Do you fall for "Special Edition" DVDs?

[youspeakmylanguage]

I love the movie adaptation of "American Psycho".

I was just made aware of the "Uncut Killer Collector's Edition" DVD:



I already own the Unrated version that was released years ago. So I'm basically paying $14.99 for commentaries and, well, hype.

I think I'm going to buy it...

Does anyone else have a "Special Edition" DVD that they really didn't need to buy, but bought anyway?

[nickinSTL]

1. I don't...

but I have a friend who gave us her regular copy of "The Princess Bride" when she just HAD to get the expanded, special edition, with commentary, making of, whatever. :eyes:

[JohnKleeb]

2. Yep

I bought the Glory one even though I had Glory on DVD, did the same thing with Goodfellas. Did it primarily because hey I like special features and the original not special editions were double sided DVDs and I hate those. Seriously contemplated getting the Great Escape and Saving Private Ryan Special Editions but I dont have that kinda money.

[youspeakmylanguage]

3. The geek side of me...

...sometimes has to own the Special Edition just to be one of the cool kids.

I'm so pathetic.

[mr_hat]

4. Yes, "This is Spinal Tap." It contained scenes that were cut >

with good reason, as it turns out.

[SuperWonk]

6. special editions are the best

unless you already own the original DVD... and then you rent it.

[4_Legs_Good]

13. Spinal Tap is a double plus special film to get on DVD

to buy because the commentary on the new DVD is as good as the film and the commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD is one of the only times you'll hear the members of Spinal Tap speaking as the actors rather than as the members of the band.

Awesome, awesome stuff.

david

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

39. Criterion Spinal Tap

Have you seen how much that disc is going for on ebay? I have the Special Edition which I like a great deal. If I got my hands on an out of print Spinal Tap, as this one is, I'd sell it on ebay.

[youspeakmylanguage]

42. Criterion Collection packages are a toss-up when it comes to value...

Since no one besides Criterion and the movie studio knows exactly how long a release will be in print, it's a gamble. My advice is to purchase any Criterion release you're interested in right away.

I put off buying the Criterion version of Robocop (yes, a silly movie, but it is one of my favorite 80's action flicks), and now I can't justify paying the inflated price on eBay.

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

43. I have yet to be disappointed with a Criterion purchase

The last Criterion disc I purchased was Orson Welles' "F for Fake." I love the movie itself and all the extras are terrific but I haven't listened to the commentary yet. As someone who factors in how many extras there are, especially commentaries, I'll give any Criterion disc a shot, except Armageddon.

[4_Legs_Good]

44. :) I'm glad I got my copy then!

I actually paid good money for it about a year ago. Well worth it for the commentary. I think most of the other bonus features are on the new version.

I agree that most Criterion releases are well worth it! I wish they would re-release their LD Terry Gilliam catalog on DVD, but I don't think it's gonna happen. Fisher King and Baron Munchausen aren't available on Criterion DVD, I don't think. He does the best commentaries. Luckily I have the LDs, but my LD player is near death.

david

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Unless it adds to the movie itself (ie, Extended cut)

no.

American Psycho is a fantastic movie though.

[Coventina]

7. Well, I got both the theatrical & the extended LOTR movies

I know that's geeky, but they had different special features and I just *had* to have the extended versions.

[youspeakmylanguage]

9. I have all three DVD releases of "Manhunter"

1) Theatrical Version
2) Original Director's Cut (Limited Edition - crappy picture)
3) Restored Director's Cut

I love that movie...

BTW: I do like other genres besides serial killer films...

[mark11727]

20. I loved the original version of "The Abyss"...

... the director's cut however, COMPLETELY changed the flavor of the movie, though. I'd love to find the original version on DVD, but I don't think it's happening.

[youspeakmylanguage]

25. I love Blade Runner. It's one of my favorite movies...

...but I've never seen the original theatrical release. From what I've heard, I don't think I ever will.

I am dying to see the original director's cut of "Payback" - the version Helgeland made before Mel Gibson sanitized it.

[4_Legs_Good]

27. The director's cut kicks the theatrical's ass

Though I guess I've never seen the ACTUAL theatrical. The original video was slightly changed to include more gore - you get to see more of Rutger Hauer poking what's his name's eyes out.

The overdubbing in the original is weak and means the viewer doesn't have to think for him/herself because Harrison Ford tells you everything. Plus the ending is weak!

david

[4_Legs_Good]

26. I prefered the Director's cut

It made the whole film make more sense, particularly the ending.

If just that spaceship dealie didn't look soooo stupid when it came out of the water.

david

[Fenris]

8. Not after buying "Apocalypse Now: Redux"

I've decided that a lot of movies are "cut" for a reason.

