Indiana Jones coming to DVD in November

DaSpudMan writes "The "Indiana Jones" trilogy, one of the most requested film series for the DVD format, is finally slated for worldwide release Nov. 4 as "The Adventures of Indiana Jones -- The Complete DVD Movie Collection," a box set that will include a fourth disc specifically dedicated to bonus materials."

Comments

Figures

[Verteiron]

Ah, just in time to be bought by the truckload, before the DVD set that includes movie #4 comes out.

That assumes, of course, that movie #4 turns out to be worth paying money for.

Re:Figures

[pizza_milkshake]

indeed, and then everyone who wants the new "complete" boxed set in 2 years has to shell out another $80 or whatever it'll cost

Re:Figures

[terrox]

People buy things because they are worth paying for now? Has Consumerism gone MAD!?

Re:Figures

[rczyzewski]

LoTR made me come to the conclusion to not buy a set the first day it's out. I'll wait for the special edition extended version with the hologram seal and 15 minutes of bloopers from now on.

Re:Figures

[sharkey]

That assumes, of course, that movie #4 turns out to be worth paying money for.

Yoosa nameda afta de dog?

Awesome

[LordYUK]

This trilogy was one of my all time favorites, I can't even begin to count the number of times I've seen the Temple of Doom (my favorite of the three).

Of course, they arent replacing the Nazi's with ewoks, and the guns with walkie talkies, right?

Re:Awesome

[cOdEgUru]

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've seen the Temple of Doom (my favorite of the three)

I sincerely hope that was sarcasm :)

Re:Awesome

[Verteiron]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people like Temple of Doom. While it's a radical departure from the storyline of the first movie, and the story is hokey, well, it's still pretty damn cool. And John Williams's score for the Thuggee ceremony gives me nightmares. It's the single most evil piece of music I think I've ever heard (except for Wumpscut).

Re:Awesome

[amembrane]

Actually, I heard they're replacing the Nazis with movie pirates and the guns with tablet pcs running Kazaa.

Re:Awesome

[Angry White Guy]

Personally, I think that Darth Vader's Imperial March was more ominous and evil than the Thuggee Ceremony.

Should John Williams ever pass away, he would leave a much larger impact on /. culture than the million deaths of Stephen King.

Re:Awesome

[ionyka]

Though i do not share your opinion about liking Doom the best, (I personally like Raiders) i would also sao that this is one of my favorite trilogies. I was hoping this would come out soon after the Back To The Future DVD Pack.

Re:Awesome

[Verteiron]

Your point about the Imperial March is well-taken. But the Thuggee Ceremony music is more.. well, nightmarish. To put it in D&D terms, I think it's a matter of Orderly Evil vs. Chaotic Evil.

Re:Awesome

[Jack Comics]

Pfft. The single most evil piece of music is anything labeled under "Milli Vanilli." As much as John Williams might try, nothing comes close to the evilness that is Milli Vanilli's music.

Re:Awesome

[testadicazzo]

It's the single most evil piece of music I think I've ever heard (except for Wumpscut).

How can you possibly make that claim? So many counterexamples come to mind... Anything by Vanilla Ice for example, or M.C. Hammer, or "The Macarena" all spring immediately to mind.

My personal choice for most evil song ever is "Heaven is a Place on Earth" which I think was by Belinda Carlisle. Somehow the world conspired to have my radio alarm clock wake me with this spermatazoa of satan every morning of my senior year of high school.

In the three times I've heard this in the last five years, I just had to take the rest of the day off and recover.

Re:Awesome

[cje]

All of the Indiana Jones movies are billed as action/adventures. If Temple of Doom didn't have enough action or adventure for you, you need to check your pulse. Really, I think the reason that most people are so down on the second film is that it's so "different" from the first one. This is probably to be expected, since the story was not written by the same Spielberg/Lucas team that (with others) wrote the first and the third films. However, it's also refreshing to see a director willing take a fresh angle on a story rather than simply rehashing what's already been done in order to make more money as quickly as possible.

Having said that, if I were Spielberg, I would have made a couple of changes to the film. (In particular, I thought that the whole "gross-out" dinner scene was silly and unnecessary.) However, Temple was still a pretty wild ride, a perfect example of what Roger Ebert calls the "Bruised Forearm Movie."

Re:Awesome

[magarity]

While it's a radical departure from the storyline of the first movie

The only "radical departure" was:
1st movie: Christian mythos with heavy handed piety lesson
3rd movie: Christian mythos with heavy handed piety lesson
2nd movie...
something made up more recently just for a movie with moving reunited families scene.

That's Dr. Jones to you!

Re:Awesome

[letxa2000]

Really, I think the reason that most people are so down on the second film is that it's so "different" from the first one.

The reason I think people are so down on the second one is two things:

1. If you want gross-out factor, you go to see some gross-out movie. Raiders wasn't a gross-out film, it was a fun movie with a decent plot with some special effects to help where necessary. But nothing was done just to be gross and disgusting as was the case in Doom.

2. Raiders and Last Crusade are based on things which many people consider historic. I.e., the Ark of the Covenant existed and really is "lost", and the chalice of the last supper obviously existed (he had to drink out of something!). Wheter they had the powers attributed to them in the movies is certainly open to discussion, but the movies were based on historical artifacts and placed in the Nazi era. Take some historical objects and have fun with them. In Doom we're talking mass child abductions and glowing Shakras that make the fields green. Please...

And I, for one, thought that little Chinese kid was just annoying. I think he was placed there for comic relief, like Jar Jar, but I think it failed miserably. Raiders was "funny" because of what Harrison Ford brought to the film, not because of some useless and silly 9-year-old running around saying stupid lines in less-than-understandable English. That's not my idea of funny and I think it further detracted from the second film. You notice a silly character such as that wasn't needed in the first or third movie and they were much funner to watch.

Re:Awesome

[BobWeiner]

This movie left a really bad taste among Indians -- I bet nearly every Indian kid attending a US school was probably teased about the way Indians were portrayed by Lucas and Speilberg. Not all Indians are poor villagers, and the rich don't eat snakes.

Personally, I liked Temple of Doom, but being of Indian descent, I had to face my fellow seventh graders and constantly tell 'em "we don't eat snakes, monkey brains, etc."

Hell, my parents are vegetarian. After awhile, I just gave up, and started inviting my friends over to eat "monkey brains" for dessert. That shut 'em up good.

Free Bob!

Re:Awesome

[geekoid]

" Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people like Temple of Doom."
isn't that a contradiction of terms?

Re:Awesome

[JHMirage]

Not at all... everyone that liked it probably assumed they were the only one, and hid from the shame of it.

I know that's what I do.

Er.....oh crap!

Re:Awesome

[Heywood Yabuzof]

1. If you want gross-out factor, you go to see some gross-out movie. Raiders wasn't a gross-out film, it was a fun movie with a decent plot with some special effects to help where necessary. But nothing was done just to be gross and disgusting as was the case in Doom.

Are you forgetting the melting faces at the end? Was that really necessary? No, but it looked cool and gross. I do agree, though, that Doom certainly had more of these moments, and more of them that really didn't have much to do with the plot (unlike the melting faces in Raiders, which is a pretty important scene).

Re:Awesome

[mikerich]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people like Temple of Doom.

Its fabulous musical opening going straight into a full-speed action sequence is one of the most remarkable first five minutes of a film ever.

The rest of the movie (and that kid) I can take or leave, but the first few minutes? Magical.

Best wishes,
Mike.

Re:Awesome

[cje]

1. If you want gross-out factor, you go to see some gross-out movie. Raiders wasn't a gross-out film, it was a fun movie with a decent plot with some special effects to help where necessary. But nothing was done just to be gross and disgusting as was the case in Doom.

Largely agree.

2. Raiders and Last Crusade are based on things which many people consider historic. I.e., the Ark of the Covenant existed and really is "lost", and the chalice of the last supper obviously existed (he had to drink out of something!). Wheter they had the powers attributed to them in the movies is certainly open to discussion, but the movies were based on historical artifacts and placed in the Nazi era. Take some historical objects and have fun with them. In Doom we're talking mass child abductions and glowing Shakras that make the fields green. Please...

Well, this is a bit of a stretch. I think the most you can say is that the second film was based on a different mythology than the other two were. The Thuggee cult and their battle with British colonial forces in India are as much a part of historical fact as Nazi Germany is. Their vast underground caverns and armies of slave children used to search for the Shankara stones are as much of a plot device as Hitler's "obsession with religious artifacts" was in the first and third films. Shiva and Kali are as much a part of Indian culture as Yahweh is of Western culture.

I think the bottom line is that the Indiana Jones films are not intended to be documentaries. They're action movies. I like to see things I've never seen before in a movie, and I've never seen people jump out of an airplane in an inflatable raft, or go on a wild, careening mine car chase through twisty, lava-filled tunnels, or somebody severing a rope bridge over a deep chasm while standing in the middle of it. On that level, Temple of Doom is great. Gross-out scenes aside, of course. :-)

Re:Awesome

[PaleBoy]

I'm sorry, but this last post has got to be the nerdiest thing I've ever read, even on Slashdot.

Of course, that's not a bad thing. But seriously. Read it again. And tally up the nerd points:

• Movie Soundtracks- ding!
• Star Wars - ding ding!
• Comparing soundtracks to D&D alignments- DING DING DING!
• Using the phrase "to put it in D&D terms" - We have a winner!

Re:Awesome

[wass]

Its fabulous musical opening going straight into a full-speed action sequence is one of the most remarkable first five minutes of a film ever.

Actually, I feel just that way about the first movie (although I really like the rest of it too). It's funny because I just saw that opening sequence with my little brother a few years ago, which was his first time seeing it. He didn't realize how many parodied ideas from subsequent movies/comedy shows were originally from that movie. Nearly every scene was incredible - replacing statue with correct weight sand bag, occulting the beam of light, the floor steps that trigger poisonous arrows, the rolling boulder, etc etc. All of it brilliant.

Re:Awesome

[LynXmaN]

Then they should really have a bad day also with Apu!

Re:Awesome

[mikerich]

Are you forgetting the melting faces at the end? Was that really necessary? No, but it looked cool and gross.

Psychologically, yes it was. The baddies in this movie are so bad that it was absolutely necessary for the story to show them getting their comeuppance in an extraordinarily gratuitous manner.

The chilled monkey brains bit in the second movie? No, I never worked out why that was included - it would upset plenty of people, and could offend people with Indian backgrounds.

I guess it shows that even Spielberg makes mistakes.

Best wishes,
Mike.

Re:Awesome

[Henry V .009]

You forget the capstone of a nerd reading 'news for nerds' pointing out the nerdishness of fellow nerds.

But yes, I agree, the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and D&D references, reached some sort of critical mass in this thread. It is now Slashdot's veritable Trinity site.

Re:Awesome

[pberry]

"No time for love Dr. Jones!"

Re:Awesome

[jratcliffe]

Wow, do I feel awful. I'm about to CORRECT the nerdiest post ever made. It's lawful evil, not orderly evil, right?

Re:Awesome

[letxa2000]

Are you forgetting the melting faces at the end? Was that really necessary?

