captainsolo

joefavs said:

Between Amazon Prime and the free movies section of Xfinity On Demand, I suddenly find myself with access to about half of the James Bond films. It’s been years since I’ve seen any besides the Daniel Craig ones, so I’ve decided to revisit as many as I can before they’re eventually taken away. So far I’ve watched . . .

From Russia With Love - 3 1/2 stars. This is basically the platonic ideal of an early Bond film. Pacing is better than I remembered, gadgets are neat but not over the top, locations are varied, villains are cool, supporting characters are charming, and the art direction is stylish as all hell. The only things that bothered me were the rather lame characterization of Tatiana Romanova and the weirdly sinister implied lesbianism of Colonel Klebb. I know it’s just values dissonance between a 1963 film and my 2016 sensibilities, but understanding that doesn’t make it any less cringe-y. Still, the good far outweighs the bad, and I’m comfortable saying this is one of the very best in the franchise.

Goldfinger - 3 stars. Maybe 3 1/2, but I do think it’s a tiny bit below FRWL. The good: greatest theme song of all time. Some of the most iconic imagery of the whole series (golden body, crotch laser, etc.). A kickass Bond girl in Pussy Galore who succeeds as a character in all the areas Tatiana Romanova failed. That Aston Martin. The bad (or rather, the “meh”): the pacing’s a little wonky; the whole back half of the movie where Bond is Goldfinger’s captive is very stop-and-go. It also doesn’t quite scratch that “globe-spanning adventure” itch the way the previous film did. The Switzerland stuff is very nice, but once we get to Kentucky things get kind of drab. I did like the Fort Knox interiors though.

I’m going to try to go in release order, skipping those that aren’t available. Sadly, Dr. No isn’t currently available so I was unable to begin at the beginning, but the rest of the Connery films are up, along with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, so I’ll at least be able to get up to the start of the Roger Moore era without any more omissions.

And oh yeah, I’m using a Roger Ebert-style four-star system now.

THe four star system is the only way to go. It’s simple and makes sense and is what I’ve used my whole life.

Glad to hear you’re doing the Bond run, but keep in mind those are usually the all over the place modern transfers with the pretty bad audio remixes.
Klebb’s preferences are far more explicit in the novel so those are supposed to be there. For any other tonight’s try looking at he production histories as they will explain most everything with pacing and other issues particularly Thunderball.

So far thre worst offender is the Mean Streets BD. It opens in blackness with the opening voiceover now on BD Marty’s voice is heard over the brand new CG studio logo. Argh!!!

I haven’t gotten the BD yet but he slightly bolder look is what I remember from the old DVD and LD issues and how I first saw it. Currently I only have he MGM CLV LD and it looks that way for he most part.

Were we ever able to confirm what exactly that BD mono is or where it came from? I wrote Fox a letter asking about it and if I could exchange my trilogy set for the corrected disc only to get a standard studio generic shut up and go away letter.

Open Range is out on BD in Germany, France and Sweden. The Swedish one has a lower bitrate, the French one is better but apparently has pitch issues in the audio. Best is the German disc which has good reviews higher bitrate lossless audio and the DVD extras but in PAL format.
Sadly it’s region B locked. Since I haven’t gone region free yet I snagged the 2 disc DVD for a buck in a used bin.

Wait Until Dark will likely come out via the Warner Archive at some point.

Owyn_Merrilin said:

captainsolo said:

Holy…you can see the hard brickwall cutoff in that waveform. WTF Disney?? I don’t even like the film and I feel bad. BD at home allows for greater dynamic range than the usual terrible theatrical presentations of today…and usually it is left as-is for modern releases…until now. We’ve been fighting loudness in music since the mid 90’s and now it’s coming in movies…come on…what is wrong with people??

You can thank all the people who complain about how movie dialogue is too quiet compared to the music and sound effects for this one – the fact that it’s only the center channel that was brick walled makes that abundantly clear. It sucks, because the biggest reason they have those problems is that people are either watching on a crappy soundbar or the built in speakers of their TV, or they have a surround sound system but it’s got tiny little drivers that they didn’t bother to calibrate. I swear, studios should start tossing in a lossily (not to mention dynamically) compressed track for people like this and having the disc default to it, so those of us who care can go in and switch to the good track, and the people who don’t won’t notice but will also stop complaining.

