Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by shredking9000

I think the mentality is more "don't look a gift horse in the mouth." A lot of the titles being announced/released by companies like SF, Synapse, Code Red, etc. would have almost no chance of being released otherwise. Some of the releases might be problematic, but they're still [likely] the best they've looked on home media. It's a matter of whether you want to view the glass as half-full or half-empty.

I would agree with that when it comes to something like Motel Hell, sure. With Escape from New York though? Mad Max? These both had better looking releases before, and I should be able to point that out without getting told I am a nit-picking jerk who hates Scream Factory and would never be happy with anything.

[fuzzymctiger]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I would agree with that when it comes to something like Motel Hell, sure. With Escape from New York though? Mad Max? These both had better looking releases before, and I should be able to point that out without getting told I am a nit-picking jerk who hates Scream Factory and would never be happy with anything.

But even Motel Hell, had a prior fantastic worldwide release. Had it been out out by say Kino, as Deranged is going to, would it have had the same poor compression? The likely answer is no.

It's nitpicking when you compare very slight colour or framing changes, but most of the compression in these cases are quite easy to see when watching.

[Markgway]

Re. Universal titles:

I'd like to see both Nighthawks (especially uncut) and The Hunted (the one where Christopher Lambert kicks ninja ass).

[Markgway]

Re. Mad Max:

"The first track appears to be the same from previous releases while the second comes in two-channel stereo. Of the two, to my amazement, I favored the 5.1 upmix, as the music of Brian May and the roar of the vehicles screeching in all directions fills the room and creates an amusing environment. The other track interestingly feels like a squeezed down remix of the former, exhibiting better directionality and a well-balanced mid-range. Bass is also palpable where appropriate, but explosions and crashes feel a tad wimpy. The one minor and unfortunate issue evident on both tracks is the dialogue being often overwhelmed by the surrounds and discrete effects. While it's not a huge problem to gripe over, it is an issue nonetheless that only makes hardened fans wish for a lossless option of the original mono design."

Am I reading this correctly and Shout have dropped the original (Aussie) mono track that was on the MGM BD?

[Pete Rock]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Re. Universal titles:

I'd like to see both Nighthawks (especially uncut) and The Hunted (the one where Christopher Lambert kicks ninja ass).

Haven't seen Nighthawks but I would love to see The Hunted on blu. My favorite Christopher Lambert movie after the original Highlander.

[Brett C]

Originally Posted by Pete Rock

Haven't seen Nighthawks but I would love to see The Hunted on blu. My favorite Christopher Lambert movie after the original Highlander.

Count me in on wanting to see The Hunted released on BD. I have not watched it since seeing it in the theater.

[Kainefu]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Re. Universal titles:

I'd like to see both Nighthawks (especially uncut) and The Hunted (the one where Christopher Lambert kicks ninja ass).

Get the German Stallone box set. I think I paid made $12 for three films on blu. Nighthawks, Death Race 2000 (both look fantastic) and Paradise Alley (haven't watched).

[TripleHBK]

For the people that have the Ghoulies/Ghoulies II disk in hand. Did you also happen to check out the IFC presentation of both films a few weeks ago? I'd be curious to know what your thoughts are/were on the tv presentation. I had DVR'd both and they were nothing short of amazing in my opinion. I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that Scream Factory would be releasing those transfers on their release. I'm even more curious to see the disk in action myself now, as this may be another prime example of someone crapping on an otherwise great release if in fact what I saw on tv is what ends up on the disk. For now I'll reserve judgement and wait to see the disk with my own eyes. (And perhaps set my DVR to record the tv versions just in case).

Edit: Just went and read the review... I like how the disk has already been deemed a failure on the board despite this...

