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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Hostel & Hostel Part II -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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I'm one of those who likes the innocence of the old Doris Day comedies, regardless of the male star with which she was cast.

After finally spending a bit of time perusing the Hostel films, it seems obvious that for those who aren't fans of the DD epics, this is the consummate antidote.

Eli Roth's torture porn epics are definitely unusual, and for me unlikeable, but that's irrelevant.

We're here to discuss the overall quality of Mill Creek double feature, and as far as Blu-ray goes, they're quite good. Here's the breakdown.

Let me make the point up front, that I have no idea what these films are supposed to look like, so comparisons are out. Generally, Hostel has light sharpening, appears to be an older transfer, but from a proper seating distance should be satisfying to any aficionado of the genre. Audio is DTS-MA 5.1.

Hotel Part II is a far better looking transfer, to a point at which I would consider it cinema-like.

Hostel

Image - 3.25

Audio - 5


Hostel Part II

Image - 4.5

Audio - 5

While I'm really unable to speak to content, I would place this double feature Blu-ray in the Recommended category, for those who enjoy the films.

RAH
 

TravisR

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Robert Harris said:
Let me make the point up front, that I have no idea what these films are supposed to look like, so comparisons are out.
It's been years but Eli Roth said that the transfer for Hostel Part II was way too dark* and that Sony (the distributor at the time) would eventually correct it. I wonder if this release contains the corrected transfer.
* Way too dark for what he intended rather than a technical error that might be noticable to a viewer.
 

Rob Mac

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I bought this double feature and the first Hostel movie had a soundtrack problem in the last approx 5 minutes of the film. The train station scenes had the wrong audio.
 

Ruz-El

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Originally Posted by Rob Mac /t/325889/a-few-words-about-hostel-hostel-part-ii-in-blu-ray#post_4011581
I bought this double feature and the first Hostel movie had a soundtrack problem in the last approx 5 minutes of the film. The train station scenes had the wrong audio.

I heard this was a problem which is why I've held off on buying the set. Any word if they've been fixed?
 

cafink

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What does "the wrong audio" mean, exactly? What audio is supposed to be playing, and what is actually playing instead?
 

TravisR

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cafink said:
What does "the wrong audio" mean, exactly? What audio is supposed to be playing, and what is actually playing instead?
I was wondering the same thing. I'm not the biggest fan of the first movie (I really like the second one though) but I bought the old Blu-ray dirt cheap and have only watched it once.
 

Ruz-El

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From Amazon:

"Seriously it is defective! In the final five minutes of the first Hostel movie when Paxton exits the train the audio goes crazy and it becomes a random mix of sounds that do not mix with the movies itself and no doubt ruins the experience imo."

also from Amazon:

"Also, what the others said about the sound being problematic when Paxton goes down the train in Hostel I is true. It doesn't really alter the experience because what transpires afterwards is just a bunch of action-based scenes, no dialogue. But still, it's problematic and a definite negative factor to consider when purchasing this blu ray."

One of the reviews though is this one:

"Yep, like everyone has mentioned, the audio was synced improperly during the final scene of HOSTEL. I emailed Mill Creek Entertainment (just do a search concerning the matter) about the disc, got an immediate response about it. I was surprised with the expediency of return contact, honestly. The rep asked for my contact information in order to send a replacement, free of charge. I wasn't expecting anything to happen after that, so I ordered the individual Sony releases, and forgot about it. Surprise! Checked my mail today, to find a corrected set, along with a nice bonus nature blu-ray. I'm guessing Mill Creek is a small company, and hey, crap happens.
By the way, I've watched both presentations. There is no real difference in picture and audio quality, between the Sony and Mill Creek transfers.These are dark, grainy films. If you don't need the special features, go with this one."

So I wonder if Mill Creek is shipping corrected discs to retail or just offering an exchange? It's currently $5 on Amazon, but if it's screwed up it's still not worth if the audio is mangled.
 

TravisR

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I love that someone said that "the audio goes crazy and it becomes a random mix of sounds..." when they're trying to say that the audio is out of sync. :) Based on that review, I'd have expected to have heard like gun shots or Judy Garland singing 'Over The Rainbow' or car horns honking or a marching band playing over the end of the movie rather than a sync problem.
Out of curiosity, I'll take a look at my Sony disc to see if I notice anything.
 

Ruz-El

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Good ol' Amazon reviews huh?

I was having a peek at the Digital Bits and their upcoming releases tab, and they list this title as coming out tomorrow. My guess is they've corrected the disc and it's on it's way, and it's that disc that Mr. Harris probably recently received in order to get the word out?

Now how to tell via packaging what you're getting, I have no idea..
 

Rob Mac

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The audio doesn't go crazy, in fact it takes a minute to realize that something isn't right. The audio in the last approx 5 minutes (in the train station) becomes ambient sound. There is the final climactic "intense action" going on with no sound effects, dialog, screaming etc....just train station sounds that continues a bit in to the end titles. Some people might even think it was intentional.
 

TravisR

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I just took a look at the Sony disc from 2007 and there's no problem with my copy. The sound effects (the toilet water splashing around and banging around the stall), dialogue (which was basically "Ahhh, don't kill me!" and muffled yelling in a toilet) & music are all audible and in sync. I can't speak to any other release or even another disc though.
 

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