Mielr

User Group: Members
Join date: 15-Jun-2006
Last activity: 27-Dec-2024
Posts: 2,805

Post History

Post: #246657
Topic: 2007 Star Wars calendar - with DVD (?)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246657/action/topic#246657
Time: 21-Sep-2006 1:02 AM

Originally posted by: Marvolo

Originally posted by: Mielr
There's a new 2007 Star Wars calendar coming out, with a DVD containing 'behind the scenes footage'.....Hmmmmmmm.........

Where did you find this at?

I just got the BMG music club envelope today, and they had a flyer in there with all of the 2007 calendars that they're selling (but I found the picture on eBay).

My biggest question is- is the behind the scenes footage from the PT or the OT? (or both?) If it's from the PT, they can keep it.

Post: #246656
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246656/action/topic#246656
Time: 21-Sep-2006 12:56 AM

Originally posted by: borisThere's an obvious difference in quality between the laserdiscs and these DVD's... so to say the 1993 VHS quality is "more-or-less the same" as this DVD is just stupid. The quality comes close to the 2004-DVD quality in some scenes.

I have to agree- I see much less of a difference between the '04 and '06 DVDs than between the '06 DVDs and the DC/Faces laserdiscs (in terms of detail and clarity).

I watched parts of the '06 DVDs in my computer last night, just to get an idea of what they would look like on a progressive scan TV (I know computer monitors are different....) but the DVDs look wonderful on my computer (as do most of my other favorite DVDs, like 'Superman-The Motion Picture', etc.)

However, the DVD-R dubs that I have from the LDs look horrible on my computer.

Post: #246652
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246652/action/topic#246652
Time: 21-Sep-2006 12:40 AM

Most of the criticisms I've heard for these DVDs about the picture/sound quality seem to come from those who haven't seen them yet. I have a very good LD player, and I'm sorry, but these DVDs are shockingly better than the LDs. Maybe the difference would be less obvious if I owned an even better LD player (like an X0 or an X9) but I don't have a spare $4,000 lying around, and even if I did, that still wouldn't solve the issue of side breaks, and other LD flaws/inconveniences, something that these $60 DVDs I just bought did.

Post: #246649
Topic: 2007 Star Wars calendar - with DVD (?)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246649/action/topic#246649
Time: 21-Sep-2006 12:28 AM

There's a new 2007 Star Wars calendar coming out, with a DVD containing 'behind the scenes footage'.....Hmmmmmmm.........

http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/08/55/8c/88_1_b.JPG

Post: #246604
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246604/action/topic#246604
Time: 20-Sep-2006 8:56 PM

Originally posted by: WaragainsttheCouncil

Also, Lucas does have several Technicolour prints in perfect condition in storage. Articles surrounding the 97 restoration confirmed this - as they were used for the color-timing of the 1997 edition. A reasonable Google search should turn up some good sources. Those sources also confirm the production of new O-negs and 35 pristine prints from the 97 process. All of which was color-timed using the Technicolour prints (the best process to date for capturing color in film) as a source.

Don't know about 'several' Technicolor prints...he does have a dye-transfer print of SW, and most likely black and white separation masters for all three, but it's doubtful that he has Technicolor prints of ESB and Jedi since Technicolor stopped making d-t prints in the US and Britian in the 1970's.

Post: #246497
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246497/action/topic#246497
Time: 20-Sep-2006 5:24 PM

What ended up on the DVD wasn't the '97 SEs, since there were further alterations done by ILM (a different Jabba, etc.) so I doubt that Lowry received the '97 SEs (and certainly not the OOT).

Maybe 'rough shape' is code for "not blue enough"?

Seriously, though, he was probably referring to film grain, scratches, etc. Lowry is kind of notorious for their film grain removal. I hear they went way overboard with the grain removal for Citizen Kane, and it took out a bit of film detail, as well.

Post: #246486
Topic: Lucas to be grand marshal of parade....
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246486/action/topic#246486
Time: 20-Sep-2006 5:04 PM

Oh gawd, I'm going to have to rent BHCIII now!

