| Pop Culture The books, movies, television shows and music of our generation. - Whatever that generation may be. Movie, music, book, and television trivia and commentary and much more. |
 | 
12-25-2001, 12:23 PM
|  | Rooster Duck | | Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Almost Philadelphia
Posts: 9,943
| | Look out, I got a DVD player! | |
YIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEE! 
Santa brought me a DVD player... I am so excited! And my first DVD is the movie-I-can't-stop-watching, The Matrix
Okay, now that I have joined the rest of Western Civilization, tell me -- which DVDs should I be collecting?
Which ones are special and why?
I'm intrigued by the idea that a DVD can come with so much extra stuff. Which DVDs do you guys recommend as having the good extras? I'm sure that a lot of them just throw up filler so they can say "oh, 3 extra hours!"...but I'm also sure there have to be special ones.
Fill me in!
Andrea
who is very excited!
__________________
"DON'T PANIC."
-- Douglas Adams
|
12-25-2001, 12:31 PM
|  | Premium Member | | Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 10,670
| |
Count yourself lucky. Our doorman was telling us yesterday that his wife wanted a DVD player for Xmas and there wasn't one to be found in any store.
He even offered one salesman a bribe -- the guy said there was no amount of money large enough that could make a DVD player appear in his hands.
Carlos is in big, big trouble.  |
12-25-2001, 01:57 PM
|  | Rockin', Rollin', Ritin' | | Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 5,876
| |
My son had asked for the Dr. Strangelove that has all the extras on it.
We don't own a DVD player yet. We have a DVD on our computer.
Because we've been getting some stuff from e-donkey, my husband bought a device that allows you to put a cable between the computer and our big screen TV (easy to disconnect) and watch the movies we gather on our big screen TV. (He also got two speakers.)
e-donkey has been getting some of the DVD rips, too.
I would never have the patience or the interest to be an avid napster, morpheus, audiogalaxy, or e-donkey person, but, being married to one, I guess I reap the benefits. |
12-25-2001, 03:25 PM
|  | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Richmond Hill, GA
Posts: 2,329
| |
Which ones are special and why?
Well, there are lots of great ones out there, but one of the most memorable, for me, was This is Spinal Tap. The audio commentary was even funnier than the movie itself. |
12-25-2001, 03:35 PM
|  | I'm Sparkly in Real Life | | Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: It's not heaven, it's Iowa
Posts: 24,326
| |
Andrea, I've been dragged into the 21st century now too.
Dan kept insisting that we NEEDED a DVD player, and I said "Why?" I mean, we have hundreds of VHS tapes around here, including all of his John Wayne collection. 
So guess what he bought "me" for Christmas.
And guess what I've been playing with all morning.
Jer got Jurassic Park 3, so I had to go thru all the extra stuff after the movie was over. It was pretty interesting.
My brother, the geek (oh, did I say that out loud?) says I have to get The Matrix, Contact, something else that escapes me on DVD.
I got the Grail, so I will have to watch that one later.
Lynn
__________________ C-My Designs has been updated! Check out my new, improved website for incredible jewelry design. SUBSCRIBE TO The Beading Help Web Blog who knows, you just might learn something!!
Take the pledge. Just say no to  |
12-25-2001, 04:19 PM
|  | Dancing in the streets | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Home of the Frito
Posts: 4,932
| |
My one and only DVD is "The Sound of Music" special edition. It has the movie, supposedly with a running director's commentary track (haven't taken the time to figure out how to get into that one yet) over the movie, a documentary, and a mini-movie featuring the girl who played Leisl touring the area. It's a lot of fun!
Cindy
__________________
What sig line? |
12-26-2001, 02:33 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 9,648
| |
I'm still back in the Middle Ages, alas, no DVD here. I'm jealous.
Bless me, pluckyduck, for I have not....
Have fun, and invite me over sometime!!!  |
12-26-2001, 08:56 AM
|  | Sullen Girl | | Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Posts: 661
| |
Of all the crap we've got, the most special was The Matrix. Not saying anything new here, but still. I guess everyone owns it. Dunno, seems like they HAVE to include it with the DVD player.
Finn :fire: |
12-26-2001, 10:27 AM
|  | Forum Code Administrator | | Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: PA
Posts: 20,307
| |
Andrea, join NetFlix. Nuff said. I also have some I can loan you.
I have :
The Sound of Music
Pay it Forward
Braveheart
Stargate
and a few more. I can't think of all of them right now. But I won't be buying many more. Netflix rules as far as I am concerned. They have a free trial right now too.
Amy
__________________
Salt makes mistakes taste great. |
12-26-2001, 10:47 AM
| | Rooster Duck | | Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Almost Philadelphia
Posts: 9,943
| |
Quote: Originally posted by amykhar
Andrea, join NetFlix. Nuff said. I also have some I can loan you.
I have :
The Sound of Music
Pay it Forward
Braveheart
Stargate
and a few more. I can't think of all of them right now. But I won't be buying many more. Netflix rules as far as I am concerned. They have a free trial right now too.
