- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,558
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
106 reviews may not seem much compared to
those archived on other DVD review sites....
that is until you consider that all these
reviews were done by one individual
at an average of 12 titles per month.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/ronsreviews/ronsreviews.html
I decided in order to do accurate reviews on this
forum, I needed to invest some money. I bought a
Toshiba 57HX81 widescreen[/b] HD TV. I also
bought the Panasonic RP91 progressive scan
DVD player. I then had Gregg Loewen ISF CALIBRATE
my equipment so that I clearly was in a position
to give accurate video and audio assessments.
Within weeks, boxes of DVD product were arriving
here daily. To this day, I receive up to 8 new
DVD titles per week from Warner Brothers, MGM,
New Line, DreamWorks, Universal, Columbia and
Artisan. I am also proud to announce that
Walt Disney Home Video will start sending
me product this week.
Nobody can just start a website and get this
kind of product from the studios. The field is
already oversaturated and the studios only provide
screeners to sites that get the most traffic. In
addition, the studios expect that everything they
send you gets a review.
In any given week, I will write up to 5 new reviews.
I dedicate an average of 3-4 hours for each review
that I write. This includes watching the movie,
taking screen shots and writing the review. Some
of the more elaborate Special Editions take longer.
It took me 5+ hours to do Fox's From Hell
release.
Did I mention that I have another 40-hour per
week job and run a forum?
Every free moment I have is dedicated to doing
reviews for this forum. I have gained 10 pounds
in these past 9 months from either sitting in my
Home Theater or at a computer in office that never
gets cleaned. Though I still buy many DVDs each
month, I never get to watch them. I have an
obligation first to review most all the titles
that the studios send me every week. It's a job
that's not much unlike a constant homework assignment.
I am certainly not complaining. This was my
choice. The upside is that I keep the product
I review. I also have the opportunity to share
my viewing experiences with all the members of
this forum.
I accept the fact that my writing skills have
much to be desired. I accept these skills have
been the subject matter of many negative posts
in this forum as well as other forums. Since
the mid 90's, my name has been all over the
newsgroups and discussion forums either because
people either enjoyed what I had to contribute,
or didn't like the attention I was receiving.
It is those of you who have accepted my reviews
for what they are and have posted many generous
words of response that I wish to thank.
I never decided to write reviews here in order
to best anyone else. I think I have always been
up front with my readers in saying that though I
lack the ability to write in a professional manner,
what I do write comes from the very heart of
someone that is passionate about movies and their
entertainment value.
The biggest problem I face in writing reviews
How many ways can one describe how good a DVD
looks and sounds?
This format has progressed to the point where
just about every new release looks and sounds
as good as the other.
Some of the fun of writing these reviews has been
lost simply because I have to sit and think of new
ways to describe how fantastic a DVD looks and sounds.
I don't litter my reviews with technical jargon,
though I respect reviewers who do. People want to
simply know if the picture and audio lives up to
the latest standards. Most releases do. The biggest
task of writing a review is finding new ways to
eloquently say "this DVD looks as great as any other"
The Highs and Lows
The first archived review on record is http://www.hometheaterforum.com/ronsreviews/familyman.html
Of course, many of you are aware that I picked
Moulin Rouge as the best DVD of 2001.
Though my decision raised much controversy, most
of it was over personal opinions of the film. My
pick was based on the overall presentation of the
disc as well as the fact I thought Moulin Rouge
was one of the most daring projects ever brought
to the screen. Nobody can argue that Moulin
Rouge from blueprint to film to DVD was the
result of sweated relentless devotion from its
Director, Baz Luhrmann.
For better....for worse
When you get to watch so much product from the
studios, you notice trends and changes. Two of
the biggest studios that fall into this category
are Warner Brothers and MGM.
Over a year ago, MGM was hated by most
members of this forum. Their bare-boned DVD
releases that sported lackluster transfers became
the focal point of criticism on this forum. In
the past 9 months, I have slowly watched that
studio redeem itself with releases like The
Usual Suspects, Bull Durham, Buckaroo Banzai
and Bandits. The studio is putting great
effort into not only putting out better transfers
but in adding Special Features, animated menu
structures and elaborate packaging.
Warner Brothers, on the other hand, has
lost sight of the format they conceptualized.
Though the transfers coming out of this studio
are one of the best in the business, their attitude
towards this format is the worst. The mere fact
that they began releasing full-frame only
titles leaves no argument that they have deeply
hurt this format. In addition, despite numerous
complaints and petitions, the studio is mishandling
not only their South Park television product,
but other television releases as well.
Thank You
I wanted to write something to this membership that
has supported my views and reviews.
I consider the membership of this forum to be
a sort of "police force" that keeps tabs on how
the industry is doing.
All of us in this forum are here together because
we are passionate about DVD. We, more than anyone
else, understand what this format was intended to
be and how well or not it has progressed these past
five years.
Trust me when I say that the voices of this forum's
membership are known to all the studios. Your
opinions here rise louder and stronger than anywhere
else. I know, because anytime there's controversy
within these forum walls, the studios respond.
We are not here to work against the studios.
We are here to with them in order to
assist them in getting professional feedback in
order to make better product.
But make no mistake about it -- though I consider
to be friendly with a few people in Home Video, this
forum has an obligation to speak out against any
studio that we feel is hurting this format. In
the same light, we never hesitate to praise those
same studios when they do something right.
Thank You for supporting my reviews and views on
this forum. My goal is not to become someone who
likes to listen to his own voice, but rather, bring
out honest and frank assessments about where this
format stands.
Everything I write -- everything I say seems
to get critiqued in this forum or spread all
over the internet and industry. I might as
well say what I mean and mean what I say.
Thank you -- all of you -- for coming to this
forum and making it a respected voice in this industry.