Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Dollar Colonel

It's difficult not to imagine that if the folks involved with the original TT thought there was any way to further the original mission, they wouldn't have held on to the name and did it themselves. Of course I know nothing about the business or whether there were any contractual obligations with SAE to give them the right of first refusal.

I would think so too, but without knowing the facts we can only go by impressions and it at least seemed on the surface that disarray either set in or was quickly exasperated by the passing of one of its founders. Then when his widow, a primary contributor and chief creative force with the label, took her leave, it appeared that there was no inclination for the operation to continue.

I’m sure those more learned with the actual situation can elaborate further, but I do wonder if they indeed had the resources to continue, would they have or were they otherwise floundering to the point of not wanting to continue? Or a combination of both?

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

But it does offer some shield against the dog crap that lies in wait for you at every opportunity because at one point years before you dared to disagree with them about something. Since emptying my Ignore List as a gesture of good will over the holidays my same three old stalkers are once more clinging to the bottom of my shoes.

Anyway, back on topic. I don’t expect this new incarnation of TT to have the capital or contacts to necessarily secure any contracts with the majors, but it will be interesting to see what else turns up from them. I’m envisioning a small label output similar to ClassicFlix, but if they are sitting on some of the unreleased licensed properties from the old TT, as some speculate, that would be great.

I agree, I certainly won't stop using the ignore list, I just wish it was more effective in shielding me from the idiocy. Its like sports, I can't stand the fact that Tom Brady always wins and I could just stop reading about sports, but I love them too much so I have to suffer. Same with this forum, some may say "ok, just don't read forum posts" but I love the hobby and learning about new and exciting movies that I haven't previously heard of

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I would think so too, but without knowing the facts we can only go by impressions and it at least seemed on the surface that disarray either set in or was quickly exasperated by the passing of one of its founders. Then when his widow, a primary contributor and chief creative force with the label, took her leave, it appeared that there was no inclination for the operation to continue.

I’m sure those more learned with the actual situation can elaborate further, but I do wonder if they indeed had the resources to continue, would they have or were they otherwise floundering to the point of not wanting to continue? Or a combination of both?

I just wish I knew if they still had permission to release Gorilla At Large. Being that it is a Fox title it probably got canceled....

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by trentdiesel

I agree, I certainly won't stop using the ignore list, I just wish it was more effective in shielding me from the idiocy. Its like sports, I can't stand the fact that Tom Brady always wins and I could just stop reading about sports, but I love them too much so I have to suffer. Same with this forum, some may say "ok, just don't read forum posts" but I love the hobby and learning about new and exciting movies that I haven't previously heard of

Yep, we are in total agreement, even with-or especially with-the view on Brady. Another Super Bowl where I’m rooting for one team to lose more than the other winning. Sports and online forums serve up their own metaphors for the human experience and coincide with each other quite a bit. But while following them both can often be a frustrating pastime, it’s also a fun addiction where the good tends to overshadow the bad. At least once some perspective is applied. Go Chiefs!

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Yep, we are in total agreement, even with-or especially with-the view on Brady. Another Super Bowl where I’m rooting for one team to lose more than the other winning. Sports and online forums serve up their own metaphors for the human experience and coincide with each other quite a bit. But while following them both can often be a frustrating pastime, it’s also a fun addiction where the good tends to overshadow the bad. At least once some perspective is applied. Go Chiefs!

Come on, it's super normal for QBs in their mid-40s to not be able to throw a deep ball for shit for the first 8 weeks of the season, then, suddenly, at the mid-point of the season when your body starts completely breaking down, start throwing absolute downfield lasers. That's just what eating your veggies and lifting a little bit does, not any kind of horse steroid cocktail.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Tell that to the people who are being prosecuted for copyright infringement, even if no money is being made from it.

Prosecuted, or sued?

[SpaceBlackKnight]

AFAIK, the new Twilight Time under Screen Archive's ownership didn't transfer over the active licences from Fox, Universal, and Sony. They can still sell remaining units from output of the prior licences, but I don't think the big 3 they worked with renewed their deals or have plans to work with SA.

MGM ended their relationship with the old TT in 2018, primarily due to titles that got Encore runs with additional units pressed when the licence specified 3000 with no repressings. TT also dropping too many required titles in package deals (Smiley, Konga, and Lord Love a Duck come to mind, which had no HD masters and TT had no backing to pay for new ones) added fuel to that fire.

I could see them getting independent deals for popular enough titles, but it depends on how much dough Screen Archives are willing to lay out. Since they seem to be going for more of the 70/80s cult and Kung Fu genre, maybe they could release some Fortune Star and Gala/Orange Sky titles if they're willing to play ball.

