Sci-Fi's at it again

[J.R.]

So, Dog Soldiers has come to America- as a Sci-Fi Channel original movie! That's right, the gory British horror film about roughnecks attacked by werewolves will appear on SFC (with a TV-14 rating, no doubt). They're taking credit even though they had zip to do with it and they'll cut out all the gore, just like sister network USA shows booby movies without the boobies.

[Steven Millan]

                You can add Joe Bob Brigg's TNT movie marathon gigs,as well,where he showed drive-in movies without the blood,breasts,and beasts(the first two being heavily edited out). And,his beer can was actually full of apple juice(would have loved to see Joe Bob actually drunk,and making sure that they air the NC-17 uncut version of those films).
                     You're right about "Dog Soldiers":I'll just wait till I find it laying amongst Blockbuster's bargain video sales bin(at least thier version will have the gore intact).

[Neo]

Actually Blockbuster reserves the right to edit any VHS movie they see fit to make it more family oriented. Certain scenes from MEET THE PARENTS were edited out of their VHS copies. I laughed at this until I rented a horror, HELLRAISER, and some of the scenes were amateurishly (is that even a word?) edited out. Best bet would be to find a "mom and pop" shop and hope that they get it or even find a Hollywood Video near you.

-Neo-

[john]

>rating, no doubt). They're taking credit even though they had zip to do with it and
>they'll cut out all the gore, just like sister network USA shows booby movies
>without the boobies.

 A few years ago, after seeing several movies that were claimed to be SFC originals, but which were chopped to shreds, I sent them e-mail and accused them of lying. I told them that I had seen one of their 'originals' two years before in a video store (which I had). They wrote back and said that sometimes they pay other people to make their movies for them, and sometimes they just buy the rights to movies that haven't been shown on TV before. According to them, if no other channel has shown them and they buy the rights to them, it makes it 'their' movie.

 I wrote back and asked if they thought it would ethical for me to buy a painting from someone else and pass it off as an original work by myself. Strangely, they never replied to that...

[Nathan]

Actually Blockbuster reserves the right to edit any VHS movie they see fit to make it more family oriented. Certain scenes from MEET THE PARENTS were edited out of their VHS copies. I laughed at this until I rented a horror, HELLRAISER, and some of the scenes were amateurishly (is that even a word?) edited out.

Um, reality check -- Blockbuster DOES NOT edit their own films, and CANNOT edit their own films.  Doing so is contrary to their distribution contracts, and would bring the p**sed-off wrath of all studios down on their heads.

What Blockbuster DOES is negotiates with studios for specially-edited versions of a few movies (Requiem for a Dream, for example).  The studio, however, AGREES to do it, and the studio provides the variant version cassette.  And Blockbuster is rarely the only outfit carrying the scaled-back version.

Nathan

[Neo]

Hey Nathan, thanks for saying pretty much what I was saying, except you added a bit more sarcasm and negativity. The point being Blockbuster doesn't always carry unedited versions. They get SPECIALLY edited copies.

-Neo-

[J.R.]

Are they trying to keep a "family" image or something? How many young kids want to see Requiem For A Dream anyway? I guess it has more than enough nudity for an R, but I hope they just cut out all the disturbing Wayans buff. Jennifer Connelly's nude scenes better be in there.

[J.R.]

Are they trying to keep a "family" image or something? How many young kids want to see Requiem For A Dream anyway? I guess it has more than enough nudity for an R, but I hope they just cut out all the disturbing Wayans buff. Jennifer Connelly's nude scenes better be in there.

[john]

Allegedly, there's a big market for movies with the ***BAD*** parts editted out. This way, all the normal, non-perverted people won't be offended by the horrible, awful, DIRTY nudity!!! You can shop at Blockbuster or Wal-Mart safe in the knowledge that you won't be exposed to such filth!

 Check out;

 http://www.dove.org

[jmc]

You never know, though...I've rented uncut versions of John Waters' films at Blockbuster.  

I have mixed feelings about Blockbuster.  I don't really agree with what they do, but I'm not really the customer they're looking for either.  Neither are most of you.  Why should a business attempt to cater to anyone outside their target demographic?   Knowledgable film fans aren't going to be interested in Blockbuster for the most part, cult movie fans even less so.  Blockbuster is for people who rush out to see all the hit movies year after year without thinking very much about them, and without realizing that they are basically seeing the same thing.  

What I do have a problem with is if Blockbuster somehow influences the theatrical version of a film.  

DVD and the internet has rendered a lot of this question moot--you can buy DVDs for not much more than it costs to rent them, and failing that, you can always go for bootlegs.  And there's always Netflix, assuming they can stay in business.

[Flangepart]

Original movies? In whoooooos opinion? Going on past experiance, i'd call them the "Escaped space prisoners network". BTW, am i the only one who misses sci-fi channel shows like Sci-fi Buzz? I forget the title, but the onw with Rodger Lodge, with the war room? Those could make for some intresting scraps! But, nooooo, too challenging for the ol intellect, i gather. That, of being disagreed with honked off too many potential guests. Some times Harlen Ellison can be an arrogent a-hole, but he's fun to listen to, and you never doubt what he means.

[Newt]

"Some times Harlen Ellison can be an arrogent a-hole, "......Sometimes??  I must have missed the times when he isn't.  Were there two, or three?

[Cullen]

Ellison has his moments on both side of the spectrum.  Damn fine writer, either way.

[jmc]

I think that little zombie kid who bites his mom's nipple off in BURIAL GROUND kinda looks like Harlan Ellison.

[J.R.]

I'm with you, Flangepart. I had heard about Sci-Fi and really wanted to check it ou, but my cable provider didn't carry it. Then I visited a relative in the hospital that had sattelite, and Sci-Fi was frickin' awesome! War Room, weird Unsolved Mysteries rip-offs, lots of good original programming. There was this show with a title like Stuff From Around The Galaxy, that highlighted new books, merchandise and websites. Great stuff. Now Sci-Fi only shows, like you said, escaped space convict movies, reruns of shows no one likes and movies that don't even count as science fiction.