Movies, DVD & That...

Recent Additions updated 23/12 - DVD News Headlines updated 24/12

Welcome back to Movies, DVD and That, a UK site which is all about movies, DVD and that. For - yes! - DVD is the most wonderful new way of watching movies which, of course, is why we're all put here on earth. If you have stumbled across the site and don't know the first thing about DVD, then you can find out what the first thing really is here.

The site is the home of the UK DVD FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) - whether you want to look into DVD for the first time, or you have an obscure question about a machine, you may well find the answer here. There is also up to date DVD News, a page of the latest Official Studio News and Release Schedules (read it here first, why don't you) and DVD Reviews of British and American discs.

As to movies themselves, you'll find unbiased readable Reviews. "Thank goodness", I hear you cry, "the Internet certainly needs more reviews". Guilty as charged, but go on, just read a few. If your likes roughly coincide with mine ( I don't particularly care for any of the Dragon Hell WishMaker series, for example), then I may be of some use. And besides, I try not to give all the plot away - I leave that to the trailers. See the site contents for other movie features and articles.

The site is not a commercial concern and has no flashy graphics. Sorry. But hey, it should load fast, and shouldn't produce any messages saying "System failure: Java Message Script Alert Fatal Error Abort Danger Of Death Biohazard".

Recent Additions

Another couple of disc reviews - new Warner release The Lost Boys and The Rock. More coming soon, and look for a toally new look site over the Christmas / New Year period...

Two new DVDs - the one to beat, L.A. Confidential and the enjoyable rental only Martha, Meet Daniel, Frank and Laurence. At the movies, God puts an all-too-rare appearance in The Prince Of Egypt.

The first of a new look review is granted to the very excellent Thelma & Louise - send me your comments on the layout, as I plan to convert all DVD and movie reviews to this type eventually. If all goes to plan, almost every available region 2 disc will have their format details here, and many with reviews, making it the ultimate resource...

A look back at the Summer's movies. In Titanic's wake, who sank and who swam?

The all new, all fabulous Big 52 Movie Quiz

DVD News - Comment (22/12 Update)

Go straight to the headlines

Go to the Archived News

Well, expect all news to be thin on the ground for a couple of weeks as the season to be jolly makes us all jolly. However, there are already a stack of DVDs a mile high for me to get through before Santa delivers a few more, so keep checking back over the festive season here for the latest, definitve reviews and, er, that.

The site is going to be undergoing a complete overhaul in the next few weeks, hopefully bringing more authorititive information on discs, and an easier to use layout. All the stuff you know and, in a few cases, love, will still be here though, so don't abandon me, now...

All that remains for the time being is for me to wish everyone a merry old Christmas and happy new year. And it'll be all the happier knowing that New Line are releasing their UK line up in January...

24/12 More extras from Columbia Tristar

Columbia are to release 5 new discs in January, with each containing at least a basic trailer and filmography package. Leading the crop is Gattaca, which will also feature out-takes and a photo gallery, and this is joined by Hush, Excess Baggage and the delayed Replacement Killers and Double Team. These latter two titles should still beat the retail VHS release date by a month or so. All releases are £19.99 and are anamorphic widescreen.

17/12 New Line coming to UK DVD?

That's the tantalizing promise offered by Entertainment Video, who own the VHS rights to many of the New Line titles such as The Mask & Seven. Movies, DVD & That can exclusively reveal that the company are about to move into DVD in the UK, and plan to issue a press release in January. In the US, New Line have released some of the most popular DVD titles, such as Austin Powers, Lost In Space & The Wedding Singer. Note, however, that holding VHS rights does not automatically mean that Entertainment Video owns the rights to the DVD, and Movies, DVD & That has learned that at least one of the preceding titles has been bought by another UK company.

Nevertheless, the move will come as a shot in the arm for the under-represented UK industry, still suffering with no announcements from Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks or Fox.

