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More News: 2002

New DVD Release Announcements:
Classics then and now: On January 7, Warner will release "Alice Adams" (1935), directed by George Stevens and starring Katharine Hepburn and Fred MacMurray. Extras: include commentary by George Stevens Jr., an excerpt from "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey," and "Katharine Hepburn: The RKO Years." Also on that Day Anchor Bay will release Wim Wenders' "The American Friend" (1977), starring Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Dennis Hopper, Nicholas Ray and Sam Fuller, with commentary by Wenders and Hopper, and deleted scenes. (Posted December 16)

Why have just one gun for hire when you can have two? On January 28, Criterion will add a new double feature to its collection, with two takes on Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers." This two-disc set features both the 1946 version by Robert Siodmak and the 1964 update by Don Siegel. Each is presented in a new 1.33:1 full screen transfer and English 1.0 mono, and no extras. Retail is $39.95 for the set. (Posted December 16)

On February 4, MGM will release "Thelma & Louise Special Edition" (1991), directed by Ridley Scott and starring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel and Brad Pitt. Extras include commentary by Scott; commentary by Sarandon, Davis and writer Callie Khouri; four documentaries with brand-new interviews with Scott, Sarandon, Davis, Madsen, Pitt and Khouri; 30 minutes of newly found deleted scenes with optional director's commentary; alternate ending with director's commentary; "Over the Edge" multi-angle vignette; "The Final Chase" storyboard comparison featurette; "Part of Me, Part of You" music video featuring Glenn Frey; photo gallery; $24.98. (Posted December 16)

VHS Priced to Own:
On January 7 Columbia TriStar will release to sell-through "The New Guy," starring DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zooey Deschanel, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Griffin, Jerod Mixon and Illeana Douglas, for $19.95. Also on that day Paramount will release "Changing Lanes," starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, for $14.95. On January 28 Paramount will release kiddie sci-fi adventure "Clockstoppers, starring Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces and French Stewart, for $14.95. And on February 4 Columbia TriStar will release thriller "Panic Room," starring Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto, Patrick Bauchau and Ann Magnuson, for $22.95. (Posted December 16)

For the Kids (and Young at Heart):
Paramount will debut to DVD "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," the classic 1975 animated adventure featuring Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, on January 7, for $19.99. (Posted December 16)

New DVD Release Announcements:
On December 17, Artisan will release "The Beach Boys: An American Band" and "Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," two wonderful documentaries on one disc for $14.98 ... On January 7, Home Vision/The Criterion Collection will release three fascinating classic films, the first of which is "Band of Outsiders" (1964), directed by Jean-Luc Godard and starring Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur and Anna Karina. The high-definition transfer was supervised by cinematographer Raoul Coutard and the disc contains such extras as a visual glossary, including film clips and stills, detailing cultural references and wordplay employed by Godard; video interviews with Coutard and Karina; interview excerpts with Godard from 1964, with rare behind-the-scenes footage. Next up is one of the most influential films of the 20th century and a landmark in French poetic realism, "Pepe le Moko" (1936), directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Jean Gabin. Extras include a 1962 French television interview with Duvivier; excerpts from the 1978 television documentary "Remembering Jean Gabin"; excerpts from Ginette Vincendeau's BFI Classics study of "Pepe le Moko" addressing the historical background of the film's setting and the French crime novel genre; a study of the influence of "Pepe" on popular culture, including a special video comparison between "Pepe" and the 1938 remake "Algiers"; original theatrical trailer. And, lastly, "Trouble in Paradise" (1932), directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Miriam Hopkins and Herbert Marshall. Extras include commentary by Lubitsch biographer Scott Eyman; new video introduction by Peter Bogdanovich; Lubitsch's 1917 short "Das fidele Gefangnis" (The Merry Jail); 1940 Screen Guild Theater radio program featuring Lubitsch, Jack Benny, Claudette Colbert and Basil Rathbone; tributes to Lubitsch written by Billy Wilder, Leonard Maltin, Cameron Crowe, Roger Ebert and others. (Posted December 9)

Foreign:
On December 17, First Run Features will release "Secret Society" (2002), an offbeat British comedy about an overweight woman whose husband discovers, much to his chagrin, that she has joined a secret society of women sumo wrestlers; available on VHS and DVD ... Vanguard Cinema has scheduled three releases for December 24: "Holy Year" (1976 -- France), about two cons who dress up as priests to escape prison and retrieve $50 million in gold; "Abraham's Valley" (1993 -- Portugal), a drama about a beautiful, innocent young woman betrothed to a man she doesn't love; and "A Few Hours of Sunlight" (1971 -- France), about star-crossed but ill-fated lovers, starring Gerard Depardieu, Barbara Bach and Jean-Claude Carriere. And, on January 28, the company will release "Louder Than Bombs" (2001), directed by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek, a post-Cold War drama about a 21-year-old man's coming of age in a small Polish town. (Posted December 9)

For the Kids:
On January 28 Paramount will release "Rugrats Mysteries," a double-length "whodunit" featuring "Murmur on the Ornery Express," "The Fun Way Day" and "Trading Phil," $12.95 VHS; "SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bash," with five episodes, $12.95 VHS; and "SpongeBob SquarePants: Deep Sea Sillies," also containing five episodes, $12.95 VHS. (Posted December 9)

New Release Announcements:
Swashbuckling 19th century actioner "The Four Feathers," starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson, will arrive on February 18, from Paramount. Jackie Chan's "The Tuxedo," which also stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, will kick its way to home video on February 25, from DreamWorks. (Posted December 1)

New DVD Release Announcements:
Columbia TriStar will release on January 21 the classic comedy "Shampoo," directed by Hal Ashby and starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Jack Warden and Tony Bill, sans any extras ... On February 18 Miramax will release a digitally remastered edition of Giuseppe Tornatore's "Cinema Paradiso," dubbed "Cinema Paradiso: The New Version," featuring more than 50 minutes of new footage. The 1989 film stars Phillipe Noiret and Marco Leonardi and features a score by Ennio Morricone. The Miramax Collectors Series edition will sell for $14.99 VHS and $29.99 DVD (the DVD will also include the original version of the film) ... On March 4, Fox will release three classic sci-fi adventure films: "The Day the Earth Stood Still," directed by Robert Wise and starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe and Billy Gray; "Quest for Fire," directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and starring Everett McGill, Ron Perlman and Rae Dawn-Chong; and "Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Pat Boone, James Mason and Arlene Dahl. (Posted December 1)

From TV to DVD:
On February 4 Columbia TriStar will release "All in the Family Second Season," "Sanford and Son Second Season" and "Good Times: The Complete First Season" ... On February 11 HBO will release a four-disk set of "Six Feet Under: The Complete First Season" ... Fox will release on March 18 "NYPD Season One" as a six-disk set with commentary by producer/co-creator David Milch and director Brad Silberling; and "Angel Season One," a six-disk set with commentary by co-creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt and writer Jane Espenson as well as four featurettes ... On March 4 Buena Vista will release "The Osbournes: The First Season," a two-disc set with all 10 episodes with four never- before-seen bonus episodes; bonus footage from all 10 episodes; "Too Oz for TV" blooper reel; "Osbournes" Top Moments; "Conversations With the Osbournes"; commentary track on all episodes; "Ozzy Translator": decode the Prince of Darkness; Set-Top extras: "Name that Dookie," edit a scene and the Osbournes' Bingo game; DVD-Rom extras. (Posted December 1)

Buzzing the 'B's:
On January 14 Dimension will release "Tangled," a suspense thriller about a love triangle, starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Shawn Hatosy and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ... Fox will release "Python II," a direct-to-video monster flick about a biogenetically enhanced snake, on January 21 ... Vanguard has scheduled a January 28 release date for three suspense thrillers: "Public Access" (1993), directed by Bryan Singer; "Simple Justice" (1990), starring John Spencer and Doris Roberts; and "Sarah's Child" (1994). (Posted December 1)

On the Indie Front:
Vanguard Cinema has scheduled two releases for December 24: "The Jaundiced Eye," a 1999 documentary about a gay man accused of child molestation, and romantic comedy "101 Ways (The Things a Girl Will Do to Keep Her Volvo)" (2000). On January 28 Vanguard will release "Heater" (1999), about the dilemma faced by two homeless men: what to do with their new electric space heater when there's no place to plug it in. (Posted December 1)

For the Kids:
Three new Jay Jay the Jet Plane videos will swoop home on January 14: "Something Special in Everyone" and "Golden Rules of Growing Up" on VHS (with three adventures each for $9.95) and "Liking Yourself Inside and Out" on DVD (with five adventures for $14.95), from Columbia TriStar. (Posted December 1)

Special Interest:
On December 17 Wellspring Video will release two Tai Chi programs by Dr. Paul Lam designed to improve health, fitness and relaxation: "Tai Chi for Beginners" and "Tai Chi for Diabetes," on VHS and DVD for $24.98 ... On December 17, First Run Features will bring to DVD three volumes of "Behind the Scenes," the acclaimed PBS series that features interviews with today's leading artists. "Painting and Drawing" focuses on David Hockney, Wayne Thiebaud, Matt Groening and Gil De Montes; "Theatre, Sculpture and Photography" focuses on Julie Taymor, Nancy Gaves, Carrie Mae Weems and William Wegman; "Music and Dance" focuses on David Parsons, JoAnn Falletta, Allen Toussaint and Max Roach; $24.95 each or $59.95 for a three-DVD set. (Posted December 1)

New Release Announcements:
Coming to frighten home viewers on January 14 from Warner is "FearDotCom," starring Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone, Udo Kier and Stephen Rea; the awful adaptation of "Hansel & Gretel," starring Delta Burke, Dakota Fanning, Howie Mandel, Gerald McRaney, Taylor Momsen and Lynn Redgrave, will arrive February 4 from Warner; due February 11 is "Possession," a drama about romances that take place in parallel time periods (Victorian and modern-day England), directed by Neil LaBute and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle and Lena Headley, from Universal; indie feature "Igby Goes Down," starring Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Jared Harris, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman and Susan Sarandon, travels home February 11 from MGM; Guy Ritchie's flop remake of Lina Wertmuller's "Swept Away," starring Madonna, Adriano Giannini and Jeanne Tripplehorn, will wash ashore February 11 from Columbia TriStar; and, last but not least, Sam Mendes' period gangster drama, "Road to Perdition," starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Stanley Tucci, will rat-a-tat-tat on February 25, from DreamWorks. (Posted November 25)

Buzzing the 'B's:
Wellspring Video will release on December 17 "Red Flag: The Ultimate Game" (1981) a military telefilm about two rivals who fight it out during war games in the Nevada desert, starring Barry Bostwick and William Devane; actioner "The Bushido Blade" (1979), about political intrigue in Japan in the mid-19th century, starring Richard Boone and Toshiro Mifune; and dramatic telefilm "Love After Death" (aka "The Marriage Fool") (1998), about a father and son who each find love in their own way, starring Walter Mattheau, John Stamos, Carol Burnett and Teri Polo. (Posted November 25)

On the Indie Front:
On December 17 Wellspring Video will release "Mama Africa" (2002), an anthology of three dynamic stories told by three female directors, presented by Queen Latifah; and "Off the Hook" (2002), the true story of two aspiring South Bronx rappers who try to balance the conflicting demands of friendship, responsibility and ambition. (Posted November 25)

For the Kids:
On December 18, HIT Entertainment will release the latest in the pre-school series "Bob the Builder": "Bob Saves the Day," featuring Bob, his partner Wendy, and their playful crew of construction vehicles in a humor filled series of (mis)adventures that they work together to solve; $14.99 VHS and $16.99 DVD ... The third "Angelina Ballerina" video, "Friends Forever," will pirouette onto retail shelves on December 17, bringing four stories about the dance-struck young mouse to the pre-school set; $14.99 VHS and $16.99 DVD, also from HIT. (Posted November 25)

Special Interest:
First Run Features will release to DVD on December 10 the fabulous documentary, "Berkeley in the Sixties" (1990), which chronicles a generation's journey of change through a hotbed of protest. The film captures the events of the era: the Free Speech Movement and civil rights marches, protests against the war in Vietnam, the rise of the "counter-culture," women's liberation and the Black Panthers. Dramatic archival film, featuring a cast of thousands (including Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mario Savio, Allen Ginsberg, Huey Newton, Joan Baez and the Grateful Dead) is interwoven with commentary by 15 participants -- from student activists of every sort to Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers and Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish. The DVD contains an additional two hours of unreleased material; ($29.95). (Posted November 25)

