Site created 12/15/97.		page updated: 11/11/99 Rumor Mill (Archived Posts 9/9/99 - 5/24/99) Back to Previous Archives Back to Current Posts 9/9/99 James Bond fans rejoice! I've been receiving a lot of anxious questions from fans of 007 out there, who are dying to know when the rest of the James Bond series will find its way to special edition DVD. Well rest easy - from the official James Bond website, comes word of the release dates (approximate anyway) for the entire 19 film series. The films will be released to DVD (as special editions) in the US and Canada in the following order: First Wave - October 19th, 1999 GoldenEye Tomorrow Never Dies Goldfinger Thunderball Live And Let Die For Your Eyes Only License To Kill Second Wave - May, 2000 Dr. No Moonraker The Man With The Golden Gun The Spy Who Loved Me On Her Majesty's Secret Service Note: Expect The World Is Not Enough in this release wave as well. Third Wave - Fall, 2000 From Russia With Love You Only Live Twice Diamonds Are Forever Octopussy A View To A Kill The Living Daylights Bond fans can expect each wave to include the films as individual DVDs, and as boxed set editions. Also today, I've received some interesting DVD-related information about Sony's upcoming PlayStation 2 game console. Word from someone currently working as a developer for the platform, is that PS2 is only going to support single layer DVD-Video playback. It will not contain a dual focus or dual laser pickup, to enable it to play dual-layered disc formats. The reason for this, is that Sony apparently doesn't want sales of the game system to cut into sales of its stand-alone DVD players. Look for an official announcement soon. Hhmmm.... Finally, we've got word of more interesting movies coming to DVD. First of all, Pioneer is bringing the William Shatner Trek-fandom spoof Free Enterprise to DVD on 11/2, complete with writer and director's commentaries, 15 minutes of deleted scenes, bloopers, screen tests, storyboards, and the No Tears For Caesar music video. SRP is set at $29.98. Warner DVDs for October will include Lost and Found (10/5), Coma, Falling Down, Creepshow, Salem's Lot, and the original House on Haunted Hill (all 10/12), the remastered Wizard of Oz, and Short Cinema Journal 1:6 (10/19), and Body Snatchers, Mr. Wonderful, Sea Wolves, Omega Man, The Great Santini, Stealing Home, Bonfire of the Vanities, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Shawshank Redemption and A Star Is Born: SE(all 10/26). Other interesting DVDs in production include: HBO Spawn 3: The Ultimate Battle: SE (10/5) and The Three Amigos (10/26) New Line Embrace of the Vampire, and Poison Ivy 1-3 (all on 10/19) Artisan Rawhead Rex and The Bride of Re-Animator: SE (10/5), Lair of the White Worm (10/12), Hole in the Sky (10/19) Buena Vista Break Up, The Castle, Heaven, Instinct, Life is Beautiful, A Bug's Life: SE, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Exotica, The Crossing Guard (all November) Columbia TriStar Hideous Kinky and The Taming of the Shrew (10/26), Pal Joey (11/2), Against All Odds and Ma Vie En Rose (11/9), 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Simon Sez (11/30) Image Entertainment Anton Brucker: Symphony #8, Bat Whispers, Concerto Di Natale, Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch, Hollywood Christmas, Kid Called Danger, Stranger in the Kingdom and The Tragedy of Richard II (all on November 2nd), several entries in the Golden Age of Rock and Roll series (including Folk/British Invasion, Great/Legendary Performances, Hard Rock/Guitar, Rockabilly/Male Vocals, and Sweet Soul/Party), La Boheme: Australian Opera, Lips of Blood, Living Dead Girl, Roy Orbison: Black and White Night and Seventh Sense (all on November 9th), Dear Santa, Godmoney, Peacekeeper, Streetcar Named Desire, Tokyo Decadence and Why Has Bodi-Dharam Left for the East (November 11th), and dual versions of Caligula (R and uncut), Daddy-Long-Legs, Killer Tongue, Night at the Opera: Royal Academy and Operation (all for November 23rd) Universal Bride of Frankenstein (October 26th), Going My Way/Holiday Inn (November), The Wolfman (November 2nd), and Dracula and The Invisible Man (November/December) Whew! Stay tuned... 