Weekly RoundUp 10-27-2009 (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]The Features[/COLOR]


– Scratt (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs –2009)


– Charles Vanel & Simone Signoret (Death in the Garden – 1956)


– Z – 1969


– Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner – 1967/68)


– John Leguizamo, Debra Messing & Alfred Molina (Nothing Like the Holidays – 2008)


[COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]The Prices[/COLOR]

The link below will take you directly to the product on Amazon
[COLOR= rgb(255, 255, 255)]SD-DVD TITLE[/COLOR] [COLOR= rgb(255, 255, 255)]Amazon[/COLOR] [COLOR= rgb(255, 255, 255)]BestBuy[/COLOR] [COLOR= rgb(255, 255, 255)]Target[/COLOR] [COLOR= rgb(255, 255, 255)]Costco[/COLOR] Adult Swim: In a Box $51.49http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hometheaterforum-20&l=ur2&o=1"> $59.99 Afterwards [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=hometheaterforum-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBattlestar-Galactica-Edward-James-Olmos%2Fdp%2FB002HRF7AW%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Ddvd%26qid%3D1256437732%26sr%3D1-2]$23.49[/url][img]http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hometheaterforum-20&l=ur2&o=1"> $26.99 $25.99 Beast Stalker $24.99 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur $24.99 $24.99 Il Divo $24.99 Living Dead @ the Manchester Morgue $24.99 Monty Python: Almost the Truth $32.99 Night of the Creeps (Director's Cut) $24.99 Nothing Like the Holidays $24.99 Orphan $25.99 $25.99 The Prisoner: Complete Series Stan Helsing $19.99 Stargate (15th Anniversary Edition) $24.99 Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure $25.99 $24.99 $24.99 Whatever Works $26.99
[b](CC)[/b] after a title = New release in the Criterion Collection.

[i][b]Individual Titles in the Collections Listed Above:[/b][/i]

[b]Adult Swim: In a Box (DVD):[/b] Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2, Space Ghost: Season 3, Moral Oral: Season 1, Robot Chicken: Season 2, Metalocalypse: Season 1, Sealab: Season 2.

[b]Sam Fuller Film Collection (DVD):[/b] It Happened in Hollywood, Adventure in Sahara, power of the Press, Shockproof, Scandal Sheet, The Crimson Kimono, Underworld USA.


[size=6][COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)][b]The Disclaimer[/b][/COLOR][/SIZE]

 

[Patrick Sun]

Best Buy on sale DVD items:

Ice Age $9.99
Ice Age 2 $9.99

Twilight $17.99 (comes with Movie Cash $7.50 off New Moon tickets)

Transformer $14.99
Transformers 2 $19.99

Goosebumps $6.99
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown $14.99
Monster House $9.99
Hocus Pocus $9.99

[COLOR= rgb(51, 102, 255)]Blu-ray:

Ice Age $18.99
Ice Age 2 $18.99

$24.99 each:
Last House on the Left
Friday the 13th - Killer Cut
The Haunting
The Uninvited
Transformers 2
[/COLOR]

---------

Target on sale DVD items:

$10 each:
Ice Age
Ice Age 2
The Secret Life of Bees
Underworld 3

 

[RickER]

I will be a test case with The Prisoner on Blu. I hope it blows me away. Also getting Galactica: The Plan.

Thats more than enough.

Thanks as always guys!

Almost forgot, i have Night of the Creeps coming my way on Blu, too!

Yep, thats enough.

 

Thanks, but nothing for me this week....I'm saving up for next Tuesday, which is also my birthday.....lots to look forward to!

 

[Jason_V]

Originally Posted by RickER

I will be a test case with The Prisoner on Blu. I hope it blows me away. Also getting Galactica: The Plan.

I started going through The Prisoner last night on BD. Sets are a bit too 1960's sci fi-ish hokey, but that's easy to overlook. Audio was just a little low to me (compared to modern programs); I'm gonna check again today. And I found only minor problems in the original video material, so nothing to worry about there. I plan on getting through a majority of the series today.

Oh, and The Plan at some point...

 

[RickER]

Originally Posted by Jason_V


I started going through The Prisoner last night on BD. Sets are a bit too 1960's sci fi-ish hokey, but that's easy to overlook. Audio was just a little low to me (compared to modern programs); I'm gonna check again today. And I found only minor problems in the original video material, so nothing to worry about there. I plan on getting through a majority of the series today.

Oh, and The Plan at some point...

Thanks for the feedback Jason. I have not heard much about this set. I have seen only one review (DVD Beaver i think) But i was curious if A&E used the remastered British prints for their release. And, hoping the A&E Blu-ray is an improvement over the DVDs.

Glad it is.

 

[TravisR]

I'll be picking up Battlestar Galactica: The Plan on Blu-ray this week. At some point, I'll get The Fugitive: Season Three- Volume One. The price on The Prisoner isn't bad, I just don't think I'd watch it enough to make it worth spending $50 though.

Thanks for the prices, guys!

 

[Ric Easton]

Am I mistaken or is Amazon's price on The Prisoner Blu-ray cheaper than the DVD release ever was? I may have to finally pick this up. Also looking forward to "The Plan"

 

[TravisR]

Originally Posted by Ric Easton ">[/url]

Am I mistaken or is Amazon's price on The Prisoner Blu-ray cheaper than the DVD release ever was?
[/QUOTE]
As far as I remember, yes. I think the original 5 two-disc sets were $40 MSRP each and the series set was at least $150 MSRP. Now that you've brought that up, I may go out and buy the set afterall. Why pass up a bargain?

