The New DVD and Blu Thread

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » November 22nd, 2005, 12:02 am

I could probably use two time machines or just need to clone myself to catch up with all the stuff I haven't watched over the past 3 years...

Likewise, I wish I could afford all the SpongeBob, Flintstones, Top Cat, I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, and other sets I just haven't been able to afford because of higher priorities...

(NOTE: As much as I LOVE the original Star Trek TV series, I ain't paying $100 a set for the privilege of owning the full series. Paramount needs to lower the prices on its older first-release TV box sets. The pricing on everything Trek outside of the motion pictures is RIDICULOUS!)

This is not even counting the new dubbed version of Macross which I WILL pick up in the near-future!

P.S. -- I forgot to mention I STILL want to get the two Hammer Horror sets out on the market as well as the Val Lewton Horror set AND the Bela Lugosi set RandCanuck mentioned...

See why I like Daffy and Donald? I'm also a GREEDY little duck!

Post by **Ben** » November 22nd, 2005, 10:02 am

I'd love the Lewton and Lugosi sets (as well as Astaire/Rogers, Thin Man, Star Treak TOS, etc)...

Batman Anthology is pretty cool, Rand, and I'm sure you'll enjoy, but would be very interested on what you think of the Fire And Ice "restoration".

For coming out six months late and having apparently undergone "extensive frame clean ups", it's a very shaky, grainy, sratchy film print...

Post by **Randall** » November 22nd, 2005, 10:19 pm

Tonight: I picked up the Seinfeld sets (Zellers of all places had the best price, $34Canadian) and the Polar Express 2-Disc set (regardless of its merits--- and I haven't seen it yet--- I felt I needed it for historical purposes). Help me before I purchase again...!!!

Too late. I've got the Kong discs with another Amazon order. They'll ship with the Muppet movies and the Japanese Kong movies next week.

The Val Lewton set is very sweet, although I've only had time to watch one film (Bedlam, with creepy Karloff). I also picked up both Hammer sets recently, as well as the Hammer "Flesh and Blood" documentary disc. (Thank goodness business has been good at work this month!) I had most of the Lugosi films on laser before (the ones with Karloff as co-star), but it will be great to see the non-sped-up versions; and also to see the other two films on the set, which I've never seen.

I'm tearing into the Batman set first when I get it, though. Hopefully, Customs will not hold it too long (I ordered from DeepDiscountDVD while they had their big sale recently). I've been waiting for those films to get special editions forever. I don't think the films have aged all that well, but I'll always be a Batman fan.

I've seen no reviews yet of the Fire and Ice set, so it's disappointing to hear of the non-stellar video, but it'll be great to at last view the film. The Frazetta doc should also be very nice.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » November 23rd, 2005, 3:41 am

I don't think anybody could convince me to get another Bakshi film.

All the ones I've seen have suffered from poor story direction, a general sense of sleaziness, and slapdash production values.

There's just no way I'd buy Fire and Ice... You know that film will not look anywhere near as good as the Frazetta art.

I gave Bakshi chances with Cool World, Fritz, and Lord of the Rings.

Enough was enough...!

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » November 23rd, 2005, 3:43 am

RandCanuck wrote: The Val Lewton set is very sweet, although I've only had time to watch one film (Bedlam, with creepy Karloff). I also picked up both Hammer sets recently, as well as the Hammer "Flesh and Blood" documentary disc. (Thank goodness business has been good at work this month!) I had most of the Lugosi films on laser before (the ones with Karloff as co-star), but it will be great to see the non-sped-up versions; and also to see the other two films on the set, which I've never seen.

Actually, I'm more interested in the "Cat People" movies and the others.

There's already plenty of other Lugosi and Karloff films out there. Still, the box set is the way to go.

As far as Batman's concerned, aside from some admiration for the 1960s camp show, I generally DON'T like live-action Batman. The Timm version is the best one by far on film.

Post by **Ben** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:10 pm

Hey Rand...word of warning on the Muppet discs if you already have the Col/Tri-Star issues - they're not worth it. At all. Maybe the two Disney ones are worth getting for the widescreen transfers, but I'm sticking to my LDs for those at the moment. The original Muppet Movies were served very well on disc from CTS.

George - Fire And Ice is the best looking of Bakshi's films, and I speak as someone who got burned on pratically everything the man has done and keep coming back for more (somethin' wrong there). LOTR and Wizards were down and down trainwrecks, even worse than Fritz and Cool World, but itf there's any film out that that even comes close to being respectible, it's Fire And Ice.

Maybe not a buy for you, but I suggest a rent and would be extremely interested in what you thought about it.

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » November 23rd, 2005, 2:51 pm

I think the Muppet films' rights are split now, aren't they?

Disney has the first two (Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and the last 2-3 newest ones) and another company has Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets in Space, and one of the Kermit solo films.

I guess if you don't have the early ones, the upcoming Disney releases are the ones to get. Frankly, I always that the first two films were the best ones, anyway.

