What's left, unreleased on 4k, that you would pay $50 to own on day one? (1 Viewer)

[ManW_TheUncool]

I’m happy with what Robert Harris has said - especially as I’m not a grain lover:

“Beyond color, this release eschews the more recent desire to reproduce every grain, and more properly (in this archivist's opinion) reproduces the appearance of the original prints. Colors, density, the subdued grain structure, and black levels all seem correct”.

You musta literally "just" (pre?)ordered/bought it since his review was just posted 3 hours ago (and I hadn't seen it yet, LOL)! But thanks for alerting me on that!

_Man_

 

[FincherFan]

I'll defer to Bill Hunt from Digital Bits for his opinion.

Seven Samurai in 4K, plus Warner Archive’s July slate, Stop Making Sense on CD + BD-A, and Warner’s working on The Terminator, Nightmare on Elm Street & more in Ultra HD!

Seven Samurai in 4K, plus Warner Archive’s July slate, Stop Making Sense on CD + BD-A, and Warner’s working on The Terminator, Nightmare on Elm Street & more in Ultra HD!

thedigitalbits.com

"I actually took a look at Zodiac last night, and I was impressed. The HDR is subtle, but it makes a difference. As I mentioned yesterday, the film was mostly shot in 10-bit RAW in 1080p HD (4:4:4), so there’s obviously not as much detail as you’d see in a native 4K presentation. Even so, the image is very dimensional. The color grade in particular is excellent. It’s definitely an improvement over the Blu-ray and it should make a good UHD disc. Certainly, it’s fair to say that this is the best this film has ever looked."

re: Zodiac - this is very exciting! i watch this & most of Mr. Fincher's films almost once a year, but i always hated the way the image looked in the first scene where the 2 first victims meet.
she's picking him up in the car & the dark areas of her car interior looked so murky & noisy. i found that surprising considering that the rest of the film looked so good; even other dark scenes. i assume this is so much better with the higher dynamic range.

i can not wait for that disc in addition to Se7en & possibly Panic Room!! (based on rumors...)

 

[Jeffrey D]

re: Zodiac - this is very exciting! i watch this & most of Mr. Fincher's films almost once a year, but i always hated the way the image looked in the first scene where the 2 first victims meet.
she's picking him up in the car & the dark areas of her car interior looked so murky & noisy. i found that surprising considering that the rest of the film looked so good; even other dark scenes. i assume this is so much better with the higher dynamic range.

i can not wait for that disc in addition to Se7en & possibly Panic Room!! (based on rumors...)

Panic Room is a baffling case- major studio, big name director (even at that time), big names playing the leads, and no BluRay release in this country? WTF?

 

[cineMANIAC]

Major studio 4K output is still only a trickle so it's tough making these types of lists without going into a deep depression. We're actually getting more 4K product from small boutiques, which I find bizarre. Anyway, I would gladly pay $50 (or more) for:

A Dirty Harry box set. Ideally, Warner would replicate their fantastic DVD set, which I still own but have swapped the DVDs for Blu-rays so it feels like a patchwork job. I'd like something that feels store-bought (if that makes any sense).

Lethal Weapon Collection. It wouldn't feel complete without the Director's Cuts so they need to do both DC and theatrical. Sadly, Warner no longer knows what constitutes classy packaging design so when this finally materializes, it'll probably be similar to their flimsy set.

On the subject of packaging, US studios really have no clue when it comes to design. Either that or they're under the impression US fans don't care. To date I've preordered many Warner titles from the UK because they have much nicer editions. There's (extra) money to be made from packaging alone - plenty of collectors eat this stuff up and we're the primary market for physical media. Studios are still designing packaging for the Walmart sixpack crowd. They're stuck in 2006.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Major studio 4K output is still only a trickle so it's tough making these types of lists without going into a deep depression. We're actually getting more 4K product from small boutiques, which I find bizarre. Anyway, I would gladly pay $50 (or more) for:

For the most part, yes. Paramount and Warner are releasing several catalog titles to 4k for the first time. Universal has slowed down to practically nothing.

