Universal MOD and DVD

Discuss North American DVDs and Blu-rays or other DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Universal MOD and DVD

#1 Post by domino harvey » Wed Apr 10, 2013 11:22 pm

Universal has been collecting some originally MOD titles along with pressed titles and never released titles to make quite an interesting grab-bag collections for dirt-cheap (and not on flipper discs!)

Westerns 10-Movie Collection
When the Daltons Rode, Texas Rangers Ride Again, The Spoilers (1942), The Virginian (1946), Albuquerque, Whispering Smith, Comanche Territory, Sierra, Kansas Raiders, and Tomahawk.
Whispering Smith, Albuquerque, and When the Daltons Rode all had stand-alone releases
Kansas Raiders is in Classic Westerns Vol 1
the Spoilers is in Universal's John Wayne collection
Texas Rangers Ride Again and Tomahawk were released on MOD
Sierra is in the Audie Murphy TCM Vault Collection
the Virginian is in the Joel McCrea Westerns TCM Vault Collection
Comanche Territory is unreleased


War 10-Movie Collection (Out June 4th)
The Eagle and the Hawk, To Hell and Back, In Enemy Country, The Last Outpost, Battle Hymn, Raid on Rommel, Wake Island, Jet Pilot, Ulzana’s Raid and Bengal Brigade.
The Eagle and the Hawk and the Last Outpost are from the now DVD-R Cary Grant TCM Vault Collection
Raid on Rommel and Ulzana's Raid were released as MOD titles
Battle Hymn, To Hell and Back, and Wake Island had individual releases and are also 3/4 of an existing Universal war-themed four-pack (the fourth, Gray Lady Down didn't make the cut)
Jet Pilot was in Universal's John Wayne collection
In Enemy Country and Bengal Brigade are unreleased

User avatar
warren oates
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:16 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#2 Post by warren oates » Thu Apr 11, 2013 1:31 am

domino harvey wrote:Universal has been collecting some originally MOD titles along with pressed titles and never released titles to make quite an interesting grab-bag collections for dirt-cheap (and not on flipper discs!)
The info on Amazon seems to indicate that each set will contain only 3 DVDs, which means 3-4 feature films per disc, all compressed onto one side if they really won't be using flippers.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#3 Post by domino harvey » Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:44 am

I have the Westerns set and it is indeed three single sided discs. I can do some comparison screen grabs to some of the discs I already own when I get home

User avatar
vsski
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#4 Post by vsski » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:47 am

Am I understanding this correctly - while some of these movies used to be MODs all are now pressed discs, just that they are squeezed on 3 discs rather than each movie having its own disc?

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#5 Post by domino harvey » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:54 am

Yes, exactly, these are pressed discs. It's important to remember that Universal DVDs are often low bit rate and single layered while still looking okay, so the difference is unlikely to be too drastic. And at about $10 a set on Amazon, that's a buck a movie!

User avatar
vsski
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#6 Post by vsski » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:05 am

My experience with Universal DVDS outside of the dreaded flipper discs has been very decent, so if these don't show significant problems due to so many on a single sided disc, even if one is only interested in a couple of the titles, it's a steal.

User avatar
Feego
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:30 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#7 Post by Feego » Sun Aug 24, 2014 6:52 pm

Universal is releasing a 6-disc Film Noir 10-Movie Spotlight Collection on DVD November 4. The following movies are included:

This Gun for Hire
The Glass Key
Double Indemnity
Phantom Lady
The Blue Dahlia
Black Angel
The Killers
The Big Clock
Criss Cross
Touch of Evil

None of these are new to DVD, but three of them were previously exclusive to TCM Dark Crimes set.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#8 Post by domino harvey » Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:15 pm

We'll that's a total fuck you to TCM Vault buyers, that is a total inclusion of the Dark Crimes set. Still, if you don't have the movies already, that's a great set

User avatar
Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#9 Post by Gregory » Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:53 pm

I never bought the Dark Crimes set, as I could never get too excited about this TCM Vault model—too much else competing for my time and money—and now I'm damned if I'm going to re-buy 7 films I already have in order to get those three. I guess this will be another holiday season when I have no use for any of the box sets that the major studios come up with.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#10 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:57 pm

Universal has now issued some of its back catalog in new "Family Friendly" editions with all questionable content edited out/sanitized. The ones I've seen so far are Bruce Almighty and Bring it On but I'm sure there's more

User avatar
Ashirg
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:10 am
Location: Atlanta

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#11 Post by Ashirg » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:16 pm

Looking forward to their sanitized edition of Inglourious Basterds...