Post: #246484
Topic: Lucasfilm to sell Physical Effects Unit
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246484/action/topic#246484
Time: 20-Sep-2006 5:02 PM

That final battle scene in TPM with the gungans and the robots made me feel like I was watching a cartoon, rather than a live-action film. I never got that feeling watching any of the OT films.

Post: #246476
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246476/action/topic#246476
Time: 20-Sep-2006 4:53 PM

Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
I am a little unclear about the specifics here.

So Lowry Digital got a digital transfer of the SE that Lucas made by permanantly altering the original negatives (to clean up for the DVD release), and they also got a digital copy of the unaltered trilogy so he could match up the color timing? Is that right?

How do we know all of this?

Have you seen the '04 DVDs? I don't think any color matching was done- LOL! Whatever color timing that was done was done for the '97 SEs, when they were restoring the negatives. I think YCM labs did that work.

There have been several magazine articles with John Lowry in the last few years. One of them mentioned how the Lowry people went to Skywalker Ranch to pick up the hard-drives that contained the needed info for the DVDs.

I don't think there was any further work done with the negatives between the '97 SEs and the '04 DVD release- I would think that everything was already in the digital realm by then, and whatever changes they wanted to make would have been done using the film elements that were already scanned.

Post: #246470
Topic: Lucas donates $175 million to CA University
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246470/action/topic#246470
Time: 20-Sep-2006 4:45 PM

Originally posted by: Mike O
Anyone else here have dreams of going into the film industry?

I'd like to study film restoration. There's a great school in Rochester, NY that I got a brochure from a while back.

Post: #246460
Topic: What's Original '77 and What's Not?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246460/action/topic#246460
Time: 20-Sep-2006 4:33 PM

Someone on another site claimed that the star destroyer fly-over is taken from the SE.

Post: #246454
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246454/action/topic#246454
Time: 20-Sep-2006 4:23 PM

Lowry didn't work from prints, they worked from computer hard-drives. Everything was scanned in already.

Post: #246227
Topic: Lucas to be grand marshal of parade....
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246227/action/topic#246227
Time: 20-Sep-2006 4:13 AM

George Lucas is going to be the grand marshal of the Tournament of Roses parade (apparently they had some sort of ceremony yesterday), so if anyone is in Pasadena and wants to catch a glimpse of our beloved director......

Article here.

Post: #246225
Topic: First Impressions of the OOT ...
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246225/action/topic#246225
Time: 20-Sep-2006 3:55 AM

Originally posted by: zombie84
Does anyone know if Technicolour prints actually boost saturation at all or is it just that normal Kodak prints rob the colour information so badly? Either way it looks very lush and vibrant, but theres a really indescribable quality to the tonal values, and the fact that it is struck directly from the O-neg really brings out the detail.

I depends on whether or not the Kodak elements are faded. Dye-transfer Technicolor prints are made in a totally different way from chemical-based prints. The dye-transfer process is similar to the lithography process- the way fine art lithographs are made. Dye-transfer prints are known for their deep, inky blacks and lack of film grain- and colors that don't fade with time like Kodak prints do.

Some nice Technicolor examples here.

Post: #246223
Topic: You've Failed, Your Highness.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246223/action/topic#246223
Time: 20-Sep-2006 3:44 AM

Maybe Luke was just being sarcastic.

Post: #246192
Topic: What did the Prequel Trilogy need?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246192/action/topic#246192
Time: 20-Sep-2006 12:50 AM

Originally posted by: auximenies

The Millennium Falcon had more of a personality than anyone in the PT. With each film, we learned about the ship's strengths and weaknesses, we found out who loved it and to what degree, we saw it frustrating those who loved it. It was crucial to the Battle of Yavin, pivotal to the rescue of Luke in ESB, and was once again heroic in the destruction of the ROTJ Death Star.

Nothing in the PT came close to this.

I agree.