And I don't listen to director commentaries or watch special features anyway, so it's kind of a moot point.

[youspeakmylanguage]

10. I loved both versions...

But it's my favorite movie, so I'm a little biased.

I saw Redux in the movie theater a month or two after 9/11. Current events definitely put a strange spin on the ending.

[4_Legs_Good]

14. It was cool to see in a theater...

It kinda felt like I was in for a very long haul and I knew it, so it was an adventure in and of itself. Movie was fantastic! Now if I can just get through that 6 hour work print version! And I'd love to see all the footage of Harvey Kittel that was shot.

david

[youspeakmylanguage]

15. Work print version?

If it's anything like the work print of "Dune", I'd save your time and money. Director's rely on good editors for a reason.

I would much rather see a DVD release of his wife's documentary "Hearts of Darkness". It was brilliant.

[4_Legs_Good]

21. Work print of Dune????

Oh I gotta see that! The release version was so bad, how could the work print be worse??? Fantastic set design and atmosphere, though.

I agree, of course, about the editing! But as an uber film geek and one time film student, I love to see everything that was shot and how things were put together. If nothing else it shows how insanely talented editors and directors are and how they can see beyond what is shot.

I had a film professor once who said you shoot 3 movies: The one you write, the one you film, and the one you edit.

Anyway, there is a 6 hour work print of Apocalypse Now that has all kinds of stuff (though lots of it now is in Redux) with the original production sound (e.g. very hard to hear) and tons of Doors songs. It's pretty neat, but very tedious, my copy is really crappy quality (I think all are). I should convert it to DVD to make it easier to watch.

david

[youspeakmylanguage]

24. I think I've heard of it...

...but it seems wrong to me to watch a bootlegged workprint. Lots of artists feel violated if a work in progress is viewed by an outsider.

The Dune workprint was beyond tedious, although I think it was more faithful to the book. It seems the more they had to edit it and make it palatable to a general audience, the more they had to stray from the original story.

I kind of liked the movie. David Lynch passed up the chance to direct "Empire Strikes Back" to make "Dune". Could you imagine how great that movie would have been with him at the helm?

[4_Legs_Good]

28. That woulda been bizarre!

I like the feel to Dune a lot, but I thought the dialogue and the acting were horrible. Makes it almost impossible to watch. But he definitely captured the feel of the novel.

I can understand where you're coming from on the violation bit, but I have to say "sorry! but I don't care (much)". It's too cool to be able to take a peek into the mind of a genius.

david

[mark11727]

18. I watch AN:R a couple of weeks ago with my 14-y-o son...

... just before the helicopter raid (Ride of the Valkyries), I cranked the volume WAY UP, and simply said "now watch THIS."

I still prefer the original version, though.

[Taverner]

22. Apocalypse Now: Redux was great!

What are you talking about? The whole plantation scene - I LOVED IT!!!

Now the bunny scene - yeah that kind of went on...

[4_Legs_Good]

11. Absolutely! I just bought new copies of Midnight Run and The Dark Crystal

because the new Midnight Run has the trailer and a 7 minute documentary, and the Dark Crystal has a copy of Henson's original treatment of the story.

If these things had commentaries, I'da bought them in 1/4 the time. I'm a total sucker when it comes to special editions.

david

[supernova]

12. Bought the entire extended series for LOTR

I think it's fun to learn about how they did all that.

[4_Legs_Good]

23. I especially loved hearing Phillpa Boyens and Fran Walsh

talk at length about how they improved on Tolkien :eyes:

david

P.S. Sorry, I have all the EEs too, and they are fun, I just have to insult Jackson's movies every time I get a chance. He's an utter hack.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. Most DVDs we get are special edition any time we can get em

[youspeakmylanguage]

17. Right, but if you had to settle for a regular DVD and a SE came out...

...months or years later, would you buy it?

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Possibly.. Depends on how much we love whatever show it is.

[Tummler]

29. "I think my mask of sanity is about to slip"

I upgraded from the old American Psycho DVD (unrated version) to the new one.

Typically, I'll only upgrade to another edition if I really like the movie and the newer edition offers significant new extras and/or a significant upgrade in A/V quality. The ease of selling the old DVD and the price of the new DVD are also factors.

American Psycho is one of my favorite movies, and the new DVD supposedly offers improved A/V plus a new commentary by the screenwriter and director (both women, incidentally). Plus, I was able to sell the old unrated version for roughly the cost of the new one! In this case, upgrading was an easy decision.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should also note that I'm a certifiable DVD nut but very deliberate and cheap about individual DVD purchases. :crazy:

[youspeakmylanguage]

31. Improved A/V? Wow...

I thought the original DVD's looked pretty sharp!

