Transformers BD, Lebowski 10th Anniversary announced, & MORE…

Disc Announcements, News

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day Holiday. I myself had a little too much fun, and what happens when you have too much fun? You miss some big DVD announcements. News on Transformers, Beetlejuice, and THE DUDE!

On the television front, Warner Home Video has announced the first, albeit truncated, season of Pushing Daisies. The series, which stars Lee Pace, Anna Friel, and Chi McBride, will be available in a three-disc set on September 16, 2008. All 9 episodes will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. The standard DVD release will retail for $29.98 while the Blu-ray will be $39.98. Both versions will include the Pie Time – Time for Pie interactive featurette. It appears this will be the only extra included.

One of the most critically lauded TV dramas of all time sees its final season on DVD this August. The fifth season of HBO’s The Wire will be available to own on August 12, 2008. The four-disc set will have a $59.99 price tag. Special features include six audio commentaries with creator David Simon, along with the members of the cast and crew, and two features (The Wire: The Last Word Documentary and The Wire Odyssey).

Universal’s Emmy Award winning comedy The Office sees its 4th season hit DVD this September 2, 2008. The episodes in the four-disc package will be presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround tracks. Extras will include cast and crew commentary on the episodes “Money”, “Local Ad”, “The Desposition”, and “Did I Stutter?”, deleted scenes, outtakes, a few select features (Did I Stutter? Read-Through, The Office Convention Invitation, The Office Convention: Writer’s Block Panel), and a Goodbye, Toby Music Video.

Universal has also revealed specs of the first season DVD release of Life, which hits stores on September 2, 2008. Series creator Ran Ravich and cast and crew commentary on the episodes “Merit Badge,” Farthingale,” “Serious Control Issues,” “Dig a Hole,” and “Fill It Up,” deleted scenes, a blooper reel and four featurettes (Life Begins, Fruits of Life, Still Life, and Life‘s Unanswered Questions).

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a September 9 release Wings: The Complete Seventh Season. And one week later is a title that seemingly came out of nowhere: Duckman! That’s right, the wisecracking and crude Duck’s animated detective show that aired on the USA network in the mid-nineties will be getting a DVD release. All 22 episodes of the first two seasons will be presented in full screen, along with English Stereo Surround tracks. No word on extras for the time being.

On July 29, pot smokers are sure to stop hitting the bong long enough to pick up the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. New Line Home Entertainment has announced separate 1-disc and 2-disc DVD releases as well as a 2-Disc Blu-ray disc release. Each will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, and have an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras on the 2-disc will include a commentary with the director and stars, a second commentary with the director, the real “Harold Lee” and the guy who plays George W. Bush, one featurette (World of Harold and Kumar), 27 Additional Scenes, and a Bush public service announcement.

Fox Home Entertainment will release Nim’s Island on DVD this August 5. The film will be presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include a commentary with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin, a second commentary with Directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, 3 featurettes (Nim’s Friends, Abigail’s Journey, Working on Water), and deleted scenes. A Blu-ray release will also be available with all of the above features, plus Nim’s Spyglass BonusView Mode (which enables picture-in-picture playback of behind-the-scenes production footage and cast/crew interviews), and 4 interactive games.

Fox Home Entertainment has also announced details regarding the DVD release of Shutter on July 15. Two editions will be available — a rated (86 minutes) and unrated (89 minutes) version. The rated edition will include anamorphic widescreen and full screen presentations, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround tracks. The only extra material will be two featurettes (A Ghost In The Lens, A History Of Spirit Photography). The unrated edition will receive an anamorphic widescreen presentation, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround tracks. Extras will include a commentary with Production Executive Alex Sundell, Screenwriter Luke Dawson and actress Rachael Taylor, five featurettes (A Cultural Divide, The Director: Masayuki Ochiai, A Conversation With Luke Dawson, Create Your Own Phantom Photo, The Hunt For The Haunt: Tools And Tips For Ghost Hunting), 9 deleted scenes, an alternate ending (Mental Hospital), and a first look At The Horror Film Mirrors Starring Kiefer Sutherland.

The film Reno 911: Miami will be getting a double-dip release this September, as Fox Home Entertainment has announced a new unrated edition for September 9. The “More Busted Than Ever Unrated Cut” will retail at around $19.98. The film itself will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include commentary by writer/director Robert Ben Garant and writers Thomas Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver, an intro to “The Lost Version” by Lt. Jim Dangle, Deputy Travis Junior & Deputy Trudy Wiegel, extended scenes with optional commentary, a blooper reel, public service announcements, the theatrical trailer, and a digital copy of the film.

It’s been 20 years since Beetlejuice tickled our funny bone with his demented sense of humor. The film, which stars Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Winona Ryder, will get a Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition on September 16. Available on both DVD and Blu-ray, the Tim Burton film will have a newly remastered presentation. The DVD will also include three Beetlejuice cartoons (A-Ha, Skeletons In The Closet, Spooky Boo-tique) from the successful TV series which was produced by Burton and David Geffen and ran for four successful seasons. No word on if the Blu-ray release will include the episodes as well.

