USA Region 1 DVD Released today - Post Comments here!

[SoldierHeavyMuscle]

i know, amityville is a remake, and everybody here, hated it

Ya know,SHM I was very vocal about my dislike for the film when it came out in April, but not because I thought it was a bad movie from a horror movie perspective.

I was very upset with the way that George Lutz was portrayed as an ax wielding lunatic who chops up his dog and tries to murder his family. Geez, at least wait until the poor guy is dead if you're gonna do such a blatant character assasination.

I can tell you from personal experience that George Lutz is a very nice man, who will always take the time to talk with someone or answer questions. Whether you believe his story or not (which I happen to - something happened in that house and after 25 years and several court battles no one has ever been able to prove it was a hoax), I still think it was wrong to attack him like that just because the movie studio doesn't like him (he won a lawsuit against them a while back).

Anyways, on another note, did you notice there were a lot of good DVD's released today. In Addition to The Warriors & Amityville:

The Best Of Abbott & Costello Box Set #4 - completes all the movies that were left to be released on dvd including A&C Meet The Mummy and A&C Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Kolchek: The Night Stalker - The complete series of 20 episodes now on 6 dvd's

Cinderella - Disney has a habit of pulling these things off the shelf after a couple of months so, get it while you can

Carlito's Way : The Ultimate Edition

Star Trek Nemisis : The Ultimate Edition

The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete First Season

The Interpreter

I could go broke this week

well, i never really percieved like that, so to speak!
my take on the whole thing, is that anything he did, or supposedly did, (portrayed in the movie, both actually.)
was due to other circumstance's! ya know what i mean?
i completely believe you when you say, he's a nice guy!
i'm sure he is, and i don't disbelieve, any of the report's of thing's that happened in that house, either.
I DO NOT BELIEVE in ghost's, or any of that other crap!!!
however, my tune changed on thing's like that, about 6, or 7, years ago!!!
we lived in a brand new house, built on old farmland, a newly developed sud-division, and the thing's that happened in that house scared the, well, you know what out of me!!! and i don't scare all that easy!
we actually had, a priest come out, and bless the house!!! no b.s.!!!
my mother was ready to leave, after a month, and after spending 300 grand on this new house!!! she didn't care!!!
i talked to a few people, who know about this stuff, wondering how this could be possible, being a new house, and all! and was told it was very possible, that it could be the land! it used to be an old farmhouse, over 100 yrs old and who know's what went on there way back when!
it's really weird, because what ever it was had a tendency to affect me, more than anyone else in the house, my wife think's it was a chick!!! figure's right? story of my life, right? LOL
no bs, i would feel "hands" on my back, or fingers in my hair, my i would be standing in the bathroom, going to the bathroom, and i would feel someone, or something, untuck my shirt from the back of my pants, while i was peeing!!! swear to god!!! cat's would freak out for no apperent reason, thing's would move! no kidding!!!
so, i do believe you, and if he was "different" so to speak, while in the house, i surely would not blame him!!!
on another note, i picked up the kolchek, night stalker dvd too!!
i used to love that show, when i was a kid!!

[Tantive7]

MarlboroProjects

Anyways, on another note, did you notice there were a lot of good DVD's released today. In Addition to The Warriors & Amityville:

The Best Of Abbott & Costello Box Set #4 - completes all the movies that were left to be released on dvd including A&C Meet The Mummy and A&C Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Kolchek: The Night Stalker - The complete series of 20 episodes now on 6 dvd's

Cinderella - Disney has a habit of pulling these things off the shelf after a couple of months so, get it while you can

Carlito's Way : The Ultimate Edition

Star Trek Nemisis : The Ultimate Edition

The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete First Season

The Interpreter

I could go broke this week

What even more funny,was that I too brought some more DVD's today too
2 wrestling DVD's The Road "Warriors" and The Self-Destruction of The Ultimate "Warrior"
Funny I sense a Pattern there??
And Also The Deer Hunter and Raging Bull all Special Editions by the way..
And another Beautiful Highlight to point out,
Congrats to JAMIE ON HIS 1000 POSTING!!!
Keep them coming

"Say Warchief.I just noticed that the Second in Command icon is floating around??" attaching itself to some newbies"???

