Chuck L
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2001
- Messages
- 1,002
In all due respects, the latest DVD installments from the Friday The 13th Series from Newline are everything that the past DVD releases from Paramount are not.
Not only are the fans of this series treated to almost pristine transfers, but 5.1 sound and even DTS Tracks. We are also given great commentaries. One features scenes that were only available for the televised version. Jason X even goes as far as to offer documentaries on not only the making of the film, but of Jason’s history.
Paramount, while offering to us the movies that we love, has continued to release sporadically planned releases that basically bare no consistency with one another. Either a staggered mix of transfers, which I will say the films look better than ever on DVD, but still do not match the quality of other Paramount product. Sound has been a continuing mixed bag, even with one film sporting a 5.1 mix, then the release afterward back to 2.0. Artwork has not been consistent, nor has the use of providing trailers for all the films. Why Paramount, why?
It has been well documented your companies regard for this series. So you are ashamed of the film series. You weren’t ashamed at all of the money that the series has brought you, nor the fact that first film was a stunning highlight and a huge box office success that helped your studio survive in the early ‘80’s. Throughout all the various forms of home entertainment product, from Beta to the current DVD, the fans have always purchased these titles from you. How do we get awarded for our faithful service for the past twenty-two years to this series and your company? The proof is in the current product that you have put out.
By giving up the series to Newline, and though they only produced two movies in over a fourteen year period, their respect for the series and the fans was presented first hand. Not only with a reference quality DVD (Jason X), but also with DVD’s that are full of extra’s that are not only pleasing to the fans, but also show that a studio will go the extra mile. Also, even being the fact that Jason X is new title, most retailers and online stores even had the catalog title Jason Goes To Hell at a better price than what I have paid for a single brand new title from Paramount.
Paramount titles of late have been more than mixed bag than your average dollar store ‘mystery’ bag. Grease, a title that deserved every bit of respect from its company, received a transfer that was worthy of DVD 1997. Saturday Night Fever, another movie deserving of such grand distinction, has gotten a stellar release, while other musical titles from Paramount have had mixed to negative reaction. The constant lacking of trailers, long a fan and home theater favorite, are as well spotty. Some releases get them, others, it is stated rights issues. In various posts throughout many online forums have questioned this practice and wonder just how lacking things must be in the clearance department for these things. In most cases, it seems to most, to be a case of laziness.
One title that is getting great notice and great overall packaging is the Star Trek series. The past releases have been replaced with grand transfers and audio as well as marvelous features to keep fans busy for hours. At the same time, the grand lady of Paramount, Lucille Ball and “I Love Lucy” fans are being treated to glorious collections of the first season of this landmark television series. Why then does other product continue to be shafted? Also after much consumer request, we still have yet to get any sort of DVD release of Police Squad. Yet Paramount put out a box set of the previous three Naked Gun films, with nothing more than a pretty box to encase them in, while they would have had additional sales simply by including a disc of the eight Police Squad shows that you could have only gotten if you bought the set. Your marketing team is not working up to it’s full potential. Why I have I mentioned these titles when the main focus is on the Friday The 13th series? These are all titles that I have purchased as well, and again, in various forms in the home theater format.
Other studios such as MGM are producing a great series of titles until the “Midnight Movie” banner. These titles range in horror classic to schlock. cinema. Yet they are regarded with honors by this label. Many are featuring extras such as original trailers and even commentaries by renowned directors like Roger Corman. Better yet, they are at customer friendly prices. Also, many of these titles are featured in their unrated versions.
Horror films, at least in line of Paramount stock titles, are still the bastards at the family reunion. Despite the pleas of fans, it is only the MPAA versions of these titles that appear for the consumer. There honestly is not much to fear in mine, and many others eyes, on the amount of movie violence in these films when you compare it to the real violence of the daily newspaper and the newscast. By continuing to release these films in these edited forms, the Friday series, My Bloody Valentine and other movies in this same vain, you are only giving in to the people that are not interested in your films to begin with. You are forgetting the people that have supported you and allowed you to bankroll more ‘important’ titles.
What must we do to have these policy changed? Paramount has stated that online petitions are nothing to them and are not viable. Mail doesn’t seem to get anywhere either. Fans from around the world have written to you since the early 80’s to get these films in their proper, director intent versions. All in all, every action seems to fall upon deaf ears.
Martin Blythe himself has said that Paramount might consider releasing the Friday series now in the ‘non MPAA versions’ now that the censored version has come to an end. We would like to know if this is seriously being considered, or is this simply a ploy to hope that we will dry up and go away. If a media magnet such as the Newline/Time Warner Corporation can release a title such as Jason Goes to Hell in both it’s rated and unrated forms, then surely a company the size of Paramount can make concession as well. These titles might mean very little to Paramount as a whole, much like their other horror titles, but there is a strong fan base for these titles. Ignoring our request are doing little more than adding to the disconnection of the prospective revenue that you would receive if you listened to us.