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#12 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:21 pm

That one's not out yet, but I checked and the other titles are Blue Crush, Mamma Mia!, and Notting Hill. Looks like a low initial output to test the waters. I suppose Mardel has already ordered a crate of each

User avatar
knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#13 Post by knives » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:25 pm

[this post in not available in the family friendly edition of this forum]

User avatar
Professor Wagstaff
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:27 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#14 Post by Professor Wagstaff » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:34 pm

Do these edited versions do well in the marketplace? I remember New Line Cinema releasing a bunch of titles in family-friendly versions at least a decade ago, but I haven't noticed this trend in elsewhere.

User avatar
warren oates
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:16 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#15 Post by warren oates » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:40 pm

I can imagine that if this trend continues it's going to piss off the Director's Guild too. This is a much bigger deal than reframing for older TV aspect ratios or creating TV or airline ready deliverables. Even a "this film has been modified from its original version" card at the front end doesn't seem like enough. There ought to be big banner disclaimers on the front and back of the package that don't simply tout it as "family friendly" but as "not what you saw in theaters, not what the director signed off on, not what's available on other home video releases."

User avatar
ccfixx
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:37 pm
Location: Rhode Island, USA

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#16 Post by ccfixx » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:45 pm

It sounds like a more legal (since it's coming from the studio) version of what CleanFlicks out in Utah started doing with movie rentals, which I was completely unaware of until seeing the CleanFlix documentary. I find the whole thing hilarious, yet upsetting.

User avatar
warren oates
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:16 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#17 Post by warren oates » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:57 pm

The studios are the legal copyright holders and sole creators of the films they own, so, unlike in France (wherein legit "moral rights of artists" are enshrined in the actual law), here they can do whatever they want with the films. But, like I said, they'll risk alienating an important constituency. And there can't be a huge market for these borderlline sanitized PG-13ish films that already in their very DNA (a few swear words or not) appear to espouse values that would be questionable to the presumed consumers. So concessions on doing this at all or more strictly regulating how it's done in the future would be much easier to give to directors in the next round of contract talks, and probably way cheaper, than the rate hikes that would be on the table. This seems like a weird time to be doing this, with so many good newer family film options available.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#18 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:06 pm

For whatever it's worth in the argument, these are DVD-Rs like their single-title MOD Vault releases (which are truly the most inexplicable releases on the home video market-- why pay more for one Carole Lombard film on DVD-R when you can get five on pressed DVDs for cheaper? Bizarre and idiotic)

User avatar
Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#19 Post by Gregory » Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:57 pm

I'm also seeing "Family Friendly" versions of:

The Hulk (Ang Lee)
Scorpion King
Blue Crush
Meet the Parents
Land of the Lost
Mamma Mia
The Mummy
Notting Hill

Apparently these came out a few years ago.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#20 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 26, 2014 5:01 pm

Well, as NBC used to say, if you haven't seen it before then it's new to you! But yes, I guess these have been around for a couple years and the collective moral fiber of the movie industry has remained relatively untouched in the interim

User avatar
Shrew
The Untamed One
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:22 am

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#21 Post by Shrew » Tue Aug 26, 2014 5:58 pm

I assume these are just primetime TV edits marketed toward Family groups now that the TV-edit market on cable has probably dried up. I can't imagine the DGA getting that upset unless they're somehow even more sanitized than you'd get on TV (like if a gay character were entirely cut out to avoid offending "family" values).

Also, wasn't there a "school edit" of Schindler's List on VHS in the 90s? I assume there were probably other similar cuts for important historical films.

Movie-Brat
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:14 am

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#22 Post by Movie-Brat » Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:11 am

So I see Universal opted to go for the "ClearPlay" concept for some of their films. I dare them to try the Fast and the Furious and Riddick movies next.

User avatar
captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#23 Post by captveg » Wed Aug 27, 2014 1:14 pm

I would wager that these are the versions already approved by filmmakers for airline and broadcast.

AfterTheRain
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#24 Post by AfterTheRain » Wed Aug 27, 2014 1:23 pm

Universal is releasing a Bing Crosby box set on November 11. Like the upcoming Noir box set, nothing new here, but Variety Girl was previously a Universal Vault Series release.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Universal MOD and DVD

#25 Post by domino harvey » Wed Aug 27, 2014 3:43 pm

Now that is a stupid set. 24 films for $199.99 MSRP, 11 of which you can buy in the previous Bing Crosby collections for ~$17 total right now, with almost all of the other titles available as cheap singles or double-features or as part of equally thrifty sets. There's no way it would cost you even $100 to collect the vast majority of the titles, much less whatever its lowest price point ends up at

Post Reply