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With half of 2006 almost gone, which official upcoming DVDs excite you the most? (1 Viewer)

Walter Kittel

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I'm still looking forward to a LOT of catalog titles on standard DVD. I'm not kidding myself that many films from the 30s, 40s, or 50s are going to make their way to HD media anytime soon. HD only becomes a factor on the more high profile catalog titles, esp. from Warner Bros. and to a lesser extent from Universal. Sorry if that bothers some of you, but it is a factor in what I'm looking forward to which is the topic of this thread.

Mario - I'm sure that as more titles are announced, particularly noir my wishlist / pre-order lists will expand beyond what we have discussed. So you are not alone, I just usually don't track things out beyond a month or two, so my wishlist is limited in that regard. I didn't even bother to list current theatrical films, some of which I most assuredly am looking forward to in the coming months.

- Walter.
 

Jim_K

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Nope HD-DVD is no issue with me and I never claimed that I wasn't strange. :)

Yes I've seen 'em all from both collections except for Bullets or Ballots.

I enjoy Anthony Mann's Border Incident (1949) the most.
His Kind of Woman (1951) was okay - not a top tier Noir IMO. I might feel different given a second viewing.
Lady in the Lake (1947) - I really disliked the gimmicky POV camerawork, so much so that I just couldn't get into the story.
On Dangerous Ground (1952) - Good but I don't hold it in as high esteem as others. Nicholas Ray's films tend to be a little overly melodramatic for my tastes.
Racket, The (1951) - The least of the bunch IMO.

'G' Men (1935) was a good Cagney flick - not a favorite but a reason why I'd lean towards the set.
Bullets or Ballots (1936) - never seen
Slight Case of Murder, A (1938) - okay but too much of a comedy.
San Quentin (1937) - standard prison flick
Each Dawn I Die (1939) - the best of the bunch IMO
City for Conquest (1940) Good but not something I'm dying to own.

Don't get me wrong, most of these are good films and I think it's great Warner is releasing them, but the majority of which just don't cry out must own to me. Just personal preference, nothing more.

I have some 800+ titles (a moderate collection compared to others) already that I just don't seem to get around to viewing that often. If I bought every title that I thought was good I'd probably have a monstrous 4,000+ collection, which for me is too much.

Besides there are other financial considerations besides HD-DVD ;) such as my new house (which I'll finally be able to have a real dedicated Home Theater). My wife would like new furniture to go with the new house of course. :frowning: My daughters college fund, etc, etc.
 

Justin_S

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These aren't the only titles I'll be buying, but they are the ones that have me the most excited:

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) [Paramount]
The Other (1972) [Fox]
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 2 disc ultimate edition [Dark Sky]
Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) [Anchor Bay]
Masters of Horror: Dance of the Dead (2005) [Anchor Bay]
Jigoku (1960) [Criterion]
The Devil's Rain (1975) special edition [Dark Sky]
The Kubrick reissues [Warner]
Gojira/Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1954/1956) [Classic Media]
Godzilla Classic Collection (Six films) [Classic Media]
Succubus (1969) [Blue Underground]

If Anchor Bay gets off their asses and releases Fulci's One on Top of the Other and Corbucci's The Hellbenders before the end of 2006, they'd be towards the top of my list. Same thing goes for Code Red and their release of The Redeemer. If that new Black Christmas disc comes to fruition, I'll gladly triple-dip, as it's my favorite horror film. The Apocalypse Now set would have me more excited if it included Hearts of Darkness.

Dark Sky has really come into their own this year. That said, my most anticipated release from them won't come until next year, the film in question being Chicho Ibáñez-Serrador's obscure little shocker, Who Can Kill a Child? (a.k.a. Island of the Damned).
 

ZackR

Supporting Actor
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Jan 27, 2003
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611
For me:

Superman Boxset
All the Kubrick 2-discers
Apocalypse Now
Seven Samurai
Brazil
Little Mermain: Platinum Edition
Fox and the Hound: 25th Anniversary
Double Indemnity
The Maltese Falcon
The Walt Disney Treasures

I was looking forward to the Star Wars discs...but not with the shameful treatment they (the originals) are getting.

Also, has there actually been any confirmation of the new Bond discs in R1? Count me in for those, too if they are coming!! :)

Edit: Nevermind, apparently there is a preview for the new discs on some newer titles!! :D
 

Roger Rollins

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I have HD-DVD. I love HD-DVD.

