Doug Pratt's DVDLaser newsletter - is it gone? (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

I would subscribe to a M. Reuben DVD / blu-Ray newsletter.

 

[kevin_y]

To all the subscribers' of Doug's newsletter, have you got his annual poll in the mail yet? What are your choices? Here are mine:


5 DVDs most want to see released:
The Magnificient Ambersons
The Wonder Years (TV series 1988–1993)
Napoleon (1927, dir. Abel Gance)
Greed
Red Sorghum (for Region 1)

5 Blu-rays most want to see released:
Vertigo
Taxi Driver
Jules & Jim
Solaris (1972)
The Third Man (Criterion, out of print)

Best-produced DVD or Blu-ray in the last 12 months:
By Brakhage - An Anthology Volumes One and Two (Blu-ray)

All-time best-produced DVD or Blu-ray:
Bladerunner (5-disc Complete Collector's Edition Blu-ray)

Favorite DVD or Blu-ray:
Stories from Chinese America (4-DVD set, available at www.deepfocusproductions.com)

DVD or Blu-ray with best audio track:
Akira (24bit/192kHz TruHD 5.1)

 

[CULTMAN1]

Is the newsletter still published or has it now gone?

 

[DeanR]

Well I just dropped $30 for a 1 year e-mail subscription and received an electronic copy of the August issue recently so I believe the newsletter is still being published .

 

[davidmatychuk]

It's still not gone. I await my PDF of the March 2016 issue. When it arrives, I will print a copy of the new issue, enjoy reading it, and put it on top of the pile. My collection goes back to 1990, and I have two versions of his laserdisc book and two versions of his DVD book. His writing is stylish and fun to read, and his insights are reliably interesting and usually unique. I've received so much pleasure over the years from Douglas Pratt's video reviews. If he only wrote film reviews he'd probably be considered one of the great American movie reviewers.

 

[kevin_y]

It's still not gone. I await my PDF of the March 2016 issue. When it arrives, I will print a copy of the new issue, enjoy reading it, and put it on top of the pile. My collection goes back to 1990, and I have two versions of his laserdisc book and two versions of his DVD book. His writing is stylish and fun to read, and his insights are reliably interesting and usually unique. I've received so much pleasure over the years from Douglas Pratt's video reviews. If he only wrote film reviews he'd probably be considered one of the great American movie reviewers.

How big is each issue nowadays? In its heyday, it had 80-90 reviews per issue. In 2011, when I last subscribed it, it was down to 30-40 reviews and only about 6-10 Blu-rays. The Dec 2010 only had 16 reviews with 3 Blu-rays; maybe he was on vacation then.

 

[davidmatychuk]

How big is each issue nowadays? In its heyday, it had 80-90 reviews per issue. In 2011, when I last subscribed it, it was down to 30-40 reviews and only about 6-10 Blu-rays. The Dec 2010 only had 16 reviews with 3 Blu-rays; maybe he was on vacation then.

It's been 12 pages for several years, but I'll take what I can get. He doesn't just cover the newest releases; he goes deep with box sets, featured directors, and T.V. series. He now covers 3-D Blu-Rays as well. And he consistently reviews DVD's from Warner Archive and Fox Cinema Archives. In fact, he'll compare DVD's of new releases to their Blu-Rays, which almost no other reviewer does, and which points to his stubborn obsession about content over format.

 

[kevin_y]

It's been 12 pages for several years, but I'll take what I can get. He doesn't just cover the newest releases; he goes deep with box sets, featured directors, and T.V. series. He now covers 3-D Blu-Rays as well. And he consistently reviews DVD's from Warner Archive and Fox. In fact, he'll compare DVD's of new releases to their Blu-Rays, which almost no other reviewer does, and which points to his stubborn obsession about content over format.

He is a great writer, but very old-school, though. I bought Version 1 of his DVD review book back in 2010 and asked him why it didn't have a table of content nor an index. And he said, well, the reviews were in alphabetical order so why would you need a TOC or index? He didn't get that while viewing a PDF (the format I bought) on a tablet/smartphone/PC, a TOC is crucial for navigating through a 2000-page book. His reviews also never show the release date of a disc nor even the date of a review, which both would be greatly needed in a 2000-page compilation book in which old reviews are mixed up with the newer ones.

 

[davidmatychuk]

His books are much better as books, I'll agree. I bought that 2010 PDF, and it's on my laptop but I never use it. He used to offer a complete downloadable index, one of which (a 2004 laserdisc review index) I thought I might have use for but I've never referred to it. The index does have review dates, but not release dates. I think release dates are easy enough to get online if I need them, but the review dates might come in handy some day, though I did find his "Hawaii" laserdisc review (Sept. 90) without needing the index. Come to think of it, I hate PDF's, love books, and subscribe to the DVD-Laserdisc Newsletter, so I'm pretty old-school myself.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I was wondering why the PDF of the March issue wasn't emailed early in the morning of March 1st. It appeared in my inbox yesterday morning while I was tapping out comment #27. Hmm, a day late. Then I saw it, in the review of "Bridge Of Spies": "Oscar-winner Mark Rylance". Douglas Pratt, on top of things as usual.

