Hey, Nice Package (UPDATE #2)

Top: 2022 reissue. Bottom: Original 2018 release.

Okay, this'll be quick. My copy of the 2022 reissue of The Outer Limits: Season 1 Blu-ray showed up today, a full five days AFTER Season 2 got here. Not really much to report--- it's the same deal as Season 2, with one interesting little twist (and when I say "little," I'm really saying "so profoundly insignificant that only crazy people like Yours Truly would even notice, much less care about").

No booklet. We knew this was happening. They've removed the corresponding blurb from the back of the slipcase.

Left: Original 2018 release. Right: 2022 reissue.

As with Season 2, episode blurbs grace the back of each Blu-ray case. I'll gripe about this a second time: anybody buying these doesn't need quickie TV-Guide-style plot descriptions. What would be super helpful would be denotations of who contributed audio commentaries for each episode. With the elimination of the booklet, the only way to find out is to load each disc up and look at the Extras menu. I know--- first world problem. Hey, maybe I should post a comprehensive list right here in this blog....

Top: Case #2. Bottom: Case #1.

That insignificant detail I mentioned pertains to the Blu-ray cases. The first case contains four discs (episodes 1-20), and the second case contains three (episodes 21-32). So while the second case is a true standard Blu-ray case, the first is a slightly wider version to accommodate that fourth disc (you basically have two hinged plastic disc holders inside instead of one). See? Insignificant.

The package is definitely slimmer than the original 2018 release, so it does score a point or two for demanding less shelf space. But the deletion of the booklet---- which was, in essence, a Junior Mint Cliff's Notes version of Schow's Outer Limits Companion--- is a deal breaker. Skip it and track down the 2018 version.

Next time: Who's Zoomin' Who? (no, for real this time)

Hey, Nice Package (UPDATE)

Top: 2022 reissue. Bottom: Original 2018 release.

My copy of Kino Lorber’s 2022 reissue of The Outer Limits: Season 2 Blu-ray has arrived, and I’ve given it the once-over. 

Happily, the “Soldier” audio is fine... sorry I doubted you, Kino (not that they would’ve released the defective discs into the wild a second time, but mistakes do happen...!) Not so happily, I can confirm that there is indeed no booklet. That wonderful sprawling essay by David J. Schow? Gone. That helpful episode guide? Gone. 

Left: Original 2018 release. Right: 2022 reissue.

The back of the outer slipcase is the same as the original edition, except for the new MGM logo (as well as the removal of the 20th Century Fox logo) and the removal of the blurb touting the booklet. The Season 2 reissue is extremely similar to the previous DVD edition---- it too was packed in a single standard case nestled inside a slipcase with no booklet. I’d forgotten that point---- for Season 2, only the Blu-ray came with a booklet (which was a bit of a slap in the face for the non-HD folks, eh?) 

The episodes are listed on the back of the case sleeve, with air dates and--- this is new--- quick blurbs describing the plots. It would’ve made more sense to identify who’s doing the audio commentary for each episode (which was done in the episode guide section of the MIA booklet)... as it stands, the members of the Commentary Crew are only listed on the back of the outer slipcase. You have to physically load up each disc and open the Extras menu to find out who’s behind the mic for each episode. 

While I do prefer the standard Blu-ray cases over those horrible, fragile Digipack things, this reissue is a disappointing downgrade from the original release. My advice? Skip it! 

Next time: Who's Zoomin' Who?

Hey, Nice Package.

After I posted yesterday's entry about the Via Vision Blu-rays from 2020, DJS reminded me that Kino Lorber released NEW editions of their 2018 Blu-rays (very recently, in fact... August 23rd of this year). Now wait, before you get excited---- there's NOTHING actually new to be found here, in fact.... these are actually a downgrade from the originals.

2022 editions.

The specs are identical: you're getting the same exact 11 discs (7 for season one and 4 for season two). Now, I'm assuming that the Season Two set has the corrected version of Disc 1--- in its original release, the episode "Soldier" had about eight minutes of badly distorted audio (go here for a video illustrating the issue). Kino did ultimately step up and offer replacement discs by mail... but man, I sincerely hope they don't repeat the 2018 debacle by slipping in some back stock of the affected discs. They wouldn't do that... right?

2018 editions.

Okay, there are two significant differences between the 2018 and 2022 versions. First and foremost, the discs are now housed in standard Blu-ray cases instead of those flappy 'n flimsy Digipack monstrosities. The pic above doesn't fully illustrate their horribleness, so here are my copies, splayed out in all their ugly glory:

The horror! THE HORROR!!