That being said, it took almost TEN YEARS for some of the essential favorites of us all to get to Standard Def DVD, and just as jewels that arrived on laserdisc or videocassette will never arrive on regular DVDs due to costs, there are things we have on DVD now, or are coming, that will NEVER come on High Definition.

If you're more interested in classics, as I am, HD-DVD (or Blu-Ray) will take years to get to classics, simply because of the huge costs. Standard Def DVDs of many classics upconverted in my HD player look sensational, so aside from the occasional classic rarity that will get an HD release, I'm as hyped as ever for goodies that are coming our way in 2006 and beyond.

I'm dyin' for all the WB sets; TOUGH GUYS, FILM NOIR 3, JAMES STEWART and RONALD REAGAN sets, etc., and especially FRED & GINGER's 2nd set.

Looking forward to Uni's release of DOUBLE INDEMNITY (hoping it improves upon my Image DVD)

Hope Fox will indeed release THE GANG'S ALL HERE as all indications are that they will...

As has been the case yearly, I am counting the days until the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION Number FOUR and the next wave of DISNEY TREASURES hit the shelves...not to mention several select TV shows that are discussed elsewhere on this forum.

I'm delighted to know that DIRTY DOZEN, SEARCHERS, and GRAND PRIX are coming in HD-DVD, but I couldn't wait with SEARCHERS, especially since that Wayne/Ford boxed set is such a bargain with so many great titles.

Things are only looking up, up, up!
 

jim.vaccaro

Second Unit
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Jun 27, 2005
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425
2001, since I never picked up either of the three earlier discs.

Forbidden Planet SE. The old disc is incorrectly framed (2.35 vs. 2.55) and the video transfer leaves something to be desired.
 

Jake Lipson

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I want, in no particular order:

The Little Mermaid Platinum Edition -- The final "movie that I grew up with" which I don't yet have on DVD, this is THE disc event of the year for me. I can't wait to finally own it and am planning a Disney Rennisance marathon when I get it.

Grey's Anatomy Season 2 -- It's my favorite TV show of all time, and my Season 1 set has been returned to over and over and over again even though I've only had it since February. I can't wait to get the next batch of episodes.

White Nights -- Thank you, Sony, for FINALLY releasing this. It's one of the last holdouts on my personal must-have list that hasn't come out on DVD in any form in Region 1 as of yet, and even though it's going to be a tad light on extras, it's coming in 2.35:1 on August 29 and that's enough for me. Yes!

Superman Releases This Fall -- I want the new editions of the first two Reeve films and of course the disc debut of "Returns," but like many here I'm going to single out the Donner cut of Superman II as my most anticipated of the bunch. It's about time that injustice was corrected, and I'm glad to see Warmer doing right by the man with a release of his footage. That it is in an full-film format that can stand next to the original is even better.

Water (US Edition) -- This one is already on DVD as a 2-disc set in Canada, but I want to see what we're going to get stateside from Fox. Either way it is so far the best film I have seen all year by far, so I can't wait to have it.

Thank You For Smoking -- This was absolutely hillarious and very topical as well, so I look forward to seeing it again and seeing friends' reactions to it when it lands on disc.

United 93 -- Not something I'm going to watch a lot, obviously, but an important and tremendously well-made film that I think should be part of my collection. I'm looking forward to seeing the DVD explain how they pulled off making this.

Lost Season 2 -- Like "Grey's," the first season box set has been getting a lot of replay use out of me, and also like "Grey's" Season 2 proved to be even better than Season 1, so I can't wait to own it.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest -- The first one is among my frequent replays, and the sequel looks even better, so I'm sure this one will have a long life with me on DVD.

Cars -- I loved it, and it's a Pixar DVD, so, yeah, obviously it's going to be terrific.

X3 -- This was pretty good and I'm anxious to hear Ratner's comments on how he managed to turn out such a good product in such a short ammount of time. The movie seems to be one that might improve even more on multiple viewings, too, so bringing this one home is going to be big for me.
 

Elijah Sullivan

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Jun 18, 2004
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Apocalypse Now (1979 Theatrical and 2001 Redux Versions) [2-Disc Set] - Paramount *
Bram Stoker's Dracula (?)
Blade Runner (?)
Double Indemnity [2-Disc Set] (1944 & 1973 Versions)
Seven Samurai [3-Disc Set] - Criterion
A Clockwork Orange [2-Disc Set] - Warner *
The Shining [2-Disc Set] - Warner *
Eyes Wide Shut [2-Disc Set] - Warner *
2001: A Space Odyssey [2-Disc Set] - Warner
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Limited Edition
Forbidden Planet: Special Edition
 

Adam Scott

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What are the specs for the new Superman box set that is scheduled to launch?
 

