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Not that I think a lack of options is a good thing, but what exactly is the advantage of removable subs for non-English dialogue for a US only, English-speaking consumer release? Is it just that those who also happen to speak French can turn them off, or am I missing some hidden advantage to not having the non-English dialogue translated?

Well for me the primary issue isn't that they're burnt in, it's that they're yellow and non-HD looking. They simply should not be considered acceptable for a Blu-ray. Look at the DVDBeaver caps and compare them to the English version subtitles; if they were like those but non-removable, I wouldn't really be bothered.

But yes, even still there are plenty of fans of the film who can speak French, and on top of that, you can't catch good stills from the film if the subs are non-removable or burnt in. TT stopped using a permenant timeline bar when pausing during playback because people complained, and this is an issue for the same reasons.

Seems Fright Night is a let-down - http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Fright-Ni ... 07/#Review" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Orlac wrote:Seems Fright Night is a let-down - http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Fright-Ni ... 07/#Review" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Every other review I've seen for the new Fright Night reports as having a much improved transfer.

DVD Beaver reports that the new transfer is much better than the previous TT and Sony Germany releases.

The new, 30th Anniversary, Twilight Time Blu-ray is dual-layered and the most robust of the three compared. This produces a brighter image with cooler skin tones. It has a much higher bitrate and the image looks pristine in-motion. Depth is more apparent but superiority will be more noticeable the larger the visual presentation is viewed.

Gary's idea of what makes a disc better seems to be if it has a higher bit rate or not. And for the record it uses the same transfer, indeed, all Fright Night Blu-rays do. The disc has encoding on par with the Sony German release (which means it's better than the original TT disc), but for some reason there are a few frames of macroblocking present. This means the German disc is best for video, though it only has lossy 5.1, whilst the new TT disc has both lossless 5.1 and 2.0.

captveg wrote:Not that I think a lack of options is a good thing, but what exactly is the advantage of removable subs for non-English dialogue for a US only, English-speaking consumer release? Is it just that those who also happen to speak French can turn them off, or am I missing some hidden advantage to not having the non-English dialogue translated?

It's not a US-only release. Region A also includes Canada, and Montreal is one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world. And I agree with Eddie that the appearance of the subtitles is one of the main problems. Colored subtitles are ugly and distracting, and there's no reason for them to exist in the digital era.

EddieLarkin wrote:The thing is though, even with that sale they still have plenty of stock of some of the harder to sell titles. And some time ago Moe said that at least with the Sony stuff, they have to destroy excess stock after the 3 year licence period is up. So hanging onto them when they're not selling at $30 is pointless, and I'm sure they know that, so I don't think another anniversary sale in March is out of the question.

They no longer manufacture the complete allottment of 3000 unless a sellout is anticipated. This means the sitting on stock that needs to be destroyed situation would only be a factor for the earliest releases.

But what does it mean for Sony titles like Picnic, that have already passed their 3 year date? As far as I know it's still available to order and TT haven't said anything about people needing to buy now because they're going to have to destroy stock!

Solomon and Sheba (King Vidor, 1959)

Release Date: March 10th, 2015.
Pre-order date: Wednesday, February 25th at 4 pm EST.

Special Features:

• Isolated Score Track
  Original Theatrical Trailer

U Turn (Oliver Stone, 1997)

Release Date: March 10th, 2015.
Wednesday, February 25th at 4 pm EST.

Special Features:

• Isolated Score Track
  Oliver Stone Introduces U Turn
  Audio Commentary with Director Oliver Stone
  Audio Commentary with Producer/Production Executive Mike Medavoy and Film Historian Nick Redman
  Original Theatrical Trailer

EddieLarkin wrote:But what does it mean for Sony titles like Picnic, that have already passed their 3 year date? As far as I know it's still available to order and TT haven't said anything about people needing to buy now because they're going to have to destroy stock!

Because I think by the point of Picnic they wouldn't have been making all 3,000 copies up front. If they have passed the 3 year window then either Sony has re-licensed them for a new run, given them dispensation to sell remaining stock or they should be off sale. We'd have to ask Nick Redman what the situation is and assuming there is no bar on his disclosing what's happening, I'm sure he will fully enlighten us as to what's happening with these titles as we start to see things cross the 3 year mark.

U Turn booklet artwork:

May/June:

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966) BLU-RAY - May 12th

MISSISSIPPI BURNING (1988) BLU-RAY - May 12th

AMERICAN BUFFALO (1996) BLU-RAY - May 12th

HOMBRE (1967) BLU-RAY - May 12th

CARLA’S SONG (1996) BLU-RAY - May 12th

ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (1986) BLU-RAY - June 9th

STATE OF GRACE (1990) BLU-RAY - June 9th

MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (1969) BLU-RAY - June 9th

THE YOUNG LIONS (1958) BLU-RAY - June 9th

THE NIGHT OF THE GENERALS (1967) BLU-RAY - June 9th

American Buffalo is a great film, but why in the world would anyone feel compelled to upgrade for six-seven times what the DVD cost for what is by design a film unconcerned with visual aesthetics?

