Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Here is what is on this thing... , June 29, 2007
If you previously bought the SHOWGIRLS VIP edition - this is the exact same disc only packaged without the box and all the trinkets that came with that edition. You get commentary by a guy who is a fan of the movie and helps host late night screenings, the Scores girls talk about stripping and critique those sequences, and there's an old promotional piece made during shooting that is called "A Diary". The transfer is good and the extras are fun, though none of them seem to cover anybody associated with the film. If you did not purchase the glam deluxe box set this is a cheap way to get all those features without hunting it down. Otherwise if you have that edition, this is merely a double dip and repackaging of the same disc with new cover art.
This is the NC-17 cut and no additional material has been added. If you have that edition already there is no difference in the movie at all. There are no deleted or extended scenes. This is the version shown in theatres and released twice before on DVD.
SHOWGIRLS begs for better extras. I would love to hear a director's commentary or Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon talk about the film. But that hasn't happened yet. Maybe one day we can hope for a Criterion edition and all the stops will be pulled out!
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154 of 172 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
'Showgirls' VIP: The greatest DVD box set ever made!, August 22, 2004
Since the endless array of qualities-- or lack thereof-- of this flick have been covered umpteen times in previous customer reviews, I'm not gonna say much about 'Showgirls' itself, 'cuz it's all been said before. All I'll say about it is that there are a lotta boobs in it... as well as a lotta exposed breasts (none of 'em flabby man-breasts, thank God). Nope, instead I'm gonna cover the DVD's special features, as well as the neat-o bonuses included in the VIP edition collector's box set.
Let's start off with the shot glasses, which apparently are so... provocative... that the distributors of this set included a warning about being the right age to drink alcohol on the back of the box's slip case. Then there's the deck of playing cards, which are... well, kinda ordinary really. At least, they look that way on the surface, 'cuz I've decided against opening up the shrink-wrapped deck, lest I ruin its secondary value, heh. Then there's the array of six large cards, four of which lay out the rules for various party games. The non-party cards include a little spiel about responsible drinking (a little CYA for the DVD box set's distributors against potential lawsuits), and a list of 'fun facts' about the making of the movie. Ya probably couldn't guess from watching the movie, but did'ja know that director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas actually hit the Vegas club/strip-joint scene as part of their research of the flick? Did'ja really give two doots? I didn't think so...
Finally, we come to the set's ultimate, and most hilarious, extra feature: the pin-the-pasties-on-the-showgirl game! Included in this set are a couple of red-tasseled suction cups, a poster of a topless Elizabeth `Nomi' Berkley, and a blindfold mask. It sure shoots the money clip I got with my 'Scarface' deluxe set all to #ell, lemme tell ya...
Actually, I've spoken too soon-- the ultimate/most hilarious feature this DVD box set has is the commentary track by `Showgirls' superfan David Schmader. The guy's disturbingly extensive knowledge of behind-the-scenes trivia on the film, his Mystery Science Theater-like cracks & zingers (his response to the flippy-floppy pool-boink scene:"My God! Get her some insulin!" AH-HAHAHAHAHAHA-HAAAAH!!!), and nitpicking every single implausible moment and continuity error makes for one of the most gut-bustingly funny commentary tracks I've ever experienced. But while Schmader gets me yukkin' it up at times, he also creeps me out on other occasions with his speaking in a phone-stalker-like semi-hushed tone, which hits its highest plateau of weirdness when he says "oh, hi there" to Nomi at the beginning in this same hushed tone. God, how disquieting that moment was! Then there's his "talent" as a living, breathing `Showgirls' encyclopedia. I swear, he makes most of the UberTrekkies I know look like pikers...
Other bonus features include a lap-dancing tutorial by a couple girls from the infamous Scores strip clubs that Howard Stern brings up at least once a day on his morning radio show. While I found it somewhat entertaining, I think I'd much rather experience the tutorial first-hand, if ya know what I mean. Also included are a few sketch-to-screen comparisons, the most interesting one featuring director Paul Verhoeven showing off his staccato, manic directing style. After seeing this piece, you'd swear the guy was on a 24/7 caffeine drip. `Course, you'll STILL be left wondering why, after having helmed such fun cinematic fare as `RoboCop' and `Total Recall', the guy thought Mr. Ezsterhas' (sp?) script was worth filming...
There's also a feature-length trivia track that displays factoids about the flick, which pop up from time to time. Well, at least I think that's what it does, anyway; I haven't bothered to watch `Showgirls' with this track activated `cuz I'd just seen it twice in succession over the last couple days before I wrote and submitted this review-- once with English subtitles turned on, and once with the commentary track-- and I don't think I could stand to watch this three times in the span of three days. Nope, I think I'll get over the mind-numbing shock and total embarrassment first. Should only take a couple months...
`Late
Post Script: While I found the VIP box set's extras and DVD bonus features rather entertaining, I strongly suggest you keep it tucked away in a hidden space of your pad when the `rents, your girlfriend, or your buds come to pay a visit. No offense, but nothing shouts out, "I'm a pathetic, socially-inept loser" like keeping this bad-boy out in plain sight (trust me on this one; I've racked up many years of experience as a pathetic, socially-inept loser). There's a reason why most trash-cinema aficionados refer to this movie as a GUILTY pleasure, after all...
`Later
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34 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trash, Sure, But Fun Nonetheless, April 26, 2000
First, I must say that I am, truly, a lover of bad movies. (In fact, I ordered "Showgirls" on DVD, the same day I ordered "Plan 9 From Outer Space". So, what does that tell you?) Although "Showgirls" has been shunned by the mainstream public, it has gained quite a bit of fame as a cult classic, such as "Plan 9". "Showgirls" became infamous after being slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating, the scarlet "A", if you will, of the rating system. Does it deserve it? Sure. It is loaded with T&A for those who want it. But for lovers of cinematic cheese, there is plenty to enjoy, such as bad dialogue and mediocre acting. Well, finally, "Showgirls" has found it's way to DVD, and it is a pretty good release. It makes up for picture quality and sound where it lacks in special features. (I really wanted an audio commentary, so the director could explain what the hell was going on in his mind when he made it. But, hey, maybe on an upcoming Criterion Version. :-]) But, for people, who enjoyed it for the movie it is, I would recommend it. And, for fans of ridiculous turkeys, I would really recommend it, because it is definitely fun.
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