A few weeks back I received an early copy of the Iron Man SE DVD, and although we all griped a little bit about the lack of an audio commentary -- I'm pretty sure the fans are still happy with that purchase. So now let's try it again, only instead of Iron Man, we'll be picking through the 3-disc Special Edition of Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk. And while it's definitely a good package (provided you dig the film), here's one simple warning right out of the gate: The third disc is nothing more than a "digital copy" platter. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't see the big appeal of "digital copies." Why the hell would I want to overstuff my hard drive -- when I have the DVD sitting right here??

Anyway, the Special Edition has lots to recommend it, and the main feature is certainly something to see -- doubly so if you happen to have Blu-Ray. (I do not.) Even better the second time around, The Incredible Hulk is a simple yet very well-made action adventure flick in which a fugitive scientist must avoid the military while trying to get a powerfully monstrous alter-ego out of his system. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Roth bring an excellent air of professionalism to "yet another" superhero movie, and while it might not have been the Action Event that Iron Man was, I think it's safe to assume that Marvel and the fans were pleased with the big green semi-sequel as well.

So on disc one we get an audio commentary with Leterrier and actor Tim Roth, as well as six deleted scenes that run about 14 minutes total. The deleted footage is mostly early (Brazil) stuff and a few villainous rants between Hurt and Roth. (All good cuts if you ask me.) As far as the commentary goes, it sounds a lot like a cool Brit and an enthusiastic Frenchman talking about their action movie. I'm only about fifteen minutes into the chat-track, but it's pretty amusing stuff...

Read on for the Disc Two delights.

A long time passed since 10 Things I Hate About You hit the big screen. Julia Stiles got Bourne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become a powerhouse on the indie scene, and Heath Ledger ... we know what became of him. I'm guessing that his death and reminiscing moments about his work is what inspired this next piece of news: Ace Showbiz reports that ABC Family is going to make the Shakespeare-inspired film into a television series, with the film's director, Gil Junger, signed on to helm the pilot. In it, Kate and Bianca Stratford will face "their new high school environment." I don't know if that means freshman hitting the big leagues, or the girls moving to a new zip code, but I can only hope that they come up with a new love interest for Kate. There's only one Patrick Verona.

Hater has been on a long road to production, but it looks like the time is finally here. Almost a year ago, Guillermo del Toro had signed on to direct the adaptation of David Moody's novel. But then the Hobbit swept him away and left Hater director-less. Have no fear, Moody fans, the pic is back on track. Variety reports that the director of The Orphanage, Juan Antonio Bayona, will helm the feature when it kicks into gear next year. So, if you liked the one-two producer-director punch of del Toro and Bayona, this should be a treat!

Hit the jump for a few exhibition news bits for the next few months.

Sixteen years ago, we got Beethoven -- not Ludwig, but rather the big ol' St. Bernard. Just in case four sequels and a stint on television wasn't enough for you, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Universal is releasing yet another direct-to-DVD sequel on December 30 -- Beethoven's Big Break. I guess they gave up punning on Ludwig with their titles. But just because it's not going to the big screen doesn't mean you can't see the pup in huge glory -- it seems that a giant Beethoven balloon will be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. I bet it'll be cuter than the movie.

In other DVD news: Have you ever scoured the DVD shelves, discovered some strange, old film with current stars, and comment on how someone unearthed the crappy flick to make money on the actor's newfound fame? Well, this next bit is something like that. THR also reports that ex 90210 gals Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty are hitting DVD shelves with Kiss the Bride and Kiss Me Deadly (respectively, and I don't think connected) to tap into some of that spotlight currently shining once again on Beverly Hills High. Ever watch either flick? Thumbs up ... down?

Finally, James Gunn's PG Porn has debuted. You can check it out after the jump. Remember -- just because Aria Giovanni is in it doesn't mean that it's going to be explicit. So, check out Nathan Fillion acting like a porn star who doesn't get the goods -- it's not quite Funny or Die funny, but I'll definitely keep watching.

