Video Business reports that New Line Home Entertainment will release Hairspray in three standard DVD versions and on Blu-ray Disc, the studio’s first high-definition release, on November 20. The dual-format supporting studio also will release the musical on HD DVD, but not until the first half of 2008 due to the format’s lack of regional coding, making the title a de facto Blu-ray exclusive in the fourth quarter. On DVD, the $107 million grossing box-office hit will be available as a single-disc priced at $28.98, in a two-disc “Shake and Shimmy” edition priced at $34.99 and in a gift set priced at $59.76. The Blu-ray and upcoming HD DVD will be $34.99. Both the two-disc DVD and the Blu-ray version will be packaged with a unique two-sided, transparent sleeve, that can be turned to show either the show’s adult or teenage casts on the front of the package.
The two-disc “Shake and Shimmy” edition and the high-def versions are fully decked-out with extras, among them behind-the-scenes bonus features including a new musical number (”I Can Wait”), a “You Can’t Stop the Beat” documentary, a “Hairspray Extensions” featurette offering dance breakdowns, audio commentaries and deleted scenes. In addition, the Blu-ray version will have a “Behind the Beat” picture-in-picture-type option allowing viewers to watch behind-the-scenes footage and commentary concurrent with the running feature. The HD DVD, when it releases next year, also will have picture-in-picture, Internet connectivity and Web-enhanced features.
During his panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Smith confirmed that a supplementary DVD will be released next year for his 1997 Spirit Award winning Chasing Amy. To keep the style of special edition versions of his movie going, Smith’s opus will get a special edition treatment, but rather than being packaged into a new “collectors edition” DVD set, a single disc will be released that is set to include a slew of extras to act as a counterpart to the Criterion Collection DVD released in 2000.
Set to be included with the new disc is a Chasing Amy documentary found on the web, a post-screening Q and A from a film festival as well as interviews and reflections from the cast and crew of the film.
Smith said to expect this new disc to be available sometime next summer.
The Weinstein Company has revealed the official artwork for Clerks II which stars Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith, and Jason Mewes. The disc will be available on December 5, 2006, and should retail at around $29.95. The film itself will be presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Extras will include an audio commentary with Kevin Smith and co, deleted scenes, a ninety-minute behind the scenes documentary, the complete MySpace credits list, trailers, and more. A HD DVD release will be available from the same day, priced at $35.99. Extras are believed to be identical.
Fox has announced single, and double-disc collector’s editions of the Oscar nominated Walk The Line which stars Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin and Robert Patrick. This new film is based on the life of country music legend Johnny Cash, and will be available to own on February 28th. Both discs will carry an anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with both English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Surround soundtracks. The single-disc will include a director audio commentary, ten deleted scenes, and some trailers. The two-disc special edition will include all of that, along with three extended music videos, a Man In Black featurette and a Walk The Line Comeback featurette.
Fox Home Entertainment has announced a new special edition of Napoleon Dynamite which stars Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Aaron Ruell. The Like The Best Special Edition Ever edition will be available on May 16th.
The film itself will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Extra material on this two-disc set will include a commentary by Director/Co-Writer Jared Hess, Actor Jon Heder and Producer Jeremy Coon, deleted scenes with optional audio commentary, a Peluca Short Film with optional commentary, a Wedding of the Century featurette, The Real Napoleon Dynamite documentary, new outtakes and deleted scenes, Clips from MTV Movie Awards, MTV On-Air Promos and outtakes, raw interstitial tapes from shoot/outtakes, and a 2005 Scripps National Spelling Bee ESPN clip.
Completing the package will be the Opening of SNL with Jon Heder, a freestyle dance of Napoleon Dynamite filmed during Peluca, trailers and more.