I'm not saying Raiders was without some nasty special effects. Melting faces, old Juan impaled on rock spikes at the beginning, a German thug shredded by a propeller. But it all contributed to the movie and were logical consequences of actions in the storyline. Juan got spiked because he ran away with the idol instead of acting intelligent. The German hot shredded because he was too busy pounding on Jones to pay attention. People melted in the end because they opened the Ark and looked into it. It all makes sense.

But eating worms and monkey brains? That didn't contribute anything to the plot and just made me want to stop eating my nachos... That's gross-out factor, not Raiders-style action.

Re:Awesome

[letxa2000]

Me: Raiders and Last Crusade are based on things which many people consider historic. I.e., the Ark of the Covenant existed and really is "lost", and the chalice of the last supper obviously existed
You: Well, this is a bit of a stretch. I think the most you can say is that the second film was based on a different mythology than the other two were.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to post that message without someone taking me up on that point. Thank you for not letting Slashdot let me down in that sense. :)

The Thuggee cult and their battle with British colonial forces in India are as much a part of historical fact as Nazi Germany is... Shiva and Kali are as much a part of Indian culture as Yahweh is of Western culture.

I think you need to look at the target market. In the U.S. and most of the Western world, for better or for worse, Christianity is the religion of the majority of the moviegoers while Shiva and Kali are as real to them/us as Zeus and Apollo. Raiders and Crusade are, thus, based on what the majority of Westerners accept to be religious history. Doom is more of a fantasy movie in an unreal world, like Harry Potter attacks Aphrodite or Stargate kills Ra. It's not that it necessarily is a bad movie and I'm sure there are plenty that like that kind of movie (as Harry Potter gross sales shows), but it doesn't go well with the genre of Raiders and Crusade.

I personally think that Doom, in addition to going for gross-out factor, was trying to be multicultural. I think they realized it wasn't as good as the first one and, thus, went back to a Judeo-Christian basis for the third movie... and it worked great!

Re:Awesome

[Galvatron]

I personally think that Doom, in addition to going for gross-out factor, was trying to be multicultural.

Well they failed on that count! Ask any Indian what they thought of Temple of Doom, I'm sure you'll get a fairly strong reaction. A good friend of mine, of Indian descent, though generally down on political correctness, refuses to watch Temple of Doom just because of its depiction of India. Just because the Thuggee cult was part of historical fact doesn't make the depiction of Indian culture in the movie accureate.

Re:Awesome

[wossName]

No, the thing that makes the movie so loathsome are the incredibly annoying sidekicks Indy is stuck with for the entire movie.

After the awesome female lead in Raiders, we now have a bimbo that is the very definition of damsel-in-distress, keeps screaming her head off and worst of all stays alive. (Oh how I wished for her to bite it...)

And Short Round, well, kids in movies not for or about kids are never a good idea. But hey, let's make him speak pidgin english, that'll be funny !

But yes, if you somehow manage to ignore these annoyances for the length of the movie, it's quite enjoyable, mostly.

Re:Awesome

[BobWeiner]

This movie left a really bad taste among Indians -- I bet nearly every Indian kid attending a US school was probably teased about the way Indians were portrayed by Lucas and Speilberg. Not all Indians are poor villagers, and the rich don't eat snakes.

Personally, I liked Temple of Doom, but being of Indian descent, I had to face my fellow seventh graders and constantly tell 'em "we don't eat snakes, monkey brains, etc."

Hell, my parents are vegetarian. After awhile, I just gave up, and started inviting my friends over to eat "monkey brains" for dessert. That shut 'em up good.

Free Bob!

Re:Awesome

[operagost]

No, but the bad guys always shoot first and the scenes with Hitler in "Raiders" that were cut due to technical limitations will be redone with a computer-generated Fuhrer. Unfortunately, Harrison Ford stepped too close to the Hitler stand-in, so they'll have to write into the script that he pinches the leader of the Third Reich in the posterior as he passes- evaoking a hilariously surprised reaction.

Re:Awesome

[Verteiron]

Ah, I knew "orderly" wasn't right, but I couldn't think of the correct word. See, I've never actually played D&D... only Rifts.

Re:Awesome

[operagost]

Replace "pseudo-Christian" with Christian and you have it. Trust me, 1 and 3 had more in common with the Nazi version of pagan mysticism than Christianity. Anyone who touched the Ark died instantly- no roiling clouds, flashing lights or malevolent spirits. And if God did decide to lock a saint up in a cave to protect a relic, he sure wouldn't set VC-style booby traps in it that could only be circumvented by a master "Trivial Pursuit Christianity Edition" player.

Re:Awesome

[operagost]

BTW, I apologize for the spoilers- I'm a total momo.

Re:Awesome

[letxa2000]

I won't argue with you there. I didn't even really mean that they were trying to reach other cultures by doing a multicultural movie with Doom--I simply they wanted to do something that wasn't based on Christian beliefs (the Ark of the Covenant). If they offended Indians and bored many Americans I can see why they went back to a Christian-based theme in Last Crusade. :)

Re:Awesome

[harlows_monkeys]

Should John Williams ever pass away[...]

Speaking of John Williams... does anyone else find much of the original Star Wars music to be rather similar to parts of Dvorak's 9th symphony?

Re:Awesome

[Iffy Bonzoolie]

Personally, I liked Temple of Doom, but being of Indian descent, I had to face my fellow seventh graders and constantly tell 'em "we don't eat snakes, monkey brains, etc."

No, that's the Chinese. Seriously, what's wrong with eating snakes and monkey brains? Of course I would find it revolting (though my dad has eaten cow brains and snake before), but lots of other cultures eat stuff that would make Americans (and probably the British, too) feel sick. Lutefisk, anyone? Tripe? Mmmmmm.... Jelllllyfish....

The funny thing is that I don't know of one thing that Americans (not that immigrants aren't Americans, but you know what I mean) eat that would make anyone else revolted (unless, perhaps, they were militant vegans, but then being comfortable anywhere BUT India and maybe California would probably be a challenge).

While the movie might have been culturally inaccurate, I don't see why it was neccessarily derogatory in any way.

-If

Re:Awesome

[seaan]

If Temple of Doom didn't have enough action or adventure for you, you need to check your pulse.

Temple of Doom had all the makings needed for a great movie, but it lost out on the cutting-room-floor. This is especially noticeable in comparison to Raiders', which is perhaps the best paced movie I've seen. Raiders knew just when to slow down and let the audience catch their breath, and when to hit them with another action sequence.

Temple' on the other hand was greatly uneven, alternating between too long action sequences and long slow sequences. The slow sequences were further hindered by less sympathetic characters (the kid and the girl both got annoying).

I confess that I loved the opening, but I would shed no tears if they cutout the entire rollercoaster sequence. If they cut out 15 or so minutes from the movie, it would dramatically improve Temple'.

Re:Awesome

[BobWeiner]

Some do...but I don't think they take the cartoon as seriously. The Simpsons takes shots at everyone, so it's all good.

Free Bob!

Re:Awesome

[Quikah]

So he is down on political correctness when it doesn't involve his minority group? Wow, that is pretty progressive thinking.

Re:Awesome

[Galvatron]

So he is down on political correctness when it doesn't involve his minority group?

No, that is not accurate. In fact, he does a great Apu immitation.

Re:Awesome

[doublem]

a plot device as Hitler's "obsession with religious artifacts"

Actually, his obsession IS a matter of history.

Although if memory serves he was more interested in the Grail and assorted occult artifacts.

Re:Awesome

[nomadic]

Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people like Temple of Doom.

That I can believe.

What we find somewhat insane is the proposition that it was the best of the movies, which the parent claims.

Re:Awesome

[WolfWithoutAClause]

Yeah. China on the other hand... Allegedly- (according to a chinese guy I used to work with, although as far as I know he had know first hand knowledge), there are remote villages in China where they have been known to eat live monkey brains. They have this special table... trust me you don't want to know.

The thing with China is that in their history they've been through some agonizing famines- these guys will eat just about anything edible; and several things you or I just don't agree are edible ;-)

Re:Awesome

[paganizer]

Being born and raised in Illinois, but with both parents and a thousand relatives in Tennessee and Kentucky, I think I can possibly help you out on the disgusting things that Americans eat.

#10: Head Cheese.
#9: Mountain Oysters (Pigs balls)
#8: Grits
#7: Pickled Pigs Feet
#6: Chicken Feet
#5: Chitlins
#4: Fried Dill Pickles
#3: Dropped Chicken (rotten chicken)
#2: poke Salet
#1: Brains

That Song

[msheppard]

Now we can have that song in our heads for a straight 4 hours.

Bum ba dum-dum! Bum ba dum!

M@

Re:That Song

[Anonymous Coward]

you throw me the idle, i throw you the dvd box set

The heart scene...

[st0rmcold]

Is it me, or will it be awesome to see the scene where the guy gets his heart ripped out in dvd quality? Not to mention theatre sound!

Re:The heart scene...

[bananaape]

Then again, it could look worse due to the way older special effects look compared to modern day ones.

I don't WANT all of them!

[Thag]

Yeah. like I really want to watch Short Round and Kate Capshaw again. And I barely remember the third one.

It's like the Alien movies, who wants all of them?

I would be happy to pick up just Raiders, though.

Jon Acheson

Re:I don't WANT all of them!

[phillymjs]

Aw, come on... the third one was pretty good: "Indiana Jones is back... and this time, he's bringing his father!"

I never found the second one particularly watchable after about the first 10-15 minutes, but I love the first and third.

~Philly

And thankfully...

[The-Bus]

Spielberg isn't replacing Indy's whip with a cellphone.

(Moderated, -1, Hahaha! Very Funny Dr. Jones!)

Re:And thankfully...

[banzai51]

But will Lucas call him and make the big sword guy shoot first?

percent of revenue

[AbdullahHaydar]

It's about time they released these DVDS....

I'm surprised they took so long, considering DVDs are such a huge percent of the total revenue movies make for a studio.

Re:percent of revenue

[Surak]

Ummm...when even the LAST of the Indy movies came out, there wer no such thing as DVDs yet. They've been out on VHS for years.

You also can't buy the movies separately.

[Pop n' Fresh]

In true George Lucas maximum money-extraction fashion, you will not be able to buy the films separately, only as a box set.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[redtail1]

In true George Lucas maximum money-extraction fashion, you will not be able to buy the films separately, only as a box set.

And after the fourth movie comes out there will be a special edition with enhanced sound and visual effects.

I'm glad the films are finally coming out on DVD but I look at the way Spielberg and Lucas handle DVD releases and I see nothing but greed.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[blancolioni]

And you know, if they were announced one at a time, somebody would be whining because there was no box-set-with-a-discount.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[anonymous loser]

I think you have that backwards. A true money-grubbing executive would release each one individually a month or two apart, followed by a boxed set a few months after that.

Look at how LoTR was released. Not only was a boxed set released, but TWO box sets were released just for the first movie, maximizing their profits. Can you imagine how many different LoTR DVDs are going to be around by the time Return of the King is released?

