MonDVDay News Update

[Guest TSMAdmin]

Belated greetings to you all.

 

 

 

Apologies for my tardiness, but it’s been finals time, so I’m sure you get the picture. Still, an essay a day for the past three days means I’m now DONE FOR THE SUMMER. School’s out, woohoo… time for summer work. Man, school holidays are overrated. I’d much rather the University “workload” and the twenty-three hours of Monkey Ball every day than getting up at eight to go to work. God bless Masters degrees…

 

 

 

For anyone in the UK who might care about this sort of thing, I’m going to be at Future in June working on GamesMaster magazine, so be sure to check out the June/July issue; with any luck, THQ’ll be doing the rounds again so I’ll be able to get my dirty mitts on Mania X8 for the GameCube. Sweet.

 

 

 

Nothing else has really been going down. I spent my first day of freedom today playing a bunch of old N64 games. Man, I’d forgotten how cool VPW2 really is. Ooh, there’s a question you guys might be able to help with: my neighbour is trying to find some music like the stuff on the Blade 2 soundtrack. After a couple hours of listening to samples on Amazon, the closest I could come was Junkie XL and Crystal Method (who did an awesome track for Blade 2 that never made it onto the CD). Anyone else got any suggestions? Drop me an email.

 

 

 

That’s more than enough banter for me it’s about that time when we hit the content. IN CAPITOLS. With an “~”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT’S HOT THIS WEEK?

 

 

 

Weh. Couple of big releases, couple of crappers, not much else.

 

 

 

We’ve got a double dose of Hollywood horror, with From Hell and The Others both in stores. The two-disc From Hell set is pretty loaded, with a bunch of featurettes, 23(!) deleted scenes and an “optional alternate ending”, and a commentary track by the Hughes brothers (I wonder if they discuss what it’s like getting a beatdown from a gangsta rapper?). The flick may have been mainly style-over substance, but it defiitely looks like a good pickup if you’re a fan. The Others was a far better film, and comes on a similarly stacked DVD, PLUS you get to letch at Nicole Kidman, so if you’re just looking for a way to spend a twenty I’d recommend that first.

 

 

 

On the subject of Nickers, I don’t mind admitting to being more than a little confused about her choice in men. I mean, SPIDER-MAN? Christ, I know he’s one of DiCaprio’s mates, and he was a great Spider-Man and whatever, but c’mon, SHE CAN DO BETTER. You want to know what else bugs me? There are four Elmo DVDs out this week. FOUR!!! I really don’t get it. That little red twat gets four frigging releases while classics like the Untouchables get one lousy barebones edition. If anyone knows the addresses of any Elmo hate sites, it would be a great time to forward them to me.

 

 

 

It’s definitely a week of boxsets though. Season five of The X-Files is out, with the usual 100 dollar price tag and the usual “great, but could’ve been better” extras. I mean, it’s a great series, but come on a hundred bucks is a LOT of frigging money. There’s a pretty cool Naked Gun boxset going for about 40 bucks all three flicks come with David Zucker commentaries, which are always gold, and are anamorphic, so it definitely looks worth checking out.

 

 

 

Marilyn Monroe - The Diamond Collection II is in stores right now, and I must admit that I’ve never actually seen a Monroe film. Hey, I’m red-blooded man enough to admit it the chick was hot, and made for some great photography, but I really have no interest in seeing her act. Nonetheless, there are no doubt people who do, and they might like to know that the flicks in this set are Don't Bother to Knock , Let's Make Love, Monkey Business, Niagara and River of No Return. I think it’s going for about sixty notes. There’s a five-disc John Wayne DVD set out too, comprised of The Shootist, Katie Elder, True Grit, El Dorado and Liberty Valance. Sadly, the discs are all pretty barebones (although they MIGHT be anamorphic), except for The Shootist which has a couple of interviews and a featurette. I realise there may only be so much supplemental material surviving today, but come on at least find a couple of fans to run commentary or something.

