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kinjitsu wrote:

tavernier wrote:Where the hell is Modine?

Didn't you know, he wrote a book.

Of course I do, I have it. But wouldn't Modine want to hawk said book during his commentary? It's not as if it was a huge bestseller.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to (except of course money) get the SD versions of these. This, finally, is the real incentive to go HD. I, for one, am psyched!

General HD basic question here. Are the special features in HD too on BR or HD-DVD? Someone told it is not the case, is it true?

So were getting O Lucky Malcolm! as an extra on both the Clockwork disc and O Lucky Man? That just doesn't seem like Warners to have the same extra on two different releases. Must be a typo.

THX1378 wrote:So were getting O Lucky Malcolm! as an extra on both the Clockwork disc and O Lucky Man? That just doesn't seem like Warners to have the same extra on two different releases. Must be a typo.

Bringing Up Baby and Rio Bravo both have The Men Who Made the Movies: Howard Hawks on their second discs. It allows Warner to pad out what might otherwise be a skimpy second disc and raise the MSRP by seven bucks.

Pretty lame that they're duplicating a feature-length documentary on both, although I guess it does let people avoid double dipping on A Clockwork Orange if they're absolutely repulsed by buying two copies of a movie.

General HD basic question here. Are the special features in HD too on BR or HD-DVD? Someone told it is not the case, is it true?

Generally most extra features on HD formats are in SD, but occasionally you'll get thrown some HD extra features on high-profile releases.

patrick wrote:Pretty lame that they're duplicating a feature-length documentary on both, although I guess it does let people avoid double dipping on A Clockwork Orange if they're absolutely repulsed by buying two copies of a movie.

Although it is kind of silly to have that doc on both sets, the Clockwork set can more than justify its second disc without it. The Channel 4 doc is 55 minutes long and the "Great Bolshy Yarblockos" featurette is 28 minutes. The McDowell profile is really just icing on the cake. Throw in that commentary track, and the Clockwork upgrade is really a no-brainer.

jaredsap wrote:Warner Home Video will launch the first in their new series featuring influential films from some of history's greatest directors. Warner Home Video Director's Series: Stanley Kubrick

Am I the only one who's actually more excited to learn that Warner is launching a whole new series than about the extras on this one? This opens a range of possibilities and opportunities for Warner to get to some more of their back catalogue. Who knows? Maybe this will be the excuse to finally get to some of their languishing silents (via a Vidor or Seastrom set).

tryavna wrote:Am I the only one who's actually more excited to learn that Warner is launching a whole new series than about the extras on this one? This opens a range of possibilities and opportunities for Warner to get to some more of their back catalogue. Who knows? Maybe this will be the excuse to finally get to some of their languishing silents (via a Vidor or Seastrom set).

That was my favorite part of the press release too.

jaredsap wrote:

tryavna wrote:Am I the only one who's actually more excited to learn that Warner is launching a whole new series than about the extras on this one?

That was my favorite part of the press release too.

This isn't new, is it? They already released two Ford boxes, a Scorsese, and a Hitchcock, right?

justeleblanc wrote:

jaredsap wrote:

tryavna wrote:Am I the only one who's actually more excited to learn that Warner is launching a whole new series than about the extras on this one?

That was my favorite part of the press release too.

This isn't new, is it? They already released two Ford boxes, a Scorsese, and a Hitchcock, right?

Yes, but they've been surreptitiously entered under Warner's "Signature" line because they're big enough names to carry a boxset on their own. (And of course one of the Ford boxes was also simultaneously a John Wayne box.) This press release makes it sound like Warner will be inaugurating a whole series devoted to directors. Perhaps they'll be devoting boxsets to directors who might not be as familiar to the average filmgoer -- i.e., there may be a sort of "educational" aspect to this new series.

Jeff wrote:

Highway 61 wrote:Sucks to see hack biographer Baxter on the commentary. Was LoBrutto not available?

I'm sure Jan Harlan and Christiane Kubrick approved of Baxter since Harlan is producing these DVDs, but I'm surprised they would do so if Baxter's book is inaccurate or unflattering.

I know I've seen an interview where Christiane dismisses Baxter's book as by far the most inaccurate and ludicrous of all the Kubrick biographies, so his inclusion here is indeed very strange.

I've seen the Clockwork Orange (I'm sure this is on YouTube) and the Eyes Wide Shut Channel 4 documentaries and they're not especially good - they're not exactly making-of's, just long-winded appreciations. Maybe the 2001 one will be worthwhile though.

patrick wrote:

General HD basic question here. Are the special features in HD too on BR or HD-DVD? Someone told it is not the case, is it true?

Generally most extra features on HD formats are in SD, but occasionally you'll get thrown some HD extra features on high-profile releases.

The Digital Bits is reporting that the HD versions of Blade Runner will have standard def extras. If Blade Runner (which seems to be WB's marque title for the year) isn't getting HD supplements, that would seem to lower the odds that the Kubricks will.

Narshty wrote:I know I've seen an interview where Christiane dismisses Baxter's book as by far the most inaccurate and ludicrous of all the Kubrick biographies, so his inclusion here is indeed very strange.

Baxter's Woody Allen biography is awful as well; mostly comprised of gossip and devoid of any intelligent discussion of his work.

Excellent extras. Bravo, Warners.

The 2001 doc is hosted by James Cameron and is a bit silly in places. Camille Paglia is interviewed and yes, you guessed it - she talks about sexual symbolism and uses the word 'penis'. Fuck off, woman! But I am glad that the original 1968 behind-the-scenes piece, Making the Future is included. I submitted that doc to the IMDb as simply, Making 2001, as I was sure that was what it was called! Shit! That Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood will be very boring, though hopefully, I am totally wrong. I would have prefered a commentary by a scholar.

It's a pity that, Stanley Kubrick: The Invisible Man was not included, as it is very good. Thankfully, I have a DVD-R of it.

Thedigitalbits says that Eyes Wide Shut will include both the unrated and R rated cuts.

That info was in the press release that was posted earlier.

Person wrote:That Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood [commentary] will be very boring

No kidding. I saw these two on HDNet's Higher Definition and they didn't even have enough interesting insight to fill up 15 minutes. Not to mention they're not even IN half the film...

[quote]“Lost Kubrick: The Films That Never Were.â€

[quote="patrick"][quote]“Lost Kubrick: The Films That Never Were.â€

Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon - His Greatest Film Never Made...

kinjitsu wrote:Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon - His Greatest Film Never Made...

Interesting, but I disagree with him about it being made. I mean didn't this guy see how A.I. turned out?

Luke M wrote:Interesting, but I disagree with him about it being made. I mean didn't this guy see how A.I. turned out?

Ahem... Easily Spielberg's best. The only problem with a Napoleon adaption would be finding a director who's talented enough to bring to life Kubrick's vision, while not totally making a Kubrick imitation or betraying one's own personal vision (which I feel AI succeeds at).

But a subject not for the DVD thread.

Person wrote:The Shining:

• New Wendy Carlos, Composer featurette

tavernier wrote:Think they'll have a Walter Carlos featurette on Clockwork?

Sorry, I found this too funny to not be recognized. I actually did a spit take when I read it.

The original print of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE did still say Walter Carlos, before she tucked it. Though I'm not sure it was ever released on home video that way.

For what it's worth, there's an old record in our house that says Walter Carlos Switched on Bach.