An intimate portrait about the composer and lead singer of Dead Can Dance featuring masterful performances and interviews by Brendan Perry, Russell Crowe, Michael Mann, Hans Zimmer and more.
Over a career that spans almost two decades with Dead C...
"FREEDOM" to be screened throughout Expo in special high-definition theatre
using latest, state-of-the-art equipment
TORRANCE, Calif., June 22, 2007 - Bandai Visual USA Inc., a leading innovator in Japanese animation, today announced it will be continuo...
VIDEO NEWSJOHN CARPENTER'S GHOSTS OF MARS died a quick death at the box office, but audiences will get a second chance to check out its off-the-wall pleasures when Columbia releases it to video on December 4th, making it a priority on my Christmas wish li...
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONSOriginal music from the legendary 1970's Japanese Samurai films series, LONE WOLF AND CUB (a.k.a. THE BABY CART SERIES) is now available from LaLaLand Records. I had the extreme pleasure to write the notes for this significant s...
Sony wants you to know: HD for girls, too! Yep, in a recent series of ads, Sony is trying to hawk its line of admittedly very nice Bravia HD televisions by telling us that these TVs were made for both men and women to enjoy. That’s good news for ...
Action Music by Randall D. Larson (Thu 01-15-2004)
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSFrom France comes the first ever original soundtrack release of the full score from 1976's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (Record Makers 7243 593241 2 8). The movie was John Carpenter's sophomore directorial effort, a kind of RIO BRAVO ...
What They SayFull of exciting adventure and great passion, this animated Japanese favorite tells the legendary tale of the mythological hero Hermes. The creator of the world orders Hermes to defeat the evil King Minos, tyrant of Crete. With his beautiful ...
Reprinted with permission by the author
In 1998, you noticed a slew of Digital Video Disc (DVD) products, ads and offers. Appropriately timed to the new millenium, DVD has been hailed as the perfect format to watch anime. What is it, and should your stor...
Way back in 1996, the home video market was coming off something of a high in the "high end" area of laserdisc releases. A bit of a revival of sorts had occurred as prices had dropped down for regular releases somewhat, players were a bit more affordable ...
This Week’s RecommendationsPercepto Records has released the soundtrack to one of the 1980s best independent film scores. Frank LaLoggia wrote, produced, directed, and scored 1981’s FEAR NO EVIL, a terse amalgamation of occult horror, reincarnated archang...
The official details for the DVD/HD-DVD releases of Paramount's TRANSFORMERS have been released online. The release date is set for October 16, 2007 for both formats. Here's the press release and the list of items set to appear on the 2-Disc Special ...
Author's Note: This article was originally published on August 8, 2000 on the now-defunct Themestream website, and subsequently saw discussion on the geek-news-aggregator website Slashdot.org. It received almost 5,000 unique views, and also got me an emai...
From LisaGerrard's official website: "Lisa has been working on this VERY dark soundtrack for a few weeks now. If the first track is anything to go by this going to be one of the darkest works Lisa ever did. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence and Jo...
VIDEO NEWSWhile we're all waiting for Quentin Tarantino to finally start production on his too long awaited new film, KILL BILL, we will at least be able to console ourselves with the re-releases of his ground-breaking, trend setting previous efforts. Up ...
Collector’s Editions, box sets and complete series are all the rage during the holiday season. This week there is a Maniac worthy Collector’s Edition to hit the DVD shelf and unfortunately it falls completely flat. 300 (Limited Collect...
Blind Faith - Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, and Rick Grech - were one of rock's first supergroups, recalling the success of Cream and Crosby Stills & Nash but sadly were a spark that quickly faded out after a single record.Now, after more th...
Well, if you?re reading this, you must either have a DVD player or at least are thinking of getting one. You also may know by now the many benefits of the format, in comparison to VHS and LD. Let?s recap some of those for a moment. You get digital sound a...
What They SayFirst Japanese animation in HD DVD/DVD twin format to be released simultaneously in Japan and North America, HD DVD includes HDi network function that allows to watch extra features, High-quality animation combining 2D and 3D graphics. Requir...
The UY DVDs are shipping again. Here's a copy of the letter that we included with them, to update people. We will start shipping replacement discs to those of you who got bad discs (and told us about them!) on Tuesday.