Amy | I am so in to NetFlix. I had a feeling that I was getting a DVD player, so I've been scoping out the reviews. No late fees, that's all I care about. They can take their sweet time getting to me, that's fine. We can pay $20 in late fees on one movie a month, easily, so NetFlix is right up our alley.
I would like to develop a collection of DVDs that I own. No rush, but I like the idea of owning special DVDs since, unlike tapes, they have a lifetime life (yes, they do, right?). Strikes me that a well taken care of DVD collection can be passed on, which is cool. The Matrix was a no-brainer as our first DVD because we watch the movie over and over again anyway. I'm thinking that The Godfather collection would fall into that category too (What is about men and The Godfather II? They can just watch it a million times.)
Appreciate the tip about This is Spinal Tap, I'll be on the lookout for a good deal.
Andrea
who has a new toy! yay!
__________________
"DON'T PANIC."
-- Douglas Adams
|
12-26-2001, 11:30 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 9,648
| |
I want my...
I want my...
I want my DVD (I can hear Dire Straits strumming the background...) |
12-27-2001, 11:07 PM
| | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Richmond Hill, GA
Posts: 2,329
| |
I've owned a DVD player for a year now, but Mrs. Grouch finally completed the system this Christmas when she bought three speakers and an amplifier. We added two speakers we already had, hooked it up (with only minimal brain cell damage, courtesy of the instruction book).
The very first movie I plugged in was The Matrix. I jumped right to the Lobby Shootout scene (where Neo and Trinity blast their way into the building). I turned the volume up to 34, then hit PLAY.
Oh.
My.
God.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what DVD players were made for. I could practically smell the plaster dust from all those exploding columns in the lobby. Incredible.
Next, I plugged in Jaws and jumped to my favorite scene--the beach scene where the kid on the rubber raft gets chomped. Again, the sound was just incredible. I could hear the individual bubbles of water.
Then, just for fun, I plugged in Fantasia 2000: the "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Firebird" segments. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.
So, my point is: if you're out there playing movies on DVD players, but don't have it all hooked up to an amplifier and speakers, you have no idea what you're missing. |
12-27-2001, 11:13 PM
| | |
Action, Action, Action... Matrix is must-have. Not sure about Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition... Total Recall rocked, though.
If you're a Monty Python fan, then Holy Grail (2-disk version) and Life of Brian are must-haves. Time Bandits (Critereon Collection) also. I'm a commentary junkie. Gotta love Big Trouble in Little China commentary, too.
For happy chick flicks, Legally Blonde. My wife's going to wear that one out quickly. |
12-27-2001, 11:38 PM
|  | Word to your mother | | Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Shangri-La
Posts: 504
| |
Well, I was about to recommend The Matrix on DVD (special edition) but since everybody beat me to it, I'll stop there.
Here are a few others I recommend:
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within offers a wealth of extras including behind the scenes footage, interesting commentary (in Japanese nonetheless) and a look at how all of it is done. You can even edit your own sequences!
Hollow Man is a bad movie, but the DVD is really good. You get a inside look at Paul Verhoeven's philosophy behind the movie and how the special effects are done. There are a few spicy deleted scenes also--as opposed to most DVD editions of certain movies, where the "deleted scenes" were merely filler. Yeah, the movie sucks, but the DVD really rocks.
Moulin Rouge is one DVD my girlfriend and I agree is terrific.
Die Hard has almost the whole enchilada including behind the scenes footage, extended/deleted scenes, newsreels, humorous gags, and more. The extra stuff is copious.
__________________ Click here.
"The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.' " -William Rivers Pitt |
12-28-2001, 03:03 AM
|  | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 35
| |
There's no such thing as a bad movie right after you get a DVD. I grew roots to the sofa for the first three weeks after we brought ours home because I could not believe how clear the picture was. I was mesmerized. I was hooked. I joined the DVD club pronto.
Terrisa
__________________ THMeeks
Is there life in Las Vegas (beyond the Strip)? Find out at Vegas Girl |
12-28-2001, 08:48 AM
|  | Law Talkin' Guy | | Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Trenton, NJ
Posts: 6,338
| |
I got one for Christmas, too, as it happens. Haven't quite got it set up yet (I still have to drive to Dallas to pick it up, I wasn't about to trust it to the tender ministrations of the Southwest Airlines baggage crew).
Of course, now, I have to get a new TV, new speakers, etc.
The first DVD I am getting is DEFINITELY the Simpsons first season. Yeah!
__________________
"Last time I checked, this was a free country."
Curtis Edmonds
curtis@txreviews.com |
12-28-2001, 08:56 AM
| | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Washington State
Posts: 43
| |
Hey hey! I got a DVD player too! Good for us!
I'll make a few DVD recommendations:
Comedy - Rush Hour 2
Action - Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, Fight Club
Sci-Fi - Star Wars Episode I, Starship Troopers
Dang, that's all I can really think of. Guess that's what I get for staying up until 5am without any sleep. Ha ha ha! A true epinion addict?! Who me?!
