captainsolo

Every year, even though I swear I’ll stop before I get to the bad ones, I go through all the Universal and Hammer cycles. Then I go through all the AIP-Corman classics and into Vincent Price’s horrors before doing the handful of other classics like the Lewton films, 30’s horrors, 56 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don’t Look Now, The Wicker Man and Karloff/Lugosi vehicles etc.

I also watch the classic silent horrors such as Nosferatu, Phantom etc but many are only borderline horror such as Hunchback and Man Who Laughs.

The absolute essentials though are these for me:
Dracula
Frankenstein, Bride, Son
The Wolf Man and most of FMTWM
The Invisible Man, Returns
The Old Dark House
The Mummy, Mummy’s Hand
Horror of Dracula, Brides
The whole Hammer Frankenstein series
The '59 Hammer Mummy and their Hound of the Baskervilles
Masque of the Red Death, Witchfinder General, Theatre of Blood

I still need to see the more obscure Hammers and perhaps finally venture into Amicus since I’m a huge Cushing and Lee fan. Later on I need to make a dedicated list for this year.
And yes I groan every time I get to stuff like Satanic Rites or Mummy’s Curse.

Hmmm…I’ll have to compare myself when I get the chance. Keep in mind though that the laserdisc and print tracks could still be the same as laser just generally would go to a master source which when printed could be pushed or reduced across frequencies.
I also keep wondering if the WS LD mix is not a remix and perhaps the original Vistasonic track that was hastily abandoned in favor of a remix in Dolby just before the premiere. It’s still my favorite for some reason.
Of course as we all know there’s no way to tell with any Lucasfilm release in this time period. Unless you have hard evidence, practically anything can exist audio wise. I’m sure that all the alternate audio comes from a dedicated mono mix that they would’ve done for 16 mm and was sourced for some of the foreign tracks because they even kept doing this practice on Empire and later Jedi .
Ask anyone at LFL about hear issues and you’d probably get a very confused and unknowledgeable reply.
The BD remix of ROTLA is shamefully bad in many places. It’s no wonder the 35mm run of the “restored” version used the DVD audio.

Here’s some recent thoughts I had:

So is it confirmed the WB DVD from 1999 has the original audio track with the missing line on the 99 non-MGM DVD?

We seriously need to make a definitive original transfer preservation with video either from Criterion, corrected MGM, the early DVDs or a mixture of all-combined with the PCM and 5.1 tracks

Is it worth it to do an averaging of the CAV and CLV Criterions or is this just too difficult for an extra sliver of information?

I now have a 7.1 system. The upmixed Dolby crafted for taking PL and 5.1 to 7.1 are excellent. However, if you move the back rearsand set them as front height channels you could effectively have five channels across the front if desired.Of course this would necessitate having a processor that could take the LCR and give two extra channels to spread them or doing it manually somehow.

Is it wrong that I never care to see another comic film adaptation ever again?
Didn’t think so.
At least not until they decide to actually adapt a comic property and not pretend to.

Well…the stuff they’ve done in The Killing Joke adaptation…is truly awful…like not only ill fitting and wrong…but just horrible…why do they continue to make these?
First they began by merely repurposing stories into simplified shortened DTV releases but this is…just look up the multitudes of clips all over YouTube. It’s bad enough that they’ve cheapened Babs in such a way but…who in the world thought this stuff was a good idea? The dialogue is ATROCIOUS!

SPOILER:

A stupid fight between comrades that sounds more akin to Robin chafing under Bruce’s control suddenly has costumes flying and sex on a rooftop?? WHAAAAAT just happened???

I gave up. I really did. I’ve never been a huge fan of the book anyway for what it did to Babs, and it’s really overrated. But still it would have been perfect for Conroy and Hamill to have another epic go round…so WHY do this to pad it so agonizingly?

LuckyGungan2001 said:

The Bourne Identity
The action scenes were relatively well shot but the sound design in them was unprofessional. The climax was good but I felt that the whole film was leading up to something, and it never really delivered

Totally agree on the last bit, but the sound design is largely excellent though there are a few old fashioned bits of foley that stick out. It has a nice bass to it throughout that opens up on the HDMA track very well.