Dear Valued (and Patient!) UY DVD C...
VIDEO NEWSSTAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - SEASON 3 had previously been announced by Paramount, but now the company is sharing info on the supplemental features that the twenty-six episode set will include. “Mission Overview” will be a featurette, with in...
VIDEO NEWSTHE OTHERS surprised critics and audiences alike last year when it emerged out of nowhere to become a huge sleeper hit. Dimension Pictures, who artfully shepherded the film to success, will be releasing the film to video as a two-disc, "Collecto...
While shopping at a local supermarket recently I came upon something new installed right outside the exit doors – an automated DVD rental vending machine. Video vending machines have been around in Japan (where you can get just about anything fro...
This week ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ arrives in three different formats of DVD: Standard DVD, High Definition DVD (HD-DVD) and Blu-Ray DVD. All of these formats are releasing the Harry Potter films in a box set. With...
What They SayDuring routine maintenance on the lunar surface, Takeru finds a strange capsule containing a single photograph. Captivated by the enigmatic girl in the photo, he scours the city in vain for clues to her identity. In desperation, Takeru and fr...
VIDEO NEWSFROM HELL was a box office disappointment, but for those who missed the Hughes Brothers highly atmospheric take on the most legendary serial killer in history, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has recently announced that the film will be rele...
VIDEO NEWSScrappy independent [IMG4R]video distributor Synapse recently announced two upcoming titles which, while lacking in cinematic "name" value, give evidence why the label needs to be paid attention to. INVASION USA is a 1953 no-budgeter wherein the...
VIDEO NEWSEverybody has to start somewhere and Steven Spielberg first grabbed the attention of critics and audiences with the 1971 TV movie DUEL. On May 21st, Universal will bring the film to DVD in a special edition package featuring a Spielberg intervie...
We’ve all seen how studios decide to release some underperforming theatrical features to DVD earlier than planned in order to maximize their marketing efforts. Well, that practice has finally begun to have negative repercussions. Theater chains i...
Summer is over. Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” is the last official movie of the summer. Some will say that Hollywood actually went out with a bang with “Superbad”, but this humble moviegoer will say that Hollywood went out wi...
January 17, 2006 (Cypress, Ca) – Bandai Entertainment Inc., a member of the “Eureka Project” (which includes Studio Bones, Bandai, Bandai Visual, and Hakuhodo) announce today Vol. 1 of the Eureka SeveN DVD will be released April 25th wit...
Two weeks ago New Line Home Video re-released Terrence Malick’s breathtaking film The New World in an extended cut. An unrated cut and an additional thirty minutes were promised and nothing else included. No trailers, no commentary and no cl...
Well, there are weeks where y'all are talkative and weeks where I'm left wondering if anybody even reads this damn thing. Last week was clearly the former, as the subject of TV on DVD seems to have brought you all out of the lurking woodwork. There's a ...
VIDEO NEWSBlade 2 has been announced for DVD release September 3rd as a feature laden, double disc package. In addition to the film itself, disc one will feature two commentary tracks, one with director Guillermo Del Toro and writer David Goyer and the se...
Box set to include “Victorian Gazette” & available June 24, 2008
GRIMES, IA, February 13, 2008 – Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and Nozomi Entertainment are pleased to make two announcements about the EMMA: A Victorian...
In March of 2007 Casino Royale wasreleased on Blu-ray. It was the only James Bond film, out of the 20 that preceded it, to be released on the new format. This was not surprising to me. Having been raised on Bond and working at various video stores...
VIDIOCY NEWS LORD OF THE RINGS information is starting to come out regarding the DVD release of the film on August 6th. First up will be a two-disc "Theatrical Edition" with disc one offering the film as seen during its highly successful theatrical run. D...
The summer is over and with the fall in front of us it means only one thing. It is time to add those summer movies to the collection. Summer movies are not the only releases that we Maniacs look forward to though. Horror movies will start to populate the ...
What They SayThe Review!The popular 1994 comedy TV series has finally been remastered and released on DVD, and fans of the anime (and worshippers of Tsuru Hiromi and Kouda Mariko) Ghost Sweeper Mikami has never been better.
Audio: We are presented with ...