Those welcome standard Blu-ray cases are stuffed into what appear to be the same cardboard slipcases from 2018... well almost, but not quite. The MGM logo on the spine is different, and the product ID number below said logo is different (The 2018 editions are K21746 and K21748, respectively, while the 2022 editions are K25911 and K25912). This tells us that they didn't just swap out the Digipacks for standard disc cases... they did a whole new run of modified slipcases, apparently just to change those extremely small details (I haven't seen the backs of the new slipcases, so maybe there's some changes there too). This also means that the new editions are slimmer by almost 50%---- the combined 2018 editions are roughly the width of six standard cases, and the combined 2022 editions contain a total of three standard cases. So hey, I guess they take up less room, if nothing else.

But these are cosmetic matters. The REAL difference is the fact that the booklets, which included episode guides and essays by DJS himself, have been omitted. This is severely disappointing for several reasons, but one stings particularly badly for Yours Truly---- Schow name-dropped THIS VERY BLOG in both booklets (TWICE in the one for Season Two!). This seems to be a growing trend in Blu-ray releases from boutique labels: they'll pack in a limited edition booklet with the first run of a given title, then drop it for future pressings. So there is at least a precedent for this practice... but dammit, I don't have to like it.

When the separate season sets were released in 2018, there was some internet grousing about the lack of a Complete Series offering (which, as reported yesterday, Via Vision rectified rather spectacularly with their 2020 release Down Under). In that light, these new Kino editions are more than a bit perplexing. The *only* thing they would've needed to do differently is make a slightly larger slipcase (again, they were already making new slipcases anyway), and voila! A Complete Series set to appease the masses. But you know what? If all they were doing was chucking the Digipacks (which do cost more than standard cases), they could've forewent the slipcase entirely and put all 11 discs into a single case. CBS Home Video did this with their Twilight Zone Complete Series reissue in 2016, and that thing has 24 discs... in a single case!

I'm being a bit facetious here--- those cases are a goddamn NIGHTMARE (and presumably cost even less than standard cases; if they don't, they fucking should). But I do think that combining both seasons into a single release would've increased sales at least somewhat... but you know what? They could've kicked things up a notch higher. Or two. Or ten.

They could've licensed Via Vision's exclusive content, for starters (detailed yesterday); beyond that, they could've dragged the OLCC (Outer Limits Commentary Crew, not Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission) out of semi-retirement for some all new tracks. And I would LOVE the opportunity to put together a video supplement detailing the various home video releases over the years (I have some, ahem, experience creating Blu-ray documentary featurettes, which Kino knows better than anyone because I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR THEM FOR THE PAST YEAR). Don't get me wrong, I love Kino Lorber... but they passed on a positively golden opportunity to improve on their previous effort and create a truly remarkable, all-encompassing definitive edition---- which I suspect a fair number of customers would have been happy to upgrade to. I mean, they do wanna make money, right?

I dunno, I guess they could still do it. These reissues may simply be an attempt to unload their remaining disc stock. Hey, a man can hope against logic, right?

* I can't stop thinking about the "Soldier" issue. I'm not sure I'll rest until I verify that the corrected disc is in fact the one in the 2022 reissue of Season Two. There's one sure way to find out, but... aw geez, should I...? 

Okay, it may be the Bloody Mary I had a bit earlier forcing my hand here, but I just pulled the trigger on both 2022 editions (because I'm both an obsessive completist and a fucking idiot, plus I'm now the unofficial custodian of the history of The Outer Limits on home video... which I'll explain in an upcoming entry). I'll report back when they arrive. Keep your fingers crossed, gang.

Via Positiva

On July 6, 2019, I had the honor of appearing on Victor Gamboa’s wonderful Outer Limits podcast, where he grilled me at length about my blogs, podcast, and Outer Limits Blu-ray commentaries. We had a great chat, which you can hear for yourself here. The conversation felt (to me, at least) like a kind of summation on that third item… the work was done, both season sets had been released, we’d been honored with a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, and… that was it. Hashing it out with Victor seemed to place a nice marker at the end of eight years of exploring my beloved Outer Limits. It was time to rest.

Ha! cackles the universe. 

