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Post by hashman on Sept 14, 2004 9:58:41 GMT -5
Okay everyone, write your reviews and comments on the S1 DVD here. Be sure to cover: quality of the video, and how it compares to broadcast audio quality commentaries? bonus features any extra goodies we should be on the lookout for
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Post by Maximus on Sept 14, 2004 12:41:44 GMT -5
No reviews/comments yet cause I just picked up my copy from Wal-Mart this morning! WOOHOO! The total came out to $32.37 ($29.97 + $2.40 tax) which is cheaper than ordering it from the jungle. Wal-Mart's pre-tax price is cheaper than anywhere I've seen for this product. Man, I can't wait to get home and get this baby rolling. As you all know, I'm particularly interested in the scenes that were left out in syndication. I will post my comments tomorrow; that is if I'm able to get up after watching it all night. Of course I'm just kidding; I'm just gonna watch my fav episodes and the extras tonight and save the rest for later. Man, I was never this excited about watching something I've already seen gazillion times already.
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Post by Maximus on Sept 14, 2004 15:24:28 GMT -5
I just opened the package to look inside. The set contains 5 discs and each disc has an image of a cast member printed on it- Ray on disc1, Patty on disc 2 and so on. Discs 1-4 have 5 episodes each whereas disc 5 has 3 episodes plus the extras. The plastic cover feels thick and sturdy. Also, as a bonus for buying this product, you get a free one year subscription to the TV Guide magazine. Just complete the postage paid subscription card that comes with this product with your name and address and mail it. If you prefer not to get it, you can still get $1.56 refund by mailing the card along with a copy of your receipt.
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Post by transporter on Sept 15, 2004 1:09:47 GMT -5
What else?
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Post by Maximus on Sept 16, 2004 11:57:08 GMT -5
I had a wonderful time watching ELR in all its DVD glory and I trust you guys will too when you get yours. I finished watching disc 2 last night, and disc 1 (minus the Gus episode) and disc 5 (minus the Neighbor episode) the night before. So, here’re some of my preliminary observations based on the viewing of those eleven episodes. As stated in my previous post, your purchase of the set comes with 5 discs with discs 1-4 each containing five episodes and disc 5 containing three episodes and the bonus materials. Navigating the menu is easy and straightforward. Each episode begins with a brief plot summary and is presented in 4:3 aspect ratio designed to fit your standard TV. Audio is presented in Dolby 2.0 surround. I found both the audio and video qualities adequate for viewing a TV sitcom. The video, while solidly better than what we’re accustomed to from syndication, is still not as sharp and vibrant as I was expecting. You can discern noticeable slide in picture quality when you zoom in, which wasn’t the case when I tried the same process with my LOTR DVD. Also remember, season 1 started filming in 96 and as we all know, the video quality got progressively better in later seasons. Anyway, I’m not complaining. Now, watching the episodes: If you’ve seen these episodes as many times as I have, one of the first things you’ll notice is the scenes that were removed in syndication. I’d say the deleted scenes were mostly from the opening sequences. Nothing consequential about them but they’re still fun to watch for the first time. You can also watch (and I recommend) the ‘Pilot’ and ‘Why We Are Here’ with audio commentary, which are basically Ray and Phil commenting in the background as the episodes play along. I found them very informative. If you so desire, you can also view this DVD in French and Spanish. You should give it a try to see how ELR sounds in those languages. ;D Finally, the bonus materials are divided into three sections- audio commentaries, making of ELR featurette and the famous original appearance of Ray on the Letterman Show that catapulted him to stardom. The making of ELR is further subdivided into 3 parts – how we got here, casting the family and on the air. Since you guys haven’t seen it yet, I won’t discuss them unless you want me to. As you can guess already, it’s mostly about Ray and Phil along with the cast and Anna Romano, Monica (Amy), Les Moonves and some of the writers talking about the show- what they were doing before the show, how the show got launched, how the cast got their parts and their experiences and thoughts about the first season. I’d say serious ELR fans already knew most of the stuff (about 90%) they covered. All in all, I think the bonus features are very good but they could have been made excellent by including bloopers and audition outtakes of the cast members. In conclusion, this is a must-have for any ELR fans and well worth the price. Now bring on S2 and S3 and S4........
