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9:37pm PST - We watched THE TRUMAN SHOW this evening and were favorably impressed by the transfer, which held up exceptionally well despite being non 16x9 enhanced. Be looking for Bob Banka's full review coming soon. We also watched I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER last evening. Jeff McNeal will hook you with that one over the weekend, sometime.

4:50pm PST - We've seen the light. EARTHLIGHT:SE for DVD and DVD-ROM. Jeff McNeal reveals whether these hi-res space shots of this big blue marble stay high res when introduced to the front projection widow-maker of The BIG Picture.

2:32pm PST - Be looking for I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, LA BAMBA, HOWARD'S END and HARD TIMES from Columbia Tristar on April 6, 1999.

2:03am PST - Although the poll is only been up for a day, the results are compelling. A whopping 92% responding say they would purchase more Paramount, Fox and Disney titles if they were enhanced for 16x9 viewing. What about it, studios? Do we have to draw you a roadmap to the bank, too? By the way, it warms our hearts to know that we have such a well informed, intelligent core base of readers! Well informed consumers make better customers. We hope some decision-makers are paying attention. For an industry well-documented as being profit-driven and self-serving, numbers like these cannot be ignored for long. At least, not without a few prominent studio executives appearing awfully short-sighted and foolish.

1:37pm PST - For those with unlimited patience and lots of free time... Okay... The BIG Picture has another review for your perusal. This time, we examine the strange, interactive world of THE MISADVENTURES OF JAMES SPAWN.

1:09pm PST - TGIF - Indeed! Bob has a new review that's sure to make you squeal. It's classic, it's back and full of appeal. So pull up a chair and read THE SEVENTH SEAL. Is Nipsy Russell still alive? That man could sure ryhme, with just a touch of jive!

8:32am PST - Be sure to participate in our new DVD opinion poll (above). Considering that this is a favorite whistle-stop for a lot of studios, particularly disney.com, this is a poll we're really wanting them to see.

8:16am PST - This Virginian-Pilot article, sent to us directly by the author, underscores the importance of what we've been saying all along -- Anamorphic DVD's will look better on native 16:9 aspect HDTV displays than non-enhanced versions will. And HDTV is coming.

8:07am PST - Gentlemen, start your engines... Today, Digital Video Systems has announced a new 6.2X DVD Drive to compliment high-end PC's with fast processors. It's completely compatible with DVD Video, and operates at 32X CD-ROM speeds.

8:00am PST - "Lights, Sound and DVD: The Temptation Begins."Here's a follow up article from the New York Times from the writer that slammed Divx in his column last week. Thanks to R.J. Knuth once again, for the heads up!

1:34am PST - Good gracious! Image is going into overdrive with tons of title announcements on their popular Laserviews News page.

12:58am PST - In case you haven't had the chance to see it yet, here are a couple of shots of the RONIN cover and main menu. We're revving up to review this MGM thriller!

8:00pm - Here are some cool DVD sales stats for the week ending January 24, 1999 from the L.A. Times, courtesy of our special field correspondent Dana...

Speaking of cool stats, The BIG Picture received a record 1,532,779 visits in January. Each month has surpassed the prior since our launch last April 3rd. We'll try to keep giving you good reasons to come back and help us top two million (per month) by Spring.

7:54pm PST - Here's some April release stuff from Sony Music -- and even though George Michael may be a little on the kinky side, his DVD looks like it might be the best value for the buck:

April 6, 1999 - Mariah Carey Around the World
Running Time: 45 minutes

Butterfly Intro/Emotions
Fantasy
Dreamlover
My All
Bing And Bong/New York In-Store OR Japan/New York
Conversation with Brenda K. Starr
I Still Believe
I?ll Be There (featuring Trey Lorenz)
Fun In Australia
Hopelessly Devoted To You (Mariah Carey & Olivia Newton-John)
#1?s Fan Appreciation Party
Whenever You Call (Mariah Carey & Brian McKnight)
Honey
Hero

Bonus Videos:
Butterfly
Breakdown (featuring Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone)
The Roof [Bonus Video on DVD Only!]
My All [Bonus Video on DVD Only!]

Features:
Digitally Mastered
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Dolby Stereo
Lyrics in English, French, & Spanish
Interactive Menus
Instant Chapter Access To Songs
Biography
Complete Discography
Exclusive Promotional Videos

*****************************************************************

April 13, 1999 - Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael
A companion to the recently released double CD set, the DVD is a
compilation of all of his US videos.
Approximate running time: 165 minutes

Outside
Fastlove
Spinning the Wheel
Freedom 90
Killer/Papa was a Rollin' Stone
Too Funky
Faith
I want your sex
Jesus to a child
Waltz away dreaming
Father figure
Don't let the sun go down on me
Kissing a fool
I knew you were waiting (for me)
Somebody to love
Monkey
One more try
Star people 97
I can't make you love me
A different corner
You have been loved
Careless whisper

Features:
BBC Documentary.
Tentatively, this documentary will feature a promotional piece for George's
new video with Mary J. Blige, the making of the video and the video itself.

