as early as last week.
I have been unable to find one yet, so will just
be patient and go to the store tomorrow.
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-R
"Everyone's getting spanked but me."
I have been unable to find one yet, so will just
be patient and go to the store tomorrow.
------------------
-R
"Everyone's getting spanked but me."
quote:
Originally posted by tommo:
Question: do computer DVD players play any region DVDs?
Many do; you'll probably have to check your manual and see (or, otherwise, stick in various regions' DVDs and see which work).
quote:edited to add:
Here's all I could find about the Season 2 release date: From slayage.com.
edited again to add:
Happy dance of Joy. Mine shipped too!
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Well, now that came out a lot more lesbian than it sounded in my head.
[This message has been edited by imperfectly (edited January 14, 2002).]
*edited to add* I have read on several sites that the 2nd season DVD will be released in May, which is ahead of the previously stated release of June.
[This message has been edited by Lijdrec (edited January 14, 2002).]
the u.s. is region 1, i think. i know that if you have a DVD player on a computer, it will let you switch between regions 5 times. i've never done it, it sounds frightening, so i keep mine on region 1.
Most players are region locked so a Region 1 player (ie bought in the US) can only play Region 1 discs and a Region 4 player can only play Region 4 discs. However, there should be DVD players on the market that are region-free and can play discs from any region. Plus you can mod existing players to make them region free but as someone mentioned above, that invalidates the warranty. I think there's still the NTSC/PAL thing to consider though.
Similar deal re DVD players for a computer. Some models are region locked and some aren't. Also, the software to play the DVDs need to be unlocked to play all regions (though there are programs readily available to do just that).
BTW, I'm impressed that Amazon actually got their butts in gear and shipped the pre-orders early so they could arrive on the release date. I've been bumming because I figured mine wouldn't arrive until the weekend or so. Again...Yay!
Amy
Joss' comment about doing commentary from the Indiana star
quote:
'Buffy' creator had nerves about DVD commentary
Joss Whedon fears he wasn't eloquent on 3-disc release of series' early episodes.
January 11, 2002
LOS ANGELES -- During an online chat in March 2000, Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon was asked about the possibility of his series being released on DVD.Whedon replied, "I have heard no plans of releasing anything on DVD. I do, however, hope that in the future, maybe after the running of the show, the entire series will be released on DVD. Then I can do a biting, witty and possibly drunken commentary over the whole thing."
In an interview on Dec. 18, Whedon says, "It was none of the above, I'm sorry to say."He's referring to the commentary he does on the two-hour pilot of Buffy, part of the DVD release of the series' first season, due out Tuesday from Fox Home Entertainment.
The three-disc set includes the first 12 episodes, the aforementioned commentary, interviews with Whedon and star David Boreanaz (Angel), the original pilot script and trailer.
Whedon didn't find the commentary easy. "Those things make me very nervous. That was my first one, ever. There were people around, and I'm like, 'Oooh, I don't know what to say.' "
"That's the only one I did a commentary on that I didn't direct, although I did direct parts of it. It's easier when you directed it; then you have more say about every frame."
But don't you have say over every frame anyway? "I do."
Buffy's first-time death
Whedon doesn't, though, do commentary for "Prophecy Girl," the first-season finale, in which Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) dies for the first time (albeit way more briefly than the second time).
"Either I didn't have the time," says Whedon, "or they didn't ask, or I was so frightened by my experience of doing the first two hours, I said, 'I can't. Never again. I have nothing to say. I must run.' "
He has, though, recorded some commentaries for upcoming DVD releases. "I know I did 'Hush' and 'Restless,' and I expect I would probably do the musical, but it's not my favorite thing to do."
"Sometimes it is enlightening. I wanted very much to do (the fourth-season finale) 'Restless,' because it is a dream episode, and everything has a very literal interpretation I wanted to talk about. But generally speaking, there's a lot of vamping."
But there is a part of him that enjoys the process. "I shoot it the way I see it, and I can definitely articulate what I was trying to accomplish, and that can be useful for people. I love teaching. I love going through the process."
"DVD commentary sometimes is intimidating, but I actually love breaking things down. Martin Scorsese, I think, is the greatest at creating a completely visceral, primal, inarticulate image, and then articulating exactly how and why he did it. To me, it's very interesting to do something from your gut and explain what it turned out to be, how you accomplished it. It's not about lenses and cameras."
Lots to learn
One thing that's evident from Whedon's commentary is how steep his learning curve was, coming to series television from a background writing for such films as Toy Story and Speed (and the movie version of Buffy ). "Yes," he says, "I've figured it out. I've become the hack that I always dreamt of being."
