John Waters' joyously energetic Cry-Baby is to be released in its director's cut form in the UK on 7 November. This appears to be exactly the same as the already available region 1 edition, which would make a nice change, given the number of Waters films that have been released in the UK minus the director's commentary that adorned their region 1 equivalent. But it all seems to be there, the commentary, the It Came From Baltimore documentary and the deleted scenes. If you don't already have the region 1 then this comes recommended (assuming they don't balls up the transfer). You can read our review of the region 1 version here.

Tartan get Vital in November [20 September 2005]

Shinya Tsukamoto is something of a favourite here at Outsider, and so we're always pleased to see his films getting a UK DVD release, even if most of the disks are below par. His most recent solo film, Vital (he has just completed the multi-director portmanteau work, Female) is in many ways his stylistically calmest, even if the subject matter - an amnesiac medical student whose girlfriend died in the car crash that robbed him of his memory is by chance given her corpse to dissect, which proves a key to unlocking his lost past - is still very much on the edge. The film stars Todanobu Asano, who has been nicely described on the IMDB as "a cross between Johnny Depp and Toshiro Mifune" and once again sees Tsukamoto undertaking the jobs of writer, director, cinematographer and editor. Tartan have announced a UK region 2 release for 14 November, and are promising an anamorphic transfer, 5.1 and DTS soundtracks and a commentary. It seems likely that this will be a port of the director/actor's commentary on the Japanese 2-disk special edition. Since we already have this, it will be interesting to compare the two. (And we will.)

Update [8 December]

The release date appears to have slipped somewhat and is now set for February 20 2006. We will aim to cover the Japanese disk before then. In addition extra features have now been confirmed, and most disappointingly the hoped-for director/actor commentary, but one by Tsukamoto expert Tom Mes. This is not to knock Mr. Mes, but come on, there's a film-maker's commentary out there just waiting to be subtitled. Anyway, here are the features:

• Tom Mes commentary;
• Interview with Shinya Tsukamoto;
• Q&A with cast and crew;
• Behind the scenes documentary;
• Featurette: Making the props;
• 'Blue Bird' music video by Cocco;
• Footage of the world premiere.

Criterion Shoot the Pianist in December [19 September 2005]

An early indicator that some singers can act, given the right material and under the right direction, François Truffaut's 1960 Tirez sur la pianiste (Shoot the Pianist) features a bang-on performance from Charles Aznavour as bar-room piano player Charlie Kohler, a man with a tragic past who has to unexpectedly shield his brother when he is chased by gangsters. Truffaut's second film as director pays homage to American gangster films of the past but, like Melville's brilliant Le Samourai, in the process carves its own distinctive identity.

In December the film will get the region 1 Criterion makeover is a double-disk special edition, which will feature a new andmaorphic 2.35:1 transfer supervised by director of photography Raoul Coutard, a commentary by film scholars Annette Insdorf and Peter Brunette, new interviews with actors Charles Aznavour and Marie Dubois, a 2003 interview with DoP Coutard, a rare 1986 interview with François Truffaut collaborator Suzanne Schiffman, excerpts from a 1965 episode of the French television program Cinéastes de notre temps dedicated to Truffaut, an illustrated essay entitled The Music of George Delerue, Dubois' screen test, theatrical trailer, a new essay by critic Kent Jones and more.

Whisky Galore! Special Edition in October [18 September 2005]

Whoops, we meant to post this earlier and somehow let it slip - a bit shabby for an acknowledged British classic receiving special edition treatment on region 2, a rare sight in itself. Boasting a somewhat stereotypical view of Scottish Islanders (they go mad if they can't have a drink) and painting a picture of Britain that only really existed in Ealing comedies, this is nonetheless a delightfully told story of an island that runs out of booze, only to have a ship loaded with whisky run aground just off shore. Ah, what to do? Astonishingly, this is based on a true story, when the SS Politician was holed and sank just off the Outer Hebrides in 1941 and the cargo was plundered by the locals. Now what was I saying about stereotypes? (At least we're not getting the American print, which was re-titled Tight Little Island.)

Well on 10 October Optimum are to release a 2-disk special edition of the film, featuring a restored and remastered transfer, and introduction by Forever Ealing author George Perry, a commentary by writer on British film (including work for the BFI) John Ellis, a recollection of the incident that inspired the film by islander Angus Campbell entitled Whisky Galore!: A Personal History, a recent interview with director Alexander Mackendrick's wife Hilary, and a 52 minute documentary on the film, Distilling Whisky Galore!

Pathé have announced a new collection of modern World Cinema titles called 'Your Other Cinema' for region 2 UK release in September and October, featuring an intriguing range of foreign language works, all to be released in what looks like film-only editions, and not all of which will, it appears, feature anamorphic transfers. Thus some may be found in better editions elsewhere, while other may actually prove to be an improvement on already available versions. Burnt-in subtitles are also rumoured to be on some releases, never a good sign. the emphasis appears to be on French cinema. Retail prices are set for £15.99 each.

Disks set for a September 26 release:

The Barber of Suburbia / Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (Russia/France/Italy/Czech Republic 1998 - d: Nikita Mikhalkov)

Amen (France/Germany/Romania/USA 2002 - d: Costa-Gavras)

Burnt By the Sun / Utomlyonnye solntsem (Russia/France 1994 - d: Nikita Mikhalkov)
A strong film whose turn takes a dramatic turn in its final act. It also won an Osca, for what it's worth.

