Twilight Time indicates they will re-license some sold-out titles. BREAKING! (2 Viewers)

[mark brown]

I personally love TT! Quality is nearly always perfect and the commentaries are GREAT! These are titles i would not otherwise have. Free market prevails. If you don't like 'em don't buy 'em!

 

[Edwin-S]

It really doesn't pay to play this guessing game with TT's figures. There is quite likely to be cross-subsidies in effect - for example TT might license one movie at $90,000 and another at $30,000 giving an average license fee of $60,000. So I think the implication is that David's statement that once any movie goes above a $60,000 licensing fee that it will be rejected by TT is 100% wrong.Basically from observation we can only really tell that TT's primary determining factors in deciding to release a title are (a) whether it is a title they want to release, and (b) whether it is of appropriate quality.

c) whether the studio that holds the rights is willing to license them out to a third party.

I don't get the beef that some have with their business model. They provide a service to release films that the original rights holding studios are unwilling to put out in wide-scale pressings because they think the cost isn't worth the potential return. These fellows press only enough that they estimate will sell or they will end up with a very small inventory to carry if sales turn out to be slower than expected. It's basically small press publishing, so the price will accordingly be higher. If a person cares enough about the film then that person is willing to pay the higher price to get a copy of a film that otherwise might never see a BD release. If a person doesn't care enough about the film then they don't pay the price. It's as simple as that.

Also, I don't see these as collectibles just because they are put out as a "limited edition". I've never seen these fellows state that they will never re-license a film for re-release once the original run sells out.

 

[battlebeast]

Thank you Twilight Time for answering!!! MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

 

[ROclockCK]

I agree completely. The essays are not filled so much with facts as they are filled with the author's unique perspective, which oftens causes one to look at the movie in a completely different light. Often, with titles for which my interest is rather marginal, knowing that booklet is included makes the difference between tossing it into the sales cart along with the other must-haves or passing it by.

Absolutely...and invaluable when it's a very obscure, previously unseen movie for which no supplements ever existed...which happens with TT titles a lot. For me, these pieces are especially enjoyable since M. Kirgo is such a keen writer with a very entertaining, yet informative style that's a pleasure to read, rather than a slog. "Stuffy" she's not!

Lately, or at least since the latter half of 2013, even those who don't read anymore* have a cornucopia of feature length audio commentaries by Redman/Kirgo, together with peer pros like Seydor/Burlingame, or creative talent like McDowell/Kwan/Dawson/Kline. Again, these yack-fests are entertaining as h3ll, but along the way, also rich in background details only someone close to it (or a big fan) would know. Typically, I can't get through one of those 2nd channel sessions without repeatedly muttering to myself, "Hmmm...I didn't know that!"

* Except for the last 2 or 3 posts on a forum via their [sic] smartphone before posting yet another rote, recondite comment about something already fully explained.

 

[Rob_Ray]

What amazes me about those commentaries is how topical they are. The one on FATE IS THE HUNTER, released in May, mentions the plane that went missing back in April. The one on THE TRAIN, released last month, mentions the passing of Mickey Rooney. Now, why they brought that up when discussing THE TRAIN I don't recall.

 

[Jari K]

"Every label has a few titles that could be better."This is of course true. It's also true with TT."I suppose I just feel like people have forgotten the days of Laserdisc when $60 for just the film was common."Oh boy. Laserdisc dayz.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I love those commentaries by Nick, Julie and the others. In addition to be knowledgeable film scholars, they are plain, ordinary fans just like us and their enthusiasm for the films is palpable. It seems like they are doing more and more commentaries these days, for which I am extremely thankful.

 

[RJ992]

I don't care about their financial nuts-and-bolts. I just want them to be profitable so that they can continue on.

 

[ROclockCK]

Yeah, that's the bottom line for me too. I think TT has been a very positive force for deep catalogue...not only releasing the product itself, but also reinvigorating the market for it, especially right-sizing reel output vs. real demand.

Which brings us right back to the 'Limited' release thing, and of course reissues, which - Lordy be - is the actual topic of this thread...