[Harley]

I still have to get my Warriors copy but Marlboroprojects thanks for letting me know about this:

Kolchek: The Night Stalker - The complete series of 20 episodes now on 6 dvd's

I just rented the double feature the Night Stalker/Night Strangler last week and I was wondering if there was more.

[Marlboroprojects]

I just rented the double feature the Night Stalker/Night Strangler last week and I was wondering if there was more

Yeah, The Night Stalker became a series after the success of those two made for tv movies. Until today, those were the only ones available on video at all. The series is 20 1 hour episodes. Some are typical 70's made for tv cheese, but others are quite good. The whole set can be had for under 30 bucks so, if you like it it's a good deal.


SHM - I had a similar experience when I was a kid, but in an apartment (2 family house). The landlords father had lived in the house his whole life and died in the apartment before we rented. (naturally, this little tidbit was left out of the lease ) Doors would mysteriously open & close, we heard voices, someone walking up the stairs & when we opened the door there was no one there. The usual. After we had the house blessed, it stopped.

Tantive - can you believe the rip job WWE did on Ultimate Warrior? I mean I know the guy is completely insane ( he legaly changed his name to "The Warrior" ), but he was a legend for WWF with a lot of fans. I want to pick up the disc but I heard that FYE gives out a free bonus disc when you buy it with a bunch of Warrior's matches. I'll have to check them out.

[Harley]

Zowie Marlboro! When I went to get my Warriors I got Kolchal too, marked down another $10! That's $37 now (in Canadian).

[Marlboroprojects]

That's $37 now (in Canadian).

37 for both, or just for Kolchek?

I've seen the warriors for 13 bucks on sale, and the cheapest I've seen kolchek so far is 27. So figure 40 for both, (American )

[Tantive7]

Marlboroprojects

Tantive - can you believe the rip job WWE did on Ultimate Warrior? I mean I know the guy is completely insane ( he legaly changed his name to "The Warrior" ), but he was a legend for WWF with a lot of fans. I want to pick up the disc but I heard that FYE gives out a free bonus disc when you buy it with a bunch of Warrior's matches. I'll have to check them out.

Overall it's a good DVD they have vintage Warrior,and all of his crazy interviews,Christian does a funny impersonation of Warrior!! But evryone on the DVD is ripping him..You know that they only put this out to cash in on his name,Snowball Fury Did you get this yet??
YO,check out the WWE Road Warriors DVD,they got all the vintage interview,and the classic Old School fight,including the Night of the Skywalkers Fight,where they are on top of these scafolding over the ring fighting?? it's crazy!!! They are all good if you are into wrestling??
The Rob Van Dam DVD is too cool for school!! :p

[TCM Hitchhiker]

Well, I picked up the Directors Cut tonight, and just finished watching the whole thing. Here are my thoughts in a nutshell...

The film: Lame...real crippled, I will stick to my old copy. The zoom shots didn't really bother me, but I dislike the comic transitions even more than I thought I would, especially the Baseball Furies one. The new opening seems really out of place, and ruins the eerieness of the original Wonder Wheel opening.

The featurettes: These almost make the $14.00 I spent worth it.. Even though it was mostly stuff I already knew, it was cool to hear/see it straight from their mouths. Still, too bad they didn't show any behind the scenes footage (just stills, now I know where joepal got all the great pics. ), and didn't have interviews with more of the cast.

Game trailer: Worthless, it is an old one, and we have seen better by now.

The lack of no deleted scenes really blows. They show part, a very small part of the original opening in one of the featurettes, but it is so cut up, and talked over, it might as well not even be there. No commentary is also a bummer.

All in all, this is a SUPER lame directors cut/special edition. If I had paid $20.00, I would feel totally ripped off.

[ElChino]

The new opening seems really out of place, and ruins the eerieness of the original Wonder Wheel opening.
WHAT'S THE NEW OPENING LIKE?


