Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Monterey Jack]

Got my sale copies of The Seven-Ups and The New Centurions today. Will give them a spin in the not-too-distant future.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

I think if a title sells out quickly, it’s proof that the model doesn’t work for that film because they couldn’t meet demand. To compare, Scream Factory’s limited edition steelbooks usually have 10,000 copies printed, meaning their standard editions of those films will probably sell plenty more units than that. Major cult horror films like Christine, Fright Night, Night of the Living Dead (1990), and The Blob (1988) will sell far more than the 3,000 or 5,000 or 8,000 units TT gave them, especially for sale on Amazon. Christine’s reissue from Sony clearly sold enough to warrant a 4K UHD release. If a title takes a year or more to sell out, then I guess the model works for it (but it is a bit of a shame if there’s people that want the title on Blu-ray after it sells out).

I think that if a TT title sells out quickly, then that proves that their model does work, at least for that title. I sure that they'd be very happy if every title sold that quickly and they could take that money to the bank and not have to sit on inventory for three years. In the case of Christine, I think it was Sony that the model didn't work for. Somebody at Sony must have seriously underestimated the demand for Christine when they agreed to licence it to Twilight Time.

[RedHarvest]

I'm still hoping Twilight Time will release Neil Jordan's The Good Thief, starring Nick Nolte, which was/is a Fox Searchlight title. They've put out Nolte films and they've put out Neil Jordan films, so it fits, and it's an incredibly stylish neo noir piece; an absolute favorite. And there's no known HD copy yet, save for 1080i Mexican release that seems to be sucked from existence.

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I think that if a TT title sells out quickly, then that proves that their model does work, at least for that title. I sure that they'd be very happy if every title sold that quickly and they could take that money to the bank and not have to sit on inventory for three years. In the case of Christine, I think it was Sony that the model didn't work for. Somebody at Sony must have seriously underestimated the demand for Christine when they agreed to licence it to Twilight Time.

Enough copies should be available for those that want them, and that was not the case for the horror titles I mentioned. I did manage to get The Blob, Fright Night, and Vampires, but I had to act quickly, and not everyone was so lucky, and I wish they were still available for those that missed out for whatever reason, without having to import (which is what I had to do for Night of the Living Dead). They all deserve the Scream Factory or Arrow treatment. I’m thinking about this purely from the consumer’s perspective.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

Enough copies should be available for those that want them, and that was not the case for the horror titles I mentioned. I did manage to get The Blob, Fright Night, and Vampires, but I had to act quickly, and not everyone was so lucky, and I wish they were still available for those that missed out for whatever reason, without having to import (which is what I had to do for Night of the Living Dead). They all deserve the Scream Factory or Arrow treatment. I’m thinking about this purely from the consumer’s perspective.

I will say that films like Fright Night, Vampires, The Blob, etc. should be left to labels such as Scream or Arrow who specialize in and cater to fans of that type of popular horror film.

The Mad Room though is something I think would be perfect for labels like Twilight Time or Powerhouse. Scream have released some psycho biddy films but it's not something that most horror fans clamor for. I like when Twilight Time release long-forgotten gems that are ripe for rediscovery.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by BrianJoynt

I'm still hoping Twilight Time will release Neil Jordan's The Good Thief, starring Nick Nolte, which was/is a Fox Searchlight title. They've put out Nolte films and they've put out Neil Jordan films, so it fits, and it's an incredibly stylish neo noir piece; an absolute favorite. And there's no known HD copy yet, save for 1080i Mexican release that seems to be sucked from existence.

If that gets a US release before Bob le Flambeur, I'll eat my shoe.

[jayembee]

Keep in mind that most of the horror films that TT released (don't forget the two De Palmas) sold out virtually instantaneously. As such, they helped fund more titles from the studios while the other releases took their sweet time to sell.

Personally, I'm not that into horror films, so if TT wanted to defer to other labels on those, I wouldn't be too hot and bothered.

[Jobla]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

I will say that films like Fright Night, Vampires, The Blob, etc. should be left to labels such as Scream or Arrow who specialize in and cater to fans of that type of popular horror film.

