Die Hard Collection (Die Hard/ Die Hard 2: Die Harder/ Die Hard with a Vengeance/ Live Free or Die Hard) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me start by saying I love the Die Hard movies. So when I saw this collection on BD, I just couldn't refuse!
You already know the movies, so let's get to the overall package.
Positives:
+ DTS MA on every movie that really reinvigorates the films
+ Good set of extras, not a single feature from the standard DVDs is left out, making you think these are the definitive versions to have
+ Special box saves you space on shelf and keeps discs safe. It's a little bigger than the Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray] boxset (without the slipcase).
+ Exactly the same discs as individual releases, so you're not getting gimped versions of the already released BD movies --they're the same.
+ Live Free or Die Hard is a total show-stopper, demo material, A+ reference disc. Both in terms of video and audio, this is one of the best movies to showcase what High Definition is all about (and the movie itself is a great ride, btw)
Negatives:
- In the first three movies, both subtitles and dubs in spanish are CASTILLIAN, not Latin American. Why on earth did FOX included castillian dubs/subs on an AMERICAN, region locked disc, goes beyond me. They should know by now that most latin people HATE the castillian dubbing, specially when these movies have such great voice acting. Granted, I always prefer to watch movies in their original languaje w/subs, but there's always the chance to borrow or watch the movie with people that prefer to hear it in their own language. Even the regionalized castilian subtitles are distracting. This is not a problem on the 4th movie. The voice acting and subs are the way they should be for an american release.
- The first 2 movies look downright awful, to the point it seems you put the SE DVD and upconverted it. Time is totally not an excuse: just look at the impressive video quality of Batman: The Movie [Blu-ray]: a 40 yo movie that looks absolutely fantastic (more than it deserves, if I may be so bold). And that flick is probably just being released to make a quick buck on the batman fever, so FOX, you're telling me you couldn't give a AAA movie such as Die Hard a proper transfer? Come on...
- The 3rd movie looks way better, but still does not compare to the visual blast that is Live Free or Die Hard.
- The 4th movie is the theatrical, PG-13 version, not the UNRATED one. Again, what's going on here! Simply put, FOX could have put both version on the same disc via seamless branching. This has been a reality since the days of DVD, and there are a couple BD that have this feature already, so NO excuse.
- The special features on every disc are Standard Def. only to the point most of them look like VHS (this is no exaggeration). Not a single drop of remastering love (let alone HD treatment) has been poured on even the alternate endings.
Bottom line? This is looking like a future double dip. If you don't care for extras or hearing the movies in a language other than English, this will probably suit you fine, even without the unrated cut of Live Free or Die Hard.
However, this is far from being the Definitive version of the movies to have, to the point of getting me wondering if FOX actually knows the fact that this edition of the movie should be the one for all the american continent. Moreso, I'm left guessing if they care about what their public wants: both their High Definition users and their non-north american audience.

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Disc 1: DIE HARD BLU-RAY Disc 2: DIE HARDER BLU-RAY Disc 3: DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE BLU-RAY Disc 4: LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD BLU-RAY

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Sold Out: A Threevening With Kevin Smith (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a pretty big fan of Kevin Smith. I listen to his and Scott Mosier's Free Podcast (called Smodcast) fairly regularly. I own the other Q&A DVDs, and I have really enjoyed most of his movies.
When I got "Threevening," I was expecting that it would be a little bit more "manufactured" for DVD than the other DVDs solely based on the fact that it is the third installment and, obviously, now it is more of a money-making venture than the first Q&A DVD that paid off nicely. The first and arguably second DVDs seemed to be much more organic in the sense that the filming was of Smith doing a true Q&A format, actually answering questions (though, in a long and winding way) and conducting the events not to produce, market, and sell a DVD, but to actually answer peoples' questions.
When you watch "Threevening" it is pretty apparent that the events were organized (staged?) for the sole purpose of maximizing the profitability of DVD sales and not to genuinely answer fans' questions. It's very easy to picture a group of straight-to-DVD production company executives sitting in a room watching and re-watching the first two DVDs so that they can re-create in "Threevening" what made the first two DVDs sell so well and then give Smith a bullet-point list of things he needs to do during the show as per his contract with the DVD filming and production company. If the implied obviousness isn't enough, Smith makes a few references to the "DVD [being filmed]" in the DVD itself.
Also, instead of answering questions, he just seems to recite a prepared stand-up act (though, still funny) regardless of the participants' question. Of course, he adapts the very beginning and very end of the 10 minute stand-up bit to relate back to the question, but again, as I said, it's obvious that this is just a staged attempt to produce another profitable Q&A DVD in an easy format.
Finally, many (not all, but many) of the stories he tells in the Q&A are nearly verbatim from past Smodcasts or in his GREAT book "Silent Bob Speaks," such as the "Shecky" story and the "Anal Fissures" story. There are some elements that he didn't cover in the Smodcast version of the story, but all the funny parts are generally there. There are new stories in "Threevening," but if you have listened to the free-to-download Smodcasts, watching (and buying) "Threevening" makes you feel kind of gypped given that this old/free material dominates anything new.
With all this said, I still think Smith is very funny, and given that "Threevening" and the other Q&A DVDs are extremely long and entertaining, and still only cost about $14 shipped, this is a solid DVD and worth purchasing if you're a Smith fan.
If you aren't a big Kevin Smith fan but want to check him out, I would start with the earlier "Evening with Kevin Smith" DVDs and then move on to this one. You won't be sorry.

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Kevin Smith -- America's coolest geek philosopher and director of Clerks I & II and Zack and Miri Make a Porno -- is back: celebrating his 37th birthday in a hilarious take-no-prisoners performance in front of a packed hometown crowd. Join the fun as Smith reveals the hysterical true stories behind the making of Clerks II and Live Free or Die Hard, the inside scoop on Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Jason Mewes... plus Weird Doggy Love and The Jury Duty from Hemorrhoid Hell. Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith has 3x the raunch, 3x the hilarity, and 3x the charm!

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