eXistenZ 4K UHD Vinegar Syndrome (1 Viewer)

[titch]

One of the most long-awaited David Cronenberg films to get a pristine 4K UHD release, has now been announced by Vinegar Syndrome, as one of their "secret" titles in their Black Friday sales! There was a really hopeless blu-ray release ten years ago, which was just an upscaled DVD-master. Now Vinegar Syndrome are giving it their special treatment (with a "flesh textured" hard case, only available from their website). The 4K UHD Limited Edition titles I've purchased from Vinegar Syndrome (Flesh For Frankenstein, Road House, Showgirls) have had excellent transfers - the stills on their website indicate that this transfer will also be incredible. There is a lot of bonus material as well. I was hoping that Arrow Video or The Criterion Collection would be releasing this, but Vinegar Syndrome is just as good. Also, their customer service is second-to-none: errors in the transfer of Flesh For Frankenstein and on the soundtrack of Showgirls, resulted in quick shipping of replacement discs, to customers who had purchased from their website.

eXistenZ – Vinegar Syndrome

LIMIT 2 PER CUSTOMERFlash Pre-order 'Everything' Customers: this is in your package.Yearly Subscribers: This is NOT included in your subscription. Your 50% off SRP discount code is: sub50-b. We are excited to finally reveal our third VSU release: Richard Franklin's 'kid in peril' arcade-action...

vinegarsyndrome.com

 

[SD_Brian]

I clicked to order immediately upon receiving the announcement e-mail from VS. This is the movie that made me a Cronenberg fan. I'd seen (and enjoyed) some of his earlier work, prior to seeing this one, but for whatever reason, eXistenZ is the one that made it all click for me.

Here's hoping for a problem-free release!

 

[titch]

It's been a good year for David Cronenberg on 4K UHD, with Naked Lunch (Arrow Video), Crimes of The Future (Decal + Second Sight), Videodrome (Arrow Video + Criterion) and The Dead Zone (Shout Factory). Eastern Promises (Kino Lorber) and Crash (Arrow Video) were released previously. So all the boutique labels have their eye on his catalogue, knowing that he has devoted fans. Of course, us fans are really hoping for future 4K upgrades to the desperately shoddy blu-rays of A History of Violence and The Fly, as well as a decent scan of Dead Ringers. I'm sure those would sell well.

 

[JohnRice]

I think I'll be getting this one...

 

[jayembee]

Thanks, Kevin. Vinegar Syndrome isn't a label that I patronize much, as I'm not all that interested in what they generally release. But this is definitely something I'll want.

 

[JoshZ]

I like eXistenZ. Not sure I like it $45 worth, though. I also find that slipcover image of Jude Law's hairy belly even more disturbing than the gory mutant gun thing, and am inclined to just buy the standard keepcase edition. On the other hand, I do want the booklet with essays.

 

[JoshZ]

I waffled on this. Now I don't see it on the web site anymore. I guess that means it sold out. Bummer.

 

[TravisR]

I waffled on this. Now I don't see it on the web site anymore. I guess that means it sold out. Bummer.

eXistenZ will be back up on their site on January 1. December is "partners only month" at Vinegar Syndrome where they have smaller companies (with even more offbeat titles) and they keep all their titles offline as they try to fulfill the orders from their Black Friday sale. The same thing happens in June after the Memorial Day sale.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Beginning of the end for Vinegar Syndrome. They're on the same path as Arrow, which started out as a cult and exploitation obscurity label and have turned into a dumping ground for big studio mainstream fare. At least Arrow has good mainstream fare.

 

[titch]

Beginning of the end for Vinegar Syndrome. They're on the same path as Arrow, which started out as a cult and exploitation obscurity label and have turned into a dumping ground for big studio mainstream fare. At least Arrow has good mainstream fare.

I wouldn't quite characterise eXistenZ as "big studio mainstream fare"

 

[TravisR]

Beginning of the end for Vinegar Syndrome. They're on the same path as Arrow, which started out as a cult and exploitation obscurity label and have turned into a dumping ground for big studio mainstream fare. At least Arrow has good mainstream fare.

That complaint almost might be reasonable if you were talking about Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or Showgirls or even Rad but I wouldn't say that the company that still regularly releases 1970's porn titles or weird shot on video movies is selling out because they're releasing eXistenZ.

 

[titch]

That complaint almost might be reasonable if you were talking about Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or Showgirls or even Rad but I wouldn't say that the company that still regularly releases 1970's porn titles or weird shot on video movies is selling out because they're releasing eXistenZ.

