I love me some '60s Godzilla movies. The later stuff is ok. I'll be checking out that Chiller marathon for sure. There's a ton of Blu-rays being released soon, too. Not to mention such great projects on the spleen. It's a great time to be a Godzilla fan.
I hate when that happens... I've been buying back up drives like crazy lately to make sure everything is protected. What a royal pain in the arse.
kk650's Terminator project in the 16gb version with 2.1 audio just went up on the spleen.
My great appreciation goes to Harmy, Ady, Harry Hen and all the contributors who gave the real Star Wars trilogy back to the fans. That's an interesting article, but even if they did restore the films they probably wouldn't look a tenth as good as Harmy's... especially by the time he's done with imminent versions. They just go from great to greater. Thanks to everybody who is making this possible. The fans never dared hope for such beautiful restorations, yet here they are alive and well. Thank you gentlemen. Thanks for everything.
Thanks, SilverWook. I'm kicking myself for missing that BD upon its initial release. I wish TT would produce a larger run for these hard to find titles. The price goes through the roof once they're gone. This is my favorite Sinbad movie and Caroline Munro in her prime was maybe the hottest woman ever. Awesome monsters in this flick, too.
gotta love her... check out Starcrash also!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nr4J8osMdM
big thanks to those guys for putting the YT vid together... some of Caroline's best moments on film. What a goddess.
Does anyone have the limited edition Twilight Time Blu-ray release of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad? Is the new 5.1 channel audio strong compared to the original mono? If anyone has any information regarding the laserdisc audio or opinions on the quality of the official release, please include your thoughts regarding this Ray Harryhausen classic. Thanks in advance.
Well guys, sorry to report the film was actually broadcast in 4:3 and it looked like hell on wheels. It clocked in at around 100 minutes with bumpers so it's basically just the VHS version. I know, unbelievable right. I was like WTF!? Epix has been showing Dragonslayer (1981) in beautiful widescreen HD for some time now so I had high hopes for The Keep. It was not to be. The sound was actually not that bad but the image didn't look high def at all. In fact, when I switched over to the standard definition feed which broadcasts the same content it actually looked and sounded better than the HD version. There was really nothing HD about the HD broadcast at all. Go figure. So that was pretty much a train wreck.
No problem guys... I'll do a detailed review of the Epix HD broadcast and report all the technical aspects of the presentation.
Cool. I actually have the Epix HD channel that it's being broadcast on tomorrow. Time to set the old dvr. Thanks for the heads up. I have no way to capture it but I will report back about the aspect ratio.
720p is Awesome.
I just listened to the Ken Russell director's commentary provided with this amazing project and I must say that the man is a remarkable raconteur... highly recommended. He was a fascinating guy with an old world charm and charisma. His work is not unlike David Lynch in that no one else made films quite the same way. This really is a unique film experience and I think it's one of those lost movies that everyone should see. Thanks again, Doc. By the way, the cinematography for this film is outstanding.
Hey Doc... just wanted to say this project turned out stunning in every way. Not only does the film look and sound superb, the whole package is just top shelf by any measure. Great work as usual and this film is a cult classic if there ever was one. Brilliant presentation all around and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great work.
You are correct, sir. MGM HD has scores of rare HD masters including Convoy, Shout at the Devil, Blame it on Rio, Shag, Modern Girls, Breathless (1983), Secret Admirer, Class, Roller Boogie, The Flamingo Kid, Untamed Heart (European cut with Marisa Tomei's tits on full tilt boogie), Foxes, Electric Dreams, Black Sabbath (AIP version with Boris Karloff's real voice) and many, many, many, many more. MGM HD Rocks. And yes, they use the MGM HD masters when they finally hit Blu-ray. It takes a long time though like Lifeforce did but it was worth it. Mathilda May. Good Lord. And I just watched The Flamingo Kid which I have dvr'd and I must say Janet Jones was also incredible in her day. That is all.
I've got an HDNet Movie broadcast of High Fidelity that looks sensational. That's my go to because the Blu-ray was DNR'd way too much. Grosse Pointe Blank probably suffered the same fate but the new Ghostbusters remaster is excellent on BD. Side note, Night of the Comet looks exactly the same on MGM HD, HDNet Movies and the new Shout Factory Blu-ray.
I'll tell you one thing... Cinemax is using the Ultimate Hunter Edition of Predator for their HD broadcast and every horrid comment I've read regarding that transfer is absolutely spot on. I cannot believe how waxy and artificial it looks compared to the film I once knew as Predator. I mean it looks like a cartoon now.
