DVD Review HTF DVD Review: VIDEODROME (Criterion Collection) (1 Viewer)

[Michael Reuben]

Review updated to include notes on the commentary tracks.

M.

 

[Eric Emma]

Does no one carry this movie!!!! I can't seem to find one store in my area that has this, I'm going have to order it online

 

[ArthurMy]

BTW, I watched the five-minute short Camera, which I didn't find "unsettling" at all - I found it magical and quite wonderful, and it just shows what a great director can do in five minutes.

 

[MichaelPR]

I just ordered this one from digitaleyes. I picked up existenz the other day for $5.99 and thought that one was great so I'm looking forward to this.

 

[Michael Reuben]

They're not mutually exclusive.

M.

 

[ArthurMy]

Agreed. What I found most surprising about Camera was that I found the last shot very moving. It's a gem, that five minutes of film.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Just to be sure you know... the Canadian version of "eXistenZ" is a rocking good special edition!

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Has anyone here imported the Dutch edition of Dead Ringers which is a direct port of the Criterion and has the same extras, even the same artwork with "The Criterion Collection" banner and apprently the same superb 1.66:1 non-anamorphic transfer?

www.dvdsales.be has it, but they require telephone confirmation and this could be tricky as my Dutch is... non-existant!

The Criterion has been OOP for a while now and it goes for crazy money on Ebay and Amazon's marketplace, so this would be a great alternative.

 

[MikeEckman]

Ive never heard of this movie until this DVD release, and the plot sounds like it could be interesting, but Im afraid to make a blind purchase on it consdering its price. I know Criterions typically never come down in price, but I hope this one does so I might be able to check it out one day.

 

[Mark_vdH]

I have it, though I've not imported it.

The extras are the same, but I don't think the transfer is. It's framed at about 1.80-1.85:1 and doesn't look too good to my eyes. The 5.1 sound is apparently a 2.0 'upmix'. It seems they just tried to mimic the specs of the Criterion version.

There's no insert, and the cover art is different from the Criterion (though it does have the Criterion banner):



You can get it very cheap here, though I don't know the international shipping rates:
http://www.freerecordshop.com/pages/...oductID=68647#

The exact same disc (without cover) also available in the following (also very cheap) 7 disc set:
http://www.freerecordshop.com/pages/...oductID=83167#

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Mark... you're a legend!

Final cost: $9.49 or 7.86 Euros or in my case, £5.36!

Even if the transfer and sound ain't that great, it is TOTALLY worth £5.36 for the extras.

There is a French edition that is apparently anamorphic; does anyone have it?

Cronenberg is one of the finest 'personal' filmmakers alive today. I would love to see Criterions of all his vintage films!

One wonders what Universal films Criterion will acquire next.

 

[Rich Malloy]

"Videodrome: CC" = $28-35. Netflix subscription = $21.99/mos.

I rent a little under 16 DVDs/mos. from Netflix, on average, which works out to about $1.50 per rental. In other words, you can see this DVD and a whole bunch of others for less than you'd pay for a single Criterion disc.

 

[MikeEckman]

True, but Im lucky if I can find enough time for one movie a week. There is no way I would ever get my money's worth out of a Netflix subscription. I just have too much stuff to do.

My blind purchase requirement is the movie has to be under $15. I broke that recently and got The Dreamers for $20 and did not like it at all, so that just reaffirmed my apprehension.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Even if you only watch one movie a week, it'll be a helluva lot cheaper than one, two, or more $30 blind buys!

Aw, you shoulda asked me about "The Dreamers". For about $1.50 for a Netflix rental, I too discovered that it sucked and in a relatively painless way. At least, alot easier than trying to recoup some costs via selling/trading it away.

Only time for one movie a week? :frowning:

 

[Greg K]

I found a couple of easter eggs.

Go to Videodrome's extras disc.

In the marketing photo gallery, get to the page with the British quad poster and move up. An arrow will appear above Debbie Harry's head. Press enter, and two British Videorome tv spots will play.

Go to the cast and crew photo gallery. When you reach the first photo of Les Carlson as Barry Convex, press down, and video footage of the Spectacular Optical logo will play.

Also, go to the photo of Cronenberg's director's chair. Press up, and an arrow will appear. Hit enter, and you'll be treated to a still frame gallery of original(?) Videodrome preview screening audience response cards, with lots of negative comments.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Oh, wow! Thanks, Greg! Well spotted!

Long live the New Flesh.

 

[MarcusUdeh]

The local video store that I frequent surprised me when perusing down the VHS isle and there it was an UNRATED Director’s Cut copy of Videodrome! Of coursed I rented it and watched trying take the whole movie in. I had the most paranoid headache afterwards that didn’t set well with me at all. All I could think about was brain tumor. Although I found the story’s themes compelling, the movie for me was an ugly, dark mean-spirited look at humanity’s obsession with cross technology and pleasure. But I am glad I had a chance to see this though. On a side note after seeing this movie I wondered what kind of picture “Total Recall” would have been had David Cronenberg been allowed to make the movie he envisioned? Even though I think Total Recall is a classic as is, one still has to wonder. I think it would be cool if he remade it under a different title.

 

[Michael Reuben]

That's the same cut that has been used on all home video releases, including the original Universal DVD and the Criterion DVD. AFAIK, it's also what was released in Canada. Only the version that played in U.S. theaters was modified so that the MPAA would give it an R.

M.

 

[Greg K]

Another Easter Egg--

Go to the Transmissions From Videodrome page on the extras disc, then highlight "Bootleg Video" and press down. An arrow will point at the Beta tape. Press enter, and a video segment with Michael Lennick will play, in which he talks about why Beta (instead of VHS) was used in the film.