Re: JAMES BOND ULTIMATE COLLECTION
Initially, I was going to pass on the new editions -- I have all of the older ones, and since I'm trying to save up for a $7000 camera and eventually a new computer setup, I've been much more selective with my purchasing...
...and then I watched my old DVD of Dr. No over the weekend. Suddenly the idea of a new version started seeming more and more worthwhile. By the time Tuesday rolled around, I ended up deciding to spring for it, and make the (pain in the ass) trek to Best Buy to get the best price. All day Tuesday I had been thinking about going home, making dinner and Bond martini and watching the new Thunderball. Didn't happen--got caught up watching election coverage and didn't make it to bed until waaaay after midnight.
Last night before bed, I compared the beginning of Thunderball from the old disc to the new, and decided to watch a little of Goldfinger as well... and a little of Goldfinger turned into most of Goldfinger, and I know I passed out shortly before the end.
From the limited portions I've seen (most of Goldfinger, first and last five minutes of Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, and Licence To Kill), I'm really impressed. These films are looking better than I've ever seen them. I suppose that's no real surprise, but it's one thing to read about it and look at framecaps, and another thing to actually *see* it with your own eyes.
The big thing that I've noticed across the board is that all of the shots with optical effects or composites have been cleaned up in a way that wasn't possible when the films were originally released. Normally, I'm not a big fan of heavy digital cleanup that, while looking clear, changes the original intended look of the films. However, it's a pretty safe bet that none of the filmmakers liked the shaky optical composites and all of the printed in dirt that was probably unavoidable at the time of release.
For a quick and easy example of what I'm talking about, just watch the opening "gun barrel" sequence on any of the (pre-Brosnan) films. Even though it's only a few seconds, it's always been one of my favorite parts of going to see (or watching) a Bond movie. It's the first of many signature things you see in a Bond film, but that right there sets the tone for me and gets me excited about seeing the movie. And as simple or as stupid as this might be, watching the movies last night and seeing those openings looking clearer and cleaner than I've ever seen them was a joy.
(I should mention that when I was younger, I was such a dork that I actually knew all the gun barrels by heart, and which movies had longer ones, shorter ones, what variations, and favorites, as well as ones I thought stunk. Die Another Day, with the bullet flying right at you, ugh.)
