Paramount Catalog Titles on Blu

[Thomas Dukenfield]

I'm sorry to report the French Funny Face is an unmitigated disaster.

That's too bad. After seeing the To Catch a Thief Blu, I immediately thought of Funny Face as a Vistavision movie that could look killer on Blu if done right.

[Rsdio]

I went and pre-ordered the UK Chinatown Blu-ray (making it I think about the fifth release I've owned over the years and formats) and was quite pleased with the transfer although I'm sure it could probably look better. At times it does look excellent though.

What I was less impressed with was the fact that Paramount didn't see fit to port ANY of the on-disc extras from the SE/Region A Blu across. Not even the trailer. Maybe I've only myself to blame for thinking that those days were over and not bothering to err on the side of caution.

[eerik]

What I was less impressed with was the fact that Paramount didn't see fit to port ANY of the on-disc extras from the SE/Region A Blu across. Not even the trailer. Maybe I've only myself to blame for thinking that those days were over and not bothering to err on the side of caution.

The same story with American Beauty, To Catch a Thief, etc. - no special features on European releases.

[AfterTheRain]

According toThe Digital Bits, all four Indiana Jones movies are now due on September 18th.

[dx23]

Don't you talk about Clue. Clue is fucking great.

Don't under exaggerate. It's the fucking greatest.

Damn right. Clue now has an announced date of August 7 and is available for pre-order at Amazon.

Confirmed by Paramount.

[Calvin]

Vote to choose the cover art of Sunset Boulevard

[TMDaines]

The red one is great.

[onedimension]

The red makes it look more noir-ish to me than the movie feels- Norma's more tragicomic/campy than femme fatale..

[swo17]

The red one is from an original poster and is basically perfect.

[domino harvey]

I think it's funny that they're pretending to ask us when we all know they're going to use the hideous modern one

[hearthesilence]

Red, of course. I loved it when WB used original poster art as the cover for DVD reissues, it was logical and aesthetically a great idea. Just take a look at the last double-DVD Special Edition reissues of Casablanca or Singin' in the Rain. I wish they hadn't abandoned it with their Blu-Ray reissues.

[Jeff]

I think it's funny that they're pretending to ask us when we all know they're going to use the hideous modern one

It is cruel of them to taunt me with the possibility of using the awesome original one sheet.

[Finch]

Original poster art all the way!

[willoneill]

I have a feeling they'll end up going with the black cover, for an odd reason. I'm not a graphic designer, but at first glance, the red cover looks like it will be harder to change the title text into different languages (eg. the Canadian bilingual cover), whereas the black cover looks mug easier to adapt. That may be over thinking things, however.

[captveg]

Looks like Shout Factory has picked up some Paramount titles as well, releasing The Duellists 11/20/12.

[knives]

They claim to have only picked up that ans the Walking Tall series.

[swo17]

Vote to choose the cover art of Sunset Boulevard

Democracy works?

[Matt]

Sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose.

[Minkin]

For all of you who had high hopes for the Indiana Jones mystery super package, uhh, here's what the extra 20 pounds will get you:

Contents:
Reproduction Holy Grail prop (144 pages)
Film cell
Grail rubbing
Menu from Pankot Palace
Four rare film stills
Club Obi-Wan matchbook
Travel tickets
Two photos

[Gregory]

Grail rubbing

Sounds a bit sacrilegious

[manicsounds]

Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray.com review

Although the extras seem extensive, a lot of the extras are missing from the previous releases, especially the lengthy documentary and featurettes of the 4th one.

[Napier]

Another review for Indy. I just got mine this morning and the packaging is gorgeous. Can't wait to dive in.

[flyonthewall2983]

Complete Indiana Jones Blu-ray.com review

Although the extras seem extensive, a lot of the extras are missing from the previous releases, especially the lengthy documentary and featurettes of the 4th one.

So less Shia to ruin the experience? How can that be bad?

[dx23]

Warner to Take Over Distribution of Part of Paramount Library

Deal includes UltraViolet access to Paramount titles on Warner’s Flixster

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is taking over marketing, merchandising and distribution of a big chunk of Paramount Pictures’ movie library.

The studio today announced a strategic alliance with Paramount Home Media Distribution that is centered on more than 600 catalog titles from the Paramount film library. The deal gives Warner exclusive rights to physical Blu-rayDisc and DVD distribution of those titles in the United States and Canada, and will make Paramount’s UltraViolet offerings available on a non-exclusive basis through Flixster, the Warner Bros. movie streaming and discovery service.

Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video, called the arrangement “a good deal for both studios because Paramount can be assured of a revenue stream on their catalog and refocus their resources toward franchises, while Warner can leverage its scale to launch new Blu-ray titles, collections and special editions.”

Dennis Maguire, president of Paramount Home Media Distribution, is equally enthusiastic. “We are bullish on this deal as it firmly supports innovation in a critical aspect of our business, while at the same time it leverages our collective strengths and assets to maximize profits in the present market,” he said. “Flixster provides access to the leading movie discovery application that will promote digital content ownership and aid in expanding our digital business. At the same time, on the physical side, this agreement enables us to manage our profitability in a time of change in the marketplace and to focus more resources on new releases. With its strong infrastructure and track record, Warner will not only safeguard but enhance the long-term value of titles covered by this agreement.”

“We’re delighted that movie fans will now be able to access Paramount titles through Flixster, further expanding the already robust library of UltraViolet-enabled content and making the continued transition to digital much smoother for the consumer,” added Thomas Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

The agreement also grants Warner Bros. manufacturing on demand rights and the ability to include UltraViolet Digital Copy bundled with packaged media. Paramount will retain all digital rights for their titles, including electronic sell-through (EST), video-on-demand (VOD) and subscription video-on-demand. Flixster will offer, on a non-exclusive basis, Paramount titles for sale in UltraViolet EST format, UltraViolet Disc-to-Digital and VOD. Flixster will also act as an UltraViolet Locker Access Service Provider for all Paramount UltraViolet titles, and as a redemption site for Paramount UltraViolet Digital Copies.

The three-year deal, which takes effect January 1, 2013, covers U.S. and Canadian rights only and includes titles such as Braveheart, Gladiator, Ghost, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Chinatown, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Forrest Gump, The African Queen, The Ten Commandments, Hugo, Fatal Attraction, Rango, Terms of Endearment, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Airplane!, according to studio and retail sources.

The agreement excludes approximately 100 cornerstone Paramount titles, including the Transformers, Star Trek and Indiana Jones franchises. Warner also will gain access to select new titles after the initial 26-week release period.

Paramount will receive licensing fees from Warner Bros. and be entitled to various benefits under a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Flixster.

I imagine that a lot of stuff released by Warner is going to be just repackaging of already existing releases. I think the big deal for Warner is getting those films for exclusive Ultraviolet (digital) releases and taking them away from Apple iTunes. Still, there are some good boxsets that can come out of this.

[captveg]

Sounds similarto the deal MGM has with Fox, i.e. Paramount is still in control of deciding what to release and getting the films scheduled for home video.