Many thanks go out to the folks over at Manga who followed through with myself and the fans to try and answer some of the questions on the minds of DVD owners these days. The Q&A session took place with Mike Egan, the GM and Marketing Director in charge o...
The Superman Homepage is pleased to be able to reveal that Warner Home Video will be releasing more Superman DVD sets on June 20th.
Tuesday June 20th will see the release of "Lois & Clark: The Complete Third Season", "The Adventures of Superman: Season...
Toei Animation has been working hard since 1956 to bring us the absolute finest in anime. Though they started out humble enough, they have grown to become the largest and most famous anime company in Japan. They have worked on countless series, and have b...
Last month, MGM releasedDVD box sets of both GREEN ACRES and MISTER ED, two zany sitcoms from the 1960s which now enjoy relatively equal cult popularity. Both contain two discs full of episodes, and come in boxes with googie retro-fun, Nick at Nite type ...
VIDEO NEWSThe death bell has begun to ring for the VHS video system, a point made clear by a recent report in VIDEO BUSINESS magazine which tells that Circuit City has begun to phase out the format from their over six hundred stores. The article explains ...
Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo was beautifully restored and re-released in 1996. The problem was that it played only in major metropolitan areas. For those of you that didn’t know about it or didn’t have the chance to see it, Hitchco...
VIDEO NEWSSince it's anybody's guess when THE MATRIX sequels will actually be completed, video fans may react favorably to the upcoming MATRIX REVISITED: GOLD COLLECTOR'S EDITION. The DVD will feature even more behind-thescenes footage than the previous d...
What They SayThe well beloved 101-episode TV series, \"Touch\", based on the original work of Adachi Mitsuru serialised in the \"Shounen Sunday\" magazine, is now finally available on DVD. The video is remastered for release in conjunction with the 20th ...
Since tomorrow is my birthday, I’ll try not to delay you any longer than necessary, as I’m sure you all have plenty of shopping to do. To celebrate, I’ll be sending out a free random DVD of my choosing to every Maniac that sends an em...
With over half a billion dollars in the bank, it's a safe thing to call HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS a hit. The second film in Warner Bros. movie franchise was released last November and gathered better critical reviews than its predecessor a ...
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's THE BIG WHITE is available on DVD starting today, June 13, 2006. THE BIG WHITE stars: Robin Williams, Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Blake Nelson, W. Earl Brown, Alison Lohman and Woody Harrelson. The film is from Bri...
As of today it has been one year and one week since I took over the DVD Shopping Bag Column. I thought for my anniversary I would let you Maniacs in on all that I learned and experienced over the last year as your columnist. If you are not interested, ski...
Warner Home Video has an April 11th release date set for the Region 2 DVD release of "Justice League: Starcrossed - The Movie." Except for different trailers on the Region 2 release, the extras will remain the same.
VIDEO NEWSBuena Vista recently announced that they would be releasing Tim Burton's wonderful ED WOOD on DVD this summer on August 13. Burton's film is in glorious black and white and boasts a pair of top of the line performances from Johnny Depp as talen...
What They SayWhat do you do when you discover everything you believe is a lie...and your freedom an illusion? Entering forbidden territory, Takeru has uncovered Eden's
most closely guarded secret—and finds himself being hunted by the Guidance Council. Sha...
Universal's Golden Age Of Horror will soon be coming our way when Universal Studios unleashes a host of DVD double-features sure to whet the cinematic appetite of any classic-era horror movie fan. Not wanting to miss out on the interest generated by their...
VIDEO NEWSThose of you who have become ill watching the final, sad season of THE X-FILES can find a fix for what ails you in Columbia TriStar's upcoming release of THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES, a feature film with no direct connection to the once near-wor...
What They SayAfter a 200,000-mile quest to Earth, Takeru somehow finds Ao - the girl in the photograph - living in a desolate Florida village among the ruins of the NASA space program. But he soon discovers his search for love has just begun... As he trie...
Japan’s Multi-Platinum Selling Rockers Rare US Arena Show Captured on DVD
* * *
SANTA MONICA, CA – The only Japanese rock band to ever headline a US stadium show, L’Arc~en~Ciel are larger than life in Asia. The charismatic rockers be...
