MGM Press Release: BOND 50 (Blu-ray) (2 Viewers)

[WadeM]

Certainly a viable option for those interested in the full box set. I'm not, but may pick up OHMSS, GoldenEye and perhaps YOLT as single releases depending on reviews. The rest (i.e. newest offerings) are more than fine in standard definition. I'll pick the poster book up on the cheap at some point down the road perhaps.
This new book is also of interest:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3836521059/ref=s9_newr_bw_d0_g14_ir03?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1ANGYJ1W8WKCJ4ZQN00K&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1388908102&pf_rd_i=283155

http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/film/all/00399/facts.the_james_bond_archives.htm
this book is really Nice,expensive

Wow. I didn't look close enough at the details for this book. It arrived today and is a GINORMOUS 16+ inch, 15 pound monster. Again...wow.
Even bigger than the Mario Bava book.

 

[Osato]

Wow. I didn't look close enough at the details for this book. It arrived today and is a GINORMOUS 16+ inch, 15 pound monster. Again...wow.
Even bigger than the Mario Bava book.

Very jealous! I saw there was also a limited signed edition of the book, but they are now sold out.
I'm still working on the Bond 50 set. Octopussy, A View To A Kill and Goldeneye are the 3 I have left to watch. I have watched a bit of them, but have not had time to watch the full films yet.
Hoping to see Skyfall again this week as well.

 

[Kevin EK]

I bought the book but had to take it back, since the final 80 pages were blank. They told me that this must have been a sample copy that wound up in the package by accident. (And no way to know until you undo the shrink wrap around everything and get the book out of the case. I will say that it was interesting to suddenly have a lot of clean white pages after the first bits on Quantum of Solace. I asked the person at the counter if this was so that I could fill in my own impressions and drawings...

On another idea, I have to ask if the idea is that it's better to watch the Bond movies on an old CRT television, using a laserdisc? Is anyone arguing that picture quality is better on a smaller set and in analog?

 

[Radioman970]

Thanks for the warning about the book. I just checked mine. I would have had a stroke had I read that after the window of return op.
Lovin the set. I've watched the first 2 films and they were fab. I believe Goldfinger is next and that was my first.

 

[brioni]

On another idea, I have to ask if the idea is that it's better to watch the Bond movies on an old CRT television, using a laserdisc?   Is anyone arguing that picture quality is better on a smaller set and in analog?

I can’t follow this notion at all.
I’ve got the first 3 Criterion Bond LD’s and they are hardly reference for those titles anymore. In comparison to the Blu’s the black levels are more dark grey which gives an indication of how washed out everything looks. I will say they are fairly clean looking prints but not necessarily any more so than MGM’s at the time.
The blu’s give us awesome black levels and a huge amount of fine detail – I wish I was watching on a bigger screen to do them justice. You also get a solid encode without any interlacing issues experienced on older discs. Watching on a CRT would further dilute detail.
Granted some things could have been made better- original lossless audio, correct aspect ratio’s on the title sequences, further tweaking of the colour and contrast on a few titles and GoldenEye is left wanting but these things aren’t reason enough to blackball the entire set. Also things could have been worse, captions could of been missed off (like the original US DVD’s), some of the more glaring colours differences might have been left (like OHMSS PTS).
I’m no expert on the colour timing with regards to a comparison with the theatrical presentation, but going through my extensive back catalogue of previous releases...if they do miss the mark, it’s not by way off. When watching where original audio is applicable, they are not completely different films, they are not unrecognisable. These titles are perfectly watchable and enjoyable and even on the small amount of more questionable titles, the PQ scores on other levels. Although there are varying degrees of quality, each and every title is an upgrade – the pro’s largely out way the cons and this has become the set to own.

 

[Garysb]

$99.99 Deal of the Day at Amazon for this set. It won't last long.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

 

[DVDvision]

Note that unless I'm mistaken, all the movies in the US set are Region A coded.

 

[rich_d]

$99.99 Deal of the Day at Amazon for this set. It won't last long.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

Actually ... it will be interesting to see how long it lasts and what they choose to replace it with (in case they do run out) ... worth keeping an eye on .... Indy boxset perhaps?

 

[TravisR]

Doesn't the Deal Of The Day last all day? It might be backordered and take weeks to actually arrive but I don't think the deal ends until the day is over.

