So I just picked up the 2-disc Ray LE set, because it was two discs and looked nicer than the single disc set.

But the extra $12 was not worth it. The packaging is sorta like a hardcover book, with a disc inside each cover, with a booklet attached in-between. The booklet is sorta lame - just a bunch of pictures from the film with some random facts and quotes thrown in - nothing special, and no info as far as what is on what disc, not even chapters. The first disc is, I assume, just like the one-disc set: two sided - the movie with director's commentary on one side, and some extras on the other. The second disc is one sided with some more extras like extended songs and little fluffy documentaries - typical big-studio extras that you may watch once, but never again. That's it - that's all you get.

The single disc will be easily found for well under $20, but good luck finding the LE for less than $30.

I'm also kinda pissed because the hub on the movie disc had such a tight hold on it, that there's a crack now growing from inside the center of the disc... grrr.

where did you pick it up?

Thanks, but I will still buy it. I do want the the uncut musical performances.

get that cracked disc exchanged!

Exactly.

Is it a double sided, dual-layered version??? A single layer wouldn't be good enough for this.

I'm pretty sure the movie side is double layered (the video's very nice, as is the 5.1 - no dts, though) and the movie's almost 3 hours, so I'm sure they need it double layered. The extras side, however, might be single layered (there's not enough stuff to warrent 2 layers) - it's hard to tell now a days, because double layer discs are no longer gold like they used to be, now they're all silver.

Pics?

based on your description.... the nice packaging alone is worth it.

I don't have a digital camera.

And the packaging would be nice if...
a. it didn't create permanent stains out of fingerprints
b. it stayed closed - it's sorta like Schindlier's list - it needs a slip-case
c. it didn't have a strangle hold on the discs causing them to crack

I'm buying it.

What he said.

From a local distributor... sorry.

Also, I'm not saying that this is a bad package, it's just not worth the extra cash, especially when the main disc could be had for half the money. And when you compare it to similarly priced items from, say, Criterion, like Rules of the Game or Short Cuts (which have to be licensed, but actually cost less) it just becomes apparent that not as much thought or care went into this package.

extened music is a heavy replay value feature for me...

buying it

I'm also picking this up, but I do appreciate the early review on the packaging....

but, how's the actual movie?

Well, I did see it in the theaters, and thought it was great, though it ended too abruptly.

Apparantly there's an extended version of the movie on this dvd, but I haven't checked it out yet. The menues say that it branches on it's own, but an icon still appears on the screen when it's about to go into an extended scene (which sounds kinda lame - if it does it on it's own, why would there have to be an icon), though being impatient, I didn't have time to sit through the movie and wait for an extended scene to see how the dvd incorporated it in - maybe over the weekend.

It's playing at the theater down the street this week only (just found out), so I'll be seeing it tonight and still definitely buying it Monday night, probably.

Well, thanks for the info. I was kinda on the fence about this one. I hate how Universal makes you choose between the regular and the SE. I'll usually go for the fancier versions (even in iffy flicks like Anchorman, The Terminal and Red Dragon). Since this one is going to be so much more expensive than the regular edition, I was leaning away from getting it. Unless the featurettes are really good, I guess I won't.

So I watched some of the, so-called, "extended version" - and it's a total waste of time. It's not seam-less branching - the movie just stops and goes into a repeat of the same scene, only with a bit of dialogue added to the end of it.

Stick with the theatrical version, especially since these scenes can be watched on their own on the extras side.

Wow, that sounds sort of busch league. From what you're saying, I gather that when viewing the extended version, you get everything the theatrical version had, plus more content, including longer versions of scenes that are already present in the theatrical cut. Is this right? That would be weird to be watching the film, see a scene and then have it replayed immediately after, this time with added dialogue.

Yo, slop,
Can you post the running times of the featurettes on disc 2?

llooks like the 2 disc one will be what bbv has for rent. so you should be able to pick it up previously watched a month or so down the line.

Really? That doesn't make sense. Not only is it more expensive, it's in a collectable container that they would throw away. Besides, their website lists only the regular version for rent. You can buy the 2-disc one, but it isn't available for online rental. Blockbuster Online

Sticking with the single disc for me.