It’s the second Tuesday in January, but the first one in 2008 with new HD DVD releases. Two releases (Galaxina and Road to Rio/Road to Bali) are delayed another couple of weeks, leaving us with five discs to enjoy this time around.

Of the five, the most talked-about is Zodiac, based on a true story about a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco in the 60s and 70s. The film has been described as a very thought-provoking experience, and I’m looking forward to watching it later in the week.

Roman Polanski’s The Pianist won top honors at the Cannes International Film festival in 2002, three Academy Awards the following year, and is another top choice for the week.

White Noise and White Noise 2 are based on speaking with the dead through “Electronic Voice Phenomenon” or EVP, with the sequel dabbling into near-death experiences. These movies manage to come up with some good scary moments.

Finally, there’s plenty of action in Mobsters, the story of four buddies who rise to power in the criminal underworld of the 1920s.

Zodiac (2007) Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox Directed by David Fincher Rated R

White Noise (2005) Michael Keaton, Deborah Unger, Ian McNeice, Chandra West Directed by Goeffrey Sax Rated PG-13

White Noise 2 (2007) Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff Directed by Patrick Lusisier Rated PG-13

Mobsters (1991) Christian Slater, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Greico, Costas Mandylor Directed by Michael Karbelnikoff Rated R

The Pianist (2003) Adrien Brody Directed by Rated R

It turned out that yesterday’s listing of Warner Bros. theatrical releases for 2008 was missing the releases from New Line Cinema (New Line is part of Time Warner). We’ll fix that problem today.

There’s only informaton for the first half of the year because New Line hasn’t released their entire schedule just yet. I got this information from their mySpace page as well as their own publicity site. If our request for more information comes through, I’ll update this posting with any new information they pass along.

Just to remind you… as with Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. over the last few days, these are all listings of theatrical releases and we’re only predicting that these new releases will come out for home consumption some months later.

Over Her Dead Body, February 1
Henry’s fiancee, Kate (Eva Longoria), was killed on their wedding day, and Henry (Paul Rudd) agrees to see a psychic to help him out. Henry and the psychic fall in love with each other, but Kate’s ghost is determined to keep the couple apart by haunting the psychic.

(Click here if the video does not appear above — link goes to movie web site.)

Continue reading about movies with Jack Black, Will Ferrell, “Harold and Kumar” and more

On the third day of our 2008 theatrical releases roundup we set our sights on Warner Bros. Like Universal, Warner has a huge catalog of titles to release from, and they’re also very active with their new releases. Like Paramount, Warner is part of a bigger entertainment empire which includes a few studios, like New Line Cinema who holds the keys to the Lord of the Rings.

Though a few of their titles are exclusive to HD DVD such as the Matrix trilogy and Batman Begins, Warner is actually format-neutral. Many speculate that if Warner was to choose sides, they’d end up deciding the fate of the format war rather quickly. That’s a dramatic statement to make, and there are supporters on both sides who would strongly disagree.

Putting the format war aside, let’s take a look at the trailers for the movies that Warner is scheduled to release this year in theaters. Just as with our Paramount preview and on yesterday’s Universal preview, remember that the information below only applies to theatrical releases. The prediction is that these movies are highly likely to be released for home consumption about five months later.

Provided below are trailers for these movies from Movieweb.com, as well as links to the official sites for the movies, which usually have the trailers, teasers available in high-def, and goodies to download.

One Missed Call, January 4
In this Japanese remake, a group of friends receive voicemails from the future which reveal the time and date of their deaths as well as sound from their last moments — and these voicemails are coming true.

(Click here if the video does not appear above — link goes to official movie site)
Continue on with the previews for Batman, Speed Racer, Get Smart, 10,000 BC, Harry Potter and more

Since the studios took a break from releasing HD DVD discs this week, we’ve been discussing what they’re likely to be putting out in the months ahead. This time around, we’ll take a look at movies from Universal Studios, a studio that’s been HD DVD exclusive from the very start, and whose catalog is huge (should they ever choose to release way more of it in the future). The movies below are all scheduled for theatrical release in 2008, and it’s probably a safe prediction that they’ll be out on HD DVD around five months later.

I should mention that these lists were originally compiled by Neil Miller for the “Film School Rejects” site, and summarized over at MovieWeb.com, which is where most of the movie trailers come from. If you missed it, here’s a link to the previous posting about Paramount’s 2008 releases.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins – February 8
Martin Lawrence plays Roscoe Jenkins, a talk-show host living large in L.A., but who turns out to be just another one of the folks when he visits his parents for their 50th wedding anniversary.

