Back in 2000, I made the eight-hour journey to Red Bank, New Jersey to attend Kevin Smith's Vulgarthon film festival -- and one of the movies I got to see at that festival was writer/director Brian Lynch's sketch comedy Big Helium Dog, which Smith executive produced alongside his longtime producing partner Scott Mosier. I came out of that screening feeling that Big Helium Dog was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen, and I was looking forward to being able to add a copy of the film to my DVD collection... but the DVD release we were told was forthcoming never happened. Now, decades later, the movie is finally set to make its way out into the world on September 16th, when Big Choice Video brings it not just to DVD, but also to Blu-ray! Copies are available for pre-order at THIS LINK.

Here's the synopsis: From Executive Producer Kevin Smith comes this rarely seen, off-the-wall sketch comedy about the world's dumbest man who loses his best friend, gets fired from his job, and almost causes the downfall of all that is good and just! BIG HELIUM DOG is a fast-paced, irreverent satire packed with laughs, cameos, and pure indie chaos.

The cast includes Matt Kawczynski (The Beast of Bray Road), Kevin Heffernan (Super Troopers), Erik Stolhanske (Club Dread), Steve Lemme (Beerfest), Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer), Hustlers director Lorene Scafaria, Michael Linstroth (Riding in Cars with Boys), Brian Quinn (Impractical Jokers), Blanchard Ryan (Open Water), A Better Place director Vincent Pereira, and Kevin Smith (Clerks).

Big Helium Dog comes to Blu-ray with these special features: Brand New High Definition (1080p) transfer and restoration of the original camera negative of the main feature in its intended 1.33:1 aspect ratio

-- Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo

-- Optional English Subtitles

-- Commentary from Writer/Director Brian Lynch and star Matt Kawczynski

-- Commentary from Brian Lynch, Matt Kawczynski and Film Historian Patrick Cotnoir

-- Introduction by Executive Producer Kevin Smith and Writer & Director Brian Lynch (HD, 11:33)

-- Q & A with Writer & Director Brian Lynch along with Associate Producer Kimberly Loughran and stars Matt Kawczynski, Lorene Scafaria, Brian Quinn and Michael Linstroth. (HD, 72:37)

-- Cast auditions featuring Michael Linstroth, Bryan Johnson and more! (SD, 02:54)

-- Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

-- 1999 Trailer with Introduction feat. 'Hollywood's Brian Lynch' (SD, 07:53)

-- 1999 Theatrical Trailer (SD, 02:20)

-- Limited Edition Slipcover (first pressing only)

In the years since making Big Helium Dog, Brian Lynch has worked on the scripts for Hop, Puss in Boots, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Minions 3.

As reported by the digital bits,

In announcement news today, we finally have the official word that Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing NBC’s Knight Rider: The Complete Series (1982-86) on 4K Ultra HD on 7/22. The 21-disc set will include all 90 episodes in their original 1.33:1 TV aspect ratio, plus previously released special features including the Knight Rider (2000) TV movie, and apparently some new features too.

A photoshopped cover 😁 and yours for just under $130.

Kevin Smith says he’s cracked the story for the Dogma sequel by Kevin Fraser

JoBlo / 2025-06-05 00:55

Shortly after regaining control of Dogma from the Weinsteins last year, Kevin Smith quickly announced that he was working on a sequel. Since then, Smith has taken the original film on tour, including a screening at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which prompted him to get bitten by the festival bug again. He told Deadline that he wants to return to the festival with a sequel to Dogma by 2028.

“What I didn’t realize is, I would get there and I’d get bit by the bug again, and I’d be seeing all these places, these haunts from my childhood, from my 20s, so to speak, from the three times I was there when I was a kid, once in ’94 with Clerks, once in ’99 with Dogma, and then again in 2006 with Clerks 2,” Smith said. “And suddenly, I was like, ‘Why is it that you assume that the Cannes-worthy portion of your life is over? You never even expected it to begin in the first place. It was never part of the aim. It just came along with the journey. Maybe if you really try, you could.’ So, it was the 78th edition this year and so I was like, ‘You know what? I wanna come back on the 80th, or the 81st at the latest with the Dogma sequel, like that’s a Cannes-worthy movie.’ And so, I said that on stage when I was intro-ing and everybody applauded, and [festival director] Thierry Frémaux was on stage with me, and he adds, ‘if it is good,’ and I was like, ‘fair enough, if it’s good, yes.’“

As for the Dogma sequel, Smith says he’s been “whimsying about it for the last six months” and has finally cracked the story.

