DVD Shopping Bag

Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN.
© Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Pirates

By: Robert T. Trate
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Last weekend I ventured to a Horror Convention in New Jersey. There were the usual fans, freaks, weirdos and B movie stars. This was my third time to this particular convention but my first time there as your beloved (yeah, I am going to get flak for that) columnist.

Walking around the dealers’ room I saw the typical overpriced stuff: movie posters, movie buttons, action figures and bootlegged DVDs. It’s the bootlegged DVDs or pirated DVDs I would like to discuss with you Maniacs today. I look at these tables but don’t buy. I have only ever bought one thing from these pirates and that was a Star Trek bloopers VHS tape. I was young and curious and it was way back before there was ever such a thing as outtake reel on DVDs or YouTube. The lure for me was that it included outtakes from the original Star Trek and Star Trek the Next Generation (first season only).

I felt a little robbed because of the poor quality but the original Star Trek bloopers were pretty funny. I’ve watched it a few times but never really thought about what I purchased in a legal/ ethical sense until years later. When I read Star Trek Memories William Shatner wrote about Leonard Nimoy’s disgust about those bloopers getting out and ruining the integrity of the show. At first I thought, “What an uptight jerk”. Then later I read that he and the other crew members were upset about not receiving royalties for their exhibition. I thought again, “Jerk”. His point never hit home to me until I sat on the receiving end of a check for something I did that was creative. Here I was laughing at him and enjoying his work. Maybe it was just outtakes but he received nothing for it. Who got my money? Not the performer, not the sound engineers who recorded it or the team of guys that developed the film. The smelly video pirate got my money and what I got wasn’t even that great.

So, last weekend while I was standing there looking at these pirates selling good quality rip-offs and who have no appreciation for the artists, I felt sick. Of course they have all the titles I want: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Captain America (1966) and the Fantastic Four (1994). Will I buy them? No. Why? Being a writer, an actor and a producer I appreciate the money for the effort, angst and creativity put into these works. I will never steal from my fellow colleagues again.

THIS WEEK’S DEAD FORMAT RELEASES

Atonement (HD DVD and DVD Combo) [HD DVD]

Justice League - The New Frontier (Combo HD DVD and Standard DVD) [HD DVD] check out my review.

ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS

Conspiracy

The Jack Ketchum 2 Discs: Girl Next Door/The Lost

Jet Li's Shaolin Fists Collection

The Intelligence Men

The Lost check out my review.

Operation Pussycat

Revolver

Rockaway

Soul Searcher

Sukeban Deka Pack

Trigger Man (2007)

The Unseen

Zorro: The Masked Avenger

ANIME

Agent Aika: Anime Legends

Black Cat: Box Set

Bleach, Volume 9: The Entry (Episodes 33-36)

Eureka Seven Music DVD w/Bonus CD

Eureka Seven, Volume 12 (Episodes 47-50)

Eureka Seven, Volume 12 (Special Edition)

Funky Forest: The First Contact (Sub)

Moonlight Mile - Vol. 2 (Limited Edition)

Moonlight Mile - Vol. 2

Moonphase: Box Set

Negima - Magic 301: Practical Application of Magic (The Viridian Collection)

Negima - Magic 401: Magical Enchantments (The Viridian Collection)

Pucca - Kung Fu Kisses

Pucca - Ninjas Love Noodles

School Rumble, Vol. 6

Solty Rei: Box Set

Tweeny Witches Vol. 1-Arusu in Wonderland

Tweeny WitchesVol. 1-Arusu in Wonderland with Collectors Box

Venus vs. Virus - Vol. 3

CARTOONS

Dennis The Menace - Trouble, Trouble Everywhere

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show - The Complete Series

COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style

Bull Durham (20th Anniversary Edition)

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to The Original Stooge

The Worst Horror Movie Ever Made: The Re-Make

Criterion Collection

The Ice Storm - Criterion Collection

Mafioso - Criterion Collection

HORROR

Amok Train

Borderland - After Dark Horror Fest (look for Tim Janson’s review this week)

Crazy Eights - After Dark Horror Fest (check out my review TODAY)

The Deaths of Ian Stone - After Dark Horror Fest 2007 check out my review.

