Crime pays

I've been breaking the law. Repeatedly. Shh... I hope you don't think any less of me when you learn that I've been buying bootleg DVDs. Not only are there stores that sell illegally copied DVDs and CDs, there are entire blocks of stores.

The efficiency of the illegal movie industry is impressive. In Central America, South America and SE Asia I've seen films for sale on the street the week they are released in US theaters.

I've been cramming for the Oscars. I think it's sad that they doubled the number of Best Picture nominees and basically dumbed-down the choices in order to increase ratings for the show. On the one hand, it makes room for "Up!" and "District 9", brilliant films which would have never made the cut when there were only five nominees. On the other hand, it allows paint-by-numbers Hollywood fluff like "The Blind Side" and Quentin Tarantino's latest love letter to himself ("Inglourious Basterds") to squeeze in as well. (Was it just me or did Brad Pitt act like he was auditioning for "Sling Blade 2"?)

When you buy bootlegs you take your chances with the quality. I bought a bootleg of "The Hurt Locker" that is pristine. The first time I bought "District 9", however, I got a version shot in a theater on a camcorder by someone with shaky hands. The videographer was presumably Russian, since that's the language the subtitles are in. I had no idea what the aliens were saying.

I was not pleased. After all, I had paid the equivalent of about 60 cents for it. What to do when you've been ripped off? Buy another copy and take your chances again. The second copy was much better.

"Dexter" is my favorite show. I think it's one of the best shows ever made. You can buy seasons 1-3 of "Dexter" for $24 on iTunes, $36 in HD. List prices for the DVD boxed sets are about $40 per season. Amazon doesn't even have a release date for season four yet.

I bought season four at a shop here in Saigon. The quality is excellent. Someone copied it from Showtime and burned it to disk. I know this because the Showtime promos and ads were recorded, too. The packaging is impressive. The cost is even more so: 70,000 dong, or about $3.75. For the entire season.