At the beginning of Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," Raoul Duke runs down the long list of drugs and alcohol he and his companion, Dr. Gonzo, have acquired for their hedonistic trip.
Duke then observes, "Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can."
This is true of collecting in general.
My primary addiction for nearly the past five years has been DVDs. When it comes to things to waste money on, people could do a lot worse. A large DVD library has a bit more practicality than say, a collection of sports cards, medieval broadswords or commemorative Elvis plates.
How to tell when someone's DVD habit has really gone over the edge: when someone asks for an "all-region" DVD player for Christmas.
In order to better control movie releases and licensing deals, DVDs are encoded so that they will be able to play in only a single "region" of the world. For example, North America is region 1 while Europe is region 2.
An all-region DVD player has been modified so that it will play DVDs from everywhere. This is entirely legal and people can purchase such a player for roughly the same price as a normal one.
So what's the big deal?
The benefits are numerous and delightful.
First, people can obtain movies that are otherwise unavailable here in region 1. The legendary cult film "El Topo," John Lennon and Marilyn Manson's favorite movie, is available in an Italian release. Asian film fans must see the notorious "Battle Royale," unreleased here in America. Both seasons of "Twin Peaks" are also available in a Spanish boxset.
DVDs out of print in this country are available in other editions elsewhere. Foremost in this category is Pier Paolo Pasolini's infamous last film, "Salo." The ultra-rare Criterion Collection title is considered the holy grail of DVDs. Non-bootleg copies sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay. Yet the region 2 release can be purchased for $30.
Our country's hypocritical, puritanical rating system has dealt many casualties. While many films eventually gain an unrated DVD release, others do not. "Eyes Wide Shut" (the catalyst for the all-region trend,) "Kill Bill Vol. 1," "But I'm a Cheerleader" and "The Rules of Attraction" are some of the most popular examples.
Because different companies put together the DVDs in different regions, often the same movie will have different special features in different regions. It's frustrating when here in America we'll have a bare-bones release while those lucky Europeans enjoy a double-disc special edition. Such is the case with "Raging Bull" and "The Deer Hunter."
Perhaps coolest of all, though, is that sometimes people can purchase an import DVD of a film months before it's released in the United States. That's the opportunity with "Ken Park," the new, ultra-controversial film from Larry Clark, the director of "Kids" and "Bully." It's also the case with "Prozac Nation," starring Christina Ricci and Jason Biggs.
Personally, I think it's a sign my obsession has gone too far: "We were somewhere around Barstow at the edge of the desert when the DVDs began to take hold."
Links of note:
http://www.codefreedvd.com/
www.lasersedge.com
www.diabolikdvd.com
www.xploitedcinema.com,,2(-«[~zo_swindle_6.28DNEditorial,,2SORT+â-ä2AUDT
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