VIDEO NEWSWith Ang Lee's highly anticipated adaptation of THE INCREDIBLE HULK now in pre-production, it was only a matter of time before the 1978 - 1982 TV version involving the same character made a reappearance on video. Anchor Bay is reportedly plannin...
Product to be released simultaneously in North America and Japan under Bandai Visual flagship international label Honneamise
TORRANCE, Calif., March 20, 2007 " Bandai Visual today announced the simultaneous U.S. and Japan release of the bestselling OVA ...
What They SayThe animation masterpiece, \"Ashita no Joe\", that has become a classic of anime comes now in a box complete with all 79 episodes.The Review!The DVDs for the whole show were originally released by Columbia Japan in 3 mini-boxsets. The first ...
VIDEO NEWSAccording to VIDEO BUSINESS magazine, the notoriously cost effective (or cheap) Roger Corman - who not long ago filmed the demolition of his California studios for use in an upcoming film - has recently struck a deal with the Los Angeles Film Sc...
Sakura\'s done a bit of reviewing for us on the Train Man manga so it made sense to get her thoughts on the live action DVD. Released on 02/06/2007 from Viz Media, she\'s got a look at Train Man (Densha Otoko) this morning.
The upcoming DVD release of Slither will be crammed full. James Gunn, the director of Slither, released a huge list of the extras on ... get this ... his MySpace page.Some of the extras included are: a commentary track from Gunn and Nathan Fillion, a gag...
As head of Elite Entertainment, Vini Bancalari has long been providing fans with great home video versions of classic genre movies. He started with Laserdisc when that format was the collector's medium of choice, and has since moved on to DVD, but one thi...
Hammer Studios is notorious for being known as the studio that dripped blood. Their full color Gothic tales and scantily clad women were all the rage after Universal’s movie monsters ran their course. The studios flourished for a long time t...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ADV ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR RAHXEPHON-ORCHESTRATION 7: CRESCENDO
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SERIES COMES TO AN END WITH THE DECEMBER 2, 2003 RELEASE OF THE SEVENTH VOLUME OF THE TITLE
HOUSTON, October 13, 2003-ADV Films today offi...
HD DVD add-on for X-Box 360 No HDMI: The first pictures of the HD DVD add-on for Microsoft's X-Box 360 were recently posted on IGN.com, and there's some bad news: The accessory apparently will not have an HDMI digital output, only
X-Box 360
&co...
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS Ruggero Deodata's 1980 film, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, is one of the most notoriously graphic, gory, and grotesque horror films to come out of the Euroshock era of 1970s, reviled by many as exceedingly disgusting and explicit. Like m...
Dear Sirs,It has come to our attention today that your article titled `UPDATE: No Japanese Track on Godzilla 2000 DVD` contains factual errors about Toho`s role in this project. The article asserts that `Toho has stated that Sony didn`t have time enough t...
VIDEO NEWS· Double-Feature Deluge: Relative newcomer DVD label Marengo Films will be distributing a number of double-feature discs previously released to VHS under the Englewood Films banner. These include some pu...
Some days you eat the bear. Some days, the bear eats you. So goes an old Russian proverb, which explains that some days are just better than others. It’s a simple bit of wisdom that would seem to apply also to the world of home video. Last Tuesday’s re...
Disney Announces More Blu-ray Titles: FLIGHTPLAN, SKY HIGH, and THE WILD are all scheduled to be released as Blu-ray discs on November 21st. With most of the current HD DVD and Blu-ray discs being action and adventure films, it appears that Disney is ho...
This week feature no new, major studio video releases, but it does offer a pair of films likely to receive undeserved attention from many fans. Up first, the long delayed, $15-million animated sequel to the cult hit, Heavy Metal, the aptly named Heavy ...
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONSThe enhanced CD soundtrack to THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, released this week by Reprise (48560-2), contains the same musical content as the initial soundtrack CD release (reviewed in depth in last week's colum...
.hack//SIGN - Koichi Mashimo
Koichi Mashimo (President of Bee Train, director of .hack and Noir), Ken Iyadomi (Bandai Ent. VP & panel host), and another Japanese guest (who didn\'t say much) were present at the panel.
This is one of the more interestin...
VIDEO NEWS· You can’t keep a good corpse down as Trimark Home Video has recently announced their August 3rd Special Edition release of RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3. Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 semi-sequel/spin-off of Georg...
