Official statement from ANCHOR BAY regarding recent rumors - READ & BELIEVE (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

This was sent to us to post here:
Directly from Anchor Bay....
"A recent internet news item that claimed Anchor Bay Entertainment was pulling its product from the marketplace is entirely false. All statements made in that posting concerning any lawsuits, infractions, etc. are complete fiction, and were not based on any factual information about Anchor Bay Entertainment, its business practices and relationships with retailers and/or production staff."
Michael R. Felsher
Webmaster
Anchor Bay Entertainment

 

[JohnS]

Thank god!
My favorite DVD producers are still and will always be alive
Keep up the good work Anchor Bay

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I think we should all buy an Anchor Bay DVD in relief!

 

[Mark E J]

While I'm certainly glad that they are still in business I will not be buying any of their product until the fix the horrible job they did on Manhunter. At the very least they need to correct the packaging to reflect that the THX version is NOT the theatrical or director's cut. And they need to fix the aspect ratio on the DC. Which is at the moment a 16x9 image cropped to 4x3 then re-matted to 16x9.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Maybe that rumor was really about Buena Vista?

 

[Bill McA]

That is indeed good news!
Thanks, Mr. Felsher

 

[John Berggren]

I hadn't heard the rumors, but as I love what Anchor Bay does with red-headed-stepchild films that I love, I'm thrilled to know everything is OK.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Maybe I'm not up on the newest gossip, but I'm just pleased to know that my favorite DVD outfit is chugging along nicely.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

Good to still know Anchor Bay is doing fine, especially since they're my favorite DVD company out there. Who else would release a special edition of Making Contact (which is so mine when it is released)?

 

[GerardoHP]

Now that's punishment.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Thanks for the clarification, Ron. When I went over to Mobius Film & Video Forum and didn't see any news of this (and when I checked in with a friend who knows some of the Anchor Bay brass), I knew this was bogus.
And thanks for the thread-crap, Mark EJ :rolleyes

 

[Patrick Mirza]

Don't you just love rumor-mongering?!? Sheesh!

 

[Philip Klein]

Anchor Bay can go out of business after they release Near Dark, but not till then

 

[JohnJB]

No, they have to wait at least until they've released The Sweeney Movies, long live Regan (RIP John Thaw) & Carter "Get your trousers on, you're nicked!"

 

[Denny_S]

Thank You Ron !
After I read that earlier post, I had a most depressing afternoon.
Good to know that my favorite studio is still up and running.
WHEW !!!

 

[SteveGon]

Woo-hoo! I'm so relieved.
Mark E J, Anchor Bay has put out some shoddy releases but that's no reason to boycott their many good ones. If one crappy disc causes you to boycott a company, you wouldn't be buying from anyone would you? Just my two cents.

 

[Mark E J]

Well it was never my intention to thread-crap. You may notice that there are several AB fan threads out there that I have not visited. My statement was in response to Jeff's suggestion that we should all buy an AB DVD in relief.

Also it has nothing to do with punishment or even spite. It's just that when you have one of your favorite films, one of those movies that you pray will be released on to DVD, get butchered. Then have the studio who did it basicly lie to you it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Believe me I think Anchor Bay has their heart in the right place. I love the concept for their SE's of little known cult films but if the product they release dosen't match the specs on the box they need to seriously address problem. Not give their customer a "It's your problem not our's" dismissial.

I'm also frankly suprised that that I'm so alone in my feelings on this matter. Any other time a studio releases an altered version of a movie, or puts out a movie without it's OAR hate threads spring up almost instantly. But not here. Sure the THX version has a real pretty transfer, but the film has been re-edited. IT IS NOT THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL CUT! Why don't we get atleast a fraction of the outcry that Star Wars or the Exorcist gets.

Then there is the director's cut. The only way Michael Mann wanted the film to be released. AB basicly wiped their ass with this version. It has BRODCAST TELEVISION scenes edited in for Christ's sake! And the so-called anamorphic "widescreen" transfer is phony. It's the same AR that my 10 year old pan-scan VHS has, only with black bars slapped on that crop off the top and bottom of the screen as well as the already cropped sides. When we have moral outrage over Cats and Dogs getting released without it's OAR why don't we even see some mild irritation over this film? I just don't understand it. I wonder what would have happened if MGM or WB released Manhunter this way.

Anyway I'm sorry for pissing in everyone ear, seriously. I'm just afraid that when Red Dragon gets released later this year Manhunter will just be forgotten. But fine I'll just drop it.

 

[PhilipG]

What a relief! Especially considering the titles AB are releasing this year (inc. half the Carry Ons, the Ealings, more Hammers etc).

 

[Matthew Brown]

Mark EJ -

You are perfectly in the right to feel the way you do. It stinks when a company goes through the effort to make a decent release and winds up dropping the ball.

I stopped pre-ordering Anchor Bay titles for various reasons. It would have to be a movie I really want from them for me to purchase it.

Matt

 

[Jerome]

Totally agree with Mark EJ. I also have Manhunter SE and it is not that beautiful. Like other Studios, Anchor Bay makes some mistakes and I will never say a studio is the best ever. As an exemple, Disney is not the best studio but their releases of Tron, Toy Story (Pixar)or Snow White are definitely great.

There are some good DVD in every studio (except maybe Simitar) and anchor Bay, even if they made major Special Editionq (Army of Darkness, Evil Dead, Supergirl, makes also discuting releases (Django Cut Version and all these spaguetti Westerns in English Language only)

Jerome