Ma vie sexuelle (full title: Comment je me suis disputé... (ma vie sexuelle)) (France 1996 - d: Arnaud Desplechin)
A n interesting work, but a a long one that feels every minute of its length.

Kikujiro (full title: Kikujirô no natsu / The Summer of Kikujiro) (Japan 1999 - d: Takeshi Kitano)
A wonderful road movie that manages to be touching without falling into the trap of sentimentality. Already available on a solid but extras-free region1 disk.

Love etc. (France 1996 - d: Marion Vernoux)

Le bonheur est dans le pré / Happiness in the Field (France 1995 - d: Étienne Chatiliez)

Les destinées sentimentales / Sentimental destinies (France/Switzerland 2000 - d: Olivier Assayas)
An acclaimed work from the man who gave us the excellent Irma Vep (1996).

Le dîner de cons / The Dinner Game (France 1998 - d: Francis Verber)
This one split the critics and viewers - some thought it hilarious, while other regarded it as infantile rubbish. We laughed our heads off.

Three Seasons (Vietnam/USA 1999 - d: Tony Bui)
The first US film to be made in Vietnam after the lifting of the embargo by Bill Clinton.

Disks set for an October 31 release:

On connaît la chanson / Same Old Song (France/UK Switzerland 1997 - d: Alain Renais)
A musical that received a mixed reaction. As a side note, the film had its first non-festival UK screening at our cinema.

Fire (India/Canada 1996 - d: Deepa Mehta)
Powerful drama that enraged fundamentalists on its Indian release, prompting attacks on cinemas that were showing it. The first part of mehta's 'elements' quadrilogy.

Fiesta (France 1995 - d: Pierre Boutron)

Sol de otoño / Autumn Sun (Argentina 1996 - d: Eduardo Mignogna)

Pretty Village, Pretty Flame / Lepa sela lepo gore (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - d: Srdjan Dragojevic)
Woah, hold up, this is the biggest news of the collection if they get it right. A brilliant work that is frankly adored here at outsider, the present Fox lorder US release is a shambles, and the film is so in need of a decent transfer.

Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (France/Italy/Germany 1995 - d: Claude Sautet)

Gazon maudit / French Twist (France 1995 - d: Josiane Balasko)

En plein coeur / In All Innocence (France 1998 - d: Pierre Jolivet)

Earth (India/Canada 1998 - d: Deepa Mehta)
The second of Mehta's 'elements' films.

La Séparation (France 1994 - d: Christian Vincent)

Metrodome get Evil in October [8 September 2005]

Leva livet (Days Like This) director Mikael Håfström's adaptation of Jan Guillou's novel Ondskan, known internationally as Evil, tells the story of troubled young Erik, who after being involved in a fight at his school is enrolled in a boarding school by his mother, where he becomes the victim of a sustained campaign of bullying from the older boys. Criticised in some quarters for some predictable narrative development and lack of real insight but praised elsewhere for the skill of its film-making and the frankness of its brutality, you can judge for yourself in October whether the film deserved its Oscar nomination when it is released on region 2 DVD by Metrodome. The disk will feature and interview with author Guillou, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and trailers, and will have both Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks. Release date is set for 3rd October 2005.

Phantasm box set in October [5 September 2005]

As low-budget, inventive cult horror movies go, Don Coscarelli's 1979 Phantasm is a hard act to beat. It's scary, fun and has an underlying intelligence that modern American horror, stuck in a loop of cannibalistic remakes, can only dream of. That Coscarelli devoted too many of the following nineteen years to milking that original idea dry is a shame, but he came back to us in 2002 with the very enjoyable Bubba Ho-Tep and is already at work on the promised follow-up, Bubba Nosferatu for a 2006 release. And to be honest, we always liked Phantasm 2 a lot. Well now Anchor Bay are set to release all four Phantasm films in two tasty-looking UK region 2 special collector's editions, the Phantasm Digipak and the limited edition Phantasm Sphere. Both releases contain special editions of all four films, remastered under Coscarelli's supervision, and a fifth bonus disk packed with interviews, featurettes and more, all produced with Coscarelli's co-operation. The Phantasm Sphere edition will come in shiny, sphere-shaped packaging and will be limited to 20,000 units - a horror fan's collector's item in the making.

Announced features are as follows:

Phantasm: Introduction by The Tall Man, Angus Scrimm; audio commentary by Don Coscarelli, A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister and Bill Thornbury; deleted scenes; behind the scenes footage; original theatrical trailer; biographies; stereo 2.0 audio; optional 5.1 and DTS; subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Phantasm II: Introduction by The Tall Man, Angus Scrimm; audio commentary by Don Coscarelli, Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister; TV spots; theatrical trailer; photo gallery; biographies; stereo 2.0 audio; optional 5.1 and DTS; subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Phantasm III - Lord of the Dead: Audio commentary by Don Coscarelli, A. Michael Baldwin and Angus Scrimm; deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; photo gallery; biographies; stereo 2.0 audio; optional 5.1 and DTS; subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Phantasm IV - Oblivion: Audio commentary by Don Coscarelli, Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister; biographies; stereo 2.0 audio; optional 5.1 and DTS; subtitles for the hard of hearing.

Bonus disc: Phantasm: Genesis featurette; Phantasmagoria featurette; Phantasmagorical mystery tour; Phantasm super 8 release; The Gory Days featurette; Phandom; 1979 interview with George Capewell, Don Coscarelli and Angus Scrimm; TV and radio spots.

All four films will also be available separately, but without the bonus disk. Release date is set for 31 October 2005. Retail price for the Digipak is £29.99, for the Sphere £34.99.

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