Damn you Monty Python! NOW you decide to release a 2-disc special edition of The Holy Grail? Where was this 2 years ago when I bought it the first time?
Same with Die Hard. Die Hard With A Vengeance was the very first DVD I bought. Each film was trumped by 2-disc special editions that came out this summer.
I’m afraid to buy Pulp Fiction on DVD because I keep hearing rumors of a special edition for it.
At least with Dogma, Kevin Smith had the good sense to tell people that a bare-bones disc will be out right away, with the 2-disc SE coming later. That way I rented the first copy, and bought the SE when it came out. I wish more people had the common courtesy to do this.
Anyone else been burned? (Se7en, Princess Bride, I’m looking in your direction…)
Well, Carrie and The Terminator spring immediately to mind. Although, I really don’t feel too bad about Terminator, since I only paid 33 cents for it (800.com had a “3 DVDs for $1” sale!) And I really wish I’d read reviews before assuming that the limited edition of Night of the Living Dead was something desirable. UGH, did that LE stink.
I held out for the Special Edition of Princess Bride, but I just couldn’t wait to own Dogma. Anyone wanna buy a non-SE Kevin Smith movie?
And I do indeed own the old edition of Holy Grail. sigh.
That’s why I don’t buy bare-bones DVDs unless I’m sure that their appeal is so limited that a 2-disc SE is out of the question. For instance, I haven’t bought the Pulp Fiction DVD because I * know* that there will be a SE (or LE) eventually. I bought Phantom ofhe Paradise because it’s an obscure cult film that will probably never bring in enough sales to cause the studio to release an SE.
The older title (2 years ago or whatever) I understand because it was a very immature market and no one was really sure what people wanted. They also did see it as worthwhile to spend a lot of money on producing a SE DVD. But the market ahs changed and I am glad they are revisiting alot of those titles. But I do get annoyed when new titles are given that treatment without warning. There should be some policy where you can trade in a previous version for a discount ona new one, kinda like an upgrade.
I’ve got the original DVD releases of Princess Bride and MP and the Holy Grail. Maybe I can give those to my BIL when he gets a DVD player. I don’t think he cares about the extras.
No one deserves Battlefield Earth. Some things human beings (silly man-animals!) just shouldn’t do.
But I wonder if it’ll have a super-duper 2 disc limited edition?
I always figured Holy Grail was due for better treatment; Pulp Fiction is a film that most DVD forums warned specifically against getting–not only bare-bones, but apparently the existing version is a pretty crappy transfer. Visually, I mean, I know some people think of it the way that others do of the, er, Psychlotic one above.
But double-dipping never annoyed me, too much. What pisses me off is that several years into the format being solidly established, (and DESPITE the level of success of Shakespeare in Love, which makes me glumly feel that it’ll never get released), I STILL can’t get Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead on disc, and watching my VHS dub makes me whimper even though the source was laserdisc. The ideal outcome from a statement like this is someone saying (thruthfully!), “Oh, that just came out last month.” Anyone? Anyone? No? Dammit. The hell with double-dipping, triple-dip if you like (I’m pretty sure Lucas is guaranteed to do this), just start SINGLE-dipping on the films you haven’t yet!
Another warning: I’ve heard Almost Famous is getting a special edition once Cameron Crowe finishes Vanilla Sky.
And two requests: please please PLEASE someone put Strange Brew on DVD! Get Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas to do an in-character commentary like the Spinal Tap DVD. Or put some SCTV stuff on it.
And how about GoodFellas? You have to frickin flip it over! This is DVD, not laserdisc!
Another one I’d forgotten from earlier: The Mummy. I mean, what the hell. The original release had plenty of extras to begin with, and they had to go back and rerelease an “ultimate edition”? Puhleeze. That’s just being greedy.
That happened with Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Unfortunaly, I bought Wizard of Oz before their special edition. I later went and bought the special edition and am giving my normal disk to someone. On the good side, though, I bought the special edition 30th Anniversary of Willy Wonka.