New DVD Announcements:
On December 3 MGM will release "The Producers Special Edition" (1968), directed by Mel Brooks and starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars, Dick Shawn, Lee Meredith, Andreas Voustinas and Renee Taylor. Extras include an all-new, hour-long "The Making of the Producers" documentary; a lengthy deleted scene; a sketch gallery featuring original set designs; a "Wild Lines" audio feature; a photo gallery; an Easter Egg and more. On January 7, Warner will release a mixed bag of films to DVD: George Stevens' "Alice Adams" (1935), starring Katharine Hepburn and Fred MacMurray with extras that include commentary by George Stevens Jr., an excerpt from "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey," and "Katharine Hepburn: The RKO Years"; George Roy Hill's "A Little Romance" (1979), starring Diane Lane and Laurence Olivier with "A Conversation With Diane Lane" documentary; "Dogfight" (1991), starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor with commentary by director Nancy Savoca and producer Richard Guay; and "Breaking Up" (1997), starring Russell Crowe and Salma Hayek, with commentary by director Robert Greenwald, additional scenes and outtakes. (Posted November 18)

Special Interest:
A&E Home Video has scheduled a November 26 release date for some very British outings: "A History of Britain: The Complete Collection," the 15-hour documentary series (written and hosted by historian Simon Schama), on five discs or eight VHS volumes, $99.95; "Upstairs Downstairs: The Complete Series" on 20 discs for $299.95; "The Complete P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster" on eight discs for $129.95; and "The Saint, Set 7," featuring the last seven episodes of the adventures of Simon Templar (Roger Moore), two discs for $39.95. ... MPI Home Video has scheduled a November 26 release date for three interesting documentaries on DVD: ABC News' "The Fall of Communism," "Lifting the Fog: The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," and ABC News' "The Blame Game: Are We a Country of Victims?" hosted by John Stossel; $19.98 each. (Posted November 18)

Foreign:
Facets Video has announced a new world video label, Accent Cinema, and its first release, "It All Starts Today" (1999), directed by Bertrand Tavernier, due November 26. The second release, due January 14, is "Not of This World," a critically acclaimed film about love, truth, religion, and family ties, directed by Giuseppe Piccioni. Future releases will include "Forbidden Relations," "The Decalogue," "Electra My Love" and many more films from Russia, Hungary, Canada, the Czech Republic, Argentina, etc. (Posted November 18)

Buzzing the 'B's:
On December 10 MTI Home Video will release Spanish horror film "One Hell of a Christmas" and thriller "The Killing Club," about three women who seek revenge on the irredeemable men in their lives, starring Traci Lords, Julie Bowen and Dawn Maxey ... "Final Encounter" (2000), a sci-fier about a war between two Earth colonies on a distant planet in a distant future, starring Dean Cain and Thomas Ian Griffith, will arrive December 17 from Buena Vista ... On December 17, York will release "Cruel Game," starring Jennifer Rubin, Jennifer Tung, Mako, Victoria Silvstedt and Carrie Stevens, about an L.A. playboy who tries to juggle four beautiful women and a million bucks from the Yakuza and gets more than he bargained for ... Lions Gate's December slate includes sports telefilm "A Season on the Brink," starring Brian Dennehy as University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight (due 12/3); HBO murder-thriller telefilm "One Way Out," starring Jim Belushi and Jason Bateman (due 12/10); urban gang drama "Gang Tapes" (due 12/10); "Speed of Life," starring Scott Caan in an on-the-edge gritty drama about wild youth (due 12/17); and "Double Whammy," about a down-and-out detective whose spirits are lifted by a sexy chiropractor, starring Denis Leary, Steve Buscemi, Luis Guzman and Chris Noth (due 12/31). (Posted November 18)

For the Kids:
The folks at Disney have announced two new direct-to-video sequels for the new year: the animated "101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure," due January 21, and the live-action "Inspector Gadget 2," starring French Stewart, due March 11; $24.99 VHS and $29.99 DVD. (Posted November 18)

New Release Announcements:
On January 21, New Line will release the biting Hollywood satire "Simone," starring Al Pacino, Catherine Keener and synthespian Rachel Roberts; on January 28 Paramount will release "Serving Sara," starring Elizabeth Hurley and Matthew Perry; lame Dana Carvey comedy "The Master of Disguise," from Columbia TriStar, will arrive on January 28; Reese Witherspoon smash hit "Sweet Home Alabama" will storm home February 4, from Touchstone; love story "Brown Sugar," starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, arrives February 11, from Fox; the ex-groupie comedy "The Banger Sisters,", starring Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon, will rock video stores on February 18, from Fox; action flop "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever," starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu, will tumble to video December 24 from Warner. (Posted November 11)

Buzzing the 'B's:
Lions Gate's November schedule includes gang vendetta actioner "Under Hellgate Bridge" (2001) (due 11/12); "Rhapsody" (2002), an urban drama set in the world of rap music (due 11/19); and "Shark Attack 2" (2002), about -- what else -- a hungry giant shark (due 11/26) ... On November 19, Artisan will release "Honeybee" (2001), an urban action film about a young woman's fight to pursue a boxing career against crippling odds ... Monarch Home Video will release on November 26 "Hooded Angels," starring Amanda Donohoe and Gary Busey in a post-Civil War Western about a gang of beautiful female robbers. (Posted November 11)

For Collectors:
The Criterion Collection will release the 1972 version of "Solaris," the acclaimed Russian sci-fi film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, based on Polish author Stanislaw Lem's book, on November 26 to coincide with the theatrical release of Steven Soderbergh's remake. The DVD features a new transfer; an audio essay by Tarkovsky scholars Vida Johnson and Graham Petrie; nine deleted and alternate scenes; a video interview with lead actress Natalya Bondarchuk, cinematographer Vadim Yusov, art director Mikhail Romadin and composer Eduard Artemyev; and an excerpt from a documentary with Lem. The company will also release on that day Jean-Luc Godard's "Contempt" (1963), starring Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli and Fritz Lang. Extras on the two-disc set (with high-definition transfer) include a commentary by film scholar Robert Stam; two short documentaries featuring Godard on the set: "Contempt: Godard et Bardot" and "Paparazzi"; "The Dinosaur and the Baby," a conversation between Godard and Lang, filmed in 1967; a new video interview with cinematographer Raoul Coutard; and an excerpt from an interview between Francois Chalais and Godard about "Contempt." (Posted November 11)

On the Indie Front:
On November 19 New Yorker Films will release the delightful New York comedy "Fast Food Fast Women" (2001), directed by Amos Kellek and starring Louise Lasser and Anna Thomson ... Vanguard Cinema will release on November 26 "Overnight Sensation" (2000), a satire of the film biz starring Maxwell Caulfield; "One Take" (1999), about a man who relives his past love life; "Romance and Rejection" (2000), a British relationship comedy set in contemporary London, starring John Hannah and Clara Bellar; and "I Love Budapest" (2001), a look at life, love and crime in modern Hungary. (Posted November 11)

Light My Fire:
In a lighter vein, the folks at Rhino will release on November 12 "The Happy Holiday Hearth DVD." According to the press release, it's "a picture-perfect, portable fireplace ideal for any occasion. The first audiovisual DVD of its kind to capture the essence of a fireplace right on your TV, the DVD features a blazing fire as well as 23 instrumental holiday songs." The tunes range from "White Christmas, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow," "Silver Bells" and "Jingle Bells" to "Ave Maria," "The First Noel" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem"; $7.95. (Posted November 11)

New Release Announcements:
Warner will release transgendered basketball comedy "Juwanna Mann" on November 19; Columbia's thriller "Trapped," starring Kevin Bacon, Charlize Theron and Courtney Love will be released December 24; MGM has announced a January 1 release date for Ice Cube's comedy "Barbershop"; comedy documentary "Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat" and hip thriller "Who Is Cletis Tout? starring Christian Slater and Portia de Rossi will come to home video on January 7, from Paramount; Universal has scheduled a January 14 release for retro comedy "Undercover Brother"; and psychological French thriller "L'emploi du temps" (Time Out) will make its way to video January 14, from Miramax. (Posted November 4)

Buzzing the 'B's:
Artisan will release two wild horror films this week: "Dog Soldiers" (2002), about a squad of soldiers on maneuvers in the wilds of Scotland attacked by hungry werewolves, and "Legion of the Dead" (2000), about an army of undead killers being assembled in a remote desert town ... On November 19 Buena Vista will release "The Heroic Trio" (1992), starring Michelle Yeoh as the leader of an all-female martial arts fighting force; "Victory" (1995), starring Willem Dafoe and Sam Neil, an actioner set in the exotic Dutch East Indies; and "Frank McKlusky, C.I." (2002), starring Dave Sheridan and Randy Quaid in a comedy about the world's clumsiest insurance investigator. (Posted November 4)

On the Indie Front:
On November 5 Warner will release to DVD the James Toback cult classic "Fingers" (1978), starring Harvey Keitel; extras include commentary by writer-director Toback and an independent film featurette with Keitel and Toback ... "A Shot at Glory" (2002), directed by Michael Corrente ("Federal Hill," "American Buffalo") and starring Robert Duvall and Michael Keaton in a drama about the emotional troubles facing the manager of a second tier Scottish football team, will be released by Lions Gate on November 19. (Posted November 4)

Manga:
Pioneer Entertainment will release on November 5 "Armitage III -- OVA: The Original Classic," on DVD, an animated sci-fi thriller set on Mars in 2046 and revolving around robots so sophisticated that they can pass as humans. On December 3 the company will reissue the fabulous animated adventure "Akira" in a DVD Collector's DTS Version featuring a digitally remastered 5.1 DTS soundtrack (which was not available on the 2001 version) ... On December 3, Fox will release to DVD the superb Japanese animated adventure, "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), directed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki. (Posted November 4)

For Cineastes:
Paramount has painstakingly restored (with transfers from newly restored original film elements) two classic films: the incredible "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson and Jack Webb; and "Roman Holiday" (1953), directed by William Wyler and starring Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert. Extras on "Sunset Boulevard" include commentary by critic Ed Sikov, author of "On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder"; "The Making of Sunset Boulevard" documentary with interviews with Olson, Sikov, film critic Andrew Sarris, Glenn Close (who performed in the Broadway musical version), and Paramount producer A.C. Lyles; "Edith Head -- The Paramount Years"; "The Music of Sunset Boulevard," including interviews with John Waxman (son of composer Franz Waxman) and conductor John Mauceri; The Morgue Prologue script pages intercut with 3 1/2 minutes of surviving picture footage from the original nitrate negative; Hollywood location map; photo galleries. Extras on "Roman Holiday include "Remembering Roman Holiday," a documentary that includes interviews with Albert, author Molly Haskell, Wyler's daughter Catherine Wyler, and Paramount producer A.C. Lyles; "Restoring Roman Holiday"; "Edith Head -- The Paramount Years"; photo galleries. Due November 26, $24.99 each ... Paramount is also releasing DVD editions of Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" (1955), starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, and "Houseboat" (1958), starring Cary Grant and Sophia Loren, on November 5; and Ridley Scott's "The Duellists" (1977), Sidney Lumet's "Serpico" (1973), starring Al Pacino, and King Vidor's "War and Peace" (1956), due December 3; $24.99 each. (Posted October 28)

Fox has announced the launch of its Fox Studio Classics line of DVDs, remastered and restored (from 35mm film masters newly created from original negatives) editions of the studio's Oscar winners and nominees, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Academy Awards. Kicking off the series are "All About Eve," "Gentleman's Agreement" and "How Green Was My Valley," due January 14. Subsequently, on the first Tuesday of each month in 2003, the studio will release another restored classic; February 4 will see "An Affair to Remember" released. Each DVD will include a variety of extras: commentaries, newsreels, A&E "Backstory" features, interviews, etc. $19.98 each. (Posted October 28)

Priced to Own:
Paramount has repriced Britney Spears' "Crossroads" (due December 3) and Mel Gibson's "We Were Soldiers" (due December 31) to $14.95 from rental ... Fox has announced a bevy of VHS titles repriced to own from rental: "High Crimes," "Joe Somebody," "Kissing Jessica Stein," "Life or Something Like It" and "Super Troopers," for $14.98 each, and "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist" and "Waking Life" for $9.98 each, all due January 14. (Posted October 28)

For the Kids:
Paramount will release on November 5 the latest volume of pre-school animated character Dora the Explorer: "Move to the Music," featuring two play-along sing-and-dance stories, $12.95 VHS only ... For preschoolers, Child Smart has released "Your Tiny Noel," a 30-minute video (using puppetry and live-action) sleigh ride through holiday customs in France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and the United States, backed by Christmas music; $12.95 VHS only. (Posted October 28)

For Collectors:
Choices Select is a new video label that specializes in the acquisition of specialized films and documentaries. Their first two releases on DVD, due October 29, are "Intervista," by Federico Fellini, that follows the making of a documentary by Fellini that also serves as his semi-autobiography; and "The Hours and the Times," a biodrama about John Lennon and Brian Epstein. On November 26 the company will release "Elie Wiesel Goes Home," a documentary that chronicles the Nobel Peace Prize winner and his compelling return to Auschwitz, Germany (on DVD and VHS). (Posted October 28)

Date Change:
The release date for the DVD and VHS editions of "One Hour Photo," starring Robin Williams, has changed from January 28 to February 18. (Posted October 28)

