Why is Warner still giving us the audio shaft?!?

[Clark Kent]

I don't believe Warner is purposely holding back lossless audio for double dipping purposes. Warner is including lossy audio on titles that will never be double dipped on Blu-ray, even if the format lives for another 15 years, like the Batman anime release.

What we do know is that including lossless audio(in Warner's case Dolby TrueHD) would diminish the video quality of certain titles authored to HD DVD specs due to bandwidth issues. This is a fact that several different studio compressionists admitted to over at AVS. Depending on how much backlog Warner had built up in authoring HD movies, we could be seeing HD DVD handicapped Warner encodes on Blu-ray for several more months while they clear out the titles authored before they knew they weren't releasing on HD DVD.

Warner views the home video business very differently than the other studios. We already know they aren't re-encoding most of the catalog titles like Batman Begins when they re-release them on Blu-ray. It's a business decision obviously given the current size of the Blu-ray market but it may not be a wise one in the long run. It will be very interesting to see the first Warner encode that isn't crippled by HD DVD's inferior specs.

[SapGoblin]

Why buy the new release of Superman Returns on blu-ray? Why are they even putting it out??? I loved it (mostly), but apparently I shouldn't add it to my collection...WB sucks!!!

According to WB Executive Jeff Robinov (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1219...oglenews_wsj):

"'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

LAME!!! Like we need to see his origin again, and we need yet another new face to tackle the role...so much for any continuity!

Good thing SR is out on blu-ray again so WB can continue taking our money from the BIG failure from '06!!!

[u_nick]

Why? Because I dont trust WB to make it better.

I am a fan of Returns too. LOVE it, actually. I love everything superman, and hope they can pull off something just as amazing as returns, if not something even better. But you know what? WB scares me. I hope they prove me wrong and deliver something, but this will NOT hurt my love for Retunrs in any way.

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by SapGoblin

Why buy the new release of Superman Returns on blu-ray? Why are they even putting it out??? I loved it (mostly), but apparently I shouldn't add it to my collection...WB sucks!!!

According to WB Executive Jeff Robinov (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1219...oglenews_wsj):

"'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

LAME!!! Like we need to see his origin again, and we need yet another new face to tackle the role...so much for any continuity!

Good thing SR is out on blu-ray again so WB can continue taking our money from the BIG failure from '06!!!

Why repurchase it? Because I absolutely love the film and want that damn PCM track!!! That's why I'm rebuying it!!!

[Mr. Cinema]

That article said Get Smart failed to meet expectations. What the hell? It had a budget of $80 million and has grossed almost $130 million in the US. I don't know anyone who expected numbers like that.

[DavePS3]

The film bummed me out completely. The lead actor (Routh was it?) was like watching paint dry and I could NOT believe they went with the campy Lex Luthor and idiotic ditzy broad girlfriend like the original with Reeves. They had SO many good script ideas to choose from. I expected MUCH better. Sorry to all the fans out there - and I know I'm in a minority but I gotta say it. There was SO much potential and they went the wrong route IMO.

[eChopper]

i thought the thread was :superman returns

why bother?

i agree

[johnarnold101]

I bother because I liked it and haven't bought it yet.

[bases1616]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Why repurchase it? Because I absolutely love the film and want that damn PCM track!!! That's why I'm rebuying it!!!

Petra, you will not be disappointed. The PCM track is outstanding. I received the Australian import yesterday and it blew up my house last night.

[SapGoblin]

Well I guess my Point- wasn't whether or not the SR blu-ray was worth getting...it was why keep giving WB more money when they're obviously so out of touch with their fan-base anyways!?!?

[fighthefutureofhd]

and what studio isn't out of touch with their fan base?

[EQ3282]

This article is annoying. WB made a nice domestic AND worldwide profit on SR. It did what they wanted it to do: reintroduce Superman to the world. The sequel, if following Bryan Singer's descriptions, would be crazy good! The fact that WB is saying all of this after TDK breaks about every box office record that exists is total BS.

Due to this article, and WBs decision to sit on the next HP movie for an extra 8 months, its evident to me now that the WB could give a shit less about all of the properties it owns. They are just in it to make as much money with as little effort possible. Now that TDK has made bank, its going to DESTROY their other comic book adaptations (including the next Batman film) because they are going to be looking for lightning in a bottle each and every time from this point on.

