Did Rhino lie? "Transformers: The Movie" region 2 DVD - WIDESCREEN (1 Viewer)

[Michael Allred]

Check it out;
http://www.blackstar.co.uk/video/item/7000000061773
Notice it also has a far more interesting selection of extras than Rhino's version had.
Guess there was a widescreen print out there afterall.
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My DVD collection--> http://members.tripod.com/~evilbaby/DVD_Collection.html

 

[Carlo_M]

you...have...got...to...be...kidding...me...

 

[Romier S]

No, Rhino did not lie (at least Im pretty sure they didn't). I read recently that the R2 version of the movie is going to be the edited version with the spike curse word taken out and that stupid scrolling text intro inserted back in. Supposedly there are widescreen prints available for that version of the movie.
We here in the HT and DVD community were screaming for the uncut theatrical version we saw and the best print Rhino could use was what we got. All the prints for the uncut version were unuseable.
Mind you I'm just spitting out info I remeber from when this widescreen debacle started so If I'm wrong on any of this, please, anyone please feel free to correct me
[Edited last by Romier S on September 28, 2001 at 04:26 AM]

 

[David Lambert]

If, in the end, the edited version is the only widescreen version available, then here's what I might like to see:
A SE version of the movie, with both versions included: FS uncut and WS cut versions. And all the extras on the R2 release, especially the video for "The Touch" (a song I use to motivate myself with to this day!) and perhaps some extras in the Weird Al dept. And anything else they can think of.
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DAVE/Memphis

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/...ocs/000565.htm

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I bet that R2 version is going to look terrible too. While Rhino dropped the ball on the extras(I've always said that), I want my Transformers uncut. The movie was animated at 1.66:1 according to my sources, which means that very very little was actually lost in the process. The image we got was very clean, and I'm a happy man. If I find the UK disc at the right price, I may buy it for the extras
Jeff Kleist

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Dave, if you motivate yourself to "The Touch," I'm frightened for you. Really. Say hi to "Chest Rockwell" for me.

 

[David Lambert]

Dave, if you motivate yourself to "The Touch," I'm frightened for you. Really. Say hi to "Chest Rockwell" for me.

Mark, I don't get the "Chest Rockwell" reference at all. But the rest of what you said feels really insulting.
When you doubt your ability to accomplish things on occassion, then what's wrong with these lyrics to motivate you?

• 
  It's in the blood, it's in the will,
  It's in the mighty hands of steel
  When you're standing your ground.
  And you never give in when your back's to the wall,
  Gonna fight to the end, and you're takin' it all!
  You've got the touch! You've got the power!
  When all hell's breakin' loose, you'll be ridin' the eye of the storm.
  You've got the heart! You've got the motion!
  And you know that when things get too rough,
  You've got the touch...
  ...you're fightin' fire with fire!
  You know you've got the touch!

Y'know, just because it's in a kid's movie, it doesn't mean it's kiddie koncepts. For what it's worth, the band on the soundtrack called "Spectre General" used to also go by the name "Kick Axe", a name which rocks.
I'll stop now, before I say something really hurtful. Because your post really did hurt me, Mark.

 

[teapot2001]

I also find "The Touch" to be a motivational song.
~t

 

[Ryan Patterson]

I personally prefer "Dare", it's a much higher-energy song. Of course, only the '86 version rocks... I've heard the '97 remake and the live version, but they fail to capture the energy of the original.
Interesting how both Stan Bush and Lion made it to The Wraith soundtrack that same year... did Scotty Bros pay for a multi-soundtrack contract with these artists?
I wonder if the UK version of the movie is actually from a widescreen master, or if they're just masking the top and bottom to make it compatible & anamorphic with 16x9 sets. (Do they use that ratio in the UK?)
At any rate, it's nice to know that I'm not missing too much from the supposed 1.66:1 transfer. Isn't that what most Disney films are shot at? Probably for maxiumum compatibility in overseas markets... UK's theatrical ratios are usually 1.66:1, aren't they?
[Edited last by Ryan Patterson on September 28, 2001 at 07:54 PM]

 

[Greg_S_H]

David,
"Chest Rockwell" was a character in Boogie Nights. In Boogie Nights, Mark Wahlberg's character Dirk Diggler cuts a version of "The Touch."
I love that song and all the rest of the songs on the soundtrack. And, believe it or not, Ace Frehley covered "Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way" on some other movie's soundtrack. Don't ask me what movie it was, because I only saw the opening once a long time ago (unless I dreamed it).
Also, I shouldn't let all of you know this (because supplies are limited and I haven't ordered mine yet ), but an expanded version of the film's score is available at www.botcon.com. These tend to run out in fairly short order, but they seem to be repressed for each Botcon. This time, I am determined to get mine!
[Edited last by Greg_S_H on September 28, 2001 at 07:55 PM]