Biography
Discography
Lyrics in English, French & Spanish
Interactive Menus
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Dolby Stereo

*****************************************************************

April 20, 1999 - Celine Dion: Live in Memphis
Running time: 76 minutes

Tentative track listing:

"Love Can Move Mountains" (Intro)
"Power Of Love"
"Seduces Me"
"All By Myself"
"If You Asked Me To"
"Misled"
"Beauty and the Beast"
"Declaration of Love"
"Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore"
"J'irai Ou Tu Iras"
"It's All Coming Back To Me Now"
"To Love You More"
"Le Ballet"
"Love Can Move Mountains"
"Call The Man"
"The Power of the Dream"
"Twist and Shout"
"Because You Loved Me"
"Declaration of Love"

Features:
Biography
Discography
Interactive Menus
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Dolby Stereo

7:19pm PST - We tried to confirm those rumors floating around on some other DVD sites about Fox going anamorphic with the Alien series and the Die Hard trilogy, but my neat, friendly and clean contact at Fox Home Video is playing dumb. "Can't confirm it... don't know much about the technical details... glad to hear people would welcome it" -- that sort of coy drivel. We'd have preferred our contact to pick up the phone and find out the answer to our question. I mean, these aren't State secrets we're talking about, here!

7:10pm PST - Here's that other review we promise you today -- DOLORES CLAIBORNE -- a title that should not be easily dismissed if you've never seen it.

11:08am PST - We usually leave the rumors to the other guys...but... Here's a great one that we just couldn't keep to ourselves. The DVD sPy tells us that George Lucas will be personally overseeing the production of the INDIANA JONES TRILOGY beginning in April (do we smell a Holiday Season '99 release coming?). According to our source:

"George loves DVD... He was waiting mainly to see when a really good high quality transfer for both video and sound would be done. The surprising thing is that the movie "Blade," was the title that caught his attention that things were good enough. I don't know if this means LucasFilm wants to use a differant company than Paramount uses for transfers or what. He wants it all done the best. ...in April people are supposed to start working on going through old cans and getting cut scenes, trailers, and other cool stuff together for the titles. There is talk of a comentary track by Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford. I don't know if they will do it for all 3 films, but I would hope so. The good news is that we may have had to wait for them, but what we are getting should be the best of the best of what you would expect from DVD."

10:13am PST - HOOO-ahh!! Ever see a blind man drive a Ferrari? HOOO-AH!! Al Pacino is awesome. Check Bob Banka's latest review for your reading pleasure. SCENT OF A WOMAN.

11:17am PST CD-RW takes advantage of DVD standards confusion...Here's an informative report that says DVD is going to catch on, alright, but due to the recordability still being a sticky issue, CD-RW drives are enjoying brisk sales as a result, scaling back earlier predictions of DVD's rapid ascent in the computer field. Interesting to note considering we just purchased a Philips CDR-880 for our audio production business...

11:03am PST - Apparently, Versadisc has obtained the rights to distribute the minute, forty-five second-long alternate ending of RONIN for their own distribution. We sem to recall that MGM was including this in their upcoming full DVD release anyway, but perhaps we misunderstoond. We've put a call into MGM to clarify. Here's the story.

1:47am PST - Sacre Bleu!! Lee Stoneman across the pond at the DVD Debate in the U.K. e-mailed us a large slate of Warner-distributed titles set for Region 2 release in '99. Of particular interest are the many Disney titles:

Cool Runnings
Alice In Wonderland
Dumbo
3 Musketeers
Mister Magoo
The Lion King 2
Mary Poppins
Pete's Dragon
Pocahontas 2
Aladdin and the King of Thieves (Yes, the Robin Williams one)
The Sword In The Stone
Operation Dumbo Drop
Winnie The Pooh

Drop into DVD Debate for more details.

1:41am PST - Hi-Rez or Low Rent? Read this article from the Washington post about all the acronyms we love and loathe.

1:27am PST - Okay, we @!#$ed up. Thanks to Trent Fordham from DVD Post for sending along all the C/T titles that have in fact, contained commentaries in one for or another:

As Good As It Gets
Can't Hardly Wait
The Big Hit
Das Boot
Air Force One
Godzilla (though not director)
I Know What You Did Last Summer
In The Company Of Men (two tracks)
The Opposite Of Sex
Sex Lies And Videotape (more like an interview really)
Starship Troopers
and
Wild Things.

We humbly stand corrected with tear-stained faces and trembling lower lips, eyes shielded from the bright, piercing glare of the truth. Again, our apologies.

1:02am PST - Although we haven't confirmed the news, we have no reason to doubt the other sites that have reported the Alien series will be released June 8, 1999 by Fox Home Video. Don't hold your breath for an anamorphic set of transfers, though (insert heavy sighs here).

10:30pm PST - You may have noticed the subtle change to our film strip menu on this page. Bascially, we've made it a bit easier to read and have added a bunch of stuff as our site continues to grow. And to think, the BIG Picture was once small potatoes. It's going to take us some time to convert all our menus over to the new one, so please bear with us and accept our thanks for your patience.

