Most Wanted DVDs!
 

Since I've made threads like this before about specific DVDs, I thought now might be a good time to make a thread for people to talk about ANY upcoming DVDs they're interested in. Any region, PAL or NTSC, whatever...

So, I'll get this thing started I guess. My two most wanted DVDs right now are:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...2/81afcb68.jpg

WHY: It's in my Top 35 favorite movies of all time, and it gets the double disc Criterion treatment here, including a beautiful transfer and plenty of extras.


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...2/19b6134f.jpg

WHY: Because the original version was a studio butchered travesty that Ridley Scott didn't set out to make. This is HIS version. It has 45 minutes of footage edited back in, and according to reviews it literally transforms the film into a whole new experience.

The same IGN critic who gave the theatrical cut a 2 1/2 out of 5, gives the Director's Cut a 4 1/2 out of 5 and says:

"So if you, like I once was, are skeptical about the merits of 45 more minutes of this film - one which I warned you will get bored, you may fall asleep - give it the benefit of the doubt; great movies are few and far between, particularly when we think we know all there is about them. But sometimes, as in the case of Kingdom of Heaven, truly memorable and significant artistic achievements cannot merely be made; they have to be found, re-forged and re-released. From a box office perspective, Kingdom of Heaven may well be dead and gone; but the Director's Cut DVD assures that its true legacy - as a restored classic and great modern epic - lives on for years to come."

The critic at Digital Bits says:

"At the time [of the theatrical review], I noted that over 40 minutes had actually been trimmed out of Scott's original cut of the film in order to create a version that the studio considered more theater-friendly. Well, let me tell you, those cuts REALLY hurt this film. I couldn't make myself give the theatrical cut more than a C+. It was a beautifully-lensed, but woefully incomplete story. This new 191-minute extended cut, on the other hand, is a truly great piece of work. I'd give it an A-, maybe even a solid A. ... I can't stress enough how different this version of the film is, and how much better and more rewarding an experience it becomes, with the restoration of the trimmed minutes."

Why does the American version of the KoH box art have to be so much nicer. Look at the Lord of the Rings rip-off artwork that the UK release is going to have:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P...2.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Oh well. At least this stops me from considering getting the 2-Disc version any more :).

Right now I want need the Dallas season 4 DVD boxset.
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P...2.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
I must have the answer to that question that millions first asked over two decades ago; who shot J.R?

I'm also waiting for my Brokeback Mountain DVD and Family Guy season 4 DVD box set to arrive. They are released today and I pre-ordered them, yet Amazon are still estimating I won't get them until May. :frown:
I don't like to wait.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned this one yet, it's only the best film ever...

Attachment 826

...Nah, not really. There aren't many DVDs I want at the moment, I need to get some more asian horror on the go.

Long live J.R.!!! :P I live in Dallas and in fact, I used to live about 5 miles from Southfork where they shot the show. We would drive by and look at it, heh.

The new Hollywood blockbuster version coming out has no hope in my opinion. John Travolta as J.R.? Puh-leeze.

The one I can't wait for is the supposedly-promised-by-Warner-but-never-officialy-announced Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Unfortunately, last I heard the release date was rumoured to have a great chance of slipping to 2008. That would make what initially was to be a 10th anniversary edition, two years late. :frown:

For obvious reasons, I have no DVD cover to show you, so this will have to suffice:

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/8018/hamlet0ng.jpg

WHY: Because, it's, like, the best film ever. Four hours of absolute, unabridged (heck, even with a single word added :D ) Shakespeare goodness. A well-known story told in a modern (cinematic) way, but with no attempts at overinterpretation. Almost flawless cast. And, last but not least, amazing widescreen cinematography to which crisp DVD quality should at last do justice.

I want the Blade Runner Special Edition that has been mired in legal problems for years.

Damn lawyers

You know why the cinematography was so awesome don't you? ;) It's called 70mm, and far too few films are shot that way anymore.

Aah... Kenneth Branagh...

The reason he was so amazingly great as Gilderoy Lockhart is that he appears to be like that in real life. Most people would be content to act and possibly direct a film, but he goes and acts, directs, produces, employs his wife and just about everything imaginable short of Best Boy and Visual Effects Supervisor.

And the sad thing is that he's actually pretty good at it :crazy:.

http://students.washington.edu/mtwall/aguirredvd.jpg

I've been watching a lot of movies lately, a mix of a good, okay, and bad. A great movie is hard to come by, but it happened with 2001, Amelie, and now this. The first two I (my brother, really) have, but I don't yet have Aguirre. So it's the top of my list right now.

I wasn't aware a DVD release was even being planned for Hamlet. I've been wanting that movie for so long (saw the full-screen VHS version in my 11th grade english class) simply because I can imagine the experience on glorious DVD being heavenly.

Why has it taken so long to get it released on DVD?

I'd like to know this myself. :( Apparently, all rights are in the Warner Bros' hands at the moment, so whatever the reason, it's on their side. This site chronicles the fans' campaign for the DVD. As you see, the last update is sadly from February, but at least it's a positive one (if based entirely on hearsay). Damn, I so want this movie.

Keep in mind that all news on that are rather unofficial (I don't think anyone would care to sustain such a long-running lie about the release of relatively little-known film, but still).

Yeah, me too.

But the one I'm looking most forward to is the Sin City special/extended edition, whenever it will be released. I have no idea at all at the moment, it's so difficult (not to say completely hopeless) to get European dvd release dates.

http://www.mst3k.com/satnews/images/vol_9.jpg

(volume 9)

Oh, and I'm also patiently waiting for a proper dvd-release for The Outer Limits. I liked that series so much when it was still aired over here in Belgium, but it's been more than 6 years since I've seen an episode. And there are no dvd releases, only two of theme-based releases with 4 episodes in each or so.

