Miracle Mile coming to DVD in fullscreen only! (1 Viewer)

[Aryn Leroux]

Scott: you could pay $9.20 shipped @ ddd instead I don't blame anyone one bit that refuses to purchase this. God knows i had a hard time deciding to do so. like i mentioned earlier though this may be the last chance to ever own this so i decided to get it. when hddvd arrives your not gonna see many of the titles that have been released on dvd ever reach that format. so this may just be it for a title like Miracle Mile.

 

[Jon Martin]

Like I said, this is an open matte transfer. Get out the black electrical tape to letterbox it if it worries you so much.

If it isn't your favorite movie, and you weren't sure about buying it, that is one thing. But for the people that say it is their favorite movie, they have been waiting years to see it and have worn out the VHS, but since it is open matte, they won't buy it, that is just being silly.

The large majority of people out there who saw it never saw it theatrically. It was barely released. So, open matte is the way most who like the film saw it in the first place.

 

[Rob P S]

What is silly about wanting to see the film the way it was intended to be seen? Would you buy a film if you knew it had the beginning and ending hacked off? And as far as taping the screen, that's not the job of the consumer - it's the job of the manufacturer to present the film right in the first place.

 

[Jon Martin]

Would you buy a film if you knew it had the beginning and ending hacked off?

That analogy doesn't work in this case. Try "if you knew there were extra blank space added to the beginning and the end". The transfer in this case doesn't hack anything off, just adds material to the top and bottom.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

What's silly is to come to a place like Home Theater Forum and to chastise people for wanting their movies in the original aspect ratio.

If it doesn't bother you that the film has been altered, go buy it. I won't judge you. Try to return the favor re: my opinions.

 

[Jon Martin]

If it doesn't bother you that the film has been altered, go buy it.

But it hasn't been altered. It just hasn't been matted off. There is a difference.

We're not talking a horribly panned and scanned version of a 2.35 film. That is indeed something to be upset by.

But to be upset by an open matte transfer, I don't understand. If you had a widescreen TV and a DVD library devoted to nothing but 16x9 films, even refusing to buy TV box sets on DVD that weren't 16x9, maybe it would make sense. But otherwise, sorry, I don't get it.

 

[Mehdy]

Does not 16X9 enhancemnt INCREASE PICTURE QUALITY...THIS
Underated classic deserves the BEST presentation possible..
this is a movie that I can watch multiple times, has a great
soundtrack...and kick asssss performances.....this dvd sounds like a HALF asssssss DVD..

 

[Jon Martin]

Does not 16X9 enhancemnt INCREASE PICTURE QUALITY

Absolutely, but since MGM is releasing this for another company who didn't give them the elements needed to make a 16x9 transfer, they had no choice but to release it this way.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

"Like I said, this is an open matte transfer. Get out the black electrical tape to letterbox it if it worries you so much."

Uh, no, it's NOT. I don't know if this was shot hard-matted, but it's at least zoomed-in slightly to hide boom mikes and stuff you're not supposed to see. I was one of 10 people who actually saw this in a theater, and during the concert scene there's a sign in the background that says "HELP RESTORE THE PAN PACIFIC". On the laserdisc I have (which I bought because they still weren't releasing everything in widescreen back then, and it doesn't have the 'formatted to fit your screen' message) the sign says "ELP RESTORE THE PAC PACIF". So there you go.
BTW the LD is still flawed otherwise because it cuts off the blue rating card at the very end, which in the theater had an air-raid siren playing over it.

 

[WillG]

"the sign says "ELP RESTORE THE PAC PACIF". So there you go."

You sure that's not overscan?

 

[Jesse Skeen]

My TV is set for absolutely NO overscan! Sounds like people are grasping at straws to justify buying this, but trust me, if it says "Formatted to fit your screen", it's wrong!

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Jon,

I know from a trusted source that MGM created a widescreen (albeit non-anamorphic) transfer for this film— and are just sitting on it. That would be significantly better than what we're being handed.

