Blu-ray Review Body Double Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[moviepas]

I got this title in yesterday's post with others from Twilight and the second parcel from them this week which is a first. I watched this last night and I am also pleased with the visual quality and sound. I enjoyed all the outside scenes used in the film.

As for Twilight Time, the only one I missed out on, and I tried every angle, was Christine but I have rest to date. It would be nice is TT came up with a system of people who have shown they buy everything to get an automatic order for each month's issue with the right to add other titles in Blu/DVD/CD sometime before shipping date. Just a thought although it would have pitfalls and people opting out along the way etc. be good for me living so far away when things like Christine happen.

 

[Michael Rogers]

Although the audio quality is technically great, I am frustrated that it does not duplicate the way I heard things surround wise, seeing it in a theater.Like the alarm bell when the set catches fire, it was in the rear. The music was more solidly in the rear. When Holly is trying to flag down the ride and 2 cars (drag racing?) run past her and crash off screen, that was also in the rear. I think these remixes use more modern sensibilities in sound placement and I wish they would emulate the original placements more.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Julie Kirgo of Twilight Time e-mailed me to point out that the New York Times quotation in the opening paragraph of my review was actually written by Vincent Canby, not Janet Maslin. The quotation is incorrectly attributed to Maslin at rottentomatoes.com which is where I found it. The review has been corrected accordingly.

 

[haineshisway]

Although the audio quality is technically great, I am frustrated that it does not duplicate the way I heard things surround wise, seeing it in a theater. Like the alarm bell when the set catches fire, it was in the rear. The music was more solidly in the rear. When Holly is trying to flag down the ride and 2 cars (drag racing?) run past her and crash off screen, that was also in the rear. I think these remixes use more modern sensibilities in sound placement and I wish they would emulate the original placements more.

I can remember many things vividly, but I would really question that you can remember what was where in the surrounds, especially on a movie like Body Double, which was fairly low-budget and played mono in many theaters. I saw it in stereo but it sounded pretty basic to me, but then again it's quite a while ago.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

The booklet essay was great with one note, Julie talks about Shelton buying the new panties then throwing them out when Wasson takes them, but she's throwing out the old ones she was wearing, wanted something new for her rendezvous I guess!

 

[haineshisway]

I am in complete agreement with Charles - this bashing and endless questioning of Twilight Time in every damn thread is so noxious and tiresome. Enough already. The fact that there are 3000 people who'd want this truly dreadful but occasionally amusing film is the real mystery, but then again 3000 people didn't - you have the speculators and "fans" buying multiple copies so they can gleefully turn a profit. Nothing to do about it and that only happens for a small handful of titles.

As to why Twilight Time got As Good As It Get - gee, last time I looked it hadn't even come close to selling out and please don't tell me it would have sold thousands more if it were twenty bucks because it would not have.

As to the fellow with the usual malarky about buying this IF it were twenty bucks AND included Dressed to Kill - someday I'd like to visit you in Fantasyland But you wouldn't have paid the twenty bucks even if that were the case - you'd then say you'd buy it if only it were fifteen and if it were fifteen, ten, and if it were ten you'd wait for it to hit the five-dollar bin. I have watched this scenario over and over again - thus it has been and thus it will always be. If thirty bucks is too much for you and you're happy with the DVD, why exactly do you need to post about it?

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Some of us just love DePalma, Bruce. I'll take anything of his on Blu

 

[Didier R]

. The fact that there are 3000 people who'd want this truly dreadful but occasionally amusing film is the real mystery

Thank you for being completely ignorant and arrogant (as usual). No wonder why you got banned from blu-ray com

 

[Richard Gallagher]

The booklet essay was great with one note, Julie talks about Shelton buying the new panties then throwing them out when Wasson takes them, but she's throwing out the old ones she was wearing, wanted something new for her rendezvous I guess!

To me that is another one of the perplexing things about the film. Who buys new underwear and immediately wears it? Maybe they do when it's bought at an upscale boutique on Rodeo Drive, but I always wash new underwear first.

Anyone who knows more about these things should feel free to chime in!

 

[Didier R]

........DP

 

[Moe Dickstein]

I think the underwear we buy is a bit different than what she's getting at the Rodeo Collection for sure Richard.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Thank you for being completely ignorant. No wonder why you got banned from blu-ray com

Bruce is entitled to his opinion. I regret that he hasn't experienced the joys that I do in DePalma's work.

 

[TravisR]

...I always wash new underwear first.

Yeah, even if you're shopping at a swanky store (albeit one that needs more secure curtains on its dressing room doors), that's good advice because another person may have tried them on before you.

 

[Michael Rogers]

I can remember many things vividly, but I would really question that you can remember what was where in the surrounds, especially on a movie like Body Double, which was fairly low-budget and played mono in many theaters. I saw it in stereo but it sounded pretty basic to me, but then again it's quite a while ago.

