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Any thoughts on the Under Siege dvd? (1 Viewer)

jacob w k

Stunt Coordinator
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I was wondering if anybody had any thoughts on the Under Siege dvd from 1997 since I cannot seem to find any good reviews for it. How is the audio and video?
 

Jack Briggs

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Jun 3, 1999
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I still have my copy. It's a 4:3 letterboxed-only transfer. The film didn't excite me enough ever to look at that DVD again. But I remember the video and audio quality only being average. There are some decent letterboxed-only discs out there, though (Goodfellas comes to mind).
 

Dmitry

Supporting Actor
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Nov 30, 1998
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742
Jack, that's really strange as my copy is anamorphic. We are talking about the Steven Seagal vs. Tommy Lee Jones movie ("Under Siege"), not Denzel Washington Vs. Bruce Willis movie ("Siege"), right?
 

Brian L

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Ditto on Under Seige being anamorphic (don't recall the ratio).

My copy is a flipper (most early Warner titles were), with a P&S version on the other side.

I have not watched it for a while, but if memory serves, the audio is quite good. As you can imagine, there are lots of things that go BOOM, and there are some cool fly overs as well.

I don't recall how good or bad the transfer was, but I tend to remember when something REALLY SUCKS (can you say The Sound of Music, or Pocohontas), and I think Under Seige was good to very good.

And, for those red blooded males out there, there is a scene where a certain former Playmate (who's name escapes me, but her figure does not!) jumps out of a cake that is almost worth the price of admission by itself.

All things considered, its a title I thoroghly enjoy owing, and I would recomend it.

BL
 

MikeEckman

Screenwriter
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Jan 11, 2001
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My copy is a flipper (most early Warner titles were), with a P&S version on the other side.
The correct definition of a flipper, is when the movie itself spans both side of the disc, and requires the disc to be "flipped" to finish watching the movie. Its true that Warner released the most flippers (Amadeus, GoodFellas, Robin Hood, Sleepers, etc.) however, other studios released them too like Columbia's Das Boot.

Under Siege is, in fact, 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and is not a true flipper. Yes, it is a DVD-10, but many studios such as Columbia and MGM still release many DVDs on DVD-10s with a widescreen transfer on one side and a full frame on the other.

And like what Dmitry said, the disc isnt perfect, but its certainly watchable. It has a decent 5.1 soundtrack as well. Recommended disc, especially if you can find it in the bargain bin.
 

John_W_Jr

Stunt Coordinator
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Jul 7, 2002
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67
I just bought that title today--haven't watched it yet, but WSR gave it a rating of 5/5 (5+ being the highest they give a review).
I got the impression from the review that the surround activity may not have great separation, but overall was very good for a 1997 disc.
 

Stewart Gregory

Auditioning
Joined
Feb 15, 2001
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I have the R4 version , it stats on the cover its 4:3 but its 1.78:1 widescreen... and has 5.1 sound and barebones of coarse ;)
 

Dave Kalloch

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Feb 1, 2002
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Erika Eleniak if my memory doesn't fail me.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............yummy
htf_images_smilies_yum.gif
 

David Illingworth II

Second Unit
Joined
May 11, 2001
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444
I just watched this last night, and it's not bad. The main problem with the transfer is all the video pixelation in the darkness. It happens a lot, but it doesn't bother me too much.
Also, I don't think the widescreen is even 1.85, probably 1.78. The bars seemed really small, and I couldn't notice any difference from P&S. I was surprised because I thought this movie definitely would have been a 2.35.
 

John_W_Jr

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 7, 2002
Messages
67
True Brian--I have read that WSR even admits to that point of "over rating" some titles compared to todays standards. In the case of Under Siege, I'd probably give it a 4/4. I watched it last night and picture and sound were pretty darn good.
Your right about sharing info--this forum appears to be one of the best!
Too bad about the Batman transfer--I almost picked that one up too, but I just recently heard that an SE may be on its way, so I decided to wait.
 

Jack Briggs

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 3, 1999
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The intense redness of my embarrassed face enabled all the egg to melt off! What a major booboo on my part. Pardon me for interrupting this thread's progress by mistaking this title for the Denzel Washington film! Sorry, guys. :)
 

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