[TheWildWon]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Fox was just the US theatrical distributor. They didn't have any ownership stake in it.

TT apparently licensed it from UK company Screenbound. VENOM as well.

[Shanghai Express]

Tick...tock...new titles anytime soon?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by mrmikefern

Tick...tock...new titles anytime soon?

Hopefully something soon. It sounds like we won't be getting any Universal, Fox, or Sony titles, so they might be coming from smaller independent companies.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by BamaDullard

The Tall Men, Bonjour Tristesse, The Man from Laramie, Violent Saturday.

I guess I’m a sucker for CinemaScope, but you can’t tell me those movies aren’t gorgeous.

thanks to you and the others who chimed in here. just like The Bravados, I had no idea that The Tall Men is supposed to feature good cinematography. I have that one, but haven't seen it yet. I also have MoC's The Man From Laramie and Garden of Evil (haven't seen it yet, either.)

Bonjour Tristesse has piqued my interest, though. saw the trailer and it seems like something I'd enjoy. anyone have a copy that they're willing to part with? I saw in my inbox that it was part of the 7 for $70 titles some time ago. I wasn't much familiar with it then. I may have known it was Jean Seberg, but didn't know it was Preminger and definitely didn't know David Niven was in it.

[The Great Owl]

During a brief nighttime stop beside a desert highway in Nevada, Melvin, a working class dreamer played by Paul Le Mat, encounters an old disheveled motorcyclist and kindly drives him to Las Vegas, reacting with good-natured suspicion when the man, played by Jason Robards, identifies himself as the multimillionaire, Howard Hughes. During the years that follow, the unlucky but forever upbeat Melvin strives time and time again to live the American Dream by way of get-rich-quick schemes, despite shuffling from one job to another through two marriages to the same woman, played by Mary Steenburgen, a third marriage to a co-worker, played by Pamela Reed. and a seemingly endless series of vehicle repossessions. After the death of Howard Hughes, however, the lives of our determined optimist and his family are turned upside down by a media circus due to his claims that he has received the last will and testament of the wealthy eccentric.

The 1980 comedy drama, Melvin and Howard, directed by Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) and based on the real-life scandal of Melvin E. Dummar, plays out like a feature-length incarnation of The Twilight Zone episode, “Mr. Bevis”, about a happy-go-lucky misfit who is visited by a guardian angel. Thanks to its convincing examinations of consumerism culture and the understated effectiveness of its cast, it landed Academy Award wins for its screenplay and for the incredible supporting actress performance of Steenburgen.

Both sides of the socioeconomic coin are scrutinized in full during the first sequence through a comparison between Melvin, who is cheerfully genial as he sings a Christmas song that he himself wrote, and Howard Hughes, whose personality has been eroded by suspicion and cynicism. Money does not buy happiness, and happiness is a choice that sometimes requires effort. Paul Le Mat's Melvin, even while failing at every grasp for small scores, is an embodiment of the quote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans”. The charm of this screen story is that he alone seems to understand this as others around him succumb to exasperation. I love his line, "We're not poor. Broke, maybe, but not poor."

In addition to the powerhouse performances of Le Mat (American Graffiti) and Steenburgen (Back to the Future Part III), viewers are treated to a plethora of memorable small parts, courtesy of Robards, Reed, Michael J. Pollard, Chip Taylor, Elizabeth Cheshire, Charles Napier, Dabney Coleman, and others. Joe Spinell (Maniac, Rocky) appears as the manager of a club where Steenburgen's character works as a go-go dancer. Classic film noir legend Gloria Grahame (The Big Heat, It's a Wonderful Life) has a small part as the mother of Steenburgen's character. Be on the lookout for Cheryl “Rainbeaux” Smith, who starred in Demme's directorial debut, Caged Heat, as a hospital patient in a split-second scene. Of course, we cannot leave out Melvin E. Dummar himself, who shows up as a bus depot worker.

On this Twilight Time Blu-ray, Melvin and Howard does not live up to demo disc standards, and is marked by DVD-quality softness, but the end result is filmic enough during key scenes for one's enjoyment. It is tough to gauge the technical presentation, since I have no prior experience watching the movie, but I am just happy to have it on home video in the first place. I love the commentary track.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I liked it. There was a lot more action than I was expecting and it has George Lazenby as the main villain. It basically felt like one of those international Jackie Chan films from the 90's just taking place in the 70's and more violent.

