A rant against outer-boxes...

I'm just about to sit down and re-watch "3000 Miles", and it reminded me of a DVD pet-peeve - companies who insist on (in addtion to the normal DVD case) adding a cardboard slip-sleeve which has the exact same packaging design as the standard DVD case within it.

Why on earth do we need this cardboard slip case? There's no reason beyond making it look more important that it actually is. Just perusing my DVD shelves (weighed down under, currently, somewhere over 300 titles) I spy many-a-DVD with this same outer-box syndrome - in some cases there are artwork alternatives, which makes me wonder whether the designer just couldn't decide which image was better, and so chose both:

1) 3000 Miles (as already mentioned)
2) Battle Royale 2: Requiem
3) CKY2K
4) Dawn of the Dead 2004 (aka "Yawn04", aka "Yawn-o-rama04")
5) Dead & Breakfast
6) The Descent
7) The Hills Have Eyes (original)
8) The Hills Have Eyes (remake)
9) Hot Fuzz
10) Jam
11) Land of the Dead
12) Last House on the Left
13) M*A*S*H
14) Predator 2
15) Scarface
16) Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
17) Zombi 2

There are cases where an outer-box is justified, for example to keep a whole spread layout together in one piece, such as with the excellent "Ultimate Edition DVD" for the likewise excellent "Dawn of the Dead" (original, and best, matey).

My point being, what a waste of packaging and for what? To make the DVD look more special than it is or already is? Why bother? Who buys a DVD because of their packaging quality? Well ... apart from inbred idiots wearing Burberry.

This brings me to another point, mis-labelled special editions, again bringing me back full-circle to "3000 Miles". The box reads "Special Edition", yet there's nothing special about it, it's the film with a standard (or sub-standard, one might say) list of extra features (which aren't much cop to be honest, except the extended 'Bam's Revenge' sequence.

Either stick to the standard DVD case, or put some proper effort in, honourable mentions going to (again, ascending my peepers towards the wall-mounted-mountain of 'doovdes':

1) Dawn of the Dead: Ultimate Edition DVD (as already mentioned)
2) Fight Club: 2-disc
3) The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Special Edition
4) The Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended cuts)
5) Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003
6) Sin City: Re-Cut & Extended
7) The Evil Dead: Book of the Dead edition
8) The Omen Trilogy: Fox Classic edition
9) Sleepaway Camp trilogy

Oh, and don't get me started on those fucking spiteful seal-clips now appearing on some DVD cases, e.g. "Land of the Dead" and "Jackass Number Two" - WHY???!!! Is the standard 'click-closed' not good enough anymore, is this the half-assed DVD equivalent of the child-proof cap?!

BAH!