New Releases, 29 June 2004
You know the drill. The full release list can be found at DVDJournal.com.
Blazing Saddles: 30th Anniversary Edition (1974)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
DRACULA didn’t get too many good reviews, but it’s not a bad movie. And the blood-spraying incident is one of the biggest laughs I’ve ever had in a movie theater.
BLAZING SADDLES is, of course, a classic. Mel Brooks, in the same year, did both BLAZING SADDLES and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Can you imagine any filmmaker putting out two such memorable movies in the same year today? It just won’t happen.
Now, when will we see a special edition DVD release of ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS?
Dawson’s Creek: Season Three (4-disc set)
They’ve replaced the theme song with one by Jann Arden. I remember hearing reports after the second season that they were changing the theme song to something by a Canadian singer. There was even a news story to that effect on a Canadian website. But when the series returned that fall, Paula Cole’s memorable melody was still there on my TV set. As it turns out, the song was replaced by Arden’s for other countries, such as Canada. Partly as a financial concern, they’re going with that theme song for this release now.
It’s a big shame that these shows will never be seen again the way they were intended to be seen. Hopefully, all television shows today are signing better release forms with record companies so we won’t continue to have these hatchet jobs.
The English Patient: Collector’s Series (2-disc set) (1996)
I’ll never forget the SEINFELD episode…
The Land of the Lost: Season One (3-disc set)
I would be remiss in not mentioning this piece of my childhood.
Spider-Man: The 1967 Classic Collection (6-disc set) (1967)
Wonder Woman: Season One (3-disc set)
I mention this only for all your comic fans out there. I’m not picking up either, but I know many of you are looking forward to one or the other.
Next week: BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES finally makes it out to DVD in a boxed set. Everything else pales by comparison, not that there’s much out there. It’s the following week that has more of Hollywood’s big releases.
June 29th, 2004 at 9:32 am
Yeah, it’ll be great to finally have a substantial amount of Batman on dvd (as opposed to the lousy one disc releases). It’s a good year for animation, what with this coming out, the first season of Samurai Jack last month, the first season of Gargoyles this fall, the Garfield and Friends set at the end of next month (one of the only cartoons, besides Danger Mouse, that I still crack up at memories of), the Hanna Barbera Golden Collection, the upcoming Tom & Jerry set, a second Rocky & Bulwinkle set, the next Looney Tunes sets, the next wave of Walt Disney Treasures, and, if you’re me, Rhino’s Transformers and G.I. Joe releases.
Never before have we had such a wealth of animation brought to dvd. But really, Warner hasn’t opened the floodgates yet. They still haven’t touched the following for boxed sets:
Animaniacs and it’s spinoffs
Tiny Tunes
Thunder Cats (I believe WB holds the rights)
The various DC shows besides Batman TAS
X-men Evolution
Classic Popeye (i.e. the Fleischer shorts not in public domain)
Yogi Bear
Wacky Races (coming)
Huckleberry Hound
Top Cat (also coming)
Smurfs
Various other Hanna Barbera
Or Disney
Duck Tales
Darkwing Duck
Goof Troop
Quack Pack
Gummi Bears
Tale Spin
Buzz Lightyear
Aladdin (actually a decent toon, too bad the dtvs stunk)
Or, significantly, all the filmation titles like He-man and it’s Spinoffs.
June 29th, 2004 at 9:48 am
Minority Report and Catch Me if You Can
Erin Brockovitch and Traffic
Neither pair will likely prove as long-lasting as Brooks’, but neither is inconsequential either.
June 29th, 2004 at 11:55 am
Heck, Spielberg did it a decade earlier, too.
Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List.
June 29th, 2004 at 1:15 pm
Mark — doesn’t count. Jurassic Park sucked. ;-)
John — OK, I might give you the Soderbergh pair.
Paul — I’m in there for DuckTales, Animaniacs, and Tiny Toons. I’ll most likely pick up Gargoyles when it comes out this year. It’s getting better out there.
Wait, I’d have to add in Tale Spin. Such a great and creative show. “Old Man And The Sea Duck” is a classic.
July 1st, 2004 at 12:02 pm
Augie,
You can’t say JP sucks while pining for a SE of Men in Tights. :)
July 1st, 2004 at 2:07 pm
Mark -> MEN IN TIGHTS is CITIZEN KANE next to the awful drek that JP was. And as bad as JP was, JP2 almost tops it (gymnastics and the tacked on Godzilla schtick), and JP3 was so dreadfully devoid of drama and made up of all the leftover bits from the books that it’s tough to even bother calling it an insipid waste of time. But I will, anyway.