eau

I'm on vacation in Singapore right now and have been browsing Asian movie DVDs in a few stores.

For the life of me I can't tell which ones are legitimate and which ones are bootlegs. I'm sure some DVDs are bootlegs (full range of Miyazaki's films for under SGP$10 and no company info/credit found on package). For example, stores are selling Hard Boiled (remastered version) and Swordman II (remastered) for SGP$9.90 each but the cover artwork looks like a glossy color photocopy. The images and texts aren't as sharp as I'm used to on R1 releases. Are these legitimate releases? Or are there stores that I should visit or avoid?

Also, some DVDs have the BFC (Board of Film Censors or something) stickers on them, but others do not. Are they good indication of legitimacy of a DVD?

Thanks.

astreal

thoes with the borad of flim censor singapore are all original. you should try going sim lim square. there are quite a few dvd store in 3rd and 4th floor selling very cheap dvd.

blessthemess

eau, get them online. I do. Not because of legitmacy issues, but the friendly prices. Domestic prices are not good at all. Look at the Criterions at HMV to know what i mean.

Those Miyazakis are probably imported from China. No idea if they are bootlegs or just inferior releases. But if words like "anarmorphic", "aspect ratio" and "extras" matter to you, like it matters to me, then walk on by, like i do. The BFC tags are a good way to assess.

Go shop for luxury watches instead. Best prices in the world.

astreal

yup. you should try the local delights. Singapore is a place to have good food.
if you are looking for cheap sporting goods you sholud head your way to queensway shopping centre. Cheap computer parts, sim lim square is the place to go. Any help you need can always contact me at [email protected]

eau

Thanks for the replies.

By luxury watches you meant those 5 or 6-digit priced Swiss made ones, right

I passed by few of those 'fine watch' stores and they were practically empty.

blessthemess

4-digit ones too. Yep- not everyone can or want to afford them. I mean, come on, you gotta measure everything else in terms of dvds.... Swiss is good. So are the germans. Bargain till 25-30% off. Like Kramer sez, retail is for suckers.

Try shopping in the weekday mornings. I do. Avoid them crowds.

Things to do in Singapore:
----------------------------------
-Eat. Everyone loves the soul food here. Anthony Bourdain does.
-Zoo. At nite. Night Safari. Go after 9pm; closes at midnite. Has a Jurassic Park feel to it.
-Take a nite stroll thru Botanic Gardens. Has a Mulholland Drive feel to it.
-Take a cab up to Mount Faber. There are cafes up the hill.
-Want to watch an old french film in the cinema? Check out the local Alliance Française for the schedule. Website somewhere. Some of the cinemas were showing a Bergman retrospective recently- Fanny&Alexander, Cries&Whispers, etc.... It's all out there, you just have to find it.
-Scoff at the ridiculous dvd prices at HMV. Buy no dvds.

No worries about personal safety here at nite. Noone will rob or heckle you. Dangle all your gold if you like. I kid you not. Just ask Anthony.

astreal

its one of the safest place in the world. go clubbing at zouk. you will enjoy your with the array of international djs playing there.

eedoon

I agree Singapore is one of the safest place in the world. And about HMV... they do sell R3 DVD with reasonable price (R1 DVD are expensive though). Well, I've never go to sim lim square so I can't compare.

eau

I went to Sim Lim Square today and there was a couple of DVDs stores on the third floor, I think. Prices were more reasonable than HMV. They had a lot of R1 DVDs but no many Asian DVDs in sight (except in VCD). The Incredible DVD (R1) was about SG$34 and the R3 SG$28. VCD was about SG$13.

One of the stores there had lots of anime VCDs and DVDs on display. The DVDs look like very high-quality bootlegs, perhaps from HK or Taiwan. Some of them even had the Singapore BFC sticker on them. A complete collection on 3-4 DVDs goes for SG$50 or so.

I didn't get any since R1 was lot more cheaper at home

InnocentBlood

good choice most singaporeans who know their DVDs also get their stuff online. the local B&M prices are mostly crap & i've always wondered how HMV gets away with their amazingly expensive prices...

as for buying asian movies, it's also wise to get them online because it's hard to tell if the version that you find in the shops is legit or not. most of the buyers frankly do not care about details like these & they just wanna watch the damn movie for as low a price as possible.

if you have access to info like what's the best version of a movie is available, then you might want to try & look for that version in the shops while you are still here. also, the price for that version might also be high so in the end, you're probably better off getting what you want online

welcome to singapore & i hope that you've enjoyed your stay here so far