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The consolidated "I want to see HEAT get a special edition" thread (1 Viewer)

Andrew_Sch

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I just saw Heat for the first time last night. Maybe the best crime drama I've ever seen. I've got two gripes though. First, the video received pretty high marks, with an 8 from IGN who called it "impeccable." That may be true in the lighter scenes, but when things got dark, it was just plain fugly. Compression all over the place. Second thing is, where's the beef? Any word on an SE or should I just buy the one that's already out?
 

Dave H

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I've heard nothing of a re-release. This was a top-notch transfer when it came out, but I agree about the excessive artifacts for today's standards. However, there aren't many 5.1 tracks, even today, that sound as good as the bank robbery scene!
I do have find memories of this disc. It was the first DVD I ever bought. I remember hooking up my DVD player and putting this movie in and being blown away. I became hooked on DVDs ever since. :)
 

bill lopez

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This movie wasn't the hit at the box-office so it looks when they put it out on VHS,laserdisc and then dvd it was a movie only. I remember SCARFACE in 1983 wasn't the hit also and then came to VHS in 1984 and people started buzz on it.
Then it came on laserdisc as Pan&Scan in the 1990's but now it had built up a following so it was released again in widescreen and then one more time in a Box-set Spec. Ed.
So I'm sure with HEAT the same thing will happen. Now that Micheal Mann has had a bomb with ALI a few more and he will have time to work on a Spec. Ed. dvd the way Brian DePalma did with SCARFACE.
 

Tom-G

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Andrew, don't forget that Heat is an older DVD release--maybe first generation. The comments you read were probably accurate at that time. Using todays standards, I would tend to agree that it could use a re-issue.

Prior to it's TV broadcast premiere, Michael Mann offered to re-edit the film and add footage, but the network declined. With extra footage available and Mann's eagerness to re-edit would seem to indicate that maybe will get a special edition. I would purchase it in a heartbeat. Heat is one of my favorites. I've probably seen it about 10-15 times.
 

Julian Lalor

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Mann is not a big one for special editions. The most you could realistically hope for would be a director's cut.
 

ChristianW

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Dave H is right... The bank robbery scene has to be one of the best sounding sequences ever.

Those gun shots just sound awesome!
 

Keith_R

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I bought Heat over X-Mas after some recommendations and I was impressed, great film. Unfortunate that the DVD is barebones though.As for extra scenes I don't think I want a longer cut because the film's length already pushes it for me and I would have a hard time sitting through a three hour movie. Just my opinion though.
 

Adam Barratt

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Heat wasn't an early transfer: it came out in late '99. Even by the standards of the time it was of poor quality, with excessive grain, poor black level and obvious compression artefacts.

I remember puzzling over why it received so many good reviews back when it was released. Remember, at the time this was nearly two years after the release of Warners' own excellent Contact and nearly a year since their release of The Negotiator. Many titles that are still considered reference quality had also long been available (Blade, Lost in Space, Dragonheart, The Fifth Element etc.).

Adam
 

Scott_MacD

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Fine then, using seamless branching,give us both cuts using impeccable source material, excellent video and full bitrate DTS.. :D
Given the compression logistics, maybe that's a bad idea. I would be happy with a remastered reissue at the right price. I love this film!
 

Tom-G

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Scott, I'm with you. I'm not concerned so much with extras but I would love to see a re-issue--even if it's bare-bones--just give us a dts track! I have the laserdisc and the Dolby Digital soundtrack on there is a step above the Dolby Digital track on the DVD.
 

Paul_D

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I think the currenmt transfer is perfectly representative of the way Heat looked in the theaters. I saw it 3 times in 95' on a really big screen, and I seem to remember noticeable grain in the image... Adds to the charm IMO. :D
 

Jeff

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There are many scenes in Heat that look like bad cable TV reception, particularly in the later half of the movie. I do not remember it looking like that in the theater.



Jeff
 

Tony Lai

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Be advised that this thing is 174 minutes (IIRC, perhaps it's more?) - and VERY FEW non-DVD related sites know a good transfer from their butthole...

And updated transfer and sound would be great. Both the DVD and laserdisc have mediocre picture.

T.
 

Josh_Hill

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Im very happy with the current disc. When I got my Surround Sound unit, that was the first disc I put in and I was blown away!
 

WoodyH

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Mar 23, 2000
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It's funny...I hadn't watched Heat in a while, but had the soundtrack playing while dinking around the apartment, and ended up watching the movie before I went to bed.
Was rather surprised as I watched it though, that some parts of it looked so bad - grainy and washed out. I just chalked it up to having better equipent than I did when I watched it last (went from a 10+ year old 46" rear projection to a brand new 27" WEGA...smaller picture, but much better quality), and I've been noticing that along with increased resolution sometimes comes the increased ability to see defects.
Ah, well. That bank heist is still one hell of a rush. :D
 

Brandon_S

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I just watched this film the other day and thought the grain in the darker scenes was probably intentional. Then I watched the trailers that are on the disc and they looked much cleaner. I guess we will find out if and when we get a special edition how the film is really supposed to look.

Brandon Smith
 

Mark Bendiksen

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Richard is correct. Heat wasn't released until the summer of 1999. It's not first-generation (at least not in the Blade Runner sense of the phrase). :)
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Mick Wright

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This thread motivated me to A/B the dvd and laser disc. After 30 minutes back-and-forth I gave my dvd to my dad. Every dark scene had compression artifacts, and the laser despite being grainy (intentional) was much cleaner in that regard. The laser was a tad softer in some scenes but that was worth the trade-off of not having compression artifacts. The laser was a very clear winner in sound also. During the bank heist there was more LFE and "presence" for lack of a better word. If you have an LD player pick up Heat, I found it for $5 shipped on Ebay.
 

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