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

They ARE the same transfers. Details and a comparison between the UK and A&E set here:

www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews47/the_prisoner_blu-ray.htm

Originally Posted by RickER




Thanks for the feedback Jason. I have not heard much about this set. I have seen only one review (DVD Beaver i think) But i was curious if A&E used the remastered British prints for their release. And, hoping the A&E Blu-ray is an improvement over the DVDs.

Glad it is.

 

[Carlo_M]

FYI - and I understand there are also regional price differences with Best Buy, but the Bestbuy.com website now has a $17.49 price for Stargate Blu Ray.

I'll be swinging by tomorrow to see if the in-store price is the same (with printout of the screen in hand because they will match it if you bring it to customer service).

 

[Jeff Meyers]

Thanks as always Mike & Patrick.

Nothing definte for me this week, but I'm considering Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur on BD. I'm holding out for a price drop and / or coupon.

Speaking of coupons, here are some valid on this week's releases and related titles:

$5.00 off Ice Age or Ice Age: The Meltdown on BD from SmartSource.com. Print 2 coupons if you're planning on picking-up both. Using the coupon, you can pick them up at Best Buy on BD for $13.99 (+ tax) each.

$2.00 off Ice Age or Ice Age: The Meltdown on DVD from SmartSource.com. Print 2 coupons if you're planning on picking-up both. Using the coupon, you can pick them up at Target on DVD for $8.00 (+ tax) each.

Link: http://www.smartsource.com
Note that there is no way to link to a specific coupon. Both of the coupons ($5.00 off BD and $2.00 off DVD) should be on the first page. [COLOR= #ff0000]Also, these coupons expire 11/01/2009.
[/COLOR]

$10.00 off Tinker Bell and the Lost Treause on BD from Disney / Coupons.com.

Link: http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/tinkerbell/couponoffer/?cmp=dmov_dvd_tnk_coupon_tbccom
[COLOR= #ff0000]Coupon expires 10/31/2009.[/COLOR]


General notes on printing these coupons:
- You need to have the SmartSource.com / Coupons.com printer apps installed.
- Coupons will only print to a physical printer (i.e. no PDF printing).
- Each coupon is unique so do not copy them and pass them around.

 

[Mike Frezon]

That reminds me (thanks, Jeff!).

In yesterday's Parade magazine...there's a coupon for a FREE BAG OF CANDY...with the purchase of Monsters vs. Aliens (1-disc DVD, 2-disc SE DVD or Blu-ray). Up to a $3.50 value. Coupons expire 10-31-2009.

Reproductions are expressly prohibited or else I would scan copies for printing. If interested, find a copy of Parade somewhere.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Thanks for the good word on the Prisoner BD. That looks spectacular.

 

[Carlo_M]

Confirmation of the $17.49 price on Stargate BD at Best Buy. Just paid for mine, didn't even have to show them the BB.com screen printout. That's the price that rung up on the register (Los Angeles store). Careful though, my store only had one copy and that was in the back. I looked over the guy's shoulder while he was looking it up on the computer and the ten nearby Best Buys that showed up on the inventory all had between 1-4 copies each, so stores aren't carrying a whole lot of these.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Carlo:

Is there much difference between this 15th Anniversary Blu-ray release and the older Blu-ray release (that can typically be gotten for $10 at places like Wal-Mart)?

 

[Carlo_M]

I won't know until I get home Mike. That's about 5-6PM PST. Will post either later tonight or some time tomorrow with my thoughts.
I'm just hoping the alien dialogue subtitles are handled correctly this time. The first pressing of the original disc didn't even have them, you had to put on all subtitles to see them, and then you got English-language subs as well for the whole movie! I emailed them and got a replacement, but even then the alien language sub didn't default to on with my PS3 I had to go and select the right subtitle track. Totally annoying.

I can tell you if you are an "extras" fan the original BD was fairly skimpy on the extras and this new disc has a bunch of new extras. I'll try to post my thoughts on A/V quality later, but I don't have a screencap program or a way to quickly A/B between the two so it will be a very subjective opinion.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm curious, so thanks!

I'm not that familiar with the film and figured there had to be some particular reason for a second BD release already given the relative newness of the format.

Yeah, I know there have been other titles already released twice on blu. But, for example, Terminator 2's second release features lossless audio--a reasonably big selling point.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

Hi Mike - I know that Mr. Reuben is working on his review ( the review copy was late getting to him). I am curious myself, as I have picked up, and watched alot, each iteration released thus far...

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

I'm curious, so thanks!

I'm not that familiar with the film and figured there had to be some particular reason for a second BD release already given the relative newness of the format.

Yeah, I know there have been other titles already released twice on blu. But, for example, Terminator 2's second release features lossless audio--a reasonably big selling point.

 

[Carlo_M]

First prelim thoughts, and I'll add more to the Michael Reuben thread when he does his official Stargate review:

1. Seems to be a new transfer based on the lessened gate weave of the opening credits.
2. They may have done some actual film tweaking or fixing because I always thought the fade/transition from the Ra statue at the opening credits into the ancient encampment (in the Director's Cut version) was always clumsily handled and it seems to be much more smoothed out.
3. Subtitles for the Egyptian language at the beginning of the film (and the foreign alien language later in the film) now start appropriately...however they are player generated subs instead of the original burned in subs, which is too bad because I like the look of the original subtitle fonts better.
4. DTS HD track often exceeds 5MBps which actually trips up my PS3 in the sense that when I FF or REW it takes an additional fraction of a second to a second to resume audio (PCM out) whereas lower bit rate soundtracks have audio resume immediately. This also happens on another high audio bit rate BD for me: John Mayer's Where The Light Is. I think that's a 24/96 PCM track that edges towards 7-8MBps if I remember correctly.
5. The A/V looks good but without being able to screencap or A/B I can't say for sure if it's a huge jump over the original BD.

I'm sure Michael will do a much more thorough job in his review.