New Blu-ray/DVD Releases

[Mike Scott]

$28.85, not as cheap as some, but I did get it quick.

And you get to shake it to make sure the discs aren't loose and check to make sure the cardboard sleeve isn't damaged.

[BRICK]

I wrote to Universal urging them to include "Creature Feature: 50 Years of the Gill-Man" documentary, the Uncle Gilbert episode of The Munsters, the Abbott & Costello Show segment where they meet the Creature, as well as a simulated 3-D version of The Creature Walks Among Us on this Blu-Ray release. Sadly none of these features made it to the disc. 

[Mike Scott]

I wrote to Universal urging them to include "Creature Feature: 50 Years of the Gill-Man" documentary, the Abbott & Costello Show segment where they meet the Creature

Universal doesn't own either of those.

[Mord]

I wrote Universal to see if they would include that Rasta-Creature musical from the theme park. No luck on that, either. Oh, well.

[BRICK]

Universal doesn't own either of those.

I realize that, but I figured that since this set has the fewest number of movies of any of the Legacy sets, and since they often  try to add additional extras to get you to repurchase the same movies you have already bought half a dozen times before, that there might have been a chance. Granted, I knew that it was a long shot.

[Rex fury]

Just got my blue Ray copy of Horror At Party Beach  yesterday. I had a great time watching it last night. My one disappointment with this release was the extras. While there was some fun stuff, like an interview with the Del-Aires, I thought they could have done a lot more. I would have liked to know how Warren ended up making their first Famous Films from this show. It would have been cool to see the masks/costumes used in the film if any still exist. An interview with a couple of actors from the film might have been fun too.
I read the magazine way before I ever saw the film and two things came to mind: when I first got the issue I thought "Wallace Wood" was one of the Del-Aires! And two, sometime in the late Seventies when Graham Nash did "Barrel of Pain", I remember thinking that he should use the opening to HAPB on a video version of the song. There's nothing like the nostalgia of these old films!
RF

[BRICK]

I just finished watching Revenge of the Creature projected onto a 100" screen. Overall, the picture quality is very good, although the focus is soft in some shots, and sometimes they seem to be focusing on the wrong plane, altogether. Furthermore, some of the underwater scenes are quite muddy; still, it looks better than it ever has. Unfortunately, both Revenge & CWAU have been cropped down to 16:9 (just like the Blu-ray release of CFTBL); I was very disappointed with that.

[zombiehorror]

Unfortunately, both Revenge & CWAU have been cropped down to 16:9 (just like the Blu-ray release of CFTBL); I was very disappointed with that.

Unless you are still watching it on a standard screen there really is no reason for the square aspect ratio and you don't miss anything with the 16:9 (actually it is 1.85:1); you gain a little superfluous detail on the sides and loss a little superfluous detail on the top and bottom; it really isn't a big deal when you do a side by side.

I'm not sure where IMDB got these specs but:

Creature from the Black Lagoon
1.37 : 1 (negative ratio)
1.85 : 1 (Blu-ray release)
2.00 : 1 (intended ratio)

Revenge of the Creature
1.37 : 1 (negative ratio)
1.33 : 1 (DVD)
2.00 : 1 (intended ratio)

The 2.00 aspect ration dates back to 1954.

[Monsters For Sale]

Actually, 16x9 is in between 1.78:1 and 1.77:1.  Most people use the 78.

Whether you get more or less image area than the 1.85:1 format depends on if the sides are cropped or the top and bottom are opened up.

If the new format is being taken from an original Academy Standard 1.37:1 negative (1.33:1 is old TV), more can be added to the old 1.85 crop on top and bottom.  If the original negative no longer exists, and it is being taken from an image that was already chopped to a 1.85 format, then they need to lose some little image on both sides.

Difference in gain or loss is more pronounced when dealing with 2.00:1 to 1.78:1 conversions.

The post-photographic addition of magnetic sound strips or optical sound tracks also can throw the whole picture off center.

Later, different competing wide-screen negatives can make this a bit more complicated.

Even the image you saw in the old theaters was constantly being adjusted because of theater size and shape, mats, available projection lenses, etc.   Just check out the same movie being shown in a multi-plex with both large and small theaters.  I've seen dramatic differences from one to another.

