Home Theater Forum - View Single Post - 'Groundhog Day' - will the new AE be worth a triple-dip?

Casey C. · 01-30-2008, 12:58 PM

I picked this up yesterday -- I owned the SE but somehow lost it a few months ago. So I'm familiar with the SE but don't have it on hand for direct comparison.

The video is probably the same as the SE, or at least it doesn't look remastered to me. It starts out a little shaky/flickery in the beginning (the credits over the sky and clouds) but looks good for most of the movie. It's also a little dark but I think that's mostly just the look of the film.

The Harold Ramis commentary is recycled from the SE (he says of Willie Garson, "Now he's on that show, what is it called? 'Sex and the City,' I think"). It's a pretty good commentary though; Ramis is laid-back and leaves some dead spots, but there's a lot of good info.

Interview with Harold Ramis is new. It's short (9 minutes) but interesting; he talks more about the spiritual meaning people find in the film. Also discusses shooting with the groundhog ("Don't drive angry!") and how Tom Hanks (who was considered for the Phil Connors role) wouldn't have been as good as Bill Murray. Also: It's in anamorphic widescreen.

"Weight of Time" making-of feature (24 minutes) is the same as the SE -- it's well-done but it's in 4x3; clips from the film are widescreen but matted into a 4x3 screen.

"The Study of Groundhogs: A Real-Life Look at Marmots" (6 minutes): The opening of this is so overly earnest and serious that I thought it was going to be a parody, but it's not; it's actually scientists talking about the lives of groundhogs, a.k.a. woodchucks. Maybe interesting for the Animal Planet crowd, but not for me. At least it's anamorphic.

Deleted Scenes: These are new but kind of disappointing. They're mostly just Phil showing off things he's learned from days of practice: bowling a 300 game, being an expert pool player, etc. They're repetitive and don't add much insight, and you can see why they were left on the cutting-room floor. Also, I know deleted scenes usually aren't cleaned up anyway, but some of these are in really bad shape; lots of dirt and scratches.

Overall a better disc than the SE, but if you have the SE, it's probably not worth a double (or triple) dip.

01-30-2008, 12:58 PM	#11 of 27
Casey C. Member Location: St. Paul, MN Join Date: Jun 2004 Local Time: 03:03 AM Local Date: 10-12-2008 Posts: 142	Re: 'Groundhog Day' - will the new AE be worth a triple-dip? I picked this up yesterday -- I owned the SE but somehow lost it a few months ago. So I'm familiar with the SE but don't have it on hand for direct comparison. The video is probably the same as the SE, or at least it doesn't look remastered to me. It starts out a little shaky/flickery in the beginning (the credits over the sky and clouds) but looks good for most of the movie. It's also a little dark but I think that's mostly just the look of the film. The Harold Ramis commentary is recycled from the SE (he says of Willie Garson, "Now he's on that show, what is it called? 'Sex and the City,' I think"). It's a pretty good commentary though; Ramis is laid-back and leaves some dead spots, but there's a lot of good info. Interview with Harold Ramis is new. It's short (9 minutes) but interesting; he talks more about the spiritual meaning people find in the film. Also discusses shooting with the groundhog ("Don't drive angry!") and how Tom Hanks (who was considered for the Phil Connors role) wouldn't have been as good as Bill Murray. Also: It's in anamorphic widescreen. "Weight of Time" making-of feature (24 minutes) is the same as the SE -- it's well-done but it's in 4x3; clips from the film are widescreen but matted into a 4x3 screen. "The Study of Groundhogs: A Real-Life Look at Marmots" (6 minutes): The opening of this is so overly earnest and serious that I thought it was going to be a parody, but it's not; it's actually scientists talking about the lives of groundhogs, a.k.a. woodchucks. Maybe interesting for the Animal Planet crowd, but not for me. At least it's anamorphic. Deleted Scenes: These are new but kind of disappointing. They're mostly just Phil showing off things he's learned from days of practice: bowling a 300 game, being an expert pool player, etc. They're repetitive and don't add much insight, and you can see why they were left on the cutting-room floor. Also, I know deleted scenes usually aren't cleaned up anyway, but some of these are in really bad shape; lots of dirt and scratches. Overall a better disc than the SE, but if you have the SE, it's probably not worth a double (or triple) dip. Last edited by Casey C. : 01-30-2008 at 11:46 PM.