New Release Announcements:
New Line Cinema has announced a December 10 release date for indie film "Cherish," starring Robin Tunney; the Eddie Murphy bomb "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" will flip its way to home video on December 24, from Warner; on December 31 Clint Eastwood's "Blood Work" will arrive, from Warner; Jennifer Aniston as "The Good Girl" will work her wiles on January 7, from Fox; Universal will release surfer girl romance "Blue Crush" on January 14; spy thriller "The Bourne Identity" will snoop out slots in video stores on January 21, from Universal; scary thriller "One Hour Photo" will develop on January 28, from Fox; and the audience pleasing sleeper "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" will make its video vows on February 11, from Lions Gate. (Posted October 21)

This just in:
Disney has finally announced (at least to retailers) a March 25 street date for the much-anticipated two-disc Vista Series edition of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." The Robert Zemeckis film is set to include THX-certified widescreen and full screen versions, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, an audio commentary with the filmmakers, a deleted scene, three Roger Rabbit theatrical cartoon shorts, "Who Made Roger Rabbit" and "Behind the Ears: the True Story of Roger Rabbit" featurettes, "Toontown Confidential" pop-up trivia, "The Valiant Files" interactive gallery, a split-screen comparison and trailers. Retail is $29.95 ... Universal's "About a Boy," directed by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Hugh Grant, has moved from December 24 to January 7. (Posted October 21)

For Collectors:
CAV Distributing will release on October 22 "Viva la Muerte" (1970), a true cult classic. "Long Live Death" was the big-screen debut of theatre of cruelty playwright Fernando Arrabal. It's a wild tour-de-force of avant-garde filmmaking, suffused with surreal violence, sexuality and biting political commentary ... Home Vision/The Criterion Collection will release on October 22 "Down by Law" (1986), directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Ellen Barkin and Nicoletta Braschi; and "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943), a fabulous World War II drama, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and starring Roger Livesey and Deborah Kerr ... Wellspring has reissued its VHS and DVD editions (originally released on the Fox Lorber label) of Lina Wertmuller's "Swept Away," timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Guy Ritchie's version, starring Madonna. The VHS and DVD editions sell for $29.98. (Posted October 21)

Buzzin' the 'B's::
Due October 22 from Artisan is the off-beat comedy "The Shipment," about a shipment of Mexican Viagra stolen from the mob and smuggled into Paradise, Arizona, where gangsters shoot it out with the cowboys, starring Paul Rodriguez, Matthew Modine, Elizabeth Berkley, Nick Turturro and Robert Loggia. (Posted October 21)

This just in:
Paramount has announced a December 31 release for the animated "Hey Arnold! The Movie," which fell flat at the box office but should do well on video; blockbuster "Signs," directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Mel Gibson, will be released on January 7 by Buena Vista; and "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams," starring the Ozzie and Harriet family of spys -- Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara -- and directed by Robert Rodriguez, will fly to home video on February 18, courtesy of Miramax. (Posted October 14)

The End:
Christian film company Cloud Ten Productions has set October 29 for the release of "Left Behind II: Tribulation Force." Their previous releases, "Judgment" and "Left Behind," have been giant sellers on video and DVD and amassed large box office grosses, in particular by using the old exhibition strategy of four- walling (licensing the film, in this case, to church groups, who then rent out theatres for the screenings). All the films chronicle the "last days" and the "Left Behind" series, based on a New York Times best-selling series of books, is a fictional account of Revelation, the last book of the bible. "Left Behind II" will be released on video first, then theatrically on New Year's Eve. (Posted October 14)

Buzzin' the "B"s:
MTI Home Video will release "Kickboxing Academy" (1997), about a kickboxing school challenged by a rival academy, on November 26 ... Rap star Anthony "Treach" Criss (Naughty by Nature) stars as a hitman in the urban thriller "Love and a Bullet" (2002), due November 26 from Columbia TriStar ... York Entertainment has scheduled three urban films for November and December: "Bling Bling," an actioner about the trials and tribulations of an up-and-coming rap artist (due 11/12), romantic comedy "Shacked Up" (due 11/19), and "Makin' Baby," a hip-hop romance starring rapper Mystikal (due 12/17); York also will release the horror-thriller "Tail Sting," about genetically altered scorpions invading L.A. (due 11/5), and "Mexican Blow," about a drug war south of the border (due 12/10). (Posted October 14)

For the kids:
The folks who brought you the highly successful VeggieTales series, Big Idea Productions, has launched a new kidvid series, "3-2-1 Penguins," about a pair of kids who join up on intergalactic adventures with four wacky space cowboys, the Penguins; each episode imparts life lessons with laughs. The first volume, with four episodes, is available now on VHS and DVD. (Posted October 14)

Columbia TriStar has confirmed a December 31 release for "XXX," starring Vin Diesel. DVD extras will include commentary by director Rob Cohen; deleted scenes with a director's commentary; visual effects "How To's"; the "Xander Zone"; filmmaker's diary documentary; Diesel Powered featurette; "The GTO Is Back" featurette; "Designing the World of XXX" featurette; "Building Speed: The Vehicles of XXX" featurette storyboard comparisons; multi-angle deconstructions; visual effects "How To's"; more. New Line has revealed the extras for its December 3 DVD release of "Austin Powers in Goldmember": The infinifilm DVD format includes pop-up navigation menus, "M1-6: International Men of Mystery," "Fashion vs. Fiction," "Disco Fever," "English, English," "Fact Track." Menu-based extras include commentary by director Jay Roach and Mike Myers; "The World of Austin Powers"; "Jay Roach & Mike Myers: Creative Convergence"; "Confluence of Characters"; opening stunts; "The Cars of Austin Powers in Goldmember"; anatomy of three scenes; visual FX segment; 24 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes with optional director commentary; music videos: Beyonce Knowles' "Work it Out," Britney Spears' "Boys"; Ming Tea's "Daddy Wasn't There"; Dr. Evil and Mini-Me "Hard Knock Life." (Posted October 7)

Other New Releases:
Dimension will release on December 10 the latest "Halloween" installment, "Halloween: Resurrection," starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Sean Patrick Thomas; on December 17 MGM will release "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," starring Animal Planet network's Steve and Terri Irvin, for $22.98 VHS and $26.98 DVD; also on that day, Disney will release "The Country Bears," based on the Disneyland kiddie attraction, for $22.99 VHS and $29.99 DVD. (Posted October 7)

New Releases:
The big news this week is the confirmed December 3 release of the $210 million smash hit "Austin Powers in Goldmember." No word from New Line on VHS pricing but the DVD version will be released in the compamy's infinifilm format ... Firm release dates have been set for "K-19: The Widowmaker," starring Harrison Ford, on December 10 from Paramount; "XXX" starring Vin Diesel, December 31 from Columbia TriStar; December 17 for Adrian Lyne's lusty "Unfaithful," starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere; December 10 for Lil' Bow Wow's basketball fantasy "Like Mike"; and January 1 for M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs," starring Mel Gibson, from Buena Vista. (Posted September 30)

Off-Beat Classics:
Martin Scorsese's "The King of Comedy," starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, will get a DVD treatment on December 17. John Waters' weird and wonderful "Hairspray," starring Divine and and a pre-TV Ricki Lake, will be released by New Line as a single DVD, with commentary by Waters and Lake, on November 5. John Huston's definitive fight movie, Fat City," starring Jeff Bridges, Stacy Keach, Candy Clark and Susan Tyrrell, will arrive on DVD on December 10, sans any extras or specials. And Central Park Media, an independent video distributor, will release a two-DVD collector's edition of the poignant anti-war anime "Grave of the Fireflies," directed by Isao Takahata, on October 8. (Posted September 30)

New Releases:
Fox will release on December 17 the Steven Spielberg sci-fier "Minority Report," based on the story by sci-fi guru Philip K. Dick, and starring Tom Cruise, on VHS and DVD; mild romantic comedy "About a Boy," starring Hugh Grant, will arrive from Universal on VHS and DVD on December 24; Artisan Entertainment has plumbed their library for three DVD Collectors Editions of classic Westerns: "Rio Grande," starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, "The Quiet Man," starring Wayne and O'Hara, and "High Noon," starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly; all three will have a $19.98 price tag and will be loaded with extras, due October 22; Artisan will also release, on November 19, the fabulous David Mamet play, "Glengarry Glen Ross," starring Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino and Ed Harris. The two-disc set will include a reality based documentary, "A.B.C. (Always be Closing"), on the life of salesmen, as well as a tribute to Jack Lemmon, $26.98. (Posted September 23)

Fan Releases:
John Sayles fans will enjoy the November 19 release of "Sunshine State," a rip-roaring look at life and love on the beachfront in modern Florida, from Columbia TriStar, on DVD and VHS rental; The hit FX series "The Shield" will come to DVD in a four-disc set containing all 13 episodes of the first season, with commentary tracks with the actors, writers, producers and technical experts, $59.98, from Fox on January 7; Viewers mad about the TV series "Mad About You" will flip over "Mad About You: The Complete First Season," a four-disc set from Columbia TriStar for $39.95 on October 22; "The Producers," Mel Brooks' outrageous look at Broadway, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, arrives December 3 in a special edition with an all-new, hour-long "The Making of the Prodcuers" documentary, a lengthy deleted scene, a sketch gallery featuring original set designs, a "Wild Lines" audio feature, a photo gallery, an Easter Egg and more; And fans of "small" films will love the VHS sell-through of "My First Mister," directed by Christine Lahti and starring Leelee Sobieski, Albert Brooks, Michael McKean, Carol Kane, John Goodman and Mary Kay Place, and "Sidewalks of New York," directed by and starring Edward Burns, with Heather Graham, Stanley Tucci, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, David Krumholtz and Dennis Farina, both from Paramount for $14.95 each. (Posted September 16)

Celebrate, Celebrate:
On November 12, the folks at Home Vision/The Criterion Collection will release to DVD the defintive chronicle of rock and pop culture, "The Complete Monterey Pop Festival." On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the "Summer of Love," the first and only Monterey International Pop Festival roared forward -- capturing a decade's spirit and ushering in a new era of rock and roll. Monterey would launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, but they were just a few among a wildly diverse cast including Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, The Who, The Byrds, Hugh Masekela, and the extraordinary Ravi Shankar. With his characteristic verite style, D.A. Pennebaker captured it all, immortalizing those moments that have become legend: Pete Townshend destroying his guitar; Jimi Hendrix burning his. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the most comprehensive document of the Monterey International Pop Festival ever produced, featuring all three films of the Festival -- "Monterey Pop," "Jimi Plays Monterey" and "Shake! Otis at Monterey" -- along with nearly every complete performance filmed by Pennebaker and his crew.

The Criterion Collection's 3-DVD release of The Complete Monterey Pop Festival will feature almost two hours of rarely seen outtakes. Among the confirmed performances are the following -- The Association: "Along Comes Mary"; Country Joe & the Fish: "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine"; Al Kooper: "(I Heard Her Say) Wake Me, Shake Me"; The Butterfield Blues Band: "Our Love is Driftin'"; Electric Flag: "Drinkin' Wine"; The Byrds: "Chimes of Freedom," "He Was a Friend of Mine" and "Hey Joe"; Laura Nyro: "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Poverty Train"; The Jefferson Airplane: "Somebody to Love"; The Blues Project: "The Flute Thing"; The Who: "Substitute," "Summertime Blues," and "A Quick One While He's Away"; The Mamas & the Papas: "Straight Shooter," "Somebody Groovy," "I Call Your Name," "Monday, Monday" and "Dancing in the Street". Also included in the package will be a other supplemental features. $79.95. (Posted September 16)

New Releases:
TV's cartoon darlings The Powerpuff Girls and their big-screen debut, "The Powerpuff Girls Movie," fly to DVD ($26.98) and VHS ($22.95) on October 8 from Warner Home Video; sci-fi boxoffice flop "Eight Legged Freaks" crawls to home video on October 29, also from WHV; Warner's "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," starring Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Smith, James Garner and Shirley Knight, will debut on VHS ($22.98) and DVD ($26.98) on November 5; Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock spy comedy "Bad Comedy" takes overt action on November 12, from Buena Vista; and sci-fi scarer "Reign of Fire" takes over video shelves November 19, also from Buena Vista. (Posted September 9)

New Releases:
Columbia TriStar has confirmed a November 26 release for summer hit "Men in Black II." The DVD will arrive as a two disc set in widescreen and fullscreen editions. Disc One: Commentary by Sonnenfeld with optional Telestrator Diagrams, alien broadcast. Disc Two: Alternate ending, blooper reel, intergalactic production featurettes; alien creature featurettes, Will Smith "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Your Head)" music video, multi-angle scene deconstruction, theatrical one-sheets, filmographies, and DVD-ROM features ($28.96). The VHS will be priced at $24.96. (Posted September 1)

