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Warner Home Video have just announced the region two release of Roots. This release marks the 25th Anniversary since the series was first aired on TV. The series proved to be extremely popular, and was the acclaimed winner of five Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Here's some information from the press release:
"200 Years to unfold. 12 Years of research to discover. 2 years to create. 8 nights to make television history.
His name was Kunta Kinte. Kidnapped from Africa and enslaved in America in 1767, he refused to accept his slave name of Toby. Heirs kept his heroic defiance alive, whispering the name of Kunta Kinte from one generation to the next until it reached a young boy growing up in Tennessee. His name was Alex Haley. And he proclaimed Kunta Kinte's name to the world."
The DVD release will receive the following treatment:
Full Screen 4:3 transfer
English Mono soundtrack
Three separate feature-length Audio Commentaries with video inserts (Producer, cast and crew)
Remembering Roots Documentary (20 minutes)
Roots Family Tree
Web enabled
Roots is released on 16th September and will feature all six episodes from series one. Thats an impressive nine hours of entertainment! It is likely to retail at a bargain price of �19.99.
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| Big Trouble Review (Region 1) at 18.18 on 03/07/02 |
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Chris Gould was apparently up blummin late last night completing his review of Big Trouble In Little China: Special Edition, so it's only fair that he gets a news article. The film stars Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton and Donald Li. Here's an extract from the review:
'Big Trouble In Little China was critically panned on its release in 1986. Poorly marketed and overlooked by cinemagoers, the film finally found its place on video and, over the years, has become a �cult� favourite. Believe it or not, way back in 1986 at the tender age of eleven, I was one of those few people who visited the cinema in order to see the film. Quite how I managed to get in at that age is anyone�s guess, but I remember enjoying it immensely. I have somehow managed to avoid seeing the film in its entirety for a great many years, but thankfully Fox�s new special edition DVD affords me the opportunity to re-visit this adolescent favourite...'
To read the full review of Big Trouble In Little China simply click here. Please feel pity for Chris' lack of sleep and read his review! |
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| Hasta la vista, baby? - Part 2 (Region 2) at 16.53 on 03/07/02 |
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Following on from our earlier report about the spate of problems some people have been having with the region two release of The Terminator, MGM have issued the following statement.
" It has come to our attention that a small number of consumers are having playback problems with some copies of the Terminator and Silence of the Lambs Special Edition DVDs.
Our investigations have concluded that any playback problems on these titles may be due to an incompatibility between certain ink combinations used on the disc labels and storage conditions during the production process. These conditions may have affected a limited batch of discs at time of release and these conditions have not since been replicated.
We do not believe this is a case of "DVD Rot" as this is associated with discs where the reflective layer has deteriorated rendering the disc unplayable. No products returned to MGM show any deterioration of the reflective layer.
What is of primary concern is customer satisfaction and as such would ask any consumer suffering these playback problems for either Terminator or Silence of The Lambs Special Editions to call a free phone line, where they will be advised as to how to receive a replacement copy at no cost.
This free phone line is currently being set up and we will advise you of the number in the very near future."
So, it appears that MGM are taking this matter a little more seriously than the Robocop debacle. We�ll bring you more news, including that all-important phone number, as soon as we have it. |
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| A comedy duo (Region 2) at 20.12 on 02/07/02 |
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This summer sees the release of two comedies on region two DVD. The Look Who's Talking movies proved to be a huge success in the late 80's and early 90's. Now Columbia Tristar are releasing the series on DVD for the first time. The original movie has been released for a while, so now it is time for the sequels. First up is Look Who's Talking Too, which is the second movie in the series. It stars John Travolta, Kirstie Alley and Bruce Willis. Here is a little info about the movie:
"The sequel to 'Look Who's Talking' in which Mikey is older and wiser, and thinks he has it made thanks to his parents Mollie and James. That is until the arrival of his sister who also has a lot to say for herself."
Also released is Look Who's Talking Now, which is the third and final movie in the trilogy. It also stars John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Here is a brief description from the press release that we received:
Thanks to teh voices of Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton as two canine comedians determined to turn the house upside down, Look Who's talking Now follows the Ubriacco family as both parents are looking for work - when Travolta's new female boss is after more than a business merger, it's time to start taking some action!
Both movies are released on 22nd July. They will both have an Anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, but sadly there will be no extras. Both discs should retail for �12.99. |
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| Fremantle to release 'Straw Dogs' (Region 2) at 17.04 on 02/07/02 |
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| You've probably heard that the BBFC has, in the 18th year since the Video Recordings Act came into play, finally granted an uncut 18 certificate to Sam Peckinpah's hugely controversial Straw Dogs, starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George. Fremantle Home Entertainment will release this classic as a special collectors' DVD in October. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you more details in a few days, so don't forget to keep checking the site! |
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| Monsters, Inc. - Part 1 (Region 2) at 16.52 on 02/07/02 |
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After huge box office success and massive critical acclaim, Monsters, Inc. the Academy Award� winning computer-animated adventure is being released onto DVD on 7th September 2002. From the creators of both 'Toy Story' films and 'A Bug's Life', Monsters, Inc. opens the door to a frightfully funny world of monsters and mayhem that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Featuring a whole host of colourful and loveable monsters, Monsters, Inc. is loaded with laughs, emotions and surprises.
