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Special Edition DVDs You'd Like To See...

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:19 am
by AndyDursin
I was browsing through the Home Theater Forum boards over the weekend and caught someone in Europe posting something about a possible Special Edition of LIFEFORCE (one of my all time favorites as you know).

I have no details on this, obviously, but it got me thinking about any Special Editions of movies you'd like to see that aren't out there.

POLTERGEIST would be one of my favorites, but Warner put the kibosh on their plans and I have no clue what they're doing now. Obviously the political element of Spielberg being so heavily involved with that movie and Tobe Hooper still being alive (even though his career isn't) is a big problem. Yet I'd love to see some deleted scenes and such.

Anything else -- outside of LIFEFORCE -- you'd like to see done properly on DVD?

cheers,
Andy

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:40 am
by Monterey Jack
I'd love to see an SE of The Secret Of NIMH (one of my all-time favorites) someday. Just a Don Bluth/Gary Goldman commentary and a making-of would leave me satisfied (or, at the very least, a widescreen transfer). Maybe an isolated score in tribute to Jerry?
Also, Brian De Palma's excellent Blow Out deserves props. It's a crying shame that MGM wouldn't allow Laurent Bouzereau to do an SE while he was collecting interviews for the Dressed To Kill/Carrie/Obsession discs, because they "don't do SE's for flop movies". :roll: A good 45/50-minute documentary and deleted scenes (if any) would be great, as well as a spruced-up transfer and an optional 5.1 remix (imagine that great, endlessly spinning 360-degree shot of John Travolta in his studio as he realizes that his tapes have been erased in 5.1?). And since De Palma doesn't like recording commentaries, why not get Quentin Tarantino to do one? Seeing how much of a De Palmaphile he is, it'd be neat to hear his critical dissection of the film (especially considering how he cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction largely on the strength of his performance in this movie).

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 2:52 am
by romanD
yeah, LIFEFORCE, POLTERGEIST and NIMH would be great and deserve one!!!

I also would like to see:
Coppola's Dracula, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (ahem... uuh... don't know, somehow I like this movie :oops: ), Fright Night, The Game, Joe's Apartment...

I heard, that at least in Europe THE FRIGHTENERS is going to get an SE at the end of the year.

There is already a ree-release out with Commentary and some little stuff, but I heard the Australian Laserdisc had around 6 hours of extras...

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:02 am
by AndyDursin
There is already a ree-release out with Commentary and some little stuff, but I heard the Australian Laserdisc had around 6 hours of extras...
I think it's the American disc you're referring to, Roman. That US laser (which is impossible to get ahold of) had a 4-hour (!!) documentary plus a Director's Cut of the film and other extras. Not one of my favorites (actually I thought the movie was awful), but I'd love to see the SE released just the same...

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:15 pm
by Neo Rasa
BLADE RUNNER.

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 9:56 am
by Eric W.
Face-Off SE, everything that gets listed in this thread, I'll probably agree with. I'll probably think of more later... Most of Paramount's first generation, bare bones DVD's need reworking.

What I really like is what was done recently with the Leon and Fifth Element. Couple the amazing Superbit versions and throw down a second disc full of goodies for a minimal expense. You really get the best of both worlds that way.

Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:23 pm
by MikeSkerritt
Luckily for me, two near the top of my list are seeing special edition releases this month: THE KARATE KID and HEAT. :D

As far as the unreleased stuff is concerned, I agree with you, Andy, about POLTERGEIST. There must be serious entanglements with that project if WB is sitting on it. There's a mass market for that movie.

I'd love to see a full-to-the-gills release of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. There must be tons of archival footage in the vault to release with that one. Plus, I'd love to see Gene Wilder's take on that material now.

MontereyJack brought up a great general point when he mentioned Tarantino doing a commentary for one of DePalma's films. This is exactly what I'd love to see more of - filmmakers/historians/aficianados doing commentaries on other filmmakers' films. I know the occasional release gets this feature, but I often find these commentaries to be lightyears more entertaining and enlightening than those with the "insiders" who've often lost (or simply refuse to allow) any objectivity. Imagine Peter Jackson doing a commentary on the original KING KONG. Now that's a commentary. :)

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:22 pm
by Neo Rasa
Or Werner Herzog doing a commentary on Alien 3. :shock:

SE?

Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 7:01 pm
by scorehead
Is everybody on here knocked up on crack cocaine? Why not a STAR WARS SE - where they release the original frick'n films - without all the bullsh!t!!!

George Lucas is such a Jerk.

Cheers,

Scorehead!

Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:42 am
by AndyDursin
Following along on other directors doing commentary tracks, Kevin Smith joined the director of DONNIE DARKO in the new Director's Cut release. Not a favorite movie of mine, but I'm sure fans will appreciate Smith's candor. Certainly helps to move the discussion along from the usual commentary track, too.

Special Edition of...

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 5:34 pm
by scorehead
Was just watching "BraveHeart" on TV... have been holding off in getting the DVD waiting for a SE. It's odd, with studios propensity to release multiple editions of movies to the point of nausea, it's a true wonder why this film has yet been given it's proper dues.

On another topic, with a bend towards guilty pleasures, I'd love to see a SE of "Terror Vision" and that Elvira's movie that came out in the late 80's.

Anybody else?

Scorehead!

One immediately comes to mind

Posted: Tue May 31, 2005 11:07 am
by Harry Chen
"Blade Runner"!

versions for the English-speaking market of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's
"Delicatessen", and "Amelie of Montmartre".
(both available in France, French-only)

same for the late Juzo Itami's
"Tampopo" and "A Taxing Woman".
(available in boxed sets in Japan, with only Japanese subtitles)

Harry Chen
Hong Kong

Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:12 pm
by mkaroly
I am a huge David Fincher fan and would love to see THE GAME get a deluxe release (a la FIGHT CLUB and SEVEN)- I love Howard Shore's score for THE GAME. Any word on that Andy?

I agree that BLADE RUNNER would be awesome to have as a special edition....I'd definitely vote for that!

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 12:40 am
by AndyDursin
Michael,
I think there's some hang-up with Polygram and Criterion (and now Polygram's library is controlled by Universal), preventing THE GAME Special Edition from happening.

Hopefully BLADE RUNNER will happen one day...but in what kind of edition, who knows.

Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:14 am
by mkaroly
I wen to bed last night and thought about another one (in conjunction with another thread out there)- how about a special edition of the original KING KONG? I'm not sure how good or bad Jackson's KONG will be, but at least they might be able to make a more fierce looking Kong with all the CGI stuff. The beast from the 1976 movie didn't really look as ominous as the movie posters made him out to be (I was obsessed with that movie poster- when I was a kid I'd cut the ads out of the paper and hang them on my door).