Thursday 26th April 2001

• DVD Slicks and Menus Page

DVD Reviews
Cass locked herself away recently to review a few serial killer on the loose movies.
First up the UNCUT DVD version of The Cell as well Neil Jordan's In Dreams.

The Mummy Returns to DVD
With the sequel [The Mummy Returns] due to hit theatres this May, Universal has obviously decided to cash in [and at the same time do a T2] by re-releasing the Original Box office AND DVD smash hit with an "ultimate editon" of The Mummy.

Anyone who is on the dvdusergoup mailing list will no doubt have read the brief article on the July Double -Disc DVD release which happens to include a DTS 5.1 audio Track...yay

While Columbia Home Entertainment Australia hasn't officially announced all the "extras" on this 2 disc set DVD, here's what the UK Version includes and well..hmmm seeing as the Universal DVDs releases in Australia are region 2/4 encoded you can be pretty damn sure our "region 4" version will be indentical to there's.

THE MUMMY - SPECIAL EDITION - UK REGION 2
(as posted at DVD Debate)

Disk one includes the film and DVD-ROM content and disk two includes all the spectacular added value which includes:

• Egytology 101
• Theatrical Trailer
• Interactual DVD - Rom content
• Talent Files
• Production notes
• DTS Audio & Dolby 5.1 Audio
• Spotlight on Location : Highlights on The Mummy Returns with the director
• Commentaries from director - Stephen Sommers, Brendon Fraser, Rachel Weiz & John Hannah
• Storyboard to final film comparision
• Building a better Mummy featurette
• Photo gallery montage
• Interactive Mummy game demo
• Showcase: Mummy Returns
• Visual & Special Effects Formation
• Deleted Scenes

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Tuesday 24th April 2001

DVDs with Bite!!!
Just when you thought it was safe to start buying DVDs again, the film that scared the crap out of beach swimmers around the world and the sequels which scared movie goers from going BACK to the cinemas are ALL coming to DVD this August.  Though a Special edition of Jaws was released through Columbia (for Universal) mid last year, Jaws 2, 3 and 4 are all coming through the Universal Pictures Video Chain.  No Specs have been announced yet...

More on Universal Pictures DVDs
Planned for a release in July is the first Hitchcock Collection (containing 7 films - Rear Window, Shadow of a Doubt, The Trouble With Harry, Rope, Saboteur, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho) in a collectors box set. Special features will include documentaries, original theatrical trailers and more.
Some classic films to look our for in the coming months are The Deer Hunter and The Elephant Man, along with Strange Days

Music titles that will be coming up in a few months will feature DVD's from The Doors, KISS and INXS.

Oh Everyone's an Expert Mountain Climber
Coming this June from Columbia are two hi-octane mountain climbing ventures.   Last years Vertical Limits, and [IMHO] the far superior -re-release of Cliffhanger in a Special Edition no less.

Specs for each are as follows :-

Vertical Limit : Collector’s Edition
Simultaneous VHS Rental Release
Release Date:June 13^th 2001
M (Adult Themes, Low Level Violence, Low Level Coarse Language)
Picture :  Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby digital 5.1 English, Hungarian
Subtitles : English, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic, Hebrew, Dutch, Bulgarian, Hindi, Turkish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Greek, Norwegian, Arabic
Extras :

• Audio Commentary with Director and Executive Producer
• 24 Minute 'Making of' Documentary
• Talent Profiles
• 7 Featurettes: 'Vertigo Magic' – Making of the visual effects, 'Trekking to K2' – Plane journey above the mountain, 'As Easy as Falling off a Cliff' – Turning the actors into mountain climbers, 'Avalanche' – Survivor tells of his experience, 'The Death Zone' – As explained by mountaineers, 'Peak Performers' – Real mountaineering and 'The Elixir of Life' – Interviews with director and crew
• Featurette – National Geographic’s 'The First Americans to Climb K2'
• Web Link
• Movie Trailer
• Picture Disc

Cliffhanger : Collector’s Edition
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
M (Medium Level Violence and Coarse Language)
Picture :  Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby digital 5.1 English, French Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, Swedish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Suomi, Hebrew
Extras :

• Audio Commentary with Director, Sylvester Stallone and Technical Crew
• 'Making of' Documentary
• 2 Deleted Scenes
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Photo Gallery
• Special Effects Featurette – 'Helicopter Explosion' and 'Sarah’s Fall'
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailers
• Picture Disc

Additional June 2001 releases
some other goodies are coming our way from Columbia/Universal this June

The Usual Suspects
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
MA (Medium Level Coarse Language, Medium Level Violence)
Picture :  Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby digital 2.0 English, German, Russian
Subtitles : English, German, Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Hindi
Extras :

