Alien - The Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)

Starring:Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Eddie Powell
Director: Ridley Scott
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

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The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "special edition" form.

Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 director's cut is fiddling for the sake of fiddling. Watch it once, then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely, the special edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice to finally have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien 3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered, and finished off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien: Resurrection (1997) always was a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the special edition just makes it eight minutes longer.

The Alien Quadrilogy offers the first and fourth films with DTS soundtracks, the others having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary track that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here.

Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented in full-screen with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills, and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including an hourlong documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. "Exhaustive" hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set that establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S. Dalkin

Description

Disc 1: Alien Collector?s Edition Disc 2: Aliens Collector?s Edition Disc 3: Alien 3 Collector?s Edition Disc 4: Alien Resurrection Collector?s Edition Disc 5: Bonus Disc

Customer Reviews:

A Must Have For Any Alien Fan.......2007-05-23

I have been a fan of the Alien movies since I was a kid. I never got to see any in theaters except for Alien Resurection. This is a great set and each movie has extended or deleted scenes added to the films. The first two, Alien and Aliens are great classic movies and the extended scenes make the classics that much better. The final two, Alien 3 and Alien Resurection are the mos underated in my opinion. Alien 3 was a great movie but has alot more cursing than the other three but it fits considering it is set in a prison. There was a bunch deleted from this film and it really adds alot to it as several key scenes are completly different and make more sense IMO. The only issue is that the added scenes have degraded over time and some of the dialouge was unusable so at times the audio is hard to hear, but it is still very interesting to watch. Alien Resurection was the most underated of the four and while it's not the best it is still a good movie. The added scenes really make it that much better. The special features on all of these movies are imense and this is one set that is a must buy for Alien fans and science fiction lovers.

Warning: compression problems.......2007-05-19

Warning for potential buyers... the cd of Alien 4 is full of compression errors and won't even play on my dvd player. I managed to start the movie by scene jumping, but halfway through on a scene jump the movie stalled, dumping me into a "dvd video compression" screen, and I could not access anything beyond this point.

I don't know if I have a defective cd or if there are scores of compression problems with this product.

Caveat emptor.

A must have!.......2007-05-15

This is a fabulous boxed set, especially if you can get it at a decent price. It is available on-line and in some shops at very comptetitive prices.
Alien and Aliens are already classics (as everybody knows) and merit repeated viewings.
The 3rd and 4th are not up to the same standard but have their moments.
There are 9 DVD's in total.
Disc 1 contains both versions of Alien + Commentaries
Disc 2 contains documentaries on Alien
Disc 3 contains both versions of Aliens + Commentaries
Disc 4 contains documentaries on Aliens
I have watched these and they are very good. Especially in relation to creating the special effects and James Cameron working in the UK at Pinewood (there were problems - indeed almost a strike!).
Disc 5 contains both versions of Alien3 + Commentaries
Disc 6 contains documentaries on Alien3
I have watched some of this and there is some fascinating information on the original script and director.
Disc 7 contains both versions of Alien Resurrection + Commentary
Disc 8 contains documentaries on Alien Resurrection
Disc 9 More Extras

All in all a superb set to get.

A fan must have!.......2007-05-12

I've always been fan of the Alien series and I wanted to have them all in one package, and this set box is great. The 9 discs are worth the price and you can get to see other versions not previously seen, which are excellent and give you a different perspective. Only the first one has no major changes, maybe a few extended scenes, but the rest of them are amazing! My favorite so far is "Alien Resurrection", when we get to see a glimpse of earth after soooo many years and Ripley is finally home. Get it ONLY if you're a true fan, otherwise...

Oh Goodness.........2007-04-25

I'm having wonderful thoughts about tHe beautiful Sigorney Weaver..Winona Riders in this and H.R Gigier's monsters make everything come so (When is "Classmates" going to be back uP..I'D rather be visiting Amy Roskelley's profile..)alive..