In last week’s column, I put out an offer to sell my credibility in exchange for new electronics equipment. Well, no DVD player manufacturers or retailers have responded to my offer (which still stands), but I’m gonna tell you how you can get a DVD player...
This Week’s RecommendationSHarry Gregson-Williams pulls a Howard Shore and emerges from the rhythm-action field of PHONE BOOTH, ENEMY OF THE STATE (with Trevor Rabin), SPY GAMES and THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS with a thoroughgoing orchestral swashbuckler, the...
Latest Releases Continue To Drive Tremendous Momentum Behind The Hottest Anime And Manga Property In North America
San Francisco, CA, May 24, 2007 " VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publi...
VIDEO NEWSMGM will make the small army of John Carpenter fans happy this summer when they finally bring J.C’s semi-classic ghost tale THE FOG to DVD. Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau and Tom Atkins will be onboard with Rob Bottin’s waterlogged ghosts. T...
VIDEO NEWS2002 has been an uneven year for most cinematic genres, but it’s been a great year for animated films. One of those animated hits will be coming to DVD just in time for Christmas. ICE AGE, the tale of a mammoth named Manny, a sloth named Sid, a ...
VIDEO NEWSHIGHLANDER was both a box office and critical dud when originally released in 1986. Since then, a fiercely loyal cult movement has turned the tale of sword swinging immortals into a success story surpassed only by that of the original STAR TREK....
Last night my lovely wife suggested we convert an entire wall in our living room into shelves for DVD storage.SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKThis week, our spotlight falls like a deep dish pizza on one of the most satisfying theatrical releases of the year, paired ...
Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s insanely odd and hilarious film, is two decades old this year. The film was the world’s introduction into the macabre world of Tim Burton’s imagination. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure established him as a directo...
I've been rambling on nostalgically a lot about drive-ins this summer, but this weekend I'll be attending a convention that is actually doing something about it. Flash back Weekend's Horro'rama Drive-In will attempt to recreate the drive-in experience wit...
VIDEO NEWSEARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS is, along with the TV miniseries V, the two movies which most influenced the mega-hit INDEPENDENCE DAY. The latter is already on DVD and the former will join it this September when Columbia TriStar releases it as the...
This week there are two, count them, two DC Comic live action TV properties being released on DVD. There is not one Marvel release this week. The two comic book powerhouses have been battling each other for decades. The battle has spilled over from the co...
As I mentioned in last week’s column, I spent a chunk of my weekend at the world’s longest (and longest running) movie marathon, the madness incarnate known as B-fest [www.b-fest.com]. I’m still a bit wiped from the experience as I write this, but exhilar...
On March 28, 2006, Fox Home Entertainment will release all-new DVD Singles of the Original Planet of the Apes Series Mastered in Anamorphic Widescreen and featuring THX Certified 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. In addition to the original film series P...
VIDEO NEWSProof, as if any was needed, that direct-to-video horror producers have no shame is the recent report (from CREATURE CORNER) of a sequel to the dreadful BLOODY MURDER. That film was an unexpected video hit, probably due to its cover art of a cha...
VIDEO NEWSWhile many video companies are scaling back on the release of extras laden classic film DVD special editions, Warner Home Video recently announced five new ones coming this September. The announcement includes three Academy Award Winners: AMADEU...
THE WICHITA EAGLE notes the release of Robert Zemeckis' BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogy as a DVD set, incorporating director's commentary and additional features. Retail pricing for the set is $39.95.With a "making of" featurette, interviews with Zemeckis, wri...
Coming out later this month, Tofu Records will be releasing the DVD version of the stadium show done at Otakon 2004 of L\'Arc~en~Ciel. Check out the press release for info and the set list.
One of the big surprises of the growth of the DVD format has been high sales of European genre titles - especially horror. Ma perché? But why? Though a reasonably steady source of income for distributors, "foreign films" have always had a reputation with ...
What They SayContains episode 1.
In the 23rd century, mankind has fled earth and emigrated to the moon. The last outpost of civilization is the Lunar Republic of Eden, where the omnipresent Citizens Administration Council grants residents everything the...
