Are Multiple releases of the Same film starting to Irk you ? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

It is me to a degree, now the Army of Darkness film is an Obvious example but there's been others. With so many movies and classics needing release why waste the replicating factories with redundant releases? Now alot of older films need remastering. Remastering costs $$$ so I guess it's cheaper to go redundant, but I really wish a concerted effort to release catalog titles were prioritized.

 

[Adam_WM]

It hasn't bothered me until the last month. With the announcement of the re-releases of The Matrix, Fast and the Furious (both useless repackagings), and Something About Mary, I'm about ready to give up on re-releases. And then there's all this malarchy I hear about a Casablanca SE...

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Starting? While I'm as impatient as the next guy, I do wish they would get the releases right the first time out. I agree that a third release of a title should be backburnered until more unreleased catalog is out.

I would rather wait for a final, definitive release than shell out for lesser versions just to get things released.

Short answer, yes!

 

[Qui-Gon John]

What irks me is the plethora of multiple release on some titles. Yet total unavailability of some KEY titles, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Indian Jones Trilogy. Also, failure to release new versions of titles that really NEED a new version, like to give us ANAMORPHIC for titles such as Hunt for Red October, Crimson Tide, True Lies, Mrs. Doubtfire.

 

[Charlie Essmeier]

I'd be OK with these rereleases if they just had the film ONLY. No menus. Just press play and watch the film.

More extras? Don't need that. You watch them once, and after that they're just in the way.

Charlie

 

[Matthew_Millheiser]

I don't mind one bit. As long as the price is right and the content is worthwhile, bring it.

 

[Jon Robertson]

It's always nice to see better versions of your favourite films.

A recent case in point for are the two Seijun Suzuki films Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter, available in lacklustre Criterion editions (non-anamorphic, incorrect ratios, generally poor transfers converted from PAL masters), which I traded in for the R2 anamorphic versions.

My appreciation for the films has shot up tenfold. Both have been afforded magnificent, correctly framed anamorphic transfers (Tokyo Drifter looks simply mouth-watering, Branded to Kill has the same contrasty bleached look but without the shimmering and a huge increase in detail).

Re-releases like this (and the upcoming Beauty and the Beast from Criterion) are exactly the kind I'm all in favour of. Cash-ins without significantly improved transfers or tie-in supplements I can do without. However, I'm not going to attack the studios for trying to re-release their own property. Hell, Disney might have gone under decades ago were it not for this very practice.

 

[Kwang Suh]

Every DVD you own will be re-released in some way, shape or form.

 

[mike martin]

In a word no.

I'm an informed consumer who apreciates variety and options and never feels obligated to purchase something simply because a studio releases it. I'm a huge matrix fan; but i will not be purchasing the new release for a marginal increase in content from the two i already have. So i am in no way hurt by this release. And in general I WANT duel releases. Studios are under such presure to get dvds out soon after release that it usually effects the initial release. I'm more than happy to wait for the second release that gives me what I enjoy with dvd.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I enjoy selection.

If the re-release offers better video/sound, supplements, etc, it's worth it. However, it really annoys me that Artisan does a 3rd issue of The Quiet Man, only to use a horrible transfer. Most studios IMPROVE transfers, but I guess it was more important to have a slipcover on the disc.

I'm just glad the SEs of Singin' In The Rain, A Hard Day's night, Amadeus, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Wizard of Oz, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail offered a reason to re-buy. (I only re-bought Amadeus, but still..)

 

[MarkHarrison]

Before buying something, I tend to do a lot of research first. I look at lists that have rumors and/or solid information about re-releases (DVDTalk runs such a list), search old posts, generally try to use some common sense with what I buy and mainly have lots of patience. For example, common sense said stay away from the old Tom Clancy movies. The current editions are not that exciting and The Sum of All Fears just had hit the theaters at the time I went looking to buy. It looks like my instincts might pay off in this case. On the other hand I went ahead and picked up My Fellow Americans (pan-n-scan no less) in a fairly bare bones edition because I honestly don't think it will ever be re-released.

In two years I think I've been hit twice (Men In Black and The Fifth Element) and the new ones didn't offer anything to make it worth the upgrade to me. If I ever run out of things to buy from my 'safe' list (yeah right!), I might go back and pick up some that on my 'wait and see' list. So I'm not really bothered by the whole re-release nonsense.