The most disappointing studio for 2024 is Sony. And I say that is because this is their 100th Anniversary. What have we gotten for that? The two most notable was a new Classic Collection set and the release of The Three Stooges Collection. Outside of that, there was an announcement for 100 films for digital purchase at the beginning of this year. What happened to some of their most beloved classics getting a standalone first-time 4k release?

 

[johnmcmasters]

I remember the days of Criterion’s box and/or gatefold CAV editions (Akira, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Citizen Kane, The Killers, Hard Boiled, etc.) for which I paid $129.95 each if I recall correctly. And I still have those in my library. Then there were Japanese import limited edition CAV box sets of several recent-at-that-time Godzilla films that I used to get from Kim Video in Manhattan, using annual tax refunds, that were priced way more! Still have those, too. Those were the days…

I guess I’d be tempted by similar, deluxe, genuinely upgraded releases of the Woo films (but the film elements god knows might not justify 4K). 4Ks of many of the older, classic Godzilla films are already available, minus subtitles, as imports from Japan for steep prices. I already have 4K UHDs of the ’54 Godzilla and King Kong vs Godzilla. I am adding additional titles as my budget allows – infrequently, in other words.

I guess I’d shell out $100 for 4K releases if the elements contain enough information to justify an upgrade of several classic MGM musicals (The Bandwagon, Meet Me in St. Louis). Star! in its original roadshow version would be a Day One purchase, too, even at that price point.

In fantasy land, just to be clear that these are not a realistic expectation, just an expression of my willingness to part with money for them on Day One, would be the Steve Reeves’ Hercules and Hercules Unchained films. A fool and his money are...

 

[cineMANIAC]

For the most part, yes. Paramount and Warner are releasing several catalog titles to 4k for the first time. Universal has slowed down to practically nothing.

The most disappointing studio for 2024 is Sony. And I say that is because this is their 100th Anniversary. What have we gotten for that? The two most notable was a new Classic Collection set and the release of The Three Stooges Collection. Outside of that, there was an announcement for 100 films for digital purchase at the beginning of this year. What happened to some of their most beloved classics getting a standalone first-time 4k release?

SONY are an odd duck. Their restorations are usually superb ("supoib" for us NYers lol) but their release strategy and schedule is erratic to say the least. If I were to count of all of my remaining DVD holdouts, Sony/Columbia titles would be near the top of the list. Where the heck are The Devil at 4 O'Clock? Desperate Measures? Even "schlock" like The Forsaken, a 2001 vampire horror flick, is still stuck on DVD. The studio is obviously open to licensing but even that seems a mess. Kino signed for some titles but apparently ran into roadblocks of some kind and the final output was just a handful of titles. I wish they were more accessible.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

SONY are an odd duck. Their restorations are usually superb ("supoib" for us NYers lol) but their release strategy and schedule is erratic to say the least. If I were to count of all of my remaining DVD holdouts, Sony/Columbia titles would be near the top of the list. Where the heck are The Devil at 4 O'Clock? Desperate Measures? Even "schlock" like The Forsaken, a 2001 vampire horror flick, is still stuck on DVD. The studio is obviously open to licensing but even that seems a mess. Kino signed for some titles but apparently ran into roadblocks of some kind and the final output was just a handful of titles. I wish they were more accessible.

And neither of us is knocking Sony for the quality of their output, which is to say, along with Warner Bros., is top-tier.
The titles I was hoping for are their notable classics which include: FUNNY GIRL, FUNNY LADY, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, SILVERADO, and LOST HORIZON.

I think many of us expected at least one of these titles to be released for the 100th Anniversary.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Disney with Fox’s film library surpasses any other studio disappointment-wise when it comes to physical media output of classic movies.