Handman said:

It has indeed. I think on 4k discs, though.

Yeah, it’s out there. I think on normal blu-rays, not just the 4K ones (which I’m pretty sure aren’t out yet, and definitely weren’t when the home version of Atmos first came out). It’s kind of irrelevant to this discussion, though, since there’s very few commercial theaters that are equipped to play an Atmos track at this point, so new movies still need theatrical 5.1 tracks.

Edit: Added the reply to Handman instead of double posting.

That would be lovely. A relative few number of DVDs have that option or try to explain to people. I try telling my family this stuff but they don’t care whatsoever. That’s the issue here so I think they should either just do it or provide a simple static screen with a quick explanation and a choice.

HansiG said:

You people give too much crap.

I understand being angry about the changes in OT, I myself hate those changes too. They change things directly in the movie, they interrupt the flow, they don’t fit in.

But being angry about a soundtrack being louder/less loud, a new sound effect, a removal of sound effect etc.? All movies do stuff that when they arrive on home video, because otherwise the sound would be awful.

No, this is an entirely different issue than nearfield remixing which is the proper term for remixing dynamic tracks to the less dynamic home market. This is blatant and complete crushing of the dynamic range so that highs and lows are thus lost in a sea of loud. The reason why movies have always escaped this fate found in virtually all music releases since 1995 is that they can never be one set level since movies are naturally rising and falling in audio levels.

But this could represent an emerging trend that would kill dynamics in film which should never happen since it would be even worse than what happened in the music industry.

In reference to Legacy, I quote M in YOLT: “this is the big one 007.”

Mike’s efforts and sheer dedication to the cause, not to mention the financial realities of doing such work on your own, is incredible.

The hope I think would be to build a greater degree of credibility with those in charge at Disney/LFL and to give them an eye opener into what exactly all this means. Not to mention that we’re quite dedicated and serious-not silly folks on an online forum. Legacy and Mike’s pitch is just the way to do this. And it is the pitch that counts just like everything in the business.

Best of luck to you Mike, we’re all rooting for you, and if it comes to pass I’d volunteer to help the team in any way possible.

Also I wanted to note that the the big difference between Legacy and our own efforts is that Legacy is really being done the way any true film restoration should be: by using the best source available and comparing against the stock used, production technicalities and hardships, number of prints off the negative and perhaps most neglected is comparing against all the print types used and accurately finding the ideal image intended and shot originally.

It is my sincerest hope that the Legacy pitch does work and then a real 4K or better scan is performed of the negatives…and then properly done with all audio mixes (now archived at LFL), with Mike and perhaps involving some of us in some kind of temp consultants role. With the current social media age it might even make for good PR to involve some OTers to assist in any way.

My only real suggestion would be to maybe think about writing Robert Harris via the home heater forum since he has already expressed interest in restoring the trilogy and would at least be a helpful industry resource.

suspiciouscoffee said:

LuckyGungan2001 said:

moviefreakedmind said:

LuckyGungan2001 said:

The World is not Enough (1999): 7/10

Call me crazy, but I quite liked it. Sure Christmas Jones was an absolutely terrible love interest, and the plot was pretty muddy, but on the other hand we have the excellent music and action, and the great villains.

Goldfinger (1964): 9/10

Take notes MCU; this is how you make a fun filled romp.

Casino Royale (2006): 9/10

Take notes DCCU; this is how you make a gritty reboot.

I absolutely LOVE the World is Not Enough!

I’ve seen people rank it behind Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

I actually like Tomorrow Never Dies. I think it and TWINE are both underrated.

Finally TWINE love!

The issue is that all four Brosnan entries were produced with multiple problems at the scripting stage. This is compounded by the new producers not having the knowledge of their predecessors nor faith in the character himself. Then they hired the duo of Purvis and Wade on TWINE who cannot develop an idea to save their lives and they have been involved with every film since.
TWINE is hurt further by the hiring of a truly gifted director of intimate drama who has to continually fight against the rather gutless but technically proficient second unit action footage. This combined with the lower key story and lack of plot fulfillment make most write the whole film off. Oddly enough it is the best of the four because it had the most promise.

