Ongoing: Ron's Blu-Ray Discoveries Thread (renamed) (1 Viewer)

[WilliamHg]

Ron glad you got some movie time! The Asphalt Jungle is a good movie and reminds me of one which I don't remember the name of but it stared the guy who played Dr. Ben Casey...the old series in black and white. In this movie he played a "hood"...very out of character from his Doctor role and he played it well...a hood on the run back in the 50s or 60s...a classic to me for sure...ashame a lot of these older movies have disappeared but am happy to see them making a come back.

 

[Richard V]

Ron glad you got some movie time! The Asphalt Jungle is a good movie and reminds me of one which I don't remember the name of but it stared the guy who played Dr. Ben Casey...the old series in black and white. In this movie he played a "hood"...very out of character from his Doctor role and he played it well...a hood on the run back in the 50s or 60s...a classic to me for sure...ashame a lot of these older movies have disappeared but am happy to see them making a come back.

Vince Edwards

 

[WilliamHg]

That's it Richard! Wish I could remember the name of the movie though...those were the days when they knew how to make movies. Thanks.

 

[Richard V]

That's it Richard! Wish I could remember the name of the movie though...those were the days when they knew how to make movies. Thanks.

Could it possibly be The Night Holds Terror? With Jack Kelly (from Maverick) and the late/great John Cassavetes?

 

[WilliamHg]

That's it Richard...just looked it up. Great movie to watch at night...Vince played the part so well...just a great actor period. Thanks Richard.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Apparently, Ron is watching Moby Dick for the first time this morning. I'm very interested in reading his remarks about this film.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Sadly, I admit this title was sitting on the back-burner for way too long. Yesterday, I made the decision to finally find the time to sit and give this film a watch for the very first time.

I was thoroughly amazed by Moby Dick --- on several levels. First, the special effects. For a film made in the late 50s, I was expecting some really cheesy whale effects. I must say, I was very pleased with the optical effects work done on this film. Secondly, I fell in love with the characters -- in particular -- Queequeg, the head hunter. Of course, Gregory Peck turns in a stellar performance as Captain Ahab. It's my understanding this was a role originally considered for Orson Welles.

I must say, I had a good chuckle over this scene:

Spoiler: Spoiler

As Captain Ahab is harpooned to the side of the great white whale and his arms are flailing, the crew yells something about, "Look... Ahab is dead but he's still beckoning us to attack."

Alas, it has taken me some time to understand the look of this presentation. Seeing the words "Technicolor" across the screen makes one assume the film will have glorious color. It's exactly the opposite. Moby Dick is almost void of any color, and apparently this is by design through director John Huston. But you know what? It works! The lack of color accurately reflects the overall tone of the film.

No issues with the audio which sounds clear in its mono presentation.

What I really would like to do is revisit this film while listening to the commentary from Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo. That should be really fun, and I am going try to do that over the next week.

Overall, a really wonderful find. I am so happy I finally committed myself to giving this a watch and discovering something extraordinary in the process.



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[Robert Crawford]

I'm glad you like it Ron. Yes, the color palette was by design and over the years, it has been a subject matter for discussion here.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Anyone know about this release of the movie:
https://amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Blu-ra...=1491263514&sr=1-1&keywords=moby+dick+blu+ray

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Yes, it's the same base transfer but without the new color correction and clean-up of the Twilight Time release.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Yes, it's the same base transfer but without the new color correction and clean-up of the Twilight Time release.

Color correction, that sounds kind of important.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

The problem is, the Twilight Time edition is now sold out!

 

[Johnny Angell]

The problem is, the Twilight Time edition is now sold out!

I didn't miss an opportunity because I dislike their business model and don't buy from them.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I didn't miss an opportunity because I dislike their business model and don't buy from them.

To each his own, but they're a small company that uses a business model that works for them.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I didn't miss an opportunity because I dislike their business model and don't buy from them.

I have no issue with their business model, and would have missed out on some great films if I didn't buy from them. I treat them a lot like Criterion -- I try to wait for sales, and rarely make any "whim" purchases due to the cost. That being said, I have 17 of their releases (much fewer than the 83 Criterions in my collection), including some favorite films of mine that I really would have missed not having on the shelf.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Saturday, April 22, 2017

A rather odd choice, I know. However, Amazon was running a very good sale on the Guillermo Trilogy set and I bought it blindly, only having previously seen Pan's Labyrinth.

Started with Cronos. Very interesting film, to say the least. Plays upon the story of immortality with a little.vampirism thrown in for good measure.

While the film can be a little unsettling at times, I found it to be an excellent viewing choice. I look forward to The Devil's Backbone which I will most likely watch tomorrow.

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[usrunnr]

I didn't miss an opportunity because I dislike their business model and don't buy from them.

I don't buy from Twilight Time because I consistently have problems with their disks -- either no sound, or supplementary material doesn't play. I imagine this may have something to do with my equipment, but I don't have this problem with any other company's disks. I can't figure it out, so I don't buy Twilight Time disks. I regret this.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I would bet it is your equipment. We don't see many complaints about playback issues on their discs.

Have you tried their discs in another player?

 

[Robin9]

I don't recall ever having a problem with a Twilight Time disc, and I have a large number of them!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Having just watched The Devil's Backbone, I am completely satisfied that I took the chance and spent the money on the Guillermo Trilogy Blu-ray set. There are three outstanding films here.

I enjoyed The Devil's Backbone even more than Cronos, which is surprising to me. Though the film is touted as a "ghost story," there is a lot more going on under the hood here including tensions within an orphanage surrounded by a war that is closing in on them.

The transfer, in the same manner as Cronos, looks fantastic. There is lots of detail to be seen even in the film's darker environments.

Guillermo certainly has an eye for filmmaking and telling a good story. I have really come to respect his work and have yet to be disappointed in any of his films I have seen.

Buy the trilogy set if you are able.

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