Anyone own any MAR DVDs? (1 Viewer)

[Adam Horak]

Two MAR DVDs in my collection.

A Christmas Story, which I will soon by replacing with the new SE. I inherited this from my new wife when we got married a few months ago.

Spies Like Us. I picked this up in a bargain bin and bought it without looking at the AR.

 

[Matt Rexer]

Personally, I don't have much of a problem with open matte transfers if there isn't an OAR alternative to buy. I know that realistically some films that I like are never going to be given the proper attention they deserve... life's too short and I love movies too much to worry about such things. But, I'm still glad I was able to replace open matte A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation and Willy Wonka with proper OAR versions.

However, I do absolutely refuse to buy anything that was pan & scanned (or tilt & scanned, which is bound to be a huge up-and-coming problem). *shudder*

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Several:

George of the Jungle
The Witches
Cross of Iron
Meet the Feebles
Evil Dead (Book of the Dead)
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
The Fox and the Hound
Help!
My Neighbor Totoro
Snowball Express
Master of Disguise
Secret of NIMH
Storefront Hitchcock

...and arguably a few TV series on DVD that are 16:9 on DVD but look much better in 4:3.

Regards,

 

[Jake Johnson]

Not a single one.
Sarah, My copy of Jake Speed is 1.85:1 Animorphic. To the best om my knowledge, it is the only version available on DVD. SO, unless your copy is VHS, GOOD NEWS!

 

[Aaron_Brez]

Midnight Madness
Babylon 5 Seasons 1-3

I'll continue buying the B5s, since JMS won't release them any other way, and hopefully the new version of MM will be OAR, but I've successfully resisted Mr. Mom and Can't Buy Me Love (and previously, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) for years, and will continue to do so.

I might bend on Snowball Express, since my wife can't stand not having the movie around, and it isn't likely Disney will release it in OAR in this generation of video formats. Or I may buy it on VHS.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Aaron,
Snowball Express appears to be a straight open matte transfer, so it probably would look okay zoomed on a 16:9 set, or matted on a 4:3 set if that helps any. I'd rather it were OAR, but I saw this thing so many times as a kid, I had to have it.

Regards,

 

[Aaron_Brez]

Ken,

That was my suspicion, but it's the principle of the thing.

Otherwise I'd just buy it; I won't be watching it more than once or twice in my lifetime anyway.

 

[Robert Dunnill]

I try to avoid MAR, but it's not always possible unless I was willing to miss out on many interesting titles. Even many of my laserdiscs are MAR (including my somewhat rare copy of The Loved One).

If I insisted on everything being 16x9-enhanced as well, I might as well take up another hobby.

RD

 

[Herb Kane]

And I have a few as well - I'm guessing 7 or 8 out of almost 1000. Ironically, I believe most were early Warner Bros. releases (a few early Eastwoods, Frantic, Final Analysis etc). Hmmm, how the tables have turned. I also recently picked up Columbia's The Trouble With Angels (although it's open matte). The one that quickly comes to mind is Universal's The Sting. And when Universal finally comes to its senses, I'll replace it too.

Herb.

 

[Tony Whalen]

I refuse to answer, on the grounds that I may incriminate myself.

Seriously, not a one. (Not counting releases that include both, of course.)

UNLESS you count B5. Which I don't. JMS indicated that is how he wants the set, it's the creators choice, so I'm cool with that. Look! Worms everywhere!

Now, the few remaining remnants of my VHS collection, on the other hand....

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Sure, a handful.

But I always always ALWAYS buy them used and not new. This way, I do not reward the studio, nor do I increase the sales figures for the MAR disc.

But if the movie in question is one that I love and MUST have, then I will seek it out in the best version available. And if the best version happens to be P&S, then I will live with that until a proper re-release. I've held out on MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO because a widescreen release of this title is inevitable.

When WB released THE NINTH CONFIGURATION on DVD in widescreen (non anamorphic, however) I was thrilled to finally see the film in its Cinemascope glory. However, that did not prevent me from enjoying my P&S laserdisc of the same title in the years before the DVD came out.

 

[MarkHarrison]

My Fellow Americans. A guilty pleasure that was only $5.88 at Wal-Mart and is not available in OAR.

That's my only MAR movie. Widescreen would be nice, but I won't deny myself the pleasure of this movie just because I'm missing a little off the side. But I would re-buy the OAR version if it was ever released. And I would have waited except I believe this is it for this particular film.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

But I always always ALWAYS buy them used and not new. This way, I do not reward the studio, nor do I increase the sales figures for the MAR disc.

Unless, of course, you are displacing another sale of a used copy which might wind up resulting in the purchase of a new copy.

I tend not to try to unduly influence the market forces beyond what they are. If it is MAR, then the cost/value equation is altered in my head to the point that it has to either be dirt cheap (less than $10 either new or used) or a film that I want substantially more than other titles in their OAR that are similarly priced. As a result, all but a couple of my non-OAR purchases have been used discs.

Regards,

 

[Patrick McCart]

Help!

The guy who made the MPI transfer stated that the DVD transfer is fully open matte on a newsgroup.

We'll just have to see if and when Apple/Capitol releases their DVD.

 

[Matt Butler]

I dropped $6 bucks a couple days ago on Nighthawks. I love that flick and god knows when ill get a OAR disc of that. Someone mentioned the Sting in this thread. Thats another one I might have to splurge on simply cause Im getting sick of waiting.

I think that both said titles are open matte so im sure they arent that bad.

 

[Jeff Whitford]

Mr Mom - Pizza Hut
My Fellow Americans - $5.88 Walmart Bin
Hooper - ditto
Kindergarten Cop - Got it real cheap when DVD's 1st came out
Would love proper aspect ratio versions of all.

 

[Rob W]

PINK FLAMINGOS and FEMALE TROUBLE, two John Waters films that were shot in 16mm full-frame and released in recomposed widescreen discs.
I have yet to see anyone complain about this MAR in reverse but I would prefer to have the original compositions.

 

[Chris]

Mr. Mom which I recieved from Pizza Hut.. so hard to say much about that, didn't cost me anything per se..

I must have missed it though, MAR= ?

 

[Malcolm R]

Modified Aspect Ratio

 

[Damin J Toell]

I must have missed it though, MAR= ?

Modified Aspect Ratio. As opposed to OAR, or Original Aspect Ratio.

DJ