• Audio Commentary with Director
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer
• Picture Disc

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Simultaneous VHS Rental Release
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
M (Low Level Violence)
Picture :  Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby digital 5.1 English, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, German, Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Dutch, Hebrew, Hungarian, Portuguese, Turkish
Extras : N/A

The Sting
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
PG
Picture :  4x3 Wide Screen
Audio : Dolby digital 1.0  English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Polish, Czech
Extras : N/A

• Production Notes
• Talent Profiles

Havana
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
M (Occasional Coarse Language)
Picture :  4x3 Wide Screen
Audio : Dolby digital 5.1 English   Surround (French, German, Italian, Spanish)
Subtitles : English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German, Polish, Czech
Extras :

• Production Notes
• Featurette
• Web Link
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer

Legal Eagles
Release Date:June 13^th 2001
PG
Picture :  4x3 Wide Screen
Audio : Dolby 2.0 English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German, Hungarian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Polish, Czech
Extras : N/A

Sneakers
Release Date:June 13^th 2001
M (Medium Level Coarse Language)
Picture : Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby 2.0 English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, German, Polish, Czech
Extras :

• Production Notes
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer

The Eiger Sanction
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Release Date:June 13^th 2001
M15+
Picture : 4x3 Wide Screen
Audio : Dolby 2.0 English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Danish, Bulgarian
Extras :

• Production Notes
• Web Link
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer

Blue Sky
Release Date:June 13^th 2001
M (Low Level Coarse Language and Adult Themes)
Picture : Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby ?? English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Hindi, Turkish, Danish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian
Extras :

• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer
• TV Spots

China Moon
Release Date: June 13^th 2001
M (Medium Level Violence and Coarse Language)
Picture : Wide Screen (16:9 enhanced)
Audio : Dolby ?? English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Subtitles : English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Hindi, Turkish, Danish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian
Extras :

• 'Making of' and Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
• Talent Profiles
• Movie Trailer

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Tuesday 17th April 2001

North By Northwest:
- Digital Transfer and Remixed Dolby Digital Sound  (Anamorphic Widescreen with DD5.1 sound)
- Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman
- "Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by NorthWest"
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
- Music Only Track

Strangers on a Train
- Double Feature Release - Hollywood Original & the Alternative British Version
- 4x3 transfers
- Dolby Mono Audio
- Alfred Hitchcock's Historical Meeting Newsreel

Latest Reviews
Cass has been busy whipping up a storm with more DVD reviews

• Forces of Nature
• Gossip
• The Love Letter
• Thunderbirds - Volume 2
  
  and While it didn't do all that well at the Box Office, it's still a wonderful movie on a very nice DVD
• Pleasantville

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Wednesday 11th April 2001

..

You'll be Spewing about this DVD
The Exorcist : "The version you've never seen before" may still be playing at the cinemas around Australia, but come 13th June you'll be able to own the Director's Cut on DVD. 

Not only does this new version, [containing over 11 minutes of extra footage] come with an Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer, but it also includes a confirmed Dolby 5.1 Surround EX track!! (as well as a Dolby 2.0 surround track) (for it's theatrical re-release the Director's cut was encoded for Dolby EX, but there won't be too many playing it as such..sadly even the local Balmoral in Bris-Vegas who are Dolby EX capable played it only it SDDS..most disappointing).
Other Extras include
- a new commentary with Director William Friedkin
- theatrical trailers
- 4 TV spots
- 2 radio spots. 

As was the unfortunate case with the Region 1 DVD of the Exorcist : TVYNSB, the 75 minute BBC 75-minute documentary "The Fear Of God: 25 Years Of The Exorcist"   has been omitted from our region 4 version also.(why Warner didn't go for a 2 disc set to include this excellent doco we'll never know..pity)

• Exorcist : TVYNSB Press Release

* The Exorcist has now been added to our 6.1 Surround Sound page

Warner are also releasing Frank Capra's Arsenic & Old Lace as well as Hitchock's North By Northwest & Strangers on a Train  in mid May.  No specs were available before going to press, but we did get our hands on some shots of the front DVD covers :)

• Front Slick Shots (DVD Slicks page)

Warner's Replacement DVD
No no, this isn't an update on the Warner Snapper Case replacement offer [thanks god!], but rather the US football film [the Keanu Reeves vehicle] "The Replacements"
Set for a DVD release on 2nd May the replacements get's an Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer, with Dolby 5.1 sound
Other Extras Include
- Audio Commentary with Director Howard Deutch
- The Making of the Replacements (HBO First Look Special)
- Making the Plays: An Actors Guide to Football (aka Zen and the Art of Football)

• Front Slick Shots (DVD Slicks page)

Press Releases

• Exorcist : TVYNSB Press Release
  
• The Replacements
  
• Oliver Stone on DVD

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Tuesday 10th April 2001

Also from Warner is another Oliver Stone film Heaven and Earth (which is part of his vietnam trilogy, the other two being Platoon, and Born on the Forth of July).  H&E also sports an Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer, With Dolby 5.1 sound.  As for the extras there's a theatrical trailer, Oliver Stone Audio Commentary and 48 minutes worth of deleted/extended scenes WITH optional Audio Commentary from good 'ol Oli.