I'd quite like them to release the complete Monty Python TV series in the UK. Why is it that you can buy the full thing in the US but only highlights over here? :crazy:

;(

I wish this was released on DVD..
http://www.abc.net.au/heartbreak/character/chara.jpg

Damn, I hate studios.

Update: Amazon just sent me an e-mail saying my DVDs have dispatched, yay!
My faith in them is renewed. :)

Update2: They arrived this morning, excellent.

All this talk of Branagh's Hamlet made me realize I haven't seen the film since about 2000, and it was on crappy VHS. I'm on a 70mm kick right now (Lawrence of Arabia SuperBit version, Playtime, The New World, Ben-Hur) and since I'm a very impatient person, I have just bought the Hamlet Laserdisc (in widescreen, of course, and far better picture quality than VHS)! MWAHAHA! I couldn't help myself.

Latest EBAY Acquisition

Aguirre is a really great movie. I will also get Kingdom Of Heaven Directors' Cut when it arrives here. Something that I'm thinking of buying right now is a Mario Bava DVD-box. It includes both Black Sunday and Black Sabbath. :crazy:

Saw the Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut. Wow, a very nice large scale film. Far, far superior to Gladiator and probably better than Braveheart as well. I can safely say that it's in the Top 3 for epics released in the last 15 years or so. How it fares compared to epics going even further back, well, that will require a second viewing. Still, this is quite a good film and it's a shame that the theatrical cut was so butchered. The 45 minutes that were cut are unbelievably important so it's no surprise that the film got poor reviews. Had this version been the theatrical release, it would have made a lot of Top 10 lists last year for sure.

So anyway, I highly recommend it, but be warned...this film is very dark, brutal, and filled with a great deal of blood and violence.

This is maybe off topic but I remember watching a documentary about George Cukor. When he made A Star is Born, he was very happy with it and they thought it was too long for the movie going public so they edited it and screwed it up. Some of the stuff they cut was just gone forever. :frown:

I've never seen it though.

I saw this mentioned over at the Telltale forums:

Marathon 'Runner' (5/26/06)

:)

Update!

Ridley Scott gives you the Blade Runner: The Final Cut, coming this December on HD DVD, Blu-ray, and three different DVD editions including rather breathtaking "ultimate" 5-disc edition with all the existing cuts of the film:

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/742...ultimateo7.jpg
Madness. I want one, and I haven't even seen Blade Runner, so I can only imagine how ecstatic fans of the movie are. :D (Details.)



And on my beloved Branagh's Hamlet front, it seems it will meet the most recent release date, August 17. (official press release) In America. Who was the genius who invented the DVD regions again? :(

Gah. Looks Like I'm going to have to decide between paying through the nose for the 5-disc version of Blade Runner (if it gets a UK release) and settling for the (admitedly very impressive-sounding) 4-disc one. Why can't they release a 5-disc version without all the extra junk for the cheapskates amongst us that want the workprint version?

My god that looks pretty. I've only seen the "Director's Cut" and thought it was pretty good (not great), but I'd like to see this new cut. If this big box isn't too expensive I might just get it.

Also, I'm glad somebody said Hamlet. Right now it's my Desirable Number 2, right behind Inland Empire which comes out on the same day from what I understand. A couple Criterions are also dangling in my face, which I haven't yet bought because of the necessary funds. These are: the new release of The Third Man, Lindsay Anderson's If..., and the Teshigahara box set. Woman in the Dunes had a big impact on me when I was first getting into "film," so I have to see that in a glorious Criterion transfer...as well as discover the other two Teshigahara films!

I was planning to watch Blade Runner sometime soon, but looks like I'll have to put if off again with the new release coming out.

What, is it disco? Rob, you should have had this long ago!

You mean... ooh, about a year ago? ;)

That Blade Runner set looks awesome. I'll have to grab it on Blu Ray. My most wanted DVD set at the moment though is Berlin Alexanderplatz, which Criterion has confirmed for THIS YEAR. 15 hours of greatness, plus extras! :D

Did you say Laserdisc?

We're pretty ecstatic. I thought I had to wait for Jerry Perenchio to die before I would see this dream become reality. When those details were announced I almost ran out to get a Blu-Ray player just in anticipation.

Then I remembered that my TV doesn't do 1080p, so I will content myself with the DVD box set for now. Wasn't there a rumor of a theatrical run for the Final Cut, too? I've only seen it in a cinema once before (a matinee run ten years ago), and even in the theatrical cut the experience is astounding.

If the "Details" link I posted is to be believed:

I've only got Blade Runner on VHS, this goes on my "to buy"-list.

The only DVD (or, indeed, videotape) I would run for would be if someone had the UK series 1 of The Mole. Channel 5 never repeated it, so I never got the chance to record it. I've got series 2 but not 1.

If anyone happens to have it, let's talk turkey...

Speaking of DVDs I want (but hell, I'll even take a VHS copy if anyone has it or can tell me where to get it), I really need Bille August's The Best Intentions in its full length, 5+ hour television version. The movie is in Swedish, so I would appreciate some English subtitles, of course. Anyway, I don't know if the full version has ever aired in America. I own the 3 hour VHS "theatrical release" version.

Anyone know where I can get the complete 5 hour cut?

I'm awaiting the Dutch release of Hot Fuzz on DVD. I was hoping it would arrive before my birthday in a week, but no such luck.

Well worth the wait, especially if you get the two-disc edition. Those guys really show what DVD extras should be all about. It puts a lot of DVDs with their few measly deleted scenes and a choice of commentaries to shame.

Plus my edition came with Simon Pegg style mirrorshades. :D