Michael Elliott

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The "you might" as in me saying "worthless" was my opinion. I wasn't speaking for other members in my post so I'm not sure why you took it as such but I do apologize if you thought I was meaning to speak for every member of the board. I should have put IMO before leaving such a vague comment.
 

Mario Gauci

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Jim,


For the record, I too have only BULLETS OR BALLOTS (1936) left to watch from those 2 upcoming Warner Box Sets:)!

In essence, I agree with much of what you said about the individual films except that I loved A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (1938) so much because it was so funny to begin with; how often do you get Edward G. Robinson sending up his own gangster image - let alone during the Golden Era of Thrities Gangster movies itself?


Eric,


Have I missed something about an upcoming DVD edition of PERFORMANCE (1970) or is it just wishful thinking on your part?
 

Joel Vardy

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Of course I am speaking for myself (and any comments and/or prognostications are purely intended to stimulate discussion). I had no intention of downplaying the enthusiasm around HD, though the initial reviews by The Bits gives me pause... and some relief, given my huge investment in standard DVD technology and no short-term plans to upgrade. I have no doubt that once the initial problems with the new format are resolved (including the unfortunate format war) I will join in. In is only a matter of time when there will be a dual format player of note and some more compelling software, while I lick my wounds of costs of this 9 year run. Meanwhile I am using Tivo to record Satellite HD movies and downloading them to my Archos MP4 player (which I can then convert to DVD, when appropriate). Though that doesn't provide me with HD quality archived material, I am able to record in 480i, simulating standard DVD quality on a mobile format.

I will, no doubt, be picking up titles that I'm not aware of, like many of you, as I discover hidden treasures of the past. Picking up the John Wayne/John Ford set at $55 was a great find and I'm quite pleased with it. My list, thus far to be completed in '06/'07 includes:

Reds
A Fish Called Wanda (rerelease)
Double Indemnity (rerelease)
The African Queen
The Jazz Singer (1927)
A Clockwork Orange (rerelease)
Grand Prix (standard edition -- one of my favs)
Jewel of the Nile (rerelease)
Romancing the Stone (rerelease)
Some Like it Hot (rerelase)
The Spirit of St. Louis (rerelease)
Taps (rerelease)

As has been my practice over the last couple of years -- I am double dipping when a significant improved rerelease is available (and using my origninal release titles as gifts to family and friends).

Joel
 

Travis Brashear

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I could have made a list to rival yours, but your thread title is "which official upcoming DVDs excite you the most?", not just "which official upcoming DVDs excite you?", so I didn't want to list everything, just the absolute cream of the crop.
 

Jim_K

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Perhaps I seemed dismissive with my comments of it but I do agree with you Mario that even though it is a comedy A Slight Case of Murder is a good film.

Another good Edward G Robinson Gangster parody I've seen and really enjoyed was the earlier The Little Giant (1933), which has the added benefit and freedom of being a pre-code film. :emoji_thumbsup: Not sure whether you've seen it, if not I think you'd enjoy it. It would easily fit in with a future Warner Gangster/Tough Guy set or their long rumored Pre-Code set.

Yet another Edward G parody would be John Ford's The Whole Town's Talking (1935) which I've never seen but one I'd really want to catch someday. I don't hold out much hope for it as it's probably rotting away in Columbia's vaults. On top of it TCM rarely runs Sony/Columbia films. :frowning:

Anyhow - like I said before I might just opt for the Tough Guy Box.
 

MarcoBiscotti

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Where on earth do you get this information from??


Nothing's been posted or released yet as far as the contents of this year's set...


What's your source?
 

ted:r

Second Unit
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Jun 23, 2005
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336
For me, the most coveted release is "Reds" (oh please let it be so!) Of course, the Film Noir/Tough Guys/Bogart/James Stewart/Paul Newman/Taylor Burton/Brando boxes are nothing to be sneered at! Nor are the Fox Noirs or "Pretty Poison" or "State Of The Union" or "Double Indemnity" or "Blade Runner", etc, etc, happily etc.

By the way, my Wish List consists of 807 films. Still a long way to go...
 

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