Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

post #1 of 19
1/13/07 at 2:20am
Thread Starter 
From Davis DVD:

An Officer and a Gentleman

"I got nowhere else to go..." Paramount Home Entertainment will release An Officer and a Gentleman: Collector's Edition on May 1st. Loner Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) enters Officer Candidate School to become a Navy pilot and in thirteen tortuous weeks he learns the importance of discipline, love and friendship. Louis Gossett, Jr. won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the tough drill instructor. The DVD arrives with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer backed with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. Bonus materials will include an audio commentary with director Taylor Hackford, retrospective featurettes and a photo gallery. Retail is $14.99.

True Grit

Paramount Home Entertainment will release True Grit: Collector's Edition on May 1st. John Wayne earned an Academy Award for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn who a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer in Indian territory. This extraordinary Western also features great turns by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin. The DVD arrives with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. Bonus materials are TBA. Retail is $14.99.

Shirley Valentine

Paramount Home Entertainment will release Shirley Valentine on May 1st. In the role that won her a Tony Award, Pauline Collins is the hilariously endearing and completely unpredictable English housewife who proves it's never too late to recapture your dreams. Bored with her suburban life, Shirley takes a chance on adventure when a friend invites her on a vacation to Greece. Within no time she's back to her rebellious teenage roots, saying yes to a wild fling with a handsome rogue and the life she'd always wanted. The DVD arrives with an anamorphic transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 tracks. Retail is $14.99.
Reply
post #2 of 19
1/13/07 at 5:30am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

apologies to Shirley Valentine fans, no slight intended
but Paramount really does suck the big one now, don't it?

I always keep thinking this year we'll see Ace In The Hole, or Love With The Proper Stranger, or Naked Prey, or...and invariably all an annoucment brings is another already released catalog title repacked as an SE.

Whoop-de-freakin-doo.
Reply
post #3 of 19
1/13/07 at 7:35am
Thread Starter 

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

This may be encouraging; post from www.thedvdforums.com :

Quote:
Originally Posted by Narshty
I got an email from Jonathan Turell recently saying that Robinson Crusoe on Mars is only one of several titles Criterion have recently licensed from Paramount. What exactly else is on the way is up for speculation, but unreleased gems like White Dog, Face to Face, Ace in the Hole, Deep End or The Mattei Affair seem right up Criterion's alley and I can't imagine Paramount wanting to hold on to them too dearly.
Reply
post #4 of 19
1/13/07 at 11:50am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

if criterion got The African Queen...i would blow a circuit....honestly.
Reply
post #5 of 19
1/13/07 at 9:14pm

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

I guess this was inevitable. Paramount's catalogue releases have been limited to double dips and John Wayne movies for a while now, so it was only a matter of time until they start double dipping on Wayne films.

I don't know if I'll pick up True Grit. I just bought the current edition for three bucks a couple months ago during a DDD sale. Now if it was a Hatari or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence SE, I'd double dip in a heartbeat.
Reply
post #6 of 19
1/14/07 at 5:08am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

True Grit specs show a dolby 2.0 mix for stereo. Thsi film was always ono suggesting a remix has been done here. But if it is a new mix, one wonders why they didn't go for a 5.1 instead of just a 2.0.
Reply
post #7 of 19
1/14/07 at 6:04am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

How many times are they going to re-issue their John Wayne films and why can't they offer them ALL in a decent collection with the original poster art as covers instead of schizoid sets pairing v/a films, and lacking other essentiaL ones, with no extras and the worst cover art I've seen yet on modern DVD releases?

I wish someone would just make an offer on their pre-1970's catalogue since they don't seem to be interested in issuing it themselves...
Reply
post #8 of 19
1/15/07 at 9:19am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

I wish someone would just make an offer on their pre-1970's catalogue since they don't seem to be interested in issuing it themselves...


Amen to that! Paramount has it's head so far up it's ass that it may be a lost cause.

That is certainly a nice rumor about Criterion working with Paramount, but until I hear something solid, I'm not going to get excited. Paramount has routinely given the finger to classic film buffs, and renewing their contract with Lion's gate last year was the last straw for me.
Reply
post #9 of 19
1/15/07 at 4:54pm

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

"Ace In The Hole" is playing in the Film Forum in NYC. From The New York Times:

"Wilder was justly fond of “Ace in the Hole,” but the film flopped with critics and audiences who clearly didn't appreciate the unflattering mirror image he was holding up to them with such wicked glee. Paramount Studios renamed the film “The Big Carnival,” which did nothing but tick off its director. The newly restored print at Film Forum reinstates the original title and lets you see just how nimbly Wilder corralled all those itty-bitty locusts on the big screen. "

The key words there being "newly restored". Hopefully, this gives us hope.
Reply
post #10 of 19
1/16/07 at 2:11am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

I'm very much hoping for a decent audio commentary on True Grit.
Reply
post #11 of 19
1/16/07 at 5:28am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

"Ace In The Hole" is playing in the Film Forum in NYC. From The New York Times:

The key words there being "newly restored". Hopefully, this gives us hope.


