Is NEIGHBORS out on DVD? (Consolidated Thread) (1 Viewer)

[Nicholas Vargo]

So, I just watched the film for the first time in its entirty last night that I recorded on the DVR from HDNetMovies and I thought it was just excellent. The movie is so insane, it's brilliant. Even Bill Conti's score adds to the insanity really well.

What's even more insane, I purchased the limited edition soundtrack from Varese Sarabande CD Club just before that and not only does it include Conti's score, but Tom Scott's unused score as well. It's an interesting listen because it is so completely different from Conti's balls to the wall score. There are still less than 250 copies of the limited 1500 copy pressing as of this post, so get your hands on it while you can. There are also some interesting liner notes included as well. If you love the score to the movie, the only advice I have is BUY IT NOW!!!

 

[Bryan^H]

Trust me, when it comes to catalog film releases, Sony/Columbia is the absolute worst. I have been waiting years for my favorite film on dvd(check my sig)and have completely given up hope:frowning:

 

[Bryan^H]

I collect film score cd's, and didn't know about this. I'll check it out.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Maybe for 2009?

 

[Michael Elliott]

Has Belushi's estate, the other stars or directed ever said they didn't want this released? It seems from various reviews and original press that the film didn't go over too well and that a lot of people were embarrassed by it so perhaps someone doesn't want it released?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

NEIGHBORS can't be considered any worse than a ton of other similar comedies which do get released. I saw it in the theater a couple of times when it was released, and I liked it. It's one of my most wanted titles.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

"Has Belushi's estate, the other stars or directed ever said they didn't want this released?"

Not that I know of but I know many of them were not happy with the film. I don't think to the point they would wish to ban it from release.

 

[paul_austin]

I'm still holding my breath for this release...a big favorite of mine. Maybe the release of the SNL season sets will spark some interest but I doubt it...it's not like Belushi love ever really goes away

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Ok, I read a "rumor" that this film is scheduled to be released on Region 1 DVD in 2009, does anybody know if this is true or anything about this?

 

[ahollis]

With Sony looking into their vault and releasing several films on DVD under the Martini Collection about three times a year, I would speculate that "Neighbors" would make it out on DVD fall 2009. This would make a great Martini title.

The title regularly makes it on "where is this film lists" and the powers that be at Sony are now reading and listening to those lists.

 

[Mike_Richardson]

Well, even if they didn't like it, they have no claim to its ownership or distribution or anything else. What's more, this wasn't a case of the studio ruining the movie -- by most accounts the two stars did that all on their own, from reportedly being completely obnoxious, trying to get the director fired on a daily basis, and abusing their power to tinker with the script, down to showing up on the set and telling everyone they wanted to change parts! (which they got away with because they were all the rage at the time, even the producers "tolerated" their behavior).

Columbia/Sony can do whatever they want with it, though -- it's likely the movie's box-office receipts are the reason it hasn't come to DVD sooner, not anything to do with some kind of suppression over its release. It shows up on cable all the time.

 

[SilverWook]

The IMDB says it made money. There has to be some logical reason it's only available in Region 2...

 

[Michael Elliott]

They could but it wouldn't be the first time a studio held something back due to one of the stars or even director saying no. I wasn't sure if one of the two stars held some rights on the film and were refusing to give it a release.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Interesting, I did not read that Sony was considering releasing it under the "Martini Collection" banner but I suppose that's a possibility and the film is a perfect choice for that. I agree with you Allen. Despite some bad reviews this film actually did get several good notices (including from Roger Ebert) and as Bill already pointed out it did make money. The film has a strange dreamlike quality to it that I think gives it a very high re-watch-ability factor and it seems to get funnier each time you screen it.

I mean come on Belushi and Aykroyd only did two films together that featured them as a comedy team and I'm sure there would have been more had Belushi lived longer.

 

[paul_austin]

I dont care what banner they put it under....I just cant wait to get it as it was always a favorite of mine and was on my LD buy list for a widescreen version that never materialized!!!

 

[zackscott5]

Well, even if they didn't like it, they have no claim to its ownership or distribution or anything else. What's more, this wasn't a case of the studio ruining the movie -- by most accounts the two stars did that all on their own, from reportedly being completely obnoxious, trying to get the director fired on a daily basis, and abusing their power to tinker with the script, down to showing up on the set and telling everyone they wanted to change parts! (which they got away with because they were all the rage at the time, even the producers "tolerated" their behavior).

Richard Zanuck said this in the Belushi Documentary Book by Judith Belushi Pisano (a great book by the way if you are a Belushi fan): John and Dan asked us to can him (Avildsen). Even though we could see that there were problems, we still believed that he was the man for the job, and we stuck by him. There were no grounds to let a guy go like that in the middle of rehearsals, especially one who had just won an Academy Award. Ultimately, I'd say we made a mistake. Not that John Avildsen isn't a good director, he is. But he wasn't the right director for this picture. If we had a crystal ball, we would have seen the troubled waters on the horizon."

Never the less, I want this film on DVD too!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Thomas Berger on his novel Neighbors:

"As my 10th novel, begun at the close of my 20th year as a published novelist, it is appropriately a bizarre celebration of whatever gift I have, the strangest of all my narratives...the morality of this work, like that of all my other volumes, will be in doubt until the end of the narrative – and perhaps to the end of eternity, now that I think about it."

Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbors_(novel)

I think a lot of folks just don't get this film but it sure as heck deserves a release on dvd...

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

Varese Sarabande Records released a score CD for the film last year that also contained the films unused score, it is now considered OOP but can be found at sellers like ScreenArchives Entertainment for about 40.00 ish or so currently... the film seems to have an odd tone to me that I like... I have never seen it but would probably purchase it if it were released. I wish Universal would do date / date on BLU with catalog titles also but it seems they are lagging on catalog BD releases of late.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

With Sony now going from the "worst" in terms of catalog title releases to one of the best (or in some minds the best) perhaps now we'll get Neighbors on DVD? Maybe...

 

[widescreenforever]

Maybe they'll release that Columbia Title from 1964 with Jack Lemmon-
Good Neighbor Sam .. ... ( speaking of Neighbors..