 

[Garysb]

Deal is done. Deal of the day is good until they sell out. They are offering the Marlyn Monroe set for under $27 as a substitute . The Monroe set is actual cheaper, $25 at Costco if you are a member.

 

[TravisR]

Deal is done. Deal of the day is good until they sell out.

Learn something new every day.

 

[Osato]

$99.99 Deal of the Day at Amazon for this set. It won't last long.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

Crazy deal. Saw this earlier in the day.

 

[Sam Favate]

In my effort to watch the films in the set chronologically, I watched The Spy Who Loved Me last night. Always one of my favorites, I have been dying to watch it since 2008 when the BDs were initially released. I was tempted to break out the DVD a few times, but held out, and watching the BD last night was a great experience. The film looks terrific, and sounds great too. By far, it's my favorite of the Roger Moore movies, and it's also one of the very best in the entire series, easily in the top 5 of the whole group.
It's one of the great missteps of the series that Spy didn't become a template for later films the way Goldfinger did. Moore has written about how it was his favorite film, and seeing the finished product, it's easy to see why it was the most satisfying. Barbara Bach might be the best Bond girl in the series - a rival agent that's Bond's equal. Somehow, when Halle Berry played a similar role in Die Another Day, it came off wrong -- I can't stand Berry in the role or that entire film.
I've really enjoyed the first three Moore films. Yes, he's not Sean Connery, but he gets a bad rap in these days of Daniel Craig (who is great) and his more realistic portrayal. With the exception of View To a Kill, I think Moore's run is pretty darn good. Watching the films again, I'm forced to admit that Connery's later films - YOLT and Diamonds - aren't up to the standards of his first four. I've always thought Spy had a lot in common with YOLT, and it's easy to see which is the better film; Spy by a mile.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sam,

SPY was the first Bond movie I ever saw. It remains
my most admired of all the films.

Moore remains my favorite Bond. I consider that
film as well as MWTGG and LALD to be the best
of the entire series (though I know most will find
that laughable).

I enjoy the more "campy" Bond films.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /t/317593/mgm-press-release-bond-50-blu-ray/1440#post_4008344
Sam,

SPY was the first Bond movie I ever saw. It remains
my most admired of all the films.

Moore remains my favorite Bond. I consider that
film as well as MWTGG and LALD to be the best
of the entire series (though I know most will find
that laughable).

I enjoy the more "campy" Bond films.

Not laughable - more pitiable!

Just having fun - you like what you like! I do wonder how many people who first encountered Bond via Moore still like Moore the best. "Moonraker" was my first Bond and I loved it then (I was 12). It was YEARS before I accepted Connery as Bond - he just seemed like some old guy back then, which is ironic since he's actually a few years younger than Moore. But Connery didn't have a big public profile - at least not for kids - in the late 70s, so I knew little about him.

Now I think Connery's the best and I don't much care for Moore - I enjoy some of his Bond films but not like I did 30 years ago. I do think that "bad Bond" is still enjoyable in some ways - I can still find some pleasure even from the crappiest of the franchise...

 

[Osato]

In my effort to watch the films in the set chronologically, I watched The Spy Who Loved Me last night. Always one of my favorites, I have been dying to watch it since 2008 when the BDs were initially released. I was tempted to break out the DVD a few times, but held out, and watching the BD last night was a great experience. The film looks terrific, and sounds great too. By far, it's my favorite of the Roger Moore movies, and it's also one of the very best in the entire series, easily in the top 5 of the whole group.
It's one of the great missteps of the series that Spy didn't become a template for later films the way Goldfinger did. Moore has written about how it was his favorite film, and seeing the finished product, it's easy to see why it was the most satisfying. Barbara Bach might be the best Bond girl in the series - a rival agent that's Bond's equal. Somehow, when Halle Berry played a similar role in Die Another Day, it came off wrong -- I can't stand Berry in the role or that entire film.
I've really enjoyed the first three Moore films. Yes, he's not Sean Connery, but he gets a bad rap in these days of Daniel Craig (who is great) and his more realistic portrayal. With the exception of View To a Kill, I think Moore's run is pretty darn good. Watching the films again, I'm forced to admit that Connery's later films - YOLT and Diamonds - aren't up to the standards of his first four. I've always thought Spy had a lot in common with YOLT, and it's easy to see which is the better film; Spy by a mile.