I Am Legend [Blu-ray]

I Am Legend (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

I Am Legend (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)

Lake Dead - After Dark Horror Fest check out my review.

Mulberry Street - After Dark Horror Fest (2007) (look for Tim Janson’s review this week)

Nightmare Man - After Dark Horror Fest check out my review.

The Sickhouse

Soul Searcher

Trigger Man (2007)

Tooth & Nail - After Dark Horror Fest (2007) (look for Tim Janson’s review this week)

Unearthed - After Dark Horror Fest (look for Tim Janson’s review this week)

SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY

Enchanted (Widescreen Edition)

Enchanted (Full Screen Edition)

Enchanted [Blu-ray]

Southland Tales

TV LAND

Adventures of Robin Hood - Complete First Season

Battlestar Galactica - Season Three

Bionic Woman - Volume One

Married With Children - The Complete Eighth Season

McHale's Navy: Season Three

The Untouchables - Season Two, Vol. 1

The Wild Wild West - The Fourth Season

UNDENIABLE CLASSICS

Eight Men Out (20th Anniversary Edition)

Pride of the Yankees

BOX SETS

After Dark Horrorfest

Maniac Love

(5-Pack: Whispers From A Shallow Grave, Camp Utopia, Bloodletting, Bent Volume Three)

Ultimate Swashbuckler Collection

Related Content

Comments/Responses

monkeypie • Mar 18, 2008, 07:58am •

Shouldn't that be "The Bionic Woman: The Entire Series"? ;)

squidward247 • Mar 18, 2008, 08:06am •

And still no DVD release for that classic 1987 Comedy / Horror "Blood Diner"

First they greet you, then they eat you.

Merin • Mar 18, 2008, 09:03am •

movielord, you know I love you - well, like - well, tolerate . . .

but buying bootlegs at a convention is a bit more complex than the propaganda that CEO's and studio execs want you to regurgitate.

NOT saying that you don't honestly believe what you said, but the fact of the matter is that for many of the things that are available at bootleg tables, NO ONE is seeing any money for that stuff period (yeah, yeah, the guy selling the bootlegs - bear with me a moment) because most of the attraction of bootlegs for many people is the unavailability of the material.

You, in the same breath as denouncing the bootleg seller, state that it was before you had access to YouTube.

uhm - how much royalties does anyone see from YouTube again? Thought so.

There is an IMPORTANT roll that bootlegs play in our entertainment media industry. They gauge public interest in material that the brainiacs at the studios and distributing houses don't think it's worth releasing.

For example, were it not for the overwhelming purchases of Invader Zim bootlegs the show would have never gotten back on the air and probably would not have seen DVD release (this was still right before EVERYTHING started appearing on DVD.)

Using your Star Trek bloopers example, the reason the actors weren't getting "paid" for people seeing the bloopers was simply because the studios were not releasing them in a format that consumers who wanted to see them could legitimately pay for them. Even if they had, the actors would STILL probably have seen no additional money for that "content." So your argument, at least your example, is flawed.

---

Where I will stand with you is against bootleggers selling commercially available material as a copy. If you can purchase it legitimately, then you shouldn't purchase it illegally. I'm right there on that one.

Except with Microsoft, but that's another story. Small joke.

I am not ashamed to admit that I've bought many bootlegs back in the day - they were all things that were not available any other way. Buffy Season One , Neverwhere, The Tick (live action), Heat Vision & Jack, and some anime parodies (overdubbings. all come to mind.

Did I "rip off" the creators and actors? Well, you and others might argue I did. But let me tell you the ending of that story - when each of those (the ones that eventually DID, at least) become available for legitimate purchase, I bought them. I have all of Buffy on DVD. I have Tick and Neverwhere. As far as I know, the dubbing parodies can never be "legal" and since HV&J was a failed pilot I don't think it is available anywhere either.

My point?

The same thing with file-sharing. If companies want people to stop buying "illegal, making-actors-and-directors-so-very-poor" copies, make the material available AND for a reasonable price. End of story.

