Bill Geiger

And 100, hee hee.

Also, to add onto my previous post. I sometimes fall into the trap of trying to trade for movies that everyone on the board is looking for whether I like it or not.

Remember when everyone in their mother wanted Robocop CC? Well, I ended up getting it and really hated it.... not a big Robocop fan... so I traded it for Armageddon CC and hated that.

I did go out and buy Amelie just because of what I read on Home Theater Forum and it got me very interested. It is still sealed but I am hoping that word of mouth for this movie will pay off.

panayoti

Dvdsarecool, you got my interest piqued. What is Hearts and Minds about?
As for u, Bill, let's not start again with that beautiful hunk of filmmaking, Robocop, I told u it is a modern classic and no one can convince me different. It doesn't matter that Criterion put it out or Goodtimes, it's still gold.
I was gonna offer to trade for your copy of Amelie but since u dissed Robocop, hah! forget it!
umm,errr, so what do u want for it?

dlew308

Criterion Criterion Criterion
I don't see why people get all crazy over it.

got DTS?

Zarthaniel

Sorry you didn't like Robocop, Bill. I think it's a good film, but the Criterion release wasn't all that spectacular. I bought it when I first started collecting dvds and didn't know what Criterion meant. I just saw it was more expensive, so I thought it would be better. I had the money, so I bought it. I'm gonna try to pick up a regular copy of Robocop sometime in the future.

I think it's a pretty hilarious movie myself.

panayoti

I agree, even DTS is overrated sometimes I believe, especially on older releases. It just sounds like they turned the volume up when u play the DTS over the DD.
The only time I never noticed a marked difference was with the 2 versions of Saving Private Ryan, and that's it. Maybe it's me, I dunno.

dlew308

depends on the movie, listen to gladiator in DD then DTS-ES
big difference
I'm waiting for blackhawk down in DTS, I wasn't too happy with the DD, same with LOTR. But usually I'm happy to have DD5.1 over mono or stereo.

JimmyGator

You got to be kidding, Lord of the Rings is one of the best 5.1 movies I've ever heard. I also disagree I think Criterion is a great company, they have a great selection of classics and foreign films that would never be released. They usually have great supplements, they're one of the best DVD companies around.

dlew308

We'll see how the DTS-ES version of LOTR compares....yummy.....
Call me a DTS snob if u want, i can live with that

dvdsarecool

Vietnam Veterans: Please do not take the following personal. I have great respect for you and your brothers and sisters.

Panayoti, I am not going to give a comprehensive review here. There are a few reviews already on the internet, including on DVDtalk.com. "Hearts & Minds" is, in my view, one of the best documentaries about the Vietnam war and how many Americans were brainwashed throughout this war. If my description of the film is too strong, I challenge anyone to give a better description. The fact is, any objective viewer watching this documentary will discover that many of the American soldiers interviewed In this film were brainwashed. Moreover, the politicians were brainwashed, General Westmoreland was brainwashed, and many in the public were brainwashed. Just listen to General Westmoreland's interview and be prepared to drop your jaws. He says some really astounding things about the Vietnamese people. The film also interviews a few Vietnamese people, giving the viewer a chance to look at both sides. It's the only Criterion film in my collection. This film is far more engaging than Criterion's other documentaries, e.g., "The Salesman," which was repititious and "Grey Gardens," which was so boring I had to shut it off after 20 minutes.

As for Robocop, I haven't seen this in 10+ years. As I recall, it was just ok. ... I don't know what the big deal is about DTS -- it sounds the same as DD 5.1, just louder.

Finally, before I click the "submit" button, I'd like to say that I was really disappointed with "Amelie." As a foreign film afficonado, I'm shocked that "Amelie" gets so much hype. It's one of the worst french films I've ever seen. Wow... that felt good. I had been waiting for a good time to trounce "Amelie."

JimmyGator

I agree about LOTR DTS though, it should be better than the 5.1 version.