The MF was a souped-up hot-rod, that reminded us of a car- and Han Solo reminded us of a guy who would drive a car like that, always boasting (and sometimes exaggerating) about what it could do.

We grew to love it like Han did- who didn't wince when it's dish got clipped off in ROTJ?!

Post: #246169
Topic: What's Original '77 and What's Not?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246169/action/topic#246169
Time: 20-Sep-2006 12:27 AM

Originally posted by: Obi Jeewhyen
Yeah, was Beru's original Aussie voice ever heard in any version?

The mono version has different vocal takes, but her accent is still American. To me, it sounds like the same actress, just alternate looping. I prefer the vocals on the 70mm version.

Post: #246021
Topic: What's Original '77 and What's Not?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/246021/action/topic#246021
Time: 19-Sep-2006 5:27 PM

Originally posted by: Obi Jeewhyen

1) Coming out of hyperspace in the Falcon cockpit. Those swooshie sounds made by passing Alderaan asteroid debris. I first heard them in the second or perhaps third VHS release (the first in "HiFi" sound, heheh, remember that?). I thought they were new sound effects, but someone here in some thread recently alleged those asteroid sound effects were part of the 1977 mono mix? Anyone know the truth on this??? Having just had a quick listen, I don't hear the swooshie sounds on either the mono or 70mm sdtks.

2) C-3POs tractor-beam location speech, and "Close the blast doors." Does anyone know difinitively which 1977 audio mix featured these lines? I remember hearing them from the get-go, and the first dozen or so times I saw Star Wars was in 70mm (the stereo mix). Yet many have claimed these bits of dialogue were only on the mono mix. Can anyone shed some light on this?
The lines are present the mono version, and NOT present on the 70mm version.

3) Prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138. When Luke, Han and Chewbacca shoot it out with the Imperials in the cell block, I heard some sound effects, new to me, on that same "HiFi" VHS release and in every subsequent release ... specifically, the really loud sound of glass breaking (more like kicking in a tube-TV screen) every time a laser blast hit a surveillance camera. Anyone know whether these were on the '77 mono track, or if they were added later?

I didn't hear glass breaking sounds on either the mono or 70mm.

3) Ok, on the visual realm. Same cellblock scene (and perhaps others). Has anyone yet determined if the blaster hits are the "toned-down" versions of revisionism, or whether they are the slightly more violent '77 originals?

Those edits were done for the 1997 SEs. They're still present on the '04 DVDs, but they're not on the OOT DVDs.

4) Lastly, the long-debated matter of the opening crawl. So much pre-release talk about it. Well, the DVD's been out for a week! Anyone care to venture a final answer? Original or a well-intentioned copy?

The crawl is faithful to the 1977 version- but I guess the debate as to whether or not it's the real film crawl or a digitally re-created one will go on.

Post: #245995
Topic: Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245995/action/topic#245995
Time: 19-Sep-2006 4:50 PM

Originally posted by: zombie84
Yes, Star Wars was almost unanimously praised. True, there were some bad reviews--not EVERY SINGLE PERSON loved it--but a good 90% gave it favourable reviews and most of those were highly favourable.

ESB on the other hand was very divided. Some loved it, some liked it, many did not. It still was overall favoured by it was very divided. ROTJ on the other hand was viciously criticised--there were still plenty who liked it, but the amount of backlash was almost as bad as the PT.

I guess I didn't see any of those bad reviews, I'm not saying they don't exist, but I clearly remember watching Joel Siegel's review (on Good Morning America I think) and he gave it a glowing review, Siskel and Ebert also gave it 2 thumbs up, and I have several magazine/newpaper clippings from '83 that are all favorable. I think New York Magazine's review was luke-warm (no pun intended), but I may be wrong about that.

But it's true- if you dig around, you can find negative reviews for ANY movie.

Post: #245977
Topic: What's Original '77 and What's Not?
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245977/action/topic#245977
Time: 19-Sep-2006 4:30 PM

I downloaded mp3s of the mono and 70mm versions of the soundtrack recently, so I'll give them a listen.