I heard that FYE gives out a free bonus disc when you buy it with a bunch of Warrior's matches. I'll have to check them out.
YEAH, VS. HERCULES, SGT. SLAUGHTER FROM SAT NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT, AND SAVAGE FROM SUMMERSLAM '92


THE ROAD WARRIORS DVD RULES, ALTHOUGH THERE'S SOME STUFF THAT DEFINATELY SHOULD'VE BEEN ON THERE, BUT WASN'T

[Dave Mack]

My 2 cents...

The new transfer looks better. And the sound, woah!

Ok, I gotta say, as an alternate version, it worked for me. Once you get past the opening, there were MANY subtle instances of a zoom in or out to change the feel of a shot and IMHO they worked. The zoom in on the first Fury made it creepier. They are VERY, very subtle. And there are ALOT of them. I stopped counting at 20! If you didn't know the original REAL well you probably wouldn't even notice them. The audio sounds MUCH better than the original while still remaining faithful to the mono mix. The music is remixed very well and sounds alot more open now. There are some new sound FX, very subtle background things like trains coming into stations, etc... and when Mercy is walking down the street after the Warriors there is a much louder and more noticeable "street sound" now. I a/b'd the 2 discs to see the changes. There is much more detail in the Video and the print is in better shape. The color timing between shots has been smoothed out as well. So it's all about the "comic book transitions". For me they worked. I was surprised that I accepted it. It is for the most part tastefully done. The film now looks and sounds more like a bigger budget film. Does it replace the original? No, but as an alternate version it was ALOT better than I thought it was gonna be. The documentary was good. I would have loved the deleted scenes but if Walter Hill didn't like them or want them shown, it's his flick. Nothing we can do except catch it on cable. For anyone wondering about the "pause" on the disc when they are waiting for the train, I think that's where the layer change on the DVD is. The laser goes from reading one layer to another on the dual layered disc itself and there is almost always a pause. Some DVD players are faster than others at layer changes. And usually they will occur when a scene is quiet or has gone dark to make them less noticeable. Here it seems the layer break happened in the middle of a shot.

My friend still loves the OLD, old VHS because it looks alot grittier to him. When he saw the first DVD he said, "Ugh! The picture looks TOO good now. You can tell they are all wearing makeup and the vests look real cheap!" He liked the low-res. version better. I'm sure he will HATE this!

d

[egrorian]

Interesting comments Dave. Maybe they should have included both versions of the film and then the "comic book" version could have been regarded as a curio only?

[MESTIZO69]

So check this out..I go to FYE and trade 3 cds and 2 dvds across for the new cut..One of the dvds was my original copy..AAAAAARRGGGGGHH!!!!!..What a numbskull i was,assuming that this new version would be the same cut but with more features and cleaned up..which it was'nt.It's cool though,i see that old verion everywhere for $10 new..But you know,it's the friggin principle.

So my take in a nutshell is like this..I wholeheartedly agree mutually with most here that've already rated it..Dave..your breakdown on the 5.1 sound and pic restoration is on point to a T..I relate with the fact that it's fun to see the new comic swipes and Vector style image effects(the cartoon overlap to the original picture)..But i'm 'ONLY' relating to this positively as an alternate version,'NOT' a 'replacement'..

'ULTIMATE' my ass!!,is Walter Hill and Paramount on glue?!!..Yeah man,when Walter's voice kicked in with the intro narrative..the greek mythology thing..I understand his motive..I'ts different..but man,it sounds like he did the voice over in a hurry in his bedroom..I dunno,i get the feeling it'll grow on me,just 'because' it's fresh,new,and different from the OG we've seen hundreds of times..

If i was to 'compare' this to the original?..My thing about the intro..the zooms..end credits,is that the 'vibe' just isn't the same..Anyone feel me..It's SOOOO touchy to go screw with an oldschool film and add new technological effects,CGI,etc to give it an 'ULTIMATE' stamp of approval..But noooo it's Walter Hill..so it's alright..even if he was in a hurry or got in an argument with his wife minutes prior to his voiceover session(not that he was..but some should catch my drift)..

Music for example(METAL)..There is no possible way that Metallica or Slayer will 'EVER' be able to replace,or give the same effect today as they did at the heat of the moment, back in the day,when they were young,striving,hungry..the whole nine, with such legendary masterpiece albums as
"kill 'Em All","Ride The Lightning","Reign In Blood".."South Of Heaven"??