Both a family edition and collector's edition DVDs will both be available, with hours of bonus features including the hilarious never-before-seen 'Mike's New Car', an animated short which stars Mike and Sulley and was created especially for the DVD, and the Academy Award� winning animated short, 'For the Birds'. The collector's edition DVD is a two-disc set and will explore both the Monster and Human world. The Monster world introduces you as a new employee of the Monsters, Inc. factory and the Human world opens the Pixar doors to reveal every angle of the pioneering animation. We�ll bring you the full run down on the collector�s edition in a later update, but for now here�s what you can expect from the Family Edition DVD:
Finding Nemo Preview - A sneak peak at the upcoming Disney/Pixar film, Finding Nemo.
For the Birds - Academy Award winning short that player before the Monsters feature in cinemas. Play this with or without audio commentary.
Mike's New Car - All new short created just for this DVD/video release featuring Mike & Sulley. Play this feature with or without audio commentary.
Boo's Door Game - Sulley wants to visit Boo. But the evil Randall has shredded her door. Help Mike find the door pieces throughout the world so he can help Sulley see Boo.
Disney Storytime - Welcome to Monstropolis: In the tradition of our storytime features, Roz introduces you to Mike and Sulley and their jobs at Monsters, Inc.
Outtakes - Hilarious outtakes and company play that played over the end credits in cinemas.
Deleted scenes - Introduction to deleted scenes by co-director Lee Unkrich: Assistant Sulley, Bad Scare, End of Day, Scream Refinery: Four deleted scenes from the feature.
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| Get ready for another night of bloody revenge� (Region 2) at 02.36 on 02/07/02 |
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Jean-Luc Godard once said that all you need to make a movie is a gun and a girl. Former manga comic book artist and critically-acclaimed action film writer-director Takashi Ishii (Freeze Me, Black Angel 2, The Black Angel, Gonin) appears to have taken Godard's theory to heart and multiplied it by five to come up with Gonin 2, a violent �girls 'n' guns' sequel to his hit 1995 crime thriller, Gonin.
Written and directed by Takashi Ishii, and starring Ken Ogata (The Pillow Book, Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters), Shinobu Otake, Kimiko Yo, Yui Natsukawa, Yumi Nishiyama, Mai Kitajima and Yumi Takigawa, Gonin 2 is a highly stylised, character-driven blend of genres from the man who has been hailed as Japan's answer to Quentin Tarantino.
Scheduled for retail release on 22nd July, this Tokyo Bullet DVD release of Gonin 2 presents the movie in its original anamorphic widescreen version with digitally re-mastered English subtitles, Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, theatrical trailers, extensive biographies and filmographies, scene selection, fully interactive menus and a production stills gallery. |
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| Two new label launches from Anchor Bay and MIA (Region 2) at 02.24 on 02/07/02 |
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Anchor Bay Entertainment UK's first full-blooded entry into a new sector is the launch of Anchor Bay World Cinema, commencing on 29th July with the release of three great titles from German director Werner Herzog - Fitzcarraldo (the 44th greatest film of all time, according to Channel 4 and The Guardian), Heart of Glass and Woyzeck.
The new label already has a terrific line-up of top world cinema titles for future release including more Herzog titles, classics by Wim Wenders such as Paris Texas, Wings of Desire and many more.
The synergy between the rap scene and martial arts movies is well proven and with this in mind, MIA is launching a new, affordably priced range of traditional kung-fu movies under the banner Old Skool Kung Fu. Three initial releases are scheduled, starting with Wu Tang Clan Presents Old Skool Kung Fu in which the rap legends explain their obsession with martial arts flicks and present their favorite film clips. In hot pursuit will be two traditional martial arts gems from director Joseph Kuo: The Unbeaten 28 and Return of the 18 Bronzemen. |
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| Predator: SE Review (Region 2) at 23.09 on 01/07/02 |
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Chris Gould has taken a look at Predator: Special Edition starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves and R.G. Armstrong. Here's an extract from Chris' review:
'Following the theft of my R1 copy of Predator, I was left with the choice of either using the insurance money to buy another copy, or to hold out a few months and wait for the new R2 special edition (which promised to be a major improvement over the last release). For those of you who don�t know, when Fox originally released Predator in the UK they mistakenly used a heavily edited master intended for the German market. What this translated into was a film devoid of some of the more violent moments, as well as Arnie�s infamous �Stick around� line! Well, the special edition is finally here, and it looks like Fox have pulled out all the stops to make sure this one is a success...'
To read Chris' full review of Predator: Special Edition simply click here. |
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Haven't I seen this somewhere before you're asking. Yes Ok, it looks very similar to the 3800 but it is different - honest.
Actually saying that it'll be quicker to tell you what it lacks compared to its more audio-oriented sibling. It doesn't do DVD Audio, the sound has been generally toned down (no pun intended), and you've lost 1 Composite and 1 S-Video output. Other than that it's kinda similar but you'll save yourself �250 quid. Audiophiles will go for the 3800, videophiles this one. Which are you? |
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