Disney will release their summer animated adventure "Lilo & Stitch" on December 3. The VHS version will sell for $24.99 while the feature-packed DVD will retail for $29.99. Extras on the DVD include deleted scenes; InterSTITCHals: Four teaser trailers seen by audiences when Lilo & Stitch ran in theaters, featuring Stitch as he comically elbows his way into parts of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lion King"; New InterSTITCHals: "A Stitch in Time" follows Stitch through the Disney years, featuring all-new "InterSTITCHals," with Stitch trying to be a part of such classics as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Lady & the Tramp," "101 Dalmatians"; a hula featurette, more. (Posted September 1)

The folks over at Anchor Bay will release on September 10 four classic Alec Guinness films on DVD: "Kind Hearts and Coronets," "The Ladykillers," "The Lavender Hill Mob" and "Man in the White Suit" at $19.98 each. "The Alec Guinness Collection at $69.98 will include the aforementioned films as well as a bonus DVD of "Captain's Paradise." (Posted September 1)

Universal Studios Home Video has announced an ambitious slate of TV shows that will be released on DVD later this year, according to a report in Video Business. Scheduled for November 15 is a six-disk set of "Law & Order: The First Season" for $99.98; and two "Baretta" (starring Robert Blake) packages: "Baretta: Season One" for $39.98 and "Best of Baretta" for $19.98, on November 29. In the works are DVDs of "Battlestar Galactica," "Quantum Leap," "Earth: The Final Conflict," "Sliders," "Magnum P.I.," "The Rockford Files," "Dragnet" and "Emergency." (Posted September 1)

Summertime Blues:
As we head into the dog days of summer, there's only a few announcements worth noting: Fox will release a Special Edition VHS ($14.98) of "Shallow Hal" on November 19, with 15 minutes of bonus footage, including a "Seeing Through the Layers" makeup featurette and deleted scenes. ... Anchor Bay will release on September 10 Kathryn Bigelow's vampire saga "Near Dark" (1987), starring Bill Paxton, Lance Henricksen, Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright and Jenette Goldstein. The two-disc set will include commentary with Bigelow; "Living in Darkness," an all-new 57-minute documentary featuring interviews with Bigelow, director of photography Adam Greenberg, producer Steven-Charles Jaffe, executive producer Edward S. Feldman, Paxton, Henricksen, Pasdar and Goldstein; deleted scenes with commentary by Bigelow; original storyboard gallery; poster and still gallery; behind-the-scenes still gallery; DVD-ROM screenplay and screensavers; $29.98. ... Fox has set November 5 for the release of "The X-Files Season Six DVD Collection," a six-disc affair with all 22 episodes, episode-specific commentary, deleted scenes, "The Truth About Season Six" documentary, a "Behind the Scenes on Season 6" featurette, "The X-Files Profile: Cigarette Smoking Man," special effects clips with commentary, and a DVD-ROM game, "Dreamland"; $149.98. (Posted August 26)

New Releases:
Zoinks! Smash hit "Scooby-Doo" is coming to home video October 11 from Warner in a fun-packed DVD ($26.98) and a priced-to-own VHS version ($24.95). The DVD features cast and filmmaker commentaries, Outkast music video, a Scooby-Doo arcade challenge, mini-featurettes, Easter eggs and more. Sexy Spanish import "Y Tu Mama Tambien" will work its wiles on October 22 in DVD (in unrated and R-rated versions, with commentaries and deleted scenes) and rental-priced VHS, from MGM. DreamWorks has scheduled a November 19 release for its delightful animated "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" in DVD (with a special "create your own movie" feature for the kids) and VHS. On October 15 MGM will release the disappointing John Woo WWII film "Windtalkers," starring Nicolas Cage, to DVD and VHS. And, last but not least, October 29 is the unconfirmed date for the release of the scary terrorist thriller "The Sum of All Fears," starring Ben Affleck, from Paramount. (Posted August 19)

New Releases:
Warner Home Video will release on October 15 the critically acclaimed thriller "Insomnia," starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, and directed by Christopher ("Memento") Nolan; the DVD will have commentary by Nolan and several behind-the-scenes featurettes; the VHS will be priced-to-own at $22.98. (Posted August 13)

Elvis Lives:
To honor the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death (August 16, 1977), Rhino Home Video will release "Elvis: The Great Performances," a three-disc set containing 45 performances, intimate video clips, and never-before-seen footage that chronicles the original king of rock from his early televised performances in 1956 through his 1968 comeback special. The set is housed in a blue-suede type box with silver embossing and will be available August 13 for $49.99. (Posted August 13)

Serial Lives:
Disney has announced a November 5 release date for three DVD sets of recent hit TV shows: "Felicity's" first season and pilot episode, "Once and Again's" first season and pilot episode, and the entire run of "Sports Night"; $79.99 each set. (Posted August 13)

New Releases:

Warner Home Video will release the Jennifer Lopez thriller "Enough" on October 8 and Adam Sandler comedy "Mr. Deeds" on October 22; HBO Home Video will release on November 5 the complete "Band of Brothers" on VHS ($109.98) and DVD ($119.99): The six-disc DVD set comes packed in an embossed, metallic case with such extras as a "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" documentary, "The Making of Band of Brothers featurette, actor Ron Livingston's personal "Video Diaries, a featurette of HBO's premiere screening of the miniseries on the beaches of Normandy, interactive context sensitive reference "Field Guide" that includes features spanning sections such as Soldiers, Timeline, Map, Chain of Command, Glossary and Briefings, a still photo gallery, episodic previews, series index, more; the six volume VHS set comes in a slipcase and includes the "We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company" documentary. (Posted August 6)

Clone me up, George

Clones DVD
coverLucasfilm and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have announced the official release date and specs for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones": Nov. 12 on special-edition two-disc DVD ($29.98) and VHS ($24.98).

The two-disc "Clones" DVD, which will be available in both full-screen and anamorphic widescreen versions, will include more than six hours of additional materials.

  • Disc 1: Commentary by writer-director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, sound designer Ben Burtt, Industrial Light + Magic animation director Rob Coleman and ILM visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow; Dolby 5.1 Surround EX.

  • Disc 2: As it did with the "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" disc, ILM went back and finished the special Yoda photoeffects in eight deleted scenes and included them on the DVD. Additional content includes full-length documentary "From Puppets to Pixels," which follows the process of Yoda from puppet to full CGI character as well as showing fans how digital stunt doubles were incorporated into the film; documentary"State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II," which explores how entire scenes can be created from scratch; documentary "Films Are Not Released; They Escape," which delves into the sound process for the making of the film; three featurettes that explore the general storyline, action scenes and love story; a 12-part Web documentary series; theatrical trailers; 12 TV spots; theatrical posters and print campaigns from around the world; the Fox TV "R2-D2: Beneath the Dome" mockumentary; a visual effects breakdown montage; a production photo gallery; and an "Across the Stars" music video featuring John Williams.

  • The special-edition VHS will include six selected deleted scenes and a "Star Wars: Connections" featurette hosted by R2-D2.
(Posted August 1)

New Releases: Due September 10 from Warner comes revenge thriller "The Salton Sea," starring Val Kilmer ... On September 17 Lions Gate will release creepy psychological thriller "Frailty," directed by and starring Bill Paxton ... Failed comedy "Death to Smoochy," starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton and Danny DeVito, arrives September 17 from Warner ... On September 24 Columbia TriStar will release World War II thriller "Enigma" ... And Angelina Jolie-Edward Burns starrer "Life or Something Like It" will come home October 15, from Fox. (Posted July 22)

Classics: Columbia TriStar has announced the release of two classics to DVD: the 1956 sci- fi invasion thriller "Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers," with special effects by Ray Harryhausen, with such extras as "The Harryhausen Chronicles" documentary, "This Is Dynamation" and "The Making of the Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers" documentaries, and a photo gallery, due September 17; and William Wyler's 1965 creepy study of a psychopathic killer, "The Collector," based on the novel by John Fowles and starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar, due October 1. (Posted July 22)

TV Packages: Fox will release two DVD sets of current TV shows: "24 Season One Collector's Edition," a six-disc set with all 24 episodes and such extras as an alternate ending, introduction to season one by star Kiefer Sutherland and season two preview, $59.98, due September 17; and "Malcolm in the Middle Season One," a three-disc set with all 16 episodes from season one with commentary on selected episodes, an extended pilot episode, "Malcolm in the Middle: A Stroke of Genius" featurette, deleted scenes, gag reel, alternate show openings, a Malcolm TVOgraphy, Malcolm Vision bloopers, more; $39.98, due October 29. (Posted July 22)

New Releases: We have release dates for five recent theatrical releases. Verified are Woody Allen's "Hollywood Ending," from DreamWorks on September 17; and "Jason X" on October 8 from New Line (the latter also available on a Platinum Series DVD with all sorts of extras). Three tentative release dates: Adam Sandler's "Mr. Deeds," due October 22, "Men in Black II" due November 19 and "Stuart Little 2" on December 10. (Posted July 22)

On the VHS sell-through front, Lions Gate will release on September 10 "O," starring Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett and Julia Stiles; and "The Wash," starring Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, George Wallace, Angell Conwell, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. and DJ Pooh; both with $9.99 price tags. (Posted July 22)

For SpongeBob SquarePants fiends, Paramount will release on August 27 its latest compilation of adventures featuring the loveable sponge, "SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob Halloween" on DVD (10 episodes for $19.99) and VHS (five episodes for $12.99). (Posted July 22)

And, lastly, Warner Home Video and PBS Home Video will release on September 17 a newly remastered DVD version of "Ken Burn's The Civil War," as a five-disc set with a remixed 5.1 soundtrack and such extras as behind-the-scenes featurettes; five hours of commentary by Burns; additional interviews with Burns, writers George Will, Shelby Foot and Stanley Crouch; biography cards; interactive battlefield maps and a Civil War Challenge trivia game. Price tag: $129.98. (Posted July 22)

Spidey swings home Nov. 1: According to a report in the Monday, July 15 edition of The Hollywood Reporter, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is mounting a promotion in excess of $100 million for the Friday, November 1 VHS and DVD release of "Spider- Man." According to the article, CTHE hopes to create a nationwide midnight-madness event, since "mass merchants and video rental chains such as Blockbuster Video often create massive events when the clock strikes midnight on the first day of a popular video release, keeping the doors open and sending beams of searchlights streaming into the night's sky." By taking advantage of Halloween night, CTHE executives hope that the "Spider-Man" event will top DreamWorks' 2001 Friday release of "Shrek," which grossed more than $110 million at retail during its first three days in release, the Reporter said. A "Spider-Man" double-disc DVD set will be available in fullscreen and widescreen versions, with different box art covers. The widescreen version will feature "Spider-Man" scaling the side of a skyscraper while the fullscreen version has "Spider-Man" crouching over a skyline. The DVD will include such extras as commentaries from director Sam Raimi and others, music videos, outtakes, a documentary, DVD-ROM game and more. The VHS edition will be priced to own. (Posted July 15)

New releases: Warner Home Video has announced a September 24 release for the Sandra Bullock cop thriller "Murder by Numbers"; the VHS will be priced at $22.98 and the DVD will sell for $26.98 suggest retail price. ... It's girls, guns and gags galore in MGM's October 15 DVD release of the cult-classic "Casino Royale" (1967), directed by John Huston, Ken Hughes, Robert Parrish, Joe McGrath and Val Guest and with an all-star cast including Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Joanna Pettet, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, Charles Boyer, John Huston, George Raft, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jacqueline Bisset. Extras include a "Psychedelic Cinema" making-of featurette and an original 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"; $19.98. ... In addition to its release of "Grease" to DVD on September 17, Paramount has announced five other titles from its library of musically themed films. Scheduled for October 8 are "Saturday Night Fever," "Flashdance," "Footloose," "Urban Cowboy" and "Staying Alive." (Posted July 15)

Warner Doubles Up: Warner Home Video has just announced a line of deluxe two-DVD special editions of some of the best-selling and most collectible films from their library. Each package will include a digitally remastered version of the film (with commentaries) on one disc and a host of added features on the second. First out of the gate are "Amadeus Director's Cut," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Singin' in the Rain 50th Anniversary Edition," "Unforgiven 10th Anniversary Edition" and "True Romance Unrated Director's Cut." Suggested retail price for each set is $26.99, but street price will be closer to $19.95; due September 24. (Posted July 8)

New VHS Sell-Through: Coming home at reduced prices soon are "Zoolander Special Edition", with promotional spots featuring Derek Zoolander (July 30, $14.95); "From Hell," "Donnie Darko" and "Joy Ride Special Edition," the latter with a 29-minute alternate ending (September 3, $14.98). (Posted July 8)

New Criterion Editions: In addition to this week's release (with Buena Vista) of "The Royal Tenenbaums" two-disc DVD set, the folks at The Criterion Collection (with Home Vision) have scheduled July 23 for three releases of important modern films: "Hopscotch" (1980), directed by Ronald Neame and starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston, Ned Beatty and Herbert Lom, featuring a high-definition digital transfer and such extras as a video introduction featuring interviews with Neame and novelist-screenwriter Brian Garfield, and the original television audio track remixed for family viewing and presented as an alternate audio track; "Ratcatcher" (1999), directed by Lynne Ramsay and starring William Eadie, Tommy Flanigan, Mandy Matthews and Michelle Stewart, with such extras as an interview with Ramsay, three short films by Ramsay and a stills gallery; and "Red Beard" (1965), directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama and Yoshio Tsuchiya, with a high-definition digital transfer, commentary by Kurosawa film scholar Stephen Prince and notes by Japanese film historian Donald Richie. (Posted July 8)

