Almost Famous I need your Help

[werther]

I promised my wife and the rest of my family to buy less DVD´s in the future. I started with Almost Famous Bootleg Edition. Now I hear that it is really better than the previous edition. Is that true?

[Dehrian]

Definitely better.

[werther]

Originally posted by Dehrian
Definitely better.

OK but Why

[Blade]

Originally posted by werther
OK but Why

If you truly loved the film and the feeling of the period it expressed so well, then you should get this DVD.

There's a new cut of the movie that adds 30-40 minutes of cut material that fleshes out the characters a bit more. There's also a hilarious audio commentary with the director and his MOM. They really talk a lot about how things actually happenned (suprising how much of the movie was true) and generally have a great time doing it.

It also has a deleted scene with Stairway to Heaven in it. They couldn't get the rights for Stairway to Heaven (not even as a deleted scene) so they came up with an inventive way to compensate. If you have a spare CD player and the Zoso CD, this is kind of fun.

If you liked the music Stillwater played then there's a CD with music from a performance they did for the crew.

The DVD has a few more extras on there, but the above is the best stuff. I bought the original release as well as this one and couldn't be happier.

"It's all happening!"

[peggo71]

Does anyone else think the theatrical version is better? Or am i alone on this one. "Almost Famous" was my fave movie from last year...so I'm trying to appreciate the extra "fleshing" out bits for the fans. There are some super funny moments as well. Funnier moments, in fact, than what I saw in the original. I dunno...how can you make a great film better? Not sure if it's possible. The director's first instincts are usually right. Again...I appreciate what Crowe was trying to do with the extended cut...but he was working on it while he was in "Vanilla Sky" mode...which I don't think is a good thing. Bad film, by the way. There's a line about Rock n' Roll from Russell Hammond....Rock n' Roll is all about what you leave out. I think "Almost Famous" is better...with what you leave out. Anybody agree/disagree with me? (Great disc though...great extras...and, of course, the two versions. Wonderful!)

[Sartori]

I bought both versions of the DVD, but that was because the film is so good. I never would have bought the first one if I didn't think so (because I knew their would be another edition to come later).

The only thing wrong with The Bootleg Cut is the Rolling Stone Articles. Am I the only one who got a copy with the text all formatted wrong. There's even a glitch in the last article that sends you to the very beginning of the article instead of going to the next page. Sorry, just want to know if this is an isolated incident or not.

But, the first version's articles are formatted perfectly....so I'm not worried.

[Underpants]

Originally posted by Sartori

The only thing wrong with The Bootleg Cut is the Rolling Stone Articles. Am I the only one who got a copy with the text all formatted wrong. There's even a glitch in the last article that sends you to the very beginning of the article instead of going to the next page. Sorry, just want to know if this is an isolated incident or not.

But, the first version's articles are formatted perfectly....so I'm not worried.

I noticed that too. There's weird characters in some places too, like in place of a quotation mark. It's kind of like as if your DVD player doesn't have the right fonts installed. LOL

Doesn't bother me too much but someone should have examined everything a little more closely before the release.

[Josh]

Just get the Bootleg Edition, you'll be happy you did. Trust me True Believer.......

[werther]

Originally posted by Josh
Just get the Bootleg Edition, you'll be happy you did. Trust me True Believer.......

Ok I ordered it today we´ll see

[Josh]

Good, you wont be disappointed.

[aofe]

I have to say that the Bootleg is MUCH better. I think the added mins. add to the story. One bad thing about the bootleg is that the DTS track was cut. The original had a wicked DTS track. But the quality of the transfer is amazing. Not one bit of difference in the added scences. The stairway scene is cool. I havn't gone thru the commentary yet!!. And so far I've found two of the "Easter Eggs" They are funny!!!. I only had wished that they put this out in the beginning, rather having to spend 30 more dollars.
Trust me, if you like the original, you'll love this version.

[Locke_]

*bump*

Teehee old thread. I've decided to use this thread to ask a couple qustions.

1. If I have the original DVD and the soundtrack to the movie (with the songs), do still need to get the Bootleg??

2. Is the extra footage in the movie and the deleted scenes the same thing, or are they different?

3. I really love this movie, but I do think the original DVD is pretty good.

Thanks.

[DooGieHowie]

my bootleg cut dvd doesn;t work
the other one does tho
i can't figure out why all i can figure is that there are small cracks on the plastice portion of the dvd where the hole is...might be from taking the disc out of the packge. i got it when it first came out though so i guess i'm stuck with it

[MrTony]

Originally posted by Locke_
If I have the original DVD and the soundtrack to the movie (with the songs), do still need to get the Bootleg??

Well, "need" is a subjective term, of course, but if you're a fan of the movie, I think you'll love the bootleg edition. The extra footage adds to the story but doesn't fundamentally change anything. It just gives you more insight onto the characters' background and into the time period of the movie. Also, it should be noted that the title of the bootleg cut is actually Untitled. Cameron Crowe wanted this to be the name of the theatrical release, but the execs didn't like it, so he had to come up with something else. So, he just made Untitled the name of his extended edition.

It's also worth pointing out that the theatrical version of the film is included in the deluxe package, as are all of the extras except for the HBO featurette and the "Fever Dog" music video. It's up to you whether that makes the orginal release worth keeping - I ended up keeping mine.

So anyway, sorry for such a long and ambiguous answer. If you're looking for something a little more definitive, then here it is: Yes, buy the bootleg edition.

[Crow331]

I bought the bootleg and sold my original on ebay. I can't say which one I like better ... I would probably lean towards the longer version, but I liked them both and I have watched both several times. This is just a great movie, which gets better with each viewing. If you're a fan, you definitely owe it to yourself to get the extended version. You get both in 1 package anyways ... sell your earlier version and then get it right back with the bootleg.

[wynterfire]

The extra footage adds to the story but doesn't fundamentally change anything.

i actually thought that the untitled version, with the new scenes in it, slightly changed the motivations of the characters to a small degree. yes, it gave them more depth, but it skewed the angles from which the characters played themselves out. one of the best movies for character study.

i was awe struck at how much different the movie played out with those additions. i too loved the theatrical version, but now love the movie even more after seeing the new version.

i would say run out immediately and upgrade if you haven't already. it is WELL worth the extra cash !!

[MrTony]

Originally posted by wynterfire
i actually thought that the untitled version, with the new scenes in it, slightly changed the motivations of the characters to a small degree. yes, it gave them more depth, but it skewed the angles from which the characters played themselves out. one of the best movies for character study.

Maybe you're right. I should go back and watch it again. If I remember, Jimmy Fallon's character was changed significantly:

Spoiler (Highlight or Triple Click to Read):

In the theatrical version, he's just an irritating record company stooge: in the extended version, he's a full-blown prick.

[Avid]

For those that have seen the extras on the first DVD, how many audition tapes are shown? I think they are on the HBO special.

I was sad the audition tapes were not included in the bootleg package since Cameron Crowe talks about them quite a bit in the commentary. I also would have liked to have seen more of the behind the scenes footage. He said they shot a lot of it and it would have been great if they had done something with it.

[MrTony]

There is a little bit of Patrick Fugit's audtion, but that's it. Hardly extensive.