8/30/99 Todd talked with R.J. Wafer in the Troma Team's DVD unit, and asked him why the hell they haven't put out a Cannibal: The Musical DVD. His answer: "It's coming." R.J. told us Troma has a 4-title line-up coming (no street dates on any of these yet, but definitely before the end of the year) featuring Cannibal, Teenage Catgirls in Heat, Killer Condom and Dario Argento's Stendahl Syndrome. He was kind enough to give us a partial list of features that are planned (as of right now, with either more to come, or a few minor things to fall off). The details are as follows... Cannibal: The Musical will feature: Animated menu screens, a running audio track with star Jason McHugh, and other special guests (hopefully to include Dian Bachar, Matt Stone and maybe "some others" -- schedules permitting) doing an MST3K styled commentary that makes fun of the film as it plays, a scene from Terror Firmer (featuring Matt Stone and Trey Parker as hermaphrodites), interviews with Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Jason McHugh, the original trailer featuring alternate footage, extra scenes & footage, and 2 extra songs. There will also be some special footage from a performance by Dad's Garage in Atlanta, GA from the official stage adaptation. Also lined up is an interview with Ruggero Deodato, director of the famed Italian cult film Cannibal Holocaust. Of course, what would a special edition from Troma be without the Tour Of Troma, Troma Intelligence Test (TIT) version 2.0, and a Public Service Announcement with Sgt. Kabukiman on DVD alternate angles. One of the more interesting new Troma based extras, is their on-going film class with Larry Benjamin (Lloyd Kaufman's blind filmmaker character from their new film Terror Firmer) called Film School For The Blind and Physically Challenged -- sounds pretty un-P.C. Gotta love it. There's also a planned Where In The World is Toxie? with Toxie running around the world, complete with Ron Jeremy Music Video Easter Eggs, the requisite production stills, Troma trailers, their Aroma du Troma, and a Troma fashion show featuring models wearing Troma's new line of t-shirts. Sound pretty packed. The Stendhal Syndrome: They're hoping this disc will include the widescreen version of the film, with the possibility of a commentary track with director Dario Argento. There will be a Dario Argento interview, along with interviews with Sergio Stivaletti (who did the special effects), director Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust), and Brigida Costa (filmmaker/translator). Along with those Stendhal specific supplements there will be the Tour Of Troma, TIT Test 2, public service announcements, more with Larry Benjamin and his Film School For The Blind and Physically Challenged, the Where In The World is Toxie? with Ron Jeremy Music Video Easter Eggs, production stills, cast and crew filmographies, Aroma du Troma, the fashion show (remember, models wearing the t-shirts) trailers (for this and other Troma films) and some Argento press and publicity information. The Killer Condom: Though it isn't going to be as packed as the above two, this one will have a commentary by director Martin Walz and filmmaker/effects man Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik), a Troma Casual Sex Survival Kit (which will simply be a condom packaged inside), the Tour Of Troma, TIT Test 2, public service announcements, another installment of Larry Benjamin's Film School For The Blind and Physically Challenged, Where In The World is Toxie? with Ron Jeremy Music Video Easter Eggs, production stills, theatrical trailers (Killer Condom and other Troma flicks), the Aroma du Troma and who could forget the fashion show? Teenage Catgirls In Heat will feature: A commentary with director Scott Perry, some behind-the-scenes stuff, production stills, short films by Scott Perry regarding the film, the Troma fashion show, trailers, a Tour Of Troma, TIT Test 2, public service announcements, (God bless) Larry Benjamin and the Film School For The Blind and Physically Challenged, Where In The World is Toxie? with Ron Jeremy Music Video Easter Eggs, and Aroma du Troma. Troma is also working on close to 30 low-level, "churn out" library titles to released by end of 2000, on top of all the special edition stuff planned. Two of their bigger titles for next year are going to be released in the first quarter. First up is Terror Firmer, a disc that will be packed with goodies, and "so thick, it'll be by far, the biggest thing ever put out." The other is one of their newest title acquisitions, The Rowdy Girls, an interesting flick with Julie Strain and Shannon Tweed. That doesn't sound like it could be too bad. R.J. wanted us to let DVD and Troma fans know that, "Troma will continue to push the envelope of special edition DVDs, and will continue to work on putting out the highest quality Troma-tic material fans expect." Any and all comments or questions can be addressed to rjwafer@troma.com, where he is waiting to hear your opinions about their stuff. So fire away, and let 'em know what you think! 