 

[Jonathan L]

I wish I had bothered to do a little research before picking up Red October. THAT is one film that absolutely needs the re-release...Paramount should have been embarrassed to actually sell the original release.

 

[Chris S]

It only irks me if a studio releases a title then about a week later says that there is going to be a special edition coming in 6 months. As long as we know up front I'm cool with it. For now .

Chris S.

 

[Seth_S]

It depends.

If the studio did the best they could the first time around, then I always welcome a better version with improved sound and audio, such as Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

The upcoming re-release of There's Something About Mary bothers me. Besides being first released as non-anamorphic while all the studios were committing to anamorphic, on the commentary track the Farrely brothers often talk about cut scenes, yet they weren't included on the DVD. I always found that frustrating. The Star Trek re-releases also bug me. Considering the number of people who are going to buy some or all of the Trek films twice now, Paramount could have at least improved the transfers.

 

[MarkHastings]

My biggest complaint are when DVD's aren't originally released anamorphically then get re-released with an anamorphic tranfer. If "There's Something About Mary" was originally released anamorphically, then there'd be no reason to re-release it.

Do it right the first time!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The Star Trek re-releases also bug me. Considering the number of people who are going to buy some or all of the Trek films twice now, Paramount could have at least improved the transfers.

1) They've only reissued two flicks to date, so you should probably wait for more to judge the entire line;

2) The two that have been rereleased were also the most recent of the eight titles that didn't originally come out as SEs. As such, it makes sense that their transfers wouldn't be much different since they appeared pretty late in the game;

3) Despite that, though, the transfer for Khan DOES improve upon the original. It's a small difference, but it's there. Frankly, I doubt we'll see any substantial improvements until we get to V, VI and Generations, since those were the only non-anamorphic ones of the bunch. I didn't care much for the image of IV, and I hope the new one improves it as well.

And in answer to the original question: no, I don't mind reissues in the least. If it's a minor change - like the smattering of added features to last year's Men In Black and Stuart Little "Deluxe" discs - then I can happily skip it. If it's a more substantial improvement then I'm happy to get the new extras or better picture/sound. Many people seem to ignore the fact that they don't HAVE TO buy any reissued discs - I understand the frustration that they'd like for studios to "get it right the first time", but times and technology change. Reissues can be a good thing as they improve DVDs with technological growth...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

My biggest complaint are when DVD's aren't originally released anamorphically then get re-released with an anamorphic tranfer. If "There's Something About Mary" was originally released anamorphically, then there'd be no reason to re-release it.

They might want to expand the extras, which is a good reason. They might also improve the transfer in other ways - just because something's anamorphic doesn't mean it's inherently good.

And it's also not totally fair to criticize Fox and others for their old non-anamorphic policies. If something comes out non-anamorphic today, then the studio responsible deserves criticism. However, things were very different back in 1999 and earlier, and I don't agree that studios should get uniformly attacked for policies from that era.

I regard reissues that improve picture/sound to be a GOOD thing. I understand the "do it right the first time" frustration, but our 2003 ideas of "right" aren't always the same as they were in 1999 or before, so the studios deserve some slack in that regard...

 

[MarkHastings]

I regard reissues that improve picture/sound to be a GOOD thing. I understand the "do it right the first time" frustration, but our 2003 ideas of "right" aren't always the same as they were in 1999 or before, so the studios deserve some slack in that regard...

I didn't have a 16x9 tv back in 1998, but I still bought anamorphic DVD's because someday I would. That's why I fault the studios.

 

[Tim Ke]

I didn't have a 16x9 tv back in 1998, but I still bought anamorphic DVD's because someday I would. That's why I fault the studios.

I get where you're coming from, but I say a re-release of a DVD with a new anamorphic version to replace a non-anamorphic version is better than just re-releasing a DVD with some slapped-on some promotional material to tie in with a sequel. Of course, in a perfect world all DVDs would be perfect from the get go...

 

[Neil Joseph]

What I really would like to see are re-releases of the non-anamorphic catalogue titles like Crimson Tide, Deep Impact and many others. Disney and Paramount seem to be the worst offenders.