Sci-Fi Storm

I received notification from Universal Studios Home Entertainment that the release of [sfs=1125]Eureka Season 4.0[/sfs] has apparently been pushed back to July 5th (Amazon still says June 21st). Also on that date, [sfs=1128]Season One[/sfs] and [sfs=1129]Season Two[/sfs] will be re-released in new slim packaging.

In addition, three more classic Doctor Who serials are being released:

• [sfs=1130]”The Gunfighters”[/sfs] Episode 25 – Season 3 – William Hartnell (July 12th)
• [sfs=1131]”The Awakening”[/sfs] Episode 132 – Season 21 – Peter Davison (July 12th)
• [sfs=1132]”Paradise Towers”[/sfs] Episode 148 – Season 24 – Sylvester McCoy (August 9th)

Check out the Doctor Who section of our Sci-Fi TV Store for all the classic episodes available.

I just realized I never actually posted my retro review for [sfs=859]The Starlost[/sfs]! This show had a very interesting history in its short life, ultimately becoming something of a parody of the genre and television production – or perhaps the epitome of a production that doesn’t “get it”.

Originally, only a handful of episodes were released on video tape, but a couple of years ago the entire series was [sfs=859]released on DVD[/sfs].

First, a basic synopsis:
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Universal has announced that the [sfs=1124]DVD release for Season 2[/sfs] of Warehouse 13 is scheduled for June 28th, 2011 – I don’t see a Blu-ray release listed at all. Also, I checked around and [sfs=1125]Eureka Season 4.0[/sfs] is listed as being released the week before on June 21st (also DVD only). I don’t have any information if this is another half-season release like with Season [sfs=954]3.0[/sfs] and [sfs=1011]3.5[/sfs]…the title implies it though.

Pre-order now!

Finally! The extended editions of all three Lord Of The Rings movies will be released on [sfs=1121]Blu-ray on June 28th[/sfs]. A whopping 15 discs are included – 6 Blu-ray discs containing the features plus some of the extras (alas, each movie is divided in half – apparently too big for a standard Blu-ray), plus 9 discs for all the other extras (26 hours worth!). As far as I can tell it is pretty much the same extras as on previous releases, but it is hard to tell with so much stuff…

Doing my periodic update of our Sci-Fi TV Store (if you think anything should be included, let me know!)…the next two classic Doctor Who releases will be [sfs=1107]”Frontios”[/sfs] and [sfs=1108]”Time And The Rani”[/sfs], released on June 14th; the classic Krofft show H.R. Pufnstuf gets a new [sfs=1109]Collector’s Edition[/sfs] which includes the only episode of “Horror Hotel”, a combo-spinoff featuring characters from Pufnstuff and Lidsville (along with a new [sfs=1110]standard release[/sfs]), out on April 12th; the MacGyver [sfs=1111]TV movies[/sfs], (released last June but I missed it); the CGI series ReBoot finally get’s its [sfs=1113]first two seasons[/sfs] released on DVD on March 1st; and The Twilight Zone get its Blu-Ray releases, with [sfs=1116]Season 3[/sfs] just out and [sfs=1117]Season 4[/sfs] due in May.

On the movie side, The Chronicles of Nania: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be released on April 8th on [sfs=1118]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1119]DVD[/sfs].

Just a reminder that the DVD release of the Doctor Who 1996 TV movie (aka “The Enemy Within”) hits the streets tomorrow – [sfs=1083]order now[/sfs] if you haven’t already! Also released is the classic Third Doctor episode [sfs=1084]”The Mutants”[/sfs], and next week sees the release of the Eleventh Doctor holiday special, “A Christmas Carol”, on both [sfs=1092]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1093]DVD[/sfs].

Also added to the list with a May 10th release date, the classic Third Doctor episodes [sfs=1101]”Terror Of The Autons”[/sfs] and [sfs=1102]”Planet Of The Spiders”[/sfs] – Pertwee’s final episode.

At last! The complete Star Wars movie saga will be available on Blu-ray in September of this year – the exact date isn’t set yet, but pre-orders are already available. It will be offered in three versions – [sfs=1099]The Original Trilogy[/sfs], [sfs=1100]The Prequel Trilogy[/sfs], and [sfs=1098]The Complete Saga[/sfs]. The latter of which will also include 3 additional discs, with 30 hours of additional materials including never before seen footage and delete scenes!
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Got an email from [aml] this morning. Today only (November 30th), the Gold Box Deal Of The Day is Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series. The [sfs=927]Blu-ray[/sfs] is being offered at $119.99, and the [sfs=1091]DVD set[/sfs] is $80.99 – both at 60% off the list price. This is a great deal if you don’t already have it, or know someone who could use it as a Christmas gift!

Back in April I did a “live review” of Avatar on Blu-ray when the original version came out. Now there is an all new Blu-raw version, the [sfs=1069]Extended Collector’s Edition[/sfs] (also on [sfs=1070]DVD[/sfs], which not only includes the original theatrical release, but two more – the Special Edition re-release that includes 8 additional minutes, but a new extended cut with 16 additional minutes. And that’s just the first disc. There are two more discs chock full of extras that bring you into the creation of Pandora and the Na’vi.

“I told our team — let’s do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want. There’s an extended length cut that’s sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set,” said James Cameron.
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The 1996 Doctor Who TV movie (a.k.a. “The Enemy Within”), a joint effort between the BBC and Fox to revive the series starring Paul McGann, will [sfs=1083]finally get a Special Edition DVD release[/sfs] on February 8th, 2011. the movie follows the Doctor in San Francisco after his regeneration due to a gunshot wound, where he meets up with Dr. Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook), and pursues the Master (Eric Roberts), who has once again cheated death.

Alas, the movie created more questions and inconsistencies and didn’t really spawn the hoped for revival, but it has been absorbed into the accepted canon, earning McGann his status as the Eighth Doctor in the pantheon, and it did keep the Doctor on the minds of fans until the far more successful BBC attempt.