13th May 2005

Anchor Bay UK will release Larry Cohen's terrific 1982 cult monster movie Q The Winged Serpent on June the 20th.

The disc will feature a re-mastered version of the film, with a commentary by Cohen; film notes; a posters and stills gallery; Q memorabilia; DVD-ROM content; teaser trailer; and a revised teaser trailer. The disc will offer a choice of 2.0, or 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS sound tracks.

From the spec's it looks to be very closely modelled on the US version, from Blue Underground. The RRP is £16.99.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will be offering £7.50 off the Star Wars Trilogy four-DVD box set to moviegoers seeing Revenge of the Sith. The voucher offer will be publicised at cinemas, in-store and in the press. The voucher can be redeemed at participating retailers.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release the first season of the Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement on June the 27th.

The four-disc set will feature all twenty-four episodes of the first season, including the Pilot episode. Bonus features on the set will include audio commentary on selected episodes by executive producers Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean and a Loose Screws gag reel. As usual with BVHE, no technical spec's were released, and neither was the RRP (which is thought to be £29.99).

Universal has released a trailer for the Ray DVD, which you can download here. The disc is released on June the 6th.

Mosaic Entertainment will release cult favourite Class of 1984 on July the 4th.

The 1982 film, which features Michael J. Fox in an early role, will be accompanied by a director's commentary (by Mark L. Lester), a trailer and a TV spot. No technical spec's were announced. Last time the film was submitted to the BBFC (by Weintraub Entertainment, in 1987) it was refused a certificate. Prior to that the film itself was cut by more than four minutes, so fingers crossed that this new version is uncut. (The film is also being released in the US, later this month). The RRP is £15.99.

What seems to be a bare-bones release of Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous will hit shelves on July the 11th, from Warner Home Video.

The film will be presented in 2.4:1 ratio, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. A theatrical trailer is the only bonus feature mentioned by the press release. RRP for the disc will be £16.99.

Warner Home Video has confirmed that their disc of the Vincent Price horror classic House of Wax will indeed also feature the 1933 Lionel Atwill film version of the story. They've also released the UK sleeve artwork, which you can see here.

Here is the sleeve art for those titles...

Universal Pictures will release a Collector's Edition of Oliver Stone's Vietnam 1989 movie Born on the Fourth of July on - er - July the 4th. The disc will feature a commentary track by Stone; NBC News Archives footage, and a Backstage featurette. The film will be presented in "235" ratio, but there's no indication as to whether the disc will be anamorphic, or if it will have the DTS track on the most recent US version. The RRP is £15.99.

Finally, here's a good look at the Drop The Dead Donkey - The Complete 1st Series DVD sleeve, courtesy of Cinema Club....

11th May 2005

I've added a review of Metrodome's disc of Adam Elliot's Oscar-winning short film Harvie Krumpet to the site today. It's a disc that should interest all animation fans, especially those with a particular penchant for stop-motion animation.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou on July the 4th.

The two-disc set will feature a boatload of bonus features, including "commentaries" with Wes Anderson; Seu Jorge performing Portuguese versions of ten David Bowie songs; cast and crew interviews (including one with the film's composer, Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh); nine deleted scenes (presumably including the one in the trailer, where Zissou and Jeff Goldblum's character examine a tank containing a fish that turns itself inside out); Easter Eggs; Intern Video Journal; and galleries.

Apart from the fact that the film will have Closed Captions, there were no other technical details announced. Neither was the RRP, which is believed to be £22.99.

Of course, this matters not one jot to Anderson fans, who wouldn't dream of buying the UK version, preferring instead to import the Criterion disc from the US, which was released earlier this week.

Eagle-eyed visitors might have noticed that the UK DVD sleeve art has been modified slightly: the pike-like fish that's emerging from the port at the bottom of the craft has been moved from its original position, in the top left hand corner of the poster.

The recent BBC series Casanova is a belated announcement. It will be released on May the 23rd by Warner Vision. The disc looks like it will be quite a disappointment, with a photo gallery the only bonus feature. No technical spec's were announced.

Tartan is releasing the controversial Kevin Bacon film The Woodsman on July the 4th. The film, about a convicted sex offender trying to make a new life for himself, also features Kyra Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy's Mos Def.

The film will be presented in anamorphic 1.78:1 format, with a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 audio tracks. Bonus features include UK-exclusive interviews with Bacon, Sedgwick, director Nicole Kassell and executive producer Damon Dash (yes, the hip-hop artiste). The disc will also have deleted and extended scenes; a documentary titled Getting It Made; and a commentary track by Kassell. The RRP is £15.99.

Warner Home Video will release the 1953 Vincent Price version of The House of Wax on May the 23rd. According to the press release the disc will include "the featurette "1933: Mystery of the Wax Museum", which I take to mean that it - like the Region 1 version - will also include Michael Curtiz's 1933 film version, which stars Lionel Atwill. The disc will also feature footage from the 1953's film's premiere, and an original trailer. The disc is being released to coincide with the theatrical release of the latest remake, which opens on May the 27th.

Blue Dolphin is releasing a three-disc box set containing all twelve episodes of the Channel Five series Dark Knight on June the 6th.

The series, which places the Ivanhoe character in a sword-and-sorcery setting, was shot in New Zealand, (following the model established by Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which utilised many of the same crew members).

No technical details were announced, and the set seems to be free of bonus materials. The RRP is £29.99. Apologies for the crappy sleeve image, which was blown up from a thumbnail picture embedded in the press release.

Optimum Asia are releasing the martial arts comedy Arahan on July the 18th. The film will be presented in "1.185:1" ratio, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. The disc will feature deleted scenes (Unleashing the Secrets); something called Mind Master: Association of Taek-kyun; something described as Beginning: The changes to Martial Arts films from 60s to 80s; a Making of... featurette (Looking For Arahan); and cast interviews. RRP for the disc is £19.99.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release the Robert De Niro thriller Hide and Seek on July the 11th.

The film, which also stars X-Men's Famke Janssen, Leaving Las Vegas's Elisabeth Shue and Man on Fire's Dakota Fanning, will be presented in anamorphic 2.40:1 format, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. There will be optional English HoH subtitles.

The disc will feature four alternate endings; an audio commentary by director John Polson, screenwriter Ari Schlossberg and editor Jeffrey Ford; a Making of... featurette; fourteen deleted scenes, with optional commentary; and three pre-vis sequences. RRP for the disc is £15.99. Apologies for the crappy sleeve image, which was nicked from Play.com! It may not be the finished image.

9th May 2005