(Click here if the video doesn’t show up above — link goes to official movie site.)
Continue reading about Hellboy, Incredible Hulk, The Mummy, and many more of Uni’s 2008 theatrical releases

Best wishes for a very happy New Year!

All of the studios took a break from releasing HD DVDs this week so I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at some movies that they’re likely to put out on disc later this year. All of these movies are scheduled to hit theaters in 2008, and are very likely to be released for home consumption at least five months later, if not sooner. Remember, these aren’t movies from 2007 which have already been announced, but new theatrical releases for 2008 which are highly probable to be released on HD DVD a few months later.

We’re going to start with Paramount Studios, which also includes movies made by Dreamworks and others that are part of the Viacom umbrella, like Nickelodeon. Under an exclusivity deal, Paramount will only release movies on HD DVD for the rest of 2008, and at least a couple of months into 2009, and from the looks of it, there’s going to be a lot to look forward to.

I’ve included movie trailers as well as links to each movie’s official site when possible. These trailers are all from Movieweb.com, and are better video quality than the typical clips found on YouTube. You can get even more background information on the movies mentioned here by clicking through to the Movieweb.com site or the text link to the movie’s site.

Cloverfield, January 18
The year starts out with the action-packed thriller, Cloverfield, which is about a group of friends trying to survive a monster that attacks New York City. Not necessarily a Blair Witch Project, but the story is documented on their camcorder. I saw the teaser for this in the theater, and a larger trailer last night. This looks to be a really interesting movie.

(Click here if the video is not available above – link goes to official movie site: cloverfieldmovie.com)

Strange Wilderness, February 1
Since you already have an HD DVD player, it follows that you have an HDTV. And thus it follows that you probably have cable or satellite delivering HD channels like Animal Planet and National Geographic. Imagine a movie where Animal Planet meets Will Ferrell, except it’s not Animal Planet and not Will Ferrell. Well, something like that is what would explain Strange Wilderness which stars the Apple dude from the Mac commercials, and that boy from Superbad, in a movie about a TV crew in a last-ditch attempt to save their show by trying to find Bigfoot.
(Continue on to trailers and more info about the rest of Paramount’s 2008 release slate)

Since next Tuesday falls on Christmas day, and most stores will be closed, the studios have adjusted their release schedules a bit and decided to make some movies available just a little sooner, or hold them up an extra day.

Because of the way shipments to stores work, it’s entirely possible that these movies are already on store shelves right now. In fact, it’s a very common occurence to see movies in stores a week or more before their official release date. Having just finished watching The Bourne Ultimatum, I’m looking forward to seeing The Kingdom very much, hopefully sooner rather than later.

In terms of family viewing pleasure, all of the titles this week are rated R, so you’ll have to rely on past releases if you’re looking for holiday fare with young ones running around the house.

Here are the movies due on Sunday, December 23. (All links go to Amazon’s ordering pages. There’s no way you’ll get these by Christmas, but you can at least enjoy the discounted pricing)

The Kingdom (2007) Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner Directed by Peter Berg Rated R

Eastern Promises (2007) Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts Directed by David Cronenberg Rated R

Cat People (1982) Nastassia Kinski, Malcom McDowell, John Heard Directed by Paul Schrader Rated R

Timecop (1994) Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver Directed by Peter Hyams Rated R

These movies will be released on Wednesday, December 26:

The Heartbreak Kid (2007) Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly Rated R

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu Directed by Guillermo Del Toro Unrated (film was originally rated R)

An eagerly awaited high-def title highlights the discs released this week, as we plunge ahead into the holiday season. The high-profile releases earlier in the month were for box office hits from the current year. This week, Warner brings out a sci-fi classic, Blade Runner, on its 25th anniversary, and I wish they’d done it sooner so more people could find this waiting for them under the tree on Christmas day.

Directed by Ridley Scott, Philip K. Dick’s Blade Runner has been remastered, and released in a 5-disc set, containing multiple versions of the movie. The more affordable version of this collector’s edition consists of just the discs in a box, but it’s also available in a more expensive “Ultimate” set that comes in a “Deckard” style briefcase, and includes some memorabilia. There are plenty of bonus features here to keep fans entertained for quite a while.

Staying on the sci-fi and fantasy theme is Stardust, Neil Gaiman’s heart-warming fairy tale where the good guy gets the girl, and the bad guys get their due. Stardust features a star-studded cast with Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, and appearances by Ricky Gervais and Peter O’ Toole. This movie is sure to be a family favorite, but possibly a little sweet or light for some adults’ tastes.

