Earlier today, the word started spreading, and soon enough we were all paying attention:  “sometime soon”, a Mondo-related announcement was going to drop via our friends over at Ain’t It Cool News, and…well, and nothing:  that was pretty much all we got by way of a hint.  Mercifully, the wait for AICN’s announcement didn’t last long, and now we all know what the big secret was:  this week, Mondo will drop a Steven Spielberg double-header—a poster based on Jaws (by Laurent Durieux) and another based on E.T. The Extraterrestrial (by Mike Mitchell).

Wanna see these new prints, find out where they’re dropping, when, and what each one’s gonna cost ya?  Meet me on the other side, folks.

Universal Pictures has announced a 25-film Blu-ray collection to commemorate the studio’s 100th anniversary, and it’s a genuinely great box set.  The “Universal 100th Anniversary Collection” includes 25 of the studio’s finest films, a 15-track music CD chock full of iconic film scores, a “100 Years of Universal” 72-page collector’s book and more.  Though the inclusion of HD versions of films like Dracula, Jurassic Park, The Sting, Back to the Future, Jaws, Do the Right Thing, and To Kill a Mockingbird alone would have been worth the purchase, the box set includes a number of vintage cartoons and shorts as well as a collection of featurettes covering the studio’s entire history.

The 25-disc Blu-ray set and 26-disc DVD collection (Schindler’s List is included in the DVD set only) will be available for a limited time starting November 6th.  A price has yet to be announced, but I don’t expect it’ll be cheap.  Hit the jump to read the full rundown of films and special features.

Jaws is a masterpiece. Steven Spielberg’s second film (or third if you count the TV movie Duel) is one of those great wonders of cinema. It’s both a commercial blockbuster but character driven – it was born of the seventies sensibilities. It’s got the strangest structure of any major blockbuster in that it’s bifurcated, it basically restarts as a different movie halfway through but it’s stronger for it. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss star in this tale of a great white shark hunting the townsfolk of Amity, a beachfront community that makes its money through tourism. Our review of the Blu-ray of Jaws follows after the jump.

We have a couple pieces of Blu-ray news for you this afternoon regarding a couple of Steven Spielberg flicks arriving on the format for the first time.  First up, Universal has released a trailer for the Blu-ray of Jaws.  The new trailer runs down the features of the new disc such as the 6x resolution upgrade from the DVD, the new 7.1. audio mix, and a new documentary about the film.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and see the ridiculous packaging for the upcoming E.T. Blu-ray Special Edition.  Jaws hits Blu-ray on August 14th in the U.S., and on September 3rd in the U.K. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial hits Blu-ray in the U.S. in October.

Jamie Benning has quickly become a familiar name among cinephiles.  He creates hardcore documentaries, or “filmumentaries” by spending months combing through all the supplemental material for a specific film. He then puts together a “filmumentary” in which the movie plays all the way through with behind-the-scenes video, audio commentary from cast and crew, deleted scenes, and a subtitled fact track seamlessly intercut with the feature.  We posted the unofficial Raiders of the Lost Ark “filmumentary” earlier this year, and for fans who savor every piece of information regarding the production of a film, Benning’s projects are a must-see.

For his next film, Benning is tackling Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.  A teaser for the Inside Jaws “filmumentary” has been released, giving us a taste of what’s to come from the finished product.  Hit the jump to check it out.  Also, for those unaware, Jaws is finally coming to Blu-ray later this year.

Though the rumors have been swirling about the release for the past few months, Universal has officially announced that a digitally remastered and fully restored Jaws will be coming to Blu-ray on August 14th in honor of Universal’s 100th anniversary celebration.  I’m beyond thrilled to own Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece on Blu-ray later this summer, and the deal is sweetened by some truly fantastic special features.  The Blu-ray combo pack comes with the DVD, digital copy, Ultraviolet, and over four hours of bonus features including the long-delayed feature-length documentary The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of JAWS.

Other special features include an in-depth look at the restoration process, a two-hour documentary called The Making of JAWS, deleted scenes, outtakes, storyboards, production photos, and more.  Basically, this set is a must-have for any and all cinephiles.  Hit the jump to watch a trailer for the Blu-ray and you can also see a cool eight minute video showing the extensive process that went into restoring the film.

Universal Pictures has been around for 100 years and to celebrate their 10-carat diamond anniversary, the studio has big plans for 2012.  The most exciting aspect of this celebration is the studio’s plan to restore and release 13 of their classic titles including All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds, Buck Privates, Dracula (1931) , Frankenstein, Jaws, Schindler’s List, Out of Africa, Pillow Talk, Bride of Frankenstein, The Sting, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  To Kill a Mockingbird will be the first out the gate with the release of the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack on January 31st.  The restorations will also be released as a limited edition collector’s set, and near the end of the year we can look forward to Blu-ray releases for Universal’s Classic Monster and Alfred Hitchcock series.  Here’s hoping the restorations are worthy of their movies.

