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I don't see how I can be disappointed at all as long as ABSD is released in my lifetime.

Oh I completely concur (it's just that part of me wishes that you're ninety odd years old and dying of say...kidney failure).

mfunk9786 wrote:Blu-ray.com review

That's really disappointing.

What's a disappointment? That sounded like an awfully positive review.

Read the section on the PQ (video quality).

That's the only section I did read.

I'm guessing aox is referring to the easy to spot "random noise corrections" comment. But considering the reviewer went on to give it 4/5 I'm not that worried - it's probably the reviewer just clumsily trying to show he knows what DNR is.

He is easily the most dull, worst digital media reviewer I've ever had the displeasure of reading, so that's a definite possibility. And he seems to have a monopoly on all Criterion Collection and/or Region B reviews on that site. He never has anything remotely insightful to say about image or audio quality.

and the edge enhancement.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't just about every release these days use some amount of DNR and edge enhancement? And isn't this necessary to get the best possible result out of an image that has been compressed to fit on a Blu-ray disc? I thought the problem wasn't inherently from these tools being used, but from them being used too much.

The review is kind of vague. I guess I just read the review as being somewhat dissatisfied. It's hard to tell tone in print sometimes. I just can't imagine the print of a 10 year old film would need all that much work.

Has this ever been a problem for Criterion before? Calm yourself.

aox wrote:The review is kind of vague. I guess I just read the review as being somewhat dissatisfied. It's hard to tell tone in print sometimes.

Except here it isn't. The few complaints he makes he's quick to acknowledge are insignificant. How are you having trouble understanding this?

med wrote:

aox wrote:The review is kind of vague. I guess I just read the review as being somewhat dissatisfied. It's hard to tell tone in print sometimes.

Except here it isn't. The few complaints he makes he's quick to acknowledge are insignificant. How are you having trouble understanding this?

Because I read the majority of all reviews from the site, and they all end (even the shitty ones) on an upswing of praise and optimism. I don't think I have ever seen a website go out of its way to not step on any toes. Every awful review ends with, "While it could look better, we are confident this is an upgrade" or "issues aside, this still looks better then the standard definition DVD." I picked some of the worst reviews from the past few weeks:

For example, Barb Wire review from this past week:

The Blu-ray edition of Barb Wire may be a high-class hooker compared to its DVD counterpart, but that doesn't mean it boasts a classy high definition presentation.

48 Hours:

Unfortunately, Paramount's Blu-ray release of 48 Hrs. isn't up to par. The 1080p transfer is midlevel at best, the soundtrack only a bit better, and the disc is almost completely absent any supplemental materials. Fans will want to pick this up at the right price if only for the boost in video and audio over standard definition, but most would be best served with a rental.

All the Presidents Men:

This is a decent enough upgrade from the SD-DVD, but those without any prior experience with this film may be shocked at just how soft and dark this BD looks......This Blu-ray's image quality leaves something to be desired, but otherwise this is an excellent release. Highly recommended.

DVD Beaver on the Yi Yi blu-ray.

It looks great. Criterion has boosted the brightness to an appropriate level - just look at the garden screen capture to finally see an approximation of what daylight looks like.

Whoa, totally aox's loss here - I think it looks great. It's hard to tell from the site address-stamped Blu-ray.com screenshots, and from Dr. Svet's bland descriptions of the video quality of every title he reviews, but the Beaver screenshots look very nice. Now, if I could only will myself to sit through the 3 hour runtime of this film.

It's funny that I'm not even close to calling the film a masterpiece, but the run time was never an issue for me. It's paced really well and with enough interesting characters to more than excuse the run time, for me at least.

mfunk9786 wrote:Whoa, totally aox's loss here - I think it looks great. It's hard to tell from the site address-stamped Blu-ray.com screenshots, and from Dr. Svet's bland descriptions of the video quality of every title he reviews, but the Beaver screenshots look very nice. Now, if I could only will myself to sit through the 3 hour runtime of this film.

They do. Regardless, I planned on buying this. I really like the film, and I feel that subsequent viewings will only cement my appreciation for it.

I'm hoping someone fluent in Mandarin can answer this. During the first chapter of this film when the groom's ex shows up and says she's looking for someone, they ask her which person that would be, and she spits out a comically angry response. It's translated as "mind your own business," but she uses a word that I always understood to be a profanity, one with multiple meanings and usages like your typical four letter word. To me, it was more like the equivalent of "why is that any of your fucking business?"

The phrase she uses is "pi shi" which can literally be translated as "fart business" but really just means a pointless, insignificant matter (like a fart). It's colorful and rude, but not really at the level of profanity. The English is a decent translation, though you could probably push it to "None of your damn business."

Yes. Yours is the proper translation.

Has Criterion somehow issued a batch of the blu-ray with "A FILM BY EDWARD YANG" removed from the front cover? A friend showed me his nameless-cover copy, and everything else is identical to mine purchased back in 2011, down to the "first printing" fine print on the back. I did a cursory search on Ebay and indeed there are multiple listings with this variation in cover design. I wonder why...

andyli wrote: Wed May 14, 2025 2:56 am Has Criterion somehow issued a batch of the blu-ray with "A FILM BY EDWARD YANG" removed from the front cover? A friend showed me his nameless-cover copy, and everything else is identical to mine purchased back in 2011, down to the "first printing" fine print on the back. I did a cursory search on Ebay and indeed there are multiple listings with this variation in cover design. I wonder why...

My copy doesn't say "A FILM BY EDWARD YANG" on the front, but does say first printing on the back. I bought mine during the July 2013 B&N sale (where did the time go?!). So if this is a different batch, it's been out for a long time.

The one I have, which I would have received back in 2011, is missing it, so I'm assuming that's how the first batch were.