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All WB Blu-rays - archive, regular retail, catalog, TV and new release - are open region. The only ones that need to be double checked are the other labels WB distributes for (HBO, BBC, the handful of New Line titles before they absorbed them in 2008, etc.)

This ones for Domino
Days of Wine and Roses.... Beaver... Another stellar looking blu from WAC

I actually received it on release day from Amazon, somehow

Not waiting for a 4 for $44 deal, that's hardcore

I’ve actually bought the last couple months’ worth (of the ones I want) on release date. I now bend the world to meet my needs, not vice versa

4 for $44 sale is up, but the last few months of titles aren't included.

...And shipping is now $2.50, instead of being free.

Shipping is free above $50

Too bad I couldn't find a 5th title then! Topcashback nets you 7.25% as well.

It's a shame that the last few months of Warner Archive aren't part of the recent sale. They're at their prime with their releases and I've been itching to rewatch The Bad and the Beautiful, especially after seeing 2 Weeks in Another Town a few months ago. I caved in and picked up The Thin Man as I assume the single release doesn't bode well for the rest in the series (similarly to Criterion's single release of Swing Time). I ordered Year of the Dragon as well as I recall it being one of the best Michael Cimino films and am curious if it holds up in my mind. A friend recently made the argument to me as to why he considers it a racist film, so I'm curious to see it with that in mind too.

I mostly want to comment on the release of Mr. Nice Guy. I have a large archive of Hong Kong films and most of the DVDs for features before the handover of Hong Kong to China tend to have either non-anamorphic transfers sourced from an old master where the colors are terribly faded and images are often soft and hazey looking. Anytime 70s-90s Hong Kong films play on 35mm around Los Angeles, I try to go see them and they always look a thousand times better than any physical media version I own (I recently caught The Killer, Hard Boiled, and Bullet in the Head). The nature of the Hong Kong film industry has them make the distribution prints on the cheapest looking film stock available and when compared to some of the gorgeous prints I regularly encounter (for example, I recently saw a new 16mm print of James Whitney's Lapis that was unreal), they leave a bit to be wanting. It's the nature of Hong Kong films and will happily continue watching these films on my laserdisc, VCD, and VHS collection as I know that's the only way I'll get to see these and happily accept that.

That said, Eureka's recent releases of Hong Kong cinema look pretty spectacular, but Mr. Nice Guy is unreal. Perhaps because it's a later film than the rest that have been released to date, but I couldn't believe a Hong Kong film looked this good on Blu-ray. It has to be taken from some sort of original negative (if it exists) as the colors and detail are incredible on this transfer. The image really pops out and the level of detail is really incredible. I'm not sure if I've seen any Hong Kong films transferred to Blu-ray from this period of time and I don't know enough to say how the drastic changes of the '97 handover effected things like film stock, but I couldn't believe how good it looked. I don't really buy the Warner Archive titles of titles not from the era of classic Hollywood, so can't speak to how the transfers for their other contemporary-ish features are, but this is one of the best looking releases of theirs I've encountered. I always expect excellent picture quality when dealing with Warner transfers and I'm happy to see that even with this. My only complaint is the subtitles. The film is 95% in English, but for the few moments that aren't, you have to deal with all caps subtitles on screen. At least the subtitles are white this time as opposed to the garish yellow ones of their other releases. It's not the best for reading subtitles, but I've dealt with far worse and I'm happy to put up with these considering what a spectacular looking release this is and how limited the subtitles are on screen. I now put my hands together and pray that they one day do similar releases for their gems in their Golden Harvest catalog like The Blade, though I predict if this were to happen if would be a release of Rumble in the Bronx or Police Story 4: First Strike with the original Hong Kong release cuts.

Mr. Nice Guy is also a far better movie than I remembered. Rush Hour would ultimately dilute Jackie Chan's films and make him a mega star who was too big of a star to do his masochistic action on film (especially for insurance reasons). This feels like a last hurrah from the Hong Kong old guard to make one last film in their style and it shows them throwing everything in. Some of the quick, rapid actions feel very scary and to see Chan throwing large moving palettes and roll over functioning table saws so perfectly had me gasping out loud again and again. Sammo Hung is an excellent choreographer and director who doesn't take action lightly. Chan's films can often border on ballet with some of careful action and the fanciful quality of it, but Hung refuses to let action play delicately like that and goes for the painful looking stunt or punch. Just freeze frame or look carefully at the construction fight scene as a perfect example of Hung's brutal choreography that balances well with his otherwise very goofy style. It also seems to pick up a few cues from Jerry Bruckheimer's "swinging dick" films with its finale that feels like a reaction to the spectacular explosions and destruction of his films. The ending is as though Michael Bay directed Zabriskie Point's finale as a garish Memphis style house is obliterated by a giant vehicle, casually crushing Porsches, Maseratis, and causing extraordinary levels of explosions captured from every conceivable angle imaginable as goons with bad hair cuts and large suits run away spilling cocaine everywhere. And in case you weren't sure if the Bay connection was unintentional, the title of this film is styled exactly like the Bad Boys logo in the end credits. In comparison to some of Chan's more easily digestible and tamer contemporary films, this really feels like his last great film. I don't blame him for the limp films from his recent career as he's now old enough to be an AARP member and has already put his body through insane levels of abuse. He deserves the easier stardom now.

domino harvey wrote: Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:07 am

senseabove wrote: Wed Oct 16, 2019 11:57 pm Also Jacques Tourneur's Great Day in the Morning

I'm not even remotely a Tourneur booster but this is a strong western with a good central perf by Robert Stack. It is still completely bonkers that someone at Warners closed their eyes and pointed to this for Blu-ray release, but could have been way worse

The Blu will also have these bonus MGM shorts directed by Tourneur:

the Ship That Died
Strange Glory
the Face Behind the Mask
the Magic Alphabet

My Blu-ray arrived this weekend and I checked out these four shorts. Three are An Historical Mystery shorts, and the last is a Passing Parade short, though all are ostensibly "mysteries"-- I don't value Tourneur much as a director, but you'd be hard pressed to see these as anything but for-hire early works made and controlled by MGM's producers. Still, they were mostly entertaining, but don't expect much

> I'm not even remotely a Tourneur booster

I wish more films by MAURICE Tourneur were available.

Gun Crazy came out in the UK in November via HMV's Premium Collection, which feels like the first title of note for a few months,

One I'm sure we've all been waiting for...WAC announced John Sturges' Underwater!

W
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TMDaines wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:45 pm Gun Crazy came out in the UK in November via HMV's Premium Collection, which feels like the first title of note for a few months,

Thanks for that. These HMV releases are really nice.

And now Penelope with Natalie Wood... did they fire the person who was steering this label away from releases like these?

...and Two on a Guillotine. Banner start to 2020, Warner Archives

Underwater! and Penelope are slightly less odd choices when one considers they never even got DVD releases in the US. I also think this is the first time Underwater! will be released with its proper 2.00 AR in the TV/Video second run era. These were likely ones that popped up in the general remastering rotation.

4th title announced - Cimarron (1960)

I’m one of the few people who even likes Mann’s Cimarron and I still think that’s a nuts upgrade. 4 for 4 so far

The WAC Facebook posted a video seemingly indicating a blu of Tex Avery cartoons is coming. It's low res but I think I can also discern "volume 1" on the cover

Grand Wazoo wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 5:21 pm The WAC Facebook posted a video seemingly indicating a blu of Tex Avery cartoons is coming. It's low res but I think I can also discern "volume 1" on the cover

Already the release of 2020!