It's a different story with Ghoulies II, thankfully. I wouldn't be surprised if this were an older transfer as well -- I know that MGM put together a high-def master in 2002, including HD transfers of the R-rated footage provided elsewhere on this disc -- but at least it's immediately recognizable as high definition. The image is quite a bit more filmic, despite the usual Scream Factory headaches with properly encoding grain. Its colors pack more much more of a wallop, and contrast is quite a bit meatier than the original Ghoulies. Though there are some shots that aren't as well-defined as they probably ought to be, clarity and fine detail are dramatically improved over the first film as well. Admittedly, the image is heavily peppered with flecks of dust and assorted signs of wear, along with...well, this:

...although the worst of that damage is limited to one sequence and only last a couple of seconds. By and large, though, this is very solid work. Let's round it up to

This is exactly the kind of thing I was referring to in my previous post. People are so quick to look for Flaws in a Scream Factory release that they're unwilling to see the positive as well. Given that we have a single review to base everything on at this point, it seems rather silly to immediately proclaim this disk a wash. I'd challenge anyone with the old DVD double feature to go and take a look at Ghoulies. It looks all kinds of rough, however for as bad as this new release apparently is, based on those same screenshots I can already state that it is leaps and bounds better then what has come before it. People that like to complain about these releases seem to be expecting perfection. While I'd love a perfectly clear, remastered flawless copyof Ghoulies, the reality is I know that that is never going to happen. With that in mind, as I stated before... as long as the image is an appreciable upgrade from the dvd, then I'll be at least moderately satisfied. I may not write home about the release, but at the very least I'll be able to enjoy it for what it is... the best the film has ever looked. (With room for improvement).

Examples:



Which one is from the DVD I wonder? Nope, no upgrade here.

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

For the people that have the Ghoulies/Ghoulies II disk in hand. Did you also happen to check out the IFC presentation of both films a few weeks ago?

I didn't, sorry.

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Given that we have a single review to base everything on at this point

There are a few other reviews out there, and they're pretty much all raves:

Mind of Tatlock
Zombies Don't Run
Robert A. Harris @ HTF
Why So Blu?
Movieman's Guide to the Movies

I genuinely can't line up what I'm seeing with what they're saying, at least when it comes to the original Ghoulies.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

This is exactly the kind of thing I was referring to in my previous post. People are so quick to look for Flaws in a Scream Factory release that they're unwilling to see the positive as well.

People are over-dramatic on the internet, that's for sure. Reviewers are often bad, but some on forums are even more dramatic and end-of-the-world about such things. That said, Scream do have regular issues with picture quality. Some over-dramatize it and others refuse to admit the issues even exist, mocking those who care.

The truth is the rational middle, criticizing without drama, weighing pros and cons of each release when making a purchasing decision.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Kainefu

Get the German Stallone box set. I think I paid made $12 for three films on blu. Nighthawks, Death Race 2000 (both look fantastic) and Paradise Alley (haven't watched).

Not interested in the other two movies.

[Capt-Cupcake]

Originally Posted by Oscar Rothman

Whaaaaaaaa?

In most cases their releases are far,far from amazing. Synapse and Arrow would be the Criterion of the horror genre, definitely not Scream.

I think you're in the extreme minority on that opinion. Across the board Scream Factory has received praise from fans.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Capt-Cupcake

I think you're in the extreme minority on that opinion. Across the board Scream Factory has received praise from fans.

Please stop. This is so futile.

[dsman71]

Maybe there needs to be an "anti-scream factory" thread for the haters who rant nitpick and whine all the time.
The debate leads to nothing but arguments and its all pointless.

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by dsman71

Maybe there needs to be an "anti-scream factory" thread for the haters

I absolutely do not hate Scream Factory, and I can't imagine much of anyone does. They've brought many of my favorite movies to Blu-ray, including quite a few I never, ever thought I'd see. I appreciate the exceptionally loaded special editions they often put together. If I had the time and money, I would eagerly buy every single release they put out. I probably have more Scream Factory BDs than any other boutique cult label, and for me, that's saying something.

What you call "nitpicking" and "whining", I see as constructive criticism. I want Scream Factory to be the best label they can be. I want to pick up a Scream Factory disc and not have to wonder if the compression has been botched or if it's recycling a 15 year old, heavily DNRed master that really hasn