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DVD Review – Star Wars Limited Edition DVD Release (2006)

2004 saw the release of the “original” Star Wars Trilogy onto DVD for the first time ever… and with a new format comes further changes and “updates” to the films, such as minor graphical edits and the swapping of Force ghosts. While people were thrilled with having these films on DVD, there were those who would rather have the original, unaltered versions of these classic films on DVD instead; a point of contention that still exists to this very day.

Fortunately, Lucasfilm threw the fans a bone with this 2006 Limited Edition DVD release and the results were… well, it’s something.

THE GOOD: Each movie includes 2 discs; the first disc being the then-latest 2004 DVD release with further changes added to the film (in fact, these are exactly the same discs you’d get from that initial release.) And the second disc includes the original theatrical version of the film; which means Star Wars is just Star Wars and not Episode IV, Ewok music ends the Trilogy, and the Emperor is depicted by an old lady in monkey make-up in Empire. Doing it this way provides a nice compare-and-contrast for those into details and minutae while making two camps (updates vs. original) mildly satisfied for the short term.

THE BAD: While the original theatrical releases are indeed included as a bonus feature, the same care that went into the DVD restorations of the “updated” versions obviously didn’t apply to the original versions, which are apparently ripped from the Laserdisc releases. Now if you don’t care about the visual quality, then this is no biggie since it’s not completely terrible… but it’s also not on par with the restored version. Also, since the movies were released separately, you don’t get the bonus DVD of bonus material that came with the original DVD release.

IS IT WORTH IT? I got the 2004 DVD release, but then eventually got the 2006 re-releases because I wanted the original versions of these films on DVD, even if the transfer quality isn’t fantastic. I don’t know if it’d be worth it today since Blu-Ray is a thing, these things are harder to come by, and most would prefer the Unspecial Special Edition that’s been on the bootleg circuit for years on end, but if you find one in the wild for cheap, sure why not?

RAW (Apr. 2nd, 2007) – Good God RAW-ful

If you love battle royales, the first hour was for you. Otherwise, the show blew. Apparently, Lashley/Umaga for fifty bucks wasn’t bad enough, so we have to suffer through it for free. Fuck you, McMahon. Fuck you and your disproportionately tinny weeny peaball-sized bald head.

Shithead.

(2019 Update: You know, something like this normally wouldn’t make the cut or would just be stuffed away in a compilation post. But this gave me a good, hard laugh. So, for that, it gets its own post.)

As a bonus, I’ll toss in some quick thoughts on Mania 23. Despite the promising card, the show really didn’t do much for me. The Lashley/Umaga match was unsurprisingly shitty and the main event (Cena/Michaels) left me a bit deflated. On the bright side of things, Batista/Taker was a fairly good match for what it was and Money In The Bank was also pretty good.

All in all, it’s a better show than what was given to us last year, but hardly a show worth writing home about. I’ll have a more detailed review later tonight.

PPV Predictions: Wrestlemania 23

One thing I want to comment on before getting on the predictions is the way WWE handles its various websites. Now I understand the need for uniformity within the web structure, as most of the previous Webstation designs were geared towards a single layout, but when it comes to promoting major events such as a new PPV or spotlighting a major WWE superstar, you would think that something a little extra would be done to emphasise the importance of a talent or event. It wasn’t more than a couple years ago when Wrestlemania had its own website with its own design independent from the rest.

Now the WWF/WCW/ECW Invasion of 2001 is something I’m sure every wrestling fan or fanatic would like to forget about, but when the websites for WCW and ECW were created, they had a different design from the old WWF website. It was as if the companies were separate from the WWF (even though they owned one and were paying off debts for the other one). Compare it with the web design of the current ECW.com, which is similar in layout to the rest of the WWE site. It’s as if all creativity was thrown down the shitter when they got their legal asses kicked by the Panda people.

But I digress. We’re not here to talk about websites; we’re here to talk Wrestlemania 23. So let’s do this thing.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of arguably the most famous wrestling event to ever take place, Wrestlemania 3, WWE has decided to make sure that this show is completely Hogan-free. Hell, I’m happy already. But to celebrate the event, they’re bringing back Aretha Franklin to sing America The Beautiful (just like she did in ‘Mania 3).

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DVD Review – WWE: The Best Of Intercontinental Championship (2004)

WWE’s Best Of Intercontinental Championship is not a new DVD release, but rather it’s a re-issue of an old Colosseum Video compilation from 1993, featuring five matches from 1992-93. Beyond that, it’s a very barebones, very basic release with no additional features or bonuses of note. For what it’s worth, you’re getting the following matches.

– IC Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Crush from a ’93 show in England.

– IC Champion Bret Hart vs. Skinner from a 1992 episode of Prime Time Wrestling and pretty much the oldest match on the tape/disc by virtue of featuring Bret Hart as the champion.

– IC Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Janetty from a July ’93 episode of RAW.

– IC Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect from Summerslam ’93.

– IC Champion Shawn Michaels vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan from a May ’93 episode of RAW.