 

[Dick]

It's still not gone. I await my PDF of the March 2016 issue. When it arrives, I will print a copy of the new issue, enjoy reading it, and put it on top of the pile. My collection goes back to 1990, and I have two versions of his laserdisc book and two versions of his DVD book. His writing is stylish and fun to read, and his insights are reliably interesting and usually unique. I've received so much pleasure over the years from Douglas Pratt's video reviews. If he only wrote film reviews he'd probably be considered one of the great American movie reviewers.

My biggest qualm with Pratt is his use of the pronoun "we," when clearly it is he himself writing these reviews. It just seems pretentious and has always bugged me. His detailed descriptions of laser discs were otherwise pretty awesome, if not always grammatically correct, so I probably shouldn't get too caught up in things like that. His $25.00 book of laser disc reviews, which I still have, is a reference guide I still refer to on occasion. But, were he to write movie reviews, I would suggest he use the more accurate pronoun, "I."

 

[davidmatychuk]

My biggest qualm with Pratt is his use of the pronoun "we," when clearly it is he himself writing these reviews. It just seems pretentious and has always bugged me. His detailed descriptions of laser discs were otherwise pretty awesome, if not always grammatically correct, so I probably shouldn't get too caught up in things like that. His $25.00 book of laser disc reviews, which I still have, is a reference guide I still refer to on occasion. But, were he to write movie reviews, I would suggest he use the more accurate pronoun, "I."

I'd have to check, but I think that the Rolling Stone magazine and Movie City News versions of his reviews never use the "we". I wasn't sure for the first few years that I subscribed to his Newsletter (beginning in 1992) that there weren't several writers involved. I think the "we" is his way of avoiding explaining how one writer can be as astute about so many different artistic fields, unless he always wears a little crown when he's reviewing.

 

[TonyD]

Is there a website for this now or how do we get to his newsletter these days?

 

[davidmatychuk]

Is there a website for this now or how do we get to his newsletter these days?

The renewal notice for my 2-year PDF subscription just arrived by regular mail, so DVDLaser.com may be limited in its usefulness. His address is P.O. Box 420, East Rockaway, New York 11518-0420. I faxed my reply to him at (516) 594-9307. Try those maybe.

 

[Brent Reid]

I live in the UK where laserdiscs never really took off, so have never owned any. This is an interesting thread all the same though. I assume that Doug is, as the French say, "d'une certaine age" and either doesn't see the importance of the internet in easily disseminating information to the masses or at this point in his life isn't willing to learn everything necessary to do so. It's a shame but entirely understandable.

I know of several people who are the world's acknowledged experts in their particular specialist area of film, but resolutely stick to writing only with pen and paper or publishing extremely niche books that relatively few people will ever read. Nonetheless their work is fascinating, unique, groundbreaking stuff that could find a much wider audience and inspire others to advance it further, if only they could access it or even knew it existed.

Of course I'm not implying it's purely an age-related perspective: I also know of countless folk in their 70s, 80s and even beyond, who have been avidly blazing an internet trail for years and continue to do so.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I live in the UK where laserdiscs never really took off, so have never owned any. This is an interesting thread all the same though. I assume that Doug is, as the French say, "d'une certaine age" and either doesn't see the importance of the internet in easily disseminating information to the masses or at this point in his life isn't willing to learn everything necessary to do so. It's a shame but entirely understandable.

I know of several people who are the world's acknowledged experts in their particular specialist area of film, but resolutely stick to writing only with pen and paper or publishing extremely niche books that relatively few people will ever read. Nonetheless their work is fascinating, unique, groundbreaking stuff that could find a much wider audience and inspire others to advance it further, if only they could access it or even knew it existed.

Of course I'm not implying it's purely an age-related perspective: I also know of countless folk in their 70s, 80s and even beyond, who have been avidly blazing an internet trail for years and continue to do so.

Or maybe Douglas Pratt has found a way to monetize his work based on decades of credibility and uniqueness, and he doesn't feel much need to give it all away online. It just makes me appreciate him more, but what do I know? I'm old, too.

 

[Brent Reid]

I'm not suggesting for a minute he or anyone else should simply "give it all away online". There are a million ways to make one's work earn money online without doing so. In Doug's case, based on the preceding posts, he doesn't even seem willing to use the internet to alert potential subscribers (read: money) to his existence or enable them to get in touch with him. That is, of course, his prerogative and not what I was referring to.

 

[jayembee]

Someone over at blu-ray.com was asking about something in LDN, so I went looking for my stash (I moved house two years ago, and a lot of stuff is still in boxes). I have most of the issues from the beginning of 1990 through late 2001. I confess I find it surprising that Pratt is still (or at least was up to 2016) publishing.

 

[Roger Grodsky]

I still subscribe!

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