 

[Frank M]

SONY will release Christine and Fright Night in Germany on September 18th:

http://www.zehnachtzig.de/2014/07/02/blu-ray-details-fur-christine-und-fright-night-1985/

 

[Jari K]

Eventually these mainstream-ish (at least back in the days these films were mainstream) titles will be re-released. And from the same master. It's only a matter of time.Then again these titles are sold out so I doubt that TT really cares. But since The Blob has 5000 copies I have to assume that it's not coming from Europe at least in this year.

 

[FoxyMulder]

SONY will release Christine and Fright Night in Germany on September 18th:

http://www.zehnachtzig.de/2014/07/02/blu-ray-details-fur-christine-und-fright-night-1985/

Great news, i'll be able to pick up Christine, i missed the Twilight Time release.

 

[Jari K]

I just don't get it that why they can't get any real extras on Fright Night. I mean it's not that director Holland is not interested:http://iconsoffright.com/pirate-commentaries-2/Oh well.

 

[FoxyMulder]

I just don't get it that why they can't get any real extras on Fright Night. I mean it's not that director Holland is not interested:http://iconsoffright.com/pirate-commentaries-2/Oh well.

Do they have to pay them for the commentaries if featured on the blu ray. ?

 

[ROclockCK]

Eventually these mainstream-ish (at least back in the days these films were mainstream) titles will be re-released. And from the same master. It's only a matter of time.

Oh, probably. But when? I mean, we're finally getting The Blob '88 on Blu-ray almost 9 years after introduction of the format!

By any chance, does your favourite play happen to be Waiting for Godot?

 

[Jari K]

Not sure, but I guess these companies doesn't want to license some "fan commentaries" - even when director, producer, etc are involved. It's not how they operate."Oh, probably. But when?"Sure, I get your point. But in the meantime I'll watch the old DVD or use some other sources. I really like Christine and Fright Night (hell, I love both of them), but I can live with my old DVD vs I pay 100$ in Ebay. Like I said, I was mainly talking about these certain mainstream-ish titles from TT - not all of them.

 

[ROclockCK]

There is a moment in every movie fan's life when they wake up to the realization that their former "mainstream-ish" fave movies - titles they've always assumed would be widely available on home video because they always were - are now old, thus more limited in appeal.

Christine has been with us for 31 years, and Fright Night will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year. Not to say that these works don't still have potent cult appeal, but they are no longer ringing off the tongues of younger movie fans who weren't even born when they hit theatres.

So it's hardly a slam dunk that another limited reissue of 2000 or 3000 Blu-rays for either of these titles will completely sell through in mere days, weeks, or months. Maybe. Likely. But no guarantees. It's still a calculated risk for the producer/distributor, which is why these will probably remain within the limited model rather than getting re-released by the studio itself or another retail-level label...at least within N. America, for the foreseeable future.

If it's any consolation, some of my all-time faves are now 50 to 60 years old, but the difference is, I long ago accepted that inescapable 'march of time' reality.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

Jari -

I think I've said it several times now, when Fright Night (and As Good As It Gets, etc) were released TT didn't have access to Sony's extras and any extras they created would have been owned by Sony so there was no incentive to create them.

In the intervening time this situation has changed, and so now any re-release would presumably include at least some extras.

 

[Ethan Riley]

I missed out on Fright Night. Didn't even know what was going on until I heard in this forum that it had sold out. For the record, I look forward to Julie Kirgo's take on things. Her essays have brought a lot of things about these great films to life for me. I have this fantasy that one day soon I'll be opening up a TT copy of 1776 and her book is the first thing I'll see, before the film...

 

[Jari K]

"In the intervening time this situation has changed, and so now any re-release would presumably include at least some extras."If TT is smart, they'll include some "exclusive" extras. I mean creating decent extras doesn't cost that much anymore. I guess the problem is getting cast & crew in front of the camera/mic.(Then again some rushed, badly shot & edited interviews are painful to watch. So if companies can't do a good job, they shouldn't do it at all.)