Practicalmadness

New Line Home Video has announced the release dates (finally) for the upcoming video & DVD editions of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Just as happened last year, the DVD will be offered in three different editions:

» The Theatrical Release of the film will be available in both full-frame and widescreen editions, and will be in stores on August 26. This release will feature a number of promotional featurettes about the making of the film, trailers and TV spots, as well as Sean Astin's short film "The Long and the Short of It", shot during production of the Trilogy. Best of all, there's a 10-minute preview of the concluding film in the Trilogy, The Return of the King, scheduled for release this Christmas.

» Then, on November 18, look for the Extended Edition, a four-disc monstrosity featuring a new cut of the movie with 43 minutes of new or extended scenes, and two whole discs of special features.

Amazon.com is not yet taking preorders, but I expect that they will be soon.

While I'm on the subject of upcoming DVDs, the long-awaited disc release of my favorite film of all time, the 1987 German art-house thing Wings of Desire (Der Himmel Uber Berlin) will finally hit stores in July featuring a commentary by director Wim Wenders and "guest star" Peter Falk, and a documentary about the making of the movie.