Mike O

The Abyss: (probably the best Cameron movie ever!) it is also a 4/3 mastered dvd, but here you can tell that it is a LD master transfer; the picture is really blurry (specially when there is high contrasts in the image, like the openning sequence in the USS Montana), it's a shame that this movie never had a 16/9 release on dvd!

It will get an anamorphic release eventually. And I agree that The Abyss is much underrated. Top notch commercial filmaking.

They'll never be released in DTS.

Originally posted by: Darth_Evil


I'm afraid I'm not getting you're question. I don't believe I ever even mentioned ROTJ in my posts. All I said was that my cousins, like most kids, think the PT is much more exciting than the OT. Kids are impressed by flashy lights and crappy CGI, after all. I never once mentioned ROTJ. Anyway, I don't hate ROTJ, not at all. It may not be as good as the first two, but is still a great film.

Originally posted by: THX
(shocked silence)

Originally posted by: THX
...and Dick Donner had directed SR.

I don't know about that. How about James Cameron? I take it that you're none too fond of Singer?

Jenny, all that campy crap from SII is going to be gone come this fall. Richard Donner's cut (as Michael Thau would assemble it) is going to finally see the light of day. It's all but certain that the rather stupid elements of the film will be gone. Meanwhile, Lois will shoot Clark, Brando will be back, the Fortress will be destroyed, and Miss Tessmacher will find the toilet.

I'm not saying Sups II was bad (I was laughing outloud at many parts) but it was too campy and kiddy for me. SR didn't have any of those Pee-Wee Herman elements and I liked it that way.

Yes, but that is also the charm of the original two Superman films. They are very tongue-in-cheek. Superman is such a difficult character to work with. It really takes a writer like Alan Moore or someone like that to make him interesting. He is so powerful that, outside of kryptonite and red sunlight, not much damages him. It runs the risk of making him seem boring. Superman Returns was an attempt to do what was done with Batman Begins and give Superman a richer character in film. It was an attempt to make something age old feel fresh again, and to replace the Americana vibe of the original film with something much more interesting. I simply don't think that it entirely succeeded. It has a lot of great ideas in it, but I don't think that it entirely comes to fruitation. There is a phenomenal movie somewhere in Superman Returns, but the movie itself felt good but not great to me. Really, Superman needs a villian to match his powers, and as evil as Lex is (and as much fun as Spacey has in the role), he can't have a big showdown with him. Most of the film's problems seemed to me to come from overreaching. It didn't succeed, but it wasn't from lack of trying.

The first two X-Men films lacked the right ensemble feeling.

Originally posted by: andy_k_250


That's basically the point I was trying to make with my signature. Except I don't know if you get a visceral thrill seeing Yoda bumping around his little house, but at least he looks like he is actually filling that physical space.

I love The Road Warrior too - can you imagine how crappy it would be done with CGI?

Originally posted by: greencapt


LOL- good movie and great book.. but WAY mis-marketed in the States at least. I think many of us probably saw it and were like "awww bunni... D'OH!"

Originally posted by: Darth_Evil


Exactly. Stereo sounds great, and I really could care less about a remastering. Just the DVD upgrade sounds good. After all, my bootlegs look very good, and feel very nostalgic, so the september release will be good enough for me. Anamorphic and stereo is all I need. The mono track would be good too.

Originally posted by: mverta
Just a little informal poll, but I'm curious about how old those of you who "loved" Superman Returns (or even thought it was good) are? It's not a loaded question, it's a straight one. What was the first movie you saw in a theater?

_Mike

Originally posted by: Gaffer Tape
If it's anamorphic and a good-looking transfer, I will be content with these releases, and they'll be my final SW movie purchases (although maybe I shouldn't say that, as it will give Lucas an incentive to screw it up just so I'll repurchase over and over again). I don't care about a 5.1 mix. Stereo's good enough for me. Besides, like others have mentioned, the mixes done for the '04 set suck. Please don't let him just slap that mix on there, cutting out the SE stuff. I'd better be able to hear the damned Force theme during the Yavin battle, or there will be hell to pay. Creative decisions, my ass! And I'd rather they didn't mess with the picture. The less they touch, the less they can screw up. So yeah, I just want anamorphic with good picture and a not 2004 sound mix, and I'll be happy. Let's see if they can do something that simple.

Yes, but with a little time and effort remixs like the ones on the Indiana Jones boxed set (which, by the way, should have and did not include the original tracks) or the 2001 or other excellent remixes of older films could be created. If Skywalker Sound and THX just spent a bit of time, they could create a superb 5.1 mix. That is providing, of course, that the original mixes and restored picture are included.

