Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Dollar Colonel]

Originally Posted by drownsoda

What would the point be of Screen Archives acquiring Twilight Time's catalog if they weren't planning on reprinting titles?

TT: Hey SAE, we're closing down. Will you buy whatever is left for $5 per title?

SAE: Sure. Say, can we have the brand name too?

TT: OK, we'll throw that in there so no one else can use the name.

[MovieDood]

Originally Posted by Dollar Colonel

TT: Hey SAE, we're closing down. Will you buy whatever is left for $5 per title?

SAE: Sure. Say, can we have the brand name too?

TT: OK, we'll throw that in there so no one else can use the name.

Well, congrats, you have inside information on the deal that was made including cost per disc.

Don't know how you pulled that one-off.

[Dollar Colonel]

Originally Posted by MovieDood

Well, congrats, you have inside information on the deal that was made including cost per disc.

Don't know how you pulled that one-off.

Through the magic of snark.

[albert_m2]

Well, congrats, you have inside information on the deal that was made including cost per disc.

Don't know how you pulled that one-off.

But that is the logical situation. They were already partners.

Why is this a mystery...?

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Wernski

I'm thinking SA is just keeping their rights in place for the titles they're still selling until they're done selling them. So no other studio comes around and licenses Gidget while SA is still trying to move the TT Gidget stock and releases a competitive Gidget blu, maybe even sending a cease and desist letter to SA to stop them selling their original TT Gidgets. I doubt anyone at SA is really looking to restart the TT machine and start making more product.

Screen Archives has been around for a long time. I think that if they ever wanted to be more than a reseller they wouldn't have waited until the twilight of the physical media era to do so. It seems pretty clear to me that this is just a matter of SAE protecting their legal rights to the assets they are acquiring from TT.

Of course, I would love to be wrong.

[SteelyTom]

Does anyone know if TT's The Snake Pit is sourced from the same 4K transfer as the Indicator Region B version?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by SteelyTom

Does anyone know if TT's The Snake Pit is sourced from the same 4K transfer as the Indicator Region B version?

Same master.

[SeanJoyce]

Went back for:

The River's Edge
Bandolero!
Bullet Train

I need to file a restraining order against myself.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Went back for:

The River's Edge
Bandolero!
Bullet Train

I need to file a restraining order against myself.

BANDOLERO! is one of my all time favorite westerns. The characters are rich with humanity and nuanced with actions and reactions more from reality than movie artifice. I remember seeing James Stewart on The Tonight Show later in life and Johnny Carson telling him he had just watched BANDOLERO! on television the night before and loved it. Stewart told him he loved it too, that it was one of his favorites.

I tend to agree that the best decade for American westerns was the 1950's, but the 60's run a very close second. If you have any affection for the genre and marvelously layered stories with deep, soulful characterizations, don't pass up the Twilight Time releases of BANDOLERO! and HOUR OF THE GUN.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

BANDOLERO! is one of my all time favorite westerns. The characters are rich with humanity and nuanced with actions and reactions more from reality than movie artifice. I remember seeing James Stewart on The Tonight Show later in life and Johnny Carson telling him he had just watched BANDOLERO! on television the night before and loved it. Stewart told him he loved it too, that it was one of his favorites.

I tend to agree that the best decade for American westerns was the 1950's, but the 60's run a very close second. If you have any affection for the genre and marvelously layered stories with deep, soulful characterizations, don't pass up the Twilight Time releases of BANDOLERO! and HOUR OF THE GUN.

I’m a big Jimmy Stewart fan, not so much a Dean Martin fan. Is Bandolero one of those movies where he Matt Helms his way through it, or is one of those movies wher he sorta tries?

[Modman]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I’m a big Jimmy Stewart fan, not so much a Dean Martin fan. Is Bandolero one of those movies where he Matt Helms his way through it, or is one of those movies wher he sorta tries?

Martin isn't playing it for laughs but inevitably he has limitations as an actor, this isn't a top notch western but it should entertain on a rainy day.