8/5/99 Here's some updated information on Paramount's upcoming DVD offerings through the end of the year. The following are the studio's expected titles and street dates into December: August 17 3 Days of the Condor Star Trek: TOS, Volume 1 Star Trek: TOS, Volume 2 August 31st Titanic 200 Cigarettes September 21st The Out-of-Towners Breakfast at Tiffany's Barefoot in the Park October 19th Election Clueless Ferris Bueller's Day Off Friday the 13th Friday the 13th, Part 2 Star Trek: TOS, Volume 3 Star Trek: TOS, Volume 4 November 9th Trekkies Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Scrooged Tommy Boy Apocalypse Now November 23rd South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut U2: Rattle and Hum Beavis and Butt-head Do America Chinatown The Two Jakes Star Trek: TOS, Volume 5 Star Trek: TOS, Volume 6 December 14th The General's Daughter The Presidio Stalag 17 Reds Now, a follow-up on our recent Blair Witch DVD report. Look for Artisan Entertainment to release a DVD version of The Blair Witch Project on October 26th, just in time for Halloween (this is expected to be day-and-date with VHS). However, word is now that there isn't going to be time enough to assemble and replicate a DVD-18 version for that street date, so the October release will only include the film, plus the Sci-Fi Channel program, The Curse of the Blair Witch. However, don't despair - that loaded special edition DVD we told you about last month is still planned, and should be released 4 to 6 months after the basic release. The Blair Witch Project: Special Edition will have lots of deleted scenes, multiple alternate endings, audio commentary, and lots more. I think this is a good move - this way, Artisan can make sure to have a DVD version of the film ready to go day-and-date with VHS (which is extremely important to DVD retailers), and all you big-time Blair Witch fans will still get your loaded SE, a short time later. In any case, both DVDs are sure to be big hits, given the popularity of the film. Stay tuned... 7/28/99 The information just keeps flooding in - we've got another big upcoming DVD title update for you. Note that these titles and dates are in addition to those we've mentioned previously. KEEP IN MIND, that until this information IS NOT OFFICIAL - very few, if any, of these titles have been officially announced. Many have yet to open theatrically. ALL of these dates are tentative, and are DEFINITELY subject to change. Here we go: September 21st - The Matrix (Warner), The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection (New Line) October 5th - Pushing Tin (Fox) October 12th - 10 Things I Hate About You (Buena Vista), Carrie 2 (MGM), Election, Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th, Part 2, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (all Paramount) October 19th - eXistenZ, A Walk on the Moon (both Buena Vista) October 26th - Never Been Kissed (Fox), Arlington Road, Muppets From Space (both Columbia) November 2nd - Big Daddy (Columbia) November 9th - South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Beavis and Butt-head Do America (all Paramount), Life is Beautiful (Buena Vista), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Fox), Besieged (New Line) November 16th - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (New Line), Tea with Mussolini (MGM) November 23rd - Entrapment (Fox) December 7th - The General's Daughter(Paramount), Dick, Run Lola Run (both Columbia) December 14th - Lake Placcid (Fox), Universal Soldier: The Return (Columbia) The following titles have uncertain release dates: October - Star Trek: The Original Series, Volumes 3 & 4 (Paramount), Goodbye Lover, Lost & Found (Warner) November - Instinct, I'll Be Home for Christmas (Buena Vista), Star Trek: The Original Series, Volumes 5 & 6 (Paramount), Wild Wild West (Warner) December - Inspector Gadget, Teaching Mrs. Tingle (Buena Vista), Deep Blue Sea (Warner), Drop Dead Gorgeous, Detroit Rock City (New Line) Finally, Artisan Entertainment is preparing a DVD release of The Blair Witch Project, which will contain some 4 to 6 hours worth of material. The set will include 3 alternate endings, a horde of deleted scenes, and the recent SciFi Channel documentary on the making of the film, in addition to other material. There's a good chance this will be a DVD-18 release. There's also a chance, depending on how long the film sustains theatrically, that Artisan may try to get it out in time for Halloween. Stay tuned... 