Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Persianimmortal]

Journey to the Center of the Earth is a good pick for TT, should sell very well and the cover and insert art looks fantastic. I just wish I hadn't watched the DVD version only a couple of months ago, would have loved to see the BD version afresh.

Looking at the list oildude posted, Fantastic Voyage is an absolute no-brainer. It's at least as well-known as Journey to the Center of the Earth, the DVD version I have from 2001 looks quite good (so the BD should be very good quality), and I'm fairly confident it would sell extremely well. Still surprised the studio hasn't released it yet, but I would love TT to get right on it ASAP

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by Seymour

Olive Films, thru Paramount, now has access to the Republic Pictures library, and China Gate was announced as one of the titles that they will release.

Republic is controlled by Lionsgate unless something has changed very recently.
The Republic Pictures catalog is the last great classic catalog that is basically untouched in hd, and unless Lionsgate decides to do something about it it doesn't look like that is likely to change. So many amazing films are trapped on absolutely wretched dvds that haven't been upgraded even one time. I think Lionsgate acquired the Republic holdings through an acquisition of Artisan, but I could be wrong.

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

Republic is controlled by Lionsgate unless something has changed very recently.
The Republic Pictures catalog is the last great classic catalog that is basically untouched in hd, and unless Lionsgate decides to do something about it it doesn't look like that is likely to change. So many amazing films are trapped on absolutely wretched dvds that haven't been upgraded even one time. I think Lionsgate acquired the Republic holdings through an acquisition of Artisan, but I could be wrong.

Yup.Luckily,things has radically changed.Republic Picture library is now in the hands of Olive Films (through Paramount)
Check this : http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/31...live-films/300
You can even ask Scott Peck (Olive Films rep) whatever you want I asked him when they are gonna release "High Noon","The Quiet Man" and "Johnny Guitar" on Blu,and he said this year Great,ha?

[benbess]

Originally Posted by Seymour

Olive Films, thru Paramount, now has access to the Republic Pictures library, and China Gate was announced as one of the titles that they will release.

Thanks for the news. I'll pick this one up, as it has one of my favorite Nat King Cole songs in it, performed by the man himself, who is a co-star...

Wonder if Olive will get the NKC musical St. Louis Blues? Filmed in b/w VistaVision....

[Arkadin]

Akijama--WOW!!!!!
that is indeed great news and gives hope to fans of all those Republic films that badly need upgrades.
THAT is HUGE news and something I have been kind of obsessed with for a long time
(I certainly hope The Quiet Man--i.e. the worst dvd EVER --has been properly restored)
you sir have made my day.
no, my week.
no, my year!!


.

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

Akijama--WOW!!!!!
that is indeed great news and gives hope to fans of all those Republic films that badly need upgrades.
THAT is HUGE news and something I have been kind of obsessed with for a long time
(I certainly hope The Quiet Man--i.e. the worst dvd EVER --has been properly restored)
you sir have made my day.
no, my week.
no, my year!!


.

I hear you,mate I reacted the same way you did,when i heard this absolutely fantastic news.Definitely kind of news that requiers dancing

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

that is indeed great news and gives hope to fans of all those Republic films that badly need upgrades.

I certainly hope The Quiet Man--i.e. the worst dvd EVER --has been properly restored.

But that's the problem...almost none of Olive's Blu-ray offerings to date have been restored or remastered! Of the 5 Olive titles I've purchased so far, only Sands of the Kalahari even looked remotely ready for high-def. Most titles had mediocre at best AQ and PQ (e.g. Crack in the World, The Mountain), and The Buccaneer was actually among the worst VistaVision movies I've ever seen on home video, barely DVD-R MOD quality. If that is the level of quality we can expect from Olive Blu-rays, then why not just stick with the DVD?

So how is this news worth celebrating? And how is any of it relevant to Twilight Time, who have been cherry-picking the Fox and Columbia libraries for orphaned collector appeal properties that do have high-def transfers and are Blu-ray ready, but the studio is uninterested in releasing themselves? Other than the fact that both labels have focused on catalogue titles, I can't see any similarity in either their approach or results. Night and Day.

[Arkadin]

the news is worth celebrating because it seemed apparent that Lionsgate had 0 interest in releasing any of these older Republic classic films on blu-ray or on remastered dvd versions.
at least with this news we have renewed hope that some of these films will make it out with new transfers on bd or at least dvd. That's a very big deal to me because there are a ton of Republic films I really like and want to see with much better PQ.
I know the Olive output has been fairly weak pqwise, but I really think they will up their game with the more important films.
a lot of those Republic films aren't even anamorphic on dvd. How can this not be news to get excited about?
as far as the relevance to TT, there really is none. It just kind of came up through other conversation. This thread does have a kind of catch-all classic film quality to it anyway, and is actually perhaps the best place to bring up classic catalog news in general imo because the people most interested in classic films are always going to be perusing this thread.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Akijama

You can even ask Scott Peck (Olive Films rep) whatever you want I asked him when they are gonna release "High Noon","The Quiet Man" and "Johnny Guitar" on Blu,and he said this year Great,ha?