[Tummler]

33. Only a modest improvement, according to the reviews ...

Probably not worth upgrading for that reason alone. As you said, the original DVD looked and sounded pretty good, especially for a DVD of its vintage.

I haven't watched the remastered movie or listened to either of the commentaries yet. However, I did like the hour's worth of new interviews about topics such as the yuppification of Manhattan in the 1980s, the controversy surrounding the book, the tumultuous history of the film's production (a huge star and a big-name director were once attached), etc. I would have liked to have seen even more of this background info, but what was there certainly enhanced my appreciation of the film itself.

[youspeakmylanguage]

35. Yeah, it was Oliver Stone and Leonoardo DiCaprio...

I loved Roger Ebert's prediction:

"To imagine this material in Stone's hands, recall the scene in Ken Russell's "The Music Lovers" where Tchaikovsky's head explodes during the "1812 Overture," then spin it out to feature length."

Do you know if this new version has more added scenes than just the original extended sex scene? The difference between the original unrated version and the American R-rated version was only a minute or two.

[Tummler]

37. No new scenes, from what I've read

Hah, I just noticed the quote in your sig. Any day now, I expect Scotty McClellan to begin using that line to escape the White House press corps ...

[youspeakmylanguage]

36. Check out "This Is Not an Exit: The Fictional World of Bret Easton Ellis"

http://imdb.com/title/tt0243604/

It was an interesting but "cheap" documentary on Bret Easton Ellis and his work, with some fairly amateur renditions of his work. Uma Thurman's brother Dechen played Patrick Bateman in the "American Psycho" bits, and to tell you the truth, I think he fit the part better than Christian Bale - he was completely empty and evil.

[Tummler]

38. Thanks, I'll have to see that

One of the things I really like about Bale's Patrick Bateman: he's always reminded me of G.W. Bush, even back in 2000 when the movie hit theaters. There's something about his portrayal -- the intellectual mediocrity, the upper-crust snobbery, the devotion to appearances, the total lack of empathy, the cocaine, the halting delivery of lines, even the face -- that evokes the Chimp. It's as if Bateman is the Chimp in an alternate universe, where Poppy was merely a wealthy Northeasterner and not a political hack.

[ghostsofgiants]

30. Depends on the difference between the regular dvd and the special edition

If it's a really good special edition, with lots of special features (or something like a Criterion Collection dvd), absolutely. But if the special edition is half-assed, no dice. Also depends on how much I like the movie. Some movies I just wouldn't be interested in "special editions" of.

[skygazer]

32. Very few of them are worth it to me

The great majority of "extras" on DVD's are not interesting in the least to me anyway. Bloated, vain commentaries (yawn), bloopers (endless shots of people flubbing lines then laughing hysterically (and un-genuinely usually; always looks like they're laughing so hard because they know it's going on a blooper reel), trailers (when did trailers get so damned exciting?) and cast bios. The only things I do find somewhat interesting are the bits where they talk about how they did certain stunts or how movies are made. Even those don't do a lot for me, though.

So, no, it would be extremely unlikely for me to buy a "Special Edition" if I already had a serviceable copy of the movie.

[sundog]

34. scam!

:P

[LeftyDarthBrodie]

40. If there's enough new material

I'll sell the old copy and buy the new one. I am geek completist movie buff. The only old dvd's I have kept after buying an SE is for Clerks, the original DVD box is signed by Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, and Donnie Darko because both versions of the movie are sooo good.

[DerekG]

41. If it's a James Cameron or Peter Jackson SE, yes!!!!!!

Terminator 2, Aliens and The Abyss Special Editions made movies that were already great into masterpieces. Likewise, the LOTR EE's (particularly The Two Towers) are vast improvements.

[ralps]

45. Yes, I sometimes buy the special edition DVD's, for example I bought the

metallic special edition of "Terminator 2". :hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: :woohoo:

[Champ]

46. This was about to hit the archives

:kick:

[ikojo]

47. It depends....I bought the original releases of the first

few Star Trek movies (ST:TMP, ST:Wrath of Khan, STIII:Search for Spock etc) and then bought the Special Editions because I love the original Trek. Same with LOTR.

Now if George Lucas puts out a super duper set of Star Wars movies you know I will be there. I'd love it if he would release the originals (SW, Empire, Jedi) as they were released in the 1970s and 1980s but I will just have to hope.

If a DVD comes out with a choice between a "regular" version and a special edition, such as Constantine, I will opt for the SE all the time because I am a geek.

I guess I really didn't NEED to buy the SE's of the first few Star Trek movies but I did anyway.