Comparing the Old and New Happiness DVDs

Essentially, there is no difference. Contrary to previous reports, this transfer is not anamorphic, or freshly restored, or anything else. There are no new extras - the menu and features are identical, right down to the hidden Slam and Another Day In Paradise trailers. There isn't even (as was the case with the previous version) an insert. The difference between the listed running times (the old one says "139 minutes;" the new one says "140") is nill - they're both 139.51. Just to emphasize the same-ness of these DVDs, here are screen shots taken from each:

Signature Series:

Original:

...The only difference is the packaging, and that they got rid of the bizarre, double-sided disc feature, where the other side only featured a small txt file which read, "This side is not playable." Save your money, folks, and thanks for nothin', Lions' Gate. >:P

Oh yeah. P.s. - The "Signature Series" cover now looks like this (below), not as shown in the previous news entry (note the different sig, and Newseek quote, as opposed to Time Out's).

Slightly more Palindromes Info Eeked Out the Pipeline

Another casting call, this time from The Poughkeepsie Journal, yields a little more information about Solondz's latest film. The call (which, for the record, is over - the article was published on Friday the 27th, for Saturday, the 28th, from 10 AM to 2 PM at Bard College in Annandale in the student center.) was for girls of all ethnicities and types, ages 12 to 14. According to both the article and a recent IMDB update; Chris Penn (Resevoir Dogs, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar) is going in to star in this film, along with the previously announced Ellen Barkin. The article added that, "[t]hey play parents to an awkward teenage daughter named Aviva... The movie is centered around Aviva, her friends, neighbors and her family where one parent is loving and another has been known to have a fierce temper."

The same IMDB update also makes some additions to the crew list: producer Derrick Tseng (Freak Talks About Sex, A Good Baby), cinematographer Tom Richmond (House of 1,000 Corpses, Chelsea Walls, Hard Rock Zombies), costume designer Victoria Farrell (Boys Don't Cry, Strangers With Candy) and first assistant director Timothy Bird (Far From Heaven, Storytelling). They've also removed Lisa Muskat (George Washington)'s name as one of the producers. Hmmm...

Barkin To Star in Palindromes

According to The New York Daily News, Ellen Barkin has accepted a leading role in Solondz' upcoming film, Palindromes, which she promises will "start shooting this summer." Barkin, who you may remember as Penny Priddy in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension or the sexy femme fatale opposite Al Pacino in Sea of Love, has taken only very minor roles and cameos in recent years (except for that DTV cop film with Julian Sands a couple years ago), but has said, "Todd Solondz - now that's someone who could get me to happily go to work."

New Happiness DVD

On June 3rd, Lions Gate is due to be releasing a new DVD of Happiness as part of their "signature series." A special edition is surely too much to hope for, but it does look like this disc will be anamorphic (which the Trimark/ Vidmark disc wasn't). Most sites don't have any specs listed, yet, but I found the following on dvdplanet.com:

Retail Price: $19.99
Release Date: (6/3/2003)
Studio: Lions Gate
Year: 1998
Runtime: 140 minutes
MPAARating: Unrated
UPC: 031398826620
Languages/Subtitles:
Original Language: English
Subtitles Available: English, French, Spanish
Audio/Video Features:
Anamorphic16x9, Widescreen
Color
2.0 Dolby Surround
Audio/Video Features English Dubbed:
Product Features:
Cast/Crew Biographies

So, nothing to blow any socks off, but a welcome improvement none the less. Thanks, Lions Gate; and thanks also to "bisbeefilms" for pointing this upcoming release out to me. Here's a look at the cover:

Also, if you haven't already got Storytelling on DVD (perhaps you've been trapped underneath a giant boulder, or spent the last several years orbiting the Earth on a Russian space-station), you might want to pick up this rather spiffy two-disc set from France:

Both films are anamorphic, widescreen, and include the original English audio, along with optional (removable) French subtitles. This release is Region 2, PAL. Coolio.