Trust me, I desperately want this as well. And there's a slight chance that I'll break down and get it to replace my taped-off-the-air VHS tape. But it really, really, REALLY pisses me off.

 

[Jon Martin]

I know from a trusted source that MGM created a widescreen (albeit non-anamorphic) transfer for this film— and are just sitting on it. That would be significantly better than what we're being handed.

I've heard this too, but I find it hard to believe. I mean MGM made anamorphic discs of MYSTERY DATE and the Charles Bronsan films, why hold off on this one???

 

[Greg_D_R]

I'm going to buy it. I think most rabid fans of the film will, for fear that this might be its only dvd release. I would gladly double dip on Miracle Mile if it recieved better treatment later on. It burns me to feel manipulated, knowing that the MGM marketing scumbags are just holding on to that widescreen transfer, waiting to see if the first release gets enough sales to warrant a re-release, but that's how much I like the film.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Jon,

Your guess is as good as mine. As I posted in the Remo Williams thread, MGM is managing to release Troll and Troll 2 (?!) in 16x9 WS and dumps this full-frame. Some films -- like John Sayles' Return Of The Secaucus Seven -- are meant to be seen full-frame as they were originally shot in 16mm. There's no excuse for this film, Remo Williams and Gator/White Lightning to be release full-frame, particularly if WS elements exist. As previously mentioned, Gator and White Lightning were released as a two-fer WS LD!

 

[Dave Mack]

I was VERY dissaponited that MGM released Dead of Winter and Miami Blues non-annie... These were MUST buys for me! Especially Dead... I had the priviledge of working with Mr. Penn awhile back (before the DVD was out) and had asked him when it would be released and he didn't even know. Seems like for certain films they just don't make the effort.


:frowning: D

 

[Jack Briggs]

In of itself, no. Both 4:3-encoded and 16:9-encoded DVDs carry the same amount of resolution. End of story. The issue is, how best to see 16:9-encoded DVDs? If you have a 4:3 TV/monitor that doesn't have a 16:9 raster-collapse mode and your DVD player must perform its downconversion algorithms, then, yes, you lose resolution.

I saw this film in a commercial theater back when it was first released; it was shot in my area of town. A fun movie. Oddly, though, I've only looked at this thread as of today (don't know how I managed to miss it). So, is the camera negative of this film 1.37:1?

(Everybody remembers the controversy surrounding the DVD release of Eyes Wide Shut, right? See what I'm getting at?)

 

[Jon Martin]

As previously mentioned, Gator and White Lightning were released as a two-fer WS LD!

I remember that, the big ad for it in the Image Laserdisc catalogue that came out every month (anyone remember those?). Never picked it up though.

But that is just wrong of them then. Should be easy for MGM to release it WS.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Oddly, though, I've only looked at this thread as of today (don't know how I managed to miss it). So, is the camera negative of this film 1.37:1?

(Everybody remembers the controversy surrounding the DVD release of Eyes Wide Shut, right? See what I'm getting at?)

I remember Eyes Wide Shut, and I don't see what it has to do with Miracle Mile. Unless you know something about what Steve De Jarnatt wanted for this film, bringing up the unusual Kubrick situation doesn't help make this transfer of Miracle Mile any more appealing.

DJ

 

[Mehdy]

Sounds like a double-dip planned rip-off by MGM...first we will release the JUNK version...and then we will hype
FOR THE FIRST TIME AVAILABLE WIDESCREEN SPECIAL EDITION...to
double charge you....I mean look at escape from NY...release non 16x9 and now the speical edition 16x9...this is a creative way of expanding your catlog...SUCKERING US INTO BUYING THE SAME DAMMMMM THING OVER AND OVER...WELL MGM KEEP THIS PIECE OF CRAPPPP AND I WILL WAIT FOR THE NEXT EDITION