7/23/99 I know that there are lots of you who read the Rumor Mill regularly, but may just skim through our daily My Two Cents columns, so I wanted to repost this here (from yesterday's daily column). This is just too important for you to miss! Enjoy: ----SNIP---- We've got some great news for you, disc-fans! The Bits has been able to officially confirm some very exciting news: Buena Vista Home Entertainment has finally relented, and is allowing Miramax to release its first DVD title in anamorphic widescreen! And that first anamorphic title will be none other than the most recent Best Picture winner - Shakespeare in Love! The disc, which streets on August 10th, will be a fairly basic movie-only edition, but WILL be enhanced for widescreen TVs. Miramax has assured me that a special edition DVD version of the film is also in the works, but was delayed due to legal issues (a problem that has delayed many special edition titles, not just from Buena Vista and Miramax). Miramax has further informed me that they plan to push vigorously for anamorphic widescreen on future titles, and that they would like to start supporting DTS on some future releases as well (particularly their Dimension horror line). Other special edition DVDs that they currently have in the works, are Life is Beautiful (which will include a half-hour special on director Roberto Benigni, as well as both the English dubbed and original Italian audio tracks), From Dusk Til Dawn (with a making-of documentary), Switchblade Sisters, Il Postino, Chasing Amy, and Scream 2. Down the line, other titles that will likely receive special edition treatment, are Scream 3, Teaching Mrs. Tingle (likely with a Kevin Williamson commentary track), and eventually The English Patient. Their Halloween H20: SE has finally been rescheduled for 9/28. I'm told that the biggest constraints on Miramax doing special editions faster on DVD, are all of the myriad of legal rights issues that arise over special edition material (which is becoming more of a problem as the format gains popularity), and just the sheer amount of work that is involved in pulling everything together. But rest assured - they are adding staffers, and plan to start really doing lots of great special edition DVDs as soon as they can. As for their recent She's All That DVD, which was mistakenly released with only Dolby Digital 2.0 audio, the disc is now being repressed by Buena Vista with the correct Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Anyone who purchased it should return it to the store where they bought it. You will be able to exchange them for the corrected discs, as soon as they are ready, and are sent to retailers. We will post information on how to spot the corrected discs, and when they will be available, as soon as the details are finalized. As if that wasn't good enough news, Image Entertainment has once again updated their DVD News page, and look what's coming to DVD in September: A Christmas Story (widescreen), Deliverance, Excalibur, Rebel Without a Cause: Special Edition, and Sommersby... ALL in anamorphic widescreen! The street dates for all are 9/21, except Christmas Story (which streets on 9/28). Muppets from Space is also coming from Columbia TriStar on 10/26. I gotta tell ya - I am a very happy camper at the moment. After the disappointing Kubrick Collection, I definitely needed a DVD shot in the arm from Warner, and it looks like they're getting ready to deliver one. Very cool! ----UNSNIP---- 7/20/99 All right! We've got some good upcoming DVD information for you today. We've got a major DVD title update from several studios, so let's get started. The following titles and dates are tentative, but here's a look at the goodies that Columbia TriStar is working on through the end of the year: September The Buddy Holly Story, Fright Night, Sleepless in Seattle: Special Edition, The Tingler, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (all 9/7), Alvarez Kelly and Tommy (both 9/14), The City of Lost Children, The Dark Crystal, Heavy, Someone to Watch Over Me, The Thirteenth Floor, and This is My Father (all 9/21), and Night of the Living Dead (1990), Immortal Beloved and Inferno (all 9/28) October The Blue Lagoon, Labyrynth and Hard Eight (all 10/5), Easy Rider, Hideous Kinky and S.L.C. Punk! (all on 10/12), Beverly Hills Ninja, The Last Hurrah, The Nuttiest Nutcracker and Persuasion (all on 10/19), and Arlington Road and The Taming of the Shrew (both on 10/26) November Heavy Metal: Special Edition, Pal Joey and The Mask of Zorro: Deluxe Edition (all on 11/2), Against All Odds, The Last Picture Show, Ma Vie en Rose and The Way We Were (all on 11/9), and Cirque Du Soleil, Five Easy Pieces, Limbo, The Loss of Sexual Innocence, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and A