The Cap'n has always wanted to dive into the "Region Free Player" world, but between buying yet another dvd player (not counting the PS3 or my computer, I already have three) and the price of importing dvds / monitoring the PAL vs NTSC headaches, I never did. The farthest I ever got was buying some Canadian-only editions of dvds: Ginger Snaps is actually widescreen and has extra features up north, and eXistenZ gives a Criterion-like treatment to a largely overlooked Cronenberg film*.
It can be a bummer, because studios regularly put out films in other markets or other editions the U.S. will never see. Not only can you get Battle Royale by itself, decked out with a decent picture (technically speaking, you can't get it in the US officially), but Japan has a four-disc edition of Grindhouse. In addition to the whole movie (as seen in theatres), you get both "extended" cuts, and an extra disc that we may never see here in the states. Of course, you'll pay for it if you really want it.
Enter Blu-Ray, where the territory is a little more murky. Instead of Regions One (US and Canada), Two (UK and Australia), Three (Uh... Russia? India? I don't know), and Four (Japan), Blu-Ray has regions A and B so far.
Region A discs work in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, so anything coming out in Germany, France, England, or Spain will play over here. Even if it's PAL, because the films themselves tend to be mastered NTSC. The extras might be dodgy, but it's a way to see films the U.S. is dragging their feet on.
For example, while digging through Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca, I found the following movies are already available: In Bruges, The Machinst, Taken, Fido, Slither, A Nightmare on Elm Street, the Batman films of Burton and Schumacer, Danny the Dog (Unleashed), Downfall, Freddy vs. Jason, Escape from New York, Friday the 13th parts 2 and 3, Sin City, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Til Dawn, Amelie, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and 12 Monkeys.
Presently, I could order any of them and they'd play right away on my PS3. Since they're imports, you have minor headaches like switching audio tracks or subtitles, but the reviews point to otherwise spiffy discs. Some of the Canadian ones are barebones (A Nightmare on Elm Street, From Dusk Til Dawn), but personally I'm interested in Slither. Fido too, and possibly 12 Monkeys.
Considering the prices of BD's in stores right now, the "import" discs are comparable in price and it's now possible to watch High Def movies on your own pace, not the studios'. Actually, if my conversion tables are correct, the Canadian discs might even be cheaper. Sure, eventually Universal will get around to releasing Slither. The question is: what Slither will we get?
What bugs me about Universal is that they'll take away most of the extras (e.g., King Kong, The Thing) and incorporate them into their "U-Control". I happen to like "The Thing: Fear Takes Shape" as a documentary, so having it chopped up and playing during the movie is cool, but it's not the same. I can easily see them doing the same with Slither, and if I have the option of not doing that, I'll take it.
Is the Cap'n vicariously living through BD's in lieu of diving into the actual world of "Region Free"? Probably. The flexibility of next-gen discs does make enjoying movies from across the regions possible. When the incentive to do this starts dropping, don't think these "Region A's" won't vanish. In the meantime, I say dig in!
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That's it. Sorry. No "b"-plot today. I was writing a paper last night and slowly watching Brides of Dracula from Hammer. It's fun, even without Christopher Lee**.
* I also bought a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to legitimately complete the series. It's the only way you can get the film with its actual title in a Region One format.
** By Brides of Dracula the series has established that Dracula himself is dead and now it's up to his "descendants" (understood as people he bit) to pass on vampirism.
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