Wonka in widescreen -- things to do (1 Viewer)

[Douglas Bailey]

Two things that I feel every Wonka fan should do now that Warner has announced a widescreen release:
(1) Pre-order the widescreen disc the moment it appears. We've predicated many of our complaints on the idea that a widescreen edition will be profitable for Warner: let's make certain it is.
(2) If you wrote to Warner (customer service, a specific executive, whoever), write a follow-up letter thanking them for making this decision and informing them of your intention to purchase the widescreen disc. Don't gloat or be snide: at the end of the day, Warner did the right thing and listened to us, and we should praise them for that.
doug
------------------
"How can it be the same movie if they've changed my character from a tightly-wound convenience-store clerk to a jittery Eskimo firefighter?... uh huh... uh huh... uh huh. Well, that's actually a pretty good explanation..."
--James Woods, on THE SIMPSONS
[Edited last by Douglas Bailey on August 24, 2001 at 03:53 PM]

 

[Robert George]

I agree with Doug 100%. You made a big noise, and you got what you wanted. Now put up your money.
To Warner's credit, they listened to the Internet community. However, if their sales expectations for this disc are not met, they may not listen next time.

 

[Robert G]

I totally agree. It's time to show them that we are serious.
------------------

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Absolutly!
------------------
So madly in love with Estella Warren!

 

[Peter Overduin]

Ditto! I look forward to putting this one under the XMas tree!

 

[Nigel McN]

Exactly, I think plenty of people will be getting it under the christmas tree.

 

[Kurt N]

I was going to get this ASAP to show support for widescreen, but hadn't thought of the thank-you note. A very good idea. If we're gonna attack when they do bad, we should have the civility to be courteous when they do good. A note will be sent today.

 

[Patrick McCart]

As soon as amazon.com lists the matted version, I'm buying it.
I'll probably order it with Doctor Zhivago, given the proximity of the two releases.
------------------
P.S.: There's no P.S.

 

[PhilipG]

I'm not sure if buying the new W/S release "just because Warner changed their minds" is the right thing to do.
At the moment, I'm sure their spin doctors are saying that our outrage was a revolt against a pan/scam (or full frame, if you want to be pernickety) Wonka, and not pan/scam in general. They'll probably recatagorize Wonka as a "modern film classic" rather than a "family title".
By all means though, we should buy the new w/s DVD if we like the movie. Buy buying it just for the cause of OAR? This is like being mugged of your wallet, then taking chase and cornering the mugger, been given the wallet back, and then deciding to give the mugger a tenner for their trouble.
IMHO, the right course of action right now is to continue the pressure with the other petitions.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

PhillipG, the way I see it, if you signed the petition that was started to get Wonka presented in its OAR, then you should purchase the disc.
------------------
Kyle³
------------------
Yahoo Messenger - digitalkyle

 

[Dwayne]

This will be a definite purchase for me since since I have never seen this movie in all it's entirety. I do remember watching one scene that seemed "dark" for the film's perceived audience.
When I discovered the reversal on their decision, I immediately went out and bought two Warner titles: The Goonies and Nightbreed. I have no problem giving them my money so long as they stay on the right path.
------------------
-Dwayne
"And vidi films I would."

 

[Douglas Bailey]

quote: I'm not sure if buying the new W/S release "just because Warner changed their minds" is the right thing to do....By all means though, we should buy the new w/s DVD if we like the movie. Buy buying it just for the cause of OAR? [/quote]
PhilipG, I'm not suggesting that anyone should buy the new disc just to reward Warner. My original posting was directed to "every Wonka fan", not to "every HTF reader".
Sorry for any confusion caused,
doug
------------------
"How can it be the same movie if they've changed my character from a tightly-wound convenience-store clerk to a jittery Eskimo firefighter?... uh huh... uh huh... uh huh. Well, that's actually a pretty good explanation..."
--James Woods, on THE SIMPSONS
[Edited last by Douglas Bailey on August 25, 2001 at 08:16 PM]

 

[LarryH]

Let's see - I bought "The Goonies" mainly because it is 16x9 widescreen and I cancelled my order for "Lord of the Rings" because it's not. No problem on "Willie Wonka..."
Actually, I've bought a lot of DVD's primarily because they were 16x9, beginning in Dec. '99 when I bought my Toshiba 40" 16x9 and bought basically every title released in 16x9. Needless to say, the welcome plethora of 16x9 since then has allowed and forced me to be more selective.

 

[David Lambert]

I rarely pre-order discs online, since I never get them until the Thu-Fri of the release week. I would rather head into Best Buy or some other B&M store and buy it at the best loss leader price I can find around town. It's always just as cheap or cheaper, and quicker.
So, Warner: don't be disappointed if I (or others) don't preorder the widescreen Wonka. I WILL be buying my copy promptly on Nov. 13th, and not a day later. I'm sure others will do the same.
As to whether anyone should "buy the Wonka DVD just to reward WB for a correct decision", I'm not sure it's wise to let WB know that you're doing this. By all means buy the disc, but if you tell WB you're doing this as a reward for delivering Wonka in OAR, then they get confused and don't know whether the next title should be OAR or not. They realize that the next titles sales won't be as high, because they're not getting "rewarded". See how this thought process works? We shouldn't give the WB execs any reason to think along those lines.
------------------
DAVE/Memphis

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

David! You're sig has been de-pan&scanned
------------------
My DVD Collection

 

[David Lambert]

David! You're sig has been de-pan&scanned

Hey! I support OAR...what can I say?

------------------
DAVE/Memphis

 

[Michael Caicedo]

In.
------------------
Michael Caicedo
Winter Park, FL
- At my signal, unleash hell...

 

[Joshua Moran]

DVD File is saying that the press release of Wonka in Widescreen is a fake. Is it or not?

 

[AaronMK]

I signed the petition even though I don't have an interest purchasing this movie. The reason I signed it is becauese I beleive it is wrong to not give viewers the choice of OAR.
The decision to release Wonka OAR has shown that Warner is willing to correct a mistake. Swordfish and Goonies were barely above my puchase threshold, and had been pushed off my purchase list when Wonka was going to be P&S only. Now that Warner has taken a step in the right direction, these movies are back in my purchase territory.
My views of a company are a factor in my purchase decisions. There course of action with Cats & Dogs, Lord of the Rings, or any other title will also influence my view of the company, and thus future purchase decisions.
I also don't think Warner should read too much into the sales of Wonka as an indication on whether an OAR release is preferred for family (or all) films. The two versions are being released two months apart.
If studios want to get a gauge of consumer preference in family films, they should compare sales of the two versions of The Grinch at vendors where each version is just prominetly displayed and/or advertised as the other.
But then, should it matter which version is more popular? The fact would remain that an OAR release should be a given for all titles. No one should be denied the ability to watch a movie that is representative of the filmakers intent.
If there is a P&S release, whether in the same package or as a spereate release, there should be an OAR release of equal quality and with equal supplements to correspond. This is what I hope Warner now realizes.
------------------
My DVD's
If a movie is not available in OAR, than it might as well not be available at all.

 

[PhilipG]

PhillipG, the way I see it, if you signed the petition that was started to get Wonka presented in its OAR, then you should purchase the disc.

So I should only sign OAR petitions for movies that I like? Isn't that a bit isolationist? No OAR = No Sale, but the inverse cannot always be true. Still, I may yet buy W/S Wonka some time in the future, but not with my current bank balance.

P.S. Doug, that'll teach me not to speed-read!