I just watched the posted video links. I watched it as an actor with some additional knowledge on writing, directing, etc.
The acting and the whole video proved to be more than probably a genuine one and very convincing, not for the reasons mentioned in the main video that's still available. _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whFghUswO5U and I will explain why.
My comments have been influenced by my final conclusion, that it IS a hoax.
I don't exclude the possibility that it could've been real but the evidence in the bottom half of the post seem to point in another direction.
At 6:42, an 'expert' who's been in the sci-fi genre for 15 years as he states, starts explaining why 'this tape unnerves him':
Number 1: these are clearly not actors
They certainly don't appear to be and everyone played their part well if it was a hoax.
Husband and wife fighting, grandma just being genuinely concerned, doesn't 'act' much.
This is the way it should be done.
the family members are not working off any script.
This is a
suggestive statement rather than speculation. Truth is, they
could have been working off of a script.
There are scripts that are basically just a general outline of scenes, even no lines - or dialogue - can be given to actors and the whole thing can be improvised.
There are scripts and even major motion pictures out there that were shot this way.
there's also no plot line other than getting out of the house
There doesn't have to be a plot, especially if one wants to get attention with making a film like this and presenting it as genuine footage. All you need is one objective.
Another person in the video - at 6:10 - says
it did not have the appearance of being a scripted abduction, because everybody was talking at the same time, couldn't understand half of what they said
I think the emphasis should be on the word
appearance. Of course it didn't have that appearance, that's the whole point.
And lines overlapping - people talking at the same time - is what you get when something's improvised.
This can all be in line with what Dean Alioto was quoted saying in the OP by dannybananny and is still not convincing and cannot be considered evidence that it was a hoax.
The following is why I think it was a hoax.
Here's the imdb link for the original tape:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169005/
On this page, all the actors have only this one credit, except for Dean Alioto and Tommy Giavocchini.
Dean Alioto's page includes pictures, Tommy's doesn't.
Dean Alioto, the director and credited as the DP (Director of Photography) is only seen momentarily from the back when he puts down the camera, so he couldn't be identified in the footage.
Tommy on the other hand is credited as Eric Van Heese, so I looked at the footage to find him.
As matched up later, he can be seen at 0:14 and at 6:19 in the aforementioned video.
I found these two instances of him on the tape by matching pictures found on this website: _http://www.weddingvideothemovie.com/leo.htm
For further evidence, I looked for more recent actual footage of him speaking, since we can hear him yell at the woman at 6:19.
This is the video I found of him speaking: _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEcM33a0tnU
The images of him, the tone of the voice all seem to match.
This is why I think it was in fact a hoax unless they found an actor who looks very much like him, being almost identical not just in looks but also the voice.
edit: changed wording, still not sure if I'm clear enough in the post.