James Bond: The Ultimate Collection (1962-2012) + Volume Collections

[The Fallen Deity]

Originally Posted by BNex99

Interesting; it does have a "4K Film Scanning" credit. But I'm pretty sure that the only ones that got a full-blown 4K restoration were the first nine (Dr. No through Man With the Golden Gun). Maybe they scanned the others at 4K but only did a 2K master?

As far as I know know the first 8 films (Dr. No through to Live And Let Die) and Moonraker were scanned at 4K and fully restored by Lowry and the other films that Lowry worked on came from existing 2K masters that I think were used for the early DVD releases and they went through an extensive clean up and colour correction along with various alterations to the contrast, brightness etc.

Interestingly The Spy Who Loved Me got a new 4K transfer courtesy of MGM for it's BD release (probably due to the fact that the Lowry transfer is an edge enhanced mess) and I think the GoldenEye BD uses an even older master that was created at some point in the 90's (there's no Lowry credit on the BD). Either way it's an ancient master and MGM saw fit to DNR the s**t out of it.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by The Fallen Deity

As far as I know know the first 8 films (Dr. No through to Live And Let Die) and Moonraker were scanned at 4K and fully restored by Lowry and the other films that Lowry worked on came from existing 2K masters that I think were used for the early DVD releases and they went through an extensive clean up and colour correction along with various alterations to the contrast, brightness etc.

Interestingly The Spy Who Loved Me got a new 4K transfer courtesy of MGM for it's BD release (probably due to the fact that the Lowry transfer is an edge enhanced mess) and I think the GoldenEye BD uses an even older master that was created at some point in the 90's (there's no Lowry credit on the BD). Either way it's an ancient master and MGM saw fit to DNR the s**t out of it.

The Video Master made by Lowry of GoldenEye should have been used for the Blu-Ray but MGM wanted to fix the minor cropping so they used the Video Master that was apparently created for the Special Edition DVD from 1999 and smothered it with DNR and Edge Enhancement.

I'm happy with my Ultimate Edition DVD of GoldenEye. Yes the minor cropping is disappointing but in return the 5.1 DTS Track is terrific and the selection of extras is robust.

[Markgway]

The cropping on Goldeneye was more than minor.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by The Fallen Deity

As far as I know know the first 8 films (Dr. No through to Live And Let Die) and Moonraker were scanned at 4K and fully restored by Lowry and the other films that Lowry worked on came from existing 2K masters that I think were used for the early DVD releases and they went through an extensive clean up and colour correction along with various alterations to the contrast, brightness etc.

Interestingly The Spy Who Loved Me got a new 4K transfer courtesy of MGM for it's BD release (probably due to the fact that the Lowry transfer is an edge enhanced mess) and I think the GoldenEye BD uses an even older master that was created at some point in the 90's (there's no Lowry credit on the BD). Either way it's an ancient master and MGM saw fit to DNR the s**t out of it.

I stand corrected; TMWTGG doesn't have the 4K credit at the end. Sorry about that.

Originally Posted by Riddler95

The Video Master made by Lowry of GoldenEye should have been used for the Blu-Ray but MGM wanted to fix the minor cropping so they used the Video Master that was apparently created for the Special Edition DVD from 1999 and smothered it with DNR and Edge Enhancement.

I'm happy with my Ultimate Edition DVD of GoldenEye. Yes the minor cropping is disappointing but in return the 5.1 DTS Track is terrific and the selection of extras is robust.

I dunno, the cropping is pretty severe in places, and the opening credits are placed closer to the center than they were originally, which leads me to believe it was from a broadcast master or something. I think I've read that there is a new 4K scan of Goldeneye out there; hopefully it'll be utilized for a home release at some point.

[30hertzrumble]

Originally Posted by The Fallen Deity

I can't completely hate the film though. Halle Berry 'nuff said.

But yeah the final act is definitely the worst part although personally like I said it starts to go downhill really quickly imo.

Well... except that Halle Berry is one of the worst things in a movie filled with worst things.