THE GOOD: Well, it was a relatively cheap DVD. I think I only payed about ten bucks for this thing. Also, if you’re an HBK fan, you have a nice collection of matches from his first two IC title reigns. The matches against Janetty and Perfect are the highlights.

THE BAD: It’s a straight-up re-release of an old Colosseum Video release with no extra bits and very basic menus to navigate. Not only that, but there’s only five matches and other than the two I mentioned in the “good” segment, the rest of the matches aren’t exactly worthy of being dubbed the best of anything.

OVERALL: For a cheap re-release, it’s something for old-timers. But anyone who wants a collection of good Intercontinental championship matches should probably get the History Of The IC Championship DVD set that was released years later, where there’s not only more (better) matches, but there’s also variety, which this re-release lacks.

Classic Bite Commentary #62 – March 20th, 2007

Welcome to the Bite. On the agenda are some random pieces, some blog reposts and expansions, and some news concerning certain web projects. Also, there will be a new commentary in a couple weeks, sometime during the whole Wrestlemania fever. And yes, there will be predictions and a full review to follow.

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Trekkies Hated Wesley So Wesley Gets His Revenge and Trashes Old Treks

Here’s a really cool thing I came across (and don’t remember if I had mentioned this before, but won’t be bothered to check): former Trek wonderboy Wil Wheaton reviews classic episodes of his old show, Star Trek: The Next Generation. They’re pretty good reads and offer decent insights into the shows from a guy who’s been there.

(2019 Update: The link to the site is long dead. However, Wil Wheaton did compiled the few reviews from that old site and turned it into a book called Memories Of The Future. Check it out; it’s a pretty good read.)

Move THIS Forward: The War On Trek

So I’ve visiting the ol’ Trekweb site – my go to hub for all Star Trek news (2025 Update: Long since dead. R.I.P.) – and I noticed that they conducted an interview with former Trek exec Rick Berman. He still seems to have no clue as to why his last Trek movie venture (2002’s Star Trek Nemesis, for those who don’t know) failed miserably in the box office. While I’ll be one of the few to admit that I actually enjoyed Nemesis, even I have to admit that it wasn’t that great a movie in comparison to other Trek movies; more of a popcorn flick than anything else. The fact that Berman is lost on this concept even years after the movie’s release and failure goes to show why the Star Trek franchise is currently in limbo as far as on-screen affairs are concerned.

Continue reading “Move THIS Forward: The War On Trek”

PPV Predictions: TNA Destination X 2007

Okay, so in an attempt to be different (and failing miserably), I’ll be doing picks for a TNA PPV. These will mostly come out of my ass since I’m not as well informed on TNA happenings… although I do have some idea what’s going on. Anyway, let’s try this again…

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Captain America? Dead? Are You F'n Drunk?!

Some press release or something. Got it off Trekweb which presumably came from some place else.

NEW YORK – Captain America has undertaken his last mission _ at least for now. The venerable superhero is killed in the issue of his namesake comic that hit stands Wednesday, the Daily News reported.

On the new edition’s pages, a sniper shoots down the shield-wielding hero as he leaves a courthouse, according to the newspaper.

It ends a long run for the stars-and-stripes-wearing character, created in 1941 to incarnate patriotic feeling during World War II. Over the years, an estimated 210 million copies of “Captain America” comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment Inc., have been sold in a total of 75 countries.

But resurrections are not unknown in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment editor in chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn’t impossible.

Still, the character’s death came as a blow to co-creator Joe Simon.

“We really need him now,” said Simon, 93, who worked with artist Jack Kirby to devise Captain America as a foe for Adolf Hitler.

According to the comic, the superhero was spawned when a scrawny arts student named Steve Rogers, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a “Super Soldier Serum” injection. The substance made him a paragon of physical perfection, armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts.

In the comic-book universe, death is not always final. But even if Captain America turns out to have met his end in print, he may not disappear entirely: Marvel has said it is developing a Captain America movie.

To this I say… if anyone truly believes that they’re going to kill off one of their most beloved characters for good, you are truly out of your fucking minds and deserve to get your heads blown off. I mean, come on.

DTM BLOG Classics #27 – Snow And Anywhere But Hammerstein

So we’re getting snow for the weekend. About 20-25 centimeters of the stuff. Just a painful reminder that winter is still around for another two-three weeks.

Business as usual.

In other news, WWE has reportedly moved the ECW One Night Stand PPV from its usual location in New York (Hammerstein Ballroom) to the Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Obviously, this is an attempt to keep away the old-school ECW crowd and Florida is as far from the old-school ECW crowd as you’re going to get.

Of course, this particular plan was implemented with the last piece of shit PPV when they moved it to Georgia and we all know the story there. Because when you’re selling ECW, you’re selling an open atmosphere which means the crowd will just chant whatever the fuck they want.

Finally, according to rajah.com, MTV has apparently canceled their short-lived Wrestling Society X show due to nagging ratings and some inappropriate content such as fireballs. I had always known that MTV were run by a bunch of pussies.

Of course, now that MTV’s wrestling show is canceled and no longer competing with the other one-hour piece of crap show known as ECW, Vince can stop caring about ECW… as if he even cared to begin with.