Land of the Dead unrated DVD

[marcx]

I thought the unrated disc should get its own thread--if not please merge....

Anway heres my original post from the LOTD thread...

I picked up the DVD last night--for those of you in NYC Kim's on
St. Marks has almost all the Oct. new releases out--this, High Tension, etc...

Anyway there is quite a bit more gore in the directors cut. The transfer and DTS track are sweet. So far I have watched the day in the life of the dead extra, shaun meets george, and the one about making zombiesi(a behind the scenes at KNB kind of thing) I am not at home nowbut Ill try to post some screengrabs later or tommorrow. The Cholo scene is really cool. I will say that I dont remember the theatrical cut 100% as I only saw it once but I came away from the DVD viewing with an even greater like of the story/characters. The added grue is a plus as well--lots more muncning,ripping,headshots etc...

There seem to be some shots that are still nto in the uncut version as I thought I saw some additional gore on a feature that just strings together the feasting scenes...

All in all Im psyched on this!

Oh and the cover has one of those silly slipcases that has the same exact art as the cover beneath it--I dont get the point of these....


Here are some pics...

[marcx]

Oh I also listened to the commentary last night--its probably the best extra on the disc as some of the others fall in the fluff category. Some interesitng topics in the commentary--originally the opening credits were to have scenes for the earlier dead films but there were rights issues...

quite a few references to another follow-up...


There is also a misleading extra called scream tests:zombie casting call--its a bunch of dancing cgi zombies---uhhh ok.....

[KillerCannabis]

Sweet. I'm going to be in NYC next week and Kim's is one of my usual hotspots. I don't know if I'll buy it then though, only because it's always a higher price than at BB on Tues. and I always hold out in case theres an exclusive bonus disc like they usually do. Nice to know there's going to be plenty of new titles waiting for me though. Maybe they'll have something I just really can't wait on.

BTW, does it look like the obvious green screen effects were replaced or removed? I don't know if Romero planned to replace those shots or not.

[marcx]

There are definately some removed--he references this in the commentary.

There is also a lot of CGI blood enhancement--i think it works well but I know how some will feel about that....


And I know about the BB price but all reason left me when i saw the disc sitting there...

Fango just posted a lengthy and detailed review of the DVD release.

LAND OF THE DEAD (Universal)

Reviewed by MICHAEL GINGOLD

Mike sez…

MOVIE: 3 1/2 skulls
DVD PACKAGE: 2 1/2 skulls

It has been suggested that Universal pulled George A. Romero’s LAND OF THE DEAD out of its original October 2005 theatrical slot and rushed it onto big screens this past June in order for the DVD to come out during the lucrative Halloween season. Whatever the motivation, putting LAND up against big summer competition did it no favors at the box office, and the Unrated Director’s Cut special-edition disc continues the disservice. While there are good tasty morsels scattered about the bonus features, this isn’t the feast it could (and should) have been, and it suffers in comparison to Universal’s DVD treatment of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake—not to mention Anchor Bay’s boxed set of Romero’s DAWN.

Under any circumstances, but especially here, the disc’s highlight would have to be the film itself. The studio has done its usual sterling job with the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, which looks terrific from the very first scene—check out the way the green of the trees holds steady in the otherwise blue-tinged night—and bears perfect flesh (and blood) tones. The DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks are equally fine. While the R-rated theatrical cut (also being issued on DVD) got away with a hell of a lot of grisliness, gorehounds will revel in the additional splatter that has been restored for this disc—not to mention that even more of the red stuff has been added via CGI especially for this edition! Also put back in is an early scene that gives extra shading to John Leguizamo’s character and a bit of business involving little person Phil Fondacaro. While hardly revelatory, the new material adds additional spice to the full meal of shocks, character and subtext Romero has whipped up for this latest chapter in his DEAD chronicles.

Which is why it’s disappointing that so little of the film’s dramatic content is explored in the audio commentary by Romero, producer Peter Grunwald and editor Michael Doherty (whose name is misspelled on one of the menu screens). Given that three people are involved, there are a surprising number of, um, dead moments in the conversation, and precious little time devoted to the story development, the underlying themes or LAND’s relationship to previous chapters (indeed, Romero insists early on that no narrative connection to them was intended). At around the two-thirds mark, the director even points out that “We should talk about the performances”—and is then back on the subject of locations within a minute or so.

We do learn quite a bit about where various scenes were filmed, which moments are new to this cut and which portions of the movie were digitally augmented, while Doherty makes a few interesting observations about his contributions to shaping both action and personal moments. Romero offers occasional fun tidbits, like his interest in exploring zombie animals in any future DEAD films (alluding to an undead-rat scene cut from an early draft of LAND) and confirming this viewer’s suspicion that in the crossing-the-river sequence, he wanted to show his ghouls walking underwater—until he saw the similar tableaux in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

One of the few acknowledgments of LAND’s political allegory comes in the Undead Again: The Making of LAND OF THE DEAD featurette, when Romero refers to the villainous Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) and his underlings as “the Bush administration.” The 13-minute minidocumentary is too cursory to be fully satisfying, but has its moments, as when Asia Argento muses that “There’s a certain smell to fake blood…it reminds me of my childhood,” along with plenty of on-set footage. The Remaining Bits are just that: less than three minutes of deleted snippets, unremarkable save for a couple of amusing gore gags. A Day With the Living Dead is described on the package as Leguizamo’s “personal tour through an entire working day,” but the seven-minute running time hardly allows for an immersion in either the acting or production process. While Leguizamo’s goofing does result in a few good laughs, the whole thing feels too calculated.

