Lost Boys SE & Black Hawk Down Superbit

[Lexmark3200]

After purchasing one of my favorite vampin' out films of all time (well, just about next to John Carpenter's Vampires), the Lost Boys, for a real, real cheap price for the one-disc, featureless DVD from Warner Bros, now I read online that Warner is releasing a two-disc Special Edition of the film at the end of August....supposedly, this is going to have a new transfer of the film and new audio; the thing is, the back of the box of the version I purchased said the soundtrack WAS remastered in 5.1. Does anyone have any pre-release info on this Lost Boys Special Edition? Is it going to be a totally new video transfer and audio track that will improve upon this single disc release I purchased?

And the same thing happened to me with Black Hawk Down....bought the single-disc original release, which was supposed to have "one of the BEST DD 5.1 tracks ever" (as quoted by DVD ETC in their 100 DVDs Of All Time roundup), and then Columbia releases the 3-Disc Deluxe Edition (which I didnt want because all that added content was unnecessary for me, but supposedly the 5.1 audio and widescreen transfer was the same from the disc I bought) and now I read they are putting out a SUPERBIT version of Black Hawk Down with DTS....now, I am stuck with the original single disc release, and Im not sure if the DTS track will improve much, if any, on the DD track thats on my disc. Anyone have any insight or pre-release info on the Superbit Black Hawk Down by any chance?

Columbia also did this with Spider Man....recently released was a Deluxe Edition, which simply re-packages the original two disc set with an added bonus disc, and now a Superbit version, which is getting mixed reviews....some say the DTS track doesnt improve much on the original Dolby track; some say different.

Damn you Columbia....

[datarush]

They're really getting into multiple releases of the same movie. DVDs have become the cash cow and they're milking it for all they can get. It also tends to make the earlier DVD releases about as valuable as an AOL CD. I'm about at the point where its gotta be a helluva improvement of a movie I especially like before I'll bite.

[GrendelZ]

After purchasing one of my favorite vampin' out films of all time (well, just about next to John Carpenter's Vampires),

Is that some kind of joke?Of all the great Vampire films ever you pick JC's Vampires???That may be the worst movie EVER made.
How about
Interview with a Vampire
Blade 1&2
Underworld
Fright Night
Salems lot
Dusk till Dawn

Any of the own JC's Vampires,I dont mean to jump on you but I didnt think anyone liked that movie.

[Lexmark3200]

Is that some kind of joke?Of all the great Vampire films ever you pick JC's Vampires???That may be the worst movie EVER made.
How about
Interview with a Vampire
Blade 1&2
Underworld
Fright Night
Salems lot
Dusk till Dawn

Any of the own JC's Vampires,I dont mean to jump on you but I didnt think anyone liked that movie.

Well Grendel,

I am an absolute Carpenter diehard, and just about anything --- aside from They Live and Ghosts of Mars --- he puts out I enjoy....that includes Vampires. I know plenty of friends who enjoyed the film as well, and for whatever reason, I loved James Woods in the lead.

As for the other films you mentioned, I didnt like Interview With a Vampire, Fright Night or Underworld; I can deal with From Dusk Till Dawn when its on cable.

[Lexmark3200]

"Is that some kind of joke?Of all the great Vampire films ever you pick JC's Vampires???That may be the worst movie EVER made."

PS Gren,

No, my statement was far from a joke, and believe you me, I can list HUNDREDS of films that I would call the worst EVER made before I mention Vampires...

[Lexmark3200]

They're really getting into multiple releases of the same movie. DVDs have become the cash cow and they're milking it for all they can get. It also tends to make the earlier DVD releases about as valuable as an AOL CD. I'm about at the point where its gotta be a helluva improvement of a movie I especially like before I'll bite.

Data,

I agree totally; what do you mean, exactly when you say the earlier DVD releases are as "valuable" as an AOL CD---I mean, some of my original releases of DVDs are still good and watchable and I have as many features as I need from them.

But I agree --- the improvement of a movie must be really tremendous for me to rebuy especially an expensive Special Edition of some kind. One instance where this really worked for me was in waiting for the Special Edition two disc set of John Carpenter's Escape From New York....the original DVD was a travesty, loaded with grain, compression artifacts and a terribly weak audio track. The two disc Special Edition set, which came out in December, was a marked improvement over this, and it was obvious....the widescreen transfer was struck from a new hi def master and the 5.1 remix, although nowhere near breathtaking because it was a 1980s film, was head and shoulders above MGM's original release.

[datarush]

I'm strangely drawn to JCs Vampires. I especially like the beginning. He has good raw ideas that sometimes don't work, like the crappy Ghosts of Mars. He needs help with screenplay I believe that's where he gets in trouble.