That'd be great, if they have access to good HD masters.

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of Olive releasing "One-Eyed Jacks" on BD?

[Pirate King]

I am very excited about "The Quiet Man".. and even more excited about "High Noon". (IMHO the best western ever made.. or is it "Shane"? I love them both).

I do understand what you are saying, ROclockCK. I will wait for those who actually view these films when they are released to help me make my buying decision. I am hoping that we will get good PQ and AQ. There needs to be a significant upgrade in quality... or I will just keep my DVD's. (My fingers are crossed). As I have often said... I do not buy Blu-rays. I buy movies. Blu-ray is the best format for me to view the movies I want. However, as a customer, I do want value for the money I spend. I would rather pay 30 or 40 dollars for an outstanding release than 10 or 15 for something slightly better than an upscaled DVD.

[JoeDeM]

Originally Posted by Pirate King

I am very excited about "The Quiet Man".. and even more excited about "High Noon". (IMHO the best western ever made.. or is it "Shane"? I love them both).

I do understand what you are saying, ROclockCK. I will wait for those who actually view these films when they are released to help me make my buying decision. I am hoping that we will get good PQ and AQ. There needs to be a significant upgrade in quality... or I will just keep my DVD's. (My fingers are crossed). As I have often said... I do not buy Blu-rays. I buy movies. Blu-ray is the best format for me to view the movies I want. However, as a customer, I do want value for the money I spend. I would rather pay 30 or 40 dollars for an outstanding release than 10 or 15 for something slightly better than an upscaled DVD.

I like that

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Pirate King

I do understand what you are saying, ROclockCK. I will wait for those who actually view these films when they are released to help me make my buying decision. I am hoping that we will get good PQ and AQ. There needs to be a significant upgrade in quality... or I will just keep my DVD's. (My fingers are crossed). As I have often said... I do not buy Blu-rays. I buy movies. Blu-ray is the best format for me to view the movies I want. However, as a customer, I do want value for the money I spend. I would rather pay 30 or 40 dollars for an outstanding release than 10 or 15 for something slightly better than an upscaled DVD.

But here's the thing...Olive Blu-rays aren't that cheap either. Typically, they start at $26.99 or $24.99 and eventually bottom out around $20 bucks* or a little less during spot sales.

So this label is already flirting with 'premium-ish' pricing, while so far delivering mixed to lower quality. IMO, that's not a healthy model to be pursuing when you have boutique labels like Twilight Time routinely shooting the moon for $30.00 to $35.00, and studios like Fox upgrading Studio Classics with solid packages of special features for $15.00 to 18.00 (or less). So Olive could end up losing at both ends: not being high enough quality to justify their 'premium-ish' cost, and yet never available cheaply enough to become a credible alternative to legacy DVDs. If TT has proven anything during its brief life in Blu-ray, it's that the small numbers of buyers who really want to own these movies, also want the best possible high-def experience, and have no problem paying more as long as they are genuinely getting more.

Unless Olive pulls its socks up fast, it looks like they're headed towards an eventual market squeeze. I mean, I fall squarely within in their target demographic and would love to load up my Amazon cart with Olive Blus, but am now playing 'wait-see' for reviews and caps with every single release. Otherwise, where is the incentive for Paramount to get its act together and start providing Olive with better high-def masters? In 2012, if you want serious coin from collectors, you have to earn it.

* And just FYI, Olive Blu-rays routinely cost $27.00 to $32.00 on the few shelves north of the 49th that bother to carry them (I know of only one major chain).

[JoeDeM]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

But here's the thing...Olive Blu-rays aren't that cheap either. Typically, they start at $26.99 or $24.99 and eventually bottom out around $20 bucks* or a little less on spot sales.

So this label is already flirting with 'premium-ish' pricing, while so far delivering mixed to lower quality. IMO, that's not a healthy model to be pursuing when you have boutique labels like Twilight Time routinely shooting the moon for $30.00 to $35.00, and studios like Fox upgrading Studio Classics with solid packages of special features for $15.00 to 18.00 (or less). So Olive could end up losing at both ends: not being high enough quality to justify their 'premium-ish' cost, and yet never available cheaply enough to become a credible alternative to legacy DVDs. If TT has proven anything during its brief life in Blu-ray, it's that the small numbers of buyers who really want to own these movies, also want the best possible high-def experience, and have no problem paying more as long as they are genuinely getting more.

