HD-DVD: Free DVDs
OK, so today my 5 free HD-DVDs that were promised when I bought my (now obsolete) HD-DVD player arrived.
Here’s the problem. They gave you a selection of HD-DVDs you could pick from. Of those only 2 showed up. The rest bore no resemblance to even the list of movies I could select from. So I got to get an HD-DVD of the last Harry Potter film. (A movie I hated) The unrated version of Alexander. (No desire to see) Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life. (OK, that’s not bad)
But still. Almost six months to arrive and then not even what I ordered?
Kind of a metaphor for it all isn’t it?
Anyone got a copy of John Carpenter’s The Thing on HD-DVD they want to swap for Alexander or Harry Potter?
Posted on April 9, 2008, in DVD. Bookmark the permalink. 24 Comments.
Steve Evans
RJH
Scott B.
John C.
Susan M
Aaron Brown
ninemoons
arandomjohn
kulturblogadmin
Kyle M
Brad
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MCQ
Wm
Rebecca
Ivan
Geoff J
btdgreg
Clark Goble
Aaron R.
Tim J
LOL
Even the death of HD-DVD will be a fiasco.
I forgot to send in my coupon for the five movies. Every time I turn on that stupid HD-DVD player and wait 30 seconds for it to boot up get angry with myself fr buying it.
I know where you can get Ocean’s 11,12, and 13 as a set for $20. In a few months you’ll be able to get all the HD discs super cheap, from the same places you can still buy laserdiscs and videos…..
Alexander? Enjoy. I’ll swap you Troy for Harry Potter.
Yeah, I’m waiting for the really cheap HD-DVDs. I figure a year from now the BluRay will be cheaper than $350 – $500.
I have heard that the Toshiba HD-DVD player is the best upscaling DVD player around. There are apparently a lot of folks snapping them up at $80 to play DVDs. I have to admit that DVDs look pretty great on them. The only exception are some animation DVDs where you see the interlacing pretty bad in fast sequences. (Not that I care about this in my son’s copy of Duck Tales – I just thought I’d mention it)
Do Blueray players play (and upconvert) normal dvds? Does the PS3?
I have an unopened copy of 300 (HD DVD) if anyone wants to trade for it.
I think 300 came with all the Toshiba HD-DVD players. (Mine remains unopened – I’d seen it on DVD and hated it)
Clark, I’ll take your 300, or Susan.
I’ll trade it for a The Thing HD-DVD. (BTW Steve, didn’t your Toshiba come with 300?)
Clark, my toshiba didn’t come with any HD-DVDs. I since got the 5 free ones: Hulk, Troy, Rattle & Hum, Charlie & Choc. Factory, and Babel. A few good ones in there, but no 300.
Susan — yes, the PS3 and blu-ray players all play normal DVDs.
While I am angry about my HD-DVD purchase, I have to admit the A3 is a pretty kick-butt upscale player.
I’d love 300 on HD as well. I’ll trade you my copy of “Booty Call”, starring Jamie Foxx.
Our five free HD DVDs just came in the mail, too. Only one of the movies we’d requested, The Italian Job, came as promised. The others were, coincidentally, similar to yours, Clark. Namely, Alexander (unrated), Harry Potter 5, The Departed with Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg (could they have picked anyone else who looks exactly the same?), and Streets of Fire.
The accompanying note said something to the effect of:
“Gee, we’re sorry but we told you that you could pick out some awesome movies when we really only had a couple of these to give out. So, we’ve now stuck you with some real stinkers that you’re not even sure you want in your house. Please enjoy and thanks for buying HD!”
At least they could have tried to send us something similar to the other movies we’d picked.
Hmm. I’d have preferred The Departed to what I got.
Jessie, I’ll take The Departed from you. Seriously, it’s an amazing movie, one of Scorsese’s best. I wouldn’t call it a stinker, ever.
I notice HD-DVDs are going for around $10 at eBay although the shipping is still a tad high. (~$6)
Amazon is selling it for $13. Which, if you followed my useful things suggestions would incur no extra shipping.
Steve, I liked the Departed. But one of his best? Come on. I was almost embarrassed for him that that was the movie he won for. It certainly was better than many of the movies he’s made over the last 12 years or so. But come on…
Clark, “one of his best” only has meaning relating to how big the group is. “Best” for Scorsese could mean probably 5-6 films. I’d put The Departed in the top 5-6…
Wow. I’d put it on par with Casino.
Movies (in no order) I’d put above The Departed
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
Raging Bull
King of Comedy * debatable – maybe on par
After Hours * debatable – maybe on par
Color of Money
Goodfellas
Cape Fear
Age of Innocense
That’s 10 above it. By way of thinking, given how few other movies he made, a better way to say it is that it was in the bottom 5.
Bringing Out the Dead
The Aviator
Gangs of New York
Kundun
Casino
Whaaaaa? WAAAAY better than Casino, and I thought it was better than Color of Money, King of Comedy and After Hours — for sure.
The Departed is definitely in his top 5. I’ve seen it six or seven times. It’s not perfect movie, but it’s very good.
Wow. Sorry to spark such a Scorsese love-fest.
Supergenius, you’re welcome to The Departed. Dylan wants to watch it first, and then we’ll bring it up with us in July. He said you want our copy of 300 that came with the player, too, but apparently that’s a keeper. Sorry.
dagnabit
Steve, you get me a copy of The Thing and you can have both my copy of Harry Potter and my copy of 300.
Regarding Scorsese it is interesting how even his so-so and even “bad” movies are so interesting and so much better than everyone else. Both Gangs of New York and Bringing Out the Dead weren’t good movies. Yet there were so many interesting aspects to them. And one can’t watch them without being aware of just how many films Scorsese is referencing. (For instance Fort Apache the Bronx with Bringing Out the Dead) The only person I know of that does this to the same extent is Tarantino except most of his are references to really bad B-movies rather than classics.