---

Oh, and finally, as an analogy:

The concept that "piracy" costs creators money (when its studios that rip them off) is as flawed and divisive as the concept that immigrants cost "real" Americans their jobs (when it is corporations hiring the immigrants and, more importantly, shipping factories and jobs overseas to third world countries.)

Maybe you can feel a bit of moral ego-stroking at having only purchased that one bootleg, Bob, but I think doing the work of propagandists is beneath you.

bear90 • Mar 18, 2008, 09:21am •

So uh, what do you do with your review copies after you watch them?

dallaswinston • Mar 18, 2008, 10:12am •

How much you wanna make a bet that Convention was Monster Mania in Cherry Hill N.J? HAHAHA..

Duh thats what they usually have at conventions what do you expect anyway lol

spiderhero • Mar 18, 2008, 12:42pm •

It's nice to hear someone else saying bootlegs are stealing. I'm not an artist, nor do I know anyone who is. I'm a fan that wants stuff like everyone, but I have integrity. If I want something, I pay for it. End of story. If I can't get it, I don't break the law & act unethically, I simply live without it. I know it seems absurd to some people to deliberately live without something I want, but then I have standards that are not dictated by my selfish desires.

gauleyboy420 • Mar 18, 2008, 12:46pm •

arrrr....AHOY Maties...
shiver me timbers...Stealing from large multi national conglomerate companies that don't share fairly with the artist, and overcharge (Can you say PRICE GOUGING)...I don't have a problem with it.

BTW, I am an artist

spiderhero • Mar 18, 2008, 02:50pm •

gauleyboy420- So it's ok to steal from "bad people"? Ok. I hate and am offended and annoyed by whatever it is you produce from your artistic skills. I consideryou a "bad person" that does harm to others through your art. Can I have your address please? I have some friends and a truck & I would like to help myself to your TV.

gauleyboy420 • Mar 18, 2008, 03:33pm •

spiderzero- It's great that your offended by "whatever it is you (I) produce from your (my)artistic skills". That shows real open minded-ness and true character (by the way I'm being sarcastic). I mentioned that I am an artist to show there are many facets and perspectives on this matter. NOT just the perspective forced down our media-hungry throats by greedy studios. I don't care what you think of me, AND at least I don't hide behind some false morality, I admit that I don't have a problem with piracy of movies. Well piracy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it SHARING. And I've always been taught that sharing is a good thing. And taking advantage of people a BAD thing. So I guess we'll just have to chalk it up to different strokes. If you can find my house, and wish to break in, go for it. You will then be as "bad" as what you preach to be against. (A common fault in crusaders against "Bad People").
On one more note I NEVER said I take part in file sharing, or that I buy pirated movies, that would be illegal. I only stated that I don't condemn it. So again I thank you for being SOOOO open that because I have a different opinion than you , I am a "bad" person. I remember when I lived in a land where people could have different opinions without one being wrong (bad) and the other being right (good). AND as Merin so eloquently put it -" If companies want people to stop buying "illegal, making-actors-and-directors-so-very-poor" copies, make the material available AND for a reasonable price. End of story."
thats a great point Merin. I know we have our differences but I agree with you on this one.

spiderhero • Mar 18, 2008, 03:43pm •

So it's a false morality if I believe in it and practice it? Morality is an objective standard against which behavior is measured. If I submit my bahavior to an objective standard, not just my opinion or what I like, how is that false? A false morality is one where there is no objective standard. If morality is subjective, then it isn't morality, it's simply opinion. As to another thing you said. Perhaps I won't break into your house, but I have no problem with others doing it. Am I ok then?

Mania is the premiere online destination for fans of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and anime entertainment. It is the largest community offering profiles, video, science fiction movies, sci fi TV, art, sci fi comics, photos, cheats, blogs, science fiction books, forums and feedback. Mania offers insider entertainment industry info and original content for science fiction, fantasy, and horror entertainment genres including: video games, comics, gadgets, movies, television, toys, music, books, DVDs and more. © Mania Entertainment, LLC. 2001 - 2008

Pirates

See more related content