The "Will you buy the Reservoir Dogs 10th ann. DVD?" thread (1 Viewer)

[Jeff]

All I remember about this movie was a bunch of people lying on a floor dying. Bored me to tears. No, I won't buy it.

If that's all you remember, maybe you should watch it again.

 

[Mike Hutman]

I'll pick it up

 

[Michael Allred]

According to Artisan, it stands by the picture quality of the new Reservoir Dogs SE. There will be no recall because, the studio says, nothing is wrong. The executive I talked to expressed the wish that people would actually see for themselves rather than going by what others say. Regarding the more-open framing, the previous DVD was cropped on all sides, he said. The new DVD restores the film to its original framing as shown in theaters. I'll have a more-detailed account in Tuesday's newspaper.

Randy, may I ask when you spoke to the rep? Did he say *why* the transfer looks so radically different? Was it an artistic choice by Tarantino?

I hope you'll come back here to this thread with your "detailed account" since I would imagaine a lot of us won't have access to that newspaper.

 

[Brian E]

Most of the time you can read Randy's articles online too. go to http://www.startribune.com

 

[MatS]

The executive I talked to expressed the wish that people would actually see for themselves rather than going by what others say.

Yes, I'm sure Artisan never quotes positive reviewers in their ads for their movies :rolleyes

 

[Todd_B]

I'm also in the 'hold off and wait' mode. The reviews have just made me really jaded about this release :frowning:
If nothing comes down the pipeline then I may decide to buy this later on.
Todd B

 

[Matthew Brown]

Randy -
Thank you for sharing the info from Artisan.

If they stand by the transfer and say that's how it was supposed to be, that's one thing. I feel that all the criticism that the transfer received is a healthy thing and shows that there are people who care about presentation. It also gives consumers a chance to decide for themselves whether or not the DVD is worth buying.

I am sure every executive would love for us to buy a DVD and decide for ourselves how good or bad it is. Once we bought it, we are stuck with it and they have our money!

Matt

 

[Dave Kalloch]

Hmmm.....looks like rent first, then buy.

 

[Randy A Salas]

I hope you'll come back here to this thread with your "detailed account" since I would imagaine a lot of us won't have access to that newspaper.

If you can read this forum, you have access to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, one of the top 20 U.S. daily newspapers. Our web site is recognized as one of the most comprehensive and best newspaper sites in the world. Everything in the paper, and more, can be found online--with my stuff being at www.startribune.com/tv . I'll post a direct link to my write-up once it's available.

 

[Jussi Tarvainen]

This is what Knowles says in his second Kill Bill set report:

Also, about the RESERVOIR DOGS dvd – Quentin hasn’t seen this DVD yet but is concerned about the allegations that it is desaturated and greenish. I didn’t really notice this on the copy I got, but apparently some other reviewers did. When I told him about the really lame intros to the documentaries on the disc he winced.

 

[Dan Brodin]

Got my copy today and skimmed through it. I feel the transfer is acceptable. Is it perfect... no, but it is not as bad as it has been made out to be IMHO. I was really concerned that the transfer would be rather lackluster and detract from the viewing experience, but I found that I was pleasantly surprised. I suppose one could argue the colors aren't as vibrant as the previous release. Perhaps as some reviewers have said, it is possible that the previous release was over-saturated. I think we should all judge it for ourselves to ultimately make up out mind on which we prefer. I for one am happy with the 10th Anniversary edition and will be definitely be keeping my copy.

For reference I viewed this on my Pioneer 57" Widescreen SDTV and have calibrated it with Video Essentials. I will re-calibrate later this evening and watch the entire film to be thorough. I will post any updates if applicable

-Dan

 

[Brook K]

I cancelled my preorder and will pick it up later on the cheap when I join Columbia House for the umpteenth time.

 

[Randy A Salas]

My Tuesday articles are already online (tomorrow's news, today!). Here is the link to my sidebar about the Reservoir Dogs controversy, including comments from Artisan and one Ron Epstein:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/459/3189943.html
It's not reflected in the online version, but that sidebar has a fixed length. So it was a challenge to encapsulate the entire subject in such a small amount of space for a mainstream audience who's not familiar with the topic.
My main column is an interview with John Carpenter, and you can find a link to that posted in the appropriate thread.