What They SayIn 1969, man landed on the moon. Now three centuries later, he returns to earth... With nothing but a photograph to guide him, Takeru flees the lunar city of Eden in search of a girl he\'s never met on a planet he\'s never seen. Thus begins t...
VIDEO NEWSThe FX cable network's groundbreaking Emmy-nominated cop show, THE SHIELD, will soon join 24 as a TV series released to DVD after the airing of only its first season. The series is packed with profanity, nudity, sex and police corruption, plus a...
My last column appeared on a day that may set the tone for a century we have barely begun. Looking back, I can imagine nothing more insignificant that day than my lighthearted look at the world of home video. Today, a week later, I still find it difficult...
VIDEO NEWSBUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fans - of which, I am told, there are a few – recently saw their fave femme make a triumphant return to TV after a move to the eternally struggling UPN network. Those same fans can likely expect another victory as the pe...
VIDEO NEWSTHIRTEEN GHOSTS was the second of Dark Castle's remakes of old William Castle films and, while not as big a hit as its predecessor THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, it would appear that its DVD release will be first rate. In addition to the expected be...
Blind Faith's debut concert was in front of a cool 100,000 people on a warm day in Hyde Park. Since 7th June, 1969 when this concert took place, it has never been seen in its entirety. This is a unique opportunity to see one of the world's first supergrou...
After Michael Bay’s Transformers arrived in theaters it was only a matter of time before a weekly animated series came back to television. There has always been an animated series of Transformers on the air. Much like the perpetual love of Star Wars...
Last October I headed over to mall to pick up Halloween on DVD. After sitting through Rob Zombie’s awful rendition of John Carpenter’s classic film I knew it was time to pick up the original. I still had my 1998 VHS Limited Edition 2 t...
Vive America, mon ami! In the 1960s, French critics came to appreciate American crime and mystery films, coining the term "film noir" (um, "black film") to describe the vague genre of hard-boiled cynicism, sleaze and shadowy cinematography. With at least ...
May 30, 2007 (Cypress, Ca) " Bandai Entertainment Inc. announced that it would be releasing the anime series Clamp School Detectives on Region 1 DVD.
Created by the legendary manga team CLAMP, this 26 episode anime series focuses on the Clamp School, a ...
Dark
Horizons reported that a DVD of
the pilot of Smallville is in the works. The bad news is that the DVD will
be released in Canada only.
According to Dark
Horizons, the DVD will contain
extra features like deleted scenes with commentary, wide s...
Touting its high definition origins during the DVD release, FUNimation carries through and offers up a Blu-ray release of Robotech. What They SayScott Bernard and Vince Grant fight to end a decades-long struggle against an enigmatic alien race known as th...
By all appearances, the next volume of this series from Bandai Visual USA may be the last HD DVDreleased to the market. With any luck, it\'ll be more entertaining and engaging than the 06/24/2008 release of Freedom Vol. #6 (of 7) which has squandered muc...
Leading Japanese animation producer to showcase "FREEDOM" in HD DVD along with latest titles at largest anime convention in North America
TORRANCE, Calif., May 14, 2007 " Bandai Visual USA Inc., a leading innovator in Japanese animation, today announ...
It's 2029 and the world is a vastly different place than it is today. Yet
unlike most movies and novels that start off this way, the majority of the ideas
behind Ghost in the Shell accurately reflect where we could be heading in our
own future.
Ghost in...
For those that enjoy reading technical documents, the DVD Forum has released their HD-DVD Video Product Requirements & Guidelines from September 2005\'s finalization. It\'s mostly info on recommended packaging info and elements like codecs and resolutions...
In case you were wondering, the SPACE and WITCHBLADE fans are still writing in to support the seasoning of those shows. The more extreme cases either thank me profusely for the charitable work I’m doing on their behalf, or defensively attack me for some i...
While researching my column, “Precursors” back in April I came across two titles that I thought needed further research. The first and soon to be released is the long awaited Hulk animated series from 1966. The Hulk was one of five cartoons re...
Manga Entertainment has announced a July 27 release date for the first volume in its DVD collection of GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX, the sequel to the now-classic GHOST IN THE SHELL anime film. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIR...
Troma has joined the ranks of video labels offering iPod video downloads on Troma.com. So far, their slate of programming includes lessons from Lloyd Kaufman's film school in a box MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE and edited, serialized version of Trey Parker &am...