TND had no script when shooting began thus Anthony Hopkins dropped out and they essentially remade YOLT for the second time.

I could go on and on with these but I still love them…well at least the first three and elements of DAD.

DuracellEnergizer said:

TV’s Frink said:

What didn’t you like about Austin Powers?

There’s nothing I actively disliked. I just didn’t find most of the humour uproariously amusing.

THIS. When I was younger I loved that someone was making fun of spy films and that I was in on the joke…but then it quickly became apparent that there were extreme limitations. What Myers should have done was to take more from Austin’s favorite film IN LIKE FLINT and have a story to work the actual jokes off of. And by jokes I mean actual ones and not toilet humor for two hours.

[LuckyGungan2001 said:]

Skyfall: B+

I really enjoyed this film, it had good acting, good characters, great direction and cinematography, and an interesting story. The ending was a bit anticlimactic, but I enjoyed the film nonetheless.

Dr No: B-

It dragged a lot in the second act, most characters are underdeveloped, and the story is pretty poor, but overall the good outweighed the bad.

To quote Noel Coward: “No, no, no!”

Dr. No is arguably the finest film in the series. To me Skyfall had none of the qualities mentioned above but at least it wasn’t Spectre.

For those like me who grew up studying and revering the Bond team, this one truly hurts.
Guy Hamilton.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36101644

Using the serials has a point since they are the closest adaptation to the way the character began: two-fisted, simple and dirty. Frank Miller is a big fan despite their cheesiness and if you can tolerate the low budgets there is a lot to actually enjoy in them today.

Holy…you can see the hard brickwall cutoff in that waveform. WTF Disney?? I don’t even like the film and I feel bad. BD at home allows for greater dynamic range than the usual terrible theatrical presentations of today…and usually it is left as-is for modern releases…until now. We’ve been fighting loudness in music since the mid 90’s and now it’s coming in movies…come on…what is wrong with people??

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Definitive film of that decade. Friedkin’s masterpiece.

Otherwise, Blade Runner is a must. Final Cut is easiest, but revisionist in certain ways. Best of all the is the 1992 director’s cut but it misses the bits of violence from the International version.

As mentioned by others and other random 80’s releases that spring to mind:
Road Warrior, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Empire of the Sun, 52 Pick Up, The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, Police Story I and II, Full Metal Jacket, Midnight Run, Prince of the City, Once Upon a Time in America, After Hours and other Scorsese entries…and many many more.

I always defend the 80’s Bond era under John Glen, as there’s always something of interest onscreen, but if you have never seen the Dalton entries do so immediately.

I didn’t know mid 90’s releases had IB. Hmmm…

Most staggering and important here are Godfather and OHMSS. But while the former is properly restored, it’s the latter I’m aching for. My dream when I strike it rich somehow is to one day own a clean print of all 20 original entries…because I’m that guy. 😉

I wonder how much it’d go for? The values on the Bonds seem to be all over the map, some very high some not so much.

Apparently this is the new norm. I fixed the bleeding as my levels had been zeroed out, but it still feels off somehow. Oddly when it plays a flagged DVD track the info bar shows the incoming audio as Dolby surround but it can only output 2.0 or I have to turn on DPL2.

About 100cds, 500 LPs, a cassette or two. I’ll update my discogs and post it later. That doesn’t even begin to go into my massive flac/hires/needledrop section.
I got into obsessively collecting for sound quality after realizing what the loudness wars were doing a few years ago and joining over at shtv. So I now collect what I like and the best pressing or issue I can find.

The best Fleischer release is the separate DVD issue which fixed an error or two. Why there is no HD today is stupid. I’ve asked the WB archive and they have no idea.

There’s also many transfers stuck in the old DVD mastering era, such as Mission Impossible. Goldeneye seems to use a video master from the 1995 LD and 1999 DVD.

