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A tale of two "Special Edition" lines... (1 Viewer)

Jeremy Conrad

Supporting Actor
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Nov 27, 2000
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529
Anyone else think that New Line seriously deserves a tip of the hat when it comes to special edition DVDs with Infinifilm? I mean, seriously, these aren't second versions of previously released discs, but rather initial releases that are both packed with special features as well as show off much of the interactivity that was originally hyped up about the format when DVD was first being introduced. Oh, and the fact that New Line has them in regular keep cases instead of crappy carboard snappers doesn't hurt either!
Both Thirteen Days and 15 Minutes were good discs, and using those as a basis, can you imagine a 2-Disc killer Infinifilm edition of Fellowship of the Ring next summer? Whoa. Good job New Line.
On the other hand, I think Universal needs a serious whack upside the head for the "Ultimate Edition" crap that they have been attepting to shove down the face of consumers. Not only are these "Ultimate Edition" discs simply the original widescreen and full frame editions repackaged, any extras that they do add are simply not worth the asking price. I don't really think there are many people out there who bought the original widescreen release of a Universal DVD that would actually want to pay $30 for the full frame edition in addition to one or two new extras. BOO to you, Universal. And to think, Universal used to be one of the driving studios for the format back in the day (along with Warner, but I won't go into them in this post...).
[Edited last by Jeremy Conrad on August 26, 2001 at 04:59 PM]
 

Justin Lane

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Jeremy, is Universal in any way making you purchase the new Ultimate Edition? If you are happy with your first release why buy another just because it too comes out?
For the most part UEs seem seem like overkill, but there are some who like to get an added DTS track, or in the case of Meet Joe Black a second disc with the original film on it which is a pretty neat "supplement".
At least Universal is not overcharging for these titles. For most of them the MSRP is less than the original CE price and at the same time they are discontinuing the original versions. Sucks for those who have been into DVD for awhile, but those new to the format or who did not pick up the first releases get a nice version from the get go at a lower price.
J
 

Gary_E

Second Unit
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May 6, 1999
Messages
366
I'm so sick of this 'SPECIAL EDITION', 'ULTIMATE EDITION', 'COLLECTOR EDITION' and now we got 'BOOTLEG EDITION' crap. Stop it already!!
I feel as if SUPERBIT is the way to go for me. Give me the film, in it's best video and audio presentation.
Put all the other crap on a separate disc (ala The Matrix new disc) and if I want it, I'll buy it.
-Gary
 

Vince Maskeeper

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now we got 'BOOTLEG EDITION' crap
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You are aware this is the name of one specific DISC, a play on the content of the movie, right?
This is not a new series or banner for special editions, rather a witty play on encorporating the deluxe edition name into the feel of the film itself.
Vince
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Graeme Clark

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So there isn't going to be a Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace - Bootleg Edition?? Or Dune: Bootleg Edition? That's a shame.
[Edited last by Graeme Clark on August 27, 2001 at 01:55 AM]
 

Greg_Y

Screenwriter
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Mar 7, 1999
Messages
1,466
So there isn't going to be a Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace - Bootleg Edition??
It's already out. It's not just a George Lucas product.
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Gary_E

Second Unit
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366
You are aware this is the name of one specific DISC, a play on the content of the movie, right?
This is not a new series or banner for special editions, rather a witty play on encorporating the deluxe edition name into the feel of the film itself.
From the Digital Bits.
For release 10/30/01
Army of Darkness: Official Bootleg Edition (Director's Cut) (Anchor Bay): In time for Halloween, yet another version of one of the films. More to come I'm sure.
Remember the words of Mr. Landis, just a few days ago..... “Out of print? I wonder why. I guess they figure to rerelease it much later in some new edition - remember all of the studios want to sell you essentially the same product over and over again.”
-Gary
 

Robert George

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My opinion of "special editions" has undergone some re-evaluation of late. The culprit is Sony and their Superbits.
I have always been a fan of the special edition, and I still feel it is a vital part of the DVD format in general, and the collector market specifically. We need special editions.
However, we should not lose sight of the simple reality that the movie is the main thing and the thing that should receive the most attention. Until the Superbits discs, the majority of the special editions we were getting from the majors looked essentially the same. Not in a specific way, but generally speaking. The Superbits discs raised the bar for image quality. It is now very difficult for me to look at a disc that has a 100-120 minute movie, 2-4 soundtracks, 2-6 subtitle tracks, and a shitload of supplemental material without thinking how much better the movie would look if it was given a disc to itself.
As for the company mentioned specifically in the first messgae of this thread, New Line, I have mixed feelings about the Infinifilm series so far, and for the reasons stated above. I'm looking at Rush Hour 2 this weekend and so far, it's not blowing my doors off. I have some more critical evaluation to do ahead of a review, but my first impression is it should have been a 2-disc set.
[Edited last by Robert George on October 28, 2001 at 04:38 PM]
 

Brad_W

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Don't forget Almost Famous: Bootleg Edition. I didn't like this movie to begin with, but there is another bootleg edtion for ya.
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Neil Joseph