Vinegar did release a lovely edition of Showgirls, but we're talking cult movies here. Although Showgirls was given a mainstream release 30 years ago, it bankrupted the studio and was reviled by the mainstream. Until Vinegar Syndrome releases a bells-and-whistles edition of Driving Miss Daisy, I wouldn't worry too much about their imminent demise.

 

[benbess]

Ordered this and looking forward to it. This is my favorite Cronenberg movie, and I've been a fan since seeing Scanners in the theater in 1981, after reading a rave review in the LA Times. Was hoping for Criterion for eXistenZ, but this should be good. Over the years I've shown this movie to some of my relatives and friends (I bought the unrestored digital version from amazon some years ago), and all have had a mind-bending and laugh-inducing experience from it. And what a cast of players in this movie, all of whom seem to be having quite a bit of fun.

A few amusing/thought-provoking quotes from the film:

Spoiler

• Seminar Leader: eXistenZ. Written like this. One word. Small 'E', capital 'X', capital 'Z'. 'eXistenZ'. It's new, it's from Antenna Research, and it's here... right now.
• Allegra: You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game.
• Ted: We're both stumbling around together in this unformed world, whose rules and objectives are largely unknown, seemingly indecipherable or even possibly nonexistent, always on the verge of being killed by forces that we don't understand.
• Allegra: That sounds like my game, all right.
• Ted: That sounds like a game that's not going be easy to market.
• Allegra: But it's a game everybody's already playing.
• Ted: What was your life like before?
• Gas: Before?
• Ted: Before it was changed by Allegra Geller.
• Gas: I operated a gas station.
• Ted: You still operate a gas station, don't you?
• Gas: Only on the most pathetic level of reality.

 

[cineMANIAC]

That complaint almost might be reasonable if you were talking about Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 or Showgirls or even Rad but I wouldn't say that the company that still regularly releases 1970's porn titles or weird shot on video movies is selling out because they're releasing eXistenZ.

Actually, TCM 2 is the type of film I'd love to see more of from VS if they're going to delve into a major studio's library. eXistenZ came from the Paramount/Miramax/Dimension library and it is kind of up Vinegar's wheelhouse but I still think it's too much of a "prestige" title for the label. This is something I would expect Criterion to release. Oddly enough, the film did receive a cheap release from Mill Creek not very long ago. Look, it is what it is. If it helps bring more awareness to the label, it's all good

 

[Ruz-El]

Beginning of the end for Vinegar Syndrome. They're on the same path as Arrow, which started out as a cult and exploitation obscurity label and have turned into a dumping ground for big studio mainstream fare. At least Arrow has good mainstream fare.

I hope that means you bought the incredible Polish "Apocalypse Trilogy" to support their less mainstream fare, That one was one of the nicest surprises I got from them and a highlight of the year.

 

[SD_Brian]

Until Vinegar Syndrome releases a bells-and-whistles edition of Driving Miss Daisy, I wouldn't worry too much about their imminent demise.

Well, they did release D.A.R.Y.L.

I imagine, like many of the boutique labels, releasing the occasional crossover/"prestige" title like Showgirls, Beastmaster, TCM2 or eXistenZ, that will appeal to buyers outside of their usual customer base, helps to keep the lights on and supports the release of their much more obscure fare.

 

[SD_Brian]

Beginning of the end for Vinegar Syndrome. They're on the same path as Arrow, which started out as a cult and exploitation obscurity label and have turned into a dumping ground for big studio mainstream fare. At least Arrow has good mainstream fare.

If Criterion was able to survive releasing a deluxe edition of Armageddon, with their arthouse cred intact, I'm sure Vinegar Syndrome can survive eXistenZ (though you are the first person I have ever heard suggest that eXistenZ was "big studio mainstream fare.")

 

[cineMANIAC]

I hope that means you bought the incredible Polish "Apocalypse Trilogy" to support their less mainstream fare, That one was one of the nicest surprises I got from them and a highlight of the year.

Actually, I did

Never heard of the films in this collection but the trailer sold me on them big time. I'm usually not into quirky films like this, however, I'm a sucker for pretty much anything post-apocalyptic and I told myself these seem to be a safe enough gamble. Gotta carve out some time for this, hopefully this weekend.

 

[jayembee]

If Criterion was able to survive releasing a deluxe edition of Armageddon, with their arthouse cred intact, I'm sure Vinegar Syndrome can survive eXistenZ (though you are the first person I have ever heard suggest that eXistenZ was "big studio mainstream fare.")

It ended up being the last thing they released on laserdisc. Since the first thing they released on laserdisc was Citizen Kane, I like to think that they chose to release Armageddon last in order to claim that their LDs went "from the sublime to the ridiculous".