Artisan has sunk to a new low (1 Viewer)

[Jason Stocker]

I just picked up the new Artisan release of "Bride of Re-Animator". Not only is it full screen only but it's also the worst looking piece of crap I have ever seen. When you start the movie you are greeted by the old Vestron Video logo which looks video based and jitters like crazy. The whole movie is like this. It has obviously been mastered using the old video cassette. This is totally unacceptable. When I buy a DVD it should at least look like a DVD. I feel like I have just bought a bootleg in the guise of a legitimate release. I wont even be able to get myself to watch this disc which I just bought. What a rip-off!
Artisan is without a doubt the worst studio on the planet. I also noticed that on their full screen only release of "Fright Night Part II", it states on the back that the film is "Presented in the 1.33:1 format in which the film was shot" even though the film was shot in Panavision. What a bunch of jackasses.
Well I guess it's not all bad... it did come with an insert!

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Typical treatment of non-front line releases by Artisan. Are we really surprised?

 

[Chuck West]

You should check out the original release of "Bride" by Pioneer. It's uncut, in widescreen, and with quite a few extras. It's out of print, so it won't be easy to find. Here's a link to check out its specs:
http://www.dvdempire.com/Exec/v4_ite...6&item_id=7516

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Jason,

I'd take it back to wherever you got it and complain. If they won't accept it as a return, tell them that it's defective and show them the jitter as proof. That's too bad about this title-- the old Pioneer version is fun (though the widescreen version is just a removable black matte). Artisan seems to be turning the butchering of decent Pioneer titles (Trees Lounge, Rambling Rose, Mountains Of The Moon) into a cottage industry.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I believe the movie was shot 4:3 and matted in its few theatrical showings. The Pioneer disc gave you the option of which version to watch but the 1.85 was pretty poor IMO.

 

[BrandonJF]

I just watched Artisan's "Fright Night Part II". It looks like a VHS tape was dubbed, recorded in EP mode, and dumped onto a DVD.

I'd say "you get what you pay for", but I paid the same price for Universal's recent catalog titles (Gotcha, Hard to Hold, Kuffs, Midnight Run...) and those are WAY more impressive.

 

[Will K]

I was expecting the worst anyway, profane remark removed by owner - do not repost.

Artisan is the $1 Dollar store of the DVD market.

Sorry about that, Ron.

 

[Todd Robertson]

a little research can go a long way. I was excited to hear of this release but saw that it was foolscreen only, so I passed. I'll keep my oop disc for now.

 

[Travis_W]

In my opinion, Artisan IS the definition of low. They can't sink any further if they're already there .

The thing that pisses me off even more than pan & scan only releases, is what another poster just said how it states it's presented in the way it was shot. .

 

[george kaplan]

Well, they could acquire Madacy.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Folks,

I agree with all of you 100%

I have said many times before that Artisan
have become snake oil salesmen in a mostly
reputable industry with all the subpar product
they continue to revamp as new.

It's disgusting. We all know it.

Do me a big favor, please.....

Don't use profanity or name-calling. Keep
your criticism constructive. Anything less
will ruin the validity of the point you are
trying to make.

Besides.....we frown upon that sort of thing here.

 

[Nick Graham]

You guys want to see a good example of Artisan's apparent use of VHS masters, check out Chud.com's review of Drop Dead Fred for some very frightening screen shots. I know people were looking forward to this release, but they may not be now.

Chud.com Review of Artisan's Drop Dead Fred

 

[Travis_W]

A friend of mine bought 'Drop Dead Fred' for some reason, apparently he didn't know it was fullscreen, and we compared my old VHS to it...not much of a difference.

 

[Magnus T]

You guys want to see a good example of Artisan's apparent use of VHS masters, check out Chud.com's review of Drop Dead Fred for some very frightening screen shots. I know people were looking forward to this release, but they may not be now.

Chud.com Review of Artisan's Drop Dead Fred

My eyes!!! My eyes!!!!

 

[Eugene Esterly]

IMO, Artisan used to be a good DVD company but now that are the worst in the DVD market. Artisan really needs to revamp their company. First of all, they need to release all of their DVD in the movies OAR. Even though I like Drop Dead Fred, I won't buy it because it is pan & scan. Also, they need to stop using VHS Masters for DVD, the movie should be transferred from source materials not VHS copies.