While Angel, the Buffy spinoff, continues to be aired in widescreen on The WB, Whedon doesn't envision the same for Buffy on UPN.
"I like the idea that Buffy stays square. It started that way, and most TVs are still square. Whereas Angel, I think of as a dark, melodramatic film, I think of Buffy as a comforting TV show, even though it's the darkest, bleakest world, and I want to keep it that way."
Things have come a long way since the first season. Now, mired in season six, Buffy is battling her feelings about her reluctant return from the blissful hereafter, and her love/hate relationship with vampire Spike (James Marsters); while pal Willow (Alyson Hannigan) suffers heartbreak and addiction to magic.
"It's just going to get worse," says Whedon. "We have a lot of humor in store, and a lot of goofy, crazy stuff, but are we bringing on the pain? We're bringing on the pain. We love pain. But yes, there's happiness. There's hope. There's always hope."
Before the light at the end of the tunnel, Buffy's life is going to get a lot more complicated. Returning in the new year is Marc Blucas as Riley, Buffy's demon-hunting, soldier ex-boyfriend, last seen heading off on a jungle mission.
"We have him doing an episode for us after Christmas," says Whedon. "We're really excited."
This should answer the question of what happened to Riley in the jungle, whether a demon or something squished him. "Not squished," says Whedon. "Something rather more dramatic happened to him."
Also news about season 2 "Fans who pick up a copy of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete First Season" next Tuesday will get a nice surprise. Included with the 3-Disc set is an insert on which Fox announces a June 2002 release date for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Second Season"! The collection will be a 6-disc set and stay tuned for more specs. "
quote:
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (1997, Fox, 540 mins., unrated, 3 discs, $39.98) We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Joss Whedon's horror/romance/ comedy/soap opera is one of the best shows on TV. It's that rare thing: epic storytelling on a lowbudget scale. After all, Whedon sets his tale of a young girl destined to fight the forces of evil against the innocuous backdrop of a high school. And as he reveals on the nuts-and-bolts commentary for the two-part pilot ("Welcome to Hellmouth" and "The Harvest"), the production could only afford to build a single Sunnydale High hallway.
Sadly, this collection also feels a little bargain-basement. While the 12 episodes, spread over three discs, look about as good as can be expected for a midseason replacement that was shot on 16mm, the extras
are a little paltry. Aside from the commentary, there are just a couple of interviews with Whedon, the original pilot script, and a few biographies. For a show that launched so many youthquaking stars (Sarah Mehelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, David Boreanaz), where are the screen tests, or for that matter, outtakes, deleted scenes, or alternate takes? On the commentary, Whedon details one crucial dialogue scene, in which Buffy explained why she didn't want to be a Slayer, that had to be reshot because the tone was all wrong. Why not allow viewers to compare and contrast?
It may be nice to catch up with such a terrific show from the very beginning, but, to be honest, one expects more from a boxed set for a series that's thrived on the love of obsessive fans. B -Marc Berwrdin
...Why don't people put more effort into these things? I've never understood what is SOOO hard about dusting off those outtakes and deleted scenes, etc., and putting them on the DVD. They've got a million miles of footage just taking up space, why not make money with it? It would undoubtedly sell better if people knew it was LOADED with cool stuff they've never seen.
As for commentaries, I wish they'd get the actors from television series to do them as well as the directors. Film actors do a lot of commentaries, but TV actors don't. I don't know if they're not asked or don't want to (for instance, in the case of the X-Files, I don't see Duchovny being cooperative, but you could probably get a couple of Star Trek: TNG actors to do it for their upcoming DVD sets).
For a running TV series, like Buffy, it seems like it would be easy to arrange. You've got actors sitting around for hours sometimes with nothing to do but wait around for their next scene. Why not send a couple of them upstairs to watch an episode and comment. They'd make some more money and they might even have fun. Can you imagine oh, Emma, Aly and Amber doing a commentary on "Triangle" or something? Nick would probably be a hoot, too. SMG wouldn't do it, but so what? They have a large cast. It's not like it's that hard or would take a big commitment on the part of the actor. It's a lot easier than, say, doing a convention and the fans would love it. If you could get a few of the cast members to agree to do 2 episodes OVERALL (not per Season), you would have enough for all of the sets. It just seems like easy money for all involved.
Maybe it's just me.
[This message has been edited by Willowlicious (edited January 19, 2002).]
As someone who happens to be in possession of rushes for two episodes ("I,Robot--You,Jane" and "Prophecy Girl"), I can confirm that the alternative takes and occasional bloopers by the actors are well worth watching (as well as hearing the occasional other remarks they make ).