In my case, I watched it in a Loews theater that was built only 2 years before and had 3 screens carrying Dolby Stereo and one screen carrying 70mm six track Dolby. Body Double played on one of the Dolby Stereo screens. It was at the time I had my stereo CED videodisc player in high school and reading up on how Dolby Stereo surround was done and was in the process of getting those primitive L-R with delay matrix boxes to set up my own surround. So, I paid close attention to the sound in Body Double. When I got the CED videodisc I was able to get a fairly good representation of how I heard it in the theater (minus the center channel, of course) with the fire alarm and other things I mentioned in the rears. It's not just Body Double, but many 1980's Dolby Stereo movies I cut my teeth on are not as I remember them on modern multichannel remixes. With different sounds being emphasised and left right and surround placements lazily in the center. I wish these technicians would break out an optical Dolby Stereo print and listen to it and try to emulate what they hear better.Sometimes, it does translate well, The Thing is pretty true to how I remember it. Altered States and Creepshow (which has only a 2.0 soundtrack anyway) fare well too.But movies like Star Trek 2 and 3, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters and now Body Double are just disapointingly "neutered" to how I remember them. Even though the actual detail of the sound is so much better.

 

[schan1269]

I'm not sure if As Good As it Gets has sold out of TT or not...

But it hasn't dropped, anywhere, like a TT title does once it hits "2500 sold and it is now stagnant"...

But back to this title. The current "prospector price" is absolutely ridiculous. Sure, I like DePalma as well, but this one?

For those of you who follow what I will watch/discuss...for me to decide to ignore a movie...

Oh yeah, for the record...I refuse to pay more money for Body Double than I can buy The Untouchables for...but it does mean there might be a domestic release of Obsession.

 

[haineshisway]

Some of us just love DePalma, Bruce. I'll take anything of his on Blu

I understand that many love his work. I love some of his work, but with Body Double that pretty much changed for almost everything that came after.

 

[haineshisway]

I'm not sure if As Good As it Gets has sold out of TT or not...

But it hasn't dropped, anywhere, like a TT title does once it hits "2500 sold and it is now stagnant"...

But back to this title. The current "prospector price" is absolutely ridiculous. Sure, I like DePalma as well, but this one?

For those of you who follow what I will watch/discuss...for me to decide to ignore a movie...

Oh yeah, for the record...I refuse to pay more money for Body Double than I can buy The Untouchables for...but it does mean there might be a domestic release of Obsession.

You're not sure - I just told you it hasn't. It's easy to check, you know - it's nowhere near selling out.

 

[haineshisway]

Thank you for being completely ignorant and arrogant (as usual). No wonder why you got banned from blu-ray com

So, I'm ignorant AND arrogant because I post an opinion? Amazing. That must mean that this site is filled with nothing but ignorant AND arrogant people, unless, of course, they agree with you. And just for the record, my friend, I asked to get banned, I encouraged them to ban me, and then I made it impossible not to ban me by taking them on in a very strong way on my blog. Oops. That was a great day - now I don't ever have to look at that sorry site run by some of the most completely ignorant AND arrogant people I've ever seen.

 

[haineshisway]

Bruce is entitled to his opinion. I regret that he hasn't experienced the joys that I do in DePalma's work.

I was a big fan early on, starting with Sisters. I loved Phantom of the Paradise (I remember vividly seeing the film one evening, then reporting to work the next day to film a Happy Days episode and raving to Ronny Howard about it - he went to see it that night and HATED it!) . Even though Obsession was so derivative, I still liked it a lot. Carrie, for me, is his masterpiece, a film I absolutely love. Dressed to Kill - that one, for me, didn't work at all because it was SO derivative of so many things that it held not one surprise for me. Body Double I hated. Enjoyed The Untouchables, but the rest just haven't done it for me, especially all of his recent work, including his awful film Passion, where he not only did not better the original French film, he subverted it in just about every way so that it could not possibly work.

But he does have great taste in composers, and I happily issued the complete soundtrack of Carrie for the first time ever on CD, still available and amazing.

 

[schan1269]

I guess TT keeps some sort of running tab?

If you've read any of my posts, outside of (what was) EAH, I couldn't care less what distributorship has what. I don't buy a Criterion just because it is a Criterion. Lots of movies in their cache that I wouldn't even want as a coaster.

I will laud them on a few though, namely Two Lane Blacktop.

Back to TT. I couldn't care less about the business practice. It works for many a title, but...when it doesn't...give me a break. For the record as well, there are many movies that I personally feel gain nothing from being BD. As Good as it Gets being one of them. Like Perks of Being a Wallflower, bought the DVD.

And speaking of Love Crime > Passion. Loved Ludivine(has she ever been in a bad movie?), and I had hopes for Passion...but they were dashed.