Category: Editions

Superbad still

Superbad (2007)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (113 min.)
  • Unrated Extended Edition (119 min.)

The Judd Apatow produced comedy Superbad holds up pretty great a decade after its premiere in 2007. When it debuted in 2007 it received critical acclaim and launched the career of two time Academy Awards nominee Jonah Hill. When Superbad arrived on home video format it was released in three separate editions: a theatrical cut DVD, an unrated extended edition DVD and an unrated extended edition Blu-ray. The theatrical cut is unavailable on Blu-ray.

Director Greg Mottola confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Casualties of War

Casualties of War (1989)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (113 min.)
  • Extended Cut (119 min.)

Casualties of War is without a doubt Brian De Palma’s most overlooked movie. It was quite the box office bomb at the time despite having two prominent young actors starring in the film: Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox in a rare dramatic departure from comedy. Since the premiere it has been considered by numerous critics and filmmakers as one of the best Vietnam War movies. In 2006 an extended cut of the film was released on DVD where it included two scenes cut from the theatrical cut. The theatrical and extended cuts are widely available on DVD but the extended cut has yet to arrive on Blu-ray.

Indiewire interviewed De Palma in 2013 and where he was asked whether he’d be interested in doing a new cut of Snake Eyes and talks about Casualties of War:

Indiewire: Have you ever thought about putting it back in or leaving it in as a special feature?
Brian De Palma: Well it was like when they made the special version of “Casualties of War,” I put in two scenes that were cut out from the initial release and I was very happy to put them back in. If they came to me and said, “We’re thinking about doing a new version,” I’d be happy to do it.

Source: Interview: Brian De Palma Talks ‘Passion,’ Digital Vs. Film, Psychosexual Thrillers & The Abandoned Ending Of ‘Snake Eyes’, Indiewire

The director’s preferred edition: Extended Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Wolf Creek still

Wolf Creek (2005)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (99 min.)
  • Unrated (104 min.)

The 2005 Aussie horror flick Wolf Creek was released on DVD as an unrated cut in the US. Since its release the Ozploitation has been considered a cult classic. The theatrical cut is widely available on DVD and Blu-ray while the unrated cut is only available on DVD in the US and in Germany on Blu-ray. Director Greg McLean confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Unrated

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Nickelodeon still

Nickelodeon (1976)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (121 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (125 min.)

Peter Bogdanovich’s show business comedy Nickelodeon tells a tale of a rocky motion picture production in Hollywood in the early 1910s. The actual production of Nickelodeon was quite bumpy as writer-director Bogdanovich set out to make a black and white homage to Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin with actors Jeff Bridges, John Ritter, Cybill Shepherd and Orson Welles. But instead the theatrical cut was in color starring Burt Reynolds, Ryan O’Neal, Stella Stevens and Brian Keith.

While in production Bogdanovich classed with actors, co-writer W.D. Richter and the studio and was never happy with the theatrical cut. In 2009 Nickelodeon was released on DVD that included the theatrical cut and a newly cut director’s cut. Bogdanovich provides a commentary track for the director’s cut where he states early on:

“…so there were compromises before we started but, we also wanted to make it in black and white, but that was a problem. But now, many years later we have it at least in black and white and four minutes longer than the released version. So, I’m happier with this version than I was with the released version.”

Source: Peter Bogdanovich’s commentary on the Nickelodeon Director’s Cut DVD

The director’s preferred edition: Director’s Cut

Any Given Sunday Still

Any Given Sunday (1999)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (163 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (157 min.)

Oliver Stone’s gridiron drama Any Given Sunday was a fresh and gritty take on American football and ranks among best sports movies ever. The Museum of Modern Art in New York held a retrospective of Stone and his films in 2000 where he premiered a director’s cut of Any Given Sunday. The theatrical cut was never released on DVD until it accompanied the director’s cut on the 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray. All the Blu-ray releases around the world are the director’s cut.