JimmyGator

I need some advice about this pending trade. I sent somebody a DVD and when it arrived the packaging was ripped open. When the guy checked it the DVD skipped because it was scratched during shipping. Should I ask for the DVD I traded for or should I ask the person to send back the scratched DVD?

dlew308

i had this happen to me twice, i sent him another dvd to replace it.
The other I had to reorder it and am waiting for it so i can send and he'll return the damanged one....USPS at times not so good

panayoti

dvdsarecool: thanks for the synopsis, that short little description was all that I needed. Sounds a lot like what Manchurian Candidate it seems, but it happened much after. If anyone has not seen Manchurian, see it. One of the best things Frank Sinatra ever did, besides Fly Me To The Moon, and not many people know he was in it. See it, folks, u won't be disappointed.
As far as I'm concerned, LOTR was excellent! I was totally surprised that I enjoyed it due to the hype that surrounded both it and Harry Potter, and personally Harry was a big letdown for me. The 5.1 on LOTR was totally reference material to me and I found it to be just perfect. Is the DTS version going to be part of the 4 disc boxset later this year? I think I'm happy with the 2 disc for now unless the DTS version blows it completely out of the water.

Bill Geiger

Oh how this thread has been so lonely without me partaking in it.. wouldn't you agree? I thought so.

I think so far I have done well over 30 trades... if I am wrong, then I am wrong. I stopped keeping count after 10. I must say, out of all of the trades/sales I have done both here on DVDTalk and Home Theater Forum, I have had one bad trade, that became good after I sold the DVD I received in that trade. I have not been stiffed once. I like to think of me as lucky. But this brings me to the point of some traders..... who happen to be Canadian?

Now, no offense to the good Canadian traders, you know who you are, this is out to the Canadian traders who insist on sending their DVDS after they have received "mine." I put the word mine in quotes because a good friend of mine pointed this out to me.. he has had this problem. He is thinking about not dealing with those in Canada (be it Canadians or Americans or whomever live in Canada).. just because of the bad experiences he has had. I can't say I don't agree with him on his feelings.

Okay, now for the Canadians to ask their question. What if you traded with Americans and they did this to you, would you stop trading with them as well?

My answer would be, yes, to a degree. I would trade with those with whom I have traded with before and had success, as well as Canadians with whom I have had success.

Normally, depending on where you are in Canada, a DVD should not take longer than 1 week to arrive. For those much further north of the US Canadian borders, 1 1/2 to 2 weeks tops. Of course, you cannot control they mail... but why is it that if we (those in the US) send and are told the DVD had arrived, yet, several days later, nothing is here? It is because the other trader held out and waited several days to ship their DVDS to you. Is that fair to the other trader? In one word, no.

Now mind you, this goes for everyone, not just Canadians. I have traded with about 4 or 5 people in Canada and have had nothing but good things to say. But for the Love of God, if you live in and around the Ontario/Toronto area, no way in hell should a disc take over a week to arrive. Shipping to Toronto is like shipping from New York to Los Angeles. It takes 3-4 days... and if you care to debate me... don't.. because believe me when I tell you, it is true.

Have I ever shipped out late on purpose? Never... but I have been late as had just happened recently. I never once got an email from those people asking where the disc was.. because I am trusted and respected and have traded with them before.

This is what the whole rant is about... or aboot.... whatever you choose. We are here to do honest trades, not F each other over. If trades are done in a fair amount of time and the disc is as promised, you have just formed a bond and a trader with whom you can trust (most of the time). I would have ZERO problems sending 1000 DVDS to a friend of mine on here and I would expect payment from him in a timely manner. If 7 days went by and then he emailed me stating he was sorry he was late in sending out the payment.. I would be fine with that. I say the trade window is 2 weeks. If after 2 weeks, and nothing, then we got problems.

I also feel that if a Gold Trader screws someone over, their Gold trader status should be removed and their stats reset. Just my opinion.

US to Canada (1 1/2 weeks at most)
US To US (1 week)

These aren't bombs we are sending and they aren't heavy packages. Don't blame the Postal Service because they are usually right on time.

And finally, I love the Canadian traders.... been nothing but good to me. It is a shame that no matter if in the US or Canada, someone has to pluck things up for the good traders of our respective countries.

rkndkn

Just my 2 cents about Canada. . .