Hit the jump for the full press release, which also includes info on Universal’s planned events and promotions for their centennial celebration.

We’ve showcased some of the amazing screenprints by artist David O’Daniel in the past and now he’s released a whole new batch to drain your wallet.  There’s a King Kong 3-poster set that’s limited to an edition of 300 and costs $60.  Each poster in the set measures 18 x 24 inches. There are 250 posters for 2001: A Space Odyssey. The posters for True Grit (2010), Jaws, Bullitt, and Vertigo are each limited to an edition of 200.  The posters for Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Searchers, Il Fuoco, and North by Northwest are limited to an edition of 150.  There are only 75 posters for The Great White Silence. All of the posters measure 18 x 24 inches except for Il Fuoco (19 x 25) and The Searchers (26 x 17).  Except for King Kong, the posters cost $35 each plus $9 shipping U.S. and $15 shipping international (it’s a flat shipping cost no matter how many posters you buy).

Once again, I can vouch for these.  I’ve bought four posters in the past from Mr. O’Daniel and I’m about purchase the one for North by Northwest.  Hit the jump to check out all the posters.

As one of the most powerful directors of all-time, Steven Spielberg can pretty much do whatever he wants. While his films have been slow to come to the Blu-ray format, much to fans’ dismay, The Beard recently confirmed that a Blu-ray of Jaws is currently in the works. Stating that they’re working on the disc now, Spielberg responded thusly:

“Yes, there is. I’ve already seen some of it. I don’t have a date yet, but there’s a Blu-Ray absolutely in the works.”

This is fantastic news to cinephiles. Jaws is a masterwork, and to see the film in the highest-quality transfer available is definitely something to look forward. However, while talking about the Jaws Blu-ray, Spielberg also addressed a grave concern many fans have had over the years: digital corrections to his past films. Surprisingly, it appears that he’s changed his mind on the topic, and vows that there will be no more digital enhancements or additions to anything that he’s ever directed again. Hit the jump for more.

We’ve got new posters from a trio of films for you today, varied enough that there should be something to suit all tastes.

• A chilly poster from the vampire thriller Let Me In
• A cartooned one-sheet for Sundance entry Sympathy for Delicious
• Very Jaws-ian French artwork for the fishy horror flick Piranha 3D

Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Andrew Paquin put his directorial debut Open House on the market at Tribeca and spilled the shoot’s bloody details to Collider, along with two of his stars, Rachel Blanchard (Snakes On A Plane) and Brian Geraghty (fresh off The Hurt Locker‘s Oscar wins).  As the title indicates, Alice (Blanchard) opens her home to prospective buyers.  A cold-blooded killer (Geraghty) slips in and hides out until he can take her hostage and slay some houseguests with the help of his sociopathic partner, Lila (Battlestar Galactica‘s Tricia Helfer).  True Blood‘s Golden Globe winner Anna Paquin (yes, she’s Andrew’s sister) and her real-life fiancée/series co-star Stephen Moyer make extended cameos.

Hit the jump for the full interviews to hear why Paquin’s house suffered for his art, what it’s like to direct your future brother-in-law in a sex scene that did not involve the bride-to-be, how Blanchard bonded with Geraghty before she was bound by him, and what Ben Stiller told Geraghty about the Oscar-winning ride of The Hurt Locker.

Let’s say that the next project that lures J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) to the director’s chair is like a puzzle.  Vulture has a few of the pieces, and while I have no idea what picture is on the front of the box, it’s a pretty safe bet that once completed, I will be immensely satisfied.  Here’s what we have so far:

-Piece 1: The Abrams script is “a tip of the hat to [Spielberg's] movies of the 70′s and early 80′s” like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T., and Abrams wants Spielberg involved in some capacity to make sure the homage is legit.
-Piece 2: The narrative revolves around “everyday people whose personal relationships are tested when they are thrown up against extraordinarily fantastic–and possibly other-worldly–events.”
-Piece 3: The budget is low, near Cloverfield‘s modest $25 million
-Piece 3a: One source referred to it as a kind of “anti-Avatar”

After the jump, let’s try and fill in some of the blanks: I think the Spielberg thing is a corner piece, and that Avatar comparison looks kind of like a cloud . . .

If you’re kicking off the new year by throwing out old shirts and looking to buy some new ones, the fantastic t-shirt site Last Exit to Nowhere has your torso covered.  They just released new shirts based on Jaws and The Fly.  I think the Jaws shirt is going to go fast because it’s got a better design and once you see it you think, “Why yes.  I have always wanted to own this.”  But the shirt for The Fly would also be worth owning because it’s the more esoteric reference and when people ask about Bartok Industries, you can tell them they’re very close to perfecting teleportation technology aside from a few minor hiccups.

Hit the jump to see full versions of the shirts.  Click here to buy the shirt based on Jaws and click here to buy the shirt based on The Fly.