 

[Alan Tully]

SONY are an odd duck. Their restorations are usually superb ("supoib" for us NYers lol) but their release strategy and schedule is erratic to say the least. If I were to count of all of my remaining DVD holdouts, Sony/Columbia titles would be near the top of the list. Where the heck are The Devil at 4 O'Clock? Desperate Measures? Even "schlock" like The Forsaken, a 2001 vampire horror flick, is still stuck on DVD. The studio is obviously open to licensing but even that seems a mess. Kino signed for some titles but apparently ran into roadblocks of some kind and the final output was just a handful of titles. I wish they were more accessible.

Yup, I'd love The Devil At 4 O'Clock (I saw that at the cinema), I felt sure that it would come from Twilight Time, & I'm sure they would have released it if offered (at the time that TT was releasing quite a few Sony titles, Devil was showing up on UK TV in a very nice looking HD transfer). So $50 for a 4K of Devil? Yes! And then there's the usual suspects: Barabbas, Lord Jim & MacKenna's Gold (the German Blu-ray for that looks pretty good, & no unremovable subs like the French release).

 

[RICK BOND]

I would Love to see some Hammer Films in 4K UHD. Dracula (Horror of Dracula), The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Brides of Dracula, and The Vampire Lovers just to name a few.

 

[edelweissflower]

Porgy and Bess 1959
South Pacific 1958 if the complete 'Wash that Man' sequence is restored

 

[Jeffrey D]

Major studio 4K output is still only a trickle so it's tough making these types of lists without going into a deep depression. We're actually getting more 4K product from small boutiques, which I find bizarre. Anyway, I would gladly pay $50 (or more) for:

A Dirty Harry box set. Ideally, Warner would replicate their fantastic DVD set, which I still own but have swapped the DVDs for Blu-rays so it feels like a patchwork job. I'd like something that feels store-bought (if that makes any sense).

Lethal Weapon Collection. It wouldn't feel complete without the Director's Cuts so they need to do both DC and theatrical. Sadly, Warner no longer knows what constitutes classy packaging design so when this finally materializes, it'll probably be similar to their flimsy set.

On the subject of packaging, US studios really have no clue when it comes to design. Either that or they're under the impression US fans don't care. To date I've preordered many Warner titles from the UK because they have much nicer editions. There's (extra) money to be made from packaging alone - plenty of collectors eat this stuff up and we're the primary market for physical media. Studios are still designing packaging for the Walmart sixpack crowd. They're stuck in 2006.

Good mention on a Dirty Harry box. I have the DVD set, but would welcome a UHD upgrade. I would think it’s coming at some point.

 

[RolandL]

Raintree County

 

[jayembee]

SONY are an odd duck. Their restorations are usually superb ("supoib" for us NYers lol) but their release strategy and schedule is erratic to say the least. If I were to count of all of my remaining DVD holdouts, Sony/Columbia titles would be near the top of the list. Where the heck are The Devil at 4 O'Clock? Desperate Measures?

Or The Bedford Incident.

 

[Bartman]

Considering the Zulu Criterion laserdisc cost $50 back in 1994, it appears we've come full circle!

 

[jayembee]

Yeah, $50 was the lowest price point for Criterion LDs.

 

[Sultanofcinema]

I don't want to go off script but were any of you lucky enough to obtain the MY Fair Lady box set (125.00) with her original singing tracks?

 

[Bartman]

Yeah, $50 was the lowest price point for Criterion LDs.

Not quite, I remember paying $35 for Criterion widescreen early Bonds at a local Strawberries & was happy to pay it.
When my parents visited from the UK, I demonstrated Goldfinger & remarked, look you can see "individual blades of grass".
That week a local TV channel was showing Star Trek TOS, that I'd not seen since original UK airing, nostalgia central.

 

[jayembee]

Not quite, I remember paying $35 for Criterion widescreen early Bonds at a local Strawberries & was happy to pay it.

I was talking MSRP.