Friday, October 16, 1998
Anime fans will rejoice over this news from Media 2000. The Bubblegum Crisis DVD Suite, a 3-DVD set of eight Japanese Anime videos licensed from AnimEigo Inc, met with an enthusiastic response from fans at the Anime Weekend Atlanta.
Someone requested that we review SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Rest assured, when Dreamworks makes the DVD available to us, we'll be the first on our block. But until then... It hasn't even been announced!
More reviews coming up this weekend from TBP. We'll be posting Bob's review of SHIVERS and Jeff will take an early peek at SUICIDE KINGS:SE. Stay tuned. We'll also be getting details soon on the specs for the upcoming Fox discs (we're predicting non-enhanced discs, but hope we're wrong). And those rumors posted on our forum about a December 5 release of Titanic on DVD are totally false. Calls to both Paramount and Fox yielded denials.
Speaking of our forum, our current posts mysteriously vanished overnight and we're doing what we can to restore them. Ah, computers! Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em!
Thursday, October 15, 1998
10:25pm PDT - Laserviews has a BIG update on their DVD news page today and guess what? SHAWSHANK REDMPTION: SE is back on the radar screen! March 30, 1999. There are also some outstanding titles that Columbia Tristar will be rolling out before the holidays: THE DEEP, MASK OF ZORRO, BUGSY and lots more -- plus more DVD announcements from Madacy, Trimark (with several of the titles we reported here a couple of weeks ago) and others.
9:07pm PDT -- Big fun from The BIG Picture: We received the following e-mail late this afternoon from Victor Lopez, who wrote: " I happened to flip through the Divx site today and after initially getting scared for a moment I couldn't believe what I read. Their headlines claimed " NFL players to help on rollout of Divx ". This REALLY scared me. I just could not stomach the thought of Brett Farve, Barry Sanders or Dan Marino having aything to do with Divx. Well known players like this could highly influence the public unto Divx. But guess who are the big "NFL Stars" who will be on site signing autographs or whatever ? None other than "legendary" Chuck Foreman ? "Famous all star" Curt Warner ??? Ted Hendricks ??? and Karl Mecklenberg ??? YEP all these FORMER football players will be the "big stars" of the Divx rollout. I think these move by Divx deserves to be mentioned in your site. It's the funniest thing I've seen about these whole deal so far. Maybe Divx will get Mike Tyson and Monica Lewinsky to do some POSITIVE propaganda on their product." Thanks for the chuckle Vic. Hmmmm. Mike Tyson promoting Divx (fantasy sequence harp gliss inserted here) Mike Tyson* for Divx... we can just hear it now (especially if you have .wav playback capability on your computer - enjoy!) And hey, while we're in our "fantasy celebrity endorsement" mode, have you heard Arnold Schwartzenegger's* endorsement of open DVD?
You can also click on the photos below to hear your favorite celebrities* position on the opposing formats!
"Buy a Divx player or I'll bite off your ear."
"Divx is for sissy wimps! Be strong, support OPEN DVD!"
4:18pm PDT - Trimark Pictures, the studio that brought us the highly acclaimed EVE'S BAYOU has an occasional sleeper that we really like alot around here. STARKID turned out to be a real good family fun night movie. Skip Huston, the self-proclaimed "Bon vivant extraordinaire!!" (I don't know that that means, but I like it) harangued me for weeks to track down a review copy of PHOENIX and you know what? It's pretty good! Read Bob Banka's review of PHOENIX and I bet you'll want to at least rent, if not buy, this interesting and well-acted thriller starring Ray Liotta and Anjelica Huston.
2:05pm PDT - New Line Home Video is crowing about the stunning success of the LOST IN SPACE DVD. The press release reads, in part:
"Achieving a new milestone in the DVD market, New Line Home Video’s Lost In Space debuts at number one in DVD sales for the week ending October 11, 1998, becoming the best-selling title of all-time during its first week according to VideoScan. Surpassing the previous leading title (Air Force One), Lost In Space captured 15 percent more in DVD unit sales during its debut week than any other film. With the October 6 release of Lost In Space, New Line became the first Hollywood studio to exploit the PC market, releasing the title as a hybrid disc offering features for both set-top DVD and DVD-ROM players.
