Wednesday, January 26, 2011

#1034: I Spit on Your Grave (remake)

7:21 PM / Blu-ray / Comments15 Comments

BD

(BD/digital copy combo, Anchor Bay, Region A, USA)

This and the previous entry are examples of BDs I perhaps wouldn't have been so quick to order if I'd known I'd be getting an into an expensive hobby. That said, I'm not really sure what the alternative is. Both versions of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE have been chopped, crippled and mutilated beyond recognition at the hands of the British censors, making me unlikely to want to rent the local editions. (OK, so "beyond recognition" may be a bit of a stretch as far as the remake is concerned, but I'm still not about to pay good money to see a compromised version.)

Additionally, I've heard unconfirmed reports that the UK version of the 1978 original is in fact a standard definition upconvert. (Can anyone confirm or deny? As far as I can tell, no-one seems to have actually reviewed it.)

Still, these should make for interesting viewing, not least from the point of view of comparison. I'm intrigued that the producers of the remake chose to hire relatively unknown actors and didn't bother seeking a rating from the MPAA. Whether or not it turns out to be a shameless cash-in in the vein of many a horror remake, at the very least this indicates that it has more balls than your average PG-13 retread.

 
15 Comments

1. David Mackenzie said:

>> As far as I can tell, no-one seems to have actually reviewed it.

^ Even if they had, how many reviewers would actually be able to give a reasoned analysis?

(Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:30 PM)

2. Author Profile Page Michael said:

0.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:31 PM)

3. Christopher D. Jacobson said:

Didn't know Alice was so close to being released, nor did I even know the original I Spit on Your Grace was coming to Blu-ray, nor did I know the remake got made, ha ha. Is this direct to video? Interested to find out what you think of the film, as well as what the video quality is like for both films. For sure if the original flick got a good transfer, I'll pick that up (that is, whenever I get the money). Been meaning to show it to my friend for years, but he's hesitant, heh. Perhaps if I purchase the Blu-ray I'll push harder for my buddy to watch it with me, as I've been wanting to revisit this flick for some time.

(Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:42 PM)

4. Christopher D. Jacobson said:

D'oh. I Spit on Your Grave, obviously. WHURR'S MA EDIT BUT'N???

(Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 9:43 PM)

5. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Chris:

The remake wasn't direct to video, but because the producers chose to sidestep the MPAA the release was pretty limited.

As for the original, I've only taken a quick look at the transfer, but it does look pretty good. Like THE EVIL DEAD, though, Anchor Bay have dropped the original mono audio in favour of a 5.1 remix.

And you can't have an edit button, so quit askin'. :P

(Posted on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 10:57 PM)

6. FoxyMulder said:

Hey...........Can i have an edit button!

(Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 8:37 AM)

7. Baron Scarpia said:

They remade I Spit on Your Grave?

What's the point?

(Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 5:21 PM)

8. Author Profile Page Michael said:

FoxyMulder:

Certainly not. If you ask again I shall have to punish you. :P


Baron Scarpia:

I'd imagine the almighty dollar might have played some part. I believe Meir Zarchi owns the distribution rights to his own film so it's probably safe to say he's done pretty well out of it.

Besides, the remakes of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT were, in my opinion, better than the original (both NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS and the official remake from a couple of years back). With that in mind, I'm curious to see if the deeply flawed I SPIT... can benefit from a second pass.

(Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 6:08 PM)

9. Kentai said:

What was the point of David Cronenberg remaking The Fly?

Don't get me wrong, I'm just as nervous that this'll be crap as anyone with a shred of respect for Meir Zarchi. But it's not as if any aspect of Zarchi's film was perfect or couldn't have been improved upon in the right hands.

(Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 6:43 PM)

10. Phil Quail said:

The remake doesn't have the disturbing impact of the original, but it's a really good crowd-pleasing revenge movie. I liked it anyway!

Probably best seen with a cinema audience, though - I suspect it may be less effective on BD/DVD.

(Posted on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 12:12 AM)

11. The Phantom said:

Are these (I Spit on Your Grave) Blu-ray's Region A locked?

(Posted on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 4:11 AM)

12. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Phantom:

Yep, both are Region A only, I'm afraid.

(Posted on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 2:07 PM)

13. Neil said:

http://hcc.techradar.com/playback/blu-ray/i-spit-your-grave-ultimate-collectors-edition-blu-ray-review-23-09-10

^ There ya go, found you a review of the UK I Spit On Your Grave bd.

(Posted on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 9:57 PM)

14. Author Profile Page Michael said:

Thanks, Neil. Jeez, that's an upconvert if ever I saw one. :/

Here, as far as I can tell given the mahoosive differences in framing, is the same frame, from the US BD, as the first capture in the TechRadar review:

http://www.landofwhimsy.com/funbag/spitusbd.jpg

(Posted on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 11:51 AM)

15. Derrick King said:

Just to let the folks that are Region B locked know, according to Mike T over at the Av Maniacs forum, the Australian Blu-rays for both versions of ISOYG will be uncut: http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?46694-I-SPIT-ON-YOUR-GRAVE&p=867220&viewfull=1#post867220

(Posted on Monday, January 31, 2011 at 6:56 AM)

 
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