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I think its absolutely awesome when they combine the movie with extras from from/about the movie, plus documentaries in real world life that deal with the movie subject material abd make it interactive like that. I watched Thirteen days like that from start to finish and it was like a complete seminar on the Cuban Missile crisis. Very well done.
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Chad Gregory

Supporting Actor
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Don't forget Almost Famous: Bootleg Edition. I didn't like this movie to begin with, but there is another bootleg edtion for ya.
Well Brad, there is a large difference between the Almost Famous disc and the the Army of Darkness disc. First of all, the Almost Famous disc includes a longer cut of the film that Cameron Crowe wanted to release originally. I guess you could call it the Director's Cut, but since the film includes a heavy dose of music Crowe chose to name it Untitled which was one of the original title choices for the film and hence this is a bootleg cut of the wonderful film. AOD is seems to be more of a marketing tool as this is one of many releases. I would have to argue that Almost Famous is a seperate case, mainly because of the new cut of the film.
Also, how can you not love this film? :) Maybe you should watch it again.
 

Brad_W

Screenwriter
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Chad,
I don't like Cameron Crowe movies. Especially the "Show Me the Money" movie that he partook in.
I couldn't stomach watching Almost Famous again to give it another try.
I brought up the fact that there is another version of Almost Famous coming out called "the bootleg edition" to show that there are more films with "bootleg edtion" in the title/subtitle. Regardless of the reasoning it is on there, it's still on there. It's all a marketing tool. Almost Famous is no different.
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Matthew Chmiel

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Don't forget Almost Famous: Bootleg Edition.
It's actually Almost Famous / Untitled: The Bootleg Cut. Get it right.
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Chad Gregory

Supporting Actor
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Oct 11, 2000
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I have to stand by the quality of this film. While I can agree somewhat with you on Jerry Maguire, I would have to contend that it isn't in the same league as Almost Famous. But to each his own. :)
I brought up the fact that there is another version of Almost Famous coming out called "the bootleg edition" to show that there are more films with "bootleg edtion" in the title/subtitle. Regardless of the reasoning it is on there, it's still on there. It's all a marketing tool. Almost Famous is no different.
But as Matthew said it's actually Almost Famous / Untitled: The Bootleg Cut. This is not a marketing tool, this is the Title of Cameron Crowe's film that is seeing its first release on this disc.
 

Alex Spindler

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After sampling my first Superbit, the Fifth Element, I am still dedicated towards the supplement rich special editions. I can appreciate the additional transfer, but I didn't find it as revelatory as some. The return on investment for a Superbit was nowhere near what I've experieced in ProLogic to 5.1, non-anamorphic to anamorphic, or even standard to progressive DVD players.
I still think Toy Story holds the title among my collection as best audio visual presentation. I was also particularly impressed by the recent Silence of the Lambs release, which presented levels of detail I never thought existed. And this was coexisting with some remarkable extras.
I find a DVD can contain not just an adequate presentation, but an exceptional presentation as well as the regular special edition extras (commentary, trailers, documentary, deleted scenes). The only thing that makes this combination improbable is the addition of a DTS track, although examples do exist that they can all coexist (Pitch Black, Chicken Run, and Meet the Parents come to mind).
I think the widespread delivery of two disc sets is both good and bad. The good are those truly excellent editions from New Line (Seven, Fight Club), Terminator 2, Episode 1, and Gladiator that make the most of the format. The worst are the Ultimate Editions, that waste huge amounts by including full frame editions. What this leads to is one disc that the buyer will never experience, either the FF or the WS. While I don't begrudge the additional extras, it feels like 110% of a Widescreen disc (when compared to the original).
 

Brad_W

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quote: Almost Famous / Untitled: The Bootleg Cut[/quote]
Don't forget "The Director's Edition" supra-title. :)
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[Edited last by Brad_W on October 28, 2001 at 09:56 PM]
 

Kami

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can you imagine a 2-Disc killer Infinifilm edition of Fellowship of the Ring next summer
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*DROOL*
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I get wood just thinking about this...sorry to be so frank, but damn!!! I wonder if they are going to release the theatrical or director's cut of FOTR before TT? Or if they will wait until all 3 films are out before releasing the director's cuts so they can be put in a nice box set (double drool).
I am 99% sure that Peter Jackson mentioned longer cuts will be released on DVD...if so, we are looking at a total trilogy length of roughly 9 hours when all is said and done (triple drool!). I can see the LOTR Marathons already!
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David Illingworth II

Second Unit
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May 11, 2001
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444
I don't get it . . . there's a lot of debate about Superbit vs. Special Edition, quality vs. content.
Look, you can have both people, it's called Vista Series and 5-Star Collection. What's the problem?
 

Jeff Kleist

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The reason why the AOD cut is also called "Bootleg Edition" is because the video pirates that freqent comic/horro/scifi cons had that as a top seller for years. The Japanese cut off the laser disc. Bruce Campbell says in the liner notes of the LE "...now they'll have to find something else to bootleg at conventions"
Jeff Kleist
 

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