Not only are the fans of this series treated to almost pristine transfers, but 5.1 sound and even DTS Tracks. We are also given great commentaries. One features scenes that were only available for the televised version. Jason X even goes as far as to offer documentaries on not only the making of the film, but of Jason’s history.
Paramount, while offering to us the movies that we love, has continued to release sporadically planned releases that basically bare no consistency with one another. Either a staggered mix of transfers, which I will say the films look better than ever on DVD, but still do not match the quality of other Paramount product. Sound has been a continuing mixed bag, even with one film sporting a 5.1 mix, then the release afterward back to 2.0. Artwork has not been consistent, nor has the use of providing trailers for all the films. Why Paramount, why?
It has been well documented your companies regard for this series. So you are ashamed of the film series. You weren’t ashamed at all of the money that the series has brought you, nor the fact that first film was a stunning highlight and a huge box office success that helped your studio survive in the early ‘80’s. Throughout all the various forms of home entertainment product, from Beta to the current DVD, the fans have always purchased these titles from you. How do we get awarded for our faithful service for the past twenty-two years to this series and your company? The proof is in the current product that you have put out.
By giving up the series to Newline, and though they only produced two movies in over a fourteen year period, their respect for the series and the fans was presented first hand. Not only with a reference quality DVD (Jason X), but also with DVD’s that are full of extra’s that are not only pleasing to the fans, but also show that a studio will go the extra mile. Also, even being the fact that Jason X is new title, most retailers and online stores even had the catalog title Jason Goes To Hell at a better price than what I have paid for a single brand new title from Paramount.
Paramount titles of late have been more than mixed bag than your average dollar store ‘mystery’ bag. Grease, a title that deserved every bit of respect from its company, received a transfer that was worthy of DVD 1997. Saturday Night Fever, another movie deserving of such grand distinction, has gotten a stellar release, while other musical titles from Paramount have had mixed to negative reaction. The constant lacking of trailers, long a fan and home theater favorite, are as well spotty. Some releases get them, others, it is stated rights issues. In various posts throughout many online forums have questioned this practice and wonder just how lacking things must be in the clearance department for these things. In most cases, it seems to most, to be a case of laziness.
One title that is getting great notice and great overall packaging is the Star Trek series. The past releases have been replaced with grand transfers and audio as well as marvelous features to keep fans busy for hours. At the same time, the grand lady of Paramount, Lucille Ball and “I Love Lucy” fans are being treated to glorious collections of the first season of this landmark television series. Why then does other product continue to be shafted? Also after much consumer request, we still have yet to get any sort of DVD release of Police Squad. Yet Paramount put out a box set of the previous three Naked Gun films, with nothing more than a pretty box to encase them in, while they would have had additional sales simply by including a disc of the eight Police Squad shows that you could have only gotten if you bought the set. Your marketing team is not working up to it’s full potential. Why I have I mentioned these titles when the main focus is on the Friday The 13th series? These are all titles that I have purchased as well, and again, in various forms in the home theater format.
Other studios such as MGM are producing a great series of titles until the “Midnight Movie” banner. These titles range in horror classic to schlock. cinema. Yet they are regarded with honors by this label. Many are featuring extras such as original trailers and even commentaries by renowned directors like Roger Corman. Better yet, they are at customer friendly prices. Also, many of these titles are featured in their unrated versions.
Horror films, at least in line of Paramount stock titles, are still the bastards at the family reunion. Despite the pleas of fans, it is only the MPAA versions of these titles that appear for the consumer. There honestly is not much to fear in mine, and many others eyes, on the amount of movie violence in these films when you compare it to the real violence of the daily newspaper and the newscast. By continuing to release these films in these edited forms, the Friday series, My Bloody Valentine and other movies in this same vain, you are only giving in to the people that are not interested in your films to begin with. You are forgetting the people that have supported you and allowed you to bankroll more ‘important’ titles.
What must we do to have these policy changed? Paramount has stated that online petitions are nothing to them and are not viable. Mail doesn’t seem to get anywhere either. Fans from around the world have written to you since the early 80’s to get these films in their proper, director intent versions. All in all, every action seems to fall upon deaf ears.
Martin Blythe himself has said that Paramount might consider releasing the Friday series now in the ‘non MPAA versions’ now that the censored version has come to an end. We would like to know if this is seriously being considered, or is this simply a ploy to hope that we will dry up and go away. If a media magnet such as the Newline/Time Warner Corporation can release a title such as Jason Goes to Hell in both it’s rated and unrated forms, then surely a company the size of Paramount can make concession as well. These titles might mean very little to Paramount as a whole, much like their other horror titles, but there is a strong fan base for these titles. Ignoring our request are doing little more than adding to the disconnection of the prospective revenue that you would receive if you listened to us.
).