It's amazing: a company releases all those classics on Blu-ray for the first time and instead of being greeted with admiration and gratitude, some so-called "film lovers" just shrug it off. It must be a great motivation for TT, seeing these messages right after their announcement.

Nothing really caught my attention since I dont know any of these films at all. So I did some research and there are two films of interest that I can rent on Amazon Prime and a third title that has some DVDs for sale starting at 48 cents

After several months of having titles I either definitely wanted or would consider, nothing at all for me in this list.

Cremildo wrote:It's amazing: a company releases all those classics on Blu-ray for the first time and instead of being greeted with admiration and gratitude, some so-called "film lovers" just shrug it off. It must be a great motivation for TT, seeing these messages right after their announcement.

Nothing really caught my attention since I dont know any of these films at all. So I did some research and there are two films of interest that I can rent on Amazon Prime and a third title that has some DVDs for sale starting at 48 cents

After several months of having titles I either definitely wanted or would consider, nothing at all for me in this list.

What if that's how they really feel? Are you saying they just shouldn't talk about it or if you're a film lover you should be grateful?

Cremildo wrote:It's amazing: a company releases all those classics on Blu-ray for the first time and instead of being greeted with admiration and gratitude, some so-called "film lovers" just shrug it off. It must be a great motivation for TT, seeing these messages right after their announcement.

If I made a list of 300 films that are classics to me, none of those just announced make my list list. That's just me. Folks buy what they want to own. Why should I or anyone feel grateful for TT? There is nothing special about TT, they're not any different from all the other companies that release blu rays. And quite frankly, Nick Redman's self importance comes across as off putting.

With Kino and Shout Factory licensing MGM titles and releasing them for half the price of these, it's impossible to defend the TT model anymore

FrauBlucher wrote:If I made a list of 300 films that are classics to me, none of those just announced make my list list.

That's probably true of most announcements by most companies. And there's a big difference between "I've seen these films and don't care for them" and "I've never heard of these--where's the Woody Allen?"

domino harvey wrote:With Kino and Shout Factory licensing MGM titles and releasing them for half the price of these, it's impossible to defend the TT model anymore

And so many of the Twilight Time releases end up being released in England for a fraction of the prices (and sometimes even on all-region blus).

I'm excited about Hombre, another strong film from Martin Ritt. A good Western that's consistently underrated, by, among others, its writer Elmore Leonard. I'm hoping that Nick and Paul Seydor will add a commentary, like they did for their release of Conrack.

I'll get Absolute Beginners and A Man for All Seasons.

I am very grateful to TT for considering to release Mississippi Mermaid (and Story of Adele H before that). I am equally grateful to Artificial Eye (also maligned for their shortcomings) for releasing a collection of Truffaut films in region B.
I do not want to comment on TT's financial model. But no one else seems to want to to take up the cause of Truffaut in region A. Criterion has clearly prioritized Godard over Truffaut. (Yes, they have issued a couple of high-profile Truffauts on BD, but they are unlikely to engage in a comprehensive collection such as that offered by AE.).
Same can be said of several Woody Allen films.
Yes, we can criticize TT for their pricing model and bare-bone releases; but far greater criticism needs to be leveled at the rights-owners of these films, who show little interest in these artists (undisputedly major figures) and their work. They don't because their financial models do not see these as profitable undertakings.
I have not made a list of my preferred 300 films, but if I did, Mississippi Mermaid, Story of Adele H, Love and Death (and perhaps A man for All Seasons) would get on that list. This is an emotional art, and different people may respond to these choices differently.
I would love to see some of these films get a full Criterion treatment, but if that is not going to happen, I welcome TT to offer me an option to see these in good high-definition form.

The "bare bones" releases complaint simply does not hold water anymore. TT releases often have just as much bonus as any other catalog release these days, and have for a while.

FrauBlucher wrote:

Cremildo wrote:It's amazing: a company releases all those classics on Blu-ray for the first time and instead of being greeted with admiration and gratitude, some so-called "film lovers" just shrug it off. It must be a great motivation for TT, seeing these messages right after their announcement.

If I made a list of 300 films that are classics to me, none of those just announced make my list list. That's just me. Folks buy what they want to own. Why should I or anyone feel grateful for TT? There is nothing special about TT, they're not any different from all the other companies that release blu rays. And quite frankly, Nick Redman's self importance comes across as off putting.

A Man For All Seasons is a classic irrespective of "your" list. The personal taste of an individual doesn't determine which works of art are classics or not - time, the influence and impact of the work and perceived consensus do.

I don't much care for West Side Story, personally - but it is a classic anyway.