Updates on Blu-Ray titles you have asked about.... (1 Viewer)

I promised all of you that I would talk to the folks at Sony
and Fox about Blu-ray status of particular titles....

Moulin Rouge: Baz Luhrmann needs to be directly involved
with the title, and currently he is working on a huge movie project.
This does not appear to be a title we will be seeing in the near future.

Bad Boys II: It's coming! The studio is working on the
title as it is very aware of its popularity.

Lawrence of Arabia: Another title that Sony is aware of
its demand. It seems that the title is being temporarily delayed
in anticipation of new Blu-ray technology.

Also, I asked Fox about their catalog pricing and whether they're going to be more align with the catalog title pricing of their competitors? Their reply was no comment regarding pricing. Their answer wasn't surprising to me, but at least I wanted them to be aware that their high catalog pricing is probably affecting their software sales. I know I haven't bought any of their titles that weren't on sale at a more affordable price and I'm sure I'm not alone in that regard.

Fox did say a lot of titles are coming out next year. Also, confirmed that the BRD release of Die Hard 4 won't contain the uncensored version because it became available to them too late in the process to be included on the BRD even though, it will be available on the SD DVD release. I think this demonstrates that the leadtime for getting a title ready for BR versus SD is quite different in length.





Crawdaddy

Any mention of the Alien movies from Fox? There was a rumor floating around in the summer that they were planning an early 08 release. Not that I put much stock in HDM rumors but it would be nice to know whether these are at least planned for next year.

Jim,
To be honest, they wouldn't give us much specific information regarding titles. Somebody asked them about the John Ford boxset and the response wasn't favorable. With that being said, I expect Aliens to be release sometime next year on BRD.

Thanks, I kind of figured as much since neither you nor Ron mentioned any other films by title.

The Ford set is disappointing but not surprising. Frankly I've given up all hope of classic films coming out on HDM except from Warner.

This is one of my most anticipated BD titles. Don't really know what new Blu-ray technology they're waiting for... PiP?

Aren't these both shown as coming soon on the previews on every Sony disc along with Charlie's Angels?

With avp2 coming you'd think releasing all the alien and predator films would be a no-brainer.

Yes, I would think next year when this title is ready for SD DVD/BRD releases, the other titles could be released too.

PiP or BD Live.

That is correct.

The answer concerning Lawrence of Arabia is BD Live.
From the conversation I was privy to, that was the technology Sony
felt it was best waiting for.

Also, I had the opportunity to see a bit of Close Encounters on
Blu-ray, and I want to warn people that it looks very grainy. In fact,
a concerned journalist thought something was wrong with the display
it was playing on (which could have been the case to an extent).

Now, mind you, I don't find this the fault of Sony. First, there are
many films that contain natural grain. Secondly, I am certain that
Close Encounters was shot on the same Eastman film
that has plagued so many films from the 70s period.

As long as they get the release of "Lawrence of Arabia" right, the longer I'm willing to patiently wait for it.

Were the "Close Encounters" clips shown scenes with visual effects? I remember them being the grainiest. On the other hand, I'm pleased that the release will have the grain (i.e. no DNR) and the fact that Spielberg himself supervised the transfer.

Oh I'm quite sure some people will be complaining just like they did when the CE3K dvd was released. Any PS3 owners out there can get a bit of an idea as the trailer for the release is up at the PS Store.

All the shots I looked at were nighttime scenes, which comprises
about 80% of the film anyway.

The one scene I remember watching was of Roy sitting in his
pickup truck, looking at a map, as he waves the vehicles ahead
that are approaching him from behind. The last headlight to
approach him from behind turns out to be a UFO.

Yeah, I mean the film looks VERY grainy, moreso than most
films I have watched on either HD format as of late. I never
watched the DVD (Still in shrinkwrap - can you believe it?!) but
am certain that if there were grain issues on that release it is
only amplified here. It did not bother me because I understand
the animal, but I am sure it is noticeable enough that people are
going to complain.

Ahhh bummer. Thanks for the update Ron, as sad as the news is.

Ron,
How about Fight Club?

Ron, seriously, that's the best Bd news I've heard all week.
I had serious reservation when I heard this film was scheduled for a Bd release.
And those were compounded when Somone from Sony made a comment like "we went back in and did and entirely new transfer, and people won't believe how good it looks" or something to that effect.
In addition to a very noticeable grain structure in many scenes, the densities of blacks have a tendedncy to waver or breathe...at least on every Home video version I've seen in the last 20 years.
This is far from being a 'pretty' looking film. Its not glossy, and it's not shiny. And more importantly, it's not likely to be a movie that will be held up as HD state of the art, unless it were seriously molested.

I'll be very happy and impressed with Sony if they deliver a disc that is exceptionally faithful to the source.

there was a post on another forum a few months back from a Sony insider (Paidgeek?) who said that LOA was ready to go- what was holding it up was that inside Sony were two camps in direct opposition. The one wanted to release it Q4 '07, the other felt - and this was his exact quote- they should "keep their powder dry".

I expect LOA to get announced when the situation for Bd is looking even more dire. They need a title in reserve that they can pull out to say "hey, remember us...this ain't over yet."
I don't think Ghostbusters or Taxi Driver would have nearly the same impact.

Paul,
I watched a great deal of the BRD during that event and it was simply gorgeous. It's a great looking disc and fans of this film especially those that actually watched it in a movie theater will be very happy with it.





Crawdaddy