An open plea to MGM to STOP releasing FULL FRAME ONLY discs of WIDESCREEN titles. All members help! (1 Viewer)

[Everett S.]

No OAR No sell!

 

[TheLongshot]

Just to add to this, apparently MGM's release of "The Hospital" is misframed. Jeffery Wells has some pictures up:

Link Removed

It looks pretty ugly.

Jason

 

[Tom Boucher]

NO OAR = NO SALE.

I'm not sure of the studio, but I returned Drop Dead Fred because of no OAR.


I didn't buy Remo Williams because of no OAR.

They look terrible on my 57" Wide screen. And it's not like I only get a movie here or there. 700+ Movies and counting.

 

[Drue Elrick]

Jason - jesus christ - are these technicians clinically brain dead? Did they even watch the thing after they cropped or at least question why?

Unbelievable.

MGM - looks like you've got serious problems.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

No wonder so few of my DVDs are from MGM!!

NO OAR = NO SALE!!!

Dan

 

[DaViD Boulet]

So what you guys are saying is that MGM has released nearly all their DVD product in OAR, and because a couple of 'Full Frame's' have slipped thru the net they are now 'evil', 'the antichrist', and 'lets not buy MGM dvds from now on'?

Who's saying they're "evil"?

It's a simple matter...regardless of the reason, we don't want non-OAR DVD transfers.

If they don't have an OAR transfer, then don't release it on DVD until they do.

If they do have an OAR transfer, then use it.

Can I add (repeat) that 1.66:1 titles should be 16x9 encoded and *not* 4x3 letterboxed? Folks with 16x9 displays can't watch Babette's Feast without cutting off subtitles, heads, or with black bars around all 4 sides of the picture on their 16x9 HDTV.

-dave

 

[Stephen_J_H]

No wonder so few of my DVDs are from MGM!!

Funny; I'm in almost the opposite boat. I have several of MGM's SEs, but I must admit to having no interest in most of the films that they've released in MARs.

 

[Jon W H]

Perhaps MGM doesn't understand that releasing "niche" films in non-OAR is basically pissing money away. Because any fan of those movies is going to want those products done right. Losing money from releasing unwanted product + losing money in weak sales = MGM executives on the hot seat.

It's the 21st century. Get with the program, please. OAR. The public will appreciate you in the long run for quality product.

 

[Derek P]

I still haven't got the orginal Child's Play because MGM screwed up and didn't release it in widescreen. This was really dumb

 

[Lanny_B]

MGM, please release the OAR versions of the movies. That is the only way I'm interested and the only way I'll even watch them, let alone buy them.

Thank you for your concern. I hope you will reconsider on these and future releases.

 

[Eric_R_C]

Well, up until recently, I was proud to say that Hooper was my only P&S DVD. I figured I was lucky to see this film released on DVD at all, so I went ahead and bought it...

...and then Remo Williams came out.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I did it anyways. I do watch it, but I find myself feeling "annoyed" throughout the film, both at the AR and myself.

Makes me wish I'd never bought it. I hope you guys will forgive me for caving in. I've always loved this film.

Now, Buckaroo Bonzai, I'd have been shooting Movie CEO's if that hadn't been released in widescreen. Same goes for Firefox. Up until the DVD's, I'd never seen those films in widescreen, and it was a whole new world (especially Firefox. The flight scenes ROCK!)

Real Genius was also a pleasure to buy. For years, I'd watched the ending credits of the TV version in squeezed anamorphic widescreen!, and knew there had to be a better transfer than the VHS version.

Come on, Execs! Give us the old "classics" in widescreen. It may be the last, best hope for this stuff!

 

[Kenshiro]

The Delta Force.

Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin and the severely underrated Robert Forster in a Reagan-era action flick. One of Norris' best pictures.

If the decision is made to re-issue it, original aspect ratio is a given. But would it be out of the realm of possibility to include a Dolby Digital or dts track (yeah right) as well, alot of action in the flick which would sound great remixed into 5.1.

Extras aren't really a priority but a few would be a bonus, also coverart which doesn't give buyers a gag reflex (which is a problem among far too many releases).

All this may be asking too much, but when Anchor Bay can put out discs like Book of the Dead, Suspiria, and Highlander with what some might call overkill in the a/v department, it couldn't be too hard for the Lion to do the same.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Ron - any recent developments with MGM's reading of this thread?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

No, they won't openly talk about any of this,
though I am certain they are reading this thread.

My goal was to simply (and politely) get a message
to the studio concerning the importance of this issue.

It's kind of funny. The other day I watched the
MGM release of One, Two, Three starring
James Cagney. Mind you, this isn't a very popular
title. Don't expect it to sell hugely well. Yet,
the studio took this release and put both WIDESCREEN
and FULL SCREEN versions on a 2-sided disc.