River Runs Through It (all on 11/16) December The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Bizet's Carmen, Dick, It Happened One Night, Run Lola Run, Shakes the Clown, Year of the Gun and The Winslow Boy (all on 12/7), and Indochine, The Loves of Carmen, The Last Detail and Universal Soldier: The Return (all on 12/14) Other tentative titles in development include Muppets from Space (probably October) and Big Daddy (probably November). Universal is working on several upcoming DVD titles (dates tentative), including Life (October), Notting Hill (November), American Pie (December or January), Mystery Men (January or February) and Bowfinger (TBD). MGM is preparing Phantasm: SE, Child's Play, Monkey Shines and Dark Half for September, Fistfull of Dollars for October, and Dead Man Walking, The Graduate, The Usual Suspects, The Falcon and the Snowman, and Carnal Knowledge for December. Four Weddings and a Funeral may also be re-released to coincide with Universal's Notting Hill. You'll notice that several of these releases are newly acquired Polygram titles. No word on whether they will include any new material. And you've all heard by now, that special edition DVDs of several Bond titles will begin being released in October. Paramount is cooking up Election (October), South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (November), The General's Daughter (December), and Runaway Bride (January). There's no word on those Indiana Jones films coming to DVD, but if it happens, it won't be until the first half of next year. Just FYI, Lucasfilm has renamed the first film: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Go figure. Fox is cooking up a loaded slate of DVDs for the rest of the year, and now that they've got some new personnel involved, hopefully they make sure that a few of the following titles are anamorphic (although any changes may not take effect until late in the year, so don't count on anything). Here's what to expect: October All About Eve, Big, Broadcast News, A Christmas Carol, Gentlemen's Agreement, History of the World, Part 1, Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3 pack, Last of the Mohicans, Miracle on 34th Street, Mrs. Doubtfire, Never Been Kissed (all 10/5 at the moment) November The Commitments, The Longest Day, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Patton, The Thin Red Line, Tora, Tora, Tora and The Full Monty (all 11/2), and Anastasia and Bartok the Magnificent (both 11/16) December Entrapment, Rising Sun (both 12/7) There are numerous other Fox titles in the works, that have not been slated for release as yet. Note that, as of now, NONE of the above titles are expected to be in anamorphic widescreen. Stay tuned... 7/19/99 Want some fascinating news? There's been a major personnel shift over at Fox Home Video. In fact, we'd even call it a breakthrough. We've heard that darned near the entire staff in charge of DVD at Fox Home Video - in particular, the key people who were the biggest roadblock against anamorphic widescreen, and all the features consumers really want on Fox DVDs - have resigned and have already left, or are leaving the studio within the next two weeks. Best of all, the new staffers moving into the vacant positions look to be right in line with the possibilities of the DVD format. So what does all this mean for you? Well, with any luck, the Fox DVD department will now get their crap together, and the kind of quality that you all saw on their Alien Legacy set will become the standard, not the rare exception. To all you new folks, a two word reminder: ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN. Very important. Keep your fingers crossed folks. And in other news, EMA Multimedia has just completed their portion of the work on the last of Universal's classic horror film DVDs. So, the forthcoming Frankenstein DVD is just the beginning of the cool discs you can expect in the series. We've also got word that MGM has slated Fistfull of Dollars for DVD release on October 5th. And Warner has Excalibur tentatively set for September (and it's in anamorphic, along with that new commentary track), along with 3 more volumes of South Park episodes in October. Finally, HBO is expected to release the Muhammad Ali: Greatest Collection (with complete footage of Ali's three greatest fights: I Shook Up the World, the Thrilla in Manilla, and the Rumble in the Jungle), and the Spawn Trilogy DVD set on October 5th. Stay tuned... 