When introducing the director’s cut of the film to The Museum of Modern Art in 2000, Stones states the following:

“I had to rush to get the film out in time for football season last December. Then, at the Berlin Film Festival, we premiered a shorter version for the European release. Then I did the airline version, taking out the language, and for the first time, I’ve cut the network version. With all of that fresh, I decided now was a good time to go back and make the ‘definitive’ version that runs 2 hours and 37 minutes.”

Source: Stone Unveils Director’s Cuts of Sunday, Nixon, ABC News

The director’s preferred edition: Director’s Cut

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

The Ghost Writer still

The Ghost Writer (2010)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • US Theatrical Cut (128 min.)
  • International Theatrical Cut (128 min.)

Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, or simply The Ghost as it’s commonly known as, was an international production between companies in the UK, Germany and France. When the thriller premiered in the US the language had been censored and dubbed so it would get the rating PG-13 from the MPAA instead of R for strong language. The international theatrical cut include curse words like fuck and cunt but were replaced with less intense words like bloody, freaking, shit, and sod in the US theatrical cut. The US DVD and Blu-ray release is the PG-13 theatrical cut where the UK DVD and Blu-ray release is the uncensored international cut. Both cuts have the same running time and only difference is the swearing.

The dubbing in the US theatrical cut is clear as day so there can be no other way that to conclude that the international cut is Polanski’s intent and preference.

The director’s preferred edition: International Theatrical Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Ultimate Versus Still

Versus (2000)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (120 min.)
  • R-rated Cut (116 min.)
  • Ultimate Versus (130 min.)

The Japanese cult favorite Versus mixes multiple genres where zombies, sword fighting, martial arts and comedy all comes in one place. In 2004 the movie received a makeover from writer-director Ryuhei Kitamura dubbed Ultimate Versus where he added 10 minutes of newly shot footage, new music, and a color correction among other things to the film. The US Blu-ray release is the theatrical cut while the Ultimate Versus is available from Tokyo Shock on DVD. In a lively commentary track in Japanese for the Ultimate Versus Kitamura is asked by a fellow cast member the following:

Cast member: Was this “Ultimate Versus” done according to your wishes?
Ryuhei Kitamura: I think so. As a “Versus”, I’ve done everything and left nothing behind.

Source: Audio Commentary by director Ryuhei Kitamura, Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki and Shoichiro Masumoto on Ultimate Versus on DVD

The director’s preferred edition: Ultimate Versus

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD

Mutant Chronicles still

Mutant Chronicles (2008)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (111 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (101 min.)

The 2008 sci-fi indie Mutant Chronicles premiered on VOD in the States in 2008 and got a limited theatrical release a month later. The movie was released in cinemas in the UK and Europe. The DVD and Blu-ray release in the States includes only the director’s cut of the film while elsewhere the theatrical cut was more common on both formats. Director Simon Hunter confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Director’s Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (114 min.)
  • Director’s Cut (119 min.)

The psychological thriller The Butterfly Effect was released on DVD where it included the theatrical cut along with a director’s cut of the film. The Blu-ray release also includes both cuts. Directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruberon provide a commentary track for the director’s cut where they open up the movie by saying the following:

“We’re really glad that you are seeing the director’s cut and we have the opportunity to show you all the scenes that were not in the theatrical version of the film. Thank God for DVDs.”

Source: Audio commentary by writers-directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruberon on The Butterfly Effect Director’s Cut Blu-ray

The director’s preferred edition: Director’s Cut

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray

Hannibal Rising

Hannibal Rising (2007)

This or That Edition

What editions are available?

  • Theatrical Cut (121 min.)
  • Unrated (131 min.)

The Silence of the Lambs prequel Hannibal Rising was slaughtered by critics and fans alike of the sophisticated cannibal Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal Rising is the fifth entry in the Hannibal-franchise that started with Manhunter in 1986. Hannibal Rising was released in the States on DVD in a unrated cut but has still not found its way to Blu-ray although the UK release on Blu-ray is the unrated cut. Director Peter Webber confirmed with This or That Edition which edition he prefers:

The director’s preferred edition: Neither

Comparison of the editions with courtesy of Movie-Censorship.com

List of different editions with courtesy of DVDCompare.net: DVD | Blu-ray