Hot DVDs: Several exciting announcements this week: Buena Vista Home Entertainment has confirmed for us a September 24 release date for a two-disc set of The Beatle's "A Hard Day's Night," with a remastered transfer and a 5.1 soundtrack. Goodies will include commentaries, original featurettes, extra footage, the "Running, Jumping, Standing Still" short, more. The official announcement will be made later this month at the Video Software Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas. (Posted July 1)

The long-awaited release of the "Back to the Future" films has been announced. Universal will put out the Back to the Future Trilogy on December 17 in a three-disc box set with commentary by Michael J. Fox, director Robert Zemeckis, producer Neil Canton and producer-screenwriter Bob Gale; outtakes, flubs, bloopers; deleted scenes; The Hover Board test; "The Making of Back to the Future" featurette; animated anecdotes (see 150 fun facts and trivia while viewing the film); "The Secrets of the BTTF Trilogy -- Special Segment"; production archive interactive environment to view production photographs, storyboards, concept art and props; Huey Lewis music video; DVD-ROM extras; remastered 5.1 soundtracks in Dolby and DTS; more; Widescreen and fullscreen editions; holographic foil embossed pack; $39.95. (Posted July 1)

Another long-awaited release will come to DVD on September 17: "Grease," starring John Travolta, Olivia-Newton John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Didi Conn, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Joan Blondell, Ed Bymes, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Tucci and Dianah Manoff, from Paramount. (Posted July 1)

This year's smash CGI animated hit, "Ice Age," will arrive on November 26 from Fox in a two-disc set. Extras will include a five-minute CGI animated short "Scrat's Missing Adventure"; commentary by directors Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge; six deleted scenes with commentary by director Wedge; HBO "First Look" special and "The Making of Ice Age"; three DVD set-top games ("Playing Darwin" flip book game, "Hide and Eek" search game, "Frozen Pairs" matching game); Sid on Sid Silhouette on Scenes; multi-angle scene exploration/animation progression; Scrat interstitials; Blue Sky featurette; still design gallery; Academy Award-winning "Bunny" animated short; Sid character development; international clips, trailers, TV spots, Easter eggs, more; two DVD-ROM games ("Sid Shreds" snowboarding game and "Super Dodo Ball" dodgeball game) and printables that include ornaments of Ice Age characters, coloring book, shoe box theater, mobile, board game, 12-month migration calendar, paper dolls; $29.98. (Posted July 1)

And last, but not least, science fiction fans will trip out on four new releases from MGM: "Outer Limits Original Season 1 Boxed Set," a four-disc set of episodes from the first season of the original "Outer Limits" (416 minutes), $79.96; "The Outer Limits: Sex and Science Fiction," six episodes from the new "Outer Limits" on one disc, with "Behind the Outer Limits" featurettes including cast and crew interviews, 264 minutes, $14.95; "Outer Limits: Time Travel and Infinity," six episodes from the new "Outer Limits" on one disc, with "Behind the Outer Limits" featurettes including cast and crew interviews, 264 minutes, $14.95; and "Stargate SG-1 Season 2," a five-disc boxed set with behind-the-scenes profiles, 220 minutes, $69.96. (Posted July 1)

New Releases: Another spate of new release announcements this week: Columbia TriStar has scheduled "The Sweetest Thing," starring Cameron Diaz, for release on August 20. On August 27, Fox will release the Ashley Judd-Morgan Freeman starrer "High Crimes." Revenge flick "Changing Lanes," starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, will arrive September 10, from Paramount. September 17 will see two new releases: Columbia TriStar's scary "Panic Room," starring Jodie Foster, and indie film "Kissing Jessica Stein," from Fox. Adolescent comedy "Big Fat Liar," starring Frankie Muniz and Nickelodeon's Amanda Bynes, will come to home video on September 24. On October 1, "The Mummy" franchise prequel (of sorts) "The Scorpion King," starring The Rock, will fight its way on to video shelves (with a $14.95 VHS price tag), from Universal. And last, but not least, there's rumors afoot that "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" will fly home for Thanksgiving on November 26, from Fox. Don't change that channel. (Posted June 24, 2002)

Cult things: Four great otherworldly films wend their way to DVD from Warner on August 6: "The Swarm" (1978), directed by Irwin Allen and starring Henry Fonda, Michael Caine, Richard Chamberlain, Richard Widmark and Slim Pickens; "Them! (1954), directed by Gordon Douglas and starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness; "Time After Time" (1979), directed by Nicholas Meyer and starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen; and "Wolfen" (1981), directed by Micahel Wadleigh and starring Albert Finney, Diane Venora, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines and Tom Noonan. On September 3 blaxploitation classic "The Mack" (1973), starring Max Julien, Richard Pryor and Roger E. Mosely, will get the New Line DVD Platinum Series treatment. And the long- awaited French werewolf film "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001) is scheduled to make its video appearance on October 1, from Universal. (Posted June 24, 2002)

New Releases: A bevy of theatrical films have been announced for August and September releases. On August 13, Warner will release "Showtime," a cop comedy starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy, on VHS ($22.98) and DVD, and Columbia TriStar will release "Last Orders," a delightful drama starring Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings, Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren, about four drinking buddies in London and what the three survivors do when one of them dies, on VHS and DVD. On August 20 Paramount will release the Vietnam War drama "We Were Soldiers," starring Mel Gibson, on VHS and DVD. On August 27 New Line will release Aaliyah-starrer "Queen of the Damned" on VHS ($22.98) and DVD, and on September 3 Warner will release Wesley Snipes' "Blade II" on VHS ($22.94) and DVD. (Posted June 17, 2002)

Sell-through Delights: Fox has announced an August 20 release for the repricing of three of their recent hits: "Behind Enemy Lines," "Black Knight" and "Don't Say a Word," for $14.98 each. (Posted June 17, 2002)

Rare Cult Classics: Godfrey Reggio's revolutionary films "Koyaanisqatsi" and "Powaqqatsi," long out of print on VHS and in high demand among collectors, will finally be released on DVD by MGM. "Koyaanisqatsi" (Hopi for "life out of balance") uses images and music (by Philip Glass) to contrast the tranquil beauty of nature with the frenzied hum of contemporary society, while "Powaqqatsi" ("life in transformation") explores the efforts of developing nations and the effect the transition to modernization has had on them. The films will be available as a two-pack set for $29.98 or separately for $19.98; both include a new featurette on Reggio and Glass. (Posted June 17, 2002)

E.T: Call Marketing: It's official. Steven Spielberg's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" will arrive on DVD on October 22, but not as suspected. Universal is releasing the little guy in not one but two versions: First there's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Limited Collector's Edition," a two-disc set with the 2002 20th anniversary release, which Spielberg tweaked. There's 10 hours of extras: Two deleted scenes: "E.T. in the tub" and "E.T. drinks a Coke"; "20 Years Later With Steven Spielberg" conversation with the director; "John Williams Live Orchestra Segment": Exclusive look at the preparation, rehearsal and live performance by John Williams of the film's score at the 2002 Los Angeles premiere; isolated 2002 live score; "Space Exploration" featurette with a 3-D interactive journey into space; "The Evolution of E.T." featurette examining the development of the screenplay, casting and production, with never-before-seen footage shot in 1982; Cast reunion featurette; Interactive "E.T. Archives" of production photos, conceptual drawings and original advertising; DVD-ROM extras; DTS and Dolby; widescreen and full-frame versions; $22.95. Then there's the "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Ultimate Collector's Gift Set," a three-disc set with "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Limited Collector's Edition" of the 2002 release, the original theatrical version, a CD soundtrack, a script from the original feature, and a collectible senitype; $69.98. Who says E.T. wasn't familiar with Earth's ways? (Posted June 10, 2002)

New Releases: Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Collateral Damage" explodes on home video on July 30 at VHS sell-through of $14.98 and DVD, from Warner; gang adventure "Deuces Wild" rumbles home in VHS and DVD on August 6, from MGM; Paramount's fun-filled for-the-Nick-set "Clockstoppers" shifts into VHS and DVD gear on August 13; sickly comedy "The New Guy," from Columbia TriStar, arrives in VHS and DVD August 13; August 20 brings two comedies, Ice Cube's All About the Benjamins," from New Line, DVD and $22.98 VHS, and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," on VHS and DVD from Artisan; and on August 27 Disney will release the inspirational Dennis Quaid starrer "The Rookie," at $22.99 VHS sell-through and DVD.(Posted June 10, 2002)

Sets galore: Three new DVD sets have been announced for September. "Friends: The Complete Season 2" is a four-disc set with all 24 second season episodes with never-before-seen footage. Extras include commentary by the show's producers, Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane on two key episodes; an "Open House at Monica and Rachel's" interactive tour of the apartment; "Friends of Friends" video guide to season two's special guest appearances; "How Well Do You Know Your Friends?" video trivia challenge; more; $59.95 from Warner on September 3. The long-awaited "Red Curtain Trilogy" five-disc Baz Lurhmann box set finally has a go from Fox. Included is the two-disc "Moulin Rouge Special Edition," the single disc "Romeo + Juliet Special Edition," "Strictly Ballroom" and a "Behind the Red Curtain" bonus disc of material from the three films; $69.98, due September 10. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show Season One" box set contains all 24 first-season episodes of the groundbreaking show on four discs with such goodies as a "She Turned the World on With Her Smile: The Making of the Mary Tyler Moore Show" 88-minute documentary, original CBS promos, Emmy Award clips, trivia challenge, and selected episode commentary; $49.98, from Fox September 24. (Posted June 3, 2002)

All Quentin, all the time: On August 20 Miramax will blow the minds of Quentin Tarantino fans with two two- disc DVD sets -- loaded with goodies -- of "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown." "The Pulp Fiction Collector's Edition" (1994), starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, and Christopher Walken will contain: Five deleted scenes with introductions by Tarantino (drug deal monologue, Mia & Vincent, Esmerelda cab scene, Monster Joe's Truck and Tow, Extended Jack Rabbit Slim's scene); behind-the-scenes featurette; Pulp Fiction still gallery; poster; location scouting; blueprints for Jack Rabbit Slim's; set construction; logo designs, props and memorabilia; special photography; Siskel and Ebert "At the Movies -- The Tarantino Generation"; Independent Spirit Awards: Michael Moore interviews Tarantino, producer Lawrence Bender and Jackson; Cannes Film Festival: Palm d'Or Award ceremony and acceptance speech; PBS "Charlie Rose" show interview with Tarantino; original documentary "Tarantino Fiction"; new production design featurette; trivia game; screenplay viewer; reviews and articles; behind-the-scenes montage: Jack Rabbit Slim's and Butch hits Marsellus; DVD-ROM extras. The "Jackie Brown Collector's Edition" (1997), starring Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda, Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker will contain: A Tarantino introduction; "How It Went" documentary; "A Look Back at Jackie Brown" interview with Tarantino; "Chicks With Guns" video; deleted and alternate scenes with Tarantino introductions (Jackie and Sheronda extended scene, Michael & Pam, Louis & Ordell walk into the Cockatoo Lounge, Jackie sets up Ordell, alternate take "For Your Eyes Only," alternate opening credit sequence); Siskel and Ebert "At the Movies" "Jackie Brown" review; "Jackie Brown" on MTV ("Jackie Brown" promotional contest, "MTV Live" with the cast); still galleries; reviews and articles; trivia game; screenplay viewer; classic Pam Grier movie trailers; classic Robert Forster movie trailers; classic Pam Grier radio spots; DVD-ROM extras. Both Miramax Collector's Series editions will sell for $29.99. (Posted June 3, 2002)

And so as not to offend fans of Tarantino's first outing, "Reservoir Dogs" (1992), starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Christopher Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Randy Brooks and Tarantino, Artisan home entertainment has prepared the "Reservoir Dogs 10th Anniversary Special. The two-disc set will come packaged with five different box-art design covers: one each with Mr. Pink, Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blond. Each box cover will have a swinging flap with the character's bio, as well as an eight-page booklet with more information about the character. Goodies on the two-discs will be the same for all five versions. Extras include select scene commentaries with the filmmakers, cast and critics; "Real Life Reservoir Dogs" documentary; documentary on the getaway cars; film noir retrospective; tribute to indie filmmakers, writers and directors who inspired the movie as well as to the late Tierney, who played Joe Cabot; deleted scenes; outtakes; two alternate camera angle takes of the notorious ear-cutting scene; interviews with Tarantino, cast and crew; poster gallery; Dolby and DTS; $26.98 on August 27. (Posted June 3, 2002)