In the Prize Closet this week we have one copy of MALLRATS to give away. Okay, some of you may think that's extremely lame. Many folks consider MALLRATS slightly below JERSEY GIRL on the Kevin Smith filmography, and you might not think it worth opening th...
Reprinted with permission by the author
It's been a while since I reported on how the consumer electronics and Hollywood giants had allied to push Digital Video Disks as the new and improved way to watch home entertainment. Now industry analysts report t...
Saturday, July 3rd
Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we head off in search of... McDonalds! Success! A quick trip to there and CVS to stock up on Coke and some new toothbrushes (curse those cleaning people!) and we're back at the Convention Center.
Video Ro...
Though the American version GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS has long been a staple on home video, there has always been speculation as to if and when the original 1954 Japanese version would become legally available in the USA. Speculation has heated up ov...
Sakura Diaries Collector's Edition
Sakura Diaries (original title: Sakura Tsuushin) is an OVA series based on the popular manga by U-Jin, who is (in)famous for his erotic titles Angel, Konai Shasei (aka the Tales of... series), and U-Jin Brand (all ...
VIDEO NEWSThe creative talents within the film business have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the machinations of the industry itself. Many films have been made about just how sordid, perverse and stupid the film business really is, and o...
Released this past Tuesday on 05/10/2005, we\'ve got a look at the latest new series from FUNimation Entertainment with a review of Gunslinger Girl Vol. #1 (of 3).
Released back on 06/28/2005 from FUNimation, we\'ve got a look at the next release in one of my favorite franchises with Lupin The 3rd: Farewell to Nostradamus.
Released back on 05/10/2005 from Media Blasters, we get caught up with their latest historical drama and a very under the radar show with Otogi Zoshi Vol. #2 (of 6).
Released on 07/12/2005 and definitely deserving to be watched before now, we\'ve got a look at FUNimation\'s release of Gunslinger Girl Vol. #2 (of 3).
THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDATIONS It's not a soundtrack but it's remarkable rock and roll theater. Lou Reed's new album, THE RAVEN, is a musical tribute to Edgar Allan Poe, commissioned in 2001 by the Thalia Theatre in Hamburg, Germany for a theatrical per...
While the first installment in this column’s new weekly format may have been a little lackluster in terms of exciting releases, things pick up a bit on this second Tuesday in August. The big news is on the Direct-to-video (DTV) front. It appears DTV is ...
The post-Halloween horror doldrums are still keeping the release of new terror titles to a minimum, but mid-November has a nicely eclectic mix of movies that should offer something for almost any fan. The cream of the video crop for the week is far remov...
X-Men: The Last Stand is being released on DVD on Tuesday while FX will broadcast the first X-Men movie on Monday at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and X2 on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.
This entry of the Vidiocy column marks its first appearance under its new weekly schedule. In honor of this momentous occasion, I’d like to offer Fandom’s readers a cornucopia of exciting new releases and venerable classics. That’s what I’d like to do. ...
"J. Michael Straczynski may be best known for his work on Babylon 5, but his talents don't stop there. The writer/director's latest episodic work, Jeremiah, was recently released on DVD and the first season is as enticing as it is intriguing."
More...
This April, Digital Hollywood University of Digital Content will open the first international anime research lab. Staffed by top anime studio directors, writers and producers, the lab will is intended to further research into anime production, theory, ...
I'm still getting emails on the subject of Mexican movies arriving on US DVD without the benefit of subtitles that I wrote about back in April. US video labels like Ground-Zero and Brentwood have been picking up these Mexican features, often genre favorit...
VIDEO NEWSMany had felt that the JURASSIC PARK series had already overstayed its welcome and that without the direct involvement of the director of the first two dino-hits, Steven Spielberg, audiences would pass on a third helping. Instead, JURASSIC PARK ...
Columbia TriStar
Home Entertainment announced Monday that the Spider-Man DVD would
be released Friday, November 1. The press released disclosed details about the
upcoming home video event.
The studio
promises that the two disc set "features an excl...
Though the film has previously been released on DVD, Disney is putting out a two-disc 20th anniversary DVD set of the movie TRON. The set is scheduled to hit store shelves on January 15.According to Video Premiere, the discs will feature "many" new featur...
