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The DVD non-bargain thread

post #1 of 32
7/19/09 at 9:39pm
Thread Starter 
In riposte to the DVD bargain thread, I was wondering about the most outlandish sum that Chewers have spent on a particular DVD. Feel free to include VHS, Laserdisc or Semaphore.

My own example would be The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh on DVD for the princely sum of £46. This was before the current economic meltdown, of course.
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post #2 of 32
7/19/09 at 9:58pm
The Criterion version of Robocop. $58. I regret nothing.
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post #3 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:03pm
http://chud.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116862
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post #4 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
The Criterion version of Robocop. $58. I regret nothing.
Wow. Makes the $20 I paid seem extra cheap. Thanks, Hastings clearance!
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post #5 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:10pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anderson View Post
I thought that thread was about the "worst shit" people had bought, not the most expensive. Sorry if you feel there's an overlap here. I am new to these parts, but this is the last time I'll use that as an excuse.
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post #6 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:27pm
Well, it all depends how you qualify non-bargain. Is this thread meant to be a dick-measuring contest or bemoaning money spent?
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post #7 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anderson View Post
Well, it all depends how you qualify non-bargain. Is this thread meant to be a dick-measuring contest or bemoaning money spent?
Definitely not a bemoan-fest, but not quite a dick-measuring contest either. I guess I should have just browsed ebay instead. Feel free to get this thread deleted.
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post #8 of 32
7/19/09 at 10:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post
The Criterion version of Robocop. $58. I regret nothing.
I got it used for 3.99 at Blockbuster. It doesn't have the cover art, but that's never been important to me anyway.
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post #9 of 32
7/19/09 at 11:08pm
more like Patrick Ripoff ammirite

You lucky bastard. I had a similar chance (crappy white Blockbuster case) but for some reason turned it down like a complete idiot. I've never really paid an exorbitant amount of money for stuff, mostly because I've either been too broke or too cheap. I even keep talking myself out of buying that Cassavetes Criterion box set for half price from B&N because I 'might need the money'.
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post #10 of 32
7/20/09 at 12:12am
I've talked myself out of buying stuff too, Jake. Although I'm glad I did that once with a copy Of Last House On Dead End Street. No way am I paying 50-60 dollars for that or for any movie that doesn't come as a box set. The most I've laid down so far is for the blu-ray set of the Batman Anthology, and that was $57.99. That's a bargain though,as it's about a hundred bucks in store.

As for single copies I think it was $27 bucks for the LE of Cannibal Holocaust that was hand made and mostly sold online due to the controversial packaging. I also spent $27-29 each on Gran Torino, Punisher: War Zone, Sin City, and the Friday The 13th remake since they were blu rays.

I luckily got the Robocop Criterion for about 18 bucks at Hastings a few years back.
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post #11 of 32
7/20/09 at 12:18am
Tie between the barebones THE ODD ONE DIES (Mei Ah) and THE GOD OF COOKERY (Universe Laser, first edition aka the one with no trailer on it). Fifty bucks at Tower Video. Tai Seng used to charge US$50 for all their imports of DVDs that I later learned I could order from Hong Kong myself for less than half what they charged, including shipping. They're bastards, it goes without saying.
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post #12 of 32
7/20/09 at 12:27am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by reggie-wanker View Post
Tie between the barebones THE ODD ONE DIES (Mei Ah) and THE GOD OF COOKERY (Universe Laser, first edition aka the one with no trailer on it). Fifty bucks at Tower Video. Tai Seng used to charge US$50 for all their imports of DVDs that I later learned I could order from Hong Kong myself for less than half what they charged, including shipping. They're bastards, it goes without saying.
I managed to get those titles fairly cheaply, but every time I see the Tai Seng logo on my DVD shelf a tear fills my eye. Possibly my least favorite DVD company of all time. After Winson.
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post #13 of 32
7/20/09 at 12:53am
My best friend bought that Robocop edition used (but with cover art!) for $6 at Barnes and Noble this weekend...

It was actually a decent bargain at the time, but I once paid $70 for our local MovieStop to special order three copies of the good edition of Cannibal Holocaust. One for me, and two to give as gifts.

Had I not sold my collection a couple years ago, I could have seen myself spending embarrassing amounts of money on Criterion's this weekend during that aforementioned sale.
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post #14 of 32
7/20/09 at 12:58am
Thread Starter 
Because of postage costs, living in the UK renders that Barnes and Noble Criterion sale fairly useless, unfortunately.
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post #15 of 32
7/20/09 at 1:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark T View Post
I managed to get those titles fairly cheaply, but every time I see the Tai Seng logo on my DVD shelf a tear fills my eye. Possibly my least favorite DVD company of all time. After Winson.
I learned quick fast in a hurry not to deal with their imports - though credit where due: Tai Seng's subtitle translations remain peerless, and HKL/Dragon Dynasty don't even come close in that department. Some but not all of their releases have been retranslated. That's why I'll never part with my Universe PRODIGAL SON even though it's not that hot looking and it doesn't have a mono soundtrack - it uses the terrific Tai Seng subs.