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I don't see what the point is in wanting them separately, the entire box looks pretty well priced to me. Is there a movie in this set that is significantly below standard? I figure if the movies were released separetely, you'd find them for $20 each, so even if one movie is only worth half that of the other two, you'd still get a pretty decently priced set.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[putzin]

No, I think this has more to do with George Lucas being extremly narcissitic. Basically, I believe that he does things (no Star Wars trilogy on DVD, not DTS or commentary in the new Indy trilogy) simply because he can, not because they make more money or make sense. Seriously, look back over the last 10 years, and pick one good thing George Lucas has done. I dare you. You can't! Ok, that's horribly subjective, but still...

Anyway, I suspect that Spielberg takes a back seat when Lucas is involved. Spielberg has done other DVD releases of his films that are quite good, and include lots of intelligent and interesting extras. Lucas has none of those credits. If I didn't enjoy all three movies so much, I would boycott this release (ok, subjective again, but if you don't like it, just kiss off and keep the flames to yourself). I count on being dissapointed by Lucas no matter what he does from here on out. And check out the commentary on the digital bits for some higher level perspective.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[dswensen]

Of course, if they turned out both a box set AND the individual packages, or spaced the DVDs out a few months apart, or never turned out the Indiana Jones DVDs at all, George Lucas would also be evil under these circumstances.

Let's just concede that everything evil that happens in the world is George Lucas' fault, that everything good in the world is the doing of the director of Empire Strikes Back, and that Lucas can do no right, and just move on with our lives, okay?

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[nunya_bizns]

Finally, I'll be able to move that old laser disk play up to the attic. The only reason I kept it around this long is to occasionally watch Indy. I bought a Malaysian version of the DVD (Last Crusade) last Christmas. It's in English, but the Malaysian sub-titles just ruin it, and there's no option to turn them off.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[Schnapple]

No, George Lucas maximum money-extraction fashion was originally to release the three films separate, a year apart, leading up to the fourth movie. Do you really want that? Most people are thrilled to have them all now.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[RedWizzard]

In true George Lucas maximum money-extraction fashion, you will not be able to buy the films separately, only as a box set.

By all accounts Lucas had nothing to do with the decision to sell only as a box set. Spielberg wanted individual movies released a year a part, possibly followed by a box set but the studio wanted only the box set. The studio got their way.

Personally I think that it is better for the consumer this way. Box sets are generally cheaper than buying the individual movies and I think most people who would buy Indiana Jones movies would buy all three. It is also extremely anoying to buy one movie in a series and then have the studio release a box set 6 months later. OTOH, in the case of Back to the Future the decision to sell only a box set seemed to be motivated by the likelyhood that the second and third movies would not sell well, so it amounted to an artifically high price on the first movie. That I don't agree with.

Re:You also can't buy the movies separately.

[Chuq]

You paid $50 for three DVDs in Malaysia? Were you wearing a T-shirt that said "I'm a tourist" or something?

Those have been on P2P networks for ages...

[replicant_deckard]

Fellow P2P users reply: Dr. Jones. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away.

Re:Those have been on P2P networks for ages...

[Verteiron]

If I had mod points I'd mark this funny. You nearly made me blow my morning Coke out my nose.

Re:Those have been on P2P networks for ages...

[fudgefactor7]

Too bad the MPAA don't know you like I do, Bellocq.

Yes, you could warn them if only you spoke MPAA...

Re:Those have been on P2P networks for ages...

[maxume]

make sure you read that comment several times. You might have said more than you meant...

Re:Those have been on P2P networks for ages...

[glesga_kiss]

Yeah, but the p2p versions are VHS "rips". Dire. I'd be as well sticking on my own VHS versions.

There is a DVD version of Temple of Doom on WinMX, outstanding quality, but no one has the complete file. No idea what the original source was, at the very least it was a digital rip from laserdisk, but it really looks DVD quality.

Of course, I wouldn't know so much about the availablity of these if they had brought them out years ago. I would own them by now, but after all these profitering delays, I might not bother giving them my cash after all.

woohoo!!!

[MerlynDavis]

*goes looking for fedora and bullwhip*

It's about freaking time...

Now when's the original Star Wars Trilogy coming out on DVD?

And why no commentary?? That's half the fun....

Re:woohoo!!!

[byrnereese]

As for the original Star Wars trilogy - I am afraid absolutely never. George Lucas has been quoted more than once saying that the original series will never find itself officially on VHS or DVD again. Afterall, according to him, those versions are "incomplete" and substandard. Thus, the "Special Edition." However, I have found some excellent copies on DVD from an overseas "distributor." I can't say I found them, they were given to me as a gift (you can find them on eBay).

Best. Gift. Ever.

Re:woohoo!!!

[Jugalator]

Afterall, according to him, those versions are "incomplete" and substandard.

LOL! Unlike the prequel trilogy then? :-P

However, I have found some excellent copies on DVD from an overseas "distributor."

I guess these are from a laserdisc source? I've seen the warez copies floating around are either from digital broadcasts or laserdisc copies. All pretty good quality in the end, but of course not like a true DVD.

Yay!

[grub]

I hope they have added footage of that kid screaming " INDY!! INDY!! " It was almost as ear piercing as Newt's shrieking in Aliens.

Re:Yay!

[The Original Yama]

Damn, I hated Newt sooo much. I'm glad she died. I would've like to have seen it happen, though.

Die, Newt die!

Re:This would be the first trilogy I'd buy and thr

[eam]

Note that it is a trilogy, yet it contains 4 disks. Clearly they intended movie #2 to be removed & discarded.

I'll admit it

[sirgoran]

I'll buy them. Maybe not as a boxed set, but I'll buy them. There are only a few movies IMO that are worth owning. Since I have kids, there is far too much crap on regular TV so it's nice to have something they can watch over and over. On the plus side, it's also something I don't mind watching over and over. Trust me, you can only watch Lion King and Little Mermaid so much before you want to go Postal...

-Goran

Re:I'll admit it

[abcxyz]

I agree with you whole heartedly. I will probably buy the boxed set -- the 12 year old son will enjoy them, the wife likes Temple of Doom and Raiders, and my son in the Navy will watch them when he comes in on leave. Good movies to watch when the "200 channels of satellite and nothing's on" hits.....

-- Rick

Re:I'll admit it

[jweatherley]

Trust me, Goran, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is great family entertainment.

No, trust me - John Water's Pink Flamingos is the ideal entertaining family movie.

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[Verteiron]

Let's hope that Lucas' stickler for quality attitude makes this set a good one.

Stickler for quality? Lucas? You have SEEN the new Star Wars movies, right?

No commentary track

[Scryber]

"We felt that because of bandwidth issues and, more importantly, the amount of information provided on the fourth disc, it would be redundant to include a director's commentary track on the title discs," Ward said.

Bullshit. Just tell the truth: For whatever reasons, Spielberg doesn't do commentaries. However I don't see why some other producer (Luca$) or writer (Kasdan) couldn't have provided a commentary. Citing "bandwidth issues" is a laugher. And I for one prefer to actually have a commentary while the movie is running. Just not the same hearing production insights on a bonus disc.

Re:No commentary track

[foo1752]

"We felt that because of bandwidth issues and, more importantly, the amount of information provided on the fourth disc, it would be redundant to include a director's commentary track on the title discs," Ward said.

Personally, I couldn't care less about the stupid director's commentary. I would much rather see them spend their bandwidth on less-compressed video and audio streams.

Re:No commentary track

[clarkc3]

how can it be bandwith issues when formats like dvd9 that can be read just fine in almost all players

Re:No commentary track

[jweatherley]

Personally, I couldn't care less about the stupid director's commentary. I would much rather see them spend their bandwidth on less-compressed video and audio streams.

I quite like commentaries - providing the commentators have something worth saying of course. Some of my favourite ones are Ridley Scott on Alien, Tom Baker on some of the BBC Dr Who DVDs and Sam Raimi on the Evil Dead. Actually Evil Dead has two commentaries one by Raimi/Tabert (producer) and the other by Bruce Campbell the lead actor. Both commentraies are pretty interesting - you find out that someone's sister got roped in because the original actress pissed off halfway through filming when the money ran out.

The ones that tend to suck are the recent main stream Hollywood movies - lots of gushing about how wonderful everyone is. Even then you're not sacrificing that much video quality for the 150MB that a plain stereo commentary track costs so I don't really mind. Anyway Region 2 DVD's tend to have half a dozen European language tracks and a dozen subtitle tracks so we're used to non-video things filling the disc.

Re:No commentary track

[Sabalon]

The one on Ghostbusters is real good, and the one on Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back is pretty entertaining, as long as Jay (drunk) isn't talking.

Re:No commentary track

[Enry]

Other good commentaries:

Austin Powers (the first one anyway)
Hudson Hawk (the director ass kissing everyone except Bruce Willis)
Red Dwarf (this was one of the best, had all the
actors in the same room)
Snatch ('the suits outside are passing us notes asking us to talk about blah')

Re:No commentary track

[WebScud]

The Ghostbusters track is amazing. The best commentary for the best movie ever. Any commentary from the Kevin Smith crew is golden. The Clerks: Uncensored (Clerks Cartoon) is actually worth watching over and over becasue it provides just as much humor as the shows themselves. Plus, they insult ABC alot.

Re:No commentary track

[Bob The Cowboy]

"We felt that because of bandwidth issues and, more importantly, the amount of information provided on the fourth disc, it would be redundant to include a director's commentary track on the title discs," Ward said.

Bullshit. Just tell the truth: For whatever reasons, Spielberg doesn't do commentaries. However I don't see why some other producer (Luca$) or writer (Kasdan) couldn't have provided a commentary. Citing "bandwidth issues" is a laugher. And I for one prefer to actually have a commentary while the movie is running. Just not the same hearing production insights on a bonus disc.

Well, I for one appreciate this bold step forward! It's nice in this era of flash websites and embedded midi files and full page pop up ads that someone is trying to save us some bandwidth! It's about time that these movie companies are embracing P2P users, rather than threatening! So thanks Paramount, Lucasarts and all others.

Re:No commentary track

[Piquan]

Favorite commentaries: Free Enterprise; I may have heard that commentary more times than the actual soundtrack. When Joss gives a running commentary on the Buffy and Angel DVDs: great stuff! The interviews with Joss are less interesting because of bad editing, but his running commentaries are great.

Re:No commentary track

[humming]

Myself I like Paul Verhoevens commentaries... Mostly because he tells it like it was instead of some studio bullshit like on the Matrix commentary.

Anyway, I miss a commentary on my Showgirls DVD, I'd really want to know what the FUCK he was thinking when he made that movie. :)

Re:No commentary track

[M.C. Hampster]

Has anyone listened to the commentary on Tron? If you have tried, and failed, make sure to listen past the first 15 minutes or so. They just sit there talking about why they made Tron, etc. It's all a rehash of documentary. But after that, it gets really interesting. Eventually they start making fun of their own movie. Then, eventually, they start talking in detail about special effects and it gets really boring again.

Um, what was my point again?

Re: Movie #4?

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh, yeah right. Lucas and Ford have kept wistfully remarking that "yeah, we'd like to do a fourth movie one of these days, that'd be great" for 15 years now without ever getting around to it.

