Bees, and the knees thereof.
Not just the first official American release of Mothra on DVD, but Battle in Outer Space and H-Man as bonuses, all for under $20 (at most vendors). Commentaries, etc.
The only complaint is that Sony seems to like that design now where they mount several discs on a single, elongated spindle. This makes getting one movie out a pain, and increases the likelihood of scratches and such. Still, a pretty fab deal nonetheless.
I think that means that pretty much all the classic Toho dai kaijus are now available here.
#1 by lyzard on August 19, 2009 - 4:02 pm
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Gee, Ken, I don’t know; how did you? 🙂
#2 by lyzard on August 19, 2009 - 7:16 pm
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Smartarsery aside (well, not really), here’s one we both seem to have missed: the extended cut of Peter Benchley’s The Beast!!
#3 by The Rev. D.D. on August 20, 2009 - 7:57 am
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Yes, because if there was any defining complaint about The Beast, it was the fact that it wasn’t long enough.
Still, thanks to that link, I now know Alligator is out on DVD, so I can finally let my old recorded copy rest in peace.
#4 by Ken Begg on August 20, 2009 - 8:04 am
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I’m pretty sure the original cut of The Beast was an extended cut. It surely seemed that way, anyway.
As for your previous note, Liz; well, first I gave up writing new stuff, and now I’m giving up reading new stuff. It’s really streamlined the process!
#5 by Ken Begg on August 20, 2009 - 8:06 am
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Actually, it looks like the extended cut of The Beast is the original mini-series version. Previous home versions slimmed down the running time, so this is just restoring the stuff that was shown on TV when it was first broadcast.
#6 by The Mud Puppy on August 20, 2009 - 10:52 am
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I saw the original mini-series when it first aired, but I never bothered with the home video version (for obvious reasons). as I recall from reading the recap, not a whole blessed lot was missing.
The main bits I seem to recall not being mentioned (though I may be wrong) were:
A) A scene where Whip’s daughter’s friend goes with her new boyfriend to see the remains of the “baby” squid in a pool kept right next to the Ocean. She is promptly knocked into the pool by one of the Momma Squid’s “whips” that came through a drain (!) in the pool. Momma does not eat her, however, but just pulls her baby close to the edge of the pool apparently to howl and nuzzle the carcass in what I seem to recall was the mini-series’s only CGI effect. (And not a great one, obviously) The scene where they start closing the beaches follows this bit, and is in fact because of it.
B) There’s a scene at a picnic or something where a Border collie runs onto a dock to bark at the squid. The dog stupidly jumps in, and the squid seems to close in for the kill…only we later see the dog is no worse for wear, just dirty and possibly traumatized. It’s exactly as pointless as it sounds.
#7 by lyzard on August 20, 2009 - 4:31 pm
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That Border collie’s just lucky he isn’t a pit bull.
Yes, this print is “restored” rather than “extended”; I remember Douglas Milroy mentioning that it seemed to have been cut when he reviewed it. (Also that there was no way in hell he wanted to see any more of it.)
#8 by Chris S. on August 25, 2009 - 9:06 am
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A note on the disks: at least with Battle in Space, the English subtitles are taken word for word from the English dub. And the dub is the sort that seems to abhor silence, so there are lots of dialogue-less scenes where the subtitles continue to scroll on, like the voices in a madman’s head.
#9 by The Mud Puppy on August 25, 2009 - 9:31 am
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From what I’ve read, that’s only a problem with Battle in Outer Space. Mothra and The H-Man have two sets of subtitles: one that corresponds to the dub and one that is accurate to the original Japanese version.
I’ve not yet purchased the DVD, but I did Netflix Mothra and it was a quite beautiful transfer, even if the disc itself is very dull in appearance (and its menus are pretty bland).
#10 by El Santo on August 25, 2009 - 12:51 pm
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I say hooray for bland menus. The last thing I want when I pop a DVD into the player is to have to sit there for minutes at a stretch while the stupid thing “entertains” me with a flashy and inescapable pre-menu warm-up show.