Good example is the '78 Halloween... last Halloween AMC broadcast one master on the SD channel feed and a completely different master on the HD feed. A few of us even did comparisons to see which discs matched what they were broadcasting. On the standard definition channel, AMC was showing the 1999 Limited Edition DVD in pan and scan... you could tell because of how blue the night was as well as the amber/orange of autumn. On the HD AMC channel, they were showing the 2007 Blu-ray (first BD release) obviously in anamorphic widescreen and it was clear as day because that release has an unmistakable lack of the blue night but ultra clarity and vibrancy. The daytime scenes also match the somewhat warmer look of earlier releases. Everyone who checked it out agreed on what sources they were using. So even the same network can use two different masters to broadcast the same movie at the same time but on two different feeds... one SD and one HD.
Also, I have noticed that EPIX channel uses the Star Trek Blu-rays when they broadcast films 1-6. They match the BD exactly. But when Cinemax broadcasts films like Conan The Barbarian, Jaws, Star Trek II, etc... they use the earlier HD master from their own library which does not match any Blu-ray. The color timing is the dead giveaway. Totally different. HDNet Movies does the same thing because they've had those HD masters for years. So bottom line, some networks or premium channels have HD masters that were struck long before they made it to Blu-ray. And sometimes they stick with those. Others may decide to switch over to the new Blu-ray which has been the case with all of the James Bond films. Now the only exception I noticed was that Universal HD did broadcast On Her Majesty's Secret Service a while back and they clearly did not use the Blu-ray because the contrast was not blown out like it is on the BD. The source they used clearly was closer to the Ultimate Edition Lowry restored version from a few years earlier. It was cropped, but the contrast was correct and the colors slighty altered from the old Special Editon DVD which had the original colors. It looked great, but clearly was not the new Blu-ray.
Hi, DJ. Would it be possible to send me a PM regarding this project, as I am unable to message you. Thanks in advance.
So is GraphStudio still the recommended choice for creating a 5.1 soundtrack from stereo sound?
Hi, Andrea. This film is not unlike the new Spike Jonze movie called "Her" in that it's a computer driven love story. I have been thinking about doing my first project for a long time now and this just may be it. In the meantime, the HDTV broadcast is out there for those who wish to see it now. I think that since the soundtrack is so readily available, a 5.1 re-mastering of the audio could be a possibility but that is ambitious for me at this point. However, I will look into this and find the tools necessary for the job. I wouldn't have to re-color it as the timing is correct. The 2-channel audio is strong but an alternative multi channel track could be the ticket considering how good the music is in this film. I may have to pick a few brains around here to get this thing right.
Just had a chance to watch Electric Dreams in 1080p... man, oh, man. Superb. Never thought it would happen. This is one of those lost '80s films with a great soundtrack that no one remembers but is remarkable. So many thanks to everyone for making this available. If you are an Electric Dreams fan (I must be because I even have the soundtrack on vinyl which I bought in the '80s) don't miss this extraordinary presentation. It may never be released in the U.S. even on DVD much less Blu-ray. The picture and sound are stellar.
Thanks, jerryshadoe. I had no idea it was available. I should have known better and looked over there. Amazing. I have been waiting for an HDTV broadcast of this film forever. Back when I had HDNet Movies I never got a chance to see it. This is great!
Is Electric Dreams out there anywhere? I've been looking for that film for years.
Oso is correct... the opening credits for Star Trek III have now been "windowboxed" on the Blu-ray presentation. The DVD never did that. A lot of the James Bond films on BD suffer the same credits treatment unfortunately (OHMSS for example).
I just want to note a film that is not altered for BD, but has the most mind blowing use of variable aspect ratios within a movie ever. That film is More American Graffiti. Has anyone ever seen this? It basically follows three different stories throughout the film. Each character's story is presented in a different aspect ratio. I realize it's not part of this list as it's represented correctly on BD, same as the theatrical presentation. I'm just pointing out that I've never seen another film that took this concept quite so far. Not a great sequel by any means, but the John Milner character arc is the best and it's presented in pristine scope.
Awesomeness.
Oh this is a classic. It creeped me out as a kid, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it. No one does horror like Ken Russell. Sexy stuff, too. Can't wait to see it again as it's been years. Sounds like a top notch presentation at that.