Time Bandits 2-disc SE in 2004 (1 Viewer)

[Geo Gabor]

Any reviews yet of the new AB release? Anybody seen it?

 

[John Hodson]

DVDtalk review here.

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So many films, so little time...

 

[Michael Reuben]

I'm been lusting after the Critereon version of Time Bandits for a while now, but now comes the Anchor Bay version. What's the differences between the two? Which one is recommended?

Scott, your thread has now been merged with the existing thread on this release, which answers all those questions.

M.

 

[Jon Robertson]

A good interview, well edited, is better than a commentary any day.

What about a well-edited commentary, with five participants, as is available on the Criterion disc?

 

[JustinCleveland]

Jon,

Because of the nature of DVD commentary, there are lapses where the speakers talk about something completely unrelated to what's being shown on screen, and other times become distracted by minutia.

At least in multi-participant commentaries where the speakers are together, they can play off of each other. Take for instance the commentaries on Fight Club. The director, Pitt, and Norton all riff off of each other and fill in the blanks, but then the flow is stopped by an added, pre-recorded comment spliced in by the editor. It just doesn't sound good. And even then, you're subject to periods of tangents or dead space where there is nothing to talk about. I don't know about you, but my time is valuable and I'd rather watch an hour documentary that hits all the points the cast/crew are going to talk about than sit through 2-3 hours of unstructured and scattershot discussion. Just my own opinion.

 

[Fredric]

Just ordered the 2-discer from DDD. Very excited about this, as I was highly disappointed with watching my Brother-In-Law's Criterion copy. There's a black thread-streak that cuts through the center of the screen vertically several times, once right through Evil as he's doing his head-lowering, eye's blazing, Karate-Kid armed, about to 'splode you move. Blech. Also, although I like Gilliam's comments, I didn't dig all the participants being essentially recorded separately and spliced together. Cleese's comments were especially BO-ring! If all five participants were "riffing" together, it may have been a better experience, like the Carpenter/Russell tracks (or, he mumbles shyly, even the entertaining Christmas Vacation track). I'm in the "well-made doc over commentary" camp, overall, except when it comes to Frankenheimer, of course!

In other news, call me crazy but I added the Universal Brazil to my order. The price is right, and according to DVDBeaver, the pic is slightly better than the Criterion. I've borrowed the 3-disc set from a friend and have gone through it, and although I'd love to have the Gilliam commentary, with a wife and two girls, when am I going to hear that one again? Give me the film, baby!

 

[Mike_Richardson]

The 5.1 track on the new AB release is atrocious. There's hardly any bass at all. What's odd is that there IS bass on the 2.0 track! (My subwoofer sounded inactive on the 5.1 track, but sounded fine on the 2.0 version)

Very strange...at least the transfer is great however!

 

[MarkHarrison]

I don't know about you, but my time is valuable and I'd rather watch an hour documentary that hits all the points the cast/crew are going to talk about than sit through 2-3 hours of unstructured and scattershot discussion. Just my own opinion.

I'm with you on this one. I much prefer the Spielberg style. My other problem with commentaries is that I find myself getting distracted by the movie. Especially during those silent periods.

 

[PaulEB]

Why are there no subtitles on this DVD? Seems strange that this wasn't added to the latest version. Is it that much of an effort or expense to add subtitles?

I think the film is great. This is the first time I have seen it and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm a big fan of Terry Gilliam and was wondering if I should get the Criterion version for the commentary, but from what I have read it may not be worth it. I agree the bass was lacking.

 

[JustinCleveland]

The bass was lacking? There was bass??

For the commentary, if you can find a version for under 15 bucks is MIGHT be worth it, but you'd really have to like commentaries. The A/V of that disc is BAD.

 

[ChadMcCallum]

Why are there no subtitles on this DVD? Seems strange that this wasn't added to the latest version. Is it that much of an effort or expense to add subtitles?

Anchor Bay never puts sub's on their disc's but they are captioned and I would be surprised if this wasn't.

 

[CraigF]

Anybody in Canada have any ideas as to why this disc is so generally unavailable? At least so far, only Future Shop seems to have it, and I couldn't even pre-order it online from my usual Canadian places.

 

[Craig Forsythe]

I've found the same thing Craig (nice name)
Future Shop here wants 29 bucks for the thing and I haven't found anyone else carrying it.

 

[ChrisV]

Man, I haven't even been able to find the thing at Future Shop. I don't know why it's so generally unavailable. :frowning:

 

[Estevan Lapena]

I saw it at London Drugs for 27.99 CAD

 

[CraigF]

Odd, so it's not just the stores out here then. Wonder if there's some kind of rights issue for Canada, especially since amazon.ca doesn't even carry it (they carry U.S. imports for only ~1 week after release these days, it seems). Guess I'll have to get it at FS (no LD in these parts), was hoping for cheaper!

Edit: Snagged the LAST copy in the only store that had it around here...would have been mad if I'd missed it trying to save a couple bucks!

 

[CraigF]

Thought I'd correct my last post. amazon.ca apparently *does* have the disc, at IMO a very good/appropriate price. You have to check their site often, and buy it immediately when you see it. What happens is (I guess) a lot of people are on the notification list for this, so copies get bought up VERY fast (I missed getting copies by about 1 minute twice, the time it takes to go from ordering to actually checking out), and when stock is gone they say OOP and no more ordering. Even FS online doesn't have this disc available any more, though the odd store might have copies left.

 

[Miles]

I've now received the title and wondering what the word is on the audio... What do people find better on this disc? 2.0 or 5.1EX?

Thanks for your opinions,

 

[Eric F]

2.0. The 5.1 mix is terrible.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Can anyone tell me what supplementals this new set lacks other than the commentary in comparisson with Criterion's release?

Is the new anamorphic transfer that much more significant and is the sound really that much of an imporvement over Criterion's release?


Thanks.