Jump to content

The last Blu-ray you watched.


liebherr954

Recommended Posts

300 Rise Of An Empire: A very good rental if you liked the first one. Good PQ, SQ, LFE. and special effects This is a 4/5 movie for me. :)

Actually that is the first movie I watched tonight with the 7's in house. Not bad but I liked the first one better I think.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched the newly released remastered version of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" last night.. Leone's brilliant Prequel to the "man with no name" trilogy.

I must have seen every version of this film beginning with US theater versions and VHS versions ever since the 1970's... I have to say this new 4k scan made from the original camera negative and not some inter-negative or cobbled parts of prints is superb... the best the movie has ever looked... even Theater versions I have seen.

I have two other Bluray versions that were remastered, but they were done in a HD 1080p scan and not 4k scan, and were made from corrected prints and not the direct camera negative... they can not compare. in addition to the new resolution, there is some very interesting framing that has never existed (except for the Italian original release)... there is a lot of new frame area round the tops and bottoms and more notably the left and right sides. this doesn't reveal any additional really important images, but it does reset the layout to something more akin to Leone's original vision... and I do agree it looks much better. More relaxed and much less compressed, which is great even though we have all gotten used to the cropped tight image that we've been accustomed to over the years of seeing this movie.

there is one element that is controversial... it is the "TINT" of the movie. the movie has a very distinct yellow tint to the image... something that no one foresaw, but it has been confirmed that this "yellowish tint" as being Leone's original vision... and combined with the additional framing area, restores the directors idea for the movie.

Overall I have to say that this movie benefits greatly from this 4k scan as many of the scenes actually come alive with depth and dimension almost to the point where they look three dimensional.

some shots to compare with the original Bluray remaster done a few years ago... new release is second.

10098_24_large.jpg
10098_23_large.jpg

10098_18_large.jpg
10098_17_large.jpg

10098_16_large.jpg
10098_15_large.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scanners (1981)

I just received my newly released Criterion version of Cronenbergs Scanners... film has never looked better.

scanners-criterion.jpg

Scanners seems to drive a wedge between Cronenberg loyal fans... some thinking it is the worst Cronenberg movie made, others Reveling in it's "Good versus Evil" over tones in an age where movies like the Omen and the Exorcist ruled the roost.

This release is good looking give it's originals and budget restraints and unfortunately only comes with a mono uncompressed audio and sound track.

A horror movie only in the most simplistic terms, Cronenberg seems to have purposely chosen a Jewish looking man to play the lead Good Character, albeit naive, Cameron Vale... and an Arian looking man to play the lead conniving Bad Character, Darryl Revoc. He tells a story of a naive Scanner that is lead from afar into a world of good versus evil by Patrick McGoohan who is no less aptly named Dr. Paul Ruth... as in Ruth from the "book of Ruth" where Ruth accepts God of the Israelites as her God and the Israelite people as her own. Ruth states... "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried"... and so it is with Dr. Paul Ruth as he seeks to save and care for (as a father would save and care for his children), as many Scanners as he capable of saving.

As with the book of ruth... Dr. Ruth seeks inclusion and stress's the need for acceptance of outsiders and foreigners in an otherwise closed off secular world of the lonely Scanner.

Ultimately, good must do battle with evil and as such the movie points out the duality of man... the polar opposites ingrained in much of humanity to do either good or to do evil.

In the end, both good and evil must learn to live inside a single body with one being the dominate personality over the other and keeping that personality under control.

more-scanners-art.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scarface
(1936)

One again Proving the 1930's, and indeed Howard Hawks himself, are supremely at the top of the list in terms of cinematic creme de la creme excellence.

De Palma's re-visioned version of Scarface is purely comical and pales when compared to the original Howard Hawks movie with it's underlying story originality that was based on actual events and persona's... namely the real scarface, Al Capone.

Howard Hughes himself produced this post depression era film staring a wonderful Paul Muni (Tony), Ann Dvorak and George Raft, and also has Boris Karloff in a small role. Howard Hawks brilliantly controls the camera and cinematography in this film and the opening sequence is to die for as it tracks for a couple minutes in a linear fashion while "Tony" stalks and kills a rival bootlegger. Hawks art direction, set design and detail are unmatched... and his control over action sequences are superb. The Saint Valentines day Massacre sequence is especially stunning as all action take places via shadows on the wall, and as the men are killed the shadows miraculously disappear and the camera pans upward to reveal the bracing of the ceiling that poetically take the shape of large series of "X's"... great stuff.

scarface-1932-08-g.jpg
Poster%20-%20Scarface%20%281932%29_02.jp

Do yourself a favor and see this 1930's era movie if you ever have the chance...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched the newly released remastered version of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" last night.. Leone's brilliant Prequel to the "man with no name" trilogy.

I think it was you who put out the alert that Amazon had the new version of the trilogy on sale. If so, many thanks.

I grew up watching these on TV, and as much as I loved them I had never seen them on a "big" screen. My wife and I watched the first, A Fist Full of Dollars, on the basement theater last night. Very enjoyable, we are looking forward to the next 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched the newly released remastered version of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" last night.. Leone's brilliant Prequel to the "man with no name" trilogy.

I must have seen every version of this film beginning with US theater versions and VHS versions ever since the 1970's... I have to say this new 4k scan made from the original camera negative and not some inter-negative or cobbled parts of prints is superb... the best the movie has ever looked... even Theater versions I have seen.

I have two other Bluray versions that were remastered, but they were done in a HD 1080p scan and not 4k scan, and were made from corrected prints and not the direct camera negative... they can not compare. in addition to the new resolution, there is some very interesting framing that has never existed (except for the Italian original release)... there is a lot of new frame area round the tops and bottoms and more notably the left and right sides. this doesn't reveal any additional really important images, but it does reset the layout to something more akin to Leone's original vision... and I do agree it looks much better. More relaxed and much less compressed, which is great even though we have all gotten used to the cropped tight image that we've been accustomed to over the years of seeing this movie.

there is one element that is controversial... it is the "TINT" of the movie. the movie has a very distinct yellow tint to the image... something that no one foresaw, but it has been confirmed that this "yellowish tint" as being Leone's original vision... and combined with the additional framing area, restores the directors idea for the movie.

Overall I have to say that this movie benefits greatly from this 4k scan as many of the scenes actually come alive with depth and dimension almost to the point where they look three dimensional.

some shots to compare with the original Bluray remaster done a few years ago... new release is second.

10098_24_large.jpg

10098_23_large.jpg

10098_18_large.jpg

10098_17_large.jpg

10098_16_large.jpg

10098_15_large.jpg

you got a 4k tv and source now schu?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No... this is still presented in 1080p bluray, but the scan from the original camera negative was done at 4k.

For what its worth, I would watch them in this order....

The good, the bad, the ugly

Fist full of dollars

For a few dollars more

Thats the correct sequence as good bad ugly is a prequel to the other two older movies, the yojimbo remake fist full of dollars and the ending "off into the sunset" movie few dollars more.

Edited by Schu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...