Why is it that a little green muppet from 1980 looks more realistic and lifelike than the best CGI that the 21st century has to offer? What does this say about the state of modern "special" effects?

Originally posted by: Darth_Evil
I was mocking what they said. It's not my personal opinion.

Originally posted by: Krycek87
I could care less about a 5.1 track, 2.0 sounds good enough for me! There is no need for that, as for just an anamorphic treatment, good! I could care less for a remaster, as long as it anamorphic, I can live in nostalgia. This is to be the way we remember them! The only thing that bugged me was the anamorphic thing. If this is all true, for me atleast, my bitching is over! I am getting what I want!

Originally posted by: THX
The 70mm six track mix could not become 5.1 without remixing. It could become 4.1 (kind of). See the various audio threads for why.

Fair point, but look at Criterion's Spartucus DVD or Warner's 2001 disc. With a little work, the OOT could have a killer 5.1 mix befitting the thrilling films. I agree wholeheartedly that the original sound mixes should be included, however, so don't get me wrong! I'd just also like a 5.1 mix (and maybe DTS...).



Yes, but remember, Lucas despises the OOT, and considers it a mere rough draft or deleted scene, in spite of the fact the films have deep meaning to billions of people, won several Academy Awards, and altered the face of cinema as we know it. Not to mention that the deleted scenes on most DVDs, including the Star Wars ones, are anamorphic. And the deleted Jar-Jar sequences are also cleaned up after they leave the cutting room floor. It is easy for us to say these things, but we must remember Lucas's attitude towards the OOT, even if we don't like it.

Having said that, though, I imagine they were taken a bit by surprise by the outcry over the non-anamorphic/LD-master situation. LOL

It has all the action

Originally posted by: Darth_Evil
I just saw the news on Digital Bits. Maybe they are changing it to anamorphic, but haven't announced it in the states yet.

And they might have changed it not because of fan protest. I think that if Lucasfilm wants to be remembered as a great companyo f special effects and modern technology, they can't have this mark on thier permanent record. They released a movie in non-anamorhpic. For god sakes, I've seen dvd's of not very well known comedians on DVD in anamorphic. Five buck DVD's at wal-mart are anamorphic. Lucasfilm would become a laughing stock if they did this, and it would just show the world how crazy Lucas is. So they made an anamorphic transfer.

If this pertains to the states as well, then I'm extatic. Some of you have just found new things to complain about--no remastering--but I'm content with an anamorphic transfer. My bootlegs look very good (in my book) as it is, so I don't neccesairly need a remastering, though it'd be darn cool to have one. (Though I'd like them to leave in some grain---it makes me remember that this is a film.) And I don't care about a 5.1 track at all. Stereo is fine by me. It'd also be cool for them to include the mono track. (Monty Python and the Holy Grail did it, so why can't Star Wars?)

Originally posted by: Han Solo VS Indiana Jones


Speaking of which, James Cameron would have been a kickass choice to direct an X-Men venture.

Of the three directors so far, I liked Cuaron's style best, even though 3rd film continued the 2nd film's tradition of butchering Ron.

Originally posted by: Vigo


This may be a realistic scenario, BUT: would they be that stupid? They should know that everyone would find out about this, and this would create an even more negative backlash: react to the non-anamorphic issue by providing fake anamorphic transfers, trying to cheaply decieve the fans and the public on an anticipated DVD release.

Please, don´t let them be that stupid. Let this all be an ingenious marketing attempt to stir up interest in the OOT DVD release, and to make GL the winner, who has giving in to the will of he fans.

Originally posted by: zombie84
Who cares. Anamorphic schmanamorphic. Its still the 1993 Laserdisk telecine and until they correct this nothing at all has changed.

Originally posted by: Invader Jenny
Blah blah blah, Star Wars is dead.

Whatever.


Just wait a few years and we'll get our trilogy on Blue-Ray or HD. We may have to wait till Lucas dies, but most of us are young. We can wait him out.

Originally posted by: Patrick Russell
Look, this is nothing new at all.

Way back when, Lucas was adamant about the fact that the Star Wars movies would never be broadcast on television because they needed to be seen on the big screen to have the impact that they were supposed to have.

Then he broadcast Star Wars on... I think it may have been on ON-TV, the old pre-cable pay movie station. It was a big huge deal, they even broadcast the audio portion on the radio (which I taped, obviously) and as I recall it was supposed to be a one-shot deal. Then, of course, they ended up running the thing on network TV a couple years later with great pomp and fanfare, and thereafter Star Wars was in broadcast rotation on TV.

