UPDATE June 30: First 100 Pre-orders are in, the disc is on!

Did you think you had every last HD DVD disc accounted for? You even counted Gary Ugarek’s Deadlands which came out this year, long after the official HD DVD party ended?

Well, pull out that spreadsheet or database program, because there’s soon going to be one more HD DVD title to add to the list (and maybe even more than that if things go well).

Indie filmmaker, and HD DVD fan, Michael Bilinski joins the ranks of fellow independent Gary Ugarek, in making an HD DVD version of his movie, Smokers.

In Michael’s own words: (more…)

The latest news from Gary Ugarek adds a whole lot of Zombie cred to his name. Not only has he made movies about Zombies, he then got involved with trying to put out a new HD DVD disc long after the format was already laid to rest, and then had that disc project itself require resurrection.

The new word on Deadlands 2 is that Anthem Pictures (the distributor) has been hard at work on offering the original product (bonus materials and all) through HD DVD-R discs, all made in-house instead of chasing down replication houses that failed them last time.

As usual, we have the story straight from Gary: (more…)

Writer/Director Gary Ugarek, the man behind Deadlands: The Rising, and its sequel, Deadlands 2: Trapped, also happens to be an HD DVD fan. He has been trying his darndest to release his latest creation on HD DVD, long after the format’s official demise.

We first covered news about Deadlands 2 last September, when Gary was able to announce pre-orders for this limited edition disc. Many of you jumped at the opportunity to show support for this project and placed orders at Anthem DVD.

Unfortunately, this story has not turned out the way that HD DVD fans would have wanted, including Gary. Rather than piece together an article based on various postings gleaned from around the web, I thought it would be good to give Gary a chance to tell us about it himself.

Here’s Gary Ugarek: (more…)

Toshiba’s Blu-ray player did not bring HD DVD back from the dead, however Indie film makers WETNWILD FILMS and Anthem Pictures are resurrecting the HD DVD format with at least one brand new title: Deadlands 2: Trapped due out on October 27, 2009, in a limited run of only 500 copies.

What started out as a small discussion at the AVS forum has turned in to bigger news in the HD DVD world. Director/writer Gary Ugarek, an HD DVD fan himself, passed along a press release on Friday afternoon about his zombie horror film, Deadlands 2: Trapped. Here are some of Gary’s quotes:

• “Some people thought I was flat out nuts and were asking, why HD DVD? Are you not a Blu-Ray supporter? I answered I am, but when you have a dedicated fan base for a format, like HD-DVD does, and you see the passion of its supporters I immediately knew I wanted to do this for the fans. I want to give them something special.”
• “Right now we have 30gb of space to fill up, so Anthem and I are working together to see what can be included, and if we have the space I will keep adding more to the list to make it a packed to the brim HD DVD release of the film.”
• “I know it’s a gamble with HD DVD having lost out on the format war, but based on feedback from HD DVD fans we expect this to be a huge moment for them, the film and HD DVD. Kind of ironic that a zombie film would be helping HD DVD try to come back from the dead, even if for a short period of time, but who knows, if the program is a success maybe other indie filmmakers and distributors can do something similar for the HD DVD fans and keep it alive for the hard core.”

And more info directly from the press release:

(more…)

Thanks to the fire sales, people have been busy building up their HD DVD movie collections, and some of you may have enough now to dispense some advice to the others who are still looking to add new titles to theirs.

Patrick, one of our regular readers, asked about having a “Top 5 HD DVD” call-out. Instead of putting words in his mouth, here’s what he said:

Can we have a top 5 HD DVD post? I’d like to hear what other titles are out there that people like which I may not have considered.

I found out there is a dutch Reservoir Dogs HD DVD today…pretty sweet.

I was thinking the criteria should not just be your favorite movies of course, but HD DVD titles, factoring in quality of transfer and extras etc.

My top to 5 out of the 30 I own are:

1. Planet Earth
2. The Bourne Trilogy
3. Pan’s Labyrinth
4. King Kong
5. Serenity

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory really blew me away with the image quality, but I didn’t see the movie until the dvd so as a whole it didn’t make the list, but would be one of the tops in image quality.

How ’bout it? What are your favorite discs? We know what Patrick enjoyed, share in the comments about your Top 5.

Though it contains a few high notes, just as it was for poor old Julius Caesar, March is not going to be an especially kind month. March is the last month that we’re likely to see HD DVD players on store shelves as Toshiba phases those products out. In terms of movie releases, the titles that come out from Universal and Paramount this month are pretty much their last on the format.

Ironically, the HD DVD exclusive studios are outdone by Warner, the studio that helped kill off the format, who will continue to release titles for another couple of months (unless they change their minds).

The two Paramount movies released this week are the last from that studio, and that includes titles from their associated studio, DreamWorks who cancelled next week’s release of Bee Movie.

