Full Details: Panic Room SE (1 Viewer)

[Chris_Marin]

You can find a detailed look at the superb menu system for Panic Room SE here. We should also have a full, detailed comparison review up by next Monday.

 

[Ray H]

Looks cool yet confusing at the same time.

 

[Chris_Marin]

Our full detailed review of Panic Room SE, including a brief comparison to other editions, can be found here.

The presentation of the film is very pleasing overall, though not perfect as far as the video transfer goes. In my opinion, with 3 audio commentaries thrown in, the additional inclusion of the French and Spanish 5.1 uses up too much valuable bit-space, that could have been put to better use improving the transfer, though a DTS track would have been nice as well.

This DVD is essential viewing for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking, and while it's unlikely to change your opinion - whatever that may be - of Panic Room, it will, at the very least, increase your appreciation of all the work that went into bringing to the screen. Despite all the turmoil behind the scenes, Fincher drove on, determined to bring his vision to the screen, and, if nothing else, this DVD will have you applauding him for that.

 

[Sean Patrick]

i'll definitely pick this up.

i can't say I found the film very suspenseful, but it was SO well crafted and visually impressive that it still gets high marks from me.

i don't think i'm alone in hoping this sort of attention gets paid to THE GAME sometime in the near future. I watched the old non-anamorphic dvd the other night (first time on my new setup) and that thing needs a special edition sooooooo badly!!!!!

it's not BAD looking for non-16x9, but it could look so much better, and of course that film is screaming for special features.

i don't know if this will ever happen, though, since this was no box office success.

 

[JeremySt]

Do you mean William Goldman?

 

[David Prior]

The menus are a concept that Fincher and I worked out together. My first idea was that each of the phases of production (pre, production, post and the film itself) would be arranged according to the four floors of the brownstone, and each "floor" or phase would get it's own disc. The concept changed a bit when we went to 3 discs, but I think it still works.

The animations were created and produced by Pixel Liberation Front, under my supervision, and I couldn't be happier with the work they did. It was Fincher who suggested they do the work and the fact that they had never done menus before is at least part of the reason they came out so beautifully.

Cheers,

David Prior

 

[David_Blackwell]

The menus are really cool in the way they navigate through the house.

Very extensive material for sequence breakdowns- b-rolls, dalies, video tests, script, and storyboards. Wow.

I was watching some of the visual effects featurettes. Very interesting and extensive. They had to do some computer effects to get what Fincher wanted.

Be Seeing you,
David Blackwell

 

[Mark_Mc]

Hi David,

First of all a big personal thanks. I was lucky enough to sneak a look at this superb disc last week for my review here, and I have to say that as a David Fincher fan since Alien 3 (still my favourite of his films, no matter what his own feelings about it may be), this DVD is the best I have seen so far this year.

When I first saw Panic Room in theaters I was slightly underwhelmed, but this disc was a great oportunity to rediscover and gain new appreciation of this film, and how it fits in with the rest of his work.

Now this is probably a question you are being asked a lot lately, and I'm sorry if I've missed any answer you may have already given here, but do you know of the current status - if any - of an SE of The Game?

I know that Criterion released one on LaserDisc in that format's dying days, but are you aware of any plans to either port that to DVD or create a new edition from scratch? Like I said, I know it's probably something you are sick of being asked, but if anyone is likely to know, I figured it would be you ;-)

Many thanks once again.

Mark McManus

 

[David Prior]

Hi Mark, thanks for the kind words. Yeah, I can't say I haven't heard that Game question a few times. It's come up once every few months since Fight Club, actually. Back then Fincher said that he was perfectly happy with the transfer, and the Criterion laser was still relatively current. A lot has changed since then, obviously, but we haven't spoken about it in a while. I think Universal has the DVD rights now, which may pose some problems, but I'll be sure to remind Fincher that there's a real appetite for it next time we speak.

Cheers,

David Prior

 

[Sean Patrick]

i don't usually say things like this, but if david fincher has any sort of decent home setup i doubt he'd say that about the current GAME dvd, especially if he's watched his own special edition SEVEN dvd on it.

SEVEN looks like 3-d HD compared to the relatively murky GAME dvd.

 

[Melson]

Did I miss anything, or is there no documentary on the editing of the film? How could this happen?

 

[Mark_Mc]

I'm no business man, and this may be a little naive of me, but if Criterion have already produced a boatload of extras for their LaserDisc, perhaps Universal could simply license the content from them for a DVD?

It would save them the costs of producing all new supplements, meaning that all that would be needed were some new menus and of course a new transfer. Perhaps that's a huge over simplification, but perhaps in theory it's feasible.

Thanks again for your input on this thread David, and I look forward to your next DVD, Fincher related or otherwise

 

[Mark_Mc]

It's pretty clear from the other supplements on the discs, discussing the extensive previs and so on, that Fincher had the film edited before the cameras even rolled

 

[Melson]

Ah, I see. Anyway, I can't wait for this set!

 

[David Yevin]

david,
while were sort of on the subject of fincher and his work, i need to bring out my fanboy tendencies and ask if you have any knowledge (that you can speak of) of what fincher is currently working on? i know he's done some more t.v. commercial work and produced some things, but does he have any plans for his next directorial effort?

 

[Carlo_M]

Criterion used to have a "We Do Not License Our Supplements" policy. Now they have softened their stance from never to rarely, and then only in the case where they can work out with the studio on a quid pro quo basis (i.e. we give you our supplements, you give us rights to another title to produce on DVD). Very few studios are willing to do that now because DVD is such a cash cow (it was easier for Criterion in the beginning when DVD was more a niche market).

 

[Mark_Mc]

That's interesting to know. Although I don't own it, I am 99.99% certain that the Region 2 UK release of Armageddon, for example, was released here by Buena Vista , but with the suppliments fro the Criterion disc intact. They are even credited on the sleeve IIRC.

So, as you say, perhaps if they can work out a deal, something like that may be possible again.

 

[WillG]

Yeah, Licensing from Criterion is like trying to get Led Zepplin's permission to use one of their songs in a film. Sometimes it happens, but not all that often.

 

[David Prior]

I haven't talked to him in a while and I don't get the newsletter, so I don't really know. The most recent rumors seem to indicate it will be The Lookout, but who knows? The Lords of Dogtown got very far along before it fell apart.

Cheers,

David

 

[Mark_Mc]

Well, compared to what we have now, I for one would be happy, but compared to the other Fincher SE's I guess it would be a bit .... lacking in depth