[Tok]

Was SR supposed to be a sequel? Restart? Reimagining?

The film did not have a concrete identity and audiences were confused by it. Was this in Donner's Superman universe? Or was this Singer's?

From what I read it was fan sequel to Superman I and II. Sorry when the original cast was gone (RIP in Chris) or past their prime (schizo Margot) making a sequel was the beginning of the end of this project.

At this point I really wonder if we would have been better off with a Tim Burton Nicholas Cage Superman film. Heck I am starting to wonder if the lambasted Brett Ratner possibility would have been better.

I enjoyed parts of Superman Return, but Spacey's Lex Luthor was only passable and I don't think Routh had the onscreen presence to fill Christopher's red boots. Kate Bosworth on the other hand can be my Lois Lane any day of the week.

[Tok]

Also the thought of pairing Superman and Batman in the same film does not interest me. With the sense of realism Nolan has added to the Batman mythos, does anyone think that an alien with superpowers from another planet will fit in with Nolan's Bat universe? I can see Nolan walking away from the studio's Batman projects if they force this upon him. And you can bet Bale will walk with him like Keaton did when Burton quit his Batman series.

[ClaytonMG]

Been a member for 9 days and you're already complaining about releases... nice... Anyway, they're releasing it just to upset you. Not to make other people happy who have been waiting for this release, but just to make you angry and create a thread bashing WB.

[jw]

Looks like we need a mega thread on this subject,
similar thread
http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=61045

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

"'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

And if you're asking "WHAT 'Batman and Superman movie'? "...
Why, the one from 2002, of course:

The one they were going to make with Wolfgang Petersen directing, that was going to clean up both that post-TimBurton/KevinSmith "Superman Lives" project that couldn't get started, and the post-Schumacher "Batman V" they couldn't find a get-go concept for, in one fell swoop...
Until they scrapped the project over pre-production budgets, announced to the press "What d'you mean, we've got PLENTY more Batman projects to fall back on!--Why, er...look at this one: <digs piece of paper out of wastebasket>!"
And unfortunately, the piece of paper they'd dug out was an old 1996 Tim Burton memo about making a Catwoman spinoff movie...

Welcome to Warner. Where no discarded project is thrown away. EVER.

[ThingontheFloor]

The current Batman universe wouldn't fit in with a new Superman movie, unless they made a dark Superman movie which wouldn't work either. They just need to stay away at this point, sans maybe a few references.

[wnicholas76]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

Why repurchase it? Because I absolutely love the film and want that damn PCM track!!! That's why I'm rebuying it!!!

+1

[benzgrl]

Originally Posted by CraigW

I enjoyed parts of Superman Return, but Spacey's Lex Luthor was only passable and I don't think Routh had the onscreen presence to fill Christopher's red boots. Kate Bosworth on the other hand can be my Lois Lane any day of the week.

I liked Superman Returns a lot too, but my opinion is that Kate Bosworth was entirely miscast. What is so integral to the Superman movies IS the love story between Superman and Lois Lane and the chemistry between them (which Reeve & Margot Kidder did so well, the way Margot got weak everytime Superman came near her, etc.). For me, that is what failed BIG in Superman Returns. Brandon Routh did excellent in my opinion -- he really reminded me of the way Reeve did Clark/Superman, but yet made it his own, you cared for him when you saw his emotions especially when he hears Lois tell Richard she never loved Superman and flys off, and at the end when he finds out he has a son -- it was a beautiful moment. But unfortunately, Kate Bosworth did not have the same fire, fiesty-ness and chemistry with Brandon as Margot had with Reeve, Kate is stiff -- you didn't feel that mixture of anger at Superman being away for 5 years and yet inside yearning for him, Kate was more like pouting, complaining, and it was annoying. Actually, Parker Posey stole the scenes she was in with Superman and sorry, but a much better actress than Kate.

I agree though that something was amiss with Kevin Spacey as Lex, he didn't do it for me either.

I recently saw Superman II (Donner's Cut) and for a movie that was pieced together nearly 20 years later, I thoroughly enjoyed it and Donner's vision -- again Reeve & Kidder were amazing! And Marlon Brando as Jor-El was so cool!

Hoping the sequel: 'Superman: Man of Steel' due out in 2009 will not have Kate Bosworth!