 

 

 

Much to the chagrin of lovers of good movies, Snow Dogs is out this week. And, much to the chagrin of hardcore DVDers, it is, and only ever will be, a fullscreen release. Y’see, it’s a family movie, and soccer moms hate the black bars, so it’s only getting a fullscreen release, as are many more of the company’s titles. Thanks Disney. The only other little gems this week are David Blaine Fearless and All Creatures Great and Small Series 1, so whether you like watching nutjob magicians performing crazy tricks or watching classic BBC programming, you’ll be happy. Of course, if you don’t like either if those, there’s always…

 

 

 

Daddy of The Week: Well, there’s Natsume’s Beautiful Killing Machine, which I know nothing about but sounds very Japanese and cool. And there’s tits on the cover. If that’s too high-brow, there’s always three Ultraman DVDs to choose from for all your wobbly, rubber-suited camp Japanese needs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LET’S DO THE TIME WARP. AGAIN

 

 

 

If ever there was a classic that didn’t need a trendy Hollywood remake, it was The Time Machine (well, Planet of the Apes…). Of course, that automatically qualifies it as a go-ahead project in tinsel-town, and also guaranteed that it would be a horrible let down and a complete mess of a film.

 

 

 

On July 23rd you can enjoy the madness at home “thanks” to Dreamworks. The disc, all twenty dollars’ worth, will be anamorphic with 5.1 and DTS tracks, and looks pretty loaded:

 

 

 

- Commentary by Simon Wells and some guy

 

- Second commentary (mainly visual effects-based) by other crew members

 

- Deleted scene

 

- DVD-exclusive behind the scenes featurette on the Morlocks, with Stan Winston interview

 

- Featurette on the time machine itself

 

- Visual effects featurette

 

- Storyboard presentation

 

 

 

While it would be a nice idea to have some kind of set containing the orginal movie as well as the remake, this definitely looks like an interesting set for fans of the flick or as a warning to future generations (on time travel and the hazards of movie remakes).

 

 

 

Thanks to the TIMES.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT A CHARLIE

 

 

 

 

The good folks over at the Times recently conducted an interview with Charlie de Lauzrika, the man responsible for every Scott Free DVD production: Alien 20th Anniversary, Legend: UE, Speed:FSE, and Thelma & Louise:SE.

 

 

 

The interview is very informative and a good read to boot, with Lauzrika talking about everything from financing DVD productions, gathering supplemental materials, and of course, the absence of the extended and very graphic Pitt/Davis sex scene on the T&L disc (although some of the footage does make an appearance).

 

 

 

Just to confirm, since I got quite a bit of response to it last week, the Thelma & Louise: Special Edition is out on Region 2, so Ridley Scott freaks can get down to their importers and go nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL EDITION FRENZY

 

 

 

A whole bunch of Super-Duper Champagne Enema Editions have been announced since last we met, so let’s waste no more time in looking them over.

 

 

 

Resident Evil: SE is on its way from Columbia TriStar on July 30th, for $28. While it will be a fairly stacked disc, with five featurettes, commentary with the director and cast, Slipknot video and double-whammy (5.1 and anamorphic transfer), it has been specifically noted as only being the theatrical cut. Since I’m not a huge fan of the flick, I can only guess that this confirms the existence of a longer director’s cut, which (unless the cut scenes are included on the disc) could potentially result in some double dipping as the holiday season approaches.

 

 

 

And, in the news everybody has been waiting for, Beuna Vista released details on the Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown Collector’s Editions, both due to drop on August 20, both with a thirty dollar price tag, and both likely to disappoint thanks to the lack of commentary tracks.

 

 

 

The Pulp Fiction:CE two-discer will, thankfully, be replete with anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 audio. It will include 5 deleted scenes with an introduction from good ol’ QT (drug deal monologue, Mia & Vincent, Esmerelda cab scene, Monster Joe's Truck and Tow, Extended eJack Rabbit Slim's scene), a behind the scenes featurette, Charlie Rose interview with QT, Michael Moore interview for the Independent Spirit Awards (with QT, Samu-L and producer Lawrence Bender), ceremony and acceptance speech from the Cannes Film Festival, Siskel & Ebert’s ‘The Tarantino Generation’, ‘Tarantino Fiction’ documentary, production design featurette, a HUGE gallery of photos, artwork, and memorabilia, trailers and spots, and DVD-ROM crap including screenplay.

 

 

 

Jackie Brown:CE will similarly be a two-disc set, and will also boast the anamorphic/5.1 double whammy. There’s an introduction by QT, the documentary ‘How It Went Down’, ‘A look Back at JACKIE BROWN’ interview with ol’ Mr Brown, ‘Chicks with Guns’ video, six deleted/alternate scenes (Jackie & 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), the Siskel & Ebert review (hmm…), MTV Live with the cast of JACKIE BROWN, trailers and spots, stills galleies with “hundreds of photos”, and again, screenplay and other DVD-ROM nonsense.