First I'm in Hawaii, so shipping is expected to be a bit longer. When the mail goes well, my trader in Canada has received my parcel in 5 or 6 days. The fastest I've received a parcel from Canada is probably 7 to 9 days. (It ALWAYS takes longer coming here than going there for some reason.)

Currently, I have a parcel which I have not yet received after 20 days. HOWEVER, I trust this trader totally through our numerous trades and I'm sure it's just stuck somewhere. I must admit that if it was a new trader, I might be worried.

90% of my parcels from Canada get opened by customs, even though it's simply DVD-sized in a bubble envelope. I once had it opened, and VERY poorly resealed, so it's a miracle the DVD didn't fall out as it continued on its way to me. As far as "national security" reasons go, they must be VERY wary of Canada because of its vicinity to the continental U.S. In comparison, my much bulkier parcels from Hong Kong get checked by customs only about 50% of the time.

Anyway. . .I wouldn't want to exclude trading with people in Canada, though I wish the postal system were a lot smoother from/to there.

bigskillet

Well, since some have brought it up, here’s my buck two eighty regarding Canadian Traders, like my opinion would matter anyway, but what the hell, flame on!

My experience has not been all that positive regarding this issue. (Uh-oh.) There is, in my personal experience, only one Canadian Trader that I am cumfortable trading with at this point. I have been engaged in trades with others and aside from this one individual, the others have been fiascos on multiple levels.

The main beef I have is the realm of exchange. I will grant that our two countries have different mail systems. Each operates with different levels of efficiencies, but be that as it may, it does not excuse, in my opinion, the practice of some Canadian Traders who wait till they get “theirs” before sending trades stateside. Unless both traders implicitly agree upon the practice, I find the practice to be outright deceit.


I have had four trades where I sent my trade off, on time, as promised. I e-mail occasionally checking in to inquire if the parcel had made it’s way. All in all it takes about a week. Eventually I get a response that yes, they got the package, thank you, thank you and yours should be coming soon. Fast forward two weeks later. Invariably I’ve e-mailed inquiring about the date in which they sent the package, because you see, I’m under the impression that they sent near or on the same date as I – so now I’m nearly 3 ½ weeks waiting on this parcel.

Invariably I don’t get a response until the package arrives and I e-mail them that finally it came.

What’s interesting is that the postmark is on or after the day in which they received their package.

All in all the situation is something that we never discussed from the onset. i.e. – “Hey, you send yours and when I get it, and only then, I’ll send your parcel out, okay?”

I’ve had the unfortunate experience of encountering 4 Canadian traders who make this their practice, or at least in my situation, although, speaking to some other traders, they have had the same experience.

The best I can do is to never trade with that person again. In the end it’s unfortunate. I find it interesting that some Canadian Traders will comment in their posts that they can be trusted. They shouldn’t have to quantify their integrity on their post if it were not for a few traders who seem to fudge the normal formality of trading.

My hope is one day there will be and affordable form of delivery confirmation between the United States and Canada. Currently, if you were so inclined to track your package into the great white north, you’d have to take out a home equity loan.

In the meantime, I take my mental red marker and draw a line through some Canadian Traders posts and decline making deals with other Canadian Traders as to avoid the hassle.