Star Trek - The Motion Picture: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

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Star Trek - The Motion Picture: The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)
Starring: Majel Barrett , Ralph Brannen , Roger Aaron Brown , Ralph Byers , and Stephen Collins
Director: Robert Wise
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JKHP
Release Date: 2001-11-06

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Back when the first Star Trek feature was released in December 1979, the Trek franchise was still relatively modest, consisting of the original TV series, an animated cartoon series from 1973-74, and a burgeoning fan network around the world. Series creator Gene Roddenberry had conceived a second TV series, but after the success of Star Wars the project was upgraded into this lavish feature film, which reunited the original series cast aboard a beautifully redesigned starship U.S.S. Enterprise. Under the direction of Robert Wise (best known for West Side Story), the film proved to be a mixed blessing for Trek fans, who heatedly debated its merits; but it was, of course, a phenomenal hit. Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) leads his crew into the vast structures surrounding V'Ger, an all-powerful being that is cutting a destructive course through Starfleet space. With his new First Officer (Stephen Collins), the bald and beautiful Lieutenant Ilia (played by the late Persis Khambatta) and his returning veteran crew, Kirk must decipher the secret of V'Ger's true purpose and restore the safety of the galaxy. The story is rather overblown and derivative of plots from the original series, and avid Trekkies greeted the film's bland costumes with derisive laughter. But as a feast for the eyes, this is an adventure worthy of big-screen trekkin'. Douglas Trumbull's visual effects are astonishing, and Jerry Goldmith's score is regarded as one of the prolific composer's very best (with its main theme later used for Star Trek: The Next Generation). And, fortunately for Star Trek fans, the expanded 143-minute version (originally shown for the film's network TV premiere) is generally considered an improvement over the original theatrical release. --Jeff Shannon

The Abyss (Director's Cut Lenticular Cover Edition)

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The Abyss (Director's Cut Lenticular Cover Edition)
Starring: Ed Harris , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Michael Biehn , Leo Burmester , and Todd Graff
Director: James Cameron
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000O76T8Q
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Description

A civilian oil rig crew is recruited to conduct a search and rescue effort when a nuclear submarine mysteriously sinks. One diver (Ed Harris) soon finds himself on a spectacular odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface where he confronts a mysterious force that has the power to change the world or destroy it.

Mysterious Skin (Original Theatrical Director's Cut)

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Mysterious Skin (Original Theatrical Director's Cut)
Starring: Chase Ellison , George Webster (IV) , Rachael Nastassja Kraft , Lisa Long , and Chris Mulkey
Director: Gregg Araki
Manufacturer: Tla
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ASIN: B000ATQYQU
Release Date: 2005-10-25

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Though the subject matter of Mysterious Skin is as sensational as that of Gregg Araki's other films (such as Totally F***ked Up, The Doom Generation, or The Living End), his direction is richer and more multilayered than ever before. Two Kansas teenagers named Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You) and Brian (Brady Corbett, Thirteen) share a childhood trauma--but their responses are radically different: Neil hustles tricks, while Brady, who can't remember what happened, believes he was abducted by aliens and left with "missing time." As both try to make sense of their lives and Brian struggles to find out the truth, Mysterious Skin builds to an emotional pitch that some viewers will find uncomfortable and others will find liberating. The characters of Neil and Brian have a fullness that lifts Mysterious Skin above most examinations of sexual abuse and trauma. Gordon-Levitt has been deservedly praised by the critics, but the entire cast--which also includes Bill Sage (Simple Men), Elizabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Mary Lynn Rajskub (24)--turns in superb performances. A striking and powerful movie. --Bret Fetzer

Description

The summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. These are the words of Brian Lackey, a troubled 18 year old, growing up in the stiflingly small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Plagued by nightmares, Brian believes that he may have been the victim of an alien abduction. Neil, however, is the ultimate beautiful outsider. With a loving but promiscuous mother, Neil is wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, having found what he perceived to be love from his Little League baseball coach at a very early age. Now, ten years later, Neil is a teenage hustler, nonchalant about the dangerous path his life is taking.

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