A mere six weeks later, DJS notified me that the Australian label Via Vision was planning their own Outer Limits Blu-ray release Down Under, licensing Kino’s supplements in the process. This presented an interesting opportunity to make the supplemental package even more robust (no mean feat, given the extensive treasure trove already extant). He had a couple of new pieces brewing, including The Unknown Unknown, a fascinating glimpse into a newly-discovered early draft of Joseph Stefano’s “The Forms of Things Unknown” teleplay that includes an actual monster (or bear, in Outer Limits parlance, which is referred to as, simply, The Form; you can read this version in From the Inner Mind to... the Outer Limits Scripts of Joseph Stefano, Volume 1, edited by Dave Rash for Gauntlet Press). 

But DJS wasn’t stopping there. He wanted to provide even more exclusive content in the form of... that’s right, kids: more audio commentaries, which would be grafted onto the existing Kino disc masters. We’d do a total of three: Film historian and audio commentator of renown Tim Lucas would provide a new track for “The Hundred Days of the Dragon” (to compliment Dr. Reba’s Wissner’s existing track), and DJS and I would join forces for “The Architects of Fear” and “The Man Who Was Never Born” (both of which already had tracks by Gary Gerani). Why didn’t we cover episodes that didn’t get commentaries the first time around? Valid question, that. As I recall, Lucas had already expressed a desire to explore “Hundred Days,” and... hell, he’s Tim Lucas, so he can basically call his own shots. And it goes without saying that both "Architects” and “Man/Born” are two of the greatest---- if not the greatest--- episodes of the entire series, so both were/are absolutely worthy of additional exploration. So that was the plan, to be executed over the following few months. 

So that was mid-August. About a month later (September 13, 2019), Kino took home another prestigious honor--- this time the coveted Saturn Award, which is presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, who had deemed the Outer Limits Blu-rays worthy of the Best DVD or Blu-ray Television Movie or Series Release (2018-2019) prize.  

Look at that thing! Gorgeous.  

So over the next couple of months DJS and I did some preliminary work on our new tracks for Via Vision, and I found myself increasingly doubtful that I could actually pull it off. See, he’s a natural at this kind of thing---- delivering what amounts to a casual lecture with nothing more than a sheaf of notes to periodically glance at--- but me? I need to script everything out in advance, pre-timed down to the second, without improvised comments and nothing off-the-cuff. It seemed daunting (if not downright impossible) to somehow marry our disparate approaches successfully, so he graciously agreed that we'd tackle the tracks separately--- he’d do “The Architects of Fear” and I’d take “The Man Who Was Never Born,” each of us armed with whatever notes the other had assembled thus far. And I’ve gotta say--- we made the right choice. Schow’s "Architects” track is nothing short of stellar, and my “Man/Born” effort.... well, it might be my best Outer Limits track of the eight I’ve done (or it is nine? Stay tuned). And Schow and I would get the chance to record together... but we’ll get into that in a couple of weeks. 

Via Vision’s Outer Limits release came out in June 2020, and it wasn’t split up in season chunks---- they gave us the whole enchilada in one Complete Series set, with a gorgeous glossy hard box holding it all together. As great as Kino’s efforts were, THIS stands as the ultimate home video presentation of the series. It's nothing short of spectacular. The moment I first held it in my hands, I was momentarily taken back to the earliest days of my Outer Limits fandom, when I was first amassing those beautiful VHS editions, then thrust forward in a heady rush through multiple unsatisfactory DVD editions, standard-def Hulu streams, and finally into the realm of high definition. With the Via Vision set, I felt a tingling and satisfying sense of completion (not that kind, ya perv). I remember how acquiring the Twilight Zone Blu-rays had felt like a cosmic reward of sorts, after decades of buying and rebuying the series. This was that all over again. I don't know what the future of home video looks like---- 4K is obviously a thing, and we're seeing some really great releases... but streaming continues to nip at physical media's heels, and it seems unlikely that classic television will ever make the leap to 4K. And if it never happens... well, this Via Vision set will do nicely. Better than nicely, actually. Honestly, it's better treatment than I ever thought I'd see The Outer Limits receive. It's been over two years, and I still gaze lovingly at it on a regular basis.

The Via Vision set is marked as Region B, but fear not, domestic cats: the discs play just fine in a standard Blu-ray player. However, the set is unfortunatetly out of print (which happens when highly-desirable items such as this are limited to 1500 copies). It appears there are still some DVD copies available, but the Blu-rays are sold out. I heard a vague rumor that Via Vision may do a second run at some point, but there’s nothing concrete as of this entry. I’ll try to report it here if/when it becomes official, just in case any of you wants/needs this exemplary collection in your possession (and trust me, if you’re reading this blog, you most definitely DO). 