 

[Ryan Patterson]

So what was the story behind "The Touch" and "Boogie Nights"? The fact that it was sung in the early 80s in Boogie Nights suggests that the song wasn't written by Stan Bush, and that the song was in limbo for quite some time before it was picked up for TF: The Movie. I was looking forward to hearing what Vince DiCola had to say about it on the DVD, but it turned out he didn't say very much about it... just how he found out that Boogie Nights was using it.
Any ideas?

 

[David Lambert]

quote: "Chest Rockwell" was a character in Boogie Nights. In Boogie Nights, Mark Wahlberg's character Dirk Diggler cuts a version of "The Touch."[/quote]
Oh. I'd heard that the song was in Boogie Nights, but I hadn't seen that movie yet, so I didn't get the Chest Rockwell reference.
Perhaps I now see Mark's source of amusement. Perhaps I flew too far off the handle.
Nah. This song has intense personal meaning for me, and although Mark didn't know that, it didn't make what he said hurt any less. "Think before you strike".
Dare and Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way are also very good, even if the latter is a Decepticon song!
I checked out the site with the other soundtrack CD. It is very tempting, isn't it? I might snag it. I'll say, though, that I saw the film when it opened in theatres, that I picked up the vinyl album when I got my next paycheck, that I bought the VHS for $89.95 (!!!) when it first became available for rent (yep, paid the damn rental window price for it), then picked up an original movie poster at a comic book con (it is in safe storage, and my 3-year-old has a replica of it hanging above his bed!). Then when I found out years later a CD was available I sent off to a record store in Houston, TX for it! I picked up the Rhino DVD day-and-date of release. Yeah, I've got a thing for Transformers: The Movie.
Edit: Oh, yeah, I forgot: somewhere in the 14½ boxes of comic books I have, I also have the T:TM comic book, along with several other Transformers comics. I know it's in there somewhere, but as I haven't collected comics in 10 years, and am pretty much just storing that stuff for my son's eventual enjoyment or profit, I couldn't just run and put my hands on it!
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DAVE/Memphis

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/...ocs/000565.htm

[Edited last by David Lambert on September 29, 2001 at 06:44 AM]

 

[Damin J Toell]

Boogie Nights isn't a historical document. don't doubt the history or credits of the song simply because it is depicted as an anachronism.
DJ

 

[Ryan Patterson]

Damin,
Whether Boogie Nights is an official historical document is not the issue, I'm still curious about the history of this song.
David,
Wow, I didn't realize the initial FHE release of TF: The Movie was priced for rent. I still remember when it first came out... I had the date marked in my high school daytimer! Can't remember the exact date though... it was in February 1987, right?
I currently own what I think was the FHE repackaging that maybe came out in '88-89. The package has a red bar underneath the movie poster with all the movie credits. This red bar wraps all around the bottom of the tape box. Can you confirm this? I can't remember what the intial package looked like.
As for the expanded soundtrack, well, I downloaded that off Napster last year. Normally, with something like this I'd go out to the store and buy it. However, since this was a Botcon-only product, and that I live in Canada and have no plans to visit Botcon, I figured this was much more convenient.

Now there's Audiognome and a bunch of other Napster clones where you can still get the soundtrack. The music is excellent, and since it's isolated, sounds incredible in some spots. For example, when Galvatron steps on the coronation crown after he kills Starscream, the cue comes through very strong and menacing. You just don't get to hear it all in the FHE version, although the Rhino DVD version is better as it was supposedly remastered using this soundtrack.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Quote:

huh? why would the "The Touch" appearing in Boogie Nights suggest anything about the song's actual history?
DJ

 

[Ryan Patterson]

quote: Boogie Nights was made many years later and does not attempt to accurately portray history, so why would it cause any doubt?[/quote]
Boogie Nights takes place in the late 70's and early 80's, and if you've watched the movie you'll notice that they have attempted to portray that part of history fairly well. For example, the whole issue of porn video killing the adult theatres was very accurate. There is enough history accurately being followed here for me to question the origin of "The Touch".
quote: huh? why would the "The Touch" appearing in Boogie Nights suggest anything about the song's actual history?[/quote]
Geez, why are you on my case all of a sudden? Can't we all just get along?