Also celebrating an anniversary is the Coen brothers’ Big Lebowski, celebrating 10 years this year. Available on September 9, the two-disc release will include an Introduction by Mortimer Young, Jeff Bridges Photograph, production notes, the theatrical trailer, four featurettes, (The Dude’s Life: Strikes and Gutters…Up’s and Downs…The Dude Abides, The Making of The Big Lebowski, The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever’s Story, and Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of the Dude), an Interactive Map, Jeff Bridges’ Photo Book and a photo gallery. A Limited Edition release will also be available in special bowling ball packaging.

Universal Home Video will be revisiting three quintessential classics from the eighties by writer/director John Hughes. On August 5, “Flashback Editions” of Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science will hit store shelves. All will be available to own for $19.98. The films will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround tracks. “Candles” will include the featurette Celebrating Sixteen Candles. Extras for “The Breakfast Club” will include a commentary With Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, two features (Sincerely Yours and Most Convenient Definitions), and the theatrical trailer. “Weird Science” will include a featurette (It’s Alive!: Resurrecting Weird Science) the Weird Science TV Pilot Episode, and the theatrical trailer.

Finally on the DVD front are two more announcements. Genius Products will be releasing The Deal, a program that originally aired on the BBC. The telefilm stars Michael Sheen, David Morrissey, Dexter Fletcher, and Frank Kelly. The Stephen Frears directed film will be available to own on July 29.

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced Stop-Loss with a July 8 release date. The Kimberly Peirce directed drama will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include a commentary by Director Kimberly Peirce and Co-Writer Mark Richard, 2 featurettes (The Making Of Stop-Loss, A Day In Boot Camp), and 11 additional scenes (Hometown Cooking, Roy King and Son, Leaving the Base, Need a Ride to Austin, Dropping Shorty Off, Michelle Offers to Drive, Veteran’s Support Network, Check Out, D.C. Visit, Senator Worrell, Beach).

Turning to Blu-ray, Sony Pictures is bringing more of its catalog to the new format and Paramount has some surprises in store.

Sony has announced a trio of horror titles for July 22. The Blu-ray releases of I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Excorcism of Emily Rose, and Urban Legend.

“Summer” will be presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen (1080p), along with Dolby True HD 5.1 English, Dolby True HD 5.1 French, Dolby True HD 5.1 Portuguese. Special features will include filmmakers’ commentary with director Jim Gillespie and editor Steve Mirkovich, the short film “Joyride,” Kula Shaker’s music video “Hush,” and a featurette (Now I Know What You Did Last Summer).

“Urban Legend” will be presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen (1080p), along with Dolby True HD 5.1 English, Dolby True HD 5.1 French, Dolby True HD 5.1 Portuguese, Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish, and Dolby Digital 5.1 Thai. Special features will include a directory commentary and a ‘making-of’ featurette.

“Emily Rose” will be presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby True HD 5.1 track. Extras will include a commentary with director Scott Derrickson, three featurettes (Genesis of the Story, Casting of the Movie, Visual Design), and some deleted scenes.

Sony Pictures has also announced Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. The film will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround track. Extras will include a filmmaker commentary, a director and cast commentary, two featurettes (Evolution: The Bugs of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, Enlist: Marauder’s Mobile Infantry), and an extended “It’s a Good Day to Die” music video. A Blu-ray release will also be available with identical features. Also arriving on Blu-ray that same day is a box set containing all three Starship Troopers films.

Paramount Home Entertainment will usher a few box office hits to Blu-ray in the next few months. The biggest title, Transformers, will arrive on September 2. The film will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, and 5.1 PCM (Uncompressed) tracks. Extras will include a commentary by Michael Bay, multiple HD featurettes (The Story Sparks, Human Allies, I Fight Giant Robots, Battleground, Rise of the Robots, Autobots Roll Out, Decepticons Strike, Inside the AllSpark, Transformers Tech Inspector, From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack, Concepts), the teaser and theatrical trailers, BD-Live Features, and Easter Eggs (Michael Bay Cameo, Girl in Dress, Bay Bot, Casting Mojo).

On July 29, Paramount will release Beowulf: Director’s Cut on Blu-ray. The film will be presented in 2.40:1 widescreen (1080p), along with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 English. Special features include sixteen featurettes, eleven deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer and Easter Eggs.

Shrek the Third makes its arrival to Blu-ray on September 16. The film will be presented in 1.85:1 widescreen (1080p), along with Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras include commentary with the cast, three deleted scenes, eight featurettes, the “Donkey Dance” music video, and trailers for the Shrek franchise, Charlotte’s Web and DWA Jukebox.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!