Next time: Hey, Nice Package. 

The (Ron)dos and (Ron)don'ts of Pathetic Recognition Seeking

Everybody loves receiving awards, right? Some sort of tangible proof of accomplishment and subsequent congratulation… a medal, ribbon, trophy, or tchotchke to display proudly, a conversation piece with which to impress one’s friends and family. Something to periodically gaze lovingly at, particularly on days when one finds oneself feeling decidedly less than accomplished, to be reminded that there was a time (even just a single day) when one was, in the eyes of someone else, the best at something. 

I’m using the general and nonspecific “one” to describe my theoretical protagonist, but I’m really talking about myself. Me, I, Yours Truly, This Guy Right Here. *I* love awards---- or, more pointedly, the idea of awards---- having never won one. My dad made me do some kind of non-school-related wrestling thing in the third grade, and I never won a match. I played tennis my senior year of high school and, true to form, I never won a match (hey, at least I was consistent when it came to sports). I did well enough in school to land in the Honor Society, but I never quite managed a 4.0 GPA. I submitted several short stories to various periodicals in my early 20s, but never got published. I entered that annual NaNoWriMo thing once... but got cut in the first round.

I’m not characterizing myself as a loser... I’ve just never been a quote-unquote winner. Well, wait. Losing is exactly what you do when you don’t win, right? Okay, fine, I'll own it. Like Beck said---I’m a loser, baby (I’ll stop short of quoting the next line, though, in case I trip some sort of suicide prevention algorithm and get 86'd from Blogger, just like DJS did over on Facebook recently). 

I actively blogged about The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits for six years straight (which was really five years, since the blogs overlapped during one year, but since I was effectively double-blogging at that point, I’m comfortable calling it six). This entirely homespun enterprise was an endeavor with no inherent means of trophy winning; therefore, my hunger for a displayable commendation of some sort was never triggered. People read the blogs and liked them, and that was enough. But when my blogging mutated into podcasting… well kids, it was an entirely different story. I became aware at some point of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, which honors films, television shows, books, home video releases, magazine articles (and, separately, magazine covers), websites and…. yup, even podcasts. 

Looking back, it appears I knew about the Rondos even before I launched my podcast. The second DJS Outer Limits opus (The Outer Limits at 50, now criminally out of print) was nominated in March 2015, mere weeks after this blog wrapped up its core mission with our coverage of "The Probe." I even posted about it, demanding that every single reader of these pages vote for it/him... and it appears our efforts had an impact, as his book tied for first place with Tom Weaver's The Creature Chronicles (in an interesting twist, DJS did some behind-the-scenes work on that book as well, so you could say he won for both books). Sadly, by that point I'd completely stopped blogging (except for a few random outbursts later on), so I never covered his victory (sorry, Dave).

As the name implies, the Rondo trophy is a rendering of none other than horror icon Rondo Hatton (I'm not going into his fascinating--- and a bit disturbing--- story here. Google him, why don'tcha? Oh screw it, here you go).

Needless to say, it became a consuming goal of mine to win a Rondo of my very own. Sad and pathetic? Okay, yeah. Again, I'll own it. And it seems the universe heard me: for the first three years of my podcast (2016-2018), I was nominated all three times. Did I win? No. I did, however, land in the Honorable Mention bracket for 2016.

Pretty cool, right? Gang, that's not even the cool part. In that second year (2017), Kino Lorber released the Outer Limits Blu-ray sets (to which I contributed seven audio commentaries), and both seasons were collectively nominated in the Best Package of DVD Extras category for the 2018 Rondos. This is an award that is typically given to the label, so it was Kino's to win. And they did!

However---- in an unprecedented move, the decision was made to bestow Rondo Awards upon each of the individual contributors to said Package of Extras...

...which means....

That's right, I scored myself a goddamned Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award after all! It's weird---- I posted new content in these pages a few times AFTER this incredibly satisfying event took place.... yet I never mentioned it. I have no explanation for this.

So the question now becomes---- when a loser suddenly wins something, where does he go from there? Stay tuned....

Next Time: Seven becomes eight, mate. G'day for now!

Ave atque vale, Henry.

David J. Schow sent out the following communique yesterday:

It sucks supremely to announce the death of an OUTER LIMITS player on the 59th anniversary of the premiere of the show itself -- September 16th -- but that's what happened: 

I first met Henry at Joe Stefano's house during a holiday gathering at which several OUTER LIMITS alumni were in attendance. I dragged him back to Joe's office to show him his photos and citations in THE OUTER LIMITS COMPANION, and he was thrilled to discover "hey, wait, there's really a book?!" 