“I absolutely love it. I feel like when people see it, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, I get it,’ like ‘that makes sense’ kind of thing. Hopefully they’ll be like, ‘that’s clever’ and not be like, ‘well shit, I would have done that,’” Smith said. “I will set a place at the table for everyone who was in the first movie who is still alive. Sadly, Alan [Rickman] and George [Carlin] won’t be able to join us, but I’ll set a place at the table for all of them. If they want to come back, they’ll have a role to play, but if not, no harm, no foul. The story I’m telling can definitely make use of everybody who is in Dogma, but I can also tell it without. So, that makes me pretty excited to go forward. It’s its own unique tale.“

Following up a beloved film with a belated sequel doesn’t always work out, but Smith feels that he’s got a winner on his hands, at least at this stage. “I feel very happy with it,” he said. “I can’t drop the ball on it. It’s like one of the last fing movies I ever made that’s beloved across the boards and shit like that. So, I would never step up to the plate unless I was like, ‘Oh, this will fing work nicely as a companion piece.’ So, I feel pretty great about it, man. But of course during the whimsy stage one always feels great about it. It’s when you make it and everyone sees it and they’re like, ‘Well, that f***ing sucks. You should have left well enough alone.’ You just hope it doesn’t come to that.” Hopefully not.

Looks like fun.

Smith says he’s working closely with a “popular physical media distributor” to get a 4K Steel Book version of Dogma ready for a December release. He says the 4K restoration of the comedy that makes some Catholics cringe looks fantastic, and they didn’t change anything about the original presentation.

Damn. I thought this project was on the way to a green light.

In a new posting on Instagram, filmmaker Michael Bay has seemingly denied reports from earlier this week that production has begun on a “Skibidi Toilet” which he’s directing. In the video, a very relaxed-looking Bay is by himself around a large glass-ceiling room and says: “I went on the internet last night and it says […]

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by Simon Brew | May 14, 2025

• vhs

John Carpenter's Escape From New York is getting a deluxe VHS release in the UK, and it's available to order here. It is 2025.

The people at Vice-Press comfortably win this week's they-must-be-mad-but-love-'em award. It's announced a brand new physical media release of John Carpenter's seminal Escape From New York, and by absolutely unpopular demand, it's bringing the film back to VHS.

Two different editions are being offered. There's a limited slipcase edition, where the cover art has been done by Phantom City Creative, and comes with a screenprinted tape design.

Then there's a collector's edition with a double-sided cover, and Matt Ferguson has done the design work there.

As for the film itself, it's presented in the PAL format, and in widescreen. None of this pan and scan nonsense here.      

The release, inevitably, is a limited edition one, priced at £29.99 for each edition. Escape From New York's return to VHS comes on Thursday 15th June, and is shipping from the UK. You can find more details on the releases, and order yourselves copies on Vice Press's website.

We've covered Vice-Press and its VHS releases in our print magazine before, and over at its website, you can find its previous release of They Live, as well as its much in demand collection of posters as well. Note too that it has an open house coming up at its Sheffield premises in October, and you can find more details on the website.

If you're not familiar with the film, what a treat you're in for (there is a planned remake, but it's stalled.) It's absolutely worth the trouble of locating a VHS player, and the finding a modern day television that still accepts a SCART connection. A good double bill with The Purge: Anarchy too, arguably the highlight of that particular franchise.

Here's looking forward to more collectable VHS releases, and hopefully Vice-Press can get around to some HD DVD release soon, so I've got an excuse to get my player out of the garage.It's 2025, and Escape From New York has just got a new VHS release