It’s Time…You wanted the news? Well, you got it!How about some dates for some Summer Blockbusters like FINDING NEMO…How about news on TV’s SMALLVILLE coming to disc?IDENTITY?DESPERADO and EL MARIACHI!!!THE HILLS HAVE EYES!!!Find out when you can pick up the next set of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS…And much, much more… Some vague release dates have slipped out for a few of this summer’s big Box Office hits. Universal will unleash 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS on September 30. X MEN II will bow from Fox in September, and Disney/Pixar’s FINDING NEMO will come up for air in November.Paramount Home Video has announced a slew of release dates in September, including THE CORE, I LOVE LUCY: SEASON ONE –Volume 9, the long-awaited set for miniseries SHOGUN and catalogue titles like I.Q., REGARDING HENRY, LOSING ISAIAH, MILK MONEY, LEAP OF FAITH, CAMPUS MAN and BANG, BANG YOU”RE DEAD. Also on deck are some holiday flicks including SCROOGE and SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: CHRISTMAS, NICKELODEON: CHRISTMAS and BLUES CLUES: BLUES FIRST HOLIDAY for the kiddies…As usual, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment has a wealth of new releases for ya, most notably, this Spring’s creepy success, IDENTITY. You may recall that yours truly freaked over this flick, and it has thus far maintained its status in the Best Of Year list. Arriving in your DVD player, and mine, on September 2 in a Special Edition DVD set. This will receive the full treatment, remastered 5.1 DDS audio, Anamorphic Widescreen video (also available in Fullscreen), and including an alternate cut of the film with an alternate ending and restored scene (NOT available on the Fullscreen version). Extras will include commentary from Director James Mangold, 5 deleted scenes with optional commentary, a STARZ “On The Set…” featurette, storyboard comparisons, filmographies and trailers.Also from CTHE is the cult horror CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT on August 12. Fullscreen with no extras, this one is worth a look for the flick itself, which is a crazy modern-vampire-in-a-small-town yarn, featuring a heroic trio of Vampire slayers comprised of a nubile teenage girl, a teacher and a homeless wino. Very cool.Also from CTHE on August 26, DESPERADO and EL MARIACHI both get new releases with remastered video and 5.1 DDS sound. Both include commentary with Robert Rodriguez and featurettes on the making of the films as well as an “Exclusive First Look At ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO… Both include additional featurettes and trailers and MARIACHI includes Rodriguez’ first short BEDHEAD. KICK ASS!!! Now if they would hurry up and release ONCE UPON A TIME…Along with the Rodriguez flicks, August 26 sees the CTHE release of MUTE WITNESS, THE DEVIL COMMANDS, SNOWBOARD ACADEMY and THE BEST OF RIPLEYS BELIEVE IT OR NOT. For the kids, pick up BINGO or the JIM HENSON’S STORYTELLER COLLECTION featuring all 9 episodes of the anthology series.Finally, on the CTHE front, August 19 sees the release of another THREE STOOGES collection. THE THREE STOOGES: STOOGES IN HISTORY will feature 5 shorts – SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE, Cave-stooge flick I’M A MONKEY’S UNCLE, RESTLESS KNIGHTS, the Roman-era MATRI-PHONY and the Shakespearean dramatic stylings of FIDDLERS THREE. While the shorts are all remastered and presented in original Fullscreen aspect ratios, no extras will be included. Let’s be honest… who needs extras when you’re talking Stooge?Warner Brothers has announced the long-awaited news on TV’s SMALLVILLE. SMALLVILLE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON will be released on September 23, with all eps presented in Anamorphic Widescreen. No details have been announced on extras, but stay tuned for more…Our pals at Elite Entertainment have more old-fashioned cult goodness on the way. August 5 will see the release of Volume 3 of the DRIVE-IN DISC series. I BURY THE LIVING/THE HAND: DRIVE-IN DISC DOUBLE FEATURE will be presented with optional DISTORTO! Sound, to add to the Drive-in experience (audio in the front left, ambient Drive-In noise on the other channels!). Also included in the set are short films, trailers and other good Drive-In shtuf…MGM Home Entertainment will release the recent Box-Office disappointment (which I thought was pretty cool!) BULLETPROOF MONK to DVD on September 9. 2.35:1 AW transfer and 5.1 DDS sound are filled out with 2 commentary tracks, 5 TAO OF MONK featurettes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, THE MONK UNROBED, deleted scenes, alternate ending, still gallery and trailers. Nice.Tempe Video, once part of Full Moon Entertainment, has struck out on it’s own with the DTV features BLOODLETTING, the tremendously titled MULVA: ZOMBIE ASS KICKER, FILTHY MCNASTY and the first in their “SPLATTER RAMPAGE” series, QUEST FOR THE EGG SALAD. These titles intrigue me, and I will do my best to check out some of these flicks for y’all…Palm Pictures has announced a new line of specialty discs that will cover the early careers of some of todays hottest young directors, starting with the inimitable Spike Jonze. THE DIRECTORS LABEL line will kick off on August 26 with THE DIRECTORS LABEL: THE WORK OF DIRECTOR SPIKE JONZE. This two-discer will include short films, music videos and commercials as well as 3 documentaries and a 52-page book full of interviews stills and storyboards.Anchor Bay has a whole whack of new goods for the intrepid DVD buyer…Check out THE CHEERLEADERS COLLECTION which collects three b-movie T&A exploitation flicks – THE CHEERLEADERS, THE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS and REVENGE OF THE CHEERLEADERS. All three are presented in original mono with Anamorphic Widescreen transfers and extras including trailers, audio commentaries, radio spots, still galleries, and on REVENGE, deleted footage. Rah! Rah! Shish! Boom! Bah!September 9 sees the release of the next installment of the ever-popular XENA series, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS – SEASON TWO. September 23 brings out a flick I’ve been waiting for… for years I tell ya! YEARS!! Wes Craven’s cult horror epic masterpiece THE HILLS HAVE EYES. Anchor Bay’s 2-disc collectors edition will include a new Anamorphic transfer, DDS and DTS sound, interviews, commentaries, trailers and a whole lot more. My life is fulfilled!And, finally, from Anchor Bay, October 21 is the date set for NEON MANIACS, ESCAPE 2000 and the classic DEAD END DRIVE IN.(Come on! Y’knew I had to like that one, right?!)That’s all for today boyz n’ grrrrrls…Till next time,Big Evil, Runnin’ With The Devil.