Henry was ported over from Leslie Stevens' STONEY BURKE -- where he played an assassin in the pilot episode for "The Weapons Man" in 1963: 

Then he was tyrannical despot General Juan Mercurio in the OUTER LIMITS episode "Tourist Attraction." 

And at his most magnificent as Chino Rivera in "The Mice." 

Ave atque vale, Henry. 

Schow provided a bit of clarification later that same day:

COLD COMFORT INDEED, but apparently Henry died on the 14th... so NOT on the anniversary. Still immeasurably sad, but people should take note regardless... 

Aside from his OUTER LIMITS and STONEY BURKE appearances, I'll always remember his mano a mano tussle with none other than Frank Sinatra in 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE:

Rest in peace, Mr. Silva. And on the subject of "Tourist Attraction"... well, stay tuned.

The Outer Limits at 59

'Sup? It's, uh, been a while. 

You may have noticed that, after remaining static and unchanged for at least a decade, the banner at the top of this blog is suddenly and markedly different. What gives? What’s the point? It’s been over three years since I last posted anything, and almost eight years since the mission of this blog---- the examination and celebration of each Outer Limits episode on its fiftieth anniversary--- was fulfilled. 

Valid questions, those. If you peruse the comments that follow each post, you’ll see that the extended community aspect of the blog never really died. People still find this blog after all this time, still share their thoughts on the episodes and, most gratifyingly (for yours truly), leave kind and often glowing comments on my work here. Sheesh, just look at that page views counter over to the right! The virtual corpse may be cold, but somewhere deep inside, a warm heart still beats. In light of that, I’ve wanted to check back in for some time now. 

Plus today is the 59th (!) anniversary of the show’s inaugural broadcast: “The Galaxy Being” first aired on September 16, 1963, so I should probably mark the occasion in some way (I, um, haven't watched it since my 50th anniversary spotlight exactly nine years ago, so I'm gonna try to throw it on at some point today). In addition to that, well... perhaps it's time I finally circle back to where it all started and do some blogging. But first, a quick glance backward. Cue the PREVIOUSLY ON… montage! 

It's been a few years. Where were we? 

It looks like my last dispatches mostly involved the Blu-ray releases from Kino Lorber in 2018, for which I contributed seven audio commentaries ("O.B.I.T.," "Corpus Earthling," "Specimen: Unknown," "Cold Hands, Warm Heart," "Demon with a Glass Hand," "The Invisible Enemy" and "Wolf 359"). I got that gig as a direct result of writing this blog (well, okay, I was also actively doing a podcast at the time, so I already possessed the necessary equipment and at least a modicum of experience yammering into a microphone... at least, that’s probably how David J. Schow convinced Kino to let me join in the supplement shenanigans). Seriously gang, doing those commentaries was the honor of a lifetime, the culmination of decades of fandom and several years of parlaying said fandom into blogging and podcasting… a veritable Cinderella story, if you will. As glorious as the experience was, I was pretty sure---- no, I was stone-cold certain--- that I’d never get to do anything like that again. 

But you know... sometimes it’s okay to be wrong; in fact, sometimes it’s better than okay. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.  

Here’s what I’m planning (in my typical half-assed, off-the-cuff fashion)---- weekly posts (maybe twice weekly, but no promises) in which I'll detail the various opportunities and projects that have come my way as a direct result of those Outer Limits commentaries... which sprang to life from seeds sown right here in these virtual pages. In fact, everything I've done over the past several years can be traced back to this blog (and my similar Twilight Zone blog), so it seems appropriate to document it all here. Hopefully none of it will come off as bragging, but... well, I've done some pretty cool stuff since last we spoke. This doesn’t mean that the blog is back for good…. think of this as a limited revival event, a multi-part catching up-slash-continuation (sorta like The X-files and Twin Peaks did). After that… well, who knows? The show’s 60th anniversary is exactly one year from today, so maybe I’ll…. 

…well… 

Nope, dammit. I’m not committing to revisiting each episode on its 60th birthday. I won’t rule it out entirely, but right now it sounds impossible.  I don’t know how I managed it back then.  Plus... would I have anything new to say? I kinda doubt it.

Next time: (Ron)do or (Ron)do not. There is no try. It'll make sense in context, I promise.