Add to that special wide-screen releases to select cities with theaters equipped to handle them, regional releases in alternate formats, etc.  Some few movies have had dual releases in the Directors' intended format and Studio mandated wide release because of "final cut" disputes or were hastily cropped from original format to wide-screen after principal photography to fight against TV - and on and on and on...  We only think we have all seen the exact same movies.

(I try not to think about this too much.  It makes my head hurt.)

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

I was just on the cusp of ordering the Universal Monsters Complete 30 Film Blu-ray set when I saw this blog post on The Digital Bits. There's a big problem with the 3D version of "Revenge of the Creature", and while I don't have a 3D setup, it would still bother me. Worse, apparently Universal went the cheap route on the transfer of "The Creature Walks Among Us" and both films are 720 transfers instead of 1080p.

Here's the info from The Digital Bits:

I expect to have review product in hand by this weekend and will certainly dive into it for review here on The Bits as soon as I do. But we're already getting word of a problem with the Blu-ray 3D release of Revenge of the Creature (1955) that's included in the 30-Film and Creature sets. Readers are reporting that the 3D presentation has been improperly authored, causing the 1080p 3D image to be badly compromised. The film was beautifully restored in 4K by Robert Furmanek's 3-D Film Archive and was considered the highlight of these sets and something much anticipated by fans. But it's been included on the disc in such a way that the left and right-eye imagery is presented side by side (and not one on top of the other, per the Blu-ray spec). That means it's not full 1080p 3D as it should be. It also means that the second film included on that disc in 2D, The Creature Walks Among Us (1956), isn't full 1080p either. Both are 720. This appears to have been done as a deliberate choice by the studio to reduce replication costs, but it's a HUGE mistake, is completely unacceptable, and seriously compromises the presentation of both films. We've learned that Universal is "looking into the matter" but here's the deal: Universal... this is a mistake and you guys need to correct it and make it right with consumers. Author a proper 1080p Blu-ray 3D of Revenge of the Creature and a separate standard Blu-ray of The Creature Walks Among Us and make them available to everyone who has purchased these sets. The Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection currently sells for $137 on Amazon, while the Creature set is $27 for just three films. That is WAY TOO MUCH to pay for compromised quality. Make it right, guys... by redoing it right.

[Radioactive Rod Whitenack]

Individual reviews on Amazon confirm this problem, making the new "Creature" set pretty much worthless. Another issue I wasn't aware of is that this is just a repackaging of the Legacy Collection discs meaning that you get several films multiple times on different discs. While this isn't something to really complain about, I was excited to watch the films IN ORDER OF RELEASE as they are listed on the back of the box. You can still do this of course, but you have to do a lot of disc swapping back and forth to do it. This was basically my whole reason for wanting this collection as opposed to just buying all the individual legacy sets.

[Monsters For Sale]

I was just on the cusp of ordering the Universal Monsters Complete 30 Film Blu-ray set when I saw this blog post on The Digital Bits. ... 

I like The Digital Bits.  They give good, detailed info.

... I was excited to watch the films IN ORDER OF RELEASE as they are listed on the back of the box....

I liked the VHS tapes because I could display them on the shelf in order of release.  I like to watch them that way, too.

[horrorhunter]

The preceding posts point out problems which are additional good reasons to just wait to re-buy these films yet again. The main reason I wait is simply cost. I bought the DVD Uni 30 film collection for $50. We all knew Uni would eventually sell it in BD after dribbling out the BD releases a few at a time and milking more cash from a cow that has been drained several times over. It's possible that some of these problems with the BDs will be corrected but it's doubtful. Just wait and the BD 30 film set will be dirt cheap at some point just like the DVD set. We've seen it all before, folks...it's like freakin' Groundhog Day, except your money doesn't return on the repeats.

[zombiehorror]

Reading the reviews it seems there is a much-much bigger issue with the transfer on this disc than simple compression.  I have downloaded Bluray 3D films that have been compressed down to 2 or 3 Gb from 20 to 30 and I don't notice a difference in image quality.  People are saying the image is blurry though out and others are having problems even getting their systems to recognize the 3D format.  Looks like I'll be holding off until this issue is resolved.....if it gets resolved.

[Memphremagog]

Coming from Scream Factory on December 18:




Extras to be announced soon!