But for every retranslated gem there's a DVD with burned in theatrical subs and 5.1 downmixed to mono then spread out to all five channels with a 60hz hum in the background. I just don't mess with them because you never know when you'll get gold and when you'll get the shit sandwich.

Winson - yeah, they're pretty bad. I only have a couple of titles from them though. STREET KIDS VIOLENCE and WHAT IS A GOOD TEACHER? Both good movies, both utterly shit DVDs.
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post #16 of 32
7/20/09 at 1:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by reggie-wanker View Post
credit where due: Tai Seng's subtitle translations remain peerless,
Maybe I'm being too harsh. They did put an audio commentary on Organised Crime And Triad Beaurau.
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post #17 of 32
7/20/09 at 1:15am
Importing a Japanese R2 release can cost some bucks. I don't even remember what I paid for the Kill Bill vol 1 import, but all of those discs are usually $50 min.
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post #18 of 32
7/20/09 at 1:27am
I rented the Lawrence of Arabia special edition (the dvd case feels like a book) from Blockbuster and was so impressed with the transfer I lent it to my father, who promptly misplaced it. I did find it a month later but I had to buy it. Neither the girl behind the counter or myself could believe it when it came up at $60 bucks. So I paid $60 bucks for a used copy. Honestly though, I love the movie so much and have shown it to at least 4 people for the first time so I don't really mind that much.
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post #19 of 32
7/20/09 at 8:58am
In second place: ponying up $40 to import the 3-Disc Canadian Brotherhood of the Wolf.
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post #20 of 32
7/20/09 at 9:50am
Yeah, I think I did that as well. Although I do watch that movie like once every 2-3 months. I also bought a metal-box cover Region 2 edition of Flash Gordon for like $40 that was sent from the UK...and then they released a new version here in the US.

I believe I drastically overpaid for the Book of the Dead edition of Evil Dead. I don't remember how much it was, but I do remember seeing it a year later in a store for like $9.99.
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post #21 of 32
7/20/09 at 9:59am
I got Army of Darkness for $50 at some store in the mall back in 99. This was the two disk limited version with alt opening and ending. With a comic shop across the street from my work and a Book and Music store down the block. I get alot of movies used and cheap
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post #22 of 32
7/20/09 at 1:38pm
Third and final: Paying about $35 for the 2-Disc Steelbook SE of Akira day of release. At least that one, last I checked, is actually still worth about that much.
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post #23 of 32
7/20/09 at 2:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark T View Post
Maybe I'm being too harsh. They did put an audio commentary on Organised Crime And Triad Beaurau.
You aren't being too harsh on the company - unless they've significantly changed in the last few years, they're dirtbags who happen to have a good idea/get something right every once in a while. Search the alt.asian-movies newsgroup archives if you want to read endless horror stories about them back in their two-VHS-set glory days.
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post #24 of 32
7/20/09 at 2:36pm
Well, I don't want to name the movie specifically because even here the geek level on display would be hard to defend, but I once spent $100 to complete a quadrilogy. All were out of print, and this the most rare of the bunch.
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post #25 of 32
7/20/09 at 2:56pm
I spent $80 on Godzilla: Final Wars. There is no real way to defend this purchase. I was a rabid fanboy and I didn't want to wait another year for an American distributor to pick up the rights, so I forked up the cash for the Japanese disc. I wouldn't have cared if the movie was actually good.
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post #26 of 32
7/20/09 at 3:53pm
I spent 30 dollars on an Encino Man DVD about 7 years ago. I have no shame.
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post #27 of 32
7/20/09 at 3:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Dnim View Post
Well, I don't want to name the movie specifically because even here the geek level on display would be hard to defend, but I once spent $100 to complete a quadrilogy. All were out of print, and this the most rare of the bunch.
Come on, what was it? Slumber Party Massacre?

I find this thread fascinating. I rarely, if ever, pay full retail price for a DVD. There's too many good movies I don't own that are readily available used. The only movie I've ever considered paying an exorbant amount for was Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, but I figure that that's GOT to come back into print eventually, so I'll wait.
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post #28 of 32
7/20/09 at 4:16pm
UK import of 24's first season way back when it just started. I think I paid over 70 euros for that one.
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post #29 of 32
7/20/09 at 4:17pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
The only movie I've ever considered paying an exorbant amount for was Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, but I figure that that's GOT to come back into print eventually, so I'll wait.
If you can play region 2 DVDs, there's a really cheap UK version.
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post #30 of 32
7/20/09 at 4:18pm
I bought every disc in the Neon Genesis Evangelin series on DVD..Back in 2000 every disc was about $29.99 and there was what, 12 DVD's in that series? OUCH..that one hurt

When I worked for Borders, us full time people were given a "store account" which was $30 free money every month..So I was able to get a lot of films without really paying for them, Robocop Criterion for example.

I really doubt they still have that for their employees..ha
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post #31 of 32
7/20/09 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clarence Boddicker View Post
I spent 30 dollars on an Encino Man DVD about 7 years ago. I have no shame.
This made me laugh.
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post #32 of 32
7/20/09 at 4:54pm
I paid $50+ for the Robocop and Armageddon Criterions years ago. Crazy days.
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