Latest DVDs & BDs in My Collection

[jimm]

So I have an amazon card... recommendations? Leaning this way

http://www.amazon.com/Werewolf-Paranoiac-Nightmare-Creatures-Frankenstein/dp/B00KXQL6CW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451192702&sr=8-2&keywords=hammer+film



What else ?

[Mord]

 You can't go wrong with this set. You get some sure fire Hammer classics, plus a few obscure gems. I don't think you will regret it. "Curse of the Werewolf" and "Brides of Dracula" are worth the price alone.

[Mike Scott]

I still have the old dbl sided set, but I want to replace it with this new one.

What else? What do you have? Do you have the Wm Castle Columbia set? The Universal monsters Blu-ray set?

[jimm]

Thanks!

Neither.... have the green box Uni's and none of the Castles...though I've seen them plenty

[Mike Scott]

I'm going back a few years, but I don't know what you have. Just naming some great box sets, there's the Val Lewton set, the Universal '50s sci-fi set(s) and the 2 FOX Horrors sets. There's also the new A&C MEET THE MONSTERS set.

[Mord]

 Don't forget the Bela Lugosi Franchise collection. It includes five of the best non-monster Universal horror films (Black Cat, The Raven, Invisible Ray).

[Mike Scott]

Don't forget the Bela Lugosi Franchise collection. It includes five of the best non-monster Universal horror films (Black Cat, The Raven, Invisible Ray).

The Black Cat, The Raven and Black Friday were released on DVDs in the UK in 2013. Two movies short of replacing that DVD-18.

[Mord]

The Black Cat, The Raven and Black Friday were released on DVDs in the UK in 2013. Two movies short of replacing that DVD-18.

I've never had a problem with my set, but would replace it if the films had been restored.

[Monsters For Sale]

MIRACLE MILE, 1988.


In the middle of the night a phone rings in a booth near a diner.  The main character answers it and is told by the caller, who has mis-dialed,  that World War III has begun.  Missiles have been launched toward the U.S. and soon the retaliation will begin.  The call ends abruptly with the sound of gunfire on the other end.  Another voice comes on and says to ignore the call and "go back to sleep".

Was it real?  Was it all a prank?

This is the story of what follows.


Yeah, I know the actions here are not very likely, the film is dated and the dumb romance thread is a distraction.  But I still get a kick out of this movie starring ER's Anthony Edwards.  It even has John Agar.

Finally, this little film has been re-mastered and issued in the proper ratio with commentaries and other extras.

Special Features: Audio Commentary with Director Steve De Jarnatt and Film Critic Walter Chaw, Audio Commentary with Steve De Jarnatt, DP Theo van de Sande and Production Designer Chris Horner, Excavations From the Editing Room Tar Pits Deleted Scenes, Outtakes and Bloopers, Supporting Cast and Crew Reunion, Harry and Julie: Interview with stars Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, Alternate Diamond Ending, Trailers for MIRACLE MILE and CHERRY 2000.

     Available in Blu-Ray:

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Mile-Blu-ray-Anthony-Edwards/dp/B00X99CXXQ/ref=sr_1_2_twi_blu_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1451405942&sr=1-2&keywords=miracle+mile

     and DVD:

http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Mile-Anthony-Edwards/dp/B00X99BQMA/ref=pd_sim_74_49?ie=UTF8&dpID=51XnDJikh0L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR113%2C160_&refRID=0Y053D9PK7Z8CD042187


I'm updating my so-so copy.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

As gifts I got the Witch's Dungeon Documentary and the Kino Phantom of the Opera Blu Ray.
Now the Kino Blu Ray is known for some major problems. The 20 fps 1929 version has this weird jump to an unrelated scene for a second and the 1925 version is in terrible quality. This aside this is also the most complete version of the 1925 version I've seen so this is good if you're a completionist.

[Mike Scott]

the 1925 version is in terrible quality. This aside this is also the most complete version of the 1925 version

The 16mm print was only used to replace scenes not found in the 1929 (35mm) print, so it's only partially terrible.

[YoungestMonsterKid]

The 16mm print was only used to replace scenes not found in the 1929 (35mm) print, so it's only partially terrible.

Don't know what you think you're talking about but you're wrong. The history is really complicated. So it's a common mistake.
The 16 mm print was used as the basis for the entirety of the original version that survives today. The only 1929 thing that was used in the original print of today was the title screen.
Since every scene in the 1929 version is a completely different take or second camera angle there's nearly nothing in the 1929 silent version that matches.
The 16 mm print has been restored to amazing quality but Kino didn't use these restorations.

[Mike Scott]

Don't know what you think you're talking about but you're wrong.

So, why is it the parts that are in the '29 look great, while the rest of the '25 looks like crap?

[YoungestMonsterKid]

So, why is it the parts that are in the '29 look great, while the rest of the '25 looks like crap?

The 1929 version we have today is from a movie print composed of outtakes, alternate camera footage, and silent bits of the 1929 new sound footage.
It doesn't really contain any parts of the original film. It was given to Eastman House when they requested a copy from Universal but Universal had already destroyed any original theatre copies in 1948.
The footage in the two versions are all completely different.
The 1929 sound version used new scenes being filmed now in sound but also reused outtakes of the original for the silent sections of the new film. No one's quite sure why of this next part but it's believed that even more hastily they took this sound version and edited more outtakes into the sound scene's places so that it could be sold on theatres not yet equipped for sound in the new format of the sound version.

The sound discs survive but the sound version is lost except for one few minute reel which shows the Phantom's assistant speaking to Christine through a mirror and the shadow of a guy pretending to be Lon Chaney.
So when they present the "sound version" today it's actually the 1929 silent version with these sound discs trying to sync up short sentences and sound effects, practically all of the talking is cut out since it doesn't sync up so it's kind of pointless.

And on the subject of color. The original film had 17 minutes of color scenes. But the color scenes would be kept seperate from the main film which would have black and white versions of the scenes . If it was showing in a major area they would add in the color clips. That's why we only have a one minute color sequence in the 1929 version. The short clip was found in the 70's and strangely enough matched up with the 1929 silent version so it was edited into the 1929 silent version. Then people colored in some more with computers.

So the real film only survives in several 16 mm Show At Home prints from the 1930's. People would watch these off projectors in their houses so Universal made the prints smaller and didn't include any color scenes. These wouldn't be discovered until later.

Basically imagine it like this: London after Midnight is found but people still insist on watching the Turner Classic Movies version made of stills.

[Mike Scott]

OK, let's forget the '29 version (for the most part). Why do some scenes, in the '25 version, look as good as the '29 version, while the rest of the '25 version looks terrible?