A.I. Pan and Scan - LAME Spielberg, LAME!!! (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Mayer]

Fellow HTFer's,

AI in Pan and Scan. I find that interesting. I will be interested to see it's sales figures vs. Widescreen. This isn't exactly the average moviegoer's film of choice. This won't be on the charts next to The Mummy Returns. The film is more popular among HT enthusiasts/movielovers (they are NOT the same, I know) than the recreational moviegoer. IMO, most fans of AI are, by their nature, pro-OAR. Just a guess on my part.

Studios make more money on popular movies releasing them in both formats. It's that simple. BB is screwing the renter, and that stinks. I think dual releases will become more prevalent. I just think AI is an odd choice for DW to start with.

For all of the projected "doom and gloom" of the future, I remember paying three figures for SE's with OAR on LD a while back. I am happy with DVD's, and I hope they grow more popular. They have probably educated more people regarding OAR than any other medium. Again, just a guess.

Take care,

Chuck

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Thats irrelevant. J6P said Windows PCs were superior. J6P won.

Call me J6P if you will, but I bought a PC, like many other, because Windows, for all it's technical inferiorities, had better outside support and offered me the greatest range of options in the type of PC, hardware for the PC, and software for the PC. Jobs and co got greedy by controlling both the computer and operating system for their product and automatically limited their base. Personally, I'm sick of hearing Mac users bitch and moan about how no place carries software because fewer companies develop for Mac because there are far fewer Mac users. It's not like software or hardware is being butchered and robbed of it's integrity by existing on a PC. There is no censorship with that, and so I don't see how the comparison hold up.[/rant]

 

[MikeF]

Dreamworks is pandering to the ignorant with the p/s A.I. release.

This is just non-sensical.

You had better also shitlist all the studios that pander "to the ignorant" with cinematic tripe: Sony (Charlie's Angels), Universal (The Mummy Returns), Warner (Driven, Battlefield Earth), et cetera.

These studios are in business. They have no moral obligation to release films any way except the way that is most profitable. Be thankful that DreamWorks is making available an A.I. release in OAR form, and be aware of how silly it sounds to say that DreamWorks should be regarded as a lesser studio for putting out P&S product concurrently. If you're going to follow that line of thought, you had better also boycott Criterion for putting out what is arguably crap (like Armageddon) and thereby "pandering to the ignorant".

 

[wally]

Jobs and co got greedy by controlling both the computer and operating system for their product and automatically limited their base.

Adam, have you considered that it's not greed and that the above is the reason the Mac does work better?

 

[Rick Deschaine]

I have no problem with both versions of a movie like A.I. being released...in theory.
That's fine if you want to purchase the movie. But if you want to rent it, as I would like to do, you wont be able to find it in certain areas. I live in Denver near Aurora, CO. I can not find a widescreen copy of The Mummy Returns, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Jurassic Park 3, or Silence of the Lambs. Granted, I haven't been in every single rental place (including some Mom & Pop places, not just Blockbuster) near my home, but I've been to most of them. I don't have the time to visit evry single rental place. I would bet a ton of cash that I wont be able to find A.I. in widescreen either because of this.
No way do I want to have to buy every single movie released just so I can view it the way it was intended.
But if people like Spielberg will allow 2 separate versions of a movie in two different packages be released, many rental places will only carry the P & S version. That is happening right now.
Personally I like the Shrek idea, a waste maybe, but at least I will be guaranteed to be able to rent the widescreen version, which in fact I have already done and may do again.
Later, Rick

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Adam, have you considered that it's not greed and that the above is the reason the Mac does work better?

No, and I refuse to. I am Bill Gates' bitch

 

[Sean Oneil]

Macs do not 'work better'

My old school had classrooms filled with Macs and they crashed constantly. Always had the newest OS running, never made any difference. Most of these were iMacs and G3s.

 

[Robb Hudspeth]

all rental chains. Just curious, does Hollywood Video do this? Does Video Warehouse? I personally don't know since I don't rent much right now. Course, there is always the option of NetFlix.

Let's talk about NetFlix, our good old online retailer who knows we want widescreen. I rented The Mummy Returns from them and got the p&s release. I assumed it was my fault and checked their website for a widescreen version, none available. My e-mail complaint went unanswered. Another problem with NetFlix are movie's released in WS and p&s on 2 discs. NetFlix will only ship out one disc per rental request. (Discs 1 & 2 of a 2 disc set are considered seperate rentals) So if you wanted to rent Shrek in widescreen, you'd have to know ahead of time to rent the "bonus" disc to get that version. It's not just Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, let's give NetFlix some wraith as well!

 

[Patrick Larkin]

Macs do not 'work better'
My old school had classrooms filled with Macs and they crashed constantly. Always had the newest OS running, never made any difference. Most of these were iMacs and G3s.

Of course. Your old school is how Macs work EVERYWHERE.
Lets not deviate from the point. The Windows platform is the J6P platform. MacOS is for Mac elitists and other assorted smart folks.
(Fullscreen is the choice of J6P. Widescreen is for home theater elitists and other assorted smart folks.)
The marketplace SPEAKS. Just keep in mind the fate of niche markets in the retail space. Goddam! Isn't it EVIDENT from this thread that widescreen is consdiered marginal? (Blockbuster, Hollywood, Netflix) I'd love to see stock numbers from major retailers as well. My local best buy almost always has the fullscreen version of any of the usual offending titles (Grinch, Mummy, etc) on their main display. The WS's are tucked away somewhere on a rack.

 

[Jack Briggs]

May I direct everyone back to Jason Whyte's first post in this thread:

"I think this is silly. This is a strong, beautiful and ambitious film and everyone needs to see it as intended. People like us are the reason DVD is selling so well, and yet the ignorant masses are winning. I said it before and I'll say it again -- just release everything in OTAR and the masses will adjust."

This excellent line of reasoning should prevail, and I would love to see this viewpoint entered into that contentious "what-we-are-up-against" thread. Release OAR transfers only, and to those for whom this is objectionable, say unto them: "Get used to it." They will if they have to.