If physical media does, indeed, die in 2020 and companies stop pressing Blu-rays, then my plan is to accrue enough still-unwatched Blu-rays before then so that they'll keep me busy for the rest of my life.
I should add that I'm doing a pretty awesome job of that so far anyway.
So have I. I shudder to think of how many unwatched Blu-rays I have. But if the unthinkable happens, I'll be covered just like you.
Placed order for Fever Pitch in January and forgot that I never rec'd the blu-ray. Emailed for status and this was the reply.
"The reason for the long wait is because we sold out of Fever Pitch weeks ago.
Technicolor, the company that manufactures and provides the product to us had a major glitch. We did not receive an accurate indication of the inventory they had on hand. We essentially oversold that title.
I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. We attempted to contact as many affected customers as possible, however because of the glitch, we had no record of everyone who was still waiting on copies that were oversold."
I'm debating buying the 8 Woody Allen films TT released as a part of the March sale. It would be about $150... but i'm worried a boxset will eventually be released and i'll be shooting myself in the foot...
If only I was region free and could get Arrow's set
I'm debating buying the 8 Woody Allen films TT released as a part of the March sale. It would be about $150... but i'm worried a boxset will eventually be released and i'll be shooting myself in the foot...
If only I was region free and could get Arrow's set
Edge of Eternity is a good one. Love seeing the Grand Canyon in Cinemascope on blu-ray in addition to the hair raising scenes of action hundreds of feet in the air, good character actors, involving story, nice direction by Don Siegel. A winner.
Thanks given by:
drak b (08-14-2017), fdm (03-08-2017), Jobla (03-05-2017)
I ordered a couple titles via SAE. Lilies of Field & Remo Williams. Lilies will make a nice gift, especially at 9.99.
I also admit a fondness for Remo Williams. While not for everyone, I don't mind spending $20 to watch Joel Grey spout the wisdom of Chiun and I will enjoy having this, a title I never expected to see on blu.
Remo Williams: You know, Chiun, you're a real pain in the ass.
Chiun: That is because it is the shortest route to your brain!
I really don't see any supporting evidence the other labels are having a hard time. Quite the opposite actually. Not saying TT is wrong, but they definitely have their own particular challenges and tend to pick a lot of less in-demand titles (on purpose, god bless 'em). So... their situation won't be everyone's situation. Let's just wait and see how the market plays out. I predict a long, healthy life of catalog label releases and studio UHD releases of newer movies, but... who knows, I guess.
I really don't see any supporting evidence the other labels are having a hard time. Quite the opposite actually. Not saying TT is wrong, but they definitely have their own particular challenges and tend to pick a lot of less in-demand titles (on purpose, god bless 'em). So... their situation won't be everyone's situation. Let's just wait and see how the market plays out. I predict a long, healthy life of catalog label releases and studio UHD releases of newer movies, but... who knows, I guess.
I can't imagine blu-ray's being replaced; sure there will be ancillary formats like 3D, UHD, and whatever else comes along. But I think blu-ray will be the last major physical format at least as the public at large is concerned. And there will continue to be blus made for another couple decades.
Bought: "Moby Dick", "Mississippi Burning", "Zelig" and "Inherit the Wind". Fingers crossed that "The Night of the Generals" will be included in the sale before the end of the month.
I'm going to guess this is from TwilightTime and not SAE. Fever Pitch was part of the SAE Feb 7/70 deal and is still on their website. I don't think SAE using the Technicolor warehouse for stocking purposes, though I've never been 100% sure how they handle stock.
I know they have separate inventories, but I'm still a bit surprised that TT couldn't make some sort of deal for a situation like this since I'm guessing it wasn't a huge number of copies.
Where possible, we do try to source a copy through any means necessary to make it right. Sometimes however, we cannot. In those cases, the folks behind the scenes do all they can to make it up to collectors, including in several instances shipping unopened personal copies. We're really sorry situations like this arise, but we are constantly working to make sure they don't happen again.
In other news, we now offer Apple Pay support on the TT website, which may or may not be handy for some of you.
I can't imagine blu-ray's being replaced; sure there will be ancillary formats like 3D, UHD, and whatever else comes along. But I think blu-ray will be the last major physical format at least as the public at large is concerned. And there will continue to be blus made for another couple decades.
Heck, by "general public" standards I would guess history will show a clear path of VHS to DVD to streaming. I doubt blu or UHD get mentioned much in 20-30 years, outside of movie enthusiast communities like this one. That's okay though, as long as people pay up and keep the niche market going.