Until Halle Berry backdives off the bridge into a sea of CGI, I'm good with DAD. And then all hell breaks loose. During the first third, Brosnan seems at his most comfortable as 007. The scenes in Cuba, especially. And the notion of Bond as a POW adds a nice twist to the beginning of this film. But how quickly great notions are wasted.

Here's a slice of my theory that Die Another Day is really just a fever dream in the stress-addled mind of 007: http://thejamesbondsocialmediaprojec...e-fever-dream/

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I haven't watched it in a while but I remember it didn't go "full on cringe fest" until Iceland. That's my memory anyway. It's still his worst movie throughout, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was a catastrophe until act three.

Welll... The scene where he causes his own heart to stop a la Derek Flint in order to escape before arriving disheveled at a luxury Hong Kong hotel where he checks into his usual suite, cutting to scene where he's all cleaned up thanks to his handy Philishave as if to say "Well, that's that torture business all done with" is all sorts of cringeworthy in itself. There are also some cool parts once he gets to Iceland, such as the car chase sequence along the ice field. I also do enjoy the fact that DAD is a loose adaptation of Fleming's Moonraker, more so than the "actual" adaptation.

[balthazar_bee]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I haven't watched it in a while but I remember it didn't go "full on cringe fest" until Iceland. That's my memory anyway. It's still his worst movie throughout, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was a catastrophe until act three.

See, I agree about Iceland being the point of no return for Die Another Day, but I think it's very nearly Brosnan's best Bond film for the first half, which makes the undeniable crapiness of all that comes after that much more tragic.

As others have mentioned, his performance alone is so sure-footed and commanding that the film gets a big leg up. Unlike, say, Connery, Brosnan got better and better with each film -- he started out looking way over his head in Goldeneye, though filling Dalton's shoes was never going to be easy -- more controlled and somehow also more human. (Incidentally, he's even better in non-Bond-but-thematically-related-and-tonally-disparate roles like The Matador and The Tailor of Panama.)

I should add that I'm partial to The World is Not Enough, think Goldeneye has a rather inflated reputation, and (as with Die Another Day), I can't stand the second half of Tomorrow Never Dies, so take that how you will.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

Welll... The scene where he causes his own heart to stop a la Derek Flint in order to escape before arriving disheveled at a luxury Hong Kong hotel where he checks into his usual suite, cutting to scene where he's all cleaned up thanks to his handy Philishave as if to say "Well, that's that torture business all done with" is all sorts of cringeworthy in itself. There are also some cool parts once he gets to Iceland, such as the car chase sequence along the ice field. I also do enjoy the fact that DAD is a loose adaptation of Fleming's Moonraker, more so than the "actual" adaptation.

Well I never expected a Bond movie (at that time) to realistically deal with torture and imprisonment. I thought those scenes worked okay in a Superman Bond way, which is how he is always portrayed, even in the "gritty realistic" Craig movies. Those moments just didn't stand out to me I guess is the point.

Not saying they're good, like I said it's still overall a bad movie. I just don't think it's epic OMG bad until Iceland. Except for that moment Pike takes her dress off, that was good movie.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by BNex99

I stand corrected; TMWTGG doesn't have the 4K credit at the end. Sorry about that.



I dunno, the cropping is pretty severe in places, and the opening credits are placed closer to the center than they were originally, which leads me to believe it was from a broadcast master or something. I think I've read that there is a new 4K scan of Goldeneye out there; hopefully it'll be utilized for a home release at some point.

I also think that MGM provided Lowry with a Video Master of GoldenEye that already had the cropping applied. There is no way Lowry did that.

I've also read that a new 4K Master of GoldenEye was created. It would be neat to see.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Well I never expected a Bond movie (at that time) to realistically deal with torture and imprisonment. I thought those scenes worked okay in a Superman Bond way, which is how he is always portrayed, even in the "gritty realistic" Craig movies. Those moments just didn't stand out to me I guess is the point.

Not saying they're good, like I said it's still overall a bad movie. I just don't think it's epic OMG bad until Iceland. Except for that moment Pike takes her dress off, that was good movie.

Yeah, but they were trying to have their cake and eat it too. And it's not so much the torture and imprisonment that makes my eyes roll, it's the stopping his heart so he can escape. Brosnan never really worked for me because I couldn't take the awkward blending of 90s action seriousness with the Moore levels of silliness.

