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When I'm working I'll have music sometimes, but others I'll have a movie on in the background. Helps time go I guess. The Irishman and its length has been especially helpful the few times I've had it on in the background.

I like putting on classic movies I’ve seen before while doing dishes and other household chores. Add some Bluetooth headphones and it’s a fun way to listen to the dialog without actually considering it watching the movies (said as someone who has played most of the “radio theatre” special features on wb and criterion discs this way as well). Last week I was doing this with the miracle of Morgan’s creek, which makes for a pretty fun radio play in this respect.

This is also how I consume virtually all of criterions English language interview heavy supplements. Especially commentaries, this is the best way to consume commentaries, just did it last week for “and life goes on” (otherwise commentaries are the worst supplement, and something I mostly skipped for decades. Loved the idea of commentaries at first in my teens when I first got a DVD player back in 2001, watched most every commentary on dvds I bought , but since about 2005, until I started using Bluetooth headphones I only rarely watched commentaries (sampled them often, but it’s just such a colossal waste of my limited dedicated movie watching time budget that could otherwise be allocated to watching another movie)

Sometimes it doesn’t work. Recently, for example the john Bailey + storyboards on the visual design of temple drake. Lasted about ninety seconds before I put chores on pause and just watched the entire fifteen minute piece

My roommate plays the Office on a constant loop, though I've never heard her laugh at it (probably loses something on the tenth viewing). But I can't judge, I'm pretty sure I watched tapes of NewsRadio the same way in high school, so I understand the impulse. I generally enjoy silence, but I do listen to either of ChilledCow's lo-fi hip hop beats live streams when I work, though (1 / 2)

Sunrise Records, the Canadian chain that last year bought HMV UK, has now purchased FYE.

willoneill wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 7:37 pm Sunrise Records, the Canadian chain that last year bought HMV UK, has now purchased FYE.

Honestly, this company and its operations remain a mystery to me.

As a Torontonian and film collector, Sunrise Records and, of course, Bay Street Video (which is still going very strong) were the downtown places to go to purchase movies on disc. When Sunrise imploded and closed the core Yonge Street location, everyone (in this very small circle of physical media consumers) thought they were done. That location in particular was always well-stocked, the staff were knowledgeable, approachable and always generous with their time, and their prices were very reasonable. If this flagship location, which acted kind-of like a beacon of the rest of the stores, couldn't make it, then surely none of them could.

And yet, the satellite locations in suburban malls remained open. The few times I've managed to make out to them (when visiting my in-laws), they rarely seem busy. Their stock is kind-of all over the place.

A few years ago, Sunrise absorbed the closed HMV mall locations in Canada, and have, since, unceremoniously closed a couple of those very acquisitions within the Greater Toronto Area.

Now this latest development.

I'm not upset by it at all, just baffled. I honestly don't know how they do it.

When they bought HMV, they closed many of the higher-profile flagship shops - but the reason they gave is that those were the ones where the rent was highest, which makes a lot of sense if you're trying to rescue a company in financial difficulties. I've been expecting my small local HMV in Worthing to bite the dust for years now, but it seems that it's shops like that which are actually commercially viable, whereas ones in, say, the middle of London very much aren't.

The HMV I occasionally visit in Stockport seems to be doing pretty well (especially considering that Stockport lost its ginormous Marks & Spencer store across the road from the HMV long before the wave of M&S closures that were in the news last year and there is still a huge lot just standing empty in the middle of the high street) and since all this happened I don't have the staff trying to rabidly up-sell me on a store loyalty card anymore so, for the moment at least, I actually visit the store more than I used to!

movielocke wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:01 pmas someone who has played most of the “radio theatre” special features on wb and criterion discs

Is there a list somewhere of all of the BDs/DVDs with Lux Radio Theater broadcasts on them?

James Rolfe's roast of the Blu-Ray format (top ten reasons DVD was better than Blu-Ray)

This does remind me of a question I had:

How many of you have streamed something you physically owned?

I've done this a few times - when I didn't feel like sitting through the FBI warnings and menus, when it would be instantly available in front of us.

This was painful.

I’ve streamed films in the streaming equivalent of UHD that I own on Blu-ray, but otherwise I automatically go to the disc. Streaming UHD is usually a disappointment anyway.

But it starts with such a strong argument. Take away the improved video and audio quality and "a checklist technical advantages", and it just makes sense. A blu-ray has never made me a ham sandwich. What am I buying these to watch a movie?

The issues with this list are just too numerous, but I guess the main one is that many of his problems with BD actually already happened with DVD. It's probably actually got better with BD for many of this 10 issues, especially forced trailers.
Moreover, this is an extremely studio oriented video : I own more than 3000 BDs, and the majority of those aren't lining up with the issues he's describing.

But it's an interesting video by what it's showing people can focus on. It's a pure first half of first world problems video, it discards altogether the technological goal of the format evolution from DVD to BD to focus on mostly little conveniency points many people might actually have never experienced (who use bookmarks anyway ? And who really loved that godawful overloaded circumvolunted DVD menus that took ages to navigate within ?). I would have supposed, for instance, that Engligh speaking movies still released without SDH subs would be a much more important issues.

Drucker wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 9:38 pm This was painful.

The only reason I stayed with it for awhile is that James used to be pretty funny reviewing Nintendo games back in the day...but yeah, for the most part that was pretty bad.

I’ll say this, I had no idea bluetooth remotes were a thing. My sound bar gets in the way of my TV sensor, so that kind of technology would come in handy...

Upon hearing about the list, I assumed it would be an attempt to launch an analog vs digital type rant (ie records vs. cd's), but his complaints aren't about things that are actually inherent to the format, they are about the packaging & design of the final product.

And some players have apps you can use on your phone via bluetooth or wifi.

What is horrifying is that some entity might do this for real....

Well, Vine’s already come ‘n’ gone, and now we’re in the middle of the apocalypse.

Whatever Vine was, I must have missed it entirely.

I only became aware of it after the fact, myself, through a filmmaker who used the platform to make some trashy shorts.

Adam Grikepelis wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 12:21 pm Introducing a new, revolutionary viewing experience. Vertical Viewing has launched on The Arrow Video Channel!

Yes, I too have seen the Hunger Games =;

Is that also making fun of quibi?

Viacom buys 49% of Miramax and Paramount is set to take over distribution of its catalog. Hopefully Paramount will be open to licensing some of the Miramax titles to Criterion and Shout.

Maybe it could lead to The English Patient returning to Criterion!

colinr0380 wrote: Fri Apr 03, 2020 9:41 pm Maybe it could lead to The English Patient returning to Criterion!

I hope not. Otherwise we will never get a 4K edition.