This dude does not abide double-dipping.
Last week, the fourth DVD incarnation of “The Big Lebowski” was released. Well, fourth and fifth, when you include its clever bowling-ball-shaped special edition released simultaneously.
Unfortunately for Blu-Ray collectors like myself, the Coen Brothers' 1997 half-baked folly of a film noir wasn't released on the prevailing HD home video format. That release, by implication, will likely be the sixth time the movie is committed to disc.
“The Big Lebowski” is an endlessly quotable, endlessly watchable film that endears itself to viewers through crackling dialogue and madcap plot twists that weave “The Big Sleep's” complex detective yarn with absurdist humor and surrealist dream sequences. You may not know that the movie spawned a fervent cult following whose members convene every year to celebrate the movie's many eccentricities: white Russians, nihilism and, of course, bowling.
But Universal Studios knows this. Which is why “The Big Lebowski” is one of the most egregious examples of “double-dipping” I can recall. This practice refers to the bilking of money from a film's rabid audience through multiple DVD releases, each with its own unique features to sell its way into fans' hearts. Double-dipping most often takes the form of a bare-bones release followed a few years later by one loaded with special features.
But “The Big Lebowski” falls short of even this standard. The movie joins an exclusive triple-dipping club populated by “The Lord of the Rings” and few others. Last Tuesday's releases were the third and fourth standard DVD editions - not counting the abortive HDDVD release and sure-to-come Blu-Ray release.
It's easy to say buyers shouldn't tolerate this trend, but they simply aren't blessed with the gifts of foresight and will power. I tried to plan ahead once - with the “Kill Bill” DVDs, which I was sure would be integrated into a blow-out single edition. It wasn't, and I lost interest in the movie anyways. Your best bet is familiarizing yourself with a good DVD trade-in store. This aggression is gonna have to stand, man.
Read all about the latest happenings in the world of film at David Wilcox's movie blog, “The Citizen's Cinema,” at www.auburnpub.com.
Unfortunately for Blu-Ray collectors like myself, the Coen Brothers' 1997 half-baked folly of a film noir wasn't released on the prevailing HD home video format. That release, by implication, will likely be the sixth time the movie is committed to disc.
“The Big Lebowski” is an endlessly quotable, endlessly watchable film that endears itself to viewers through crackling dialogue and madcap plot twists that weave “The Big Sleep's” complex detective yarn with absurdist humor and surrealist dream sequences. You may not know that the movie spawned a fervent cult following whose members convene every year to celebrate the movie's many eccentricities: white Russians, nihilism and, of course, bowling.
But Universal Studios knows this. Which is why “The Big Lebowski” is one of the most egregious examples of “double-dipping” I can recall. This practice refers to the bilking of money from a film's rabid audience through multiple DVD releases, each with its own unique features to sell its way into fans' hearts. Double-dipping most often takes the form of a bare-bones release followed a few years later by one loaded with special features.
But “The Big Lebowski” falls short of even this standard. The movie joins an exclusive triple-dipping club populated by “The Lord of the Rings” and few others. Last Tuesday's releases were the third and fourth standard DVD editions - not counting the abortive HDDVD release and sure-to-come Blu-Ray release.
It's easy to say buyers shouldn't tolerate this trend, but they simply aren't blessed with the gifts of foresight and will power. I tried to plan ahead once - with the “Kill Bill” DVDs, which I was sure would be integrated into a blow-out single edition. It wasn't, and I lost interest in the movie anyways. Your best bet is familiarizing yourself with a good DVD trade-in store. This aggression is gonna have to stand, man.
Read all about the latest happenings in the world of film at David Wilcox's movie blog, “The Citizen's Cinema,” at www.auburnpub.com.
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