Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Page14

I know what you mean. I haven't purchased "Those Magnificent..." ... yet. I was originally waiting to combine it with "Bye Bye Birdie" to cut down on the shipping costs (since I knew I was getting both anyway and am in no hurry, seeing that I have a large backlog of movies I bought but haven't watched yet. ... And now I'm spinning my wheels because I'm thinking of combining other TT movies in the same order ... but with all the other sales going on, what can I afford? I'm sure some of you can relate ... ).

EDIT: I'm spinning my wheels no more. I ordered the 2 above mentioned movies. I might buy others I'm interested in if I catch wind that they're close to being sold out. But available time and budget is telling me to hold off for the time being.

With home video Page 14, I've always performed the equivalent of 'triage' when evaluating which company's titles are likelier to remain available for awhile, and which are likeliest to disappear on short or no notice. Except for the limited-within-limited autographed TT editions, even the fastest selling titles from this label have left a little wiggle-room in that regard, so my own preference for pre-ordering day one is simply because I tend to look forward to these movies the most each month. And admittedly, although I'm not ga-ga over those SAE/TT magnets, if one happens to be available a particular title, I'm just enough of a 'completist' to make sure I get it (thanks again Blueherring for your recent Mysterious Island / The Egyptian swap - FTR, I am now magnet 'complete').

As for the releases this month, they were a bit of a flip-flop from the recent past in that the Fox title (Those Magnificent Men...) was the reel jaw-dropper in terms of AQ and especially PQ, whereas Columbia/Sony's Cover Girl was a fine old show, albeit with some "Yes but's..."

Earlier, I qualified my comments on Mr. Harris' less-than-rave review of Cover Girl by admitting that I'd never seen the movie, other than stills, so I had no specific point of reference for the accuracy of this master. However, I have seen my fair share of IB Technicolor prints over the years, and, strictly from a purist P.O.V., I tend to agree with Harris...this...wasn't...quite...that. Make no mistake, Cover Girl looked terrific, very good in fact, and frequently eye-popping. But it wasn't consistently so, which prompted me to recall viewings of other Technicolor films which also had variances in hue, brightness, saturation, and texture from shot to shot and sequence to sequence. What came through the dye-transfer process was all in the lighting and projector output...and when they got that mix right, IB prints were a dazzling experience. But even under ideal conditions, working from the original 3-strip separations, Technicolor is a very hard, nearly impossible 'look' to replicate with 100% faithfullness on home video. For a couple of examples that most posters would likely be familiar with, despite impressive scan resolution, painstaking workflow and pro mastering, neither North by Northwest nor The Wizard of Oz, nor even the recent Singin' in the Rain completely nailed their dye transfer sources...in part because we're not seeing them as light passing through dyed film. Of course, the Blu-rays of these movies all look fantastic and very satisfying in the home, but as close as they come, none are archival-class reproductions of their source IB Technicolor. That seems to be a key factor in Mr. Harris' reservations over Cover Girl...as usual, given his film restoration expertise and cinephile's passion, he seems to be taking the longer view about what studios are leaving as a legacy from the golden era. And on a purist level, he's absolutely right...some Technicolor transfers just get closer to that original grace state than others.

This is germane to Cover Girl, only inasmuch as even I - someone who had never seen this movie - was aware of these little "can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it" colour/texure variances throughout, and at one point, thought to myself aloud, "Well, that may be pretty, but it's not 3-strip Technicolor; it's something else." If the reports from here and elsewhere are true that Sony no longer had the OCN or the 3-strip separations to go back to, then the choices regarding the surviving Eastman materials (apparently produced several years ago), probably means, once again, that this is 'as good as it gets.'

I still liked this movie as well as its presentation, so no serious complaints here, or at least none that I can't place into practical perspective. Nevertheless, for fans of vintage Technicolor, especially those who still own IB prints, I can kinda-sorta see where they're coming from with their reservations about this Blu-ray.

[deltasun]

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

Here's an interesting read about a postal worker with sticky fingers
http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=147734

Great, that's my post office!

[#Darren]

My review of the Pal Joey BD:

Very good PQ and AQ, disappointing waste of extra features

Video and Audio on this release were very good. Picture had a slight softness and also extreme graininess at times, but for the most part was excellent with good detail and light grain. Soundtrack really performed impressively in the various songs.

Disappointing waste of extra features.

