A Few Words About A few words about...™ WarGames -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

John Badham's WarGames (1983), is an extremely entertaining thriller, with a teen aspect. It worked in 1983, and it plays well today.

This is an interesting film, that fits well into Mr. Badham's overall work. As the director of Saturday Night Fever, Dracula, Blue Thunder, Bird on a Wire, et al, you know you're going to get something worth watching.

The new MGM via Fox Blu-ray is quite good looking with audio in DTS-Master. Grain structure looks very appropriate, shadow detail, blacks, etc. all appear fine. Facial tonalities appear to have a decided red push, with various characters appearing as though they'd just come of the beach. I've a feeling Mr. Fraker didn't design it to be seen that way.

A fine film, on a quality Blu-ray, that aside from the red push, is...

Image - 3.5

Audio - 4

Recommended.

RAH

Another good movie from the 80's.
Glad to hear your take on this Robert.
I'm still waiting for my copy to come in stock at Amazon. (just a few more days)

Thanks, Robert. I've been very tempted to grab this for $7.99 this weekend at Best Buy.

I believe the directors exact words were "that is not how we would have timed the color".
Our theory was that since many of the actors were quite pale, it seems someone felt the need to bring them up which then made others resemble George Hamilton.
Mr. Harris uses the scene with Broderick, Eddie Deezen and Maury Chaykin as an example. Broderick's character should be pale from his indoors lifestyle, and in giving him a regular flesh tone, Chaykin goes very very tan.

Originally Posted by Moe Dickstein /t/323581/a-few-words-about-wargames-in-blu-ray#post_3972441
I believe the directors exact words were "that is not how we would have timed the color".
Our theory was that since many of the actors were quite pale, it seems someone felt the need to bring them up which then made others resemble George Hamilton.
Mr. Harris uses the scene with Broderick, Eddie Deezen and Maury Chaykin as an example. Broderick's character should be pale from his indoors lifestyle, and in giving him a regular flesh tone, Chaykin goes very very tan.

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Pity they didn't go to the filmmaker for timing. Might have made things far too easy. I presume it was timed by someone who had never even seen the film before.

RAH

Robert Harris said:

Pity they didn't go to the filmmaker for timing.  Might have made things far too easy.  I presume it was timed by someone who had never even seen the film before.
RAH

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Or at least by someone with a phobia of albinos...
Like so many of these things, it would have been a tiny fix. I should pass along that while the timing is not correct, the director does feel that they stopped short of making it something unwatchable, so consider this flawed but barely acceptable for viewing (in terms of color timing). In other areas, such as clarity he was very happy.

Thanks. Despite the spray on tans, I'll pick this up for $7.99, especially since everything else looks good. I loved this movie as a kid. Bring on Red Dawn and we are good to go!

Moe Dickstein said:

Or at least by someone with a phobia of albinos...
Like so many of these things, it would have been a tiny fix. I should pass along that while the timing is not correct, the director does feel that they stopped short of making it something unwatchable, so consider this flawed but barely acceptable for viewing (in terms of color timing). In other areas, such as clarity he was very happy.

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Moe,
Just trying to understand the process - why would the director give his opinion after the fact rather than before the color timing was completed? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Dave H /t/323581/a-few-words-about-wargames-in-blu-ray#post_3972573
Moe,
Just trying to understand the process - why would the director give his opinion after the fact rather than before the color timing was completed? Thanks.

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I can answer that one. Someone has to have the foresight to bring the filmmaker into the loop, and ask advise. One would think that would be easy.

And respectful.

RAH

The first few seconds of the audio commentary somehow got cut from the anniversary dvd. Anybody know if that's been fixed?

Robert Harris said:

This is an interesting film, that fits well into Mr. Badham's overall work.  As the director of Saturday Night Fever, Dracula, Blue Thunder, Bird on a Wire, et al, you know you're going to get something worth watching.

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Interesting that you put Bird on a Wire in the "worth watching" category.

I adjusted the color setting on my tv for this one(certain scenes had actors resembling a tomatoe) and it helped a little to bump it down a few notches. It is mostly the NORAD scenes that are affected. Like Mr. Harris noted though, take away the 'red push' and it is still a decent looking Blu-Ray. I'm still happy with what I got.

JoshZ said:

Interesting that you put Bird on a Wire in the "worth watching" category.

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Bird on a Wire is somewhat forgotten today, but it did do over 100 million during original release, which was a big number back in 1990... There are some very fun moments in it and it could definitely use a Blu upgrade as the current DVD is very poor port of the LD transfer and not anamorphic.

Moe Dickstein said:

Bird on a Wire is somewhat forgotten today, but it did do over 100 million during original release, which was a big number back in 1990... There are some very fun moments in it and it could definitely use a Blu upgrade as the current DVD is very poor port of the LD transfer and not anamorphic.

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I have only the haziest of memories of watching this movie on cable back in the day. I don't recall being too impressed with it, but I suppose I'd be open to re-evaluating it. I do remember the controversy over its homophobic stereotyping, though, which would probably only seem even more uncomfortable today.

JoshZ said:

I have only the haziest of memories of watching this movie on cable back in the day. I don't recall being too impressed with it, but I suppose I'd be open to re-evaluating it. I do remember the controversy over its homophobic stereotyping, though, which would probably only seem even more uncomfortable today.

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I suppose it depends how PC you are. I thought it was just silly and funny.

Moe Dickstein said:

I believe the directors exact words were "that is not how we would have timed the color". Our theory was that since many of the actors were quite pale, it seems someone felt the need to bring them up which then made others resemble George Hamilton. Mr. Harris uses the scene with Broderick, Eddie Deezen and Maury Chaykin as an example. Broderick's character should be pale from his indoors lifestyle, and in giving him a regular flesh tone, Chaykin goes very very tan.

Click to expand...

I noticed the same thing in the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition set on Blu-ray. I had read in some reviews of the set that while the Fellowship of the Ring definitely had the colors changed, that the color timing appeared untouched in the second two films. Well, I've seen all 3 and the faces look quite reddish in the other films now, as well, very noticeable. And they didn't look that way before this set, so they have been messed with, and it's quite distasteful. They should have just left them fair and natural as they had always been, it was perfect before.

I really wish they would quit doing this in home video releases of films, whether WarGames or any other. Having said that, it's been a long time since I've seen the movie, and the Blu-ray sounds of overall good quality and it would be fun to see it at this level of detail/resolution for the first time. So I might get it.