The movies listed below are the ones that are definitely available through Amazon on March 4, however you may notice that other sites have listed an additional title or two. Those titles may have been cancelled, or had other changes to their release dates.

Into the Wild (2007) Emile Hirsh, Marcia Gay Harden Directed by Sean Penn Rated R

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro Directed by Susanne Bier Rated R

No Reservations (2007) Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart Directed by Scott Hicks Rated PG

As the second week of big name releases in several weeks, this week would have been so much greater under different circumstances in the format war. While last week brought out only two titles, including the Oscar-nominated American Gangster, this week has over half a dozen movies.

The most notable title in the list is Beowulf, the Robert Zemeckis film, famous for being a really neat 3D experience in IMAX, and its “nude” shot of Angelina Jolie. I put that word in quotes because it’s just a computer generated version. There’s a review coming in the next day or two, so I’ll have more to say then.

This week also brings the latest installment in the Freedom series from Bandai Visual. They’re also putting out a box set of the first three episodes, which includes a toy vehicle. If you’ve followed this blog, then you know that I’ve always got a review of Freedom episodes as they come out, so keep your eyes open for that this week as well.

Starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has quite the long title, and is Warner’s contribution to the notable titles for the week. The release slate is rounded out by a few opera and classical discs, and a rare martial arts flick.

Beowulf (2007) Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Anjelina Jolie Rated PG-13

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck Directed by Andrew Dominik Rated R

The Brave One (2007) Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard Directed by Neil Jordan Rated R

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons – Acoustic Reality Experience Not rated

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection Mahler, Skb, Boulez Not Rated

Cecilia & Bryn at Glyndebourne: Arias & Duets (1999) Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel Not Rated

Rain in the Mountains (2006) Steve Piere, Audrey Seymour Directed by Joel Metlen, Christine Sullivan Unrated

Freedom 4 Daisuke Namikawa, Directed by Shuhei Morita Not Rated Freedom 1-3 Set with Vehicle Figure at dot-anime.us

Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) Chen Kuan-Tai, Yuen Wah Unrated

The release slate for this week is really interesting because of its extremely wide variety. On one end of the spectrum, we have a classical music concert, and another installment in the 3-D sound series. This is the feast for the ears part, and it’s all very well-to-do.

In the middle, we have a The Amateurs (also called The Moguls), a 2005 comedy with some actors you already know. It’s a story about some regular small-town folks thinking they can make an adult film. Well, maybe they’re not all that regular or ordinary, but certainly a little crazy.

The Amateurs has a plot that’s sort of a segue into the week’s release that’s on the other end of the spectrum: the latest Girls Gone Wild video. Some might consider it a feast for the eyes, but we can all agree it’s more rough around the edges than the classical music discs.

I’m not saying that people who like one kind of disc won’t like the other, but just pointing out the diversity of interests that are being represented this week.

Of these four titles, Mountain Winds comes out on Feb. 13, and Vivaldi later in the week on the 16th.

(all links are to Amazon ordering pages)

Vivaldi – The Four Seasons Concertos for Double Orchestra David Juritz and the London Mozart Players Unrated

Mountain Winds Unrated

The Amateurs Jeff Bridges, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, William Fichtner, Ted Danson, Lauren Graham, Glenne Headly Directed by Michael Traeger Rated R

Girls Gone Wild: Baby Bash Not rated

Movies, movies, movies! We need more of them and we need them now. The new theatrical releases pretty much come out on time just a few months later, but the slowdown in the last quarter of 2007 has taken its toll on the HD DVD releases for most of January and the start of February. The proverbial ball will get rolling in the weeks ahead, but if it wasn’t for the 50% off sale to keep us all busy with titles that came out months ago, I think many HD DVD owners would be extremely upset right around now.

A couple of sites are reporting that we have three titles released this week, but in my poking around I only found solid evidence of two of them. The big name title for this week is Oscar-nominated Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a sequel to 1998’s Elizabeth (which was also heavily Oscar nominated) starring many of the same actors, including Cate Blanchett as the Queen. A proper review of this movie is coming in the days ahead, so I’ll save some of the details for later. If you can’t wait, then click through to the links and read the product description at Amazon.

The other HD DVD title this time around is a box set of a Discovery Channel favorite, Deadliest Catch. This is a series that follows crab fishermen in the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast, as they undertake what is among the most dangerous jobs in the world. I’ve watched a few episodes of this series and was spared from seeing the ones that featured some really nasty things, such as crippling injuries and death. You won’t have to miss out on any of that gory stuff in this season 3 box set, though.

That third, phantom title? It’s the horror film, Naked Beneath the Water which is being listed at High-Def digest as releasing today, and re-reported as such by EngadgetHD. But Amazon says this one comes out along wth American Gangster in a couple of weeks on the 19th.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) Cate Blanchett, Jordi Molla, Aimee King, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen Directed by Shekhar Kapur Rated PG-13

Deadliest Catch Season 3

Here’s a typical clip from Deadliest Catch. (more…)