There’s also a lot of music coming your way this week with three concert discs, and Warner’s That’s Entertainment collection.

Here’s the whole set of HD DVD releases for December 18, 2007:

(all links go to Amazon ordering pages)

Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector’s Edition) (2007) Harrison Ford, Sean Young Directed by Ridley Scott Rated R

Stardust (2007) Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, Charlie Cox Directed by Matthew Vaughn Rated PG-13

Balls of Fury (2007) Christopher Walken, Dan Fogler, George Lopez Directed by Robert Ben Garant Rated PG-13

The Moody Blues: Lovely to See You Live (2006) The Moody Blues Unrated

R. Kelly Live – The Light It Up Tour (2007) R. Kelly Unrated

Roy Orbison: Black & White Night (1988) Roy Orbison, Bruce Springsteen Directed by Tony Mitchell Unrated

That’s Entertainment: Complete Collection (1976) (musical anthology) Rated G

Note: Discovery Channel’s Sunrise Earth is out on DVD today, but the HD DVD version comes out on January 10

Unlike most people, I didn’t get Harry Potter or The Bourne Ultimatum from this week’s releases. Instead, I have the slightly more obscure, Freedom 3, the third episode of the anime series.

Imagine being on Netflix’s one-disc-at-a-time plan (which I am), but that it’s complicated by a months-long wait between the discs in your queue. And you’re using this method to get through all those subtitled Hiro Nakamura episodes on the disc set of Heroes (a problem I solved by purchasing the box set).

Following the Freedom series is not exactly like that, but it’s darn close. Each episode is pretty short at around 30 minutes, and then you have to wait a couple of months for the next one.

At my house, we didn’t realize that the series was growing on us until we popped in the third episode. Being the internet savvy dude that I am, I already knew what was in store, but it was fun to see it for myself — in HD. (more…)

This is a huge week for HD DVD releases of the blockbusters from earlier this year featuring discs that complete the collections of two popular series of movies, and a couple of discs that are also parts of their own interesting collections.

With only 5 of the 7 total movies completed, the Harry Potter films are already the most successful series in film history, even beating out the 21 James Bond movies. December 11 brings the latest of this series to HD DVD, and North America also gets the previous movies as well. You can purchase these films individually, or as a collector’s set which costs about as much as buying each one, but also happens to include some neat extras.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is also notable because of the “Live Community Screening” feature which allows friends to watch together from their own separate houses and send text messages to each other’s screens, similar to multiplayer video games.

Speaking of James Bond, the American spy sharing his initials has a new chapter in his saga due this week. Matt Damon stars in the The Bourne Ultimatum, the third of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne Identity books. It was one of the year’s biggest hits, and Amazon also happens to offer it as part of their Bourne Trilogy set. Sure you can buy all three of the movies anywhere, but if you’re planning on doing so, Amazon has made it a little more attractive by bundling them together at a discount.

I mentioned earlier that all of the HD DVD releases this week are volumes from a series. Anime title, Freedom 3, is the latest installment in the Freedom series. In this episode, Takeru’s dream of flying to Earth finally starts to come true. The Freedom series of HD DVD movies has been notable because they’re all made on the TWIN “combo” format where the HD DVD and DVD content is stored on different layers, which means you don’t have to flip the disc over to switch formats.

And that other disc that’s also an installment in a series? It’s Girls Gone Wild: Sexiest Moments Ever, Vol. 2 of course! I’m not sure what happened to Volume 1, but perhaps good sales numbers on Vol. 2 will encourage Mantra Films to satisfy everyone’s curiosity and put out a complete set on HD.

(all links, except Freedom 3 go to Amazon.com ordering pages

Harry Potter Years 1-5 Limited Edition Gift Set Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane Rated PG-13

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2006) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Timothy Spall Directed by Mike Newell Rated PG-13

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Directed by Alfonso Cuarón Rated PG

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Directed by Chris Columbus Rated PG

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane Directed by Chris Columbus Rated PG

The Bourne Trilogy (2007) Matt Damon

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Alber Finney, Scott Glenn Directed by Paul Greengrass Rated PG-13

Girls Gone Wild: Sexiest Moments, Vol. 2 (2007) Unrated

Freedom 3 (2007) Daisuke Namikawa, Shotaro Morikubo, Kappei Yamaguchi, Takua Kirimoto Directed by Shuhei Morita Rating is equivalent to PG-13