Spidey 1 and 2 were great and my first major PSX games when I got my console. The music and acting were great I thought but they don’t hold as well over time in terms of gameplay.
2 on ps2 is legendary for its swinging and gta styled sandbox for good reason but severely limited in other ways. The newer games have mixed reviews and are still expensive used so I think I’ll just wait for the ps4 game as I need to still play Arkham Knight anyway.

Maybe I’ll fire up 2 as I just want to go web swinging.

I have the main Vhs release and my treasured WS LD. IIRC it has always had a touch of red in video transfers but I’ll take a look when I get home tonight.

For some reason I’m itching to play a Spidey game as good as 2 on PS2. Have any of the PS3 era titles been with playing?
Btw I hated Ultimate. Just a huge letdown.
Why don’t they realize all we want to do is swing around and have fun is beyond me…just like they thought we didn’t want a fantastic next gen Indy game…

SilverWook said:

captainsolo said:

As surprising number of titles still have prints issued to this day but it’s merely a convenience thing and mostly like the stupid practice of pressing a cd master onto vinyl: pointless.

Striking a new print of a movie shot on film is not the same as putting a CD master on vinyl. There are still plenty of 35mm venues left in the world.

Throw a 35mm reel and a DCP out a third story window, and see which survives. 😉

True but the sad thing is that practically everything just has a DI printed out so it makes the film transfer a unnecessary step. And boy have they gotten bad at printing optical tracks…I’ve seen some recent prints have downright awful optical backups…

Also, I started Trek TOS finally.
Took me long enough. 😉

As surprising number of titles still have prints issued to this day but it’s merely a convenience thing and mostly like the stupid practice of pressing a cd master onto vinyl: pointless.

The whole Raiders debate began years ago and ramped up when I saw the restored 35mm print and immediately noticed the different look and feel. Others felt similarly upon the BDs release and IMAX run. IMO it’s pretty bad when you really get into looking closely and seeing it on the big screen really didn’t play well. Admittedly this is something most people wouldnt realize, but ROTLA is supposed to be a throwback and supposed to look grungy in places. The current release just isn’t right and the sound is just wrong.

But I do admit to being one of the few who truly hated the removal of the snake reflection. They should leave the trilogy alone as it should be visable warts and all.

The issue was that we never had a proper Raiders reference, and now we do. The video history has been complicated, there are numerous looks let alone sound mixes. The revisionism that started with the Lowry DVD was taken to a higher level at points and the current release is just plain wrong in places. Particularly the sound remix which is completely unnecessary.

Jason Bourne
Well…now we finally get the paint by numbers release that I criticized all the sequels of being. Again the editor steps in to help write the story…which there really isn’t one. Damon is on point as are all the other performers, but all are horribly wasted in this two hour exercise that manages to tell LESS story in a longer runtime than the already story thin 2 and 3. Nothing is explained or even considered-especially WHAT WAS BOURNE DOING ALL THIS TIME? HOW CAN THERE BE MORE CONSPIRACY IF HE 'REMEMBERS EVERYTHING"???
Most harming is the change in cameraman and composer. Now the shakycam is truly incomprehensible, and there is no usage of the recognizable Bourne themes although they get hinted at ad nauseum.
The film is complete filler, a gauge for audience reaction and a boost to people’s careers. But at least it doesn’t sit as bad in the mouth as did LEGACY.
Oh and of course, no surprises, no Ludlum to be found anywhere. Great job Ludlum estate. Crank out another 25 embarrassingly stupid ripoff “books”.

Palatable in places time filler. 1.5/4. The worst entry (barring Legacy) despite having some strengths. Makes Ultimatum look incredibly strong, which of course it isn’t. A waste of talent and money.

People should read the first two books and then reconsider how jaw droppingly bad the films get. The studio should have bit the bullet and never fired Liman as he was the heart of the whole film’s conception. IDENTITY remains the only good film in the series.