In the meantime, Harrison Ford has reached retirement age and isn't getting any younger. Sorry, folks; I'm afraid various video games and comic books are as close to "Indy 4" as we're going to see.

Sigh...

[Murdock037]

Nothing like submitting a story, only to find it posted when you get back to the main page.

Anyways. This is good, mostly-- nice to have the movies in widescreen, with decent quality. But there's a few problems, as I see it:

1. No commentary. I understand that Spielberg prefers to "keep the magic," as he's put it, but come on. These are for posterity. Let's get some thoughts. There's no way fifteen minutes worth of interview on a bonus disc is going to do it.

2. They're still trying to change the title of the first movie, and it pisses me off-- it's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," not "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." Cripes. It's one of the most popular films of all time. If you don't already know who's in it, I think the front freaking cover is a fine clue, thanks.

3. We're gonna have to buy it all again after the fourth movie comes out, right?

On the plus side, the content of the movies themselves haven't been changed. In other words, Indy still shoots first.

More information and a peek at the cover art, if you're curious, can be found at DVD File.

Re:Sigh...

[JPZ]

Nothing like submitting a story, only to find it posted when you get back to the main page.

Don't worry, your submission of this story will be on the front page tomorrow.

Joris

Re:Sigh...

[Obiwan Kenobi]

3. We're gonna have to buy it all again after the fourth movie comes out, right?

No, of course not. We're going to tell everyone not to buy it and shout from the rafters at how terrible all of this rechristening of our favorite films have become..

.. while we quietly sneak away to Best Buy for another "All New Digital Transfer" and "DTS enhanced Sountrack" that we keep in our closets because any respectable geek wouldn't succumb to such blatant marketing.

Re:Sigh...

[brakk]

I think they want to change the name so all three will be together in the "I"s in video store shelves.

Re:Sigh...

[miltimj]

We're gonna have to buy it all again after the fourth movie comes out, right?

Maybe the fourth movie is the commentary...

Re:Sigh...

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

I actually don't mind not having the commentary tracks on the disc. I've found that as my DVD collection grows larger and larger with each week, I just don't have the time or energy to listen to the commentary tracks. I have on a couple of TV shows (FAMILY GUY, BABYLON 5), but I don't often find the patience to watch a 2 hour movie the second time to see what the director can remember about it anymore.

That doesn't bother me so much.

I wish they had included a DTS soundtrack, but a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 will no quite nicely thanks.

I know some people are complaining that these aren't the be-all and end-all of DVD releases, but I think some people have confused their anticipation of the discs for their contents.

A good clean transfer of the movies is all I want. Everything else is extra. For less than $50 (probably $35 at Best Buy), I can deal without all that.

-Augie

Re:Sigh...

[cens0r]

Lucas doesn't do DTS. He's a big supporter of Dolby. Besides a well done Dolby track should be just as good as a well done DTS track. The problem is that more often then not, people spend more time and effort to make a good DTS track; and even then on 99% of the systems out there, you won't realize the difference. Listen to the track on TPM or AOTC and you'll realize that DTS isn't really necessary.

Funny school reports from famous people

[Anonymous Coward]

St. Peaceful's School for the Sons of Gentlefolk
Name of Pupil: JONES, Indiana
Age: 8
Dear Mr and Mrs Jones,
I understand that in order to get to school this morning Indiana leapt from the branches of a tree on to the roof of a passing vehicle, crawled the length of this vehicle (nearly falling off at least four times as he avoided having his head knocked off by low bridges), dangled precariously over the side hanging on by the fingertips of one hand while he scratched his knee with the other and then leapt fearlessly through a small side window, receiving not a single scratch in spite of the thousands of razor sharp pieces into which the glass shattered.
Would you please instruct your son that he must be like all the other children, and use the school bus stop.
Mrs Ida Rather Knot
Form Mistress

Re:Funny school reports from famous people

[Xpilot]

Actually his given name was Henry, Jr. If you remember what Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) said at the end of the 3rd movie, they named the dog Indiana.

Re:Funny school reports from famous people

[indianajones428]

I've got a lot of fond memories of that dog....

Finally

[imperator_mundi]

Once upon a time Mr Lucas was the coolest guy in hollywood one and Indiana Jones and Starwars were the trilogies... millions of fans dreamed if they could ever see a fourth Indy film or a new Starwars stuff.

Present day: Lord of the ring and Matrix are the trilogies, nobody is really excited 'bout Episode 3 and even worse too many remember Mr Lucas as the man who created Jar Jar Binks...

so there's no reason left to delay the DVD edition of Indy, hype about it is shrinking not growing.

Re:Finally

[Kithkill]

That's a good thing, though - it shows that there isn't a film to end all films. The Matrix and LOTR may be popular now, but give Hollwood another 20 years, and who knows what we'll be watching? Despite it all, the original spirit of those films is there on celluloid forever, and I for one will be buying the DVDs in order to partake of that special Indy magic. Extras are all well and good, and usually I love them, but this is one of those rare cases where I'll be buying the box-set just for the films, not for the whole package.

Re:Finally

[Anonymous Coward]

Present day: Lord of the ring and Matrix are the trilogies

The thing about Star Wars and Indy was that they were good films, all 6 of them. Lord Of The Rings is 0 for 2 at the moment, and the Matrix is only 1 for 1, so we can't really say that they're "the" trilogies.

Re:Finally

[salesgeek]

Raiders was one of the few films that could have been made any time in Hollywood history and been a huge hit. It was simply a great film in all respects - and it was original.

The best movies are original fiction, most often not a movie version of a great book.

Re:Finally

[Kithkill]

I agree. It's like a film out of time (helped, largely I think, byt the historical setting). As retarded as it sounds, that's one of the reasons I liked "The Mummy". You either know what I mean or you don't. But that's why Indy's so popular. It's just bloody good fun. An awesome film. As for films made off the backs of books, I half-agree. Most of the time, I find that they don't seem as good because of the inevitable comparison with the book. It's hard to truly assess films like that, because they always have to follow the line between keeping half the audience up to speed, and not boring the other half who already know what's gonna happen. It's a bit unfair on the source material, really. But then, every once in a while, you get a "Lord of the Rings" or a ...erm... "Harry Potter"? Game-to-film conversions. Now THEY suck.

Re:Finally

[Joe the Lesser]

remember Mr Lucas as the man who created Jar Jar Binks

Whats yousa saying? Yousa nosa like Jar-Jar? Poodoo! Mui mui! Whatsa meya saying?

Re:Finally

[dswensen]

"That's a good thing, though - it shows that there isn't a film to end all films. The Matrix and LOTR may be popular now, but give Hollwood another 20 years, and who knows what we'll be watching?"

I do. Dude, I Still Don't Know Where My Car Is, I Still Know What Your Boobs Did in the Summer of 2013, American Pie XII: Filling Time, Friday the 13th Part XXI, Girls Gone Wild the Movie 7...

Re:Finally

[dWhisper]

I suppose I'd have to ask how you define LOtR as 0 for 2. I suppose if you were expecting them to be the books, verbatum (which, though I love Tolken, would be immensly boring), you could knoch them down. But they were two damn fine films, and number 3 should not disappoint.

Star Wars lost the shine of its trilogy with the stains of Episode 1 and lesser stain of Episode 2 (mesa thinks thesa movies sucksa). Indy is an awesome trilogy, of sorts, but lacks the arching story lines of Star Wars, LOtR, and the Matrix.

And I though the Godfather was the trilogy to end all trilogies.

a Joke

[Anonymous Coward]

A manager has placed an ad for a secretary. A blonde, a redhead and a brunette show up for the interview.

The brunette enters first, the interview begins with the usual where, how, how much etc. In the end the manager says: ".. and one last question. How many T's are there in INDIANA JONES?".
The brunette takes a moment to think and replies:
".. there are not T's ..."
"Precisely replies the manager, that was the answer I was expected. Very well, we will contact you shortly."

It's the redhead's turn, the interview begins with the usual where, how, how much etc. In the end the manager says:
".. and one last question. How many T's are there in INDIANA JONES?".
The redhead takes a moment to think and replies:
".. there are not T's ..."
"Precisely replies the manager, that was the answer I was expected. Very well, we will contact you shortly."

Finally the blonde enters, the interview begins with the usual where, how, how much etc. In the end the manager asks:
".. and one last question. How many T's are there in INDIANA JONES?".
The blonde is thinking hard, going into deep analytical thought and asks for a calculator,
The clickety clicks begin, she gives it some more thought and finally replies:
".. there are 32 T's!"
The manager says that he wasn't expecting that answer. He asks her, however, how she had arrived to that conclusion and if she had misinterpreted the question. Her reply left him speechless:
Listen

Re:a Joke

[Anonymous Coward]

That wasnt funny.
She got the job by the way.
all bent over and loving it 8==> ()

Re:a Joke

[SeanAhern]

For those who don't want to download the WAV, it's a recording of a woman singing (badly):

Tum ta tum-tum! Tum ta tum!...

No, I didn't count them to see if she's right...:-)

Re:a Joke

[kindbud]

I used to be opposed to capital punishment.

But not any more!

Re: Movie #4?

[Anonymous Coward]

Er --- there's 80 pages at least of a script already, and Spielberg and Lucas have committed to it. It's set in the 1950's.

The BTTF discs have been fixed.

[Anonymous Coward]

a) BTTF is a Universal movie.
b) The discs have been fixed. Look for a "V2" (version 2) on the widescreen/full frame sticker.
c) You can send the old discs back to Universal for a free replacement.
BACK TO THE FUTURE DVD RETURNS
PO Box 224468
Dallas, Texas 75260

They will even pay for the shipping.
d) Stop Trolling.

so nice of corperate america

[Kasmiur]

"To sell me back my childhood at a low price + inflation + extra profit."
-wish I could remember who said it orginally

Re:so nice of corperate america

[wossName]

Penny Arcade for one, although this is something that many people might have said.

which disk would you throw out?

[dattaway]

Does anyone ever watch the "bonus" disk?

Re:which disk would you throw out?

[Pastor Fluff]

Bonus disks can be informative and above all, amusing. I'm looking forward to the documentary showing Ford trying to staple the fedora to his head to keep it from blowing off.

Sets are shrewd

[ianscot]

That's why they sell 'em in a group -- the second and third movie wouldn't rate buying otherwise.

The first Raiders is a great movie. Have to say, having caught #2 on cable and just seen the previews for #3, I had no interest in 'em at all. They wasted the historical setting pretty badly, IMHO, and lost the feeling they were telling a story independent of stunts and character "chemistry." Pretty rote efforts.

Quick, how many people would say #2 or #3 are among their favorite movies? The first one's on a lot of lists.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Eisenstein]

The third one is my favourite by far.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[coke_dite]

Actually, having been too young at the time, the first one I ever saw was the third one. It quickly became my favorite movie, and the second two, while great flicks, will never have the place in my heart that Last Crusade holds :)

Now someone explain to me how they can justify making a fourth movie after having called the LAST one "Last Crusade" - c'mon now people... let the franchise alone.