“We are extremely excited about the debut sales performance of Lost In Space,” said Michael Karaffa, executive vice president, for New Line Home Video. “The film’s broad family appeal, as well as the added-value PC enhancements featured on the DVD offer tremendous appeal to the consumer, translating into great sales results.”
12:26am PDT -- Image Entertainment is seeking an infusion of cash for recent investments with a new stock offering. Details can be found here.
12:19am PDT - DVD finally gets some culture in a fancy, high-class joint... New York's renown Guggenheim Museum is going to start using DVD technology in a big way. Ahhhh, it's about time our favorite little scrappy choice for home video entertainment was invited to a black-tie affair. May we have this dance, Countess?
12:15am PDT - Thanks to one of our forum sponsors, CD PLAYRIGHT, we were able to bring you news of their collaboration with Hewlett-Packard awhile back. Here's the "big enchilada" press release with more details...
12:10am PDT - It looks like home-recordable DVD just took a big step forward. Check this article from TDK -- and special thanks to our reader and ace cub reporter Dana for the heads up!
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Sorry about all the typos down below in the Laserviews paragraph -- "own" should have read "down" and "steet" should have read "street" -- but it's hard to type with a beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other.
Looks like we're not the only ones chugging Corona's while spreading the news: Check out this note, rife with typos, purportedly from a Circuit City manager in charge of the Divx rollout. Hell, whoever typed this couldn't even spell Divx right!
The BIG Picture has a new review for you: THE BEACH BOYS, NASHVILLE SOUNDS: THE MAKING OF STARS & STRIPES. If you're a fan of contemporary country music or America's Band The Beach Boys, you owe it to yourself to read the review and check out this disc.
Laserviews has updated their announcement page with a slew of goodies coming own the pike from Universal, the usual Karaoke barrage from Pioneer, lots of steet date changes and many titles tentative, but not confirmed, for Tuesday...
I normally prefer to keep a low profile here when it comes to my work and the city where I live (because after all, who cares!?). But as a San Diegan and the voiceover announcer currently heard on radio and television ads being broadcast for the new ballpark initiative on the November ballot, please allow me to thank you in advance for indulging me as I say:
Tuesday, October 13, 1998
7:14pm PDT - Open DVD goes on the counter-attack against Divx. Here's the ad we mentioned last week and an accompanying article from the NY Times. We like how the counter-ads don't give Divx a free publicity ride by mentioning their name (like all of us DVD sites do -- oops). They just pile-drive 'em into the floor.
4:45pm PDT -- I just wanted to clarify the release info I received from Artisan today because some were confused by my earlier post. Sorry 'bout that. Both releases will be widescreen -- EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY will be in the 16:9 (or 1.85:1) aspect ratio (in other words, 4:3 letterbox, ala Disney). However, Artisan confirmed with us today that neither EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY or WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S will be anamorphic transfers, i.e., enhanced for widescreen viewing.
12:59pm PDT - WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S will be widescreen. Thanks to Artisan's PR firm for the quick call-back.
12:18pm PDT - Artisan just faxed us their official announcements of EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY and WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S for December 15, 1998 release. Neither will be enhanced for 16 x 9 viewing. Both feature scene access, Spanish subs and interactive menus. EARTH GIRLS also has Dolby 2.0 surround, is 16:9 and contains additional scenes, production notes, Earth Girls TV and Karaoke and has an SRP of $29.98. BERNIE'S has Dolby 2.0 surround, production notes, a theatrical trailer and cast & crew info. It has an SRP of $24.98 and at presstime, we are waiting to hear back on the aspect ratio for BERNIE'S. The press release didn't specify. It should be noted that Artisan has recently acquired the home video sell-through rights in the U.S. and Canada for all of Spelling's Republic Entertainment subsidiary, which represents a collection of over 3,000 films. Gee, does that make our Republic-issued copies of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and HIGH NOON instant collector's items?