But the worst major release from a studio aside from poor elements or a smaller label having lack of money or care…is Universals Family Plot. Holy **** you can obviously tell they did not care about their Hitchcock stable and still do not. What an atrocious mangling of the Master’s final work. The DVD is better in every single possible way.

Hi all, I recently purchased the Onkyo TXNR626 refurbed from A4L. It does everything perfectly…that is except all my prized LD 2.0 matrixed tracks, or even DVDs in 2.0 surround with flags.
When I engage DPLII cinema or NEO:6 there is consistent channel bleeding from the center to the rears, and despite having better low end Neo: 6 tries to create a phantom rear center which makes it less useable than PLII.
I tried my old outboard DPLI decoders which only output RCAs and they work fine-only trouble is that the Onkyo only has a digital input!

I also found that the unit picks up on the Dolby surround flags but apparently there is no mode that will play them nor a direct auto format sensing mode like on my nearly 20 year old Sony receiver.

I guess I’ve got to go round with an SPL and set everything, but I just read that old DPL receivers actually cut power to the surrounds in PLI mode so that you got that proper center channel emphasis with only a minor emphasis on the mono rear.

Any suggestions? This is driving me nuts!

Puggo - Jar Jar’s Yoda said:

With respect to higher-quality releases of the 16mm films, my plans are to first finish with ROTP (it’s almost done - really!). Then, I will probably make an announcement that will be of some interest.

YES!

PG and PSB really upscaled well on the 960 screen and far better than what I anticipated. Can’t wait for ROTP.

I too am beyond sorry to be reading this and wish you and your loved ones all the best in the real world.

If you manage to achieve some stability again, by all means continue to post if you’d like. I’m sure we’d all love to hear from you from time to time.

Thanks for everything and for being such an invaluable resource for all of us.

This whole thing seems as avoidable and silly as the continual issues that have gone on with TN1 since the beginning. Why in the world is there need for such secrecy, yet simultaneous openness on here and even public sites? Then combined with the continual multitude of releases and tests everywhere it all gets very confusing–much as if all the various members never conversed with one another.

I also don’t get why it had to be an anonymous Team account so that one could never figure out if you were talking with the same entity or needed to re-explain yourself.

I think this is a major problem going on here, that there are just too many folks, projects and discussions running around and less of the overall unified atmosphere that existed when I joined years ago. This whole situation underlines the problem. And with Disney now doing who knows what with the OT due to both the new sequels and the upcoming 40th anniversary, I think we’ve got to be both more careful and united as a group committed to the OT’s preservation.

Because at the end of the day, we’re just doing what we can in place of the shoddy official “work”. We research, learn and discuss in order to try and try over and over again. Nothing we do can ever be perfect and we’ve always run the edge of what is exactly legal.

This place is invaluable; it can and has taught me more about the process than any school ever did. If I somehow misread what happened here, then by all means disregard this post. I just wanted to put my two cents in with how it felt to me.

And it’s all the more sad because the Silverscreen v1 was staggering even though not yet completed, and the IB sample is IMO the single best thing we’ve ever managed. What a shame.

I’ll be in the same PC situation in a bit. I still need a new soundcard but just received my new receiver, the Onkyo 626 refurbished from Accessories4Less. The receiver is the key difference in SQ, but be forewarned, new receivers are a total pain in the rear to calibrate. I’m still fiddling with mine. And it just doesn’t seem to want to do old school ProLogic matrixing without massive channel bleeding.

Eventually better speakers would be a good upgrade; mine are much older but still killer for bookshelves. (Klipsch kg .5) My sub is pretty old so it can’t quite get as low as newer units but still packs a nice punch. From everything I’ve read, the goal would be to eventually have floorstanding full range speakers for the front mains.

I hope to soon get an HDMI capable soundcard so I can just run my PC into the receiver and playback mkvs etc. without having to reconvert for PS3. AFAIK this is the only way to achieve modern lossless codecs from PC to receiver.

Same here. I gee up with a handful of VHS public domain cartoon tapes each with a Superman or two.
And I just ordered the image DVD port of the LD to go along with the diamond and Warner.