Sam,
SPY was the first Bond movie I ever saw. It remains
my most admired of all the films.
Moore remains my favorite Bond.  I consider that
film as well as MWTGG and LALD to be the best
of the entire series (though I know most will find
that laughable).
I enjoy the more "campy" Bond films. 

Nice to see the love for Roger Moore! I am too a huge Roger Moore Bond fan. Octopussy in 1983 was the first Bond I ever saw. Love all of the Bond films, but Roger is my favorite.
I like the lighter tones of the Moore films and the fact they also mixed in some very serious moments in them as well. Example Moonraker and centrifuge scene...
Anyway. Loving the Bond 50 set.
I also thought The Spy Who Loved Me looked and sounded great on blu ray.
Wish I could've held out for that great Amazon deal on the set last week. I picked it up day 1 though.
I really enjoyed Skyfall too. Hoping to see it one more time in the theater this week.

 

[John Hodson]

Nice to see the love for Roger Moore! I am too a huge Roger Moore Bond fan.

You're not alone... Stop getting Bond wrong!
Seeing Live and Let Die at the Odeon Leicester Square in '73 was more than enough Rog for me, however...

 

[Sam Favate]

I enjoy the more "campy" Bond films. 

I don't know that I would consider all the Moore films campy. Certainly, Diamonds Are Forever - Connery's last in the Eon series - is very campy, as is Never Say Never Again, and neither of those can hold up to Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Live and Let Die, etc. As I watch the series again now, I still love Connery's first four films, but he has two (three if you count NSNA) that aren't that great. Whereas, I'd say Moore has one truly weak film out of seven. One thing Connery and Moore did in common was play Bond as very cool and unfazed by the mission. Unlike Dalton, Brosnan and Craig, all of whom played Bond as taking a more personal stake in the mission. That's obviously a decision that comes from the producers and writers, but I prefer the former. (I don't mean that as a slight on the later films, I love Living Daylights and Casino Royale, and to a lesser degree, Tomorrow Never Dies).
Spy Who Loved Me was the first of the series that I saw in the theater too. Made me think last night what a year 1977 was for movies - Star Wars, Spy, Smokey and the Bandit, Close Encounters, Saturday Night Fever; all affected what came later. I still remember the newspaper ads for Spy, touting it as "Star Wars, Rocky and Jaws all in one movie!"
I found Spy to be pretty much a flawless Bond film, something I could only say about maybe the first three Connerys (and not even Thunderball, which I love).

 

[Osato]

You're not alone... Stop getting Bond wrong!
Seeing Live and Let Die at the Odeon Leicester Square in '73 was more than enough Rog for me, however...

That YT clip was a riot! Thank you!

 

[Osato]

Interesting review and comments about the video on The Living Daylights. Daylights was a later film in the series and only scanned at 2K.
I have noticed a bit how the 4K scanned films do seem a bit more lively then the 2K scanned ones.
Overall I think the films look great on blu ray.
The comments about Lowry's mastering and grain issues is interesting.
I wonder if we will see some new video mastering in the near future?
Also, I was so excited in 2006 when I heard about the mastering project but now wonder if Lowry was the best studio to handle.
I am overall very pleased with the Bond 50 blu ray set, but again I did notice a difference with the 2K and 4K titles and I thought it was interesting to read this review as well.
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/8137/bond50_livingdaylights.html
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
When MGM released the James Bond Ultimate Edition DVDs back in 2006, 'The Living Daylights' was part of the batch of titles that were sourced from older high-def masters. The technicians at Lowry Digital were tasked with cleaning up the old transfer via dirt and scratch removal, and other digital tweaking, but did not perform a new 4k film scan on this movie at that time. The Blu-ray comes from the same results of those labors. Like many other Bond discs, the final product is a bit uneven.
The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer starts off rather poorly. In many early scenes, colors look rather drab, with flesh tones that seem too ruddy and whites (such as snow) that skew towards a bluish tinge. Edge ringing artifacts are sporadically apparent, and the picture is sometimes noisy. Lowry's grain management processes often result in distracting artifacts where grain patterns freeze on screen while the action beneath them continues to move normally.
Fortunately, the 2.35:1 image tends to improve as it goes along. By the time the action gets to the desert locales in Tangier and Afghanistan, the picture brightens up and colors appear more vivid. Resolution of fine object detail, which was adequate but rarely striking earlier, also pulls into better focus. While this is certainly not the best-looking Blu-ray in the 'Bond 50' box set, my impressions in the end are ultimately more favorable than not.