Both are released to DVD on 19th April 2001. 

DVD Menu & Slick Shots
Over at our DVD Slicks page you'll find menu and dvd slick piccys from both JFK:Director's cut and Heaven & Earth

NEW Postal Prices
with a recent freight charge increase from our courier, we have had to make some changes to postal charges for our amaray cases.  You may now also order amaray cases in single lots, seeing as we're now using Australia post for smaller orders.   Please drop by the amaray cases page for all the new pricing stucture
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Monday 9th April 2001

Wednesday 4th April 2001

MAY 2001 Universal/Dreamworks DVD
Though all the dreamworks DVDs are san a DTS track :( there are some great DVDs coming from Universal Picture Video this May...

One of my all time favourite sci-fi ventures comes under the guise of Galaxy Quest.  Picture wise it's Anamorphic Widescreen with Dolby 5.1 mix plus Theatrical trailer, "On Location in Space" Behind-the-Scenes Featurette, Cutting Room Floor, 4 Page Booklet with Production Notes.  SIMULTANEOUS DVD & VHS RETAIL RELEASE. 
BUT NO THERMIAN LANGUAGE AUDIO TRACK!!!  NOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!  :)

We reported a few months back that some of the Dr Who Movies were heading for DVD from universal.  Well the good news is both "dalek" films, Dr Who and the Daleks & Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150AD will be on the one disc as the DR WHO & THE DALEKS 35^TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS EDITION. 
With there being 2 films included, the Retail price will be $39.95.
Though this DVD is listed as coming in widescreen with Dolby 2.0 sound, we have not been able to receive confirmation as to whether the films are Anamorphic Widescreen or not. As for extras there's a few trailers, a 60 minute behind the scenes doco entitled DALEKMANIA, and a photo gallery. 
It also appears as though Neither Dalek film has been released on DVD anywhere in the world, so YAY region 4 get's another first DVD release!!!! 

Roman Polanksi's somewhat underrated THE NINTH GATE is amongst the May releases, with some great extras :  Director’s Audio Commentary, "Making Of" Featurette, Original Theatrical Trailer, Gallery of Satanic Drawings, Biographies, Isolated Music Score, 5.1 Dolby Digital Soundtrack, Widescreen Presentation (16x9 status also unknown).  SIMULTANEOUS DVD & VHS RETAIL RELEASE

From the man who bought us Razorback comes a movie which was denied a theatrical release.  TALOS THE MUMMY.   Special features include Filmographies, EXCLUSIVE Trailer for THE MUMMY RETURNS, 2.0 Dolby Soundtrack, Full Frame Presentation.  SIMULTANEOUS DVD & VHS RENTAL RELEASE

WHEN WE WERE KINGS SPECIAL FEATURES: Original Theatrical Trailer, Widescreen Presentation

MOUSEHUNT SPECIAL FEATURES: Original Theatrical Trailer, Teaser Trailer, Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, 4 Page Booklet with Production Notes, 5.1 Dolby Digital Soundtrack, Anamorphic Widescreen

PAULIE SPECIAL FEATURES: Original Theatrical Trailer, 4 Page Booklet with Production Notes, 5.1 Dolby Digital Soundtrack, Anamorphic Widescreen

Press Releases

• The Magic Pudding

• Kevin & Perry Go Large

• Universal/Dreamworks MAY Releases

DVD STATION Postal Price Changes
As at the begining of April our Freight Courier (TNT) has increased it's shippng prices to us so in a few days time our Freight Prices will also change in accordance to this.   Not only that but we are working on a new pricing structure so as some of the smaller orders do not end up with postage prices that are more than the goods themselves, because of this price increase. 

Anyone wishing to order a large-ish quantity of Amaray Cases to replace their snapper cases will want to get in quick if they don't want to be subject to a price increase in postage. 

We've also received quite a few requests for DOLBY WALL PLAQUES and DOLBY DEMO DVDs.  With the Aussie Dollar continually falling we've been holding off ordering these products from overseas as it is going to mean the new prices will be higher than what they've previously been.  Rest assure we will be ordering more Dolby Stuff as soon as we can.
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