A Tip O' the Hat: One of our tipsters has alerted us to a report on DVDFile indicating that E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Ultimate Edition DVD will be released October 22 as a three-disc set, with one disc containing the 1982 theatrical release, the second disc containing the 2002 20th anniversary edition, and the third disc containing hours of supplemental material. Though the site says Universal wouldn't respond to the posting, DVDFile went on to say that it had confirmed the information through director Steven Spielberg's publicist and Amblin Entertainment. Great scoop, DVDFile! (Posted May 27, 2002)

More Tips: A couple of readers have reported spotting online information listing tentative dates for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" (November 26) and "Spider-Man" (November 5). Also rumored for November releases: the as-yet theatrically released "Men in Black II" and "Scooby-Doo." (Posted May 27, 2002)

Home Entertainment 2002: An event near and dear to the hearts of home theater aficionados is the annual Home Entertainment Show -- The Hi-Fi & Home Theater Event - NYC. This year's edition will be held Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2 at the Hilton New York & Towers, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York City. The show will feature more than 200 exhibitors, 13 free educational seminars led by experts in the industry and over a dozen musical guests and live performances. HE 2002 exhibitors include Conrad/Johnson, DynAudio, Gallo Acoustics, JVC, Krell, Linn (with the James Bond Aston Martin Vanquish car!), Martin Logan, McIntosh, SharpVision, Sony, Polk Audio, Runco, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Yamaha and more. Seminar topics will include "The Future of Flat Panel TV," "High Resolution Super Audio CD," "Digital HDTV Here and Now" and "Demystifying Home Networking." The live concert series will feature the John Atkinson Trio, Arturo Delmoni, Hyperion Knight, John Pizzarelli Trio, Jimmie Lee Robinson, Wild Child Butler, and The Stratocats. Ticket prices are $35 for a weekend pass or $25 for a one-day pass. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to check out the show's Website: www.homeentertainment- expo.com.(Posted May 27, 2002)

Re-Animated Films: Elite Home Entertainment, which restores and distributes horror, science fiction and cult films on DVD, has added 1985's cult-horror classic "Re-Animator" to its Millennium Edition series. The Stuart Gordon-directed tongue-in-check gorefest gets a two-disc treatment with THX certification, brand-new digital widescreen transfer and an isolated 5.1 Surround score. Goodies include commentary by Gordon; commentary by producer Brian Yuzna and actors Jeffrey Combs, Robert Sampson, Barbara Crampton and Bruce Abbott; new video interviews with Gordon, producer Yuzna, writer Dennis Paoli, composer Richard Band and Fangoria Magazine editor Tony Timpone; 16 extended scenes; deleted scene; television spots; music discussion with composer Band; multi-angle story boards; behind-the-scenes photo galleries; Lucasfilm THX Optimizer audio/video calibration; Dolby and DTS 5.1; $29.95. (Posted May 20, 2002)

Artisan Entertainment celebrates 20 years of John Rambo with the May 28 release of the "Rambo Trilogy" DVD. The 20th anniversary metal box set contains "First Blood," "Rambo: First Blood Part II," "Rambo III," with a fourth disc containing seven featurettes and three documentaries, $59.98. Each film will be available separately for $19.98. Disc 1: "First Blood" with commentary by writer David Morrell, new documentary "Drawing First Blood: Creating John Rambo," production notes. Disc 2: "Rambo: First Blood Part II" with commentary by director George Cosmatos, new documentary "We Get to Win This Time: The Rambo Phenomenon," production notes. "Rambo III" with commentary by director Peter MacDonald, new documentary "Afghanistan: Land in Crisis," production notes. Disc 4: Seven featurettes: "First Blood: A Look Back," "Rambo: Full Circle," "Those That Wanted More," "The Forging of Heroes: America's Green Berets," "Rambo-Nomics," "Suiting Up: Rambo Survival Gear," "Selling a Hero"; Three documentaries: "An American Hero's Journey," "The Real Nam: Voices From Within," Guts and Glory"; Rambo Trilogy trivia game. (Posted May 20, 2002)

On July 30, Fox will release a Five Star Collection DVD edition of "Speed" (1994), starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels and Dennis Hopper. The two-disc set includes the film with two commentaries: one by director Jan De Bont and one by writer Graham Yost and producer Mark Gordon; five extended scenes; multi-angle stunt comparisons; five featurettes; story board to film comparisons; interviews with Reeves, Bullock, Hopper, Daniels and De Bont; HBO Special; 11 television spots; Billy Idol music video; Easter eggs; original screenplay; image gallery with more than 400 images; Dolby and DTS; $26.98. "Speed 2: Cruise Control" (1997), starring Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric and Willem Dafoe, also comes to DVD courtesy of Fox on July 30, with an HBO making-of special, Dolby and DTS; $19.98. The "Speed Collection Pack" includes the two-disc "Speed" Five Star Collection and "Speed 2: Cruise Control" in a box set; $39.98. (Posted May 20, 2002)

It's about time: DreamWorks will release to VHS rental and DVD the very interesting reworking of H.G. Wells' classic "The Time Machine," starring Guy Pearce and directed by Wells' great-grandson, Simon Wells; due July 23. ... Another remake comes to video on September 10: The swashbuckling "The Count of Monte Cristo," starring Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, from Buena Vista. ... And, on September 17, Buena Vista will release the abstaining-from-sex comedy, "40 Days and 40 Nights," starring Josh Hartnett. (Posted May 13, 2002)

From TV to Video: HBO Home Video has just announced an August 27 release for "The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season," featuring all 13 episodes in a five-volume VHS set and four-volume DVD set. DVD special features include commentaries by writer-actor Michael Imperioli (Episode 9), episode director Steve Buscemi (Episode 11) and series creator David Chase (Episode 12), a behind-the-scenes featurette ("A Day on the Set of the Sopranos"), recaps of Seasons 1 and 2, episodic synopses, more. Both sets have a $99 price tag. ... On July 3 Paramount will release to DVD two "I Love Lucy" volumes: "I Love Lucy: Season One, Volume One" and "I Love Lucy: Season One, Volume Two"; each containing four episodes, bloopers, radio interviews, behind-the-scenes, and more; $14.99. ... And on July 23 Fox will release "M*A*S*H Season Two" as three-disc DVD and three-volume VHS sets, with all 24 of the second season's episodes; $39.98 DVD and $26.98 VHS. (Posted May 13, 2002)

Overboard: Dimension Films missed the boat with its January release of director Gary Fleder's "Imposter." The film, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, was unceremoniously dumped into the marketplace with little or no fanfare or marketing push. And that was a shame, for the film, to be released to video as "Imposter: The Director's Cut" on July 9 on VHS and DVD, is visually stunning, with an imaginative story line, workmanlike performances (by Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio and Mekhi Phifer) and special-effects that rival the best that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg can come up with (the work was done, in fact, by Industrial Light & Magic). For science fiction fans, this one is a must. ... Director Todd Solondz's latest black comedy outing, "Storytelling," comprising two separate stories set against the sadly comical terrain of college and high school, and starring Selma Blair, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti, Julie Hagerty and Robert Wisdom, will be released July 16 by New Line. ... New Line has also set a July 16 release date for "John Q," the Denzel Washington starrer about a working man who takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his health insurance refuses to cover a heart transplant operation for his son. The DVD version of the film will be in New Line's infinifilm format, which allows users to navigate on- screen menus during the film to access original content "beyond the movie." ... Steve Oedekerk's weak "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist," a kind of updating of Woody Allen's "What's Up, Tiger Lily," will come to home video on July 23, from Fox. (Posted May 6, 2002)

Synergy: Scooby-Doo is coming to the big screen this summer (in glorious live-action) and Warner Home Video is taking the opportunity to release four new DVDs of animated Scooby-Doo adventures: "Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries," featuring the first five Scooby-Doo episodes, including the series pilot, "Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School," "Scooby-Doo Goes Hollywood" and "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers," all due June 4. ... Playing on the upcoming release of the latest Austin Powers summer release ("Austin Powers in Goldmember"), Fox will release on DVD three 1960s spy spoofs: "Our Man Flint" (1965), starring James Coburn, Gila Golan and Lee J. Cobb; "In Like Flint" (1967), starring James Coburn, Andrew Duggan and a bevy of beautiful women; and "Modesty Blaise" (1966), starring Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp and Dirk Bogarde; due July 16. (Posted May 6, 2002)

Royal DVD: Buena Vista has just announced that the DVD version of Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums," due day-and-date with the VHS rental version, will be a Criterion Collection two-disc set. Features include commentary by Anderson; "With the Filmmakers: Portraits by Albert Maysles" feature on Anderson and the making of the film; video interviews and behind-the- scenes footage of stars Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, more; "The Peter Bradley Show," featuring interviews with cast members; "The Art of the Movie" in-depth feature on art direction and production design; outtakes and deleted scenes; collectible booklet with insights into the director's vision, DTS and Dolby Digital; $29.99. (Posted May 6, 2002)

Sell-through: On August 20, Fox will release priced-to-own editions of "The Deep End," starring Tilda Swinton, Goran Visnjic, Jonathan Tucker, Peter Donat and Josh Lucas; and "Donnie Darko," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhal and Katharine Ross for the low, low price of $9.98. (Posted May 6, 2002)

Random Notes: MGM has announced a July 9 release date for the Bruce Willis World War II saga "Hart's War," which fared poorly at the box office in the shadow of "Black Hawk Down." ... Columbia TriStar will release a special two-disc limited edition DVD of "Memento," designed by writer-director Christopher Nolan, on May 21. The set, according to Columbia TriStar's press release, "offers a series of mindbenders and challenges designed by Nolan that begin the moment one of the set's two discs is inserted into the player. At its core, the DVD is constructed as an elaborate mental puzzle that the viewer must solve in order to watch the film and the added-value elements. 'I've enjoyed flexing my creative muscles to come up with something completely new and unique to the DVD format, said writer-director Christopher Nolan.'" One disc of the set features a digitally remastered version of the film with commentary by Nolan; the second disc includes a 23-minute documentary, "Anatomy of a Scene," from the Sundance Channel; the original short story by Nolan; a "director's script" that allows the viewer to dissect the film's structure by switching between a scene and Nolan's annotated film script using the player's angle feature; production stills and sketches. The packaging for the discs will offer hidden assistance to solving the puzzles of the DVD; $27.95. ... MGM has repriced the delightfully quirky sleeper "Ghost World" to $9.94 for its VHS sell-through debut on August 6. ... Paramount has set a May 7 date for the VHS sell-through release of "The Score Special Edition," with a behind-the-scenes featurette, for $14.95. ... And, bowing to mass market pressure, Fox will release on May 21 10 of its "hottest hits" in full-screen only DVD versions for $19.98 each: "The Abyss," "Big Momma's House," "Edward Scissorhands," "Independence Day," "Men of Honor," "Anna and the King," "Cast Away," "Entrapment," "Lake Placid" and "Predator." (Posted April 30, 2002)

New releases: Warner has announced home video dates for two moderately successful films: "The Majestic," starring Jim Carrey, due June 18 (with a minimum advertised VHS price of $14.95 and $19.95 for DVD) and "A Walk to Remember," starring teen singer Mandy Moore, due July 9 (with a minimum advertised VHS price of $14.95 and $19.95 for DVD). On May 21 Universal will release energetic urban comedy "How High," starring Method Man and Redman, for VHS rental and DVD sales. (Posted April 23, 2002)

Not so blue DVD releases: On June 4, MGM will release a special edition of David Lynch's classic "Blue Velvet" (1986), starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange and Dean Stockwell. The disc features a digital transfer supervised by Lynch; "Mysteries of Love" documentary with new interviews with MacLachlan, Rossellini, Hopper and Dern as well as rare interview footage with Lynch; an "Are You a Pervert?" deleted scene featurette, and a collectible booklet; $24.98. On June 4 Fox will release two wonderful Paul Newman films: 1982's "The Verdict" and 1961's "The Hustler." The special edition of "The Verdict," directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea and Lindsay Crouse, features commentary by Lumet and Newman, and a behind-the-scenes still gallery. The special edition of "The Hustler," directed by Robert Rossen and starring Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Myron McCormick and Michael Constantine, features commentary by editor Dede Allen, assistant director Ulu Grosbard, Newman, Carol Rossen (the director's daughter) and film critic Richard Schickel; three featurettes; pool trick shot analysis by pool expert Mike Massey; and a behind-the-scenes still gallery. Also on June 4 Warner will release no-frills DVD versions of Robert Altman's "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" (1971), starring Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Rene Auberjonois, William Devane, John Schuck, Shelley Duvall and Keith Carradine; John Ford's classic "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949), starring John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Victor McLaglen; and George Cukor's "The Women" (1939), starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and Marjorie Main. (Posted April 23, 2002)

"Mind" This: Universal has just announced a June 25 release date for Academy Award winning best picture "A Beautiful Mind," starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ron Howard. The DVD will have all sorts of goodies, including commentary by Howard as well as a documentary that covers every facet of the film from script to screen; the VHS version will be priced to own. Also on June 25 Universal will release Robert Altman's "Gosford Park"; the DVD will feature commentary by Altman. Another big boxoffice hit, "Black Hawk Down," will be flying to home video on June 11, from Columbia TriStar. (Posted April 16, 2002)

