Michael Allred
Screenwriter
I know Universal isn't exactly well known for taking the "internet voice" to heart but just in case a rep should come across this, I wanted to take issue with them concerning their John Carpenter films.
First, let me say that I think it's great "They Live" and "Prince of Darkness" are being re-released this October. There are many fans who failed to purchase them when Image had the rights a few years ago. However I have to say that I think they've missed a prime opportunity to do something more worthwhile with these titles.
From the information released, they will be bare bones discs (Ok, they have trailers) with the same ol' sound mixes. Granted they're (thankfully) widescreen, in this day and age of home theater, why not give them a full 5.1 remix? These films are especially atmospheric and a surround mix would benefit them greatly. Also, does anyone know if Universal has created brand new transfers for these films and not just recycle the old Image discs?
Both "They Live" and "Prince of Darkness" were released in Region 2 that featured commentary tracks, featurettes, etc. Why did Universal opt not to include any of this supplemental material? John Carpenter has a very loyal fanbase and the inclusion of these features would certainly boost sales, especially for those who already own the previously released versions from Image. As it stand right now, the Universal re-issues offer very little incentive to purchase them again. So unless a few details have been left off the announcement for these DVD's, I see no reason to upgrade (er..."equal-grade"? There isn't anything to consider them to be upgrades.)
When Universal announced these two re-issues, they also mentioned a "John Carpenter Collection" which would package them with "The Thing". Now setting aside that this is excluding the only other Carpenter/Universal film, "Village of the Damned", "The Thing" is simply the same version that's been available for years. Sure, "The Thing" is an outstanding DVD but as virtually everyone knows, it's not anamorphic. Why not create a new anamorphic transfer? Even with all it's bonus features, many fans would gladly re-purchase "The Thing" based on a new transfer alone.
Finally, "Village of the Damned" has certainly gotten the short end of the stick in regards to lack of any decent critical acclaim, however I need not remind you that "The Thing" was lambasted back in 1982. I don't mean to compare the two but surely, a new edition with the simple added feature of a Carpenter commentary would likely lure fans, who previously did not buy the disc, into a purchase. More often than not, his commentary tracks are fun, insightful and (perhaps) add a a degree of appreciation to a film that many might have previously looked over. Not including it in the "John Carpenter Collection" would seem to be somewhat of an insult I would think. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this was Christopher Reeve's last film role before his tragic accident.
I hope that at some point, Universal will re-evaluate their John Carpenter titles and give them their just due.
First, let me say that I think it's great "They Live" and "Prince of Darkness" are being re-released this October. There are many fans who failed to purchase them when Image had the rights a few years ago. However I have to say that I think they've missed a prime opportunity to do something more worthwhile with these titles.
From the information released, they will be bare bones discs (Ok, they have trailers) with the same ol' sound mixes. Granted they're (thankfully) widescreen, in this day and age of home theater, why not give them a full 5.1 remix? These films are especially atmospheric and a surround mix would benefit them greatly. Also, does anyone know if Universal has created brand new transfers for these films and not just recycle the old Image discs?
Both "They Live" and "Prince of Darkness" were released in Region 2 that featured commentary tracks, featurettes, etc. Why did Universal opt not to include any of this supplemental material? John Carpenter has a very loyal fanbase and the inclusion of these features would certainly boost sales, especially for those who already own the previously released versions from Image. As it stand right now, the Universal re-issues offer very little incentive to purchase them again. So unless a few details have been left off the announcement for these DVD's, I see no reason to upgrade (er..."equal-grade"? There isn't anything to consider them to be upgrades.)
When Universal announced these two re-issues, they also mentioned a "John Carpenter Collection" which would package them with "The Thing". Now setting aside that this is excluding the only other Carpenter/Universal film, "Village of the Damned", "The Thing" is simply the same version that's been available for years. Sure, "The Thing" is an outstanding DVD but as virtually everyone knows, it's not anamorphic. Why not create a new anamorphic transfer? Even with all it's bonus features, many fans would gladly re-purchase "The Thing" based on a new transfer alone.
Finally, "Village of the Damned" has certainly gotten the short end of the stick in regards to lack of any decent critical acclaim, however I need not remind you that "The Thing" was lambasted back in 1982. I don't mean to compare the two but surely, a new edition with the simple added feature of a Carpenter commentary would likely lure fans, who previously did not buy the disc, into a purchase. More often than not, his commentary tracks are fun, insightful and (perhaps) add a a degree of appreciation to a film that many might have previously looked over. Not including it in the "John Carpenter Collection" would seem to be somewhat of an insult I would think. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this was Christopher Reeve's last film role before his tragic accident.
I hope that at some point, Universal will re-evaluate their John Carpenter titles and give them their just due.