panayoti

guys, guys, can't we all just get along??
As a Canadian trader who doesn't bury pemmican for the winter solstice and doesn't breed huskies to make it over to the mother-in-laws igloo on time, I've never had a problem with Canadian or US traders except for the odd one or two who I don't deal with at all, not because I didn't get their package on time, Oh no, but because I DIDN'T LIKE THEM! How do I tell? From their emails, that's how. If the dude grunts when emailing and acts as if they're trading nuclear arms with the Dominican Republic, I won't deal with them! I have dealt with one or two traders that have sent me emails stating, What happened to my package? I didn't get the dvd from you yet! For some strange unfanthomable reason the shipping from here to the US seems to be slower I find then the shipping from the US to Canada. I may be wrong in this matter but in the last 3 months for example, I've had 3 of the friggin' dvd's that I've been waiting on opened by the Canada Customs Gestapo! I've been charged $30. each on the average for Customs which ensures that I will never again buy from anyone outside from Canada, not because of the trader but because of CUSTOMS. Bear this in mind when u assume it is the Canadian trader next time, we also deserve a fair shake. How will u find out, bigskillet, if the prospective Canadian trader that u may deal with isn't an amazing trader? You need to give each individual a chance, Canadian or not. I dont' give a s**t if you're from Brazil, if u have something interesting to offer I'll deal with u. Besides, in my case, I've got literally 3 or 4 boxes of dvd's I haven't seen yet. Do u seriously think I'm gonna agonize over one dvd that came to me a week later than it should have?
Tell u what, I've posted to some of the folks here that implicitly stated that they would not deal with Canadian traders and yet they dealt with me and had no problems. I've lagged behind in some of my shipments before, I'll admit, but most of the time the dvd will get there. If I'm short of cash one week, I'll email the trader and tell him if it's ok if I send peasant mail because I can't afford air this time around. Honesty is always appreciated, whether you're Canadian, American or Slovak. It's the way u deal the deal, Bill G. and my other Water Buffalo trader brothers, not what your zip code is. I'm not being antagonistic, but I just want u to see it from the other side of the fence or border also. Otherwise, I've had an amazing time here on the forum so much more than others and won't let trivial things like this get me stirred up. I save that for rude traders who as I said earlier deal with this forum as if it's a car dealership, thereby bleeding it of it's true spirit of fun.
I got an idea, honesty is always the best policy and I mentioned on another of my posts here that if u have a problem with an individual trader, drop the smokescreen and tell them straight up.... except if it's me, I get offended easy.
Whew! Now, I'm tired!

bigskillet

Panayoti

I would urge you to read my post again. I did not state that I would not trade with anyone from Canada solely because of where they reside.

My point was that I was disappointed in the practice of some (i.e.- not all) Canadian traders who agree to a trade and then sit back till their package arrives and then, and only then dispatches their parcel in return, without any prior notification that this was the formula in which they trade.

The postmark tells the tale. For my part, when this happens to me, I am up-front and I do relay the notion that I was annoyed.

That is my beef.

I could say the same for those here in the United States. If you make a trade and agree upon the conditions – great. Just don’t sit back with agenda known only to yourself and make someone else wait longer than they should have because you wanted to ensure that you got yours.

In fact, I think the whole, send me yours first scenario is bullcrap anyway.

(That’s what delivery confirmation is for. Peace of mind and proof that a package is on it’s way. Besides, if you are afraid of being ripped off, you at least will have some tangible proof that a parcel was sent. It’s leverage in case all goes to hell.)

Panayoti, I agree, honesty is the best policy. If someone is late or knows that they won’t get a parcel out for a while, be up-front. More often than not, a trade will go more smoothly if communication is flowing freely. We don’t need each other’s life story, (although mine is riveting) but a simple, “Hey, got your package off today a bit late” or “I’m sorry didn’t get to the post office, but will send first thing tomorrow” would suffice.

Damn, I’m exhausted. I haven’t done this since I was on the debate team in high school and I got into Beth Howard’s drawers right before the mock Regan/Mondale debate.

I need a cig.

SideShow

Can I ask where the Canadians thinking Americans think they live in igloos came from? I've never heard of that until I've talked to some Canadians. I thought the sterotype was mooses and mounties everywhere

Basically I don't do outside US trades anymore. I'm on another forum where I trade all sorts of things, and I've had so many problems due to customs. It's like I have a curse on me with outside trading. I got yelled at by one guy in an email about it, but I just want the person I'm trading with to have a smooth time and get their stuff in a timely manner and in the condition I sent it. I've had perfectly safe things returned, things torn open and stolen... it's a mess.

And on criterions.. well I think they're neat. I just got The Blob, and it came with a free poster! FREE! Though again, I don't see the mania or why some people are trying to get all of them, as I don't think they'd like all of the movies and boy it's a pricey hobby if you don't.