ADV FILMS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF "AZUMANGA DAIOH"
SWIRLING RUMORS AT LAST PROVE TRUE; ADV FILMS PLANS MULTI-VOLUME DVD RELEASE FOR CAPTIVATING JAPANESE ANIMATED SERIES
HOUSTON, April 28, 2003-ADV Films today formally announced the acquisition for st...
Update: The high-definition war may not be "officially" over but Sony just scored a major victory today. Warner Bros. has announced their loyalty through the following press release.
In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainme...
Now that the DVD format has essentially buried the endless subtitle vs. dub flame-war among die-hard Internet anime fans, I predict that the next great Otaku debate will be about the pros-and-cons of big box sets. (My own threshold for "big box sets" is a...
KING KONG to be Packaged With HD DVD Drive for X-Box 360: Last week we reported that the HD DVD add-on for Microsoft's X-Box 360 would not have an HDMI output, but we have some good news about the accessory this time around. Microsoft has announced that...
In the Prize Closet this week we have FIVE copies of Clerks 2 (plus a t-shirt with each one) to give away, courtesy of Weinstein. To enter, send an email to psycho@psychotronic.info which includes your name and address, and the subject line “RETU...
Columbia TriStar Home Video has announced that it will release a two-disc special edition DVD of HELLBOY on July 27. Included will be the theatrical movie in anamorphic format and in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio presentation.The set's bonus materials include: ...
With this being the first week of the Holiday season I am going to change the DVD Shopping Bag Column up a bit. For the next four weeks I am going to feature films that would make great gifts for the film aficionado and to give to a member of the ...
Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police and the uber popular spin off from the new Doctor Who just released its second season DVD. Torchwood protects mankind from the threat of alien invasion and monitors the rift. The rift is a tear in both ...
Originally released in 2004 in Japan and based off of the video game and manga of the same name, we\'ve got a look at the 10/11/2005 release of Yumeria Vol. #1 (of 3) from ADV Films.
THIS WEEK’S RECOMMENDATIONSBasil Poledouris’ magnificent epic score to the 1987 ABC miniseries, AMERIKA, has finally made it to CD, courtesy of Belgium’s Prometheus (PCR 519). The film, the logical next step after Poledouris’ RED DAWN (Intrada RVF 6001D) ...
DVDFILE recently spoke to Guillermo del Toro, director of Blade II, about the upcoming DVD release of the Wesley Snipes film.
The running theme among the bonus material on the DVD, including commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews, is...
Though released back on 11/07/2006, some retailers weren\'t shipping this until recently so we\'ve got a look at Gaogaigar Vol. #2 (of 10) from Media Blasters.
The very first video store I ever worked at was a mom and pop store that only competed with the big chains because it had a great location, we carried adult videos and we weren’t under a lot of scrutiny about what we carried like the big chain store...
Released on 12/14/2004 from Bandai Entertainment, this series manages to break out of its normal mold and really shine with a couple of episodes here with Superior Defender Gundam Vol. #7 (of 9).
Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner and Goran Visnjic. The disc will be available to own from the 5th April, and should set you back around $29.98.
Released on 10/26/2004, we\'ve taken a look at Viz\'s release of Flame of Recca Vol. #1, which contains the first four of forty-two episodes. The series is based off of the manga by Nobuyuki Anzai which ran for thirty-three volumes and who had only one ot...
Warner Home Video has officially announced Superman Returns (R1) which stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey. The film will be available to own in single ($28.98) and double-disc ($34.99) editions from the 28th November. Each will carry a 2...
DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation have collaborated to create a unique Batman experience in Batman: Gotham Knight. The all-new, original movie will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Order due date is June ...
VIDEO NEWSOne of the next big titles coming to home video will be this summer’s hit, MEN IN BLACK II. The current word on the DVD release is that it will be a 2-disc set. Disc one will feature the film in either anamorphic or full screen image along with ...
I’ve been browsing through the box office lists lately, and I’m finding a few surprises in the rift between fact and perception. For example, Snakes on a Plane is commonly considered to be one of last year’s big failures. But did you...
Released earlier this week from ADV Films, we\'ve got a look at the final volume of the first half of the series with a review of Kaleido Star Vol. #6.