Ambulance (1990) - 06/22/17

[Leslie Dame]

Koch Media will release a 3-Disc MediaBook of Larry Cohen's cult film (The) Ambulance worldwide for the first time on Blu-ray. Extras will include Cohen Commentary, Interviewdocumentation (about 90 minutes), trailers and more.

All this info taken from schnittberichte.com

[Markgway]

Mediabook -- or a €10 disc stuffed into a €30 package.

I hope this cult title gets picked up in another country.

[Cinespectral Films]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Mediabook -- or a €10 disc stuffed into a €30 package.

I hope this cult title gets picked up in another country.

3-Discs for 10 Euro? Unlikely on a decreasing market for physical media!

Embrace such releases, the time is running out!

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Cinespectral Films

3-Discs for 10 Euro? Unlikely on a decreasing market for physical media!

You could fit the film and all the extras on a single BD-50.

The DVD copy is useless to me (and most buyers, I would imagine) and the cost negligible.

Put it in standard Amaray case and, voila, I've saved everyone €20 (oh, alright €15 then, I'll be generous...)

Embrace such releases, the time is running out!

Nah, sorry. I don't fall for emotional blackmail. Overpay or get nothing? Doesn't need to be that way.

German releases are a notorious rip-off compared to most countries.

[Sky_Captain]

I clicked on this thread thinking "YAY! A cheaper alternative to the overpriced Japanese release!"

FFS!

[Cujo]

Kino told me that someone else has this in the U.S. If it turns out to be Arrow, awesome. If it turns out to be SF, I'll get this version.

[mikezilla2]

il probbly get this version suffice to say "Cheryl" guess silent hill took a few ques here

is this film any good ?

[Cinespectral Films]

Originally Posted by Markgway

German releases are a notorious rip-off compared to most countries.

That is a very single-sided view on the actual situation. First of all, I can tell you that license fees for Germany are often higher plus we are handicaped for international sales, because of the GERMAN menus and packaging. Then the income tax in Germany is pretty high or reaches easily a higher percent level, based on income, compared to the UK and US. Plus on top we have to deal with 19 percent sales tax. So given these facts and that German distributors have to rely those certain cases only on their domestic customers, which are very picky (believe it or not), the prices are no rip-off, especially since certain licensors get at least 20 or more percent of the profit (after the license fee was recouped).

As for disc configuration, you might be right. Though if you would claim the same for example on our ELVIRA, MOTD release, it would not be right. But you might agree that there were cases when users/customers complained in advance when huge special features were combined with the main feature on the same disc.

What makes me wonder is the fact, that actually everyone of you embraces physical media and to collect them, at the same time you praise low prices, which (if you like it or not) are the coffin nails for big special editions. I really don't know if movies back in the age of VHS were cheap to get in the UK and US, but in Germany they were not. At the start of the DVD they were not cheap either and then the major distributors dumped the prices, which works as long as you can compensate low prices by reaching a broad audience for bigger sales numbers, which today, at least in Germany, does not work that great anymore.

The future will be VoD, even if some of us won't like it. The normal customers get conditioned to use that as the standard supply for movie content. So then in the 'end' a small collectors base will remain and I am excited to see which prices will be asked then for releases outside of Germany.

And lastly, and this does not apply on all releases, some releases require a huge amount of work and processes, which would even justify higher prices.

Anyway, not all German releases are rip-offs, just sayin...

[Blu MacReady]

Whatever the cost, I'm looking forward to this. It's great news and sounds like it'll be packed with extras.

I threw £40 for a 3 disc media book of Elvira, last week. My first dip into these and although the price is ridiculous, I really want this and am looking forward to it. I hope The Ambulance gets the same treatment.....



Now where are all these people who chime in at this point reminiscing of paying £200 for a Laser Disc etc...

[Markgway]

Sorry, if I implied all German releases were rip-offs. Of course, that's not true.

But I do find this Mediabook nonsense a sham, and if MacReady's Elvira experience is anything to go by, it seems my €30 estimate was actually optimistic.

What about people who want the best quality for the actual movies, but aren't interested in gimmick packaging?

Sure, I don't know the situation about taxes, etc., but are you saying that a standard €10-15 release would be out of the question?

Koch's release of 20th Anniversary edition of Strange Days only cost me €12,99.
Judgment Night for €10,99.

What's so special about The Ambulance?

I maintain that some distributors use Mediabook status to rip off consumers on some titles.

[Monroville]

Originally Posted by Blu MacReady

Whatever the cost, I'm looking forward to this. It's great news and sounds like it'll be packed with extras.