Unless Olive pulls its socks up fast, it looks like they're headed towards an eventual market squeeze. I mean, I fall squarely within in their target demographic and would love to load up my Amazon cart with Olive Blus, but am now playing 'wait-see' for reviews and caps with every single release. Otherwise, where is the incentive for Paramount to get its act together and start providing Olive with better high-def masters? In 2012, if you want serious coin from collectors, you have to earn it.

I have to agree, so far I've only picked up one Olive title, which had a fairly good transfer (Boeing Boeing), but am now hesitant because of what I've seen, I was considering Assault on a Queen but will wait until I see some screen caps. So far I've been really happy with the TT titles I've gotten and being North of 49th we pay a premium for shipping + HST which turns a $35 title into a $54 title unless you bundle more than one title, which I usually do.

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

* And just FYI, Olive Blu-rays routinely cost $27.00 to $32.00 on the few shelves north of the 49th that bother to carry them (I know of only one major chain).

So far I've only seen them at a local Sunrise at $28.99, and only a couple of the Jerry Lewis movies.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

TT hasn't said much about their next wave of acquisitions from Columbia...except for Major Dundee. Will July be Chuck Heston month?

You hit a nerve with this post, as I picked up the original "Planet of the Apes", "The Omega Man", "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben Hur" all within the past couple of months. So I guess February and March have been Chuck Heston month(s) for me. I'll likely add "Soylent Green" eventually too.

To make this post slightly on topic regarding TT films ... FWIW, I really like the cover art TT comes up with.

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Has anyone mentioned the possibility of Olive releasing "One-Eyed Jacks" on BD?

Sadly,no.Just to say that i'm the fan of the movie as well You can use the link that i posted,and ask Scott Peck yourself (you can login to forum using your FB account,if you have one).
For you and everyone interested in OF catalogue,check this link :
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0128842/

[P@t_Mtl]

As The Agony and the Ecstasy been rumored or announce? That would be quite a release.

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

the news is worth celebrating because it seemed apparent that Lionsgate had 0 interest in releasing any of these older Republic classic films on blu-ray or on remastered dvd versions.
at least with this news we have renewed hope that some of these films will make it out with new transfers on bd or at least dvd. That's a very big deal to me because there are a ton of Republic films I really like and want to see with much better PQ.
I know the Olive output has been fairly weak pqwise, but I really think they will up their game with the more important films.
a lot of those Republic films aren't even anamorphic on dvd. How can this not be news to get excited about?
as far as the relevance to TT, there really is none. It just kind of came up through other conversation. This thread does have a kind of catch-all classic film quality to it anyway, and is actually perhaps the best place to bring up classic catalog news in general imo because the people most interested in classic films are always going to be perusing this thread.

Agree Especially with bolded part.It's no brainer situation to me : For (mostly) C grade Paramount's titles,Olive/Paramount are doing exactly what i expected them to do - deliver mediocre (at it's best) transfers.These films are really obscure;who really expected that Paramount will throw big bucks on restoring or remastering them?
I'm pretty sure that they will handle some heavyweight Republic titles alot better.Or at least,i hope they will...
But,enough with OF,it's TT thread...sorry folks

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

As The Agony and the Ecstasy been rumored or announce? That would be quite a release.

Rumoured I want it too

[BasicGreatGuy]

I would like to see Twilight Time get their hands on "Samson and Delilah" (1949) and work some restoration magic.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

I have to agree, so far I've only picked up one Olive title, which had a fairly good transfer (Boeing Boeing), but am now hesitant because of what I've seen, I was considering Assault on a Queen but will wait until I see some screen caps.

All of the Lewis titles were in my Amazon queue Joe, but I've since removed every single one. At this quality level, I could justify buying these Blus in the $12.00 to $15.00 range but not at $20 +.

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

So far I've been really happy with the TT titles I've gotten and being North of 49th we pay a premium for shipping + HST which turns a $35 title into a $54 title unless you bundle more than one title, which I usually do.

As do I. Sometimes I add soundtracks that interest me, the occasional must-have MOD DVD unavailable in any other form, or just piggy-back requests from friends and fans without SAE accounts so we can spread around the shipping hit.

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

So far I've only seen them at a local Sunrise at $28.99, and only a couple of the Jerry Lewis movies.

HMV is the only chain up here I'm aware of with Olive stock, and not all titles...typically starting at $29 bucks, so it's always a better deal online.

Originally Posted by Akijama

I'm pretty sure that they will handle some heavyweight Republic titles alot better.Or at least,i hope they will...
But,enough with OF,it's TT thread...sorry folks

Agreed, and I'm just as guilty of that as anyone. But the comparison of approach is certainly valid...which was my main point anyway.