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Post by transporter on Sept 16, 2004 12:04:18 GMT -5
Awesome! Tell me, is the deleted scene from "The Game" noteworthy? That is quickly becoming one of my fav eps from S1. ;D
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Post by Maximus on Sept 16, 2004 12:40:09 GMT -5
"The Game" is on disc 4 which I've yet to see. I may watch it tonight. When're you getting your copy? The deleted scene from "Standard Deviation" is quite interesting.
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Post by transporter on Sept 16, 2004 12:50:06 GMT -5
Have you ordered the album yet?
My DVD should be arriving tomorrow.
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Post by Maximus on Sept 16, 2004 13:34:05 GMT -5
Nah, I'm not gonna buy the album at this moment. I'll wait for it to become cheaply available on ebay or amazon later. I'll buy it when the price dips below $5. ;D
I did browse through the album for an hour at Barnes and Noble yesterday. Pretty neat, especially the part where they describe the process that goes into making an episode.
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Rachel
The Wow Factor
Posts: 38
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Post by Rachel on Sept 16, 2004 14:26:16 GMT -5
Well, I got the DVD & book at my local Hastings, because there was some kind of deal if you bought both. I haven't had time to watch any episodes yet, so I plan to zone out and watch them all weekend. I did watch some of the bonus material, but like yupi said, I already knew most of the stuff they talked about. I just wish the next seasons would come out a little faster! The book is actually pretty good, and well worth the money spent on it. It includes interviews with all the cast, interviews with the writers, with phil & ray's parents & with their wives (Monica & Anna). Their is an episdode guide in the book, and throughout the book, there are pictures from certain episodes, and a lot of behind the scenes pictures. They do a "making of an episode" and they use "The Bird" for that. Tom Caltabiano did a great job taking the pictures, and Phil & Ray's commentary on them have some interesting and funny facts. I'd recommend it to you guys.
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Post by transporter on Sept 17, 2004 11:38:56 GMT -5
Just got the DVD AND the album today!!
The album looks great, I've been flipping through it. There's some great pics. Patty looks really good in a lot of em, and Stefania is hot as hell of course. There's a funny set of pics where he picks her up (Stefania Returns) and he hurts his back. hehe.
Oh, and Ray says "THe Game" was his fav ep from Season 1. I told ya! Underrated ep...
I'll watch the DVD tonight.
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Post by Maximus on Sept 17, 2004 13:23:04 GMT -5
If you guys didn't know already, here's a wonderful chance for you to win ELR DVD and other memorabilia. I first saw it on Donna's site. Only one entry per household but you can ask your friends to enter on your behalf too. I've already lined up 6 friends to enter for me. ;D Good luck! www.tvguide.com/sweepstakes/raymondsweeps/
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Post by transporter on Sept 17, 2004 14:43:17 GMT -5
K, I watched two eps... 'The Game' and 'Why are we here'? I thought the video quality was pretty good for an 8 year old show. It was sharper and more colorful than the original broadcast, but not as much as I would've hoped. Still, the quality of it roughly matches that you see in season 3. The new scenes are nice... I've spotted two major ones in "The Game". They show the cable going out, and then prior to Frank and Marie showing up there's a little banter between Deb and Ray. I really liked the audio commentary for "Why Are we here".. I wish they had done it for more episodes. For Season 4, they better fucking doing one for Bad Moon Rising. Listening to the commentary actually changed my understanding one of one of the jokes. Originally I thought when Frank said "I gotta tell ya, that plumbing can take a punch!" in 'why are we here', I thought he was referring to actually physically hitting the plumbing as seen in another ep when he actually hits the shower faucet. Turns out it's a bathroom joke. ;D I'm really liking the album and the DVD set. It really gives it more of a 'behind the scenes' feel, which is great considering ELR isn't a mainstream show with a lot of coverage like say... Friends.
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Post by transporter on Sept 17, 2004 19:35:52 GMT -5
I love the vid quality... you can even read small details in the backround like the books on the shelf in the living room, or the "OPEN" hours sign at Nemo's.
Oh, and when Marie calls Angelina a "pizza parlor puttana", puttana actually means whore in italian. ;D
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Post by Maximus on Sept 18, 2004 11:31:26 GMT -5
Chief, I thought that was pretty obvious even to non-Italian speakers.
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