criterionforum.org

Gary Tooze wrote:In our review of Fox's The Fly Collection - The Fly (1958), Return Of The Fly (1959) and The Curse Of The Fly (1965) we've compared a few screen grabs with the Double Feature disc (just The Fly and Return Of The Fly) that came out in 2000. There is improvement.

I'd been waiting for these, I knew they'd do something cool with them. I should be receiving them tomorrow from DVDPlanet along with the Midnite Movies Vincent Price box set. I can have a Price Marathon!

Derek - I can't say too much about colors (never seen either theatrically) but both new have less artefacts... and IMO, skin tones look more realistic...
***
New...

MGM (20th Anniversary Theatrical + Extended) - Region 1 - NTSC 'Robocop' vs. MGM (Lenticular Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. MGM (Trilogy) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. MGM - Region 2,4 - PAL

20th Century Fox (2-disc 20th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC "Wall Street" vs. 20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC

Warner - Region 1 - NTSC "Deliverance" vs. Warner (Deluxe Edition) - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

and we added a few digi-caps to the below comparison (although it doesn't do the Blu-ray justice):
Sony Blu-ray "A Few Good Men" vs. Sony Pictures (Special Edition) - Region 1,3,4 - NTSC vs. Sony Pictures (SuperBit) - Region 0 - NTSC

One more...

Carlotta - Region 2 - PAL "Ministry of Fear" vs. Optimum - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Best,

Looking at the screep captures for Deliverance I wonder why the deluxe edition won the comparison. I think the old edition looks better in almost all the picture comparisons. The green water in comparison pair 3 (Reynolds pointing the arrow at the camera) and the green sky in pair 4 (the officer looking through the car window) looks really unnatural.

We discussed this in our Listserv and it appears that it was originally (theatrically) shown with a heavy emphasis on greens and golds. Whether it looks 'natural' to you or not - this is a more realistic representation of how it was initially presented.
Tack onto that the pictureboxing of the first release, black boosted - its vast more artefacts and you will see why the Deluxe was chosen.
Regards,
Gary

domino harvey wrote:commentary by "Steven Sodaburger"? #-o

So no hope for any review of the Criterion Schizopolis DVD on Beaver? It's been 4 years, but you know, the people still need to know...

New BFI DVD of Pasolini film...

Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC "Theorem" vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL vs. Films Sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC "Species" vs. MGM (2-disc Collector's Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC

Redemption (Redemption USA) - Region 0 - NTSC "The Iron Rose" vs. X-Rated Kult DVD - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Best,

Gary, your front page is wrong-- Passion has been available with English subs for several years from Cahiers du Cinema.

Thanks Domino!

New...

Paramount - Region 1 - NTSC "Days of Heaven" vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

Another...

Warner - Region 1 - NTSC "Poltergeist" vs. Warner (25th Anniversary Edition) - Region 1, 2, 3, 4 - NTSC

New...

Criterion (2-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC "Breathless" vs. Kinowelt - Region 2- PAL vs. Fox/Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Optimum (UK) - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Cheers,

2 more....

Troma Team - Region 0 - NTSC "The Stendahl Syndrome" vs. Blue Underground (2 Disc Special Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Medusa (Medusa English Version Disc 2) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Medusa (Medusa Italian Version Disc 1) - Region 2 - PAL

BFI - Region 2 - PAL "Cry of the City" vs. Carlotta Films - Region 2 - PAL vs. Suevia Films - Region 0 - PAL

Two more Noirs... Criterion image bested?

20th Century Fox - Region 1 - NTSC "Kiss of Death" vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL

Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC "Night and the City" vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Best,

Gary, didn't you yourself confirm Cry of the City to be coming from Criterion not too long ago (in an e-mail newsletter, possibly)? I know you say that you don't know of it coming any time soon in your BFI review; has something changed with regards to Criterion that you know of (I was dubious as Criterion hasn't licensed anything from Fox in a long time).

Sorry - no Cronenfly - I have no info on Criterion putting it out.
***
It's here:

Warner (Europe) - Region 0 - PAL "2001: A Space Odyssey" vs. MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (Remastered Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (2-disc Special Edition) Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC



Warner Re-mastered - Region 2/4 - PAL "The Shining" vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner - Re-mastered - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (2-disc Special Edition) - Region 1- NTSC

Now anamorphic...

Warner Studios - Region 1 - NTSC "A Clockwork Orange" vs. Warner (2-disc Special Edition) - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

I apologize for the download size of the page.

Cheers,

NOTE: Eyes Wide Shut is on deck - coming soon. Just to confirm the new releases (2-disc, HD and Blu-ray) contain Kubrick's unexpurgated scenes complete with the orgy scene(s) intact. But unlike the Region 1 digitally censored version it is 1.78 not 1.33. The extras are great that I have seen so far. More to report soon...