Another reason Last Crusade is very popular, even as an old guy, Sean Connery is one sexy dude :) (yes, Harrison Ford is too, but man, Sean Connery! *drool*) That will pull in the female audience (the non-geek one) that Raiders and Temple of Doom didn't grab.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[The_K4]

I have to agree My fav is #3 with #1 close behind. #2 is a very very distant third.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Brandon Sharitt]

Sean Connery is one sexy dude :) (yes, Harrison Ford is too, but man, Sean Connery! *drool*)

Now we know what other nickname CmdrTaco Posts under.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Gorm the DBA]

Well, of course they can...that was the 'Last Crusade'...this one will be the "Last Roundup" or "Last Time to the Vault" or "Last ripoff" or "Last pillaging of a culture's priceless artifacts"...something like that. The well is deep of those!

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Sancho]

Because "crusade" referred to a religious war (in this case, Christians), not "movie in a franchise".

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Opie812]

I would guess in the fourth movie they aren't crusading...so the third movie was accurate when they said it was the 'last' crusade... Maybe they just meander around in the fourth.

Re:Sets are shrewd

[Blondie-Wan]

Personally, I enjoy Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom more than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, even though I think Last Crusade is the better film of the two. Temple of Doom, IMHO, has better pacing and an arguably better score, and I like the portrayal of Indy himself more in that film than in the third. I do still love them all, but Temple of Doom is just more fun for me than Last Crusade.

Of course, the original Raiders of the Lost Ark is a nonpareil classic . :)

Re:Sets are shrewd

[chumpieboy]

It wasn't "Indiana Jones' Last Crusade".

"Crusade" refers to the historical wars fought by early Christians against the Muslims.

It was the "Last Crusade", whereby a group of Western people go to the Middle East to retrieve a Christian artifact. According to the pseudo history of the films, the last artifact known to exist is the grail cup. After the movie is over, the cup is gone. No more crusades to be had.

No Commentary?!?

[Nutrimentia]

No matter how good the 4th disc of extras is, I still can't believe that they aren't including commentary. It only takes 2 hours to do (well, 6 for the series) and it can be anything, talk about making it, impressions about seeing it again, etc.

Re:No Commentary?!?

[Obiwan Kenobi]

I'm sure you're not aware, but Spielburg has NEVER, EVER done a commentary track. And he doesn't plan on it.

Lawrence Bouzereau is his faithful documentary guy, and he has done the docs on Schindler's List, Jaws, Jurrasic Park, [insert Spielburg flick here] and will be (I'm sure) doing one for this set.

Spielberg likes to allow the movie to speak for itself, though ironically he does do film school commentaries with an audience, to explain as best he can what he was trying to accomplish.

Spielberg, however, won't allow these types of commentaries to be included.

The press release says its because of bandwith issues, and that's simply a lie. No commentary, a small Dolby Digital 2.0 track, would ever take enough space to truly harm the picture.

Besides, video and audiophiles get their bandwidth-filled goodness with the Superbit line, something Paramount has yet to embrace. For now they simply say they leave off commentaries and exciting extras on each disc because "the picture will look better."

Of course, The Godfather has 9 hours of commentary, and you didn't hear them screaming "picture quality forever!" on that release, now did you?

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[Montag2k]

It seems to me that they already have started replacing them. I bought the widescreen trilogy from amazon about a week ago and my copy just came today - it is the unfixed version, but I checked around the web looking for news of the fixed one.

In this story on a fan site Bob Gale talks about getting a copy of the new trilogy from Universal, just to make sure that he's happy with it before it gets released to the public. It seems like Universal has done a pretty good job dealing with the customers on this one - I'm waiting patiently for my free UPS envelope I will use to send the two affected DVDs back to Universal.

Anyways, I have a feeling that Amazon is selling the old versions because there is no way to check when purchasing them online. If you buy a copy and want to tell if it is a new version, check for a "V2" printed near the barcode on the back of the box, or look for a "V2" on either of the second two DVDs on the set. If you don't have "V2", call 1-888-703-0100 to get a new copy.

--Montag

Widescreen fixed and available for free.

[jalano]

Universal Home Video actually did fix the problem, and you can obtain free replacement discs for parts 2 and 3 by writing or calling Universal Home Video.
Call 1-888-703-0100 and they'll even send you a pre-paid mailing envelope so you don't even have to pay for postage!

For those of you buying a DVD set in the store, look for a small "V2" printed on the back of the box. The new discs also have a small "V2" printed on them, but only on discs 2 and 3. Disc 1 is not misframed.

Re:Widescreen fixed and available for free.

[Anonymous Coward]

This phone number is incorrect. I called it and the poor woman who answered has been slashdotted all morning.

Re:Widescreen fixed and available for free.

[Stele]

The correct number is 1-888-703-0010.

They do ask you what you noticed wrong about the movies. And they do read the little message from Universal with the widescreen/fullscreen typo.

Re:Widescreen fixed and available for free.

[jdreed1024]

that would be 888 703 0010. Calling the other number gets some family's answering machine. Please mod the parent down so these poor folks can stop getting calls that aren't for them.

Re:Widescreen fixed and available for free.

[Sawbones]

oh god that's a painful process.

Call Monkey: May I have the name of the store you purchased the DVD from?
Me: Best Buy
Call Monkey: Can you spell that please?

*shudder* - I just hope I get my envelopes.

Re:Observe... MPAA

[fredrikj]

Who said anything about paying for it? The good thing about this piece of news is that we'll *finally* get DVD-quality DivX rips of the movies on Kazaa.

Re:Well, I've got Star Wars IV, V, and VI on DVD

[falzbro]

Sadly, Lucas could have had my business several times over had he released a crappy Original Edition without the bells and whistles, followed by a Features packed edition, followed by a Special Edition... I'd buy them all.

And when ANH, ESB, and RotJ come out on DVD, you *WILL* buy them all. And likely he'll find a way for it to be "several times over".

--falz

A friggin MEN

[Sergeant Beavis]

I've been waiting for this peice of movie greatness to come out forever and a day.

Is it magic pixie dust?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't get it. Nice to have them out finally...

Spielberg and Lucas treat DVD as though its a big trumpeting event.

Where's SW? Where's Schindlers list?
Where's THX1138?

They're so corporate now, anything they produce is so mechanical, so by the numbers that it's hardly an art form anymore, it's a style. You could easily see the same story and visual structure in EVERY spielberg and Lucas film. Janus Kaminsky (Spielberg's cinematographer) has lost all creativity due to the fact that he's made nothing but spielberg movies for the last decade.

Watch Jurassic Park for the shots of people "looking" at things off camera. Then watch ANY other one of his films, and it'll be ruined for you. That's HALF of his shot list on any given film. AHHHH!

My other issue is the PR at Lucasfilm's flimsy excuse for the lack of commentary.

Spielberg won't do them. Point blank. Don't feed us an excuse that "in order to save space..." for not doing it. If you wanted to save space, there'd be a DTS track on there. Screw his position on not wanting to reveal his "magic"...

Unless they're going to be single layer discs, it's got plenty of space for DTS, DD 5.1, commentary, and a French track for Quebec.

Re:Is it magic pixie dust?

[UTPinky]

To answer your question, at least regards to Star Wars... last I heard was that Lucas was waiting for the prequels to be done so he could release a huge box set... Let's just hope in this release he doesn't get creative and edit the originals any more like he did w/ the Han & Greedo seen in EP IV.

Re:Is it magic pixie dust?

[glesga_kiss]

Where's THX1138?

In the bargain-bin, where it belongs. It does a poor job of ripping-off some classic books.

Anyway...back on-topic, what they are doing here is piss-poor. Companies like Warner Bros really took a risk when they started producing DVDs. I have a lot of WB disks because that at the time, there wasn't much else available. Studios like them launched the format.

However, people like Lucas are willing to let others take the risk on new technology, and when it's finally considered to be successful, then they cash in. And they will be the biggest selling DVDs of all time, until SW comes out of course. Leaves a sickly taste in your mouth, doesn't it?

Re:Is it magic pixie dust?

[Animixer]

Where's SW? Where's Schindlers list?
Where's THX1138?

I don't know what the big deal is, I've had these movies in my LaserDisc collection for some time (excepting THX1138 because I never liked it). All of the movies I have are widescreen, or in the case of earlier movies, at the original aspect ratio. Before you knock the quality of LDs watch a well-mastered movie (criterions are nice) on a high-end player. I have seen many a laserdisc master that is better than a quick and dirty DVD master, even though the DVD format has the capability of looking better. I think once the marketing people figured out that only videophiles were buying LD players, they stopped making the crappy LD masters and concentrated on catering to the high-end.

Any time someone thinks I'm weird for having the collection, and a nice LD player, I show them the movies they can't get on DVD.

Granted, some films are finally making it to DVD.

But I'm still the only guy around who can watch SW Special Edition in Dolby Digital surround! :)

Re:Well, I've got Star Wars IV, V, and VI on DVD

[JargonScott]

I have the original, the updated-sound-only version, and the special edition set. There's 3 for you. To be honest, I'd like to see a DVD set of the original set as well, as that's how I remember them as a kid.

Yes, I have watched them back to back. My wife says I have OCD.

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[Zathrus]

It has been fixed. Oh, and it's Universal, not Paramount.

Want info? Go read The Digital Bits which is one (of many) websites that kept on top of this debacle.

Heck, my BTTF DVDs are still in shrinkwrap because of this...

The real debacle isn't that they aren't fixed - it's that the disks were released in other regions first (such as Australia) and were defective then. It wasn't until Universal released the movies in region 1 that they listened to the hue and cry about defective transfers -- and agreed to fix them. Note that they were released in Oz 4 months before release to region 1.

Re:Observe... MPAA

[salesgeek]

Funny how everyone is quick to bash MPAA, yet just about everyone here will fork over $50 for some pieces of plastic...
Because these movies, unlike most are actually good.

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[dhunley]

I really hate to stomp on your tirade, but I've already received my fixed discs from them. They were shipped *overnight* each in its own jewel case and tossed together in one of those bubble envelopes. This was only about 5 weeks after receiving a postcard from them stating that they received my defective discs and would be sending replacements shortly...

I'm just waiting for part 4

[mao che minh]

The hype surrounding a DVD release of one of the greatest action trilogies of all time is certaingly well deserved (I must have seen each movie 10 times as a kid), but I am still eager to see what Lucas does with part 4. Good or bad, it's going to be kind of like a social/art experiment, like Star Wars Episode I was (which proved that just because an artist was able to create a few masterpieces in his youth, does not mean that his talent will last indefinately - and just because a generation holds a particular work of art in great esteem, replicating it in bad fashion will still drive them away).

I just hope that the wonders of technology can make Harrison Ford still look believable as an action star. "Geriatric Jones" might be a title to consider.

Bonus material: gimmicks

[Malc]

Does anybody else dislike most of this bonus material? It seems like waste of money and a gimmick to me.

The documentaries and interviews always seem rather contentless and full of people who take themselves too seriously, talk too much about inconsequential things, and go on self-importantly in a self-promotion about how wonderful their movie is, and all the people in it.

I know whether I liked a movie or not - I don't need propaganda to convince me otherwise. Really, most of the bonus material is just plain dull. Really, most Hollywood movies are just some quick entertainment which doesn't require much concentration, so why take them so seriously? Earth shattering movies are few and far between - and it's the content of the story that matters, not how the movie was made or how wonderful all the actors and actresses are. These people have too much ego. I'd be happy with more of Jackie Chan's routine: out-takes during the closing credits (although they'd require more effort than those with The Tuxedo).