Other releases dates (all unofficial): July 2 for Paramount's animated "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," July 16 for supernatural thriller "Dragonfly," July 30 for sci-fi thriller "Resident Evil," August 20 for Tim Allen's "Joe Somebody" and Disney's Peter Pan sequel "Return to Never Land," and, hold on to your snow shoes, October 22 for Fox's smash animated adventure "Ice Age." (Posted April 16, 2002)

New releases: There's been a spate of new release announcements this week. Coming May 21 from Lions Gate is Aussie mystery "Lantana," with Anthony LaPaglia, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey heading up an ensemble cast. On May 21 Columbia TriStar will release adolescent comedy "Slackers." "The Mothman Prophecies," starring Richard Gere, will flit to home video on June 4, from Columbia TriStar. Lions Gate has announced a June 11 date for the release of "Monster's Ball," starring Billy Bob Thornton and 2001 Academy Award-winner for best actress Halle Berry. Action- adventure remake "Rollerball" will glide onto video store shelves on June 18, from MGM. Miramax's tale of one man's redemption, "The Shipping News," starring Kevin Spacey and Julianne Moore, will come home June 18. Also on June 18, New Line will release the Sean Penn- Michelle Pfeiffer melodrama "I Am Sam." Wes Anderson's absurdist black comedy "The Royal Tenenbaums," with an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Murray, Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson, will fracture up viewers on July 9, from Buena Vista. Miramax will release on August 13 "In the Bedroom," starring Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei. The delightful French import "Amelie," starring Audrey Tautou, will tickle viewers on July 16, from Miramax. And, finally, on August 20, Miramax will release the bio-drama "Iris," about famed literary figure Iris Murdoch, starring 2001 Oscar best supporting actor Jim Broadbent, Judi Dench and Kate Winslet. (Posted April 9, 2002)

A fighting chance: Fast on the heels of FlixMix's compilation of the best scenes from horror films comes the "Ultimate Fights" DVD, a disc of the best fights ever to grace the big screen. There's fistfights, swordfights, streetfights, gunfights, gangfights, girlfights, boxing fights, martial arts fights and more. There are 16 fights from such films as "Gladiator," "Rumble in the Bronx," "Blade," "Scarface," "Black Mask," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Snatch," "Legend of Drunken Master," "First Blood," "The Killer" and more. The best segments are from the best films: The beautifully choreographed indoor killing fields of John Woo's "The Killers" and Jackie Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx." There's even a sequence from "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," with Jason Scott Lee mimicking the master's moves. Extras (five hours in all) include "Behind the Punches," a featurette on staging your own Hollywood fight scene; commentary by legendary Hong Kong martial arts director Tsui Hark; "The Ultimate Rumble Party Mix," an original music soundtrack scored to each fight; Flix Fact pop-up trivia and production notes for every scene; movie still quizzes; fighter profiles; "stats" for each fight; and DVD-ROM features. Available on DVD only on April 16. (Posted April 9, 2002)

New DVD Releases: The Criterion Collection and Home Vision Entertainment will release three more of their fabulous DVD editions of classic and important films: On March 12 they'll release a new digital transfer of Federico Fellini's "Juliet of the Spirits" (1965) and David Gordon Green's "Geroge Washington" (2000); on March 26 Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950) will get the special Criterion treatment. ... Columbia TriStar has announced two interesting DVD releases. On April 30 the studio will release a two-disc set of "Jerry Maguire" (1996), directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger. The Special Edition will include the film in a widescreen presentation with commentary by Crowe, Cruise, Zellweger and Gooding, deleted scenes, video commentary with Crowe, Cruise, Zellweger and Gooding, featurettes, and more. On March 26 the studio will release another film from their Ray Harryhausen catalog, 1964's "First Men in the Moon," digitally remastered with a "This Is Dynamation" featurette and "The Harryhausen Chronicles" documentary. ... MPI Home Video is mining popular culture with two February 26 releases: "Hullabaloo Volumes 9-12," two one-hour programs and six half-hour shows of the rock 'n' roll musical variety show that ran on NBC from 1965-1966, on one disc with digitally remastered audio, $24.98; and "Coca-Cola: The History of an American Icon," a 106-minute documentary on "the pause that refreshes," $19.98 (also available on VHS for $14.98) ... And, lastly, for fans of "The X-Files," Fox will release on May 14 "The X-Files: Season Five," a six-disc set with all 20 episodes in anamorphic widescreen, with an all-new documentary "The Truth About Season Five"; a 46-minute FX special "Inside The X-Files"; deleted scenes with optional commentary by creator Chris Carter; 11 "Behind-the-Truth" FX spots; 40 promotional TV spots; DVD-ROM game and more; $149.98. (Posted February 18, 2002)

New Sell-Through: New Line has set a June 4 release date for a $14.94 VHS edition of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," and Columbia TriStar has set April 30 for the release of "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" at $14.95. (Posted February 18, 2002)

New Releases: Fox has announced the April release of three hit films from last year: Evocative thriller "The Deep End," starring Tilda Swinton, on April 16; the Martin Lawrence starrer "Black Knight," also on April 16; and the exciting war suspenser "Behind Enemy Lines," starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, on April 23. Two off-beat films also arrive in April: black comedy "Novocaine," starring Steve Martin and Laura Dern, from Artisan, on April 23; and the Coen brothers' 1940s-set hard-boiled noir "The Man Who Wasn't There," starring Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini, on April 16 from USA. (Posted February 11, 2002)

New to Sell-through: Fox will release on March 5 a $14.98 VHS special edition of "Planet of the Apes," with a "Clues to the Ending" featurette and an HBO "Making of Planet of the Apes" featurette. On March 19 Fox will release "Moulin Rouge Special Edition" VHS for $14.98, with 25 minutes of bonus features including Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor featurettes, three deleted scenes, an extended dance scene, and the "Lady Marmalade" MTV performance. (Posted February 11, 2002)

New "View": Billed as a "lost" View Askew film, "Drawing Flies" was initially filmed between "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" by Malcolm Ingram, a Film Threat reporter on the set of Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" who befriended the cast and pitched the idea about a film about city kids lost in the woods trying to find Bigfoot. The cast includes View Askew regulars Jason Lee, Jason Mewes and Renee Humphrey, and has been endorsed by View Askew mavens Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. The film was finished by IndieDVD, an independent home video label founded by struggling filmmakers to create a direct channel of quality undiscovered independent cinema to the home audience. Available for sale at Best Buy, for rental at Hollywood Video, or purchased direct from www.indiedvd.com. $19.98 DVD (with extra features that include commentary by the cast and producers Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith; introduction by Smith and Mosier; additional director's cut with integrated deleted scenes; Easter eggs featuring stories by Smith); $14.98 VHS. Due February 26. (Posted February 11, 2002)

Everyone's Crazy About Harry: Warner Home Video has officially announced the date (May 28, as anticipated) and features for the VHS and DVD releases of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The VHS, which will contain over 5 minutes of never before seen footage, will have a suggested retail price of $24.99. The DVD, available in both widescreen and fullscreen two-disc sets, will be priced at $26.99. DVD features: Disc 1 includes the full feature plus Dolby Digital 5.1, original trailers and more. Disc 2 includes never-before-seen footage; a 360-degree self-guided tour of Hogwarts, including the Gryffindor Common Room, the Great Hall, Harry's room and Hagrid's hut, controlled by your remote; new interviews with director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman; lessons in the magic game of Quidditch with an original Quidditch montage; and such interactive features as catching a snitch with your remote, having a wand choose you at Ollivanders' Wands, meeting the ghosts of Hogwarts, casting a spell over a scene in eight languages with "Harry Potter throughout the world," creating potions correctly or winding up in the infirmary, sneaking past Fluffy and other challenges to reveal the secret in the Mirror of Erised, transfiguring objects, opening a screaming book and much more. DVD-ROM features allow users to be sorted by the sorting hat, collect wizard trading cards, download flying owls in the great hall and receive owl e-mail messages. There's also game demos, Quidditch screensavers and more. (Posted February 5, 2002)

Lord of the Rumors: Unconfirmed reports have begun circulating on the Web indicating that New Line will release "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" to home video on August 27. No word on pricing or DVD extras. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New Releases: "Max Keeble's Big Move," a kiddie revenge movie starring Alex D. Linz, Zena Grey, Josh Peck, Larry Miller and Jamie Kennedy, will surface in video stores on June 18 in VHS sell-through ($29.99) and DVD editions. The April 9 release of the John Cusack-Kate Beckinsdale romantic comedy "Serendipity" will be priced at $29.99 for its VHS sell-through version. Both films are from Buena Vista. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New DVD Releases: On April 2 Columbia TriStar will release "The Net Special Edition" (1995), starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, Dennis Miller, Diane Baker and Ken Howard. Extras will include commentary by director Irwin Winkler and producer Rob Cowen, commentary by writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, an HBO "Inside the Net" featurette, a "making-of" featurette and more ... On April 16, Anchor Bay will release two new versions of 1965's Highlander: A Special Edition with commentary by director Russell Mulcahy, producers Peter Davis and William Panzer and a stills gallery; and The Immortal Edition, with commentary by Mulcahy, producers Davis and Panzer; a stills gallery; Queen music videos with commentary by Queen members Brian May, Roger Taylor and composer Michael Kamen; a CD compilation of songs from the movie plus additional rarities; all packaged in metal slipcase ... Also on April 16 Columbia TriStar will release a DVD edition of Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" (1992), starring Allen, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Juliette Lewis and Lysette Anthony. As with most Allen films on DVD, extras are limited to trailers. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New Release: Rat-pack remake "Ocean's Eleven," starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, will arrive on home video on May 7. The Warner Home Entertainment VHS will be priced at $19.95 minimum advertised price; the DVD will contain two commentary tracks: one by Pitt, Damon and Garcia, and one by director Steven Soderbergh. (Posted February 25, 2002)

New DVD Releases: MGM will release on May 7 one of the greatest rock concert movies ever, "The Last Waltz" (1978), directed by Martin Scorsese and starring The Band with guests Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Ronnie Hawkins, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Muddy Waters, Stephen Stills, Bobby Charles, Carl Radle, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Ron Wood. The Special Edition will feature a digital transfer with the original stereo mix as well as a new digital mix in 5.1 Surround supervised by the Band's Robbie Robertson; commentary by Scorsese and Robertson; commentary by featured musicians and music journalists; "Revisiting The Last Waltz" featurette; previously unseen footage and memorabilia; photo gallery with 100 rare images chronicling the concert and the film's premiere; collectible booklet with introduction by Robertson; $24.98. (Posted February 25, 2002)

Sell-through: Warner has announced that its March 19 release of cop crime thriller "Training Day," starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, will be priced on VHS at $14.95 and will feature an alternate ending. Another cop thriller, "Along Came a Spider" (2001), starring Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael Wincott, Mika Boorem, Anton Yelchin, Kim Hawthorne and Dylan Baker, will arrive in a sell-through version on March 5 at $14.95, featuring cast and crew interviews, from Paramount. (Posted February 25, 2002)

New DVD Releases: The Criterion Collection and Home Vision Entertainment will release three more of their fabulous DVD editions of classic and important films: On March 12 they'll release a new digital transfer of Federico Fellini's "Juliet of the Spirits" (1965) and David Gordon Green's "Geroge Washington" (2000); on March 26 Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" (1950) will get the special Criterion treatment. ... Columbia TriStar has announced two interesting DVD releases. On April 30 the studio will release a two-disc set of "Jerry Maguire" (1996), directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger. The Special Edition will include the film in a widescreen presentation with commentary by Crowe, Cruise, Zellweger and Gooding, deleted scenes, video commentary with Crowe, Cruise, Zellweger and Gooding, featurettes, and more. On March 26 the studio will release another film from their Ray Harryhausen catalog, 1964's "First Men in the Moon," digitally remastered with a "This Is Dynamation" featurette and "The Harryhausen Chronicles" documentary. ... MPI Home Video is mining popular culture with two February 26 releases: "Hullabaloo Volumes 9-12," two one-hour programs and six half-hour shows of the rock 'n' roll musical variety show that ran on NBC from 1965-1966, on one disc with digitally remastered audio, $24.98; and "Coca-Cola: The History of an American Icon," a 106-minute documentary on "the pause that refreshes," $19.98 (also available on VHS for $14.98) ... And, lastly, for fans of "The X-Files," Fox will release on May 14 "The X-Files: Season Five," a six-disc set with all 20 episodes in anamorphic widescreen, with an all-new documentary "The Truth About Season Five"; a 46-minute FX special "Inside The X-Files"; deleted scenes with optional commentary by creator Chris Carter; 11 "Behind-the-Truth" FX spots; 40 promotional TV spots; DVD-ROM game and more; $149.98. (Posted February 18, 2002)