Censored


New 2-disc


Here is a sample of the new 2-disc vs the hi-def:

SD


Hi-def


Warner (2-disc Special Edition) - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC "Eyes Wide Shut" vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Warner (Europe) - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Best,

A little early, but coming out Nov 6th, 2007:

Paramount - Region 2 - PAL "Chinatown" vs. Paramount (Special Collector's Edition) - Region 1, 4 - NTSC

One more...

Strand - Region 0 - NTSC "Lights in the Dusk" vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Plus new quote contest is up...

Best,

Gary, DO NOT MISS the Sam Katzman ICONS OF HORROR schlocko collection. You will be glowing radiant in the paradise of that set, as was I. It's right up your alley (I hadn't seen it in your caps yet). Whereas the Fox Brahm set was gorgeous high-midbrow, this is just... vegetable heaven.

I noticed no-one has even commented, I'm sure few around here have seen the set yet. When you see the GIANT CLAW, you'll just hafta conclude it doesn't get any better'n this.

I'm with you HerrSchreck - I had it ordered but it never arrived! I'll get it though - no worries... and review of course.

Best,
Gary

I think this has been clarified elsewhere, but just to confirm that the Blaq Out Ruiz set does have English titles. Your reviewer suggested that this had not yet been established.

I have just received the UK disc of the film Tell No One, recently reviewed by DVD Beaver here. There was a link to an Amazon page for this disc in the Beaver review but that Amazon page did not give many details of extra features. The Canadian disc according to the review only features the Making Of, while the UK disc, according to the back cover, features the same Making Of but also deleted scenes, outtakes, interviews with Guillaume Canet and Kristin Scott Thomas, the short film I Can't Sleep by the director and something called "Last Shots of the Actors" as well as a mention of various 'hidden features'.

It sounds like the UK 2 disc set might be the one to buy if you want the extras - it would be great if this disc could be compared to the Seville Canada disc currently up to see how it fares in terms of picture quality.

Gary, about your comparison of Berlin Alexanderplatz,

You mention that the Second Sight is in PAL, warning people about the PAL speedup, but the film was shot on PAL Cameras at 25fps, making the Second Sight version the original length with no speedup.

The Criterion NTSC is sped down 4%, like "28 Days Later"

Thanks Manic ! I will correct! (Man you are fast!)

Gimungous?....

Criterion (7-disc) - Region 1 - NTSC "Berlin Alexanderplatz" vs. Second Sight (6-disc) - Region 2 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Have a great weekend,

Best,
Gary

manicsounds wrote:Gary, about your comparison of Berlin Alexanderplatz,

You mention that the Second Sight is in PAL, warning people about the PAL speedup, but the film was shot on PAL Cameras at 25fps, making the Second Sight version the original length with no speedup.

The Criterion NTSC is sped down 4%, like "28 Days Later"

To clarify, it wasn't shot with PAL cameras. It was 16mm at 25fps instead of 24fps, so there'd be no timing issues for a European PAL broadcast.

Blue Underground's Alan Clarke Collection also suffers from NTSC slow-down in the same way (though not for the theatrical Scum, shot at 24fps).

New...

Kino (The Ultimate Edition) - Region 0 - NTSC "Battleship Potemkin" vs. Films Sans Frontieres (Part of the Eisenstein l'intégrale Box) - Region 0 - PAL vs. Image - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Eureka (UK) - Region 2/4 - PAL

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Best,

Tim wrote:I think this has been clarified elsewhere, but just to confirm that the Blaq Out Ruiz set does have English titles. Your reviewer suggested that this had not yet been established.

I was unable to find the DVD reviews of this set, but it sounds very interesting. Can someone provide a link or some details (which films included, quality of transfers, for example)?

It's Three Crowns, Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting, and the Suspended Vocation on 2 discs. Hyp/Voc is the disc reviewed (altho the Beaver treats the Suspended Vocation as an also-ran and only provides one cap!), it's listed under Hyp

2 more...

Raro Video (Eccentriche Visioni) - Region 0 - PAL "First Name: Carmen" vs. Warner Bros. (3 Films by Jean-Luc Godard Vol. 2) - Region 2 - PAL

Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC "The Rape of the Vampire" vs. Encore (Limited Edition 2 Disc Set) - Region 0 - PAL


http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Happy Halloween!

I see that Arrow Films in the UK have just released Les Diaboliques. It features an audio commentary by Professor Susan Hayward of the University of Oxford. No online reviews yet. A Beaver comparison would be great.