"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[Jeff Kleist]

it's not a critical mass of userbase as much as a critical demographic (people over 40 who remember these films)

[Mr. Cinema]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

it's not a critical mass of userbase as much as a critical demographic (people over 40 who remember these films)

So what's the best way to get them to upgrade? There's got to be enough people out there willing to go BD that are in the 40+ crowd.

I applaud WB alot though. They've released some of their crown jewels and have spent millions on the restorations. Their work on Oz, Blade Runner, Bonnie & Clyde, and North by Northwest are fantastic. I'm glad they continue their strong support for films actually made before 2000. Very excited for Ben Hur and The Maltese Falcon this year.

[johndoyle123]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

it's not a critical mass of userbase as much as a critical demographic (people over 40 who remember these films)

yea but critical demographic applies alot but im 18 and i love classic films i want lawrence of arabia and taxi driver so bad

all of my freinds that own blu-ray own gone with the wind and have it along side bloody copies of he,s just not that into you ,,
we may be young but we remember those films two

[Arkadin]

well my support of bd speaks for itself, and eventually I think we all know that the titles I mentioned will, of course, be released by Sony on bd.
As to my reaction on reading Penton's comment regarding "Taxi Driver"--
so graciously posted here from another forum I frequent--
considering it is my all-time favorite movie along with "casablanca"--I certainly would hope anyone can understand.
I hardly feel like I need to convince anyone--much less Penton-man--that my comment was the exact sentiment of many other cinemaphiles as well upon reading his post

[Mr. Cinema]

Originally Posted by johndoyle123

yea but critical demographic applies alot but im 18 and i love classic films i want lawrence of arabia and taxi driver so bad

all of my freinds that own blu-ray own gone with the wind and have it along side bloody copies of he,s just not that into you ,,
we may be young but we remember those films two

Glad to hear we have people under 20 who are still interested in older stuff. I'm only 31, so I'm not quite in the group Jeff is talking about. I didn't really discover the classics, outside of things like Oz, until I was 14-15, but I'm glad I did. It's sad knowing there are younger folk out there who haven't seen Taxi Driver, Bonnie & Clyde, Psycho, Lawrence of Arabia, and countless others.

[johndoyle123]

my 50 yo old dad and 76 year old grampy own blu-ray and they both wont shut up about when the classics are coming out because they dont want fast and furious and stuff like that ...

they want papillion , killing fields , loa , taxi driver , and anything hitchcock

you should have seen there faces light up when they found out that the african queen and dr z where coming to blu-ray

[johndoyle123]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

well my support of bd speaks for itself, and eventually I think we all know that the titles I mentioned will, of course, be released by Sony on bd.
As to my reaction on reading Penton's comment regarding "Taxi Driver"--
so graciously posted here from another forum I frequent--
considering it is my all-time favorite movie along with "casablanca"--I certainly would hope anyone can understand.
I hardly feel like I need to convince anyone--much less Penton-man--that my comment was the exact sentiment of many other cinemaphiles as well upon reading his post

have to admit i had exact same reaction as you did

saw your post on hdd lol

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by neo_reloaded

... And there are all kinds of boxsets and collections of old films that are extremely niche (even within the general niche of old films). So SOMEONE is buying these. It's just a matter of people buying these on Blu-ray now - that is where things get more uncertain.

I personally am THRILLED to see the two volumes of 'Bad Girls of Film Noir' coming out on DVD from Sony in early February. Blu-ray would be even better but considering their niche-of-a-niche status I am honestly happy to see them even on DVD. No doubts or regrets about that order.

I agree that it is wonderful that these collections are being issued. And I meant to complement Penton on their release. But I do regret that even at this late date they are still being released only on DVD.

Some of the sales momentum is generated by the scacity of the material. That is, if they have never been released on DVD (or not for a long time), that helps increase sales. However, now that they are available on DVD, will niche market material sell if it is re-released on Blu-ray in the next few years?

That is my regret: that DVD release of this material simultaneously satisfies a need (availability) while precluding another want (issue on Blu-ray).