Lucas also was equally adamant, once upon a time, that the Star Wars movies would never be released on home video. Again... not the way he thought people ought to be watching them.

But of course, we all know that he didn't hold out forever on that one either.

How long did Lucas insist that he didn't want the original edits out on DVD? I mean, he was *thump!* serious about it this time. No original edit DVDs. Only the Endlessly-F***ed-With Editions were to be released, as they were his true vision du jour.

Now, suddenly, they're releasing what amounts to the bootleg DVDs of the O-OT as incentive to shift 10,000 or so more units of their 2004 EFWE DVDs, and they're now saying that they will never release the O-OT again, especially in any kind of DVD format that's at all useful to those of us with modern widescreen TVs.

Y'all know as well as I do... they'll eventually release the O-OT in the same crisp, anamorphic widescreen format in which we see the O-OT clips in the Empire Of Dreams documentary.

The trick, of course, is to not pony up for the jocky-ass versions of the O-OT that they're putting out in September. Why would any of us want to shell out money for something that's been available VERY inexpensively on Ebay for years?

I'm not sticking pins in the arse of a George Lucas voodoo doll or anything, mind you... I just think he's been incredibly lame to a lot of his fanbase for quite awhile now (I think it really started after the "Greedo shoots first" debacle back in '97, but certainly after the tepid fan reception that TPM so rightly got.) This current nonsense about the O-OT, though, is just beyond the pale. O-OT footage can be presented in anamorphic widescreen in a DVD documentary, but the full films end up being released like Chinese bootlegs. I know that we'll eventually get the O-OT in anamorphic widescreen with good sound and picture, despite LFL claims to the contrary, but at the moment I have no trouble at all seeing why so many people are pissed at Lucas over this.

Originally posted by: Invader Jenny
This movie has made so much money, but I don't understand what the big draw is. I mean, was there really that much anticipation to see this film, or were people going to the theater because they didn't really have anything else to do (and other than SR there wasn't anything worth while playing in the theater)?

I mean, I saw the first movie but I wasn't all that impressed. I was at a sleep over with a friend 2 years ago when I saw it, but there you go. And this movie just seems to be raking in the fans but again...I must just not be into pirate movies or Johnny Depp. Same thing with Lord of the Rings. I saw the movies in the theater but that was it. I don't own the DVDs nor do I really care about Orlando Bloom.

Pirates and Wizards. Whatever.

think Mike O has the right approach with his Helm's Deep analogy.

That was a joke . And thanks very much. Call me Mike. I change my name, but it doesn't appear that the software would allow such a thing.



Do you want a flame war .?

Why do you keep posting your pity party on each thread? You wanna give up, fine, but I for one am willing to wait Lucas out. I'm 23 and healthy. He's 62 and fat. Once he's dead, we'll get our DVDs. Just wait.

I agree; a Potter film by Terry Gilliam would rock. JK Rowling even recommended him to direct the first film, but Warner Brothers didn't have the balls to let Gilliam do it, they wanted a "family friendly" film, so they went with Columbus instead. I can only hope that they'll consider him for either "Half Blood Prince" or #7.

I like Bladerunner, but I never liked it enough to pay $40 bucks for four different versions.

True, but you do have the choice.

To be fair, The Abyss and Brazil are both non-anamorphic LD transfers, like what we're getting with the new SW discs. Brazil will, however, be released in September with a new transfer. Fox has yet to get off their asses and put out a better edition of the Abyss though. They've been peddling and rereleasing the same non-anamorphic disc for the past few years. The only edition of Blade Runner available on DVD is the director's cut in a lousy LD transfer. This should be rectified next year though.

Originally posted by: Mielr

I don't know about that..... I see this upcoming DVD release as a sign that Lucas is beginning to soften a bit. I really do think he's testing the waters, to see if those of us who've been screaming for the OOT, are willing to put our money where our mouths are. It could be that he's so insulated, that he really doesn't think that there are that many of us who actually want the OT, and thinks that most Star Wars fans feel the same way about the SE that he does.

If these DVDs sell big-time, I think it will be an eye-opener for him. He may decide to give the OOT a hi-def release in the future. Normally, I wouldn't be this optimistic- but the fact that the OOT is coming out on DVD at all is a BIG shocker for me- I never thought I'd see it happen, especially with the disdain that GL has shown for them.