air America, a new special edition of the Roger Spottiswoode cult favorite. Remastered in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1, extras include audio commentary with Spottiswoode, the "Return Flight: Revisiting Air America" full-length documentary, vintage on-set interviews, a "Pre-Flight" storyboard and previsualization gallery, and theatrical trailers. Retail will be $19.95 a pop.

The Mob is Family - 1:52pm

After nearly three years of anticipation, Warner Home Video has finally announced an August 17th street date for The Scorsese Collection, a six-disc collection of five of the American auteur's greatest works. In addition to a reissue of the previously-released Mean Streets special edition, the set will include newly remastered versions of After Hours, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Who's That Knocking At My Door? and perhaps the standout of the bunch, a two-disc GoodFellas. Each will also include a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround remix and supplements produced by the team at Automat Pictures. Goodies include audio commentary by Scorsese on each film and their respective theatrical trailers, plus additional extras: GoodFellas includes a second "Cop and Crook" commentary with the real-life Henry Hill and attorney Edward McDonald, and the "Getting Made," "The Workaday Gangster," "The Goodfellas Legacy" and "Paper is Cheaper Than Film" featurettes; Who's Knocking at My Door? and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore boast a new making-of featurette apiece; and After Hours features deleted scenes and the "Filming For Your Life" featurette. Retail will be $59.95 for the box set, $26.95 for GoodFellas on its own, and $19.95 a pop for the rest if you buy 'em separately.

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