We get a very nice 9 minute featurette - "Backstage and at Home with Kim Novak" which is mostly made up of an unseen Miss Novak talking about the film's costume designer (who did do a magnificent job) and set to scenes from the film, but also includes some wonderful video footage of Miss Novak at her beautiful country home which seems to have been filmed around 2010. We also get the film's theatrical trailer. Both these features are carried over from the Sony DVD release.

We miss out however on the 11 minute "Select Scenes Commentary" with Kim Novak and Stephen Rebello which was also on the DVD, and which would have seemed a much more film-centric extra compared the previously mentioned featurette.

Sony seems to have given Twilight Time the extra features from it's "Kim Novak Collection", so not sure why the scene specific commentary is MIA. Unless Sony gave them most but not all of the extra features. Perhaps they are being held back for when Sony regains the rights to publish their own Blu ray release...?

[Loafy]

I placed 2 orders on Friday for the first time. One from the Bye Bye Birdie pre-order and another for several in stock items. Never got any email notifications for the orders or notice of shipment. Do they not do either?

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by Loafy

I placed 2 orders on Friday for the first time. One from the Bye Bye Birdie pre-order and another for several in stock items. Never got any email notifications for the orders or notice of shipment. Do they not do either?

If you have items that are stocked items on the same order as a pre-order I believe there is a check box on the order screen asking to release orders as they are avaiable. Otherwise they won't ship out the other items. You can contact customer service and ask if that is the issue. Otherwise if you placed the order Friday usually they ship the next business day.. which would be today Monday.

I used to make this mistake all the time when I was ordering soundtracks.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Loafy

I placed 2 orders on Friday for the first time. One from the Bye Bye Birdie pre-order and another for several in stock items. Never got any email notifications for the orders or notice of shipment. Do they not do either?

Yes, they do send email notifications. Click on this link and go to View My Orders to make sure you went all the way through the checkout process.

http://www.screenarchives.com/account.cfm

Your cart should also be empty if you successfully checked out. If there are still items in your cart then something happened during the checkout process.

[Loafy]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

If you have items that are stocked items on the same order as a pre-order I believe there is a check box on the order screen asking to release orders as they are avaiable. Otherwise they won't ship out the other items. You can contact customer service and ask if that is the issue. Otherwise if you placed the order Friday usually they ship the next business day.. which would be today Monday.

I used to make this mistake all the time when I was ordering soundtracks.

I placed separate orders fro Birdie and the in stock items so it wouldn't hold up the shipment. Just wondering if they send out an email informing you that your items have shipped or any email confirmation of them receiving your order placement in the first place.

[Dex Robinson]

Oddly enough, I've never gotten an email confirmation of an order from Screen Archives and I've ordered about eight BDs going back to FRIGHT NIGHT.

However, I pay through PayPal so I get a PayPal receipt. But I've never gotten an order confirmation from Screen Archives themselves (I know they have my email because I do get SHIPMENT confirmations plus updates on other products).

[Loafy]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Yes, they do send email notifications. Click on this link and go to View My Orders to make sure you went all the way through the checkout process.

http://www.screenarchives.com/account.cfm

Your cart should also be empty if you successfully checked out. If there are still items in your cart then something happened during the checkout process.

Thanks for the tip. My orders are definitely placed in my VIEW ORDERS section. Must be like Dex Robinson mentioned, because I also payed via PayPal so I got my Paypal receipt but nothing from Screen Archives. Order is still lusted as pending though, so maybe I'll get a notification when it ships. Thanks for all the help everyone.

[deltasun]

Pre-ordered Bye Bye Birdie. Looking forward to it!

[Rory]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

I have seen my fair share of IB Technicolor prints over the years, and, strictly from a purist P.O.V., I tend to agree with Harris...this...wasn't...quite...that. Make no mistake, Cover Girl looked terrific, very good in fact, and frequently eye-popping. But it wasn't consistently so, which prompted me to recall viewings of other Technicolor films which also had variances in hue, brightness, saturation, and texture from shot to shot and sequence to sequence. What came through the dye-transfer process was all in the lighting and projector output...and when they got that mix right, IB prints were a dazzling experience. But even under ideal conditions, working from the original 3-strip separations, Technicolor is a very hard, nearly impossible 'look' to replicate with 100% faithfullness on home video. For a couple of examples that most posters would likely be familiar with, despite impressive scan resolution, painstaking workflow and pro mastering, neither North by Northwest nor The Wizard of Oz, nor even the recent Singin' in the Rain completely nailed their dye transfer sources...in part because we're not seeing them as light passing through dyed film. Of course, the Blu-rays of these movies all look fantastic and very satisfying in the home, but as close as they come, none are archival-class reproductions of their source IB Technicolor.