'As valuable as an AOL CD' meaning once they come out with some new and improved DVD you can't hardly give away the older ones on eBay.

New releases can definitely be better as early DVDs were often compressed like crazy with Pan/Scan jammed on the same side with a non anamorphic widescreen movie. If they release a new DVD version of a movie I like a lot remastered, anamorphic, a usually better DTS soundtrack, maybe some extras (or at least most of these improvements), I'll go for it. Trouble is I can't think of a good example except for a few major studio releases that I got to replace some crappy foreign releases I had before Hollywood got around to making them. I did pick up the new Ten Commandments and Good Bad & Ugly but haven't watched them yet.

[Lexmark3200]

I'm strangely drawn to JCs Vampires. I especially like the beginning. He has good raw ideas that sometimes don't work, like the crappy Ghosts of Mars. He needs help with screenplay I believe that's where he gets in trouble.

'As valuable as an AOL CD' meaning once they come out with some new and improved DVD you can't hardly give away the older ones on eBay.

New releases can definitely be better as early DVDs were often compressed like crazy with Pan/Scan jammed on the same side with a non anamorphic widescreen movie. If they release a new DVD version of a movie I like a lot remastered, anamorphic, a usually better DTS soundtrack, maybe some extras (or at least most of these improvements), I'll go for it. Trouble is I can't think of a good example except for a few major studio releases that I got to replace some crappy foreign releases I had before Hollywood got around to making them. I did pick up the new Ten Commandments and Good Bad & Ugly but haven't watched them yet.

I agree totally about Ghosts of Mars; the idea of "possessed" Martians was cool, but with Ice Cube as a criminal in some kind of lead role the whole thing went flat....it was horrible, and has not found a place in my John Carpenter collection and probably never will.

I see what you mean about the original DVD releases.

Yeah, I noticed that about early single-disc bare bones releases....that because they add pan and scan transfers and other fluff the film itself looks horribly compressed and loaded with artifacts.....it is in these instances that re purchasing --- or waiting for --- the remastered Special Editions makes sense, as I did with Escape From New York, and as I will with Goodfellas when it arrives in September.

As for The Lost Boys, I sold back my one-disc copy I bought today in order to wait for the two disc Special Edition that is due out in August; I am thinking that because of the inclusion of a pan and scan version (although the disc is a flipper), the quality of this original release of The Lost Boys was not going to satisfy me....the new one is supposed to have a new digital video transfer and 5.1 audio.

I wish I had some insight from someone on whether or not this Special Edition will be in fact, or not be, superior to the original release.....and as for Black Hawk Down, TODAY was the release date for the Superbit DVD, and I have not been able to locate one locally in any store....I was thinking of selling my single-disc release of this film as well, in order to get the Superbit with DTS, but I am getting mixed reviews on whether the sound on this Superbit edition is any better than the already pretty aggressive Dolby 5.1 mix on the original version...

[datarush]

The only movie I've had that was Superbit was Adaptation. I didn't care for the movie so it didn't matter. Superbit is a bit gimmicky seems like other elements leading up to a transfer are at least as important, especially the master. Unless you got a HUGE screen I bet there's not much real difference from a good anamorphic transfer. Would LOTR look much better as Superbit than the Extended versions already do? They both still come out 480P. I don't seek them out. Probably the next thing the studios will do is produce Superbits with a 2nd disk of extras and call it the Ultimate Superbit Edition. Then HD DVDs will come out so you can really get a good look at those Orcs' rotten teeth.

When I have a choice between DTS and DD I always pick DTS. It does seem to have more body than DD.

[Lexmark3200]

The only movie I've had that was Superbit was Adaptation. I didn't care for the movie so it didn't matter. Superbit is a bit gimmicky seems like other elements leading up to a transfer are at least as important, especially the master. Unless you got a HUGE screen I bet there's not much real difference from a good anamorphic transfer. Would LOTR look much better as Superbit than the Extended versions already do? They both still come out 480P. I don't seek them out. Probably the next thing the studios will do is produce Superbits with a 2nd disk of extras and call it the Ultimate Superbit Edition. Then HD DVDs will come out so you can really get a good look at those Orcs' rotten teeth.

When I have a choice between DTS and DD I always pick DTS. It does seem to have more body than DD.

Data,

Actually, there ARE already two-disc Superbit versions called SUPERBIT DELUXE discs; they are two discs, with the first being just the film with DD and DTS sound, plus a second disc which is usually the special features disc from that given film's previous "Special Edition" release....its all getting so nuts....I dont even want to think about all the re-purchasing Im going to have to do once HD DVD comes out....dont even wanna think about it right now....

And I too ALWAYS choose a DTS version of a disc, or a soundtrack on a disc, over DD.