So who watched the season premiere of South Park last night? I tell you, just when you think those boys are starting to get a bit weak in their old age, you're shown a scene featuring Steven Spielberg and George Lucas physically raping Indiana Jones as the poor man cries out for help. Oh yeah ... and did we mention Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes out on DVD this Tuesday? Yup ... and it's, er, loaded with extras!

Obviously this was their way of saying the latest Indiana Jones film sorta raped their childhood, but count me among those who kinda enjoyed watching the flick. (And I'm not alone -- here's Jeffrey's passionate post in defense of the sequel.) Sure, I could do without a few scenes here and there, but overall it wasn't terrible. What do you think? Did South Park cross a line last night?

Note: The following scene might be a little sensitive for some, so be warned -- TV-MA and all that ...

Those interested in picking up Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull when it hits DVD on October 14th might want to pay attention to this post because there are several different options available to you. For example, above you can see an image of what's being offered at Best Buy -- a gift set with replica crystal skull from Sideshow Collectibles and a $25 gift card to Sideshowcollectibles.com. Pretty cool for you cats who'd have no problem staring at that freak-ish alien skull for all eternity.

Okay, the alien skull is a bit much -- I get it -- but, like I said, you have options. Case in point:

• Circuit City is handing out 2 lithographs of concept art from the movie.
• Target is fooling around with a very sweet looking 80-page hardcover book with behind the scenes photos and never-been-published images.
• Kmart and Sears will give you four exclusive LEGO mini-posters, each being a replica of the original theatrical poster from all four Indy films.
• Lastly, Trans World is offering exclusive steelbook packaging.

Check out images of all these specials, along with their descriptions, in the gallery below.



Which Indiana Jones DVD will you be purchasing? (Here's where our first commenter says, "The one that's not called Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!" Zing!)

Someone over at Netflix (and, more specifically Netflix's 'Watch Instantly' department) has been digging into my brain and pulling out some really strange and obscure movies that (as far as I know) aren't even available on DVD! The last time out, I was gushing over titles like Rolling Thunder, The Squeeze, and Planet of the Vampires -- but this time the Netflix VHS Stack is overflowing with wierd little flickers. Get a load of these ones:

The 1986 comedy Modern Girls, starring Cynthia Gibb, Daphne Zuniga, Virginia Madsen, and Clayton Rohner. I actually saw this one during its theatrical run. Some of the Animal House guys (Tim Matheson, Stephen Furst) team up with one of the Porky's guys (Dan Monahan) and the ESP hottie from Ghostbusters (Jennifer Runyon) to deliver one of the more fondly-remembered sex comedies of 1984: Up the Creek! Also features a cool Cheap Trick song and a great performance by a dog.

J. Lee Thompson's The White Buffalo (1977) is a bona-fide curio for fans of semi-forgotten cinema. It's an odd mixture of adventure, western, and horror in which Wild Bill Hicock (Charles Bronson) and Crazy Horse (Will Sampson) match wits with, yep, a large buffalo. Remember back in 1981 when "Klinton Spilsbury" was introduced as the legendary hero in The Legend of the Lone Ranger? Most people don't, but the movie does exist as proof. Martin Short and Danny Glover in the silly comedy Pure Luck (1991), which is a remake of the French farce La Chevre.

"Well, this is the biggest depression since The Notebook." -- Paris Hilton

I'll be the first to bash Paris Hilton on any given day of the week, but I must admit these fake presidential videos starring Hilton have brought us one or three actual laughs. In her latest video, just posted over at Funny or Die (watch it after the jump), Paris Hilton is joined by one of our greatest fake presidents, Martin Sheen, as the two discuss what it takes to become the nation's next fake president. Both take on such issues as the economy, foreign policy (which Hilton calls FoPo) and Iraq. Toward the end even Charlie Sheen makes an appearance, but then bails to take in a jacuzzi. While I'm not so keen on the word 'president' being associated with Hilton in any way, shape or form, part of me wouldn't mind watching her host a debate. The girl has a larger fanbase than either candidate, and I'm sure she'll choose questions that keep them on their toes. "Prada or Gucci ... and why? Senator Obama, we'll start with you." What say you?