[Markgway]

I think - and correct me if I'm wrong - that the heart stopping is explained by the opening credits sequence where Bond is poisoned by Scorpions and then, once dead, revived with an anti-venom. After that, he could slow his own heart to zero, then back up. I'm not saying that makes medical sense, just that it's what they were trying to posit.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by Markgway

I think - and correct me if I'm wrong - that the heart stopping is explained by the opening credits sequence where Bond is poisoned by Scorpions and then, once dead, revived with an anti-venom. After that, he could slow his own heart to zero, then back up. I'm not saying that makes medical sense, just that it's what they were trying to posit.

Doctors are overheard saying that he was administered venom and then the anti-venom but there is no indication that it has subsequently given him this "superpower". The film merely has him remembering his torturing and, presumably, going into cardiac arrest due to some kind of PTSD before being revived by medical staff. Either way, it's pretty f*cking dumb and a strong indication that the film is already off the rails before it reaches Iceland.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

Brosnan never really worked for me because I couldn't take the awkward blending of 90s action seriousness with the Moore levels of silliness.

I don't think his first two movies were like this, but the last two were I guess, especially Die Another Day. Like I said, the whole movie is bad, so we don't disagree there. I just don't think his heart-stopping thing is as bad as invisible car ice palace surfing stuff.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

Brosnan never really worked for me because I couldn't take the awkward blending of 90s action seriousness with the Moore levels of silliness.

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I don't think his first two movies were like this, but the last two were I guess, especially Die Another Day. Like I said, the whole movie is bad, so we don't disagree there. I just don't think his heart-stopping thing is as bad as invisible car ice palace surfing stuff.

I like Goldeneye, sizable chunks of TND and TWINE, and a couple of scenes from DAD, but to me the biggest problem with the Brosnan era is that they never could settle on a tone. It was like an attempt to blend the best of Connery and Moore, sort of a "Bond's Greatest Hits," and then make it all 90s-level politically correct, and it was often awkward. The Craig movies have been hit-and-miss quality-wise, but at least they've kept a relatively consistent attitude.

[viiv]

Hey guys, I am in the market to buy a complete set on Blu ray. Based on previous releases, when would you guys expect a new set that INCLUDES Spectre to be released?


I know right now, the latest set includes a space for Spectre, but I'd rather have one that just includes it.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by viiv

Hey guys, I am in the market to buy a complete set on Blu ray. Based on previous releases, when would you guys expect a new set that INCLUDES Spectre to be released?


I know right now, the latest set includes a space for Spectre, but I'd rather have one that just includes it.

Maybe for Black Friday they will toss Spectre in there, same disc. Surprised they didn't do it when Spectre came out. If money saving is your presumed goal though, I'd just get the set whenever it's on sale next, I doubt it makes much of a difference.

[Brown]

I think no one has mentioned this here. Today (Tuesday, July 5) Amazon has the Ultimate set packaged with SPECTRE as a Prime offering at $90.

[master gandhi]

Originally Posted by Brown

I think no one has mentioned this here. Today (Tuesday, July 5) Amazon has the Ultimate set packaged with SPECTRE as a Prime offering at $90.

For anyone who doesn't own these, that's a really good deal on probably the best version, with the Everything or Nothing documentary.

[disilluzion]

I've been searching since yesterday and haven't been able to find an answer.

I bought the Ultimate whatever yesterday for the UV codes. I already own the 11 from 2008 and the other 9 from 2012.

My question, which I'm sure has been asked many times and I just can't find the answer, are my original discs the exact same as the new super duper set? I would like to know this before I sell one set or the other.

Thank you.

[critterdvd]

Originally Posted by disilluzion

I've been searching since yesterday and haven't been able to find an answer.

I bought the Ultimate whatever yesterday for the UV codes. I already own the 11 from 2008 and the other 9 from 2012.

My question, which I'm sure has been asked many times and I just can't find the answer, are my original discs the exact same as the new super duper set? I would like to know this before I sell one set or the other.

Thank you.

It might have changed, but the set I purchased had a single code for all of the films...