The truth is I don't know the song's history and I'm curious to find out. Anyway, if my response above doesn't clear things up, maybe I should be asking you why you think Boogie Nights was that bad in portraying the 70's and 80's?
If you have any official information as to when The Touch was written, then by all means, let me know. Looking on the web, I see he wrote the song, so I'm not trying to nail Stan Bush to the wall. I wouldn't nail him for not writing the song either, that's not the point. I just want to know if Stan maybe wrote the song in 1979 or something for his Barrage band, but then dropped it temporarily for some reason. (Much like Bon Jovi's "Diamond Ring").
Boogie Nights may not be a "historical document", but it presents enough validility for me to question the song's origins. I hope I cleared this up enough for you.
Regards,
Ryan
[Edited last by Ryan Patterson on September 29, 2001 at 12:38 AM]

 

[David Lambert]

David,
Wow, I didn't realize the initial FHE release of TF: The Movie was priced for rent. I still remember when it first came out... I had the date marked in my high school daytimer! Can't remember the exact date though... it was in February 1987, right?
I currently own what I think was the FHE repackaging that maybe came out in '88-89. The package has a red bar underneath the movie poster with all the movie credits. This red bar wraps all around the bottom of the tape box. Can you confirm this? I can't remember what the intial package looked like.

The IMDB says that the movie was released in theatres on 8 August 1986. I certainly don't recall when the first (FHE) VHS was released, but 6 months later (Feb '87) makes sense. I'm not sure what you're saying was maybe released in '88-89, but if you mean the VHS then it definately wasn't that late. By early 1998 I was on my way from moving from Houston to Memphis by way of the company I worked for, and I definately bought that tape it a long time before I left Houston.
Here's how I bought the VHS: I worked as manager at a computer software chain that was, at the time, located exclusively as "departments" inside the mall-based bookstore chain that our chain was (back then) owned by. The bookstore mgr. usually left an extra copy of the latest special order catalog as reading material in the restroom in the back. One day the new edition showed up, and as one of the bookstore supervisors was walking it to the back, he showed me that the book distributer was getting into videos for the first time. I glanced through it and saw that The Transformers was going to be released in about a month's time, and I saw the price that I recall so vividly and painfully. I later asked the manager if I'd be able to order that video. He said sure, why not, he'd use the generic special order item # to sell it to me, but then I could not get my 30% employee discount. I had him do it, and it arrived a few days after the video's release date. I was ribbed about it for months, both by my staff and the bookstore staff! I didn't care; I enjoyed the damn thing.
I just looked for and found an eBay auction that has the same packaging which I have. Here's the pic:

And here's the link, if anyone wants to bid (a tad pricey at $19.95 in my opinion, though...these days!

But you have 14½ hours from now, with no present bidders):
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1467834698
Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/...ocs/000565.htm

 

[Adam Tyner]

The song "The Touch" was written in 1985, two years after Dirk is supposed to be recording it.

A couple of other anachronisms are listed there as well.
According to a few posters on alt.toys.transformers, "The Touch" was chosen for the movie after P.T. Anderson heard it on the Transformers soundtrack and had that cheesy, inescapably '80s feel to it that he wanted...
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My DVD list | My personal site

 

[Brad_W]

Was Transformers the movie really in widescreen? I don't remember the movie screen taking on that shape, but I could be wrong. It's been so long.
Also, I was able to get the film score for this movie and Nerd Alert! went in and added the songs from the soundtrack in the order which they appear in the movie to the score that I have. End Nerd Alert! sort of.
I should do illegal stuff and sell them, but I won't. Beside the three people that might actuall enjoy it prolly already own both sets and are about to do the same.
Continue Nerd Alert! I still have roughly 150 of my original Transformers along with comics, bed spreads, original packages, books, 3 different versions of the movie on DVD (the US, Canadian, and Japanese versions), and so much more. End Nerd Alert!
Also, I believe Stan Bush and Vince Dicola wrote "The Touch" and it was in Boogie Nights. What more does anyone need?
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"I was born to murder the world." -Nix (Lord of Illusions)
My Home Page http://www.geocities.com/masternix/DVD.html

 

[Damin J Toell]

Quote:

i never said it was "bad in portraying the 70's and 80's." however, it's a fictional story. it has fictional characters doing fictional things. one such fictional thing is a character singing an anachronistic song, a song so intentionally obscure that the vast majority of viewers likely didn't recognize it. it was used to evoke a certain musical time period, not imply a secret historical origin.
DJ