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

The one way the TT version will probably be better than the Umbrella is it should look better because they didn't try to stack so many extras on one disc. The Umbrella should've had two discs. However, since I got the Umbrella for $18 only a few months ago, and coupled with the fact there are so many other new films I need that the TT is not enough for me to double-dip, but if I were advising people who didn't already own the release on which version to get I advise the TT version over the Umbrella.

Thanks for the replies. Ultimately went with the Umbrella release since the eBay seller dropped the price to $14.99 brand new & I could pass it up at that price.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

MGM ended their relationship with the old TT in 2018, primarily due to titles that got Encore runs with additional units pressed when the licence specified 3000 with no repressings. TT also dropping too many required titles in package deals (Smiley, Konga, and Lord Love a Duck come to mind, which had no HD masters and TT had no backing to pay for new ones) added fuel to that fire.

The latter point I could see, but not the former point. At least, I was under the impression that any encore editions were negotiated as a separate deal, so TT wouldn't have done any with the MGM titles unless MGM went along with it.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

Definitely gonna be focusing on TT Fox titles before they get too expensive..

[DMRI2006]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

The one way the TT version will probably be better than the Umbrella is it should look better because they didn't try to stack so many extras on one disc. The Umbrella should've had two discs. However, since I got the Umbrella for $18 only a few months ago, and coupled with the fact there are so many other new films I need that the TT is not enough for me to double-dip, but if I were advising people who didn't already own the release on which version to get I advise the TT version over the Umbrella.

I wouldn't. Single layer with what definitely looked to me like a lower bit rate. Dolby Digital instead of DTS MA on the main track. Fewer extras.

[belcherman]

I was very sad that the original Twilight Time folded their tent before releasing The Girl Can’t Help It. I sure hope somebody somewhere releases it.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I was very sad that the original Twilight Time folded their tent before releasing The Girl Can’t Help It. I sure hope somebody somewhere releases it.

It's a Fox title, so I fear it's been sucked into the Disney black hole. Pity. If I had to choose, I would have taken this over Rock Hunter any day of the week.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The latter point I could see, but not the former point. At least, I was under the impression that any encore editions were negotiated as a separate deal, so TT wouldn't have done any with the MGM titles unless MGM went along with it.

I heard from one of the old KL insiders that TT doing Encore Editions was done without MGM's approval (the licence agreements only allowed 3000 units to be printed, which was done for most of their titles, but they snuck in additional printings for the more popular ones that sold out sooner than expected). Only later on MGM found out about this practice before the release of one of their last titles, Lawman.

Twilight Time had planned to release City of Industry, Avanti, and Von Richthofen and Brown before MGM terminated their deal and all went to Kino.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Also, I believe the other MGM titles they also had at some point, but were dropped/traded off due to rights issues, second thoughts, unwilling to pay for new scans, poor HD masters, or only being 576i SD were:

The Hallelujah Trail

Lord Love a Duck

Finders Keepers

The Whisperers

Fitzwilly

Attack on the Iron Coast (Shout only had DVD rights part of a separate deal)

Salt and Pepper

Hannibal Brooks

The Last Escape

Crucible of Horror

Shark's Treasure

The Wicked Die Slow

The Happy Hooker films (Scorpion eventually released the 3rd movie)

Sword of the Valiant

Some Girls Do (MGM supposedly had an HD master for this one, but their distribution rights expired and Rank catalog owner ITV were unwilling to work with TT)

Grace Quigley

Jennifer on My Mind

What's the Matter With Helen?

Smile

Slow Dancing in the Big City

Those Lips, Those Eyes

La Cage aux Folles II

The Night of the Shooting Stars (MGM's rights expired and Cohen were planning a release with 4k resto from the Italian rightsholder)

Mata Hari

King Lear (1987)

Ten Little Indians (1989)

The Draughtsman's Contract

Garbo Talks

Rikki and Pete

Touch

Miss Julie (Lionsgate had reobtained some US distribution rights)

The Claim

CQ

Pumpkin

No Such Thing

Evelyn

The Aviator

Youngblood

Where the River Runs Black

Taffin

Masquerade

Spellbinder

Last Rites

A Dry White Season

Liebestraum

CrissCross

The Lover (MGM's rights expired and had went to Pathe, but they were too expensive to licence from)

Six Degrees of Separation

Moll Flanders

Molly

Return to Me

Class

Farewell to the King

Valmont (they supposedly had it before they traded it off to Kino, and KL still never released it due to it being a cut version and Pathe were pricey on loaning out the uncut master)

One Man's Hero

Music from Another Room

Storefront Hitchcock

Konga

The Norseman

Fritz the Cat

The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat

Rosebud