 

 

 

While it looks like there’s some very cool stuff on the sets, they are definitely hurting from the lack of commentary track. It’s not like Tarantino doesn’t enjoy them or isn’t good at them (see Dawn, From Dusk Til), so unless they’re going to be delayed, surprise announcements, I can’t help but be sceptical about an “Even Specialer Edition” being in the pipeline.

 

 

 

 

Finally, Japanese ultra-culture-shock Battle Royale is set for a Special Edition release in France courtesy of M6 Video on July 3rd. No details are available, but M6 usually produce great discs, so providing that there are English subtitles (as M6 discs have had in the past) we whould be in for a treat. Rumour has it that the film is also due for a UK re-release from Tartan on May 27th, in anamorphic widescreen with a 5.1 track.

 

 

 

Thanks to the official site and the (seemingly still alive and well) Bullets&Babes, by way of the DVD Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BACK AGAIN

 

 

 

According to bttf.com, a spokesman from Universal has officially confirmed the DVD release of the Back To The Future Trilogy.

 

 

 

The original film will be available individually, while the sequels will only be available as part of the boxset. Interestingly, while there will be ten hours of extras (including Michael J Fox commentary, which I guess means they’re counting the length of each commentary track towards this total), the Eric Stoltz test footage will NOT be included (“Despite the fan interest, it's doubtful that any Eric Stoltz footage will be included in the BTTF DVD release. No one particularly wants to relive what was an uncomfortable situation”).

 

 

 

The full specs, ripped straight from the Times, are as follows:

 

 

 

Disc 1:

 

Back To The Future movie

 

 

The Original Making Of featurette - a rare behind the scenes look.

 

A Look Back to the Future: a retrospective look featuring cast and crew

 

Audio commentary with Michael J.Fox, Director/Writer Robert Zemeckis & Producer/Writer Bob Gale.

 

Hilarious outtakes

 

Deleted scenes

 

Original make-up tests

 

Hover Board test on location.

 

Did you know that? Universal's animated anecdotes: watch the movie and learn more interesting facts

 

Production Archives - photographs, original storyboards & props.

 

Huey Lewis & The News music video Power Of Love.

 

 

Disc 2:

 

Back To The Future II movie

 

 

The Original Making Of featurette - a rare behind the scenes look.

 

A look Back to the Future: a retrospective look featuring cast and crew

 

Hilarious outtakes.

 

Deleted scenes.

 

Production archives - photographs, original storyboards & props.

 

 

Disc 3:

 

Back To The Future III movie

 

 

A look Back to the Future: a retrospective look featuring cast and crew

 

Hilarious outtakes.

 

Production archives - photographs, original storyboards & props.

 

ZZ Top music video Doubleback

 

 

 

Once again, the set is scheduled for September the rest of the world, and likely a December Region 1 release.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"AWW, MY LITTLE RICARDO MONTALBAN!"

 

 

 

According to the official Trek website, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan: Director’s Edition has been officially confirmed.

 

 

 

The two-discer, due early August, includes the 116-minute cut which includes the additional ABC broadcast footage. In addition to the anamorphic/5.1 blowjob, the extras look pretty awesome:

 

 

 

Director’s commentary, Michael Okuda text commentary, featurette ‘The Captain’s Log’ (including new interviews with Shatner, Nimoy, Montalban and co.), featurette ‘Designing Khan’, featurette ‘The Visual Effects of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’, original cast & crew interviews from 1982, and the featurette ‘The Star Trek Universe - A Novel Approach by Authors Julia Ecklar and Greg Cox’.

 

 

 

Rumour is that a Special Edition of Trek III will be here before year’s end…

 

 

 

Thanks to the Bits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s about as much consciousness as I can manage on three hours’ sleep.

 

 

 

Now that I’m a free man again, I’ll be clearing my backlog of emails over the next day or so, so if I haven’t got back to you yet, stay cool bra’. And don’t be afraid to send me some feedback or (preferably) some Natalie Portman pictures.

 

 

 

I'VE RETIRED MORE PEOPLE THAN SOCIAL SECURITY~!

 

 

 

Peace.

 

Jay Spree