OK. For those wondering about the forum. It seems prudent to reboot the forum as it serves a means of convenience for updating info and people to post news. The bad side is when it does get rebooted, it will probably be  missing updated info. I have not been backing up like I should, but the majority of it should be there. In its humble state at the moment, which is barebones HTML, it is funtional. Granted unpractical and ugly, but functional. That said, I am guessing within a week or two it should be up and running as usual. Be patient. With that said, I want to run a current list of stuff that might be worth looking at for portential investments. 

 

 STAR WARS was a popular seller through the X-Mas season and continues to be in high demand. Keep an eye out for increasing demand as THE PHANTOM MENACE gets a re-release in the theaters with a special 3-D engagements. Whether this spells a re-release for these films is problable, however, more than likely in HD 3-D format. Is Lucas done with DVDs? We will never know. Is he done altering his films? Probably not.

 

 

 Speaking of 3-D, this coming season we should also see some excitement with the hugely successful James Cameron's TITANIC. It has been out of print for almost 2 years now, so with the pending theatrical 3-D release, expect increased interest. It is more than likely that a re-release will come with it later this year. I would guess on Blu-ray as well as a 3-D version. AVATAR was only released in 3-D on Blu-ray with select TV's, however, that is set for a standard release at some point in the future as well.

 

Remember these double features from Anchor Bay? Well, here is one that has recently been announced as discontinued. Through the years, these films have lost their lustre in terms of potential collectors and have been relegated to those that are seeking out specifically the Anchor Bay Hammer Collection. Not to mention the DVD-R re-releases by Amazon in co-operation with Anchor Bay/Starz as well as them showing up on Netflix and other streaming media has left these quietly in the background. They remain somewhat difficult to get and have great special features that you wont find elsewhere (save for the individual discs). 

 Some interesting titles getting discontinued from Buena Vista/Disney Home Video. It is always hard to predict what Disney is doing with their stuff, whether it gets a re-release soon, a blu-ray version, or they vault it. Usually live-action stuff rarely gets vaulted like their animated material, however, from time to time some titles get discontinued for whatever reason. So here is a listing of titles that are discontinued. Upon my research, there does not seem to be any pending re-releases of these titles, nor do I spot pre-existing re-releases, double features, etc (save Princess Diaries, which comes in both Full Frame, Widescreen and double packs). This is not every Buena Vista discontinuation, but ones that seem to have the widest appeal.

   

The tite DAS BOOT is a release from Columbia Pictures. There are other versions, but this one seems to be the definitive version available. Other versions seem to have different runtimes. Amazon has not been known to post the most accurate info in terms of the details go, so someone who is more educated in the editions will have to discern it. I have not seen the movie, nor do I know enough to say which version is which. At least according to one reviewer, this version is aimed at those who already know Das Boot (The Director's Cut) and can appreciate a more in depth version. This seems to be the only version available. It is the longest to date, however, it was released as a TV version and so any cursing are done over, and apparently, the dubbing has been modified as well. So some minor strikes against it, however, those that love the film, find this the definitive version. This next batch are from Fox Pictures. I would do research ahead before buying as there seems to be double features and other versions available. But the ones I am putting down here seems to be the more desireable version.

 

Image Entertainment has gone through a similar evolution, seemingly, as Anchor Bay. Once a revered company releasing key cult and classic films, now relegated to budget and shoddy striaght-to-DVD titles. While many of titles have been re-released in some form or another, many of the older stuff have been discontinued. There is still some interest in the Image line, however, whether it is a snapper case from the old days seems to be more and more of a neglected currency and shuffled in an either/or quotient. But there certainly are some bonafide great titles in the Image archives that have yet to find the light of day since the hey day of DVDs. These are some that look promising, although I find the classic black and white/silent features to have the same size audience as a cult film. Below is a tite from The Milestone Collection. Many have been already discontinued and this one has dried up already. Others that were released by Milestone re-released them on DVD themselves, but not all. Following is a small selection of MGM titles. I believe some were found at Big Lots before the holidays.

 

In other news, it might be worthwhile to mention here that Paramount Pictures is set to re-release Chinatown and To Catch a Thief on blu-ray. Further, The Criterion Collection is primed and ready to release Harold and Maude, a former Paramount title. And of course, two more Mystery Science Theater titles from Rhino go away. If you have been with us since the beginning, you know that these are highly prized among collectors. I dare say, even more than the Shout! Factory versions (I think their packaging is horrible). 

   

To wrap it up, Warner Brothers announced conveniently at the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 DVD release, that they will discontinue all of the titles on DVD and Blu-ray for a complete version to come out at the end of the year. Now whether or not these dry up is tough to say. Its safe to say there is a bigger fan base than Spider-Man, however, there are more versions available, and more titles. So if you think it can turn around some extra bucks for ya, I say go for it!

That is a wrap for this session. Hope every one has a lucrative and healthy new year and good things to come for this year!