Re:Bonus material: gimmicks

[makohund]

Because if it is done well (admittedly it often isn't) it can add a lot to the experience.

I would throw away all of the extras & commentaries in most of my DVD's without a second thought... but a couple of them are pure gold. My favorite? The best commentary track ever done... "This is Spinal Tap".

For the 2 or 3 people around that might not know, it's a classic mock documentary of an aging british rock band. One of the funniest movies ever.

Get this: The commentary is provided by the 3 main characters... and performed IN CHARACTER as if it is still a real documentary, and they've been asked to comment on it. They proceed to rag on the "director", reminisce events, tell you bizzare "behind the scenes" goodies, and so on.

In summary... it's an entire brand new Spinal Tap movie, just as hilarious as the first. I'll give that one up as soon as someone talks them into playing Stonehenge again. (NEVER)

Re:Bonus material: gimmicks

[GuyMannDude]

Does anybody else dislike most of this bonus material? It seems like waste of money and a gimmick to me.

I happen to agree. The only "extras" that I've ever really enjoyed were *some* of the ones on The Matrix DVD (the original DVD release). And even during that some of the commentary got a little much. What I've noticed is that although the commentary starts off paralleling and explaining what we're seeing on the screen, very soon it diverges into pointless discussion only tangentally related to the movie. I find myself screaming "Just shut up a minute and talk about THIS scene!" when one of my favorite scenes in the movie appears. Of course, they simply ignore me and continue to babble about god-knows what. I wonder if it might be useful to allow any one person only a limited time to add their commentary. Maybe they get a third of the movie to talk about. Then at the 1/3 mark, they get booted and replaced by some other people who add their own commentary.

The documentaries and interviews always seem rather contentless and full of people who take themselves too seriously, talk too much about inconsequential things, and go on self-importantly in a self-promotion about how wonderful their movie is, and all the people in it.

I hestitated before citing The Matrix as an example of a DVD where the extras are good because I clearly remember the part in the commentary where they are discussing Laurence Fishburne jumping from roof to roof. The SPFX guy comments that "Laurence kicks holy ass" and the other guy adds "Well, you're the one who made him look good" or some other self-congratualtory shit like that. Man, I thought that was really a smack in the face to L.F. It's as though they are saying that his presence and acting is completely inconsequential and the only reason he comes off as cool in the movie is because of their fancy CGI. Hey fellas, no one is saying that Keanu "kicks holy ass" even though you gave him even superior SPFX powers. Why do you suppose that is?

I've gotten so sick of the DVD extras that I really don't even watch them anymore when I rent something from the video store. In some cases, they are so bad that I actually wish I had never seen them. When I find out how much of an idiot or braggard the director/producer/star/etc is, it tends to ruin my opinion of the movie.

GMD

Re:Bonus material: gimmicks

[ShelfWare]

I would almost bet that the marketing dept. came up with the idea of extra footage, commentary, etc. and the people involved are just required to fill the 'tape' with something.

Think about it as if your marketing dept wanted to include extra code and commentary about the process you used to make software. Who cares, and we would end up filling the 'tape' with a lot of self-involved BS.

I would much rather have the out-takes, and maybe some behind the scenes stuff if they did something new like Matrix did with bullet dodging.

Re:Bonus material: gimmicks

[arban]

The most recent commentary that I watched and found to be very interesting was for the movie "The Four Feathers". I felt that the director, Shekhar Kapur, did a great job of telling the history from which he pulled his matrial, explaining the differing philosophies of the cultures involved and disecting the characters' emotions.

So, yes, like all things there are the dull, uninteresting, poorly thought out commentaries (which probably accompany the dull, uninteresting, poorly thought out movies). But do not dispair, the are good ones out there.

Here's a link for info

[gilesjuk]

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/i/indy4.php

Cleaned up film transfer?

[Pootenheimer]

Does anyone know if the film transfer will be cleaned for DVD? I, for one, would prefer not to see in blissful DVD detail the reflection of the snake in the glass during the scene in the snake pit in Raiders. Kind of takes you out of your immersion in the movie a bit.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Destacona]

From the press release -

Each of the three films in THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES - THE COMPLETE DVD MOVIE COLLECTION was painstakingly restored by Lowry Digital Images - the film industry's most noted preservationists - whose work has included such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sunset Boulevard.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Pootenheimer]

I guess I really wanted to know if they "cleaned" the transfer. The image in question is one that gives away how a scene was done in the snake pit. Unfortunately, restoration alone does not imply fixing of issues like this. I was curious if there's been any work to modify the image - to update it, if you will.

For those who are curious, it's the scene in the snake pit in Raiders, when Indy's on his belly face-to-face with one of the snakes. If you look carefully, you can easily see a reflection. This shows how this scene was shot, to allow Harrison Ford to actually be (safely) within three feet of a live snake.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[rafial]

I've very eager to see the results of the restoration. A local theater here in Seattle ran all three films on successive weekends a few years ago, and for the first one (Raiders of the Lost Ark) they had signs up letting people know that the copy they were going to see contained significant degredation, yet it was the BEST SURVIVING COPY. And it really was badly faded in many parts.

My understanding is that the film stock that was popular during the period that the first movie was filmed turned out to degrade much more quickly than older stocks. Use of that kind of stock has since been discontinued, and the difference between the ROTLA and TOD was very significant, even though they were only shot a few years apart, since TOD is on better original stock.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Apotsy]

I'm curious to know why you think it's okay to go back and "fix" mistakes and flaws in older movies. You might as well colorize black and white movies.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Pootenheimer]

Generally I'm all about preserving the original print. In this case, I think the exception can be made. A lot of touching up will most likely be done, if they do any at all (which I'm sure will happen). I don't imagine the majority of viewers will be upset if the reflection can't be seen in the new DVD release.

It'd be comparable to getting upset because you couldn't see the wires suspending actors in Crouching Tiger, or even the Matrix, which might have been visible in an early print. It's not meant to be part of the movie.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Schnapple]

detail the reflection of the snake in the glass during the scene in the snake pit in Raiders

For those who don't know the deal is this - in a scene in RoTLA, Indy falls into a pit and comes face to face with a snake. Obviously they don't want Harrison Ford to be bit so they put a plane of glass between him and the snake. In the theatrical prints (I'm told - was too young to remember) no one noticed the glass, but on the Laserdisc version, you could see the reflection on the glass.

What could have been an embarassing blooper was trumpeted by many as proof of the superiority of LD (remember VHS was the competition). Of course in subsequent transfers and with improvements in VHS technology, the glass was clearly visible on later printings of the video and when the movie was shown on TV.

So the question is - do you go in and fix it? Or I guess the question really is - did they go in and fix it? On the one hand it's not supposed to be in there (or at least not noticable) and it could be removed digitally with no one minding or caring (not like it's Han shooting first or anything). But on the other hand, it is messing with the film. It's no fun to not be able to point it out at parties and the like.

I'm sure if they did fix it then the unfixed scene is a bonus on disc #4.

Re:Cleaned up film transfer?

[Fastball]

At first, I thought it would be a travesty to remove the snake's reflection in the glass. But giving it a little more thought, I think it would be neat. The snake's reflection is a fairly well known goof. To look for it and not see it would be kind of neat.

What, no Special Edition?

[Trunks]

Damnit, and I wanted to see the swordsman swing first...

Irony

[Cr3d3nd0]

am I the only one that finds it Ironic that one of the videos that really kicked off the VHS craze is the last to DVD?

Re:Irony

[geekoid]

They added porn to "Raiders of the Lost Ark?"

Re:Observe... MPAA

[lemonk]

I'm sorry, but in this case (Indiana Jones Trilogy) we can make a f*cking exception :p I actually think $49 for the entire set plus a bonus DVD is UNDER charging for a series of movies that are so important and anticipated...

Molaram...Sularam!

What???

[JFMulder]

Damn I hate movie studios when they do something like this? You really think this is the ultimate box set. I won't be. They're making the fourth Indiana Jones movie right now. So i you buy this, 4 years from now when the 4rth movie will come out on DVD, there will be another ULTIMATE SUPER PLATINUM GIGA SPECIAL FU***ING EDITION that will come out with the four movies and a DD of bonuses.

Re:What???

[BobWeiner]

No one ever put a gun to your head to make you purchase the 3DVD set. You could always wait for the "ULTIMATE SUPER PLATINUM GIGA SPECIAL FU***ING" edition to come out and then purchase it.

I, myself, plan to buy the trilogy. I think the 4th Indy movie won't live up to the hype.

Free Bob!

Rights issue?

[MojoRilla]

I have heard rumors that movies released in the early 1980's had contracts which spelled out the exact formats they could be released under, and that is why it took so long for back to release Indy and Back to the Future.

If so, this is another example of lawyers and greed getting in the way of geeking.

Re:Rights issue?

[cei]

Original actor was Eric Stoltz. Didn't realize any footage of him was still in the print. Amusing.

It's only too bad

[asdfasdfasdfasdf]

...that Star Wars is the REAL Holy Grail of DVD buyers...

Re:It's only too bad

[tuffy]

...that Star Wars is the REAL Holy Grail of DVD buyers...

And like the Holy Grail, the creator has removed the original from circulation and made it impossible to find.

it's cheaper this way

[mblase]

You get three films for $50, plus a bonus disc covering all three films that certainly wouldn't be available outside the boxed set. If the films were sold separately, they'd be priced at best at $18 apiece, $54 total, and you wouldn't get the bonus disc. (I can't think of anyone who'd want to buy one Indiana Jones DVD without the other two, anyhow.)

Re:it's cheaper this way

[Snaller]

. (I can't think of anyone who'd want to buy one Indiana Jones DVD without the other two, anyhow.)


I can't think of anyone who'd want the second movie... (and they know it)

Here's an actual link

[jjjefff]

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/i/indy4.php

lazy no-linkin bastards...

Re: Movie #4?

[Anonymous Coward]

there's 80 pages at least of a script already, and Spielberg and Lucas have committed to it. It's set in the 1950's.

I've heard of this, but I don't buy it. Eighty pages of a script? There was a complete script for a new Superman movie several years ago and nothing's happened so far.

Spielberg and Lucas may have "committed" to making a fourth Indiana Jones film, but they can't make it from 80 pages of script. It's been 14 years since the last Indiana Jones film, and if all that has been accomplished in that time is an 80-page partial script, I wouldn't count on a movie being able to even begin filming before Harrison Ford is a septuagenarian.

I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but I just think excitement for another Indy is silly. I went through that several years ago, based on tidbits on the internet which suggested a fourth movie was right around the corner. But it's just idle chit-chat; vaporware. If you go searching online, someone will have written about nearly anything you might want to believe in.

I think "Indiana Jones" is going to stay a trilogy. Disagree if you must, but don't line up for tickets to "Indy 4" just yet, at least.

Overplayed...

[duckpoopy]

These movies have been played to death on TNT and other cable channels. Maybe it's just me, but seeing a good movie with banner ads at the bottom and commercials every 7 minutes destroys the mystique.