I threw £40 for a 3 disc media book of Elvira, last week. My first dip into these and although the price is ridiculous, I really want this and am looking forward to it. I hope The Ambulance gets the same treatment.....

Now where are all these people who chime in at this point reminiscing of paying £200 for a Laser Disc etc...

Back in the day, when dat tree out yonder was nuttin but an acorn, I member payin one hunderd and fidy dollars fer a laserdisc box set of SCARFACE. And dat wus just fer ONE MOVIE!

But speaking about THE AMBULANCE (1990), there is a japanese option:

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by Cinespectral Films

That is a very single-sided view on the actual situation. First of all, I can tell you that license fees for Germany are often higher plus we are handicaped for international sales, because of the GERMAN menus and packaging. Then the income tax in Germany is pretty high or reaches easily a higher percent level, based on income, compared to the UK and US. Plus on top we have to deal with 19 percent sales tax. So given these facts and that German distributors have to rely those certain cases only on their domestic customers, which are very picky (believe it or not), the prices are no rip-off, especially since certain licensors get at least 20 or more percent of the profit (after the license fee was recouped).

As for disc configuration, you might be right. Though if you would claim the same for example on our ELVIRA, MOTD release, it would not be right. But you might agree that there were cases when users/customers complained in advance when huge special features were combined with the main feature on the same disc.

What makes me wonder is the fact, that actually everyone of you embraces physical media and to collect them, at the same time you praise low prices, which (if you like it or not) are the coffin nails for big special editions. I really don't know if movies back in the age of VHS were cheap to get in the UK and US, but in Germany they were not. At the start of the DVD they were not cheap either and then the major distributors dumped the prices, which works as long as you can compensate low prices by reaching a broad audience for bigger sales numbers, which today, at least in Germany, does not work that great anymore.

The future will be VoD, even if some of us won't like it. The normal customers get conditioned to use that as the standard supply for movie content. So then in the 'end' a small collectors base will remain and I am excited to see which prices will be asked then for releases outside of Germany.

And lastly, and this does not apply on all releases, some releases require a huge amount of work and processes, which would even justify higher prices.

Anyway, not all German releases are rip-offs, just sayin...

I agree with Cinespectral. I've always understood that the three largest Blu-ray markets are the US, Japan and Germany (and I believe in that order), and between the two of us in the West, it seems that Germany has the most pro-Blu-ray attitude in general. There are many great distributors in Germany, like Capelight, Koch, Polyband and Turbine, who are releasing fine editions of Hollywood catalog films and European television and documentaries, and German arms of Hollywood distributors, who provide us with a handful of English-subtitled German films (mainly from Warner Bros.), as well as American television series (Universal and Sony) which aren't released domestically.

And from what Cinespectral has said, if licensing costs are indeed significant in Germany, then it's even more impressive that Blu-ray has done as well as it has.

To me, it seems that the only problems in Germany are the labels that "specialize" in cheap releases of old/upscaled masters of films (the same kind of labels exist in Japan, and to a limited extent, the US), and FSK-related issues, which result in lots of German/Austrian/Swiss releases that are not sold on Amazon.de, or only sold for higher prices. Many times, the prices on Amazon.de are more than fair (e.g. new release films for €12,99), but certain Mediabook releases seem to be sold for €35-€40 or more in spite of using existing masters on BD-25 discs, and/or carrying little or no extras, which does seem excessive. In many cases, I think this is down to Amazon.de importing them from Austria, but I'm not sure.

In the case of this release however, if Koch has indeed made new extras (I'm assuming the commentary and documentary were produced for this release), then they have every right to place the disc in a BD/DVD Mediabook and charge €29,99, especially if they've used a BD-50. Would I like to see a cheaper Blu-ray-only release in an Amaray case? Of course I would. But it seems that, like SteelBooks, Mediabooks sell copies (sometimes regardless of what is in the package), so, given the market, it's difficult for me to begrudge Koch anything.

I would like to see this one on Amazon.de, though, seeing as it's only FSK-16.

[BarnDoor]

For those willing to wait, MisterLime has said that this film has been picked up by a label in the US, most probably Scream Factory.

[McCrutchy]

Now up on Amazon.de (not live yet):

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06XWS7FWY/

[mikezilla2]

arrowvideo or somone else puting this out in the rest of the world ?

[Markgway]

A single cent off €30, am I good or what?

[Viper187]

So is there any difference in PQ/transfer from the Japanese release? I don't care about extras.

[NoLifeDGenerate]

Can anyone explain why the German release is listed as 4 minutes longer than the Japan one?

[Monroville]

Down to €24.99 on amazon.de.

[WaverBoy]

Has anyone picked up this release yet?