[SeanJoyce]

Hour of the Gun is one I'm going to monitor at SAE (the only place it can be gotten now.)

As much as I like Sturges and some of the actors involved, I just couldn't prioritize yet another Earp western.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Hour of the Gun is one I'm going to monitor at SAE (the only place it can be gotten now.)

As much as I like Sturges and some of the actors involved, I just couldn't prioritize yet another Earp western.

Hour of the Gun, unlike the other Earp westerns, is less about the shootout (or gun-down) at the OK Corral than about the vengeance ride after. It’s a darker role for James Garner and one I liked as much for the story line as for the performances and direction. The shootout and it’s aftermath are one of the more interesting chapters in the history of the American west, with almost Roshomon-like interpretations.

I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece, but it’s not just another Earp western.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I’m a big Jimmy Stewart fan, not so much a Dean Martin fan. Is Bandolero one of those movies where he Matt Helms his way through it, or is one of those movies wher he sorta tries?

No, it’s nowhere near being a Matt Helm type film or performance. Dean once said the only pleasure he got out of life was making westerns and it shows in just about every one he did. Everyone is good in BANDOLERO with the exception of Raquel Welch, but really it’s Raquel so who cares? She does what she needs to do and looks great.

As for HOUR OF THE GUN, I consider it one of the finest westerns ever made, John Sturges’ best film and Garner’s most accomplished performance. There isn’t an ounce of any Garner-isms anywhere. Brilliantly written by Edward Anhalt, it excels on every level.

A typically well written, perceptive review by CineSavant:

http://https://trailersfromhell.com/hour-of-the-gun/

[drownsoda]

Originally Posted by MovieDood

To sell their product for profit. Why else?

I don't mean SAE just purchasing the remaining stock of TT's discs (or whatever is left after TT's online store goes offline). I was referring to SAE's first newsletter from yesterday that indicated they would be reprinting select titles from TT and that the TT would continue "indefinitely" through them. They subsequently sent out a second newsletter that excised any mention of reprinting though, so it does seem kind of odd. If they're only acquiring the leftovers from TT's stock to sell, that's not "indefinite"—all that means is they're selling off the crumbs left behind once TT ceases operations.

[jayembee]

It's certainly possible that SAE will end up buying the name and trademark, and continue the line. The question is whether they will be able to maintain the legacy, or end up as just another Mill Creek.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by jayembee

It's certainly possible that SAE will end up buying the name and trademark, and continue the line. The question is whether they will be able to maintain the legacy, or end up as just another Mill Creek.

What's the deal with Mill Creek (I actually don't know, not sure I have more than one or two titles)?

[Dollar Colonel]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

What's the deal with Mill Creek (I actually don't know, not sure I have more than one or two titles)?

They pump out a lot of cheap movies, the DVDs you see at Walmart with 20 movies for $5.

They have some decent movie and TV show blu-ray releases too but they're very barebones. They serve a good place in the market when a lot of these movies are never going to get much attention anyway, or they're only worth one watch.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

What's the deal with Mill Creek (I actually don't know, not sure I have more than one or two titles)?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_Creek_Entertainment

They've put out some interesting titles (I just bought a couple of their new Double Feature Blu-rays), but in the context of boutique labels they aren't much to get excited about.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Dollar Colonel

They pump out a lot of cheap movies, the DVDs you see at Walmart with 20 movies for $5.

They have some decent movie and TV show blu-ray releases too but they're very barebones. They serve a good place in the market when a lot of these movies are never going to get much attention anyway, or they're only worth one watch.

I don't really understand a lot of the hate that comes their way. Of course, they put out their fair share of crap at times, but I've been impressed with the mass majority of films and TV shows that I have bought from them. They serve an important niche in the market releasing many films that wouldn't get released or upgraded TV shows that never would've hit BluRay. I must admit that I didn't understand what the one user meant when it would become like another Mill Creek.