If MGM continues this policy on any title they
may be considering for P&S ONLY release, this
world will suddenly become a better one.

Hopefully MGM is taking this advice and bettering
themselves. I know they have it in them. Remember
when they came to us a few years back and asked
our advice (vowing to do better)? They did do
better! I personally think they'll do better again!

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

In an email conversation I had with DVD Savant Glenn Erickson, he said that there's a newer group of people at MGM who care more about the product they put out and that decisions like "Miracle Mile" and "Remo Williams" were made before their regime. So there's hope, I guess.

I have to admit it's been VERY difficult to keep myself from going out and buying "Miracle Mile," but I've kept the faith...

 

[Joe Tilley]

I have read this thread in bits & pieces so sorry if this is off topic. But I don't understand why MGM is so touchy on this subject. I can somewhat understand it but why is it that they are so Pissed about people simply saying give us what we wont not what they think we should get. They are getting paid either way( or maybe not ). I don't know if that makes much sense to any of you but to me you shouldn't have to kiss anyones butt to get what you wont when you are in fact the one who will or will not be buying it from them.
The one thing I know is I wont kiss anyones keester to get what I wont when I'm fronting the cash. It's either OAR or they wont see my money no butt kissing involved.

 

[George See]

I personally think they'll do better again!

Does that mean maybee when HD-DVD comes around years from now I might get to see Real Men the way it was meant to be sean in it's OAR?

Seriously though if they do better in the future that's great but i'm still dissapointed now.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Although nothing irritates me more than a "MAR announcement" (regardless of studio), I think MGM should be held to a relatively high standard for a bunch of reasons:

Bull Durham - SE
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - SE
Eight Men Out
The Fog - SE
The Great Train Robbery
The Howling - SE
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space - SE
The Princess Bride - SE
The Producers - SE
Rocky - SE
The Silence of the Lambs - SE
The Terminator - SE
This is Spinal Tap - SE
UHF - SE
The Usual Suspects - SE
When Harry Met Sally... - SE

These are the MGM DVDs I currently own. I love these DVDs. I am a FAN of MGM's DVD output. Honest.

But that doesn't lessen the sting when a little cult flick you love is announced in a a Full-Frame only format. Movie lovers want the flick in its original form. Period. Does the lack of extras on something like Eight Men Out make me love the DVD any less? Nope. I have my favorite baseball movie in its original form. I'm a happy guy.

Now, if that movie had been released in Full-Frame/Pan & Scan only...I'd have lost my mind.

I'd say that overall MGM is a damn fine DVD distributor, and one that puts out quality product with admirable consistency.

But if your best friend decided to punch you in the gut once a month...you'd probably have to start reconsidering your friendship.

I think a big part of the frustration comes from the fact that there's never any explanation given. Hardcore DVD loons (i.e. all of us) WANT to purchase Miracle Mile and Remo Williams. You figure the distributor would be more than willing to let that happen.

Wasn't Willy Wonka a lesson well-learned? (Different studio, I know, but you KNOW that that outcry raised lots of eyebrows among the DVD folks in Hollywood.)

So yeah: movies deserve to be seen in their original form. Period. If movie fans can see that so clearly, surely the owners of the films can do the same.

To MGM: I'll gladly continue purchasing the DVDs I see as worthy of my 20 bucks. But the hackage, slashing, inflation or other augmentation of someone's artwork is simply unacceptable.

And yes, Real Men qualifies as art. All movies do.

I know I speak for thousands of movie fans when I say:

No OAR = No Sale

 

[Eugene Esterly]

Well, even though I am disapointed that MGM has released movies in MAR, I will not boycott MGM (which some members are saying we should boycott MGM) because there are many movies on my DVD wishlist at DVD Aficionado which are from MGM.

In fact, today at Circuit City (this is the first time that I brought a DVD from a retail store in one year), I purchased these DVD's which are from MGM which are:

Poltergeist 2/Poltergeist 3
Raw meat
Squirm

Now, I brought these movies because they were released in OAR. If the titles above were released in MAR (Modified Aspect Ratio) then I would not have purchased them. Basically, I buy the DVD's which are OAR & I won't buy any Mar'ed Movies.

Basically, we should reward MGM for the releases which have been released in OAR instead of trying to boycott MGM. MGM, Please go thru your catalog of movies which have been released on DVD & re-release those titles which are not in their OAR. Examples of MAR'ED titles would be Secret Of Nimh & Pumpkinhead.

MGM,

I will say the same thing that other members have said.

NO OAR=NO SALE.

 

[EdwardKarlinski]

Eugene, you do have a few full screen movies in your collection. Isn't that a contradiction of your avowed principles? I guess you will have to get rid of Cujo, Help, and Pumpkinhead.
I prefer OAR, however, I will buy MAR films if I want them and there is no other choice. After all, I have been watching films on television for years in full screen.