16/12 A few more delays

The Borrowers has now hit the shops from Polygram, as has Brassed Off from VCI. Both studios have delays on other titles though - Trainspotting, originally due for shipping in June, now has a best guess date of late January 1999! VCI's other releases, including their fist dual layer title, Fried Green Tomatoes, will also now come out some time in the new year.

15/12 Ssssh!!!! Libraries rent DVD....

Keep your voice down, but DVD-UK is reporting that at least one British public library is renting region 2 DVDs for the oh-so-tempting sum of £2 A WEEK. So if you live near High Wycombe, it's time to iron your old membershiop card, slip on your hush puppies and pay off all your fines.

At the site, Andy Hawkins is collecting places whose libraries are joining the high-tech revolution. Take a look down yours and report back any good news you find.

14/12 Santa is back with his Iron Mask

It's on, it's off... it's on again. The Man in the Iron Mash is now due out on December 21st. The other back catalogue titles (Rain Man etc) should be out next month, but there is no firm date yet.

Meanwhile, information is starting to trickle through regarding the Polygram archive acquisition. MGM will be handling old Polygram DVD titles (maybe THEY can get The Usual Suspects right), but the tortuous process of going through rights on a title by title basis is still in full swing. Look for full information on this hopefully early next year.

10/12 Godzilla: DVD DOES matter...

With humans re-installed at Columbia, Movies, DVD & That... can exclusively reveal that the upcoming Godzilla DVD is slated to be the same special edition which recently broke sales records in the US. Upon release Stateside, the specially discounted disc was the first in history to actually exceed sales of the VHS version. The film should thus be anamorphic & dual layer, and include a featurette, special effects commentary, 5 trailers, animated menus, a music video, photos & notes. If this is the case, it will certainly join Contact, LA Confidential, Sphere and US Marshals as a Most Desirable Disc, although I'd urge caution until you see the whites of Godzilla's eyes.

Hold on, do Godzilla's eyes have whites?

The movie is released to the UK on March 22nd, and will coincide with the VHS retail release.

10/12 Only 2% of males of even HEARD of DVD!!!!

That's the amazing finding of a major new report into European DVD by media journal Screen Digest, and refers to adults in the UK. By contrast, when the survey was conducted, 48% knew of Digital TV - 24 times the amount of those who knew what DVD was about.

However, the report is far from all gloom. France leads the way in market penetration, followed by Germany, then the UK. Across Europe, 125,000 players should have been sold this year, rising to 485,000 next year and over a million by the end of the year 2,000, while disc sales should rise from 1.4 million this year to over 15 million during the same period. By the end of 1998, around 400 titles will have been released across Europe, but only 135 of those are from the Hollywood major studios. The rest are made up of local independents - in the UK, VCI, BMG and Carlton are examples.

The report highlights what it sees are the problems facing DVD in Europe. These are:

• Low consumer awareness

• Disparity in pricing of players between the US and Europe

• Relatively limited choice of software and the resultant importing of US discs

The report also looks at the plans of all the manufacturers, software companies, authoring houses, replication plants (there are now 11 across Europe) and the viability or otherwise of DIVX. But don't rush out to buy your own copy - it'll set you back a modest £495.

9/12 South Park confirmed for March

DVD World reports that all 13 episodes of the first season of South Park will go on sale in March 1999, courtesy of Warner Vision.

9/12 In The Line Of Fire finally has the UK in its crosshairs...

Originally postponed due to cuts demanded by the BBFC, Columbia are apparently set to release the Clint thriller here in February 1999. It is not yet clear whether this disc has been cut or has had its rating bumped up to an 18.

Meanwhile, the hotly anticipated As Good as it Gets and Das Boot are delayed yet again - clearly the effort of getting a whole extra onto the discs has proved too much for the huge company. The new best-guess date is December 21st, perilously close to Santa's delivery date...

One more new release announced - Nicolas Cage finds out on March 22nd that It Could Happen To You. While Columbia have apparently replaced their entire staff with voice mail, thanks to DVD World for the info.

