P&S Rant (or rather, a Jane Sixpack rant). (1 Viewer)

[Brian Harnish]

I cannot BELIEVE IT!!! My mom is a regular Jane Sixpack.
Yesterday she returned the WIDESCREEN versions of Saturday Night Fever and Grease (THE NEWlY-REMASTERED VERSIONS!!!) that I planned on giving my grandmother for Christmas (under the stipulation that pay her back)...BTW, grandma is getting a dvd player as a surprise christmas gift. And guess what her reasons where? "They were just on TV." And it plain didn't matter whether or not it was cropped all to hell or not.
It doesn't seem how many times I explain it to her she just doesn't FREAKING GET IT!!! I had even shown her specific examples with a direct comparison of VHS vs. DVD. Looks like I'm going to have to buy them myself. And you know what she got instead? A Beautiful Mind and Castaway -- THE FULL FREAKING FRAME (or, rather, P&S) versions!! I'm not paying her back for those...if she wants to give them to grandma she can but I'm going to go back and pick up Grease and Saturday Night Fever myself.
I am still extremely pissed off!!!

 

[Bill Balcziak]

I am still extremely pissed off!!!

Mad at Mom? Time for therapy.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Just don't kill her and stick her in the window of the house up on the hill...

 

[ChuckDeLa]

Your grandmother likes Saturday Night Fever and Grease?

 

[Richard Travale]

Why don't you exchange A beautiful Mind and Castaway for the Widescreen versions?

ps, Dude, it's Christmas. There is no need to be mad at anyone, especially your Mother.

 

[Jon Robertson]

Your grandmother likes Saturday Night Fever and Grease?

Precisely what I was thinking!

And, echoing Richard above, surely at Christmas you must be aware there are more important things than aspect ratios...

 

[Rob Lutter]

In the middle of the night, swoop in... steal the discs... and exchange them for the widescreen versions

 

[Tony-B]

In the middle of the night, swoop in... steal the discs... and exchange them for the widescreen versions

Exactly what I was going to say.

 

[Paul McElligott]

You must be adopted.

 

[Clinton McClure]

There are never more important things than aspect ratios. Viva, La Restistance!

 

[JasenP]

Forgive your Mother, She knows not what she does.
....that is at least when it comes to the Widescreen vs. P&S battle. Listen to her advice about everything else though.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Uh, minor correction, but the HTF official term is "Jane Boxwine" or "Jane Winebox". Just FYI!

 

[LukeB]

That would piss me off too. I agree with the others, go exchange the 'No Black Bars' crap for the theatrical versions.

 

[Dave H]

Do you have the Five-Star Die Hard DVD? There is a great little segment about how much is being lost with P&S. This would be good to show her. Some people grasp concepts better when they be explained or shown concretely. This way she can see the movie get slashed right in front of her eyes.

 

[Greg*go]

Dude, it's Christmas. There is no need to be mad at anyone

And I quote a band, The Vandals, when I say, "Christams is hell on earth, I know nothing worst, to be sad... and be told... to be happy." but it's all in good fun.

 

[Matt Birchall]

I guess one equals two 's. . .?

 

[Chad A Wright]

My mother also doesn't believe in OAR. But, every Christmas, she gets a nice OAR DVD from me along with a printed sheet showing her exactly what she is missing with P&S. It's become a Christmas tradition. There is hope though. I took her to Ultimate Electronics the other day and she was so impressed by the widescreen plasma displays, she is talking to my Dad about picking one up. One day, maybe the logic will get through to her when her full frame DVD's don't fill her widescreen TV.

 

[Arnie G]

If the purpose is to make Grandma happy, maybe P&S will make her happier than WS. I don't know Grandma's opinion, but some people will never understand it & will be more pleased with P&S.

P.S. Does grandma like Flashdance?

 

[Jan Strnad]

I know certain elderly people who seem to be on such a different wavelength when watching movies that it's almost frightening (and very discouraging for a writer).

"Someone" I know (don't want to offend any family members) will talk through a movie, and her comments will be along the lines of, "isn't that a pretty lamp" and "I used to have a dress like that" and "isn't the snow pretty?"

She also doesn't like "when they chop off the top and bottom of the picture and try to fool you into thinking you're seeing something" when a movie is letterboxed. I tried explaining it to her. Zipped right over her head.

Brian, if your grandmother seems at all like my mother-in-law (oops!), those P&S screen-fillers could be just the ticket for her, especially if she has weak eyes and a small TV.

Jan

 

[Patrick McCart]

I feel your pain. [/Bill Clinton]

I refuse to purchase DVDs which are fullscreen for others. I consider it like buying dried out overly-sweet fruitcake instead of the edible stuff for someone.

My family is pro-widescreen enough to do the same thing.