soxfandoug

Hello everybody. I am a complete newbie when it comes to buying non R1 DVD's. I have never bought a single DVD that wasn't R1.

These are the items that I would love to have, but I can't really figure out either if they are available, or which version is satisfactory.

If somebody could point me towards decent releases of these movies, it would be much appreciated. All I really want is a decent transfer, original language audio track, and English subtitles where needed.

- The Brave (Depp)
- 21 Jump Street (Depp)
- Cry-Baby (Depp)
- Twin Peaks Season 2
- Xiu Xiu - The Sent Down Girl
- Fat Girl
- Hero (Jet Li)

Thanks!!!
Doug

FilmFanSea

For your needs, I would recommend the Rewind Comparison Database, which does a pretty good job of comparing different regional releases of a wide range of films on DVD. Note that they only compare the "specs"--not the picture quality or audio quality, etc. (It doesn't appear that Cry-Baby has been released on DVD anywhere.)

For a database which compares screenshots of DVDs from different regions to decide which is the best version, I would recommend DVD Beaver. They mostly compare DVDs of arthouse and foreign films, though (and the database is still small since the process is more labor-intensive). For example:

Hero comparison

Finally, I would recommend a multi-region DVD price checker, such as DVD Price Check in the UK.

Best of luck.

soxfandoug

Thanks! Those are some very helpful links!!!

I have one question. Would I be able to play PAL discs on my computer? It looks like the only NTSC release of Fat Girl is the Hong Kong release, and it is Full Frame!

lostatmidnight

I have the Japanese release of Depp's 'The Brave.' excellent 16:9 and loads interviews and behind the scenes footage, basically a single disc special edition...best version ever released of this film as far as I know.

cdjapan is where I bought it....not sure if its still available or now OOP.

Njål

As the DVD Beaver comparision (and other reviews) shows, the Japanese release of Hero is the best so far, and is probably cheapest from AmazonJP at about USD36 postpaid. I believe there is a Y500 (USD4.40) coupon available for first time users as well, if memory serves me right it's good until the end of May.
The Brave is a bit less expensive at CD Japan than AmazonJP , but I believe the difference in shipping will make up for that.
Both Cry-Baby and 21 Jump Street have been out in Japan, but are no longer in print.

As far as I know the only legit release of Twin Peaks S2 so far is the Spanish release, which is supposed to be really bad.