I'm most familiar with whatever mix was used for the HBO airings in 1983, since I watched it nearly every time it was shown (hundreds of times....I have no idea exactly

) But the 1993 mix is very close to the mix that was on HBO (I'm guessing they used the 35mm stereo mix?)

Also, someone said that the French and Spanish tracks on the R1 DVD use the mono soundtrack- I don't know if that's true or not, but it might be worth investigating.

Post: #245815
Topic: Do you REALLY think there will be remastered versions of the OOT or whatever? I don't.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245815/action/topic#245815
Time: 19-Sep-2006 1:15 AM

I don't even have the BTTF set yet. I just have the letterboxed LD of the first movie. I never liked the sequels as much. It would be nice if they'd sell them separately.

Also- there's a blurb on the BTTF 'framing' site about a framing error on the 'hard day's night' dvd (which I DO own)- this I had never heard of!

Post: #245810
Topic: Do you REALLY think there will be remastered versions of the OOT or whatever? I don't.
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245810/action/topic#245810
Time: 19-Sep-2006 1:11 AM

Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
Actually, that was shot in Super 8, which I really, really despise. That way, you see different things in both full and widescreen, but you get the full picture in neither. Joy!

I hear Cameron shoots all his movies that way- Titanic, etc.

Post: #245734
Topic: "BUT ANAMORPHIC ENHANCEMENT ALTERS THE MOVIES!!!"
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245734/action/topic#245734
Time: 18-Sep-2006 9:39 PM

Originally posted by: Tiptup

Originally posted by: Mielr
Why do I have a feeling that the majority of people who are critical of those who've purchased the DVDs, have not actually seen the DVDs for themselves? I think a lot of this is people "protesting too much" and trying to talk themselves out of buying the DVDs.

My decision to not buy these DVDs is because I do not have money to burn. I don't have money to spend on something I only want 50/50. If I spend my money, I need to make sure its for something I want and not DVDs I already own. If you have money to burn, good for you.

I think just not having the extra cash is a separate issue. I don't think that people who don't buy the DVDs because of a lack of funds would automatically criticize those who did buy them.

Post: #245729
Topic: DVD exclusives from various retailers.....
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245729/action/topic#245729
Time: 18-Sep-2006 9:30 PM

That poster sounds nice, so does the button. Can you post photos?

Post: #245722
Topic: Waiting for Episode VII during the lean years (1984-1998)
Link: https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/245722/action/topic#245722
Time: 18-Sep-2006 9:21 PM

Originally posted by: Go-Mer-Tonic
If you can find all the reviews from back then, I'll show you which ones were bad.

Did you look at the rotton tomatoes link?

I was just showing examples of reviews for the OT that sound suspiciously similar to the negative reviews you see for the PT.
Frankly, I'm not really all that interested in how many good vs. bad reviews there were for the OT (and I care even less how the OT vs. PT reviews stack up). All I know is that even in 1977 the original Star Wars was regarded as a cultural phenomenon, which in part led to it being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and to it being in the AFI's top ten greatest films of all time, right where it should be up there with Casablanca and The Wizard of OZ.

Whoever gave Star Wars a negative review back then, I'm sure wouldn't appreciate being reminded of it now.

Originally posted by: lordjedi
Didn't Siskel and Ebert originally give Star Wars a really bad review? Then, once it was breaking records, they gave ESB a glowing review. And I think today they say Star Wars was a wonderful movie.

I don't know what their original reviews were. I do know that they gave 2 thumbs up to ROTJ when it came out, because I watched it on TV in 1983. I recorded the program on audiotape, and I think it's still around somewhere.

Originally posted by: JediRandy

They’re great flicks and I love ‘em to death… but people forget shit like Carrie Fisher going in and out of British accents during the same scene. If that stuff happened in the PT you wouldn’t hear the end of it.

I seem to recall Natalie Portman's accent changing, depending upon the outfit she was wearing. Her performance in TPM makes Carrie's performance seem downright brilliant in comparison.