Latest DVD Purchases

[kats]

ralph fiennes as voldemort will be deliciously creepy, however. and provide eye candy for all the mothers forced to sit through the film

I thought Schindler's List was based on a 1982 book of the same name by Thomas Keneally
yep, it's by thomas keneally, but its called schlinder's arc. i will go and check, however.

[kats]

but in my brief investigation, a lot of american websites refer to it incorrectly as schlinder's list. unless it was released under that name.

thomas keneally is a stuffy old man past his prime. he appears on every second academic show here in australia bitching about the way literature/art has moved on. bah. i can't stand him.
and yes, there are lots of shows in australia where academics just sit around discussing films whatnot.

however, amazing film/concept. i just can't stand his writing.

[Adam]

I bought my copy of the book when the film was coming out and "Schindler's List" was the title. The U.S. Library of Congress even lists it as "Schindler's List."

I remember that book had so much academic-style writing; no wonder I struggled with it.

[RocDoc]

Adam, that new Metallica doc that you rented, that 'Some Kind Of Monster', was it a 2-disc?

Last week Circuit City had a 2 disc version advertised for 18.99 and Best Buy had a 19.99 version (minus a 4.99 Best Buy gift cert they were including) which said nothing about it being a 2-disc set(kind of a dumb omission if it was)...I went to Best Buy wanting to eyeball it but it had sold out. I grabbed a rain check for it and then went to CC and bought their 2-disc version.

Now I haven't unwrapped the one I'm holding cos I wanted to find out if the 'standard' version is a one-disc or a 2-disc....

[Adam]

As far as I know, "Some Kind of Monster" has always been available as a 2-disc set, especially if its a Region 1 disc. I rented a copy from a local Hastings video store and it was both discs (one for the feature, the other for supplemental material).

I don't know what you mean by a "standard" version, however. If you're referring to the aspect ratio of the picture (like "full screen" versus "widescreen"), it shouldn't matter because the documentary wasn't shot in widescreen, so all copies should be "full screen" or "standard."

It may just sound like bad advertising from Best Buy but I'd check the packaging of your purchased copy from CC to see if it indicates a two disc-set. If it doesn't, open it and see for yourself; you should be able to get a refund or exchange, provided you kept the receipt.

Hope that helps.

[RocDoc]

Sorry to confuse...

The copy I bought is definitely the 2-disc, from Circuit City which did advertise it as such...Best Buy did not specify that it's 19.99 on sale 'Some Kind Of Monster' was any sort of multiple DVD set.
The question was just whether there's a DeLuxe 2 disc version versus a non-DeLuxe(ie standard)version which maaybe Best Buy is selling at a 'sale' price...

Thanks Adam.

[Adam]

You're welcome. Enjoy the dvd.

Like I said, bad advertising...

[Thorngrub]

Just received, using my raincheck @ Columbia House DVD Club:



So Adam, explain to me the significanse of this "Region 1" designation I've been noticing.

[Adam]

thoRny said:

So Adam, explain to me the significanse of this "Region 1" designation I've been noticing.

Well, Thorn, I would've figured you already knew about region codes but I'll amuse you anyway with this explanation (and it's taken from The Digital Bits' Insider's Guide to DVD book):

"One of the biggest concerns that the Hollywood studios have with regard to releasing their films on DVD, or in any format for that matter, is protecting the format. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) estimates that the U.S. filmmaking industry loses some $3 billion annually from piracy -- the illegial copying and distribution of their films. So during the development of DVD, a number of copy protection features were deliberately built into the format.

The first of these is something called region codes. Basically, the entire planet is divided up into geographic regions (seven in all). The U.S., for example, is in Region 1, along with Canada and Mexico. All DVD players and DVD-ROM drives are coded for a specific region. Likewise, most movie discs contain software instructions that specifiy a specific region. In order to play a movie coded for Region 1, you have to have a DVD player coded for Region 1. If you try to play a DVD coded for a different region (say, a movie sold in Japan, which is Region 2), you'll get a message saying that you can't view the disc.

The main reason for region codes is that many films are released on DVD in the U.S. before they even appear in theaters in other countries. The fear is that, without region codes, people in other countries could simply import DVDs of the latest films from the U.S., which would hurt profits from the film's international theatrical release. Given that these international consumers would also already own a copy of the film on DVD, it would potentially hurt the home video release in that country as well.

Many DVDs indicate their region code on the back of the packaging, using specialized icons. These usually include some sort of graphic representation of a globe, along with a number that designates the specific region the disc is coded for (generally 1-7, or "0" or "All" for discs that are region free). There may also be a notation of the television format the disc is compatible with (NTSC, PAL or SECAM)."

The reason I brought up "Region 1" in my response to Roc Doc's question is because, for other regions, like 2-7 or 0, the number of discs could different or the supplemental material may/may not be available/different.

Oh, nice choice on the raincheck, by the way.

[Thorngrub]

Thanks for the explanation. Pretty interesting.

And yeah -- I'm psyched to soak up SPR in the comfort of my own pad.

Love your signature -quote; it reminds me that every week that goes by is one week closer to my most super profundo highly anticipated cinematic release ever, A Scanner Darkly, brought to us by none other than The Man Himself, Richard Linklater.

It will be nothing less than the culmination of my greatest hope brought to the silver screen. It has already begun blowing me away . . . & I haven't even seen it yet~!

[Adam]

But I take it that you have seen some scene photos posted on the web. My fascination was the same on the marketing campaign for Waking Life: the photos looked terrific, but how would the compositions look in motion...

[Thorngrub]

Exactly. & yes, I did see some early initial pics - but that was a few months back. Haven't peeked in since. Don't really want to - if you know what I mean.

All I can say is - what a perfect medium for this classic adaptation! I am fully convinced this will be the greatest, most accomplished PKD adaptation for the screen yet -- and yes I fully realize that would mean eclipsing Ridley Scott's incomparable Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? adaptation, BLADE RUNNER.

The rotoscope digital art processing is the ideal vehicle for the "Scramble Suits" from the novel which the undercover narcs wore to protect their true identities when reporting to their superior officers.

Far and beyond any shadow of a doubt, this movie is the high point of my year, by far.

"Episode III" ; "The Devil's Rejects" ; "Land Of The Dead" . . . : None of these comes close.

[Adam]

Not even Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit?

;D

[Thorngrub]

Ok, "A Scanner Darkly" comes in a close 2nd, then.

[RocDoc]

Hhhhey!

Don't go ranking on Wallace & Gromit, OK?

The Wrong Trousers trumps any old Through A Scanner Darkly ANYday...c'mon. Get serious!

;D

...and The Wrong Trousers IS genius.