Breezy_Pete1

I would rather post about Canadian Trades rather than Canadian Traders.

The Canadian trades I have had lately have been "nightmareish" and the cost for delivery confirmation and/or insurance is crazy high ($10.55 for a one disc dvd). In the USA, I always send 1st Class delivery confirmation and it usually costs $1.84. Also Canadian packages seem to take forever to get to me. I am not sure if it is linked to September 11th or just an excuse for an incompetent postal system to screw people over, but I have reluctantly stopped trading outside the USA.

It hurts me, because almost all of the Canadian Traders I have done business in the past are great people and I lose out on many trading opportunities.

In closing, I think the people I have traded with in Canada have been great to me, but the postal system between our two countries sux.

Thanks for the forum to speak my opinion.

Pete

Sunday Morning

book of the dead limited for european vacation?

armageddon criterion for fearless and fort apache?


i've been getting some doozy of offers lately.

Yikes!!!!

davidlynchfan

I think there should be Plantinum Traders after Mao overpolishes
the Gold!!Maybe 30+ gets a Platinum.Well,I'm only a +2 thus I
am just a tiny little Bronze Trader.


And all traders should ship 1st Class and Eliminate shipping
via Media Rate for GOOD!!

I mean shipping 1st Class cost like $1.29 for one single DVD
in a bubble padded envelope and takes about 4-5 days to arrive
while shipping Media Rate cost just about the same but may take
sometimes 3-4 weeks to arrive!!!

I ain't one to cry about ppl posting replys rather than emailing
for sure!!I just look at it as a generous bump on their part!!

I'll be back with more of my $0.02 quirks.....

davidlynchfan

Yes!!No Doubt Criterions are now officially the world's most overrated DVD Brand ever!!I'll say the traders here are real pigs for Criterions for sure!!

Here's a how a typical Trade thread looks like:

FT-

Scary Movie 2
Pearl Harbor
Memento (NON LE)
Harry Potter
Dude Where's My Car?

Wants-

400 Blows CC
The Killer CC
This is Spinal Tap CC
Dead Ringers CC
Rashomon CC
8 1/2 CC
or any other Criterions I don't have!!

Why it never gets price-slashed or lose it's value is beyond me
and that's probably why ppl loves Criterions so much but I
am gonna have to say the time has come where other Studios'
Supplement and Extras can go up and up and toe to toe
mano e mano with any of the Best Criterions have to offer,plus I find Criterion films to be quite boring and make me sleep quite easily....

Anchor Bay is my favorite DVD Studio.Hail Anchor Bay Hail!!

Bill Geiger

Ahh.. how I loathe some people.

I get an offer yesterday for a movie and after much back and forth email, we agree on a trade.

I email today asking if it was sent and I am told that it might take a few DAYS because this trader could not find a box to send it in. I suggest going Priority and he balks at that due to its high cost.

I then say that I am going to move on since I have another offer and that trader can send immediately instead of waiting for a few days for him to find a box.

He emails back and asks if I would take 10 dollars. I said I didn't want the cash.

He emails back again calling me a prick.

I respond:

"I am a prick because you can't send for a few days and I have an offer for the movie that you have to delay a trade for? And to avoid the wait, I decide to move onto another trade with someone who can trade immediately.. that makes me a prick? Yeah, that makes sense...lol... what are you, 2?"

Then I am greeted with this:

"what makes you a prick is you accepting a trade and then waisting my time."

"Waisting" his time, as he put it.. hardly. I believe anyone else in my position, dealing with someone who has no trading record and says that it might be a few days, gives me the right to stop the trade and move on.

I believe I am in the right.. opinions?

BTW-- Not a DVDTalk member.

Sunday Morning

Perhaps he thinks you are negatively affecting his diet.

You were right to stop the trade. why would he opt for a trade now and suddenly decide to do it in a few days, because he couldnt find a box to send it in?
If he lived in somolia, i'd understand.
His case has no water. I wouldnt worry 'bout it much.

(perhaps he didnt want to give up that particular title of his for yours and tried to do a cash trade instead. Either way, i smell a rat)