New Sell-Through: New Line has set a June 4 release date for a $14.94 VHS edition of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," and Columbia TriStar has set April 30 for the release of "John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars" at $14.95. (Posted February 18, 2002)

New Releases: Fox has announced the April release of three hit films from last year: Evocative thriller "The Deep End," starring Tilda Swinton, on April 16; the Martin Lawrence starrer "Black Knight," also on April 16; and the exciting war suspenser "Behind Enemy Lines," starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, on April 23. Two off-beat films also arrive in April: black comedy "Novocaine," starring Steve Martin and Laura Dern, from Artisan, on April 23; and the Coen brothers' 1940s-set hard-boiled noir "The Man Who Wasn't There," starring Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini, on April 16 from USA. (Posted February 11, 2002)

New to Sell-through: Fox will release on March 5 a $14.98 VHS special edition of "Planet of the Apes," with a "Clues to the Ending" featurette and an HBO "Making of Planet of the Apes" featurette. On March 19 Fox will release "Moulin Rouge Special Edition" VHS for $14.98, with 25 minutes of bonus features including Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor featurettes, three deleted scenes, an extended dance scene, and the "Lady Marmalade" MTV performance. (Posted February 11, 2002)

New "View": Billed as a "lost" View Askew film, "Drawing Flies" was initially filmed between "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy" by Malcolm Ingram, a Film Threat reporter on the set of Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" who befriended the cast and pitched the idea about a film about city kids lost in the woods trying to find Bigfoot. The cast includes View Askew regulars Jason Lee, Jason Mewes and Renee Humphrey, and has been endorsed by View Askew mavens Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. The film was finished by IndieDVD, an independent home video label founded by struggling filmmakers to create a direct channel of quality undiscovered independent cinema to the home audience. Available for sale at Best Buy, for rental at Hollywood Video, or purchased direct from www.indiedvd.com. $19.98 DVD (with extra features that include commentary by the cast and producers Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith; introduction by Smith and Mosier; additional director's cut with integrated deleted scenes; Easter eggs featuring stories by Smith); $14.98 VHS. Due February 26. (Posted February 11, 2002)


Everyone's Crazy About Harry: Warner Home Video has officially announced the date (May 28, as anticipated) and features for the VHS and DVD releases of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The VHS, which will contain over 5 minutes of never before seen footage, will have a suggested retail price of $24.99. The DVD, available in both widescreen and fullscreen two-disc sets, will be priced at $26.99. DVD features: Disc 1 includes the full feature plus Dolby Digital 5.1, original trailers and more. Disc 2 includes never-before-seen footage; a 360-degree self-guided tour of Hogwarts, including the Gryffindor Common Room, the Great Hall, Harry's room and Hagrid's hut, controlled by your remote; new interviews with director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman; lessons in the magic game of Quidditch with an original Quidditch montage; and such interactive features as catching a snitch with your remote, having a wand choose you at Ollivanders' Wands, meeting the ghosts of Hogwarts, casting a spell over a scene in eight languages with "Harry Potter throughout the world," creating potions correctly or winding up in the infirmary, sneaking past Fluffy and other challenges to reveal the secret in the Mirror of Erised, transfiguring objects, opening a screaming book and much more. DVD-ROM features allow users to be sorted by the sorting hat, collect wizard trading cards, download flying owls in the great hall and receive owl e-mail messages. There's also game demos, Quidditch screensavers and more. (Posted February 5, 2002)

Lord of the Rumors: Unconfirmed reports have begun circulating on the Web indicating that New Line will release "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" to home video on August 27. No word on pricing or DVD extras. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New Releases: "Max Keeble's Big Move," a kiddie revenge movie starring Alex D. Linz, Zena Grey, Josh Peck, Larry Miller and Jamie Kennedy, will surface in video stores on June 18 in VHS sell-through ($29.99) and DVD editions. The April 9 release of the John Cusack-Kate Beckinsdale romantic comedy "Serendipity" will be priced at $29.99 for its VHS sell-through version. Both films are from Buena Vista. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New DVD Releases: On April 2 Columbia TriStar will release "The Net Special Edition" (1995), starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, Dennis Miller, Diane Baker and Ken Howard. Extras will include commentary by director Irwin Winkler and producer Rob Cowen, commentary by writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, an HBO "Inside the Net" featurette, a "making-of" featurette and more ... On April 16, Anchor Bay will release two new versions of 1965's Highlander: A Special Edition with commentary by director Russell Mulcahy, producers Peter Davis and William Panzer and a stills gallery; and The Immortal Edition, with commentary by Mulcahy, producers Davis and Panzer; a stills gallery; Queen music videos with commentary by Queen members Brian May, Roger Taylor and composer Michael Kamen; a CD compilation of songs from the movie plus additional rarities; all packaged in metal slipcase ... Also on April 16 Columbia TriStar will release a DVD edition of Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" (1992), starring Allen, Judy Davis, Mia Farrow, Sydney Pollack, Juliette Lewis and Lysette Anthony. As with most Allen films on DVD, extras are limited to trailers. (Posted February 5, 2002)

New Releases: Though the film is still in movie theaters, Columbia TriStar has scheduled an April 23 release for the Will Smith starrer "Ali." The release date for David Lynch's weird "Mulholland Drive" has been firmed up for April 9. Also on that day the John Cusack-Kate Beckinsdale romantic comedy "Serendipity" will be released by Buena Vista. (Posted January 28, 2002)

New DVD Releases: On April 9 MGM will release "The Usual Suspects Special Edition" (1995), directed by Bryan Singer and starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin, Pete Postlethwaite, Chazz Palminteri and Benicio Del Toro. The DVD features commentary by Singer and writer Christopher McQuarrie; commentary by composer and editor John Ottman; deleted scenes; "Round Up -- Deposing the Usual Suspects" featurette; "Keyser Soze -- Lie or Legend" featurette (that answers the question "Who Is Keyser Soze?"); "Heisting Cannes With The Usual Suspects" featurette; new in-depth interviews with cast and crew; gag reel created by Singer; Easter eggs and more; $24.98. TV to video: Lovers of the TV series "Friends" will flip on April 30 when Warner releases "Friends: The Complete First Season" on a five-disc DVD set; "All in the Family - The Complete First Season" will be released by Columbia TriStar on March 26 in a three-DVD set. (Posted January 28, 2002)

New Sell-through: Columbia TriStar has set March 26 for repriced editions of "The Animal," "Dead Sexy,""White River" and "America's Sweethearts"; $14.95 each. (Posted January 28, 2002)

New Releases: The much anticipated home video release of "The Others," starring Nicole Kidman, has tentatively been set for May 14 by Dimension Films. Other tentative dates: March 26 for martial arts actioner "Iron Monkey," from Miramax; April 9 for Domestic Disturbance," starring John Travolta nd Vince Vaughn, from Paramount; Columbia TriStar's "Not Another Teen Movie" on April 30; and "Kate & Leopold," starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman, on June 4, from Miramax. (Posted January 22, 2002)

New DVD Releases: On March 5 Fox will release a special edition of Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything" (1989), starring John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney, Lili Taylor and Loren Dean, with commentary by Crowe, Cusack and Skye; 10 deleted scenes; 13 extended scenes; and a "making-of" documentary. Also on that day Anchor Bay will release two new editions of "The Evil Dead" (1982), directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker and Sarah York: "The Evil Dead Special Edition," in Dolby Digital and DTS will include commentary by Raimi and producer Bob Tapert, commentary by Campbell, outtakes, deleted scenes and a still gallery, for $19.95; "The Evil Dead: Book of the Dead" edition includes Special Edition features as well as an all-new 26-minute documentary "Fanalysis" by Campbell, a "Discovering Evil Dead" featurette, in a two-disc set housed in a special "Book of the Dead" box with a "human flesh" latex cover designed by makeup artist Tom Sullivan; $49.95. (Posted January 22, 2002)

Home Video's Banner Year: Thanks to the impressive impact of DVDs on the video market, 2001 saw video rentals and sales total a staggering $17 billion, more than twice the revenue brought in by theatrical releases. The top 10 titles of the year (in total VHS/DVD sales and rentals, from various sources):

  1. Shrek
  2. The Grinch
  3. Pearl Harbor
  4. Dinosaur
  5. Remember the Titans
  6. Meet the Parents
  7. The Mummy Returns
  8. Cast Away
  9. The Emperor's New Groove
  10. Rush Hour 2
(Posted January 22, 2002)

New Releases: Fox has announced two interesting releases for March: On March 12, the studio will release teen thriller "Joy Ride," starring Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski, and weird thriller (and 2001 Sundance Film Festival darling) "Donnie Darko," starring Drew Barrymore, Jake Gyllenhaal and Noah Wyle. DreamWorks has set a March 5 release date for the Robert Redford-James Gandolfini starrer "The Last Castle." Lions Gate will release urban comedy "The Wash," starring Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, on March 12. And on March 26 Universal will release the psychological black comedy "K-PAX," starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges. (Posted January 15, 2002)

New to Sell-through: MGM has announced an April 2 release date for $14.95 repricings of two big box office hits: "Legally Blonde," starring Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Davis and Selma Blair, and "Heartbreakers," starring Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Gene Hackman and Jason Lee. Also on that day New Line is repricing to $14.94 "Town & Country," starring Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Garry Shandling, and "Pros & Cons," starring Larry Miller, Tommy Davidson and Delroy Lindo. (Posted January 15, 2002)

New to DVD: The long-awaited hockey flick "Slap Shot" (1977), directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Lindsay Crouse, Jennifer Warren, Melinda Dillon, Strother Martin, Swoosie Kurtz, M. Emmet Walsh, Paul Dooley, Dave Hanson, Steve Carlson and Jeff Carlson will finally come to DVD in the "Slap Shot 25th Anniversary Special Edition" from Universal on March 26. The DVD will feature commentary by the "Hanson Brothers" (ex-hockey players and hockey goodwill ambassadors/cult heroes Dave Hanson, Steve Carlson and Jeff Carlson), a "Puck Talk With the Hansons" featurette and a "Hanson Brothers Classic Scenes" feature with direct access to the best-loved Hanson Brothers scenes. Also on that day Universal will release the direct-to- video sequel "Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice," starring Stephen Baldwin, Gary Busey, Dave Hanson, Steve Carlson and Jeff Carlson, to DVD and VHS. (Posted January 15, 2002)

More movement: Buena Vista's three-disc "Pearl Harbor Vista Series" release has again been moved, now to July 2. (Posted January 15, 2002)

New releases: March 12: Gangland thriller "Sexy Beast," starring Ben Kingsley, from Fox; David Mamet's caper film "Heist," starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, from Warner; and fashion comedy "Zoolander," starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, from Paramount. March 19: Cop crime thriller "Training Day," starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, from Warner. March 26: Melodrama "Life as a House," starring Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas, from New Line. (Posted January 8, 2002)

New DVDs: MGM will release on April 2 the long- awaited 1988 baseball film "Bull Durham," starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, in a special edition that includes commentary by director Ron Shelton, commentary by Costner and Robbins, a new documentary on the making of the film, a photo gallery, advertising materials and more. Paramount has set a February 12 date for release of the three "Bad News Bears" movies: "The Bad News Bears" (1976), "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" (1977) and "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan" (1978). (Posted January 8, 2002)

New sell-through: A late announcement from Paramount has revealed a January 8 release date for $14.95 VHS versions of moody supernatural thriller "The Gift," directed by Sam Raimi and starring Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Michael Jeter and Kim Dickens; tender drama "You Can Count On Me," directed by Kenneth Lonergan and starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin, Matthew Broderick and Jon Tenney; and comedy "Company Man," starring Sigourney Weaver, Ryan Phillippe, Anthony LaPaglia, John Turturro, Denis Leary, Woody Allen, Allen Cumming and Douglas McGrath. (Posted January 8, 2002)

New DVD release: The most requested title in New Line Home Video's film catalog, David Lynch's "Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me," will get a DVD release on February 26. The 1992 prequel to the TV series starred Kyle MacLachlan, Chris Isaak, Sheryl Lee, Kiefer Sutherland, Moira Kelly, Harry Dean Stanton, Miguel Ferrer, David Bowie, Ray Wise, Pamela Gidley, Madchen Amick, and Peggy Lipton. Lynch supervised the remastering of the video and sound for this release, which contains a new six-channel mix in Dolby Digital and DTS that was created at Lynch's Asymmetrical Studio specifically for the DVD. Also included is an original 30-minute documentary, "Reflections on the Phenomenon of Twin Peaks," featuring new interviews with the cast and crew. New Line is pricing the DVD at $19.98. (Posted January 1, 2002)

New Sell-through Announcement: Columbia TriStar has set March 5 as the release date for $14.95 VHS versions of animated "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within," teen vampire thriller "The Forsaken," sci-fi thriller "Reptilian," and under-rated and under-appreciated French mystery thriller "Crimson Rivers," starring Jean Reno. (Posted January 1, 2002)

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December 31, 2002
OnVideo News (ISSN 1094-3676).