[Show spoiler]Since 2011, there have been 234 unique Blu-ray releases from Twilight Time. That is a lot of great films put out in the last five years. To this day, Rapture is a giant that stands tall above just about every film TT has released, and is probably the best blind buy I have ever made. Why is that? TT has released films that I rate higher or that are personal favorites I would pick ahead of Rapture to regularly revisit or take with me to a desert island (of course, my version of a desert island has electricity, a large screen plasma, and a Blu-ray player ). Yet no other release from TT's catalog has surprised me as much as this wonderful little drama from the late director John Guillermin. The joy of discovering something new and unheard of that can amaze me, move me, entertain me with its story and acting, is one of the reasons I love classic films from the 1940s through the 1980s so much. Rapture is one of these joys of discovery.
Rapture was released on Blu-ray December 13, 2011, together with the first release of Fright Night. As it approaches its five year anniversary, it remains the longest surviving Blu-ray title still available from Twilight Time. It should have sold out long ago. This title is on sale right now for a mere $7.95 and yet it still lingers after so many of its peers have sold out in the past few days. It has never been on the low quantity list.
I will take this opportunity to once again stand on my soapbox and preach the gospels of Oildude's Favorite Films.
Rapture is an astonishing film. Except for occasional visits to network TV over the years, it had been relegated to vault status since its theatrical run in 1965 until Twilight Time's Blu-ray release. If you like Bergman, Polanski, or Hitchcock, you will like Rapture. It slowly sets up an emotionally isolated character for a potential psychological explosion, teetering on the edge of a horror film without actually being one. Director John Guillermin (The Blue Max, The Bridge at Remagen, King Kong) dances on the precipice with our expectations as he takes us on one of the most beautifully written character driven journeys I have ever experienced in a film. Rapture builds taut suspense because the viewer is never quite sure what is going to happen as we are pulled deeper into the plot. It is filled with excellent performances and stunning black and white cinematography that emphasizes the dark neo-gothic atmosphere of a story as brooding and ominous as the storm-shrouded Breton coast where events takes place. I have never seen rocky beaches and coastlines look so stunning as they do here in black and white widescreen CinemaScope.
Rapture evolves around a teenage girl and her widower father, a former big city judge, living on the coast of Brittany in France in a large old house together with their young housekeeper. There is tension in this idyllic setting, for backstory reasons that I won't reveal for to do so would spoil some of the impact of the film. Patricia Gozzi (Sundays and Cybele) gives what surely must be one of the finest performances by a young star in the history of cinema in her portrayal of the troubled and fragile teenage daughter Agnes (pronounced ahn-yes). The story takes off when an injured escaped convict (played by a young Dean Stockwell) makes his way to her father's house and dons the ragged clothes of a scarecrow Agnes had made earlier and placed in the garden. Agnes becomes infatuated with the handsome man who shows up out of the night, as if her scarecrow has come to life. She vows to nurse him back to health and look after him. From there events spin toward the film's powerfully moving climax.
Patricia Gozzi is absolutely phenomenal here. Her portrayal of Agnes gives us a vulnerable girl on the verge of becoming a woman. Like a living version of the childhood doll she still cherishes, Agnes is easily torn and shattered if handled carelessly. She is isolated in the world around her, and confused by a sudden awareness of her budding sexuality after the arrival of the stranger. With no mother for comfort or guidance, and a nubile young housekeeper with problems of her own as her only female companion, Agnes is a ball of fury and pathos for much of the film. Rapture is magnificent. On the surface it plays like a dark fairy tale about an emotionally troubled young girl's coming of age, and yet within its heart of darkness there is a joy of life that beats undeniably loud and makes it an unforgettable affirmation of hope and redemption. There is so much depth to the story, captured with skillful sensitivity by Guillermin, as we realize in the end that a lonely teenage girl is not the only broken doll in the playpen.
The PQ is a glorious, rich, and beautiful black and white Cinemascope feast for the eyes. Audio is also good; the visuals are overlain with a haunting music score by Georges Delerue that compliments the film perfectly.
Rapture is a daring film and a product of a different time. I do not believe it would be made today with the same level of honesty and vulnerability we see on display here. VERY highly recommended.
Note: the images above are taken from the internet and do not represent the disc itself. The transfer is superb.
Last night I watched Rapture (1965), a film that had been in my Twilight collection for some time but had stood out a little more glaringly after I had seen the above comment. I was really swept away by its young star, the impressive cinematography and the pitch-perfect score. Twilight's presentation was as crisp as ever, although I am a little disappointed that it didn't include the audio commentary by Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman that is on the Eureka release.
Question for someone who knows things: Is the upcoming release of Our Man in Havana worth a blind buy for someone who likes spy films and the great Sir Alec Guinness?
From my memory, it's a solid movie, very John Le Carre (or I guess John Le Carre is very it?); if you're going in from a Guinness perspective, think "Man in the White Suit" or "The Card" rather than "Tinker Tailor" (just as far as his performance goes, I mean).
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Linear Mode