When Shaun Met George is exactly the kind of spontaneous-feeling, off-the-cuff piece that Leguizamo’s should have been. It documents SHAUN OF THE DEAD creators Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s visit to the LAND set to play zombies, offering the best you-are-there atmosphere of any of the disc’s supplements. The duo’s enthusiasm for Romero and his films, and their joy at basically living a DEAD fan’s dream, is palpable and makes this lots of fun to watch.

There’s also a quintet of extras exclusive to the unrated DVD, and they’re as mixed a bag as the others. Best of the bunch is Bringing the Dead to Life, in which KNB’s Greg Nicotero shares the details of zombie creation, including a number of the notable individual ghouls. There’s plenty of juicy FX footage here, plus a fun anecdote by Romero, who recalls meeting a very young Nicotero for the first time—in a restaurant in Rome! Despite its title, Zombie Effects: From Green Screen to Finished Scene is devoted to CGI, not special makeup, offering interesting before-and-after comparisons of digitally altered setpieces. Similarly, Bringing the Storyboards to Life presents those drawings alongside their onscreen counterparts.

The other two supplements in this batch are musical throwaways. Scenes of Carnage simply sets a montage of gore shots to a minute and a half of classical music, while Scream Tests: Zombie Casting Call—which suggests a revealing peek at how the undead extras were chosen—is just a minute of rough-CGI ghouls dancing. Surely there were better ways to fill the DVD and honor the man whom LAND’s trailer (sadly absent here, perhaps due to rights issues involving the use of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD clips) and the disc packaging justifiably refer to as a “legendary filmmaker.”

I'm a Romero whore, so I'll buy it so it can occupy shelf space next to the other three Dead films, but I agree that Universal's schedule change was a bone-headed move. Although, I have hope that I get a chance to catch the one-night-only theatrical run of the unrated version on Oct. 17.

[ReelFear]

I also picked up a copy a full 18 days before street date at Kims, NYC. Marcx said all that needs to be said about this disc. Way more Gore, great looking and sounding disc with fantastic extras.
i will just add that because this is the first film Romero shot in full 2.35 scope, I couldn't stop thinking this felt like a John Carpenter film. From the compositions, fast action and editing, and western-esque characters and dialogue, I could be fooled into thinking this was the work of another great horror icon. (Anyone else notice this?) Regardless, my appreciation for LOTD has certainly increased after watching this Unrated directors cut DVD. The movie moves fast and delivers the goods.

I just won a signed poster of the film by Romero!

My buddy picked the disc up at a place on 33rd or so.

Personally for me, the extras are filler. Nothing but alot of ass kissing and not much insight. The CGI dancing zombies wasn't funny. The only extra worth noting are the before/after shots. Those are very well done.

[Shannafey]

Uncut Dead Lands On Screen
The unrated director's cut of George Romero's latest zombie film Land of the Dead will be shown in theaters for one night only on Oct. 17 at 36 Regal, United Artists and Edwards movie theatres across the country, organizers announced. The screening will be hosted by Fangoria Entertainment, publisher of Fangoria magazine, along with Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which is releasing the original theatrical version on DVD the following day.

The film, starring John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Simon Baker and Asia Argento, will be presented in high-definition and cinema surround sound in cities nationwide including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Tampa, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Cleveland, Miami, Denver and Pittsburgh. The event will also feature an exclusive big-screen interview with Romero. Tickets are available online at Fangoria's Web site or at participating Regal, United Artists and Edwards movie theatre box offices at the standard movie ticket price.

[indiephantom]

I hope my local BB has this to buy and that it is the "unrated", because I while I hate them I have a gift card that will cover the cost. But I'll pick it up elsewhere regardless. I've only seen it once too and I plan on watching it on Halloween if not before.

[sumo8675309]

Originally Posted by indiephantom

I hope my local BB has this to buy and that it is the "unrated", because I while I hate them I have a gift card that will cover the cost. But I'll pick it up elsewhere regardless. I've only seen it once too and I plan on watching it on Halloween if not before.

i just checked the flyer for the week and it's only $16.99 at bestbuy for the unrated version

[indiephantom]

Originally Posted by sumo8675309

i just checked the flyer for the week and it's only $16.99 at bestbuy

sweet.

[Paul0889]

Originally Posted by sumo8675309

i just checked the flyer for the week and it's only $16.99 at bestbuy for the unrated version

16.99 along with the 2 disc special edition of Saw

[Regurgitate]

So is the theatrical cut available as well? I dunno about more CGI.