10:10pm PST - Go ahead, make my day... In compiling The BIG Picture's new Premium Picks page, featuring the very best DVDs that we've seen for image quality, we noticed something kinda funny. Several of the titles we never actually got around to reviewing formally! Preposterous! So, Bob and Jeff are dutifully turning back the hands of time and revisiting some of those stellar transfers that brought tears of joy to our eyes and Bob is the first out of the chute with a brand-new, retro-look at IN THE LINE OF FIRE.

3:18pm PST -- Hot off the fax: Columbia Tristar has just announced the following titles for March 16, 1999 release: Hudson Hawk in what appears to be Dolby Digital 2.0 surround (full frame and widescreen anamorphic, per usual - YAY), with three different trailers: "Blind Date", "Striking Distance" and "Sunset". There's also a director's commentary track -- a first for Columbia Tristar? PASSION FISH and POETIC JUSTICE will also be released that day, with the same sound treatment. Director John Singleton will provide running commentary on the latter. We're delighted to see Columbia evolving into varied trailers (ala Trimark) and commentary tracks (ala almost everyone else).

12:00am PST - Special Field Correspondent Dana set us the link to this article on jamvideo: "Here Comes DVD -- New kid on the block is kicking butt." Indeed.

12:00am PST - Brian P. Woods sent us a link to one man's encyclope-- uh, story about how he was taken in by the lure of Div-LAX and ultimately saved from the electronic equivalent of rats gnawing through the ceiling by educating himself on the Internet. Bully for you, whoever you are!!

12:00am PST -- Here are a few new reviews for ya. TWILIGHT ZONE, Vol 5, NANOOK OF THE NORTH and EVE'S BAYOU.

WEEKEND UPDATE
We caught the DOW Stereo ad on the radio today touting Divx, pronounced Div-AX by former DJ-turned-huckster (aren't we all...) Tom Campbell. He starts off the spot speaking very slowly and quietly and builds the excitement level to a fever pitch for Div-AX. Campbell has been a pitchman throughout the years for various failed ventures, but seems to have hit paydirt with D-O-W Dow. We remember hearing him pitching waterbeds, a different stereo shop and home furnishings, to name a few.

In case you haven't already seen the news on just about every other other website in the world, Disney is releasing A BUG'S LIFE on DVD in April with both "ending out-takes". Mastered in full-frame direct from the digital master. Nice. Expectations are naturally high... But where's TOY STORY? Considering that disney.com has hit this website over 5,000 times this month alone, a direct response from anyone at Disney or Buena Vista would be most welcome. I'll even shave and wear cologne.

Here's a comprehensive look at all the dastardly and deedly dippers in THE DEEP. Where' in the heck is "Flipper" when you need him?

TBP EXCLUSIVE: IF you missed (or enjoyed) THE TEMPTATIONS on television, you'll really enjoy the DVD that's being authored.

TBP EXCLUSIVE: The BIG Picture is having behind-the-scene discussions with one of the major DVD players who are planning to include you in the design planning of one of their upcoming titles this year. More details as things begin to gel. We think it's very exciting that a major studio is going to look to the early DVD adopers on the Internet to help with key decisions and feature selection. Just a PR gimmick? Maybe, but we don't think so. We love the innovation.

Our apologies for the light content on Friday. We'll try to make up for lost time, though, with some great new release news, FREE DVD giveaways and of course DVD and home theater news - all this weekend. Universal has announced a nice slate of titles for April 13, 1998. Streeting day and date with VHS, MEET JOE BLACK will appear in widescreen anamorphic. The 3 hour, 1 minute feature will be RSDL (that means "no disc flipping" if you're new to all this). MEET JOE BLACK will have the theatrical trailer, talent bios, production notes, web links, spotlight on location and film highlights.

Meanwhile, DOORS fans will have a lot to cheer about with THE DOORS: Collector's Edition, which includes three previously released titles: Dance on Fire, Live at the Hollywood Bowl and The Soft Parade. The 2 hour 52 minute Full Frame disc will feature audio commentary from Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitaris Robby Kreiger and drummer John Densmore (cool); a new "LA Woman" video director's cut, a newly found print of "The Unknown Soldier"; Ray Manzarek's student films "Evergreed" and "Induction"; excerpts from John Densmore's one-man play; Robby Kreiger performing a new version of "The End"; outtakes from the Dooor's personal archives; and over "100 rare collectibles including the Door's personal artifacts." Huh? Personal artifacts? You don't know of any archeologists that have been to Paris recently, have you?

My wife will love this one:Out of the vaults, Universal will also be releasing PILLOW TALK (which will not be anamorphic, along with these other catalog titles that will be, with the exception of THE WIZ: The 'BURBS, GORILLAS IN THE MIST, LA TRAVIATA, and THE WAR. All of these titles will feature theatrical trailers, film highlights, talent bios, production notes and web links. GORILLAS IN THE MIST will also contain a featurette. It looks like April is going to be a very good month for DVD over at Universal.