The Mad Room though is something I think would be perfect for labels like Twilight Time or Powerhouse. Scream have released some psycho biddy films but it's not something that most horror fans clamor for. I like when Twilight Time release long-forgotten gems that are ripe for rediscovery.

There is some psycho-biddy content in THE MAD ROOM--but no spoilers from me!

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

I like when Twilight Time release long-forgotten gems that are ripe for rediscovery.

"Next Stop, Greenwich Village" is probably my favorite forgotten gem I've purchased thus far from TT.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

If that gets a US release before Bob le Flambeur, I'll eat my shoe.

Well, considering that Lionsgate has no interest in releasing most of their StudioCanal titles, you probably should start cooking your shoe.

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

"Next Stop, Greenwich Village" is probably my favorite forgotten gem I've purchased thus far from TT.

My favorite is probably Don’t Bother to Knock. Seriously, a suspenseful noir-ish film about Marilyn Monroe as a psycho (and suicidal) babysitter? How the hell did I not know THAT movie existed? The film itself more than exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t believe what I was watching, especially when she (yes, Marilyn Monroe) tries to kill the kid. Just the idea of her playing a broken woman that had been institutionalized was a little sad and scary at the same time (especially since she was apparently channeling her mother in her performance). It was also nice to see the characters take a more sympathetic turn at the end too. The supporting performances were great too (Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, Verna Felton). Just a fascinating film in every way, and one of my best blind buys (though still probably not worth TT’s usual $30).

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

My favorite is probably Don’t Bother to Knock. Seriously, a suspenseful noir-ish film about Marilyn Monroe as a psycho (and suicidal) babysitter? How the hell did I not know THAT movie existed? The film itself more than exceeded my expectations, and I couldn’t believe what I was watching, especially when she (yes, Marilyn Monroe) tries to kill the kid. Just the idea of her playing a broken woman that had been institutionalized was a little sad and scary at the same time (especially since she was apparently channeling her mother in her performance). It was also nice to see the characters take a more sympathetic turn at the end too. The supporting performances were great too (Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft, Verna Felton). Just a fascinating film in every way, and one of my best blind buys (though still probably not worth TT’s usual $30).

I'd argue she gives a career-best performance. Anyone who thinks she could only play the ditzy blonde should be forced to watch this film.

[RCRochester]

I don't know if these could be considered "forgotten gems" but these are some blind-buys from Twilight Time that I ended up really enjoying:

Inserts, Hardcore, Two for the Road, Our Man in Havana, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Devil in a Blue Dress, The Front.

I've also enjoyed the trashy 50s melodramas Peyton Place and The Best of Everything, and also to an extent the Happy Ending.

It wasn't a forgotten movie or blind buy for me, but I'm also glad they released the Hospital because that is a movie that deserves to be better known. I think it's funnier and sharper than the more highly regarded Network.

[Hoke Moseley]

The Disappearance was the only TT title I bought without ever hardly hearing of it before... turned out pretty great.

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

I'd argue she gives a career-best performance. Anyone who thinks she could only play the ditzy blonde should be forced to watch this film.

Couldn't agree more. I watched this a few weeks ago and was mesmerised by her performance. The way she portrayed her descent through the layers of her psyche, into the fullness of her condition, was so beautifully played. I can't really remember her giving another performance on that level. And credit to Richard Widmark, professional that he is, was not only able to stay with her, but got even more out of her.

Fantastic film, and the TT disc is pretty great.

[Monterey Jack]

Watched The Seven-Ups today. Great transfer!

[SeanJoyce]

Cutter's Way is not only the best TT blind-buy I've ever made, it's one of the best I've made period in a collection that is +1700.

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Cutter's Way is not only the best TT blind-buy I've ever made, it's one of the best I've made period in a collection that is +1700.

Absolutely. It's my favorite TT blind buy as well.

[mja345]

Three of my favorites have been mentioned on this page. "Inserts", "The Disappearance" and "Cutter's Way", although "Inserts" wasn't a blind buy. Three fantastic films.

[StarDestroyer52]

How to Steal A Million was my favorite blind buy(yeah I know, it is odd not to have seen it till last year). Mississippi Mermaid was also a great blind buy especially at the low price I picked up at.