I've never been a big fan of the old Technicolor IB print look. It was and still is very unnatural. It's simply not the way we see color in real life, and is therefore as stylized and expressive as Black & White, and has it's uses, but I've just never cared for it. Gaudy, in too much of a bad way, is what I'd call dye-transfer Technicolor.

What do you think of the latest BD of GONE WITH THE WIND, ROclockCK. I thought it was pretty good, and my only problem with THE WIZARD OF OZ is a bit too much grain, but the color otherwise is good enough for me.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

With home video Page 14, I've always performed the equivalent of 'triage' when evaluating which company's titles are likelier to remain available for awhile, and which are likeliest to disappear on short or no notice. Except for the limited-within-limited autographed TT editions, even the fastest selling titles from this label have left a little wiggle-room in that regard, so my own preference for pre-ordering day one is simply because I tend to look forward to these movies the most each month. And admittedly, although I'm not ga-ga over those SAE/TT magnets, if one happens to be available a particular title, I'm just enough of a 'completist' to make sure I get it (thanks again Blueherring for your recent Mysterious Island / The Egyptian swap - FTR, I am now magnet 'complete').

<snip>

I look forward to the TT releases also ... probably because I know that what they're releasing is limited in number and usually (it seems) very good quality. So it's always a little bit of a thrill to see an old favorite pop up on their list.

Congrats (Rock) on getting the magnets to complete your collection. I missed out on the Mysterious Island magnet, but I'm okay with it.

[HyperRealist]

I have an extra Mysterious Island and Picnic magnet.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Page14

Congrats (Rock) on getting the magnets to complete your collection. I missed out on the Mysterious Island magnet, but I'm okay with it.

With several of these TT releases, I've been 'piggybacking' orders from fans and friends up here who either can't be bothered setting up an SAE account for the few TT titles that interest them, or they just want to avoid the high International shipping cost for single items. A couple of those piggyback buyers for Mysterious Island didn't want the magnet, so I might still have an extra one lying around here...well...somewhere.

Just PM me Page 14.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

I have an extra Mysterious Island and Picnic magnet.

Apparently, Page 14 just got double lucky.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Apparently, Page 14 just got double lucky.

...

Thanks to both of you guys (ROclockCK and HyperRealist), but I don't know what I'd do with it even if I had it ... probably just put in my plastic baggy with the others that I have). Very generous of you guys to offer though! I appreciate the thought!

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Rory

I've never been a big fan of the old Technicolor IB print look. It was and still is very unnatural. It's simply not the way we see color in real life, and is therefore as stylized and expressive as Black & White, and has it's uses, but I've just never cared for it. Gaudy, in too much of a bad way, is what I'd call dye-transfer Technicolor.

That "stylization" was also its unique beauty Rory...at least to me. Certain types of movies have benefitted from Technicolor more than others. As others have noted, this process seemed particularly fair game for musicals since they are already so stylized.

And yes, Singin' in the Rain is indeed one of the most unapologetically "gaudy" movies I've ever seen, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Originally Posted by Rory

What do you think of the latest BD of GONE WITH THE WIND, ROclockCK. I thought it was pretty good, and my only problem with THE WIZARD OF OZ is a bit too much grain, but the color otherwise is good enough for me.

Believe it or not, I've yet to see the Gone With the Wind Blu-ray Rory. I tend to revisit that movie in roughly 5 year cycles, and its 2009 Blu-ray release fell somewhere in between those viewings. Still on my shelf unopened, just waiting for the right moment...

[Arkadin]

Ooo great deal on Mysterious Island.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mysterious-I...84907&sr=1-199

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

Ooo great deal on Mysterious Island.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mysterious-I...84907&sr=1-199

Refusing to buy it from SAE at the *outrageous* price of $34.99 really showed them...

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

Ooo great deal on Mysterious Island.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mysterious-I...84907&sr=1-199

The seller's name sure fits the asking price.

It's a bit cheaper on Amazon.com and some of those names look awfully familiar.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new