I'm talkin about the same principle here..

You know what, here's an example of when i look at things differently. Look at the beauty..the depth..the detail..the soul..that was put into Rockstar's Warriors game website..Unbelievable!..I can ''FEEL'' everything about The Warriors when i visit that site..It makes it look so juicy,fun,adventurous..even for someone who's never seen the film..I can't wait til it comes out..

The "Ultimate"DVD edition website however,(with exception of the cool subway car,with doors that don't seem to open)is just dull..Made in a hurry..by someone who's probably not even seen the film..The wallpapers suck hard!!..Buddy Icons could be animated but aren't..Plain and simple,it just looks like a bunch of corporate, suit & tie,cookie cutter minded,emotionless robots made that site..

So what am i saying..?..That by Walter Hill or whoever at Paramount was in charge of marketing this "New" version,it also "REFLECTS" on the impression we have of "their" judgement and the final vibe we get from the "Ultimate" film when it's in our hands..EG: BAD DVD COVER,POORLY CHOSEN BONUS FEATURES,NO COMMENTARY,NO EXTRA TRAILERS,NOT ENOUGH ORIGINAL CAST IN FEATURETTES..THEY COULD'VE TRACKED DOWN THE OTHERS OR AT LEAST MENTIONED THEM..VERMIN?..SNOW?..COWBOY?..
ROCKSTAR: THEIR WEBSITE AND HISTORY EXPLAINS ITSELF..PARAMOUNT SHOULD'VE LET ROCKSTAR DO THEIR MARKETING AND MAYBE EVEN DECISIONS ON THE EXTRAS..SO FORTH, IN THE "ULTIMATE" DVD..

Final verdict:
Anyway, I HOPE i'm going overboard and there really is a limited edition bonus disc with more..Otherwise,i'm all for a "Definative" double disc version that some are conceiving..I enjoyed the new version..wasn't blown away..Loved the featurettes..wasn't blown away..Paramount..?..Shame on you for your laziness!!..Walter Hill..?..You shouldve hired on Rockstar!!..What happened..?..I still got love for you though..After all,without you,i'd be waking up from a dream right about now...I just wanted MORE!!!!!!! Peace..Back 2 Coney y'all, M69

[GonzoNYC]

Good review Mestizo. I wonder if they rushed this through to come out the same month as the game. I watched it last night and pretty much agree that this is a sad "SE". Even if Hill didn't want to give a full commentary I'm sure Beck, Harris, and a few others would have done it.

[jjchampion]

I agree that the picture and sound is fantastic in the new cut. The dialogue seems much clearer and crisper now that the sound is separated out to 5.1.

I really didn't mind the comic book transitions, EXCEPT for the last two. The comic book train pulling into the comic book station just looked really dumb, since every other comic book page is a still shot. And as others have said elsewhere, I much prefer the original ending, with Our Boys (and girl) walking down the beach as the credits roll. The comic book still shot ending is much less interesting.


This next observation has nothing to do with the director's cut aside from the fact that watching the director's cut was the first time I noticed it.

When the Riffs are shown throughout most of the movie, at their warehouse, they're wearing those silk karate robes. When they all arrive at the beach to confront the Rogues and the Warriers, they're all wearing black t-shirts and black jeans. So... are those robes their pajamas, or just for lounging around the warehouse, while the black shirts & jeans are their fighting outfits? If so, then why did they wear the robes to the conclave? I dunno, it's just something I never thought about before.

[jjchampion]

The "Ultimate"DVD edition website however,(with exception of the cool subway car,with doors that don't seem to open)is just dull..Made in a hurry..by someone who's probably not even seen the film..The wallpapers suck hard!!..Buddy Icons could be animated but aren't..Plain and simple,it just looks like a bunch of corporate, suit & tie,cookie cutter minded,emotionless robots made that site.

By this same principle, I really dislike the main menu on the new DVD. The techno-type music & super fast cuts of video don't match the feel of the movie AT ALL. It's almost like the people who made the menu didn't watch the film, and just scanned through it for a bunch of action scenes to pull for the menu, and then used that techno music 'cause, "well, that's just how we make menus today."