Re: Movie #4?

[The Original Yama]

It's set in the 1950's.

The first three were set in the 1940s. Setting this new one in the 1950s gives them an excuse for Indy (Harrison Ford) looking so old.

Re:Parent post is NOT a troll!

[jjn1056]

The first post in the thread is not a troll, but the post I am responding to is. I hope future moderators study the subtle difference between the two posts carefully.

and HD-DVDs are on the way...

[Uncle Eazy]

Of course... HD-DVD is just around the corner. Check CNET or Blu-Ray.

Still, be good to have those movies on DVD. After all, "Nazis make the best bad guys."

Uncle Eazy

I've had these for over a year on DVD

[WeeLad]

I received all three movies on DVD as a gift over a year ago.

They were packaged seperately and there is a "suprising" lack of content inside the dvd cases (just the DVD actually). The picture label on the DVDs appear valid, as does the outside of the cases. There are numerous icons on the cases and the DVDs (Paramount, Dolby, the DVD Video icon). There's even a barcode on the top reverse-side of the case.

Some oddities: Red letters on the back of the case saying "Sony Playstation 2 compatible". While the language is English, the subtitles are "English, Chinese, and Malay". And finally, when I put the disc in, it doesn't hit any sort of menu, but immediately starts playing the movie.

My guess has been that these are just VHS versions copied onto DVD (because the sound is absolutely horrendous). The real challenge is going to be trying to buy the real versions and switching them without the gift-giver becoming wise.

Why such a huge ad campaign?

[Schreck]

"While Paramount executives wouldn't comment on specifics of the marketing campaign, suffice it to say that this will be the largest marketing campaign that the home video division has ever undertaken, second only to 'The Godfather' box set release, one Paramount executive said."

Why do they need to go with such a huge ad campaign? They would sell these discs as fast as they can make 'em even with a moderate campaign. They're wasting their money! Does anyone think people need to be persuaded to buy Indy movies? I don't understand Hollywood.

Re:Why such a huge ad campaign?

[pdbogen]

Hell, they'd sell 'em faster than they could make them if they cut out the advertising, cut prices, and submitted a story to Slashdot.

Re:Why such a huge ad campaign?

[payndz]

Last year, I went to a Paramount press event for the DVD launch of Grease and some other Travolta/musical movies. The sheer amount of money that was spent absolutely stunned me. As well as flying in several hundred people (journalists, distributors, suits from Paramount's various international subsidiaries) from all around the world, *first class all the way*, hotels, limos, everything, they laid on a red carpet event at the studio, various stars turned up, there was a Grease cast reunion *and* they got Travolta and Olivia Newton John to sing together. Dunno about her, but I bet Travolta didn't do it just for some free wine and burgers.

We're talking an event that easily ran into millions of dollars to stage, all told. (Not that I'm complaining - I've never flown first class before, and doubt I ever will again either, but it was very enjoyable!) And this is *without* adding in the cost of the actual DVD advertising on TV and the press.

Yet studios are always somehow claiming to be strapped for cash. Hmmm. Hollywood is an insane place...

But...

[da3dAlus]

"from the get-your-lust-on dept."

No time for love Dr. Jones!

Re:This would be the first trilogy I'd buy and thr

[Kierthos]

Oh come on... look at the setting, look at the characters. If it hadn't been starring Harrison Ford, it would be a B-movie.

It's basically a movie version of any of hundreds of different pulp adventure novels.

Is it a masterpiece of film? No. Is it a decent way to kill a couple of hours? Yes.

Kierthos

Easy Answer

[RaboKrabekian]

Don't buy this set if it upsets you that much. Wait for the next one.

A long delay, but

[Quixadhal]

it takes some time to cram all those Ewoks into nazi uniforms. I'm sure the end result will be worth the effort.

That song... lyrics

[CausticPuppy]

Rumor has it that John Williams uses "lyrics" when composing, which is how he comes up with such... ummm... lyrical melodies, before they are handed off to a team of people to orchestrate it.

Ready? Sing along to the main theme.

To the rescue,
Doctor Jones
To the rescue,
Indi-an-a-jones


Seriously. I can't find anything to prove that's what he used, but I did hear it from a friend who heard it from a friend. It's nothing like Bill Murray's interpretation of the Star Wars theme of course.
I wonder what "words" he used for his other themes?

Re:Boxed set?

[prozac79]

I can't understand these comments from people who actually liked "Temple of Doom."

I think the reason why people like the first and third episodes is because it is based on themes and places that Western culture can relate to. A lot of people understand what the ark and the grail are and the Nazis make great representation of evil forces trying to use these holy artifacts for their own power.

On the other hand, Western culture does not have a good grasp on the themes and culture presented in the 2nd movie. The idea of recoverying some sacred rock seems silly, but the idea of recovering a big box or a cup seems perfectly fine because we have a context for them. We have a context for Nazis, but not so much for cult-like rituals.

It is for this reason that I think most people just can't wrap their heads around the 2nd movie. Since we feel lost in an unfamiliar world, we start to dismiss it as silly.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re: superman

[Black Parrot]

> Every actor offered the superman role has turned it down. They are afraid of the curse of the superman typecast.

Isn't Ford afraid of the Jones typecast?

Re:References

[The Only Druid]

No, thats incorrect.

The reason RotJ involves Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor instead of Wookies on Kyshyyk is that the script called for tribes of savage creatures. Since the only wookie in the movie was apparently so intelligent that it could pilot and repair starships, not to mention rebuilding complicated robots, it was clear that wookies weren't viable for a "savage" race.

Combine that with the fact that his children asked him for a cuter character [since Empire had been...shall we say less than cute], and BAM, you have one of the worst creations in cinema.

Value-added

[dynayellow]

Can I pay $20 more to not get the crappy third film?

Re:Value-added

[syrinx]

Can I pay $20 more to not get the crappy third film?

You misspelled "second" there... ;)

Re: Movie #4?

[iocat]

Actually the first one was set in the late 1930s, before the US was at war with Germany. The second one was set in the mid-1930s (before Raiders).

Re: Movie #4?

[Black Parrot]

> It's set in the 1950's.

It would be t00 c00l if he had a brush with James Bond in the movie.

Re: Movie #4?

[johndiii]

Working title: "Indiana Jones and the Wheelchair of Destiny"

'Last Crusade', not 'Last Indy Flick'

[sellout]

The Crusades were attempts to find the Holy Grail (and slaughter all the non-Christians). Since they find it this time (and kill some more quasi-Christians), it's the last one.

When I was a kid, I too thought 'Last Crusade' referred to the last of the Indy movies. I knew what the Crusades were, but never connected history to movies (not that the tie was especially strong). I figured that all of Indy's adventures were 'crusades' and this was the last one.

Which song?

[Lindril]

Are you sure that's not the A-team theme?

Just in time

[DaytonCIM]

My first child is due December 5; so you know the first 3 movies my child will enjoy!

I can't wait! Oh man... I remember my Dad and I going to the theatre and seeing Raiders. Boys day out. So much fun. We were both absolutely blown away by the film.

And now I get to enjoy the movies (as they should be seen on DVD!) with my kid(s). :)

The real collectors edition!

[DigiShaman]

Depending on how many botched DVDs are in circulation, it might actually be worth more to collectors in the future. So if your really a fanatic for the BTTF series, just keep that DVD and buy the V2 edition.

Funny you should mention Alien

[xyote]

It seems to be out print. All of them actually. It's going for over $40 used. Presumeably it means that a special edition is in the works.

Om nam shiva!!

[blakespot]

Om nam shiva!! Om nam shiva!! Om nam shiva!! Om nam shiva!! Om nam shiva!!

You drink black blood, you no wake up either!!

blakespot

Some commentary tracks are great.

[MtViewGuy]

Alas, the quality of commentary tracks can be quite variable, as your message mentions.

I do know that the commentary tracks done by Don Hahn, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: the Lost Empire Collector's Edition and Beauty and the Beast Plantinum Edition are quite insightful and excellent.

The gold standard for commentary tracks on DVD is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition with its FOUR commentary tracks--most of which was excellent and give new insights to the how the movie was made.

Some Supplementary discs are SUPERB

[MtViewGuy]

I think you've been watching too many badly-produced Supplementary DVD discs. =)

Go take a look at the superb Supplementary discs produced by Jeff Kurtti; among his credits are the discs for Atlantis: The Lost Empire Collector's Edition and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition. The supplementary discs I mentioned offer a huge amount of background information on the movie during its production, and they also sport an excellent disc navigation system that make accessing the disc information quite easy.

Re:Boxed set?

[donpardo]

Or it could be that Kate Capshaw and Short Round were so FREAKING ANNOYING.

When one of them wasn't screaming, the other one was.

Re:No, it should be

[fudgefactor7]

ohh. that's better! Wish I thought of it... crap.

Re: Movie #4?

[LynXmaN]

80 pages? More than enough!!!
If it took them 2 hours to write them down, they should last 2 hours (Fry dixit)

Spinal Tap and Citizen Kane

[wass]

Does anybody else dislike most of this bonus material?

I have found a few cases of extra material that is quite cool. My cousin got the Spinal Tap DVD last year, and instead of the "director's commentary" overlay, you have Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Derek Smalls (ie, the core members of the 'band') commenting on the movie in character. It's really hysterical, and also amazing to see how well the work off each other on this commentary of a movie filmed about 20 years ago.

On a different note, my girlfriend and I rented Citizen Kane a few months ago. This DVD had a pretty cool (IMHO) commentary overlay by Roger Ebert who not only explained various symbolism of the scenes being shown, but also explained the technology of how they made the special effects for those scenes. For example, nearly all the scenes at Xanadu didn't exist, and they overlaid various architectural 'prints' over the bits they did film to make what looked like an enormously grand mansion. It was pretty cool to watch.

Other than these two cases, I think most of the 'extras' I've seen are usually pretty crappy and annoying.

Re:Spinal Tap and Citizen Kane

[makohund]

*Having just finished pimping Spinal Tap in another post*

I gotta concur on Citizen Kane, too. Great extras there. The one I got also includes an entire documentary on the real-life feud between Wells and Hearst that resulted from the film. (Hearst's efforts to stop the film from being finished, and later to keep it out of theaters, etc.) Wonderful stuff.

I'll mention another Tap extra... there's gotta be almost an hour of scenes they got cut. Many of which might have been good enough to not be cut... if they didn't mind making it a 3 hour movie. :)

DVD

[madmerick]

My life is nearly complete.

Re:You're both wrong

[Kong the Medium]

Mod Parent up. This Song is truely a milestone of evil. MOD HIM UP, so other people see it :-) Just 5 Words: Nimoy sings about Bilbo Baggins. Shudder.

Memorable Quotes

[Wheaty18]

I will definately be buying this DVD set. Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of my favourite movies of all time, although each and every Indiana Jones movie is excellent.

All these quotes courtesy of IMDB, seeing as how I couldn't remember them all *exactly*...

---- LOST ARK ----

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago.
Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.

Indiana: You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do!

