Blu-only Releases?

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Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#251 Post by Tommaso » Wed Feb 24, 2010 5:56 pm

That's something I always found annoying with the BFI, too. God Bless Second Run and Filmmuseum! :D

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MichaelB
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#252 Post by MichaelB » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:06 pm

Tommaso wrote:That's something I always found annoying with the BFI, too.
Actually, quite a few BFI releases have spine numbers - the Flipside sub-brand and the British Transport Films collections spring to mind.

But who on earth is going to collect the BFI's entire output on a systematic basis? The range is much wider and conspicuously more esoteric than the Criterion, MoC or Second Run catalogues.

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triodelover
Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:11 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#253 Post by triodelover » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:09 pm

Tommaso wrote:That's something I always found annoying with the BFI, too. God Bless Second Run and Filmmuseum! :D

Spine numbers? Seriously? My wife has accused me on more than one occasion of being "obsessive" concerning how things are shelved or filed but even I don't go that far. Of course, that may be because I've settled on a system for my BDs/DVDs where everything is filed alphabetically by director with appropriate dividers on the shelves (all properly labeled) and cross-referenced to my DVDPedia data base (and my iPod Touch app). I'd never be so obsessive as to insist on spine numbers, thought. :-"

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Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#254 Post by Tommaso » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:16 pm

MichaelB wrote:
But who on earth is going to collect the BFI's entire output on a systematic basis? The range is much wider and conspicuously more esoteric than the Criterion, MoC or Second Run catalogues.
I'm not collecting all the BFI's output for sure, and was more theoretically speaking (and not quite in earnest, too). Spine numbers are only helpful if you want to roughly determine when in the company's history a particular disc came out. For instance, you'd better check at the Beaver for the image quality for any CC film before, say, spine #200. After that, you can't go seriously wrong. With the BFI you'd have to know whether a disc came out before 2006 or so, that year being the watershed when the label suddenly started to become top-notch.

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antnield
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#255 Post by antnield » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:21 pm

MichaelB wrote:But who on earth is going to collect the BFI's entire output on a systematic basis? The range is much wider and conspicuously more esoteric than the Criterion, MoC or Second Run catalogues.
Um, yeah, that'd be me Michael - ever since 'Seven Samurai' came out how ever many moons ago... :-"

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#256 Post by RossyG » Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:48 pm

MichaelB wrote:But who on earth is going to collect the BFI's entire output on a systematic basis?
Image

Well, as near as dammit, anyway. :oops:

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Peacock
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 7:47 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#257 Post by Peacock » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:21 pm

Image

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#258 Post by Finch » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:37 pm

Nick, since one of the arguments for the move to Blu exclusives on some titles was that you'd be able to release more titles, I wanted to ask if it is now more likely that you could get to The Mission (To) eventually (say 2011)? I have no idea if acquiring the rights would be difficult but I genuinely believe you'd have a strong seller on your hands with this title, especially given that there doesn't seem to be a decent release of it available anywhere.

Nothing
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:04 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#259 Post by Nothing » Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:30 am

zedz wrote:Even if you are - through no fault of your own - DVD-locked for the next several years, the backlog of essential titles available to view on that format (and new ones being released, by MoC and others) could keep you busy ten times as long, and City Girl will still be around when you ultimately make the change.
Indeed. I've yet to make the transition to Blu-Ray, because I refuse to buy a region-locked player, and region-free players (eg. importing an Oppo from the US) are beyond what I can afford at present. Yet I support MoC's decision to release City Girl on Blu-ray only. The more quality material made available in 1080P the better, even if I'm personally unable to access it right now. In the meantime, I'm quite happy to content myself with the MoC DVD of There's Always Tomorrow, at this very moment sitting expectantly beside my DVD player...
Caged Horse wrote:Is The Killing Fields out on Blu yet? 1080p would be a fitting way of detailing the genocide Chomsky spent a shameful amount of time attempting to diminish and deny.
And who instigated that genocide, by means of a much larger genocide? The majority of Khmer Rouge victims died as result of poorly implemented agrarian reform, perhaps 100,000 were physically murdered. A heinous figure, certainly, but this must be compared to the 3-4m South-East Asian civilians murdered by the Americans and their fascist allies in the decade prior. And whilst Ieng Sary is under house arrest, Kissinger attends Wimbledon.

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#260 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Sat Feb 27, 2010 6:27 am

Nothing wrote: Indeed. I've yet to make the transition to Blu-Ray, because I refuse to buy a region-locked player, and region-free players (eg. importing an Oppo from the US) are beyond what I can afford at present.
I for one am very happy with my region free Limit (Momitsu clone) which was on sale at hmv for £50 and last time I looked mail order for £80.

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jamie_atp
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:21 pm

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#261 Post by jamie_atp » Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:44 am

Also got a limit and it does a great job plus has bd-live, good upconverting etc. They're fairly hard to find right now though, but you can score one on ebay for around £70.