Thoughts?

For a complete ST newbie, is there a suggested release for the original movie series? I now have the BD set but after parsing around am really concerned at both the high level of DNR and color manipulation–not to mention the obvious sonic manipulation since all were remixed into 7.1. Some in the LD fangroups have recommended the LDs as being sonically superior.
As far as I can tell the old DVD/HDTV caps in comparisons look far more natural. Best of all is the new Khan remaster which as far as I can tell seems as if were done competently for a change. (Still no original audio. Grr.)

The Aluminum Falcon said:

SPOILERS

captainsolo said:

All this was already hinted at throughout the Batman Beyond series anyway.
It seems a bit weird but I don’t mind it all that much I guess. Maybe because I’m a huge Babs fan.

That was the one part of the DC Animated Timm-verse that I never truly bought actually. From a recent interview at Comic Con, it seems that Bruce Timm really does think the relationship is inherently romantic, citing how it was played off in the Adam West show. But, I never really read Batgirl that way.

To me, Batgirl always seemed part of the second generation of Gotham crimefighters, which makes her and Robin the obvious (and much more tasteful) pairing. Batman, as the original Gotham crimefighter, should be the only first generation father figure, raising the so-called “Bat Family” to succeed him. Even in the last season of Batman: TAS, Timm tried to make Batgirl into a “mother” figure.

I far prefer the notion of either a Batman-Wonder Woman or a Batman-Catwoman relationship. The latter particularly is interesting because of how Catwoman is probably less crazy than Batman is. She could potentially help his mental health, while he helps reform her criminal behavior.

Then, of course, there is the gender politics, which is less of an issue to me personally, but one with which I can sympathize. The original comic was already derided in some circles for its callousness towards harming Batgirl, but the adaptation (shockingly) seems to worsen the situation, essentially reductively defining Batgirl as a woman, to be sexually desired not only by Batman and the randomly added gangster fellow in the first 20 minutes but also the Joker.

Neglify said:

(SPOILERZ)

First off, there was no sex scene. Batman and Batgirl kiss and you could infer they had sex, but we don’t see that.

Batgirl actually explicitly states to Batman over the phone: “It was just sex, for god’s sake!” So, no inference required for better or worse.

The Batman-Catwoman relationship was beautifully handled in the Hush storyline and is one of the great romantic allusions in comics IMO. Wonder Woman would also make a good foil for Brucie if he were so inclined, which I don’t really think Batman goes for much outside the crusade.

I had no idea they had literally done that and made it so blatant with a line like that. What in the world…that actually does make me a bit testy.
I agree I never bought Bruce and Babs being romantically involved either and it doesn’t fit. But jeez did they really have to hammer it in there like that? Now I see why there have been so many stories over the new DCAU release.
Poor Dick Grayson never wins does he? 😉 (they never let them have a happy resolution)

I’ve never been a fan of how TKJ just destroyed the character and then DC just went with it. But finally we got the wonderful Oracle out of it. And of course they or anyone else would never let you make a good drama like that. (Though I’d love to do it.)

Sounds like they lost the great overall meaning of TKJ in this adaptation by focusing on too many other things to pad the running time.

But we really have come a long way from the subtlety of Bruce’s relationship in MOTP haven’t we?

HH as far as I know the pl2 system was designed around cinema parameters for the movie mode and the music mode is merely more of a gimmick for upmixing what you want at home.
I have heard great things about the new variants of PL doing more accurate matrix decoding for 7.1 systems but I too am still only running 5.1 at home. The gist is that they utilize the two back rear speakers to create a fuller sonic landscape more like the theater would be.

It’s already up to $256 and 40 bids. Looks like it’s going to the stratosphere and it’s only one reel of 16mm.