[Upon opening the Well of the Souls and peering down into it.]
Sallah: Indy, why does the floor move?
Indiana: Give me your torch.
[Sallah does, and Indy drops it in.]
Indiana: Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?
Sallah: Asps. Very dangerous. You go first.

---- TEMPLE OF DOOM ----

Indiana Jones: Willie, Willie, Willie. What kind of a name is that? Is it short for something?
Willie: Willie is my professional name, "Indiana."
Short Round: Hey, lady! You call him Dr. Jones!
Indiana Jones: *My* professional name.

Short Round: Wow. Holy Smoke, crash landing.
Indiana Jones: Short Round step on it.
Short Round: Okey dokey Dr. Jones. Hold on to your potatoes.
Willie: For crying out loud, there's a kid driving the car.

Chattar Lal: Dr Jones, wasn't it the Sultan of Madagascar who thretaned to cut off your head if you ever returned to his country?
Indiana Jones: No, it wasn't my head.
Chattar Lal: Then your hands, perhaps?
Indiana Jones: No, it wasn't my hands. It was my....
[looks down]
Indiana Jones: My misunderstanding.

Willie: Aren't you gonna introduce us?
Lao Che: This is Willie Scott; this is Indiana Jones, a famous archaeologist.
Willie: Well I always thought that archaeologists were always funny looking men going around looking for their mommies.
Indiana Jones: Mummys.

---- LAST CRUSADE ----

[Encountering a painting of the Ark of the Covenant.]
Elsa: What's this?
Indiana Jones: Ark of the Covenant.
Elsa: Are you sure?
Indiana Jones: Pretty sure.

Elsa: [to Indy] I'll never forget how vonderful it vas.
Professor Henry Jones: Why thank you. It was rather wonderful.
Elsa: [Kisses Indy.] Zat's how Austrians say goodbye.
Colonel Vogel: Und zis is how ve zay goodbye in Germany, Dr. Jones.
[Punches Indy.]
Indiana Jones: I liked the Austrian way better.
Professor Henry Jones: So did I.

Indiana Jones: Nazis. I hate these guys.

Marcus Brody: Is there anyone here who speaks English? Or maybe even ancient Greek?

[Indiana and Henry are tied up]
Indiana Jones: Come on, dad. Help me get us out of here. We have to get to Marcus before the Nazis do.
Professor Henry Jones: But you said he had a two day head start. That he would blend in, disappear.
Indiana Jones: Are you kidding? I made all that up. You know Marcus. He once got lost in his own museum.

Indiana Jones: I'm like a bad penny, I always turn up.

[after commandeering a plane]
Professor Henry Jones: I didn't know you could fly a plane!
Indiana Jones: Fly, yes. Land, no.

Forget Indiana! The In Laws is coming!

[kindbud]

The In-Laws
DVD ~ Peter Falk
Average Customer Review: *****
Release Date: May 13, 2003
Not Yet Released -- On Order

By far, this is the best DVD release for the month, if not the year.

Indiana Jones is a murderer

[JimmytheGeek]

I know its fiction and all, but the guy kills people while stealing their heritage. He is not a hero. If it weren't for the soundtrack, you couldn't tell him from Predator. Certainly not by ethics or motivation.

Official Web site with information and trailer

[antdude]

Here.

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[Glyndwr]

Does anyone know if the Region2 release has these problems too? I have a copy of the trilogy on my to-DivX pile and I'd like to know if it should be sent back before I burn a day's CPU on it.

Re: Movie #4?

[Joey7F]

Uh oh, I smell another cheap action movie crossover

--Joey

I think LucasFilm needs some money

[presearch]

Sez Lucas:
"Goose-stepping morons like yourself should try buying disks instead of burning them."

Re:You're both wrong

[John Harrison]

I can't believe that I've never seen that before. That movie deserves its own front page /. article. That is up there with the exploding whale video on the scale of "strange things I've seen on the internet."

Re: Movie #4?

[Black Parrot]

> > It would be t00 c00l if he had a brush with James Bond in the movie.

> Uh oh, I smell another cheap action movie crossover

Starring Eddie Murphy and Jackie Chan, though I haven't figured out who gets which part.

Point Blank?

[ilsie]

Spielberg won't do them. Point blank.

They're finally releasing Point Blank on DVD?

Re:Observe... MPAA

[Galvatron]

DVD-quality DivX rips

Ain't no such thing, my friend. Divx compression is lossy anyway, so stop waiting and just grab the VHS transfers. The Star Wars trilogy is very high quality (though the idiot forgot that the VHS version has the subtitles in the black bars, so aliens are incomprehensible), as is Temple of Doom (2 CDs). Raiders and Last Crusade are both pan & scan, but Last Crusade is at least decent quality.

like buying a whole album

[Anonymous Custard]

Some people argue that they download prated music because they just want a few hit songs - they don't want to buy the whole album. Unlike CD's (as the RIAA claims), movie downloading has not seemed to impact DVD sales. I think one reason is that if you like a movie, you probably want the whole thing. Except for skit movies, like Jackass, there's not much reason to download 1/10 of a movie. But now that you cannot just buy a $18 DVD of Temple of Doom, and you would need to spend $65 to get the other ones which you don't want, might you be more prone to downloading the single movie?

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[operagost]

You know, I could complain just as much that Universal loves Aussies more than Yanks because they released the Aussie region first. Maybe it's because there are far fewer sales in Oz and it took a while before people noticed? Stop being so damn paranoid. It takes time to fix a screw up as big as this too, I imagine.

Re: Spielberg don't do commentaries...

[akahige]

...and yet the odd thing is that Spielberg was responsible for holding up the DVD release of Lawrence of Arabia because he wanted to do commentary on it. this dragged on for well over a year, and then finally nothing.

not that Spielberg would have anything remotely intelligent to say about Lawrence -- beyond maybe a thorough discussion of which shots he ripped off...

michael

Re: Movie #4?

[Blondie-Wan]

As the other two have already pointed out, the first three movies all took place (mostly) in the '30s; to be precise, Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom a year earlier in 1935, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has a prologue set in 1912, and the rest of the movie takes place in 1938.

Next, maybe Star Wars?

[crashnbur]

(Here is a copy of the press release announcing the Indiana Jones trilogy DVD.)

Before I get started, check OriginalTrilogy.com, a web site dedicated to the preservation of the original theatrical cuts (and eventually have them released on DVD as well, not just the special editions) of the films of the classic Star Wars trilogy. See their FAQ for more information. Signatories number around 29,500 at the moment; 30,000 could be reached within the day!

Now, on with the show...

From September 2001, LucasFilm clarifies that they can not simply jump into a DVD project for the classic Star Wars trilogy. It will take time, but from the hints presented here, it should be worth the wait! (I still think Lucas could make a fortune by releasing *only* the movies, everything we have on VHS so far, as individual titles on DVD.) From the September 2001 feature:

An ever-increasing number of archival projects from other studios are also readying the THX team for a time when Lucas will be available to focus on releasing the classic trilogy on DVD. "We have an advantage that some very great work was done by Rick McCallum and his group back in '97. So we have restored films and we have a lot of work that was put in that first step with the restoration job back then," says Dean.

"I've certainly heard that there's a lot of material that has been in the archives that never has come out. I imagine it will be a very, very long, tedious process to make it work," he speculates. "Frankly, that's why DVD is just not something that you jump into. There is a lot of planning behind that."

Another article from February 2000 expresses more reasons for delaying development of the trilogy's DVD. It seems as though fears of pirated copies of Star Wars films is a major concern, though LucasFilm denied this then. (As technology has improved, I wonder if they would still deny it, or if they would simply deny this as a reason for delaying the DVD project.)

Although about twenty and forty months old, respectively, this is still more information than the StarWars.com FAQ, updated quite frequently, gives:

When will the classic trilogy come out on DVD?
The films of the classic trilogy will eventually come out on DVD, but it won't be this year.

Thanks, George. We got that memo.

Last tidbit. According to this FAQ, Natalie Portman may shoot some scenes for the Return of the Jedi DVD, and Jimmy Smits (Bail Organa, Princess Leia's adopted father, who is presumably but not necessarily on planet Alderaan when the Death Star destroys it) may shoot some scenes for the A New Hope DVD.

You are soo very right about the part

[whazzy]

that ..even Spielberg makes mistakes..especially in this case,it just happens to be colossal blunders.I don't care if this gets modded down or up,but I would like to say that there r lots of misinformation sprinkled throughout the movie and am even more appalled that the slashdot crowd 'idolises' them.For instance, I'd like to know where Spielberg found out that monkey's eyeballs are served as food in India! Considering the effect movies in general have on the general knowledge of common American population, this is irresponsible. having said that,it is equally true that hollywood projects america as a country of slut and sleaze,which is obviously,untrue..or is it:-)?

Re:You are soo very right about the part

[stompro]

When I saw temple of doom, I had no problem understanding that the monkey brains, snakes, whatever were just an anamoly of a whacked out cult, the thugs, er thugies,(you know what I mean) Indy even says at one point, "What the hell, hindus don't eat meat". The monkey brains, just showed how far out of the norm these people had gone. I'm not totally immune though, I think that the view I have of rural india in my head was influenced by how the village was shown. But that was back in the 30's, if I went to india I wouldn't be expecting india to look like that. ramble ramble ramble.

Trilogy DVD ad at Apple's Trailers site

[Gron-gron]

Apple's trailers site has the trailer for the DVD release.

Interesting opinion...

[El Camino SS]

They're so corporate now, anything they produce is so mechanical, so by the numbers that it's hardly an art form anymore, it's a style. You could easily see the same story and visual structure in EVERY spielberg and Lucas film. (emphasis mine)

Ahhh... but you forget one crucial part of your argument. Spielberg and Lucas created that style. They changed movies forever. It is not surprising that a generation raised on that style expands on it, and bitches about it while the old fogeys don't get any other great and brilliant flashes.

Bobby Knight also invented the moving offense. A generation later people who grew up on the moving offense see its flaws, pick it apart, and innovate on it. They then proceed to beat him soundly on the court.

Ted Turner invented sattelite superstations and 24/7 worldwide news availability. He is also getting his butt kicked by the new generation as well.

This is all a very, very, natural process. Including the people that bitch about how the old generation has "lost it." Nonetheless, arguing about it is ridiculous. They were the first, and respect is due.

Re:Hope it not like Back to the Future

[Zathrus]

People were complaining about the improper matting in Oz shortly after the release. Go read the HTF thread (referenced off Digital Bits) if you care for info.

And no, it doesn't take all that much time to fix the screw up. Frankly, if Universal had bothered listening then they could've saved themselves quite a bit of money fixing the busted region 1 release -- because that's costing them a good bit more than what it would've cost to just fix it in the first place.

Re: reflections on Indy

[akahige]

"Kinda of takes you out of your immersion in the movie"?

you mean that being asked to believe that a mechanical boobytrap triggered by interrupting a light source managed to remain functional after centuries didn't already do that for you?

if you check out the DVD trailer, you can still see vestiges of the reflection in that scene.

michael

MODERATORS ON CRACK

[JimmytheGeek]

This is factually correct. He does off some bad guys, but he's one himself.

Trailer available

[patrickoehlinger]

Here is the trailer!