7/5/99 You remember Fox Home Video chief Bill Mechanic, right? He's the guy who said that the Digital VCR was the future of home entertainment (and not DVD), and the guy who wants to see DVD follow VHS's rental window model. He's also the reason Fox has been so slow to support the DVD format, AND why they supported Divx. Doesn't sound like much of a friend to the DVD movement, does he? Well try this on for size - he may have been the guy who hammered the last nail in Divx's coffin. Word is, that the final blow to Divx came when the much-hyped (on the Net at least) deal with Blockbuster Video fell through in the eleventh hour. Sources familiar with the negotiations say that a six year deal between Blockbuster and Divx was all but complete, which would have seen the video retailer buying a controlling interest in Divx, and eventually buying it outright. But all of Divx's studio partners were required to sign off their approval on the deal, and word is that two of them refused to do so at the last minute. Fox Home Video chief Bill Mechanic was reportedly one of those who failed to sign on the dotted line. Industry sources I've spoken with believe that part of the reason for this, is his aforementioned interest in DVD rental windows. Mechanic would reportedly like to see DVD sales modeled after VHS's rental pricing model (where some discs would be released at, say, a $100 price during a 90 day rental window, and then be released at a sell-through price later). If Blockbuster had purchased Divx, and distributed the format's software widely in their stores, they might have been in a position to refuse a studio's $100 rental priced DVD, in favor of a Divx version of the same title at $4.49. IF this is true... well, you don't need me to tell you how interesting a development that is, do you? 6/30/99 We received Buena Vista Home Video's revised schedule for their upcoming DVD releases yesterday. The current new schedule is as follows: July 13th A Civil Action, She's All That, Little Voice, Spy Hard, Dangerous Minds July 20th Down in the Delta, The Associate August 3rd Little Buddha, Restoration, The Pallbearer August 10th Shakespeare in Love, Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy, Celebrity, Powder August 17th Playing by Heart, 54, Color of Night, Medicine Man, The Rocketeer, Everyone Says I Love You August 24th Cool Runnings, Mr. Holland's Opus, Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion, What's Love Got to Do With It, I Love Trouble, The Three Musketeers September 7th The Other Sister, Twin Dragons, Quiz Show, The Son-in-Law, The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain, Albino Alligator, The Prophecy II, Priest All titles and dates are official, but are, of course, subject to change. 6/17/99 Some updates on Fall and Winter DVDs for you today, as follows (all street dates are tentative): Columbia TriStar titles for the next couple of months are expected to include Cruel Intentions (audio commentary, 2 making of featurettes, 2 music videos, and 6 deleted scenes), Tango (audio commentary, making of featurette), And Now for Something Completely Different, Christine, and Welcome to the Dollhouse (all on 8/3), Deep End of the Ocean (featurette), Finding Graceland (director's commentary, 2 deleted scenes), and Iron Eagle (all on 8/10), and Go! (commentary, featurette, 3 music videos, 14 deleted scenes), Dream Life of Angels, and Sense and Sensibility (2 audio commentaries, Emma Thompson's Golden Globe Speech, deleted scenes - all 8/24). Other titles to expect from the studio include Idle Hands (August 31st), and The Thirteenth Floor, Hideous Kinky, and Judas Kiss (all September). New Line is rolling out Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me on 11/16. Other titles from the studio include Drop Dead Gorgeous (12/14), Detroit Rock City (12/21), and Besieged (aka L'Assedio from Bernardo Bertolucci - 11/9). The studio's Nightmare on Elm Street boxed set is still due in September (only the first film will also be available separately until next year, and the set will include a disc of extra materials). Paramount's first wave of Star Trek episodes is still expected in August, followed by more in September. Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes are also expected in September. Each disc will include the trailers for the episodes on the disc. Episodes will be released in broadcast order, and more are expected in the following months. Look for Ferris Bueller's Day Off in October, the South Park movie and Beavis and Butt-head Do America in November, and The General's Daughter in December. No word on Braveheart. We're hearing that Fox may be planning to release its straight-to-video sequel of Anastasia, Bartok the Magnificent, day-and-date on DVD on November 16th. No word if Anastasia will be released as well. Warner is expected to debut its collector's edition DVD of The Matrix on October 6th. Goodbye Lover and Lost & Found are expected in October or September, and Wild Wild West should be a December release from the studio. We're hearing rumors that Buena Vista is considering releasing Toy Story and The Jungle Book to DVD this fall. If true, they'd better be anamorphic, or many will not be pleased. Look for Inspector Gadget in December. APix is releasing Six Ways to Sunday on August 10th, in full anamorphic widescreen. HBO's The Sopranos has reportedly been delayed over legal rights to the music. The studio's forthcoming Spawn Trilogy is expected to include a 4th disc of extra materials. Finally, if all goes well, Artisan's The Stand DVD-18 release will happen in October, along with their long-awaited Stargate: Special Edition. September will see a disc of 3 half-hour animated holiday classics, Jingle Bells, Oh, Christmas Tree and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. And December should see a Sarah, Plain and Tall Trilogy on DVD, as part of their Hallmark series. 6/8/99 All right, we've got a bunch of new DVD title information for you today. Let's start with 20th Century Fox. In addition to the titles mentioned previously, upcoming from the studio are Strange Days and Ravenous (September), Never Been Kissed, Pushing Tin, History of the World, Part 1, and an X-Files TV episode 3-pack (specific episodes as yet unknown - all in October), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bartok, The Full Monty, and The Commitments (November), and Brokedown Palace, Entrapment, and episodes of the animated series Futurama on DVD (December). Buena Vista has added Russell Mulcahy's Talos the Mummy to their schedule, with a day-and-date street date of August 3rd. And look for their Inspector Gadget some time in December. Paramount's August schedule will include 200 Cigarettes, and those Star Trek TV episode discs (moved from July), as well as Titanic (which streets on August 31st). It's looking as if Titanic will include a pair of theatrical trailers, but will not be anamorphic. Out of Towners will be released in September. And don't look for any of the Indiana Jones films until at least late next year. Other DVDs in the works include The Matrix (tentatively set for early October from Warner), Wild Wild West (Warner, December), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (New Line, November), EdTV (Universal, August 24th) and Big Daddy (Columbia, November). Also, look for a new, remastered DVD of The Wizard of Oz from MGM (using the recently restored theatrical print), sometime in the fall. 6/7/99 20th Century Fox is gearing up for a big August, with lots of cool titles in the works. From our retailer sources, here's a list of just some of what you can expect: August 3rd - Dr. Dolittle, Raising Arizona, There's Something About Mary, A Life Less Ordinary August 10th - Simply Irresistible August 17th - Office Space August 31st - Bruce Lee 4-pack: Game of Death, Return of the Dragon, Fists of Fury, Chinese Connection, Arnold 4-pack (in conjunction with Artisan): Predator, Total Recall, Running Man, Commando 5/24/99 New Line's Blast from the Past DVD is shaping up to be a fun title. The disc will include both full-frame and widescreen versions of the film, and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. A theatrical trailer (also in 5.1 audio) will also be included, as well as a "Love Meter" game, and lots of great animated menu screens. The disc will also feature a bunch of ROM content as well, including the script, web links to the IMDB, an "Enter the Bomb Shelter" section, with dance steps, and the ability to locate and e-mail special postcards to friends via AOL, and several games, including trivia, Bingo and a crossword puzzle. Very cool. And DreamWorks is cooking up something very special for DVD for late summer/early fall. In addition to The Prince of Egypt and Forces of Nature, the studio is preparing an ultra-cool DVD release of Invasion America, their 13 episode animated series about an alien invasion of the Earth, which was shown on the WB Network. I caught a few episodes of the series, and I can say that the animation and storyline were pretty cool. The entire series will be released on 2 DVDs, which will be packaged together, in the same packaging Paramount used for their dual-disc Ten Commandments release. Should be worth the wait! More Archived Posts Back to Current Posts
		Site designed for 800 x 600 resolution, using 16M colors and .gif 89a animation. © 1997-2015 The Digital Bits, Inc., All Rights Reserved. billhunt@thedigitalbits.com