Something for Everyone
Fall is just around the corner but it may feel like spring and summer as several of those season’s big titles, including “Godzilla” and “Dr. Dolittle,” make their debut on home video. Fall also features several flicks on video for kids as well as for art-house and golden oldie buffs.
Arriving next week is the lame Bruce Willis thriller “Mercury Rising” (Universal) and Billy Crystal’s sentimental comedy “My Giant” (Warner).
Paul Newman proves he still has it at 73 in the film noir “Twilight” (Paramount), scheduled for release Sept. 29. Also due that day is David Mamet’s clever “The Spanish Prisoner” (Columbia TriStar); the Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy “The Object of My Affection” (Fox); James Toback’s controversial “Two Girls and a Guy” (Fox); and Wayne Wang’s romantic “The Chinese Box” (Trimark), with a wonderful performance by Jeremy Irons.
New Line’s “Lost in Space” blasts into stores on Oct. 6, along with the Michael Douglas mystery “A Perfect Murder” (Warner). The disappointing “The Odd Couple II” (Paramount), starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, is set for Oct. 13, as is the mindless Patrick Swayze actioner “Black Dog” (Universal).
The first big hit of the summer, the asteroid disaster thriller “Deep Impact” (Paramount), explodes into video stores on Oct. 20. Also scheduled for that day is the dreadful gore-fest “Species II” (MGM).
The restored version of 1939’s beloved “Gone With the Wind” (Warner) arrives on Oct. 27. Columbia TriStar’s “Godzilla” stomps into video stores on Nov. 3. The following week marks the release of Robert Redford’s lovely “The Horse Whisperer” (Touchstone), as well as DreamWorks’ special-effects-laden “Small Soldiers” (Universal).
The feature film version of “The X-Files” (Fox) lands in stores on Oct 13; this summer’s biggest movie “Armageddon” (Buena Vista) arrives on Nov. 13.
Terry Gilliam’s unwatchable “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (Universal) invades stores on Nov. 17. Eddie Murphy’s $100-million-plus box-office hit “Dr. Dolittle” (Fox) arrives just in time for Thanksgiving on Nov. 24.
For the younger crowd, there’s the made-for-video “Addams Family Reunion” (Warner) and “Casper Meets Wendy” (Fox), both set for Sept. 22. MGM debuts the 30th anniversary restored edition of the 1968 Dick Van Dyke musical fantasy “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” on Oct. 20. The following week, Disney releases a made-for-video sequel to the 1994 hit “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride.” The new animated musical “All Dogs Christmas Carol” (MGM) is unleashed on Nov. 17.
Vintage movie buffs may want to check out the restored version of Orson Welles’ 1963 masterwork “The Trial” (Milestone), due Sept. 29. Also scheduled that day is Universal’s Marlene Dietrich Collection, featuring such classics as “A Foreign Affair” and “Devil Is a Woman.”
Set for Oct. 6 from Kino is a four-volume silent horror film retrospective, including the 1920 Lon Chaney classic “The Penalty,” as well as 1927’s “The Cat and the Canary.”
The following week marks the release of Universal’s W.C. Fields Collection, which features such classic comedies as “Million Dollar Legs” and “You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man.”
Also scheduled for that week is a restored edition of the 1962 musical “The Music Man” (Warner).
Other oldies set for the fall include the 20th anniversary edition of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (Universal) arriving Oct. 13; the 20th anniversary edition of “Midnight Express” (Columbia TriStar), due Oct. 20; and the 25th anniversary of the Oscar-winning “The Sting” (Universal), bowing on Nov. 10.
For the art-house crowd, there’s the veddy British drama “Mrs. Dalloway” (BMG), set for Sept. 29. The 1997 Oscar-winning best foreign film, “Character” (Columbia TriStar), is scheduled for the following week. Due on Oct. 13 is Whit Stillman’s “The Last Days of Disco” (Polygram) and Michael Moore’s latest documentary, “The Big One” (Miramax).
Peter Weir’s early Australia classic “Picnic at Hanging Rock” (Home Vision) arrives Oct. 20, as does the indie hit comedy “The Opposite of Sex” (Columbia). Neil Jordan’s disturbing “The Butcher Boy” (Warner) follows on Oct. 27.