As for Fire and Ice -- I gotta go to Blockbuster, again?

Bakshi just doesn't have an encouraging record for me.

I just recently glanced at my '67 animated Spidey set again and the later episodes (Seasons 2 and 3) Bakshi directed are just BIZARRE! I definitely like the earlier episodes done in Canada that stuck to the original comics. The later stuff is very dated with all the hippie, psychelic, and sub-B movie plots.

It's a bad acid flashback, honestly.

Post by **Ben** » November 23rd, 2005, 5:28 pm

Yeah, Disney owns Muppet Movie and Muppet Caper under their Henson/Muppet deal (as well as the TV shows, natch), while Manhattan and From Space were done through Columbia/Tri-Star, which had distribution with the Muppets thanks to Jim's daughter Cheryl being an exec there.

C/T-S actually hold the copyright on those, hence why Disney can't have 'em, and the lame DTV that was Kermit's Swamp Years (no big loss, trust me).

Naturally, Disney own Christmas Carol and Treasure Island, so four outta six ain't bad.

Post by **Ben** » November 25th, 2005, 8:18 am

Just got me a whole load of Kong goodness:

KING KONG - 2 disc tin set
KONG COLLECTION (with KK, Son Of Kong and Mighty Joe Young)

George - you will seriously go APE (haha!) over the Kong tin set...it looks gorgeous and the embossed printing is among the very best I've ever seen.

I went for the box set as well, as it worked out about the same to get the set rather than the two extras individually, BUT...

You crazy people should get to Best Buy NOW, according to The Bits:

"Best Buy has got a very special deal going on. If you buy the King Kong: Two-Disc Collector's Edition there, you get the tin packaging version... bundled with BOTH Son of Kong and Mighty Joe Young, AND a set of 5 additional poster art collector's postcards (different from the ones included in the tin), all for just $33.99! It's a great deal, and it gives you everything you want as a Kong fan DVD-wise. Just FYI."

It looks stunning:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... id=1505115

For $33.99????? Damn wish that was an option for me!

GeorgeC · Post by **GeorgeC** » November 26th, 2005, 7:48 pm

Yep,

Just got my Best Buy King Kong exclusive tin set today!

Glad I waited a few days to get this...

I wasn't aware of the Best Buy deal until Thursday!

Post by **ShyViolet** » November 27th, 2005, 4:55 pm

I just got War of the Worlds and watched it on my new five-inch screen/portable DVD player! (Coby) Very cool.

The sound was great.

I also love having the Batman Begins DVD and skipping to watch the Scarcrow scenes 'cause Cillian's in them!!

Post by **Ben** » November 30th, 2005, 10:15 am

March Of The Penguins and Sky High today, with Peter Jackson's King Kong Diaries coming tomorrow.

Hey George, did your digi-pak inside the Kong tin have a cut on the spine of the outer jacket?

The digi-pak is a lot nicer than the standard two-disc in the Kong Coll box, by the way, and I love the tin repros inside.

Sat up till 3am yesterday night watching the extras on disc two!

Post by **Ben** » December 5th, 2005, 10:35 am

Thanks to George, I just got me my (slipcased!) copies of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and The Polar Express.

Both look good and I can't wait to get into them and finally catch Polar Express.

Thanks again George for picking these up for me - really very much appreciated!

Post by **Randall** » December 5th, 2005, 11:17 pm

Hoo boy... Here we go:

2 packages received today, and here's the total take...

Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Flintstones S4, King Kong Collection, King Kong 1976, King Kong vs. Godzilla/King Kong Escapes, Farscape Starburst 2.3, 4 Muppet movies, Rocky and Bullwinkle S3, Fire and Ice, Fat Albert Vol. 2, Bela Lugosi Collection, Twilight Zone S4, and Batman Anthology.

Then, tomorrow will see the two animated Disney Treasures, Batman TAS Vol. 4, Superman TAS Vol. 2, and Clone Wars Vol. 2.

Then, not much 'til January!!! I'm really looking forward to having some time over the holidays to watch some of these. (I hope!)

Post by **Ben** » December 7th, 2005, 6:35 am

My God Rand - you really went overboard on the Kong titles, didn'tcha!?!?

What's the 76 Kong disc like? Any extras? I'll wait until they service us with some of the deleted scenes and the like before I pick it up though.

Yesterday I came home with: the Peter Jackson Kong Diaries (lovely, lovely set and great featurettes which I never saw online, so waaaaay cool), Airplane! Don't Call Me Shirley edition (with branching deleted scenes and interviews - same commentary as before), Edward Scissorhands tin (can't decide whether to keep my orignal edition now!), Imagine: John Lennon, The Island, and two of the Disney Treasures (others should be later this week).

Still have a few more on order (Sin City Recut, Chicago SE) but at least we are coming to the end of the year, though January looks full of goodness, including some long awaited SEs for several choice Touchstone flicks!

When will it ever end!?!?!?!