That said the image is basically identical to what I see every time I run the CAV boxset which was supposed to have been properly timed to a reference print. (as was TB)

All this was already hinted at throughout the Batman Beyond series anyway.
It seems a bit weird but I don’t mind it all that much I guess. Maybe because I’m a huge Babs fan.

http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Superman-1941/id/15907

The WB transfer may or may not have been done in HD. The anthology versions DVD and BD are identical to the standalone release, but the standalone release fixed a couple of the errors.

There are actually a number of DVDs with PCM tracks but these are generally early on in the format’s lifespan as it was eventually decreed all DVDs would carry Dolby digital. A number of music related DVDs are PCM as well.

Thanks man. Not often that I get to discuss TLADILA in much detail. And totally agree to disagree. 😉 I get your argument and you make a valid point about the alternate ending having a good deal of satisfaction. Try giving Friedkin’s commentary a listen. When he speaks about the film in greater detail it makes the thematic arcs more clear.

If you want to talk awkward and iffy on performance, what do you make of the deleted scene where Vukovich goes to his ex?

The new BD from Shout is going to recycle the MGM master with their worse compression like they usually do. The big news is that they may produce new extras-and better yet that Arrow is doing a uk release with their high level of quality- so expect the MGM master from them with better compression and original audio and new extras.
The current MGM release is as good as it gets and could only use the original 2.0 track and feature the extras on the BD instead of only on the DVD. The 5.1 mix is faithful and is virtually identical to the original as far as I can tell and the transfer is about the only one Friedkin hasn’t fiddled with.

1. TLADILA is Friedkin’s masterpiece.
2. I think the film is the definition of the 80’s and barring Blade Runner and some other favorites think it is the best film of the decade.
3. The soundtrack is one of the finest ever made and completely thematic. I still listen to it reularly and it became the band’s finest work. The LP is hugely dynamic and murders the film mix.
4. https://thehificelluloidmonster.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/to-live-and-die-in-l-a-1985/
   My more recent musings on the film can be found here: https://thehificelluloidmonster.wordpress.com/2016/03/22/soul-erosion-in-a-counterfeit-world/

Please give the second a read. You seriously cannot tell how much I respect this picture can you? 😉

As for the ending I completely disagree. I think it is perfectly handled as you can’t quite read Vukovich when he comes to the door. He seems exhausted, burned out, bruised, bartered and beyond lucky to be alive. You realize he no longer cares. And then the final line cements his shift that began the moment he partnered with Chance. Chance himself teeters on the edge throughout the film so his eventual fall fits thematically. What is astounding is how the seemingly cheesy ending mandated by nervous executives actually matches the same bleak tone so it would work almost as well. And also as nasty as he was I too never want to see Chance go down though it makes for the better and fitting ending.

I posted in the SWvST thread but figured I’d repost here.
I hope to get TOS on Blu soon and finally start Trekking at some point in the near future.
If I like brainy sci-fi, Forbidden Planet and a few vintage tv shows I should be okay right?

SilverWook said:

Does anyone live close to a theater showing Beyond in this new format? Kind of like Cinerama Redux.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDWIc4MGirE

Don’t bother. It’s literally three screens bolted together off angled in a standard regular sized multiplex auditorium. The photos of the real thug are jaw droppingly bad and reviews I’ve heard are truly awful.
After personally experiencing Barco’s new sound format (fake 11.1 aka lie-atmos) it doesn’t surprise me at all.

There should be no need for 6.1 as the original source format of the matrixed 4.0 perfectly fits into the 5.1 system by having the rear surrounds recreate that back center channel as the rear is simply phase split to repurpose the original track into a stereo surround setup without changing any content. This is how it is supposed to be done in the professional realm.
Also the discrete 70mm source would work in a similar way by having the front LCR and the rear mono surround merely split across L and R surrounds.
What is bad about 6.1 is that the center rear naturally creates listener confusion as it makes the sound from the center mix with the rear center and then the sound doesn’t come across as intended. This is why they dumped 6.1 in favor of 7.1 many years ago and the fact that the audio mixes are still stuck in this outdated format on the BDs is a further sign of the lack of care and incompetence shown throughout their transfer history since 2004.