That along with the fact that it's playing on TCM next week (First TV showing in at least 8 years) is certainly hopeful news, but there have been so many rumors over the years about this film, that I no longer give any of them any credit until I see something in print from Paramount. This is hands down my most desired film not yet on DVD, and I have a feeling that it will be for a long time. I'll be recording off of TCM and making multiple back-ups.
Reply
post #12 of 19
1/16/07 at 9:23am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric Peterson
"Ace In The Hole" is playing in the Film Forum in NYC. From The New York Times:

The key words there being "newly restored". Hopefully, this gives us hope.


That along with the fact that it's playing on TCM next week (First TV showing in at least 8 years) is certainly hopeful news, but there have been so many rumors over the years about this film, that I no longer give any of them any credit until I see something in print from Paramount. This is hands down my most desired film not yet on DVD, and I have a feeling that it will be for a long time. I'll be recording off of TCM and making multiple back-ups.
Yes, some great Kirk Douglas films are playing on TCM this month including "The Big Carnival", "Town without Pity", "Lonely are the Brave" and "The Heroes of Telemark".

http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article...nl=reg20070116
Reply
post #13 of 19
1/16/07 at 10:51am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

I'll double dip True Grit for a better transfer. I'd be happy with a good robust 2.0 track. Any extras, perhaps some words from Darby, Duvall, Campbell (if he's sober), Hopper...
Reply
post #14 of 19
10/4/07 at 1:44am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radioman970
I'll double dip True Grit for a better transfer. I'd be happy with a good robust 2.0 track. Any extras, perhaps some words from Darby, Duvall, Campbell (if he's sober), Hopper...

I just finished watching my TG SCE DVD ...
I really enjoyed the audio commentary, kudos for that to Paramount but i'm somewhat puzzled about the picture quality of this release. Many scenes are looking very out of focus and I found almost no echo about this fact.

The reviewer at DVD Talk wrote :
"The True Grit: Special Collector's Edition sports an improved widescreen, enhanced for 16x9 TVs transfer, correcting the tendency to shift to red that occurs in the previous 2000 DVD release. Looking as if it was shot yesterday, grain is non-existent; overall, the True Grit: Special Collector's Edition is a big improvement over the previous DVD release."


A big improvement ? Well, i already had the German standart issue from ~ 2001 and i was very disappointed about the picture quality of this so called SCE. Any comments on this issue.

A reviewer at Amazon.com wrote :

We have a big mystery here. All the reviews I have read about this movie say the picture quality is great, but the focus is soft. Here is a note I sent to a reviewer on a prominent DVD website. I haven't received a reply yet. If anybody on Amazon knows what the problem is please write in and let us know. Here is my note mentioned above:
"I am puzzled about the lack of sharpness in the focus in this movie. All the long shots and medium shots are definitely soft.
Reply
post #15 of 19
10/4/07 at 1:45am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

double post - sorry
Reply
post #16 of 19
10/4/07 at 12:19pm

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

Not EVERYONE preferred the new transfer. I thought it was a mess:

http://www.dvdmg.com/truegritse.shtml
Reply
post #17 of 19
10/4/07 at 1:57pm

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

Nice review Colin and it seems we are in sync with our opinions
Reply
post #18 of 19
10/5/07 at 8:39pm

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

I also was not impressed with the picture quality of this latest release of True Grit. Starting right with the red opening credits, you could tell that the film was no where near being in top remastered shape.

Compare this DVD, to another Wayne release that same day back in May..."The Cowboys", by Warners. Wow...now that is SOME improvement over the previous release. And honestly, I did not think the previous release was in all that bad of shape. But the new version just blew me away.
Reply
post #19 of 19
10/6/07 at 9:51am

Re: Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Opi
Nice review Colin and it seems we are in sync with our opinions

Yup! I was shocked when I read those reviews that claimed the new DVD looked great. Sure, it's cleaner than the old one, but it's a soft, muddy mess. Actually, I think the first 40 minutes or so look decent to good, but then it's like someone threw a "let's make it look like crap!" switch.

Seriously - sometimes I think some (many?) DVD reviewers don't watch the DVDs they review. Or they only watch parts of them. A bunch of idiots said that the recent Invasion of the Body Snatchers DVD looked the same as the old transfer - though the new one is 16X9 and the old one ain't, and it also shows vast improvements... I hate lazy reviewers - they make the rest of us look bad...
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: DVD
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › Paramount May 1: True Grit CE, Officer & A Gentleman CE, Shirley Valentine