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My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

post #1 of 17
7/16/07 at 4:06am
Thread Starter 
My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Can't wait to see this in HD ! Great visual style in this movie and the soundtrack should be awesome (also a young, hot, leather-clad Diane Lane in HD!)

Will post my thoughts when I get a chance to watch it.

"BOURNE" arrived too!
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post #2 of 17
7/16/07 at 8:57am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Thanks for the tease. Literally.
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post #3 of 17
7/16/07 at 9:48am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

My copy showed up on Saturday. Watched it over the weekend. Personally, maybe because I like the movie so much and every version up till now has been crap, I am satisfied with the new HD DVD. That said, I also can see this is an older transfer and I'm sure will draw a good many negative comments for the excessive grain in the image.

Most of the film grain is a result of somewhat underexposed photography with the highly stylized lighting of the film. A lot of low light shots usually means a lot of grain. The few shots that are in daylight look very good, so it is obvious to me what is on the film is in this transfer. On the plus side, the VC-1 encode handles the grain very well is no visible blocking or related compression problems. Soundtrack is good, not great. About what I expected for a film of this age.
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post #4 of 17
7/16/07 at 12:25pm
Thread Starter 

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Just watched it and have to agree with Robert above.

The film is as stylish and action-packed as you remember it. It is all style over substance (what substance?) and the superbly staged fights and music numbers are still great. Diane Lane looks great as usual and Michael Pare is as laconic and leaden as you remember as Tom Cody. Willem Dafoe is a superb villain in his leather boiler suit. The soundtrack and visual design is superb. Entertaining and inventive - "STREETS OF FIRE" is great stuff!

The picture is a HUGE leap forward over the non-anamorphic standard def release. It is a massive difference. Detail is superb! The grain is definately there in abundance but it is in keeping with the style of the film and only becomes noticeable in the films (many) dark scenes. This HD-DVD is slightly brighter and much more dimensional than the SD-DVD. Everything is much MUCH clearer and the vivid colors are reproduced faithfully. The neon looks AWESOME!

The sound is fine. The classic soundtrack seems different to me from the SD release. The HD-DVD is more detailed and has more pizzazz. Everything is less muddy and much clearer, but... there is less bass slam and the musical numbers seem more articulate but with less thump. I guess it depends on how you like your music to which soundtrack version you prefer. For me the HD-DVD just, but it is clearly NOT the upgrade that the picture quality is.

Now the disappointing news... no extras. Nothing. Walter Hill pretty much disowns his films when they leave the theaters and that is true here. In fact, "THE WARRIORS" is the only film he has had anything to do with on home video (and that was because there was a video game coming out and he wanted to make it more "comic-y").

Still, no trailers (there was one on the DVD and two on the laserdisc), no music videos or making of featurette (they were available on a VHS cassette when the film was released), no commentary, and not even any darn insert, production notes or cast and crew bios! A shame and a missed opportunity.

So, all in all, a mixed bag. A huge video upgrade to the picture quality (it is THE BEST this film has ever looked at home), a comparable (although different) soundtrack mix, and disappointly no extras at all. They have decided to go back to the original theatrical poster for the cover though.

If you are a fan of action films, Walter Hill films, stylized films, Diane Lane or Willem Dafoe, "STREETS OF FIRE" is a must own film and it has amassed a sizable cult audience. The HD-DVD is an upgrade in some departments but a step backwards in others.
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post #5 of 17
7/16/07 at 11:22pm

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Recieved my copy yesterday and had a quick look at it.Dissapointed that there are no extra features but just glad that I could finally upgrade the old non-anamorphic dvd,At least they went with the original poster art(which i love) and not the crappy artwork they used on the repackaged dvd from a few years ago.It's a real shame that the movie wasn't more successful,I would've loved to have seen the planned sequels
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post #6 of 17
7/17/07 at 5:17am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

I just saw that mine was shipped on Friday, so I guess I will not get the opportunity to watch it until I get home this weekend. Here's hoping the release stands up.
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post #7 of 17
7/17/07 at 6:21am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Damn you all for intriguing me about this title! Now I have to buy it!
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post #8 of 17
7/25/07 at 4:06am
Thread Starter 