 

[Ron Reda]

I'm with Dan...I also received my copy today and checked out bits and pieces of it. While the transfer is by no means stellar, it is by no means unwatchable. Being that I have been waiting for this one for a long time, I read a good number of reviews, but ultimately decided to base my opinion on what I saw rather than what I read. While the areas that are (presumably) supposed to be black show up as more of a gray and the colors don't leap off the screen and the transfer as a whole appears to be washed out, the lackluster quality of the image by no means took away from a great film. I can say this because, even in watching a scene here and a scene there, I was still drawn into the film. That was the true test for me.
Also, FWIW, I thought the DTS track was better than what most reviewers made it out to be. Now, it's no barnburner like "Fast and the Furious" or "Saving Private Ryan," but I've most certainly heard worse when it comes to the utilization of a DTS track.
In hindsight, I'm happy with my purchase!

 

[MatS]

While the areas that are (presumably) supposed to be black show up as more of a gray and the colors don't leap off the screen and the transfer as a whole appears to be washed out, the lackluster quality of the image by no means took away from a great film.

now there is the ringing endorsement we all were looking for

 

[Dan Brodin]

While the areas that are (presumably) supposed to be black show up as more of a gray and the colors don't leap off the screen and the transfer as a whole appears to be washed out, the lackluster quality of the image by no means took away from a great film.

I wouldn't really go so far as to call the transfer washed out. I felt the colors were for the most part accurate, just not as vibrant as the previous release (not as vibrant does not = bad). Also from the selected scenes I viewed the blacks were just a bit off. Who knows maybe the Mr. White cover houses the good transfer with more accurate color and black level.
OK maybe I am reaching just a bit
all in all a solid release
Rent it if you guys are still concerned, I am interested in hearing what more of you think.
-Dan

 

[BarryS]

Well, I gave in and bought Dogs tonight. I got the Mr. White cover. I picked it up at Best Buy where you get a $5 gift card for purchasing it, so you basically pay $10.99. I think it was definitely worth it. I was worried about the transfer after all the bad buzz but I was really pleasantly surprised. I did a comparison with the old DVD and the difference is astounding. The old DVD looks like CRAP compared to the new one. You can definitely tell that it's a new transfer. Yes, the picture is softer than the old DVD, but it's not enough to detract from the viewing experience. The new transfer is so much cleaner and clearer than the old one. Gone is that distracting grain, especially in the early scenes in the warehouse where Keitel and Buscemi are discussing the heist. I think this transfer is a major improvement on the old one, plus it's anamorphic too. I don't have a 16:9 TV or a huge screen to view it on so other people probably see what I don't. But for me it looks much, much better.

Also there's the framing issue. The old DVD was zoomed in somehow compared to this transfer. The widescreen version on the new DVD shows more picture information on the left and right sides of the frame than both the widescreen and fullscreen transfers on the old DVD. The more accurate framing is definitely a plus.

All in all, I'm pleased with this DVD and I will be getting rid of the old one. Any of you guys that hate the new disc, just e-mail me and I'll sell you my copy of the old one.

 

[Gabe Oppenheim]

Well, I purchased my Mr. Pink from a local indie retailer earlier this week, which was just dandy, but I was shocked (SHOCKED, I tell you) to walk into a Best Buy on Friday only to find zero copies of RD for sale. They had a little endcap display, but no copies of the DVD for sale anywhere. I was a bit concerned that there might have been a recall after all, as I really don't see this movie selling out that quickly. Then again, my local Borders had a brown copy available which I almost snapped up for a later resale.

Hmm...maybe I should go and buy it if it's still there...

 

[MatS]

here is what I posted in Ron's review thread after having seen the transfer for myself...
regarding the green tint reported on interior scenes (warehouse), if you look at the pics of the warehouse in the 'Securing the Shot' segment you will see that the warehouse has that tint and it is not a flaw in the transfer.
agreed the tribute to Lawrence Tierney is priceless (would love to have more bloopers from the set)
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...=&pagenumber=1

 

[Michael Allred]

Ok, I saw the DVD for myself. While this new transfer looks pretty good for the most part, my biggest (and sole gripe) is how bright it looks...the black areas looking gray, etc.