Above: You Don't Mess with the Zohan, The Happening, Sleeping Beauty

You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Adam Sandler wandering into topical territory, actually making sense, and stll making the funny? I was surprised too! Don't worry, he still packs in plenty of juvenile gags about the outlandish size of his package and drags in every ancient ethnic stereotype possible, but as an Israeli intelligence operative who wants to become a hairdresser, he pulls off the neat trick of creating a completely silly character in a wish-fulfillment scenario that, well, nearly everyone wants to see. Rent it. Available rated (theatrical cut) on a single-disc DVD and unrated in single-disc and double-disc DVD editions. The Blu-ray includes both the rated and unrated versions.

The Happening
Maybe the inclusion of "over 1 hour of intense bonus footage not shown in theaters!" -- extended versions of "Lion Attack" and Survivalist Porch" among them -- will convert me. Maybe I'll watch M. Night Shyamalan's first R-rated horror flick again some day to see if it still makes me roll my eyes and laugh out loud at scenes that were evidently intended to make me shiver in my seat. Maybe one day pigs will fly. Skip it. Available on DVD and Blu-ray with deleted scenes and "making of" features.

Sleeping Beauty
Scott Weinberg has already written about the awesomeness of the new edition of Disney's animated treasure on Blu-ray. This is a classic no-brainer, a movie that both young and old can dip back into time and again. Buy it. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

After the jump: Indies on DVD, Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner. Join us, won't you?

When Cinematical reader Geoff M. sent us a note about a life-size Yoda cake he created for his son's fourth birthday, we simply had to see it because a) any dad who's down for a Star Wars-themed birthday party certainly meets movie geek standards, and b) any dad who'd actually take on the task of building a life-size Yoda cake for his kid is all sorts of awesome in our book. (This also brought back memories of my own childhood; when I was young my parents would spend crazy money building custom superhero birthday cakes (Incredible Hulk, Batman, Spider-Man) for yours truly. That eventually stopped, however, and it was Carvel ice cream cakes from then on out.)

Anyway, inspired by Ace of Cakes (groovy TV show if you've never watched) and an enormous amount of love for his little one, Geoff set out to make his own 100% edible life-size Yoda cake. And over on his site, he provides step-by-step instructions and photos (a couple of which you can see below) in case you at home would like to do the same. See, my only issue with this is that after all that work, I wouldn't be able to ruin the thing by eating it. Oh well ... I'm sure it tasted heavenly. The Force was strong with this one.



If you have or know of something cool, groovy, nifty, shiny, brilliant and Fan Made, feel free to shoot an email to leads AT cinematical DOT com.

Just about a year ago, Comcast's FEARnet video-on-demand service dug into the Lionsgate vault and pulled out Catacombs, which they offered at no charge on their VOD network. Turns out the flick wasn't all that hot, but hey, horror fans love to see stuff for free ... especially if it hasn't been released on video just yet.

So this year FEARnet is doing it again -- only this time it's a movie that did have a (rather insultingly) limited theatrical release. Like, VERY limited. Yes, gore-fans, Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train may very well be viewable in your own living room -- at this very moment! (If you get FEARnet on your cable box, that is...) Last year Catacombs was also made available on the FN website prior to its DVD release, but we don't know if that will be the case on Meat Train. Lionsgate has yet to announce a DVD date for the film, so anything could happen.

Best of all, unlike Catacombs, I've already seen and have strongly recommended this particular horror movie -- and I certainly wouldn't sneeze at the source material either. For our earlier reports on this strangely controversial little horror flick, check here, here and here.