I also agree with what has been posted about actor commentaries. Joss Whedon has repeatedly stated how "uncomfortable" he was doing the commentary by himself. So, why not invite some of the actors to join him (JW has stated his admiration for Martin Scorsese's commentaries. Did he just happen to notice that in the commentary for "Last Temptation of Christ" he is joined by Willem Dafoe?)? I'm certain that most of them would be entirely delighted to participate in such an enterprise.
-------------------------------------------
"Oh willow, willow, willow."
from Shakespeare's "Othello"
quote:
Originally posted by AutumnT:
The commentary I'd most like to hear is Aly for "Dopplegangland" since she probably had to work her ass off for that one and it's so damn funny.
Definitely! If I was putting together these sets, I would ask the actors that were willing to participate what their favorite episodes were or the ones they felt most defined their characters. Have them do 2 or 3 episodes total. I'm sure you'd have some duplicate choices, but that's fine, they can do the commentary together--the more the merrier! You don't have to stick with the regulars, hell, have some of the recurring characters like Danny Strong (Jonathan) or Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy) come on in, too. They probably be thrilled!
Anyway, in my fantasy world DVD commentaries would look something like this for each season:
Season 4
New Moon Rising (Alyson Hannigan, Amber Benson)
Hush (Joss Whedon and various cast members)
This Year's Girl (Doug Petrie and Michael Gershman)
A New Man (Jane Espenson and Tony Head)
Superstar (Jane Espenson and Danny Strong)
Restless (Joss Whedon)
Season 5
Real Me (Michelle Tractenberg)
The Replacement (Nick Brendon)
Family (Amber Benson and Joss Whedon)
Into the Woods (Marti Noxon)
Triangle (Jane Espenson, Alyson Hannigan and Emma Caulfield)
Fool For Love (James Marsters)
The Body (Joss and various cast)
Forever (Marti Noxon)
The Gift (Joss and SMG--maybe she'd do just one!!)
If you mix the actors, writer and directors, you end up with a lot of commentaries while keeping the time commitment to a minimum. Why or why don't they do this??!
I'm sorry I get all excited about such silly stuff, but I used to work as a publicist and in marketing and presentation MATTERS! The extra effort would pay off in sales. Sigh.
Also, about the outtakes, I also have the "I Robot..." and "Prophecy Girl" tape. It is very interesting in parts, but think how many hysterical outtakes and insightful alternative scenes must be sitting in film cannisters somewhere? Some of the stuff in later seasons has got to be fantastic, since the actors knew each other so much better and were more relaxed (since they knew they had fairly secure jobs, unlike in the first season stuff when they had no idea if the show would make it). Sigh. I want to see it!!
[This message has been edited by Willowlicious (edited January 19, 2002).]
quote:And just so I'm not being all critical of things they could have had but didn't, I will say that it's really cool of them to put out the DVDs. There are a few episodes that I had never seen, also it's good to know that you won't wear out the tapes any more coz DVDs aren't wear-out-able. I am already excited for the rest of the series to be released.
~Joy
I'm sure that we all know that the chapter heading in Marcie's book (upon arrival at Top Secret SuperSpy HQ School, in the final scene) is
"Chapter 11 - Assassination and Infiltration"
CASE EXAMPLE 1: RADICAL CULT LEADER AS INTENDED VICTIM
....but I never could read the rest of the page.
(Dramatic Pause ensues....)
Amusingly, it's the lyrics to The Beatles, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." I cracked up.
love and witchiechix,
e.
Our DVD players can play multiple area (zone) DVDs, do the players in the US have the same capability?
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Paula
--------
May the Amber Force be with you.
Keeper of my own insanity
No, US DVD players are only encoded for Region 1. There are a couple of ways to get around this: there are modification chips available for many players, though installing one will void your warranty. This applies also to those who use Sony's Playstation 2 as their DVD player, and supposedly it's easier to modify the PS2 (I haven't done mine yet, but I'm planning on doing it soon). The other thing to do is purchase a Region-Free player from outside of the country, but this is expensive.
And if I manage to modify my player, I'm *definitely* buying Seasons 2-4 from the UK or Oz. :-)
love and witchiechix,
e.
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"Bitter, party of one. Bitter, party of one." she muttered... ~ Four Months After by Capt. Murdock
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AIM/ICQ/MSN: kissystarcowboy|<A
href="http://starkissy.pitas.com/">my journal</A>
The DVD player talked about was a Sampo DVE-611. Just thought I'd pass that along, as I guess it isn't too expensive - the person talking about it got it for around $175.
Autumn
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