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#262 Post by TMDaines » Sat Feb 27, 2010 9:07 pm

I don't think I've ever spent a better £50 than the fifty spent on my Limit player. Absurdly great value. On the forum where updated firmware has been made available for them they've admitted that HMV were selling them as loss leaders and were shocked to see at how little they were sold for.

bamwc2
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:54 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#263 Post by bamwc2 » Sat Feb 27, 2010 10:07 pm

Phew. I hadn't checked the thread in a few days, and I missed something that I can actually speak on with some first person authority. I'm a collector and yes, I really do have OCD. Every case of OCD is different, but I do have a lot of classic symptoms: obsessive and intrusive thoughts, the compulsive need to double and triple check just about everything, severe depression, germophobia, hypochondria, and an obsession with collecting, counting, and categorizing. Years of therapy and medication have helped a lot, but it's still a very painful and debilitating disorder. Unfortunately, since I began buying DVDs back in 1998, I found that sequential numbering on DVD spines has ruined my life and my finances. Over the years, I've bought every release from Criterion aside from a few releases from the last couple of months that I haven't picked up yet. Heck, a few forums back when the members discovered a unreleased Beastie Boys Anthology Sampler for sale, I tried my hardest to get that too. Making the switch to a region free player has only made things worse (i.e MoC, AE, and Second Run). Fortunately, I can be satisfied with owning a disc on only one format so long as they have the same spine number. Since MoC has separate spines, I still feel the need to buy both formats. Remember, this is an anxiety disorder and at least for me (as it is with many others that suffer from the disorder), incomplete numeric sequences cause anxiety. It's a hard life, and I'm just grateful that my wife can put up with most of it.

Nothing
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:04 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#264 Post by Nothing » Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:10 pm

NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:I for one am very happy with my region free Limit (Momitsu clone) which was on sale at hmv for £50 and last time I looked mail order for £80.
Other than second-hand sharks on Ebay, these seem to have completely disappeared... I believe the word is Arse.

onedimension
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:35 pm

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#265 Post by onedimension » Sun Feb 28, 2010 2:36 pm

Anyone remember the final segment of The Decalogue, about the stamp collection?

I have some (therapeuted, medicated) OCD, and I'm torn on whether my library-building impulse is pure Neurotic or part Noble..

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tojoed
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:47 am
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#266 Post by tojoed » Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:56 pm

Nothing wrote:
NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:I for one am very happy with my region free Limit (Momitsu clone) which was on sale at hmv for £50 and last time I looked mail order for £80.
Other than second-hand sharks on Ebay, these seem to have completely disappeared... I believe the word is Arse.
You can get a Tevion, region free, for about £80 from Aldi, if you are near one. It's also a Momitsu clone.

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perkizitore
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#267 Post by perkizitore » Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:43 am

The Limit is an updated and lighter Tevion, therefore a better deal.

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Cinetwist
Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:00 am
Location: England

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#268 Post by Cinetwist » Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:18 am

tojoed wrote:
Nothing wrote:
NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:I for one am very happy with my region free Limit (Momitsu clone) which was on sale at hmv for £50 and last time I looked mail order for £80.
Other than second-hand sharks on Ebay, these seem to have completely disappeared... I believe the word is Arse.
You can get a Tevion, region free, for about £80 from Aldi, if you are near one. It's also a Momitsu clone.
£80!? Goddammit, I paid £120 for mine and thought it was the bargain of the century. It's unbelievable how quickly region free blu players have become available on the market. Far quicker than it happened with dvd players and far cheaper too.

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tojoed
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:47 am
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#269 Post by tojoed » Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:43 am

Yep, I bought one for my brother for Xmas. I was expecting £120, but they weren't on display. The salesgirl said they had one left in stock and it was only £80. Lovely little machine.

Nothing
Joined: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:04 am

Re: Blu-only Releases?

#270 Post by Nothing » Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:16 am

No sign of anything on the shelves at Aldi anymore. But:

Here we go.

The Limit under another name, I'm told. Still a bargain.

So... What I think we want to know is: How are the sales shaping up on City Girl? :)

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perkizitore
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#271 Post by perkizitore » Fri Apr 09, 2010 4:12 pm

agnamaracs wrote:You know what would be perfect for a Blu-only release? Abel Gance's NAPOLEON.
That's the most awaited release ever for me! Limite follows closely.

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MichaelB
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#272 Post by MichaelB » Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:33 pm

It's a very safe bet that if anyone does Napoléon in the UK at all, it'll be the BFI.

After all, they're the ones sitting on the necessary materials, and if there's any chance of them getting the green light to distribute it in the UK, it's vanishingly unlikely that they'd hand them over to anyone else.

Opdef
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#273 Post by Opdef » Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:42 pm

Why is it so difficult to get hold of Napoleon anywhere? From what I can see it's never had a DVD release, let alone a Blu-ray release? And is there any realistic prospect of this changing? It seems bad enough that there are so many lost films I'd love to see and can't, it's plain frustrating to have one that isn't lost but may as well be considering how hard it is to see.

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MichaelB
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#274 Post by MichaelB » Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:47 pm

Opdef wrote:Why is it so difficult to get hold of Napoleon anywhere?
Incredibly convoluted rights complications dating back three decades, particularly with regard to the full Kevin Brownlow restoration and the Carl Davis score. This has been performed live several times and broadcast twice on British television (in 1983 and 1989), but never released commercially.

But there seems to have been some movement in recent years: the fact that the Brownlow/Davis version is getting its US premiere next year must be seen as a major breakthrough, and certainly grounds for optimism - though I think Brownlow himself scotched rumours of a Blu-ray release.
Last edited by MichaelB on Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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zedz
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Re: Blu-only Releases?

#275 Post by zedz » Wed Dec 28, 2011 7:49 pm

Check out the Gance thread for the whole sad story. Essentially, the more complete restoration was blocked by Francis Ford Coppola, who is sentimentally attached to his 80s version and has threatened litigation over any other release. There may have been some movement on this in recent years, but still no sign of a definitive release.

The Coppola version was released on DVD, however. I've got an Australian edition (that I believe is now OOP).

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