Movies that deserve the SE treatment/remastering

We've already done "movies that deserve to be on DVD," so let's take it to the next level. Which movies are already available on DVD, but deserve some friggin' special features? Also, name some DVDs that use poor transfers and need to be remasered (both audio and visual).

Discuss.

 

I hearken back to another thread I started about "depressing movies", my all-time favorite being "Midnight Cowboy".
How stupidly ridiculous is this DVD that the friggin' VHS '25th Anniversary' edition has more goodies than the DVD?!?! It has an inclusive documentary that features outtakes, still production photos, audition films, and even new interviews with the director and some cast members. What does the DVD have other than the movie? Bupkis! Nada! Hrumf.

As for remastering, has anyone else bought those cheapo DVD's of out-of-copyright Fleischer studio Popeye cartoons? I don't even want to think about how this thing looks/sounds. A tragedy.
Dan C

 

A Christmas Story


Hard Day's Night (ooops, sorry)

 

Supposedly the current DVD of "The Sting" is a really ****e pan-&-scan piece of rubbish.

 

You'd have to start with the botched audio of AHDN; that really hurt.

The ABBA DVD; so bright and harsh, well....the limited video quality is OK(very nostalgic, really)but the sound, even at medium volume, is overwhelmingly brittle...OWWCH!!

ED

 

I know what's wrong with the AHDN, Jamie; what's wrong with A CHRISTMAS STORY? I've been tempted to buy it, but...

ED

 

Ugh! What a shame about "A Christmas Story"! It's basically the same old P&S transfer we've been seeing on TV and VHS over the past 10+ years. Geesh, shouldn't they get around to doing a director's commentary before Bob Clark dies?!
Dan C

 

One that I would love to see get a proper transfer, would have to be David Byrne's classic, "True Stories". The current DVD version is awful P&S, with 0 bonus material! This is one of my all time favorites, and would love to see this one done properly.

 

It's a poor transfer. Dan pretty much summed it up. I wish we could see a widescreen version as well as some interviews with Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd... maybe even a few deleted scenes if they exist.

I'd be happy with just a new transfer though. I'm tired of hearing the warbling audio.

 

Goodfellas! Geez, Still a flipper!...I've heard a SE is coming. Hopefully soon...

 

That's the reason I've never bought it. A shame, since it's one of my favorites, and was quite popular in its day. I don't even remember if it ever had a letterboxed LD release either--I have it in P&S.

Reminds me that I should get the soundtrack CD also...heck, I have two Joplin rags as MIDI files uploaded to my Nextel phone.

 

Oh yeah, I got one of those for around five bucks at Target. That should have tipped me off to how terrible it is.

As for special edition DVDs, how about the Star Wars trilogy? Too bad it looks like we'll never get the original edits.

Also, the Big Lebowski cries out for a special edition.

 

The Marx Brothers: Duck Soup/A Night at the Opera/A Day at the Races
Monty Python: Holy Grail/Life of Brian/The Meaning of Life
Laurel & Hardy: Sons of the Desert/Way Out West/Pardon Us

 

Unfortunately, Jean Shepherd passed away a few years ago, but I'd love to see a widescreen SE of "A Christmas Story" sometime before we all die.

 

Careful - Goodtimes has some cheap Fleischer Superman DVD comps that look pretty dadgummed good for the $6 (for two discs) I shelled out at Sam's; sure, they ain't from the neagtives (Republic owns the rights, but Warner's owns DC and I betcha there's some legal hullabaloo keeping Republic from making nuice DVD's). The color is pretty bright, and surprisingly non scratchy looking (think how Tom and Jerry look on Cartoon Network or the lone DVD out now). Interestingly enough, the German/Japanese WW II toons are on them - mebbe you should grab them if you see them... Can't speak for the Popeye stuff - I'm not a fan, so I wouldn't buy 'em anyhow...

 

MAtrixman- Monty Python's Holy Grail is out on a SE DVD. I think it looks great and it has some cool special features.

What we need is a SE box set of all the Pink Panther movies. They could all use better transfers and ther has to be some deleted scenes. It's Peter Frickin Sellers, we need to see some outtakes.

 

Two Thousand Maniacs . Anyone seen this cult classic Budget flick?
A story of a Southern Town of 2000 People that hold a centenial and a
car of lost Yankee's that made a wrong turn end up being the Guest Of Honor. A real bizaare flick. Very stupid movie , but it is so stupid that is hillarious to watch.Two Thousand Maniacs

 

There were outtakes, but they were all used in the awful Trail of the Pink Panther in 1982.

Yep, that's a great "midnight movie". And of course, the title inspired the name of the band 10,000 Maniacs.

 

I've read good reviews on the Python Holy Grail DVD and Criterion recently reissued Life Of Brian (although I have the original DVD).

Any problems with these I wasn't aware of?

Craig

 

I believe I read on www.dvdjournal.com that there is one penciled in for release later this year.

 

The Road Warrior could use a SE.

 

I think a Special Edition of Double Indemnity would be nice. I have the standard DVD, but it's been a while since I've looked at it so I can't even recall much about the transfer or anything ... but in any case I believe it's pretty bare-bones.

 

They replaced my first run copy (which had the subtitle problem on my old Toshiba player) with a later pressing that corrected the problem.

Then of course, I bought a new player, which probably would have also fixed the problem.


Kevin Smith is reportedly working on a new SE DVD of Clerks. Hopefully the transfer will get rid of that odd blue haze around the edge of the picture (at least that shows up on my copy.)