Monster Squad on 10/28 (1 Viewer)

[Scott Weinberg]

This comes from the Pacific Family Entertainment website:



(I added the underlining...)

I've never seen the Final Countdown DVD, but I've heard several horror stories. I'm also about to send these folks an email asking them what the specifications for The Monster Squad will be.

Wish me luck.

 

[Damin J Toell]

PFE are a bootlegging outfit. They do not own the US rights to The Final Countdown. They ignored the cease & desist letter sent to them last year by the current video rights holder for that film, and they continue to market their awful disc copied directly from the R2/4 PAL release. If Monster Squad is OAR, it is likely to be a dub of the Japanese laserdisc. They are unlikely to actually hold the rights for it.

It seems that the only effective method of stopping PFE is for the actual rights holder to release a high-quality product that will render their bootlegs obsolete. This is happening next year with The Final Countdown, and hopefully it will happen for the rest of their "catalog," as well.

DJ

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

Thank you, Damin, thank you! I have gotten tired and blue in the face having to repeatedly tell people that PFE are up to no good.
Could you tell more about the "ceast and desist" letter? I'm feeling the schadenfreude just flowing.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Could you tell more about the "ceast and desist" letter?

When PFE prepared their Final Countdown release last year, they were sent a letter by the video rights holder for the film. The letter informed PFE that they were in violation of copyright law should they go ahead and release the film. PFE has obviously released the film, anyway. The reason the rights holder did not take legal action is, I suspect, due to the costliness of litigation, but this is my own supposition.

DJ

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

I respect your wish to protect their privacy, but is it safe to say this company controls other former Producer Sales Organisation titles? Are they responsible for the legitimate licensing of former PSO films like VENOM and DEAD AND BURIED that came out from Blue Underground?

 

[Jay E]

The perfect example of "good news, bad news".

I've been dying to own Night of the Comet for so many years, but seeing how PFE is releasing it, I'm really nervous about how it will look.

 

[todd s]

Damin,

Who owns the rights? And you mention another version coming out? When, where??

 

[David Lambert]

I'm desperate to own Night Of The Comet...but not THAT desperate. It sounds like Damin is saying that patience will be rewarded with The Final Countdown. I certainly hope that the same is true for Night Of The Comet (and Convoy as well).

I will wait on decent releases on all of these.

 

[Walt Riarson]

A bootlegging outfit? :frowning: This doesn't bode well at all.

 

[Damin J Toell]

I don't mean to be coy or act cool about The Final Countdown, but I don't want to ruin the surprise that will come when the disc is eventually announced. In the meantime, just treat it as an indeterminate rumor from a weirdo.

DJ

 

[Matt Goddard]

As I was reading the Bits today the title "Monster Squad" jumped out at me before I actually reached that line of the story. My euphoria was extremely short-lived when my reading caught up and I saw Pacific Family mentioned in the same sentence. I was lucky enough to not buy PFE's version of the Final Countdown. After that fiasco I don't think I would spend a nickel for anything they release.

 

[Eugene Esterly]

Well, now that I know that PFE is a bootleg company, I ain't gonna touch this disc. This is bad news. I will not support any bootlegging company so PFE will not get any of my money.

I would love to hear what Mr. Blythe has to say about this.

 

[Matthew_V]

.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Oh, the horror. :frowning:

I love Monster Squad - a great love letter to the Universal horror films of the Forties.

But PFE are indeed a bunch of pirates. The Japanese Laser of Monster Squad has a pretty good transfer, and a careful conversion would yield adequete results, but seeing as PFE can't even do a 'good' bootleg, I am going to remain VERY sceptical about this 'release'.

No way. Nah, when I think about this, there is no way in HELL that PFE own the rights to this film. How could they?

http://www.imdb.com/Companies?0093560

Gordy

 

[Travis_W]

Damn, 'Night of the Comet' and 'Monster Squad' have always been guilty pleasures of mine. If it is in fact proven that they are the legitimate copyright holders and it's OAR I'll buy both.

 

[SvenS]

I think we need to contact the goverment and get them on PFE for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act! Such blatant bootlegging should NOT be tolerated! We all should be contacting the MPAA to inform them of this trash of a company that is selling bootleggs. Below are the contact info for reporting piracy!

MPAA Piracy contcact info:
1-800-662-6797
[email protected]

Let go put this slimy company out of business!

 

[Walt Riarson]

Has anybody who reported this group heard anything back from the MPAA?

 

[Mattias_ka]

Well, it's look like I will be using my Japanese laserdisc in the future.

 

[todd s]

I also wonder what has happened with PFE & Final Countdown.

 

[Matt Pelham]

Here's a review of the Japanese laserdisc.

http://www.horrordvds.com/reviews/a-m/msquad-jld/

I really hope this release turns out worthwhile.