Enjoy your new toy! I know I am!
- Tim
__________________
- Master_Griffin -
master_griffin@hotmail.com
It is always better to be an original than an imitation. - Teddy Roosevelt |
12-28-2001, 10:04 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 9,648
| |
I'd gladly take a DVD player as a donation!
Too bad we don't sell indulgences any more... |
12-28-2001, 11:37 AM
| | Rooster Duck | | Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Almost Philadelphia
Posts: 9,943
| |
Quote: Originally posted by Grouch
I've owned a DVD player for a year now, but Mrs. Grouch finally completed the system this Christmas when she bought three speakers and an amplifier. We added two speakers we already had, hooked it up (with only minimal brain cell damage, courtesy of the instruction book).
The very first movie I plugged in was The Matrix. I jumped right to the Lobby Shootout scene (where Neo and Trinity blast their way into the building). I turned the volume up to 34, then hit PLAY.
Oh.
My.
God.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is what DVD players were made for. I could practically smell the plaster dust from all those exploding columns in the lobby. Incredible.
Next, I plugged in Jaws and jumped to my favorite scene--the beach scene where the kid on the rubber raft gets chomped. Again, the sound was just incredible. I could hear the individual bubbles of water.
Then, just for fun, I plugged in Fantasia 2000: the "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Firebird" segments. Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.
So, my point is: if you're out there playing movies on DVD players, but don't have it all hooked up to an amplifier and speakers, you have no idea what you're missing. |
Oh David, that is so funny.
First of all, the lobby scene in The Matrix absolutely mesmerizes me. The weird thing is that I hate guns.  I mean, I hate guns. I hate guns so much, my kids aren't even allowed to play with water guns, that's how much I hate guns. While I watch movies with guns in them, I grit my teeth to get through the scenes that have gunfire....
And, I love the lobby scene in The Matrix. I've never been able to figure it out, , but it is like a dream I want to keep having over and over again. For someone who hates movie violence, go figure. I can't.
In any event, we're sitting watching The Matrix for the first time on DVD, our mouths hanging open...."Look at the colors!", I just keep muttering, over and over again....we get through the lobby scene and I announce loudly: That's it! I am figuring out how to hook up the dang surround sound in the next week!
I have surround sound but I never figured out how to hook up all of the speakers when we moved my gear into Don's house five years ago. (I'm the wire person in the house. If it needs to be wired, I have to do it. ) I've just been too lazy to invest the time, but, I can tell that now that I've gotten the visual, I need the audio!
Thanks for all the DVD tips, everyone. Keep them coming.
I joined Netflix and our first set of DVDs being shipped is The Godfather II. Took all 3 discs to get the set.
Andrea
waiting by the mailbox, tapping foot
__________________
"DON'T PANIC."
-- Douglas Adams
|
12-28-2001, 11:47 AM
| | Rooster Duck | | Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Almost Philadelphia
Posts: 9,943
| |
Ooooh!
I forgot to mention Shrek.
Don bought Shrek for us, too, and I give it a big :thumbs: Tons of extras. Movie in two formats, widescreen and TV version.
The disappointment (for us) is that to take advantage of a bunch of the extras you must have a PC that plays DVDrom. We're Mac heads and we don't have DVDrom. It's a bitch that every time you spend  on a piece of hardware/software, you find a breadcrumb trail to spending more on something new. Sigh.
Even without being able to access the PC DVDrom stuff, we're still getting our money's worth out of the DVD. The kids are really enjoying it and are taking the time to watch the stuff like The Tech of Shrek. It's no secret that I'd like for at least one of my kids to turn out to be a film maker.
Andrea
who has already coached the 9 year old on the Academy Award speech " I'd like to thank the Academy for this award and my mother. I owe it all to my mother."
__________________
"DON'T PANIC."
-- Douglas Adams
|
12-28-2001, 01:07 PM
|  | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Malden, MA, USA
Posts: 8,461
| |
Andrea, buddy, you are about to find out how movies were meant to be watched...
The DVDs with the best extras:
Contact - three wonderful commentary tracks
Pleasantville
Apollo 13 - commentary by Jim Lovell
Ghostbusters - visual commentary MST3K style
The Last Starfighter
The Wizard of Oz
Any Bond movie
The DVDs that just look so much better on DVD:
TRON - I don't have the new one with some extras
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - I don't have the new one with extras; I still want a to heard the oompa loompas singing in Japanese
2010 - amazing visuals
Gah! I'm forgetting a lot. I've gotten lazy about entering my dvds into my dvd database on my Palm so I only have a partial list of what I own in front of me and I have no memory (hence the existence of the database). I'll be back later from home when I have them in fron tof me.
Janice |
12-28-2001, 01:31 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 9,648
| |
|
12-28-2001, 01:35 PM
| | Epinions Members | | Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Malden, MA, USA
Posts: 8,461
| |
*comforts Kurt*
DVD players are dropping in price...maybe you can find a cheap one? I've seen them for as little as $60 (although not often).
Janice | |
