Euro DVD
Doing some surfing around for DVD stuff the other day, I popped over to DVDExpress' Euro store.  Paramount who are set to release DVDs to Oz Christmas 2000 (see post below) have already started over in the UK. If you just can't wait til xmas for some of the paramount PAL format DVDs like Star Trek: First Contact, Drop Zone, and TOP GUN (all of which I am thrilled to say are ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN,( unlike some of the region 1USA Versions) they each set you back less than $AUD40. 

M.I.B DVD Uncut...Buuuuut
When Men in Black was released to cinemas, and VHS those few years back several scenes were trimmed down to reduce the level of violence (which initially gave it an M15+ Rating) in order for it to pass the Aussie Censors with the more popular PG Rating.
The good news is that the cut scenes are being Re-instated for the upcoming September DVD release (back INTO the film, not just an extra on the shit-hot Collector's Edition) and the film is rerated with an M15+ Rating.... However,   Surfing across some UK sites DVDDEBATE, who were present at the first UK in house screening of this DVD noticed some of the dialogue was re-looped with different words (the offending word was apparently 'prick'). In the UK M.I.B is rated 12 and Columbia are using the same Transfer for our region 4 DVD. 
Something to point out is that these 'alterations' may have been made to the final cut of MIB, not just the UK Cut.  Galaxy Quest was one such Recent film to receive a nip and tuck for it's final cut (with 'fuck that' being substituted with 'screw that').   These sort of things happen all the time, and it's not necessarily applicable only to swear words. 

Erin Brok DVD Specs
Coming date and day in November with the VHS Rental is the worldwide Box Office Smash Hit Erin Brokovich.  Featuring an Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio Track, 2 Featurettes (one 15 minutes, the other 5 minutes), a personal profile of Erin Brokovich, deleted scenes with director commentary, and an Isolated Music Track. nice. Great Film too!
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DVDTS Poll
With the upcoming Universal releases of Jaws, and Jurassic Park 1&2, We thought it'd make for an interesting Poll to see if you intend on being faithful to region 4, buying the sure to be great Dolby Digital 5.1 version/s, or if you'd defect and buy sure to be awesome USA DTS 5.1 version/s. 
Personally, with Universal being one of only handful of studios, at present, catering for the DTS Audio for Movies Market, I would have thought they wouldn't limit this feature to just the USA market, when you consider the stakes they actually have in DTS.  As DTS Audio has time and time again proven it's superiority over Dolby Digital and with Universal covering not only region 4 with there PAL DVDs, it's not like there is a market that is so small they couldn't re-coup their DVD costs!   While the region 4 DTS-less version will no doubt do very well, I still believe we should have been given a choice with DD5.1 and DTS5.1 versions as they've done in the USA!
By denying us DTS Encoded DVDs, those who have invested in this great addition to Home Theatre will source outside of Oz for some time.  And It's not like DTS is a short term fad both here and overseas.
Pretty much Every DVD player available today can output a DTS bitstream, and even receivers for less than $700 have both Dolby and DTS Decoders built in!  Given the choice, would you as a consumer with a DD/DTS Reciever buy the Dolby DVD or DTS DVD?...

We all heard the bullshit stories in the early days of a DTS track being too big for PAL DVDs, and after the likes of Universal's Flintstones DVD coming out in PAL with some 5 Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks (1740Kbps total) AND a running commentary to boot, one has to laugh.  Now DTS can encode at HALF the original bitrate (coming down to a very managable 768Kbps, that's just over 2 DD5.1 tracks).
Anyone Who's heard Saving Private Ryan which was the very first commercial DVD encoded in DTS 768Kbps can attest to it's high quality sound.  Could that tanker possible rumble any better???

DVDs may still cost a bit of dosh to build, so fair enough not all studios can afford this 'luxury' at present when you consider the size of the aussie market alone (which is fast growing), but no doubt if enough consumers make a few suggestions to these folk it can happen . It's great to see one PAL distributor take the bull by the horns, little 'ol Warner Vision, to bring out some DTS Encoded PAL DVDs for us to enjoy in the mean time.  I'd still love to hear Jurassic Park in DTS on a PAL DVD thanks!!

Anyhoo, that's my thoughts on the whole DTS thing, what's yours?  Please Click here to take the DTS Poll!

You'll SCREAM come October
While Roadshow are all set to release Scream 3 on DVD sometime in October, the original [and the best] of the Trilogy is also coming to DVD, Down Under!   Becker, thru their new owner Magna Pacific are set to release SCREAM 1 this October to DVD. 
The inital plan for our region 4 PAL SCREAM DVD was to use Elements made for the Region 2 UK PAL version released thru Buena Vista a year or so ago.  However After Magna Saw that the goodies on the DLT were NOT of good enough quality they rejected them, and have now started a hunt to find a decent PAL transfer. 
BV in the USA recently announced Anamorphic Widescreen NTSC remasters of the First 2 SCREAMS, and one can only hope they've also gone and made a PAL Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer of the First (as we know they made a PAL 16x9 of SCREAM 2, as Roadshow released that one last year for they now distribute Miramax/Dimension films in Australia/NZ!). 

No details of formats, audio or extra features are known just yet, or even if the DVD version released here will be the censored MA15+ version or an uncut version!  One can only hope we get the director's Cut of Scream as the only DVD version known to exist is from Japan (and that'd cost a small fortune to buy!), this it'd certainly make ours hot property across a few regions.

DVD Prices FORCED DOWN
In what really has to be a first for Aussie DVDs, one distributor's prices have DROPPED on ALL of their DVD TITLES
With the Introduction of GST on 1st July, the 22% Wholesales Tax on DVDs was replaced with the 10% GST.  And unlike a few other distributors (who shall remain nameless) this price reduction is being past onto the consumer.. This has reduced Force Video's $34.95 titles down to a RRP (inclusive of GST) of $32.95, and $29.95 titles down to $28.95.
Also receiving a price cut are several back catalogue titles.  Less popular titles like The Blood on the Sun, A Doll's House and Angel and the Badman are retailing for a mere $18.95!

I was most impressed with the upcoming July Release of George Romero's Zombie classic Night of the Living Dead.  Though it'll be priced at their now normal $32.95,   It features the NEW 30th Anniversay Cut (with 15 minutes of newly shot footage), the Original 1968 version, (cleaned up and re-tweaked in 1998) a behind the scenes Featurette, Photo gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Music Video (in DD5.1 audio) and a Running Commentary!! This DVD is about to be pressed and is due out in a few weeks!!)

Also Starting in July from Force is a series of R Rated Adult/Erotic DVDs!  Coming up First (no pun intended :) is Cyrano (a porn version of Cyrano De Bergerac.)...you know, the story of the fella with the long...err...Nose :) and following that is the start of the series called Sex Files!  (all these DVDs retail for $28.95)

Jaws Attacks the Net
Columbia Australia have just published a web site for JAWS on DVD.  Click HERE for the Press Release
or Click HERE to go to Jaws on the Web

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