8/12 Titanic DVD is out now

It's region 4, and... a bootleg. The discovery follows the recent appearance of Disney animated bootleg DVDs in the Far East. Of course, the quality is likely to be poor and previous bootlegs have even missed out entire parts of the film...

If you want more details, pop over to The Digital Bits.

8/12 More Flippin' Disney...

This time, the film you have to turn over half way through is The Rock. This follows Face/off last month - neither title was two sided on their respective US releases.

4/12 First ever dedicated code free DVD player for £399

It's finally happened. Someone has broken ranks with the worldwide DVD consortium and released a player to the UK market which can, off the shelf, play DVD discs from any region, selectable by remote.

The company is called SMC, and the machine retails here through Maplin. It otherwise looks like a relatively basic machine, except for the curious addition of a karaoke facility. This may be a clue as to it's origins - such code free machines are common in Hong Kong, where karaoke is popular. It retails for £399 - check the company web site for a picture and more details.

Meanwhile, Upgrade Heaven have cracked the eagerly anticipated DV-717 machine.

4/12 All UK DVD prices cut

£1 off all discs throughout December, with free first class P&P, are there for the grabbing from on-line retialers DVD Plus. Happy Christmas...

4/12 Pathe plan to launch DVD mid-1999

A few more details have been sneaking out regarding Pathe's plans for UK DVD. They hope to release their first titles in June or July 1999 through the Fox Pathe distribution partnership, probably starting with some high profile back catalogue releases - I am sworn to secrecy on actual titles, but they should be very eagerly welcomed.

The company then plan to move to rental DVD day and date with rental VHS on new releases, although they are watching the market for developments.

4/12 Warner distribution dominates UK sales

Following the aggressive pricing of most of their product at £15.99, Warner Brothers distribution is officially dominating the UK market in a fairly major way. Since the start of the official top 20 sales charts, the company - covering Warner Brothers, Disney / Buena Vista and MGM - have been responsible for at least 16 of the best selling titles. In one week, they occupied all 20 positions. Their discs account for 70% of total UK sales.

Recently, Columbia Tristar reduced their RRPs from £24 to £20, and have started to incorporate significant extras on their titles. This may now give Warner some real competition. Obviously bullish in the meantime, Neil McKewan, from Warner UK, says actual numbers sold have been "very positive".

4/12 More MGM updates

Thelma and Louise is now out - Man In the Iron Mask will now probably not make Santa's sack. Save those Christmas tokens...

2/12 Alice joins Brucie in DVD wonderland

This is about as big a coup as we've ever had in European DVD - distributors Warner Brothers have confirmed that Alice In Wonderland, Disney's first ever animated feature, comes to UK DVD on 25th January 1999. This will be Disney's first ever classic animated title released anywhere in the world on our loveable disc format - it seems unlikely that the US will get any such titles before the end of next year. Another family favourite, Dumbo, is released on 19th February.

Another significant release on that date (subject to alteration) is Armageddon, along with these other Disney / Warner titles - City Of Angels, Copland, Dave, Driving Miss Daisy, Forever Young, The Green Berets, Hard to Kill, Ice Storm, Jungle to Jungle, Murder at 1600, Risky Business, Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion, Splash, The Three Musketeers and The Wild Bunch - Director's Cut.

Joining Alice in her Wonderland on 25th January are Beetlejuice, Blazing Saddles, Cool Runnings, Devil's Advocate, GoodFellas, Grosse Pointe Blank, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Mr Magoo, Shine & Spy Hard. Pretty Woman, GI Jane and Six Days and Seven Nights are all to be confirmed for this date.

And before even that, 6th January sees the release of US Marshalls - Special Edition.

There are around 15 more titles per month planned for March, April and May - no specific titles available yet.

All prices to be £15.99. Thanks to DVD World for the advance word on these dates - more details to come very soon.

For older stories, go to the News Archive

Contact me:

Guy Rowland - movies@movieuk.com

All reviews / articles copyright Guy Rowland (1998).

  Hits since 7th August 1998 - but then again, the site was down for three months...