[johndoyle123]

to be honest my way of looking at it is when the transition from vhs to dvd occurred all the stuff that did not sell never got released again and i figure it will be the same with blu-ray which means in time we WILL see films like

the rocketeer
true lies
and over films in the popcorn movie domain because they sell on whatever format they are released on we have already received stuff like the monster squad and cujo so we are bound to see others in time.

then there cult classics like fight club , withnail and i and millers crossing and big lebwoski .... these will ALL SEE RELEASE IF U GIVE IT TIME

then you have your world cinema , chungking express and bergman films and even stuff like the three colours trilogy there is a market and they will be released in time

and it goes without saying that anything action related like armageddon and much loved films like pulp fiction all the way to the ghibli stuff will see releases also

and all the classics from the likes of 12 angry men all the way to the bank dick will get releases because it is only fair that every generation gets a view on these films and they may not all sell at once but they hold steady sales ,
i work in a blockbuster store and we sell more copies of casualties of war and boogie nights than we do titanic and braveheart ...

thats my way of looking at it

[Doctorossi]

Are you watching (the news), Penton-Man?

Seems the sun is shining in the old folks' home.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by mark antony

Thanks for the clarification Penton, btw did you see my GoN restoration post from a couple of days ago

I’m swamped since CES finished up.
I’ll go back and look to see what you’re referring to.

I assume you’re referring to Guns of Navarone?
That received a new master, not a “restoration”……at least in the way we use that term.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by mark antony

When you have an "epic" film like G of N, which has built in technical expectation from the audience, and someone 40 or so years previously has not only damaged the OCN beyond use in places but has also junked all the audio stems and masters, what do you do?

I call Grover………..and if he’s out, then I try folks like this –
http://www.chace.com/about

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

well my support of bd speaks for itself, and eventually I think we all know that the titles I mentioned will, of course, be released by Sony on bd.
As to my reaction on reading Penton's comment regarding "Taxi Driver"--
so graciously posted here from another forum I frequent--
considering it is my all-time favorite movie along with "casablanca"--I certainly would hope anyone can understand.
I hardly feel like I need to convince anyone--much less Penton-man--that my comment was the exact sentiment of many other cinemaphiles as well upon reading his post

You should.
For obviously, your parents never taught you any manners or you were too rebellious to listen to them.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by johndoyle123

have to admit i had exact same reaction as you did

You really should learn to hang out with people who make better choices in the way they express themselves, for if you don’t, you’ll not discover in an expeditious fashion if yet the newest street date listed (12/31/2010) for Taxi Driver by the previously referenced retailer is correct or incorrect.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Are you watching (the news), Penton-Man?
Seems the sun is shining in the old folks' home.

Doc, I’m just leaving the office now.
If it’s on NBC Nightly News, I should be watching it later this evening as I pretty much routinely record it and watch the program on TV.

[mark antony]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I call Grover………..and if he’s out, then I try folks like this –
http://www.chace.com/about

Thanks Penton

I guess what I was really after is perhaps the process you guys would go through, is it poossible to put an article up by Grover when GoN is announced?

M

[NutsAboutPS3]

Originally Posted by mark antony

I'll let Penton comment, if he feels so inclined, as to whether these titles are likely to sell at this point on time on BD in large numbers and approx costs of restoration based on current available master's/elements.

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

I will say that your rationale regarding the economics of the situation is spot-on.

What puzzles me, though, is why, if economics are the issue, would a studio invest money in producing BDs of titles such as A Passage To India, The Deep, The Craft, Gattaca, but not release them in the UK?

I realise the UK market for Blu-ray might not be huge, but if you've gone to the expense of producing the disc, why not make it available to as many people as possible?

(Yes, I know I could import the US versions, but that's not the point, if that is what they want us to do, why release any titles in the UK at all?)

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

Doc, I’m just leaving the office now.
If it’s on NBC Nightly News, I should be watching it later this evening as I pretty much routinely record it and watch the program on TV.

It's not.

[mark antony]

Originally Posted by NutsAboutPS3

What puzzles me, though, is why, if economics are the issue, would a studio invest money in producing BDs of titles such as A Passage To India, The Deep, The Craft, Gattaca, but not release them in the UK?

I realise the UK market for Blu-ray might not be huge, but if you've gone to the expense of producing the disc, why not make it available to as many people as possible?

(Yes, I know I could import the US versions, but that's not the point, if that is what they want us to do, why release any titles in the UK at all?)

A lot of the UK discs are pretty much the same, if not identical, to those sold in europe and seem to have an abundance of subtitles/dubbed tracks that often aren't on the US release. The availability and mastering of these and/or the popularity (or lack of) certain titles in Europe as a whole may be why these haven't been released.

M

[Jeff Kleist]

I'd be shocked if Gattaca wasn't popular in Europe, very Euro-style SF.