I don't agree with that. A good reviewer should be able to take a step back, and I think going into a review having seen the movie before can be very beneficial. There are movies I've seen before where I was initially extremely enthusiastic, but with a second or third viewing, that exuberance had been pretty thoroughly dulled. Similarly, there are times when I didn't much care for a movie the first time through, but I really warmed up to it when I watched it again. Having some level of familiarity with the material can help iron out some of that. Going into the review already having formed a strong opinion can make them more interesting and less...clinical as well. I would steer away from assigning a screener to someone who had already seen the movie and hated it. I don't think there's anything wrong with passing a copy to someone who really likes it, though, as long as they're able to say why they feel that way and aren't so blinded as to be unable to point out its flaws. Even though I'm about as fiercely rabid a fan of Buffy and Angel as they come, I think my reviews are still pretty honest. Long and rambling, sure, but they convey how I feel without me being blinded by my fandom.

Are you kidding me? It's practically as good as Texas Chainsaw Massacre!!

Well, at the very least, DVDtalk should change their text on the main page that says....

Read our complete list of Upcoming DVDs.

It should not say 'complete' if some titles will not be included. It is misleading.

Why? It's our complete list. You know the list we have?... that's all of it!

Hehe....I was expecting that response.

I just think it is misleading because many people use your list to purchase movies. I used it up until I found out that it actually isn't complete.

I understand that you cannot include EVERY dvd that is released, but IMO big name releases should be manually added even if you are not going to receive a copy for review.

Has this never happened before?

As we discussed, we can't remember such a major release not being sent to critics and the release list is tied to the review database. If Gibson et al don't want their DVD reviewed before the release date then that's their problem. Are they hiding something? It's all so weird since the movie had already played theatrically. Everything about this film and its release pattern is weird. I do agree with other posts and just wish it would go away forever.

It's really pretty simple.....

If the movie isn't included on the list, don't buy it through the affiliate links.

Oh good grief. I mean, do that if you want, but if you enjoy this site and use it all the time and appreciate the incredible amount of work that Geoff does to let you access these resources for free then you can always hit the affiliate links that the top of the page and search for the stuff you wanna buy when you get there.

I mean, have you ever designed a web page this big? It needs a system and the system these guys came up with works 99% of the time (statistic not scientifically accurate). It's only when the asshats who made that Jebus movie decide they won't invite any online reviewers to their party and won't give them any cake that the system fails. A review still got written and affiliate links still can be used. Not using them just to make some sort of point is silly.

I hardly ever use the affiliate links.

Great to see you showing your support

Np!

closing this thread. Questions were asked, answered, reasked and reanswered.