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Any online reviews of "STREETS OF FIRE" yet ?
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post #9 of 17
7/25/07 at 5:22am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Quote:
Originally Posted by norrisMc
Any online reviews of "STREETS OF FIRE" yet ?
Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighDef-Digest
Thankfully, Universal appears to have struck up a new master for the film's HD DVD debut, as this 1080p/VC-1 encode is certainly an improvement. Gone is all the horrendous artifacting, and though the film is still somewhat grainy and gritty in spots (as it should be) it looks remarkably vibrant for a twenty-odd year-old flick. 'Streets of Fire' always shined due to its wonderful colors, and they look fantastic here. From the opening concert sequence to neon-splashed cityscapes, hues leap off the screen with excellent saturation and cleanliness. Streets fo Fire Review
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post #10 of 17
7/25/07 at 5:37am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

This is the third week in a row Best Buy didn't carry a catalog title in-store. Of course this week's title was Streets of Fire (online order only). I ordered it from Amazon but I'm disappointed I didn't get this yesterday. I'm glad it's a good upgrade.
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post #11 of 17
7/25/07 at 5:52am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

I don't know if it's funny or sad, but this title is one of the main reasons I jumped on the $200 HD-DVD player at VE. I was sick of that old non-anamorphic disc. I just love Jim Steinman's music too much to not own it in its best quality. Although, this definitely falls under the guilty-pleasure style-over-substance category like many have said... I have a distinct feeling my friends are going to look at me funny when they see this on my shelf.
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post #12 of 17
7/25/07 at 6:39am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Quote:
This is the third week in a row Best Buy didn't carry a catalog title in-store.

I'd quit wasting the gas if I were you. Best Buy has demonstrated that they will not carry HDM catalog titles unless they're extremely popular. Therefore, forget any chance of finding a title like Streets of Fire there, but if you were looking for the Bourne Identity you have a shot. You can always check BB Website to at least get a better idea if the title is available for in-store pickup.

Quote:
Although, this definitely falls under the guilty-pleasure style-over-substance category like many have said...

I just watched this last night, and I had mixed feelings afterwards. On one hand you really have to admire the people who made it for taking on such a high-concept project, and overall the film was passable. However Michael Pare could act hurt if he got hit by a car. Rick Moranis was simply awful playing against type. And its never a good thing when a character just shows up 2/3 of the way through the movie (Elizabeth Daily as Baby Doll), and then never adds a damn thing to the movie. Overall, this probably should've been a rental for me.

For those of you who enjoy this film though, the HD DVD leaves little to complain about outside of extras. Universal did a nice job with this title that benefited from a recenty re-done master. Right place and right time for this title.
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post #13 of 17
7/25/07 at 2:24pm

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Quote:
Originally Posted by CloudVader
I don't know if it's funny or sad, but this title is one of the main reasons I jumped on the $200 HD-DVD player at VE. I was sick of that old non-anamorphic disc. I just love Jim Steinman's music too much to not own it in its best quality. Although, this definitely falls under the guilty-pleasure style-over-substance category like many have said... I have a distinct feeling my friends are going to look at me funny when they see this on my shelf.

I adore this movie and still listen to the songs to this day. I have sat out the format war, but this is the first release to tempt me to buy an HD-DVD player. . . What to do. . .
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post #14 of 17
7/26/07 at 3:09am
Thread Starter 

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppltd
Yes.

Thanks for the link. I was well pleased with the PQ also.

A hot young Diane Lane in hi-def ! Yum yum.
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post #15 of 17
8/3/07 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Watched a bit of this again tonight and I have to say that I think Uni did a really good job on this.
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post #16 of 17
8/4/07 at 9:22am

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

I received my copy of this yesterday and I cannot wait to watch this again.

The last time I saw this was in the late 80's, so it's going to be a real blast settling down with this sucker! I remember really enjoying it as a kid.
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post #17 of 17
8/5/07 at 2:22pm
Thread Starter 

Re: My HD-DVD of "STREETS OF FIRE" has just arrrived !

Quote:
Originally Posted by MattFini
I received my copy of this yesterday and I cannot wait to watch this again.

The last time I saw this was in the late 80's, so it's going to be a real blast settling down with this sucker! I remember really enjoying it as a kid.

Yeah. It's a quality film and a "good time" fun flick.
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