7:56pm PDT -- Big disappointment. Awhile back, we mentioned the print ad for Oldsmobile's video entertainment system now featured as an option in their minivans. Recently, we've seen the television commercials touting the system and it has a long way to go. First of all, it uses VHS (icch) and a 4:3 flip-down screen that's much too small to be seen by rear-seat passengers. The last problem is that the headphone jacks are up near the monitor, resulting in a web of cords hanging all over the place. Our suggestions: A larger, 16:9 display, DVD as the video source and headphone jacks mounted near the armrests on each side of the passenger compartment. Then, we can hit the road, Jack.
7:53am PDT -- Reel.com has announced their best-selling DVD titles for the week ending October 10th:
1. Lost in Space (1998)
2. Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
3. Face/Off (1997)
4. Robocop (Criterion) (1987)
5. City of Angels (Special Edition) (1998)
6. Silence of the Lambs (Criterion) (1991)
7. Wild Things (1998)
8. The Saint (1997)
9. The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
10. The Blues Brothers (Collector's Edition) (1980)
7:44am PDT -- Here's a strange little article that boasts how easy it is to hack Microsoft's Office '98 demo version in one paragraph, and disses DVD in the next in a misinformed statement. About the only thing in the article that's accurate is that DVD support for the Mac is somewhat limited, which may explain why the writer might have a chip on his shoulder. Here's a better article on DVD/Mac compatibility issues written by Macworld.
for 7:37am PDT -- Oh say it isn't so, Warner Bro... The DVD sPy checked in to say: "I have just found out that Warner will delay The Exorcist S.E. until November 17th. Meanwhile New LIne will try to release Blade on December 22."
I must confess -- I didn't know much about Disney's KUNDUN before now. I didn't even know that Martin Scorsese directed it! But after reading Bob's review, which is rich and textured in its own right -- I know that I must see it. Will you feel the same?
Monday, October 12, 1998
12:43pm PDT -- The Twilight Zone enters another dimension... Another big day as Image Entertainment and Panasonic Interactive Media agree to enter an exclusive distribution agreement. So... what does this really mean? It means that Image will acquire exclusive worldwide distribution rights to THE TWILIGHT ZONE series and exclusive domestic distribution rights to the 1998 NAGANO WINTER OLYMPICS.
12:36PM PDT Ever wonder how NetFlix got the Clinton Testimony on DVD so quickly? For the intensely curious, a documentary is being made and according to the press release: "It is a story of luck and of dictated individuals pushing the limits of the most advanced tools of the day." Did they mean dedicated? Or was that some sort of a Freudian slip? I'm just relieved to see that we're not the only ones who make typo's now and then...
7:17am PDT -- This has nothing to do with DVD, but a report about a potentially serious bug in Miscrosoft's browser is worth passing on to all of you that use it.
7:13am PDT -- Japan's largest movie company, Toho, is planning on bringing more Hollywood films to Region 2 dwellers, but curiously, they intend to sidestep the video rental market in Japan.
7:05am PDT -- The New York Daily News hails the LOST IN SPACE DVD as "A Find". TBP reviewed this disc in August. Here's our review in case you missed it.
6:54am PDT -- Techweb has a couple of interesting ditties passed on to us by one of our readers. The first is a letter decrying the inherent greed of copy protection (can't say that we can completely agree with this rant) and the second is a short blurb about China's interest in DVD.
WEEKEND UPDATE:
Don't ever let anyone tell you that "nothing can go wrong". Just ask Dick Sharp -- er, I mean check out The BIG Picture's latest review: WESTWORLD. Michael Crichton wrote and directed this 1973 thriller that wowed audiences then and still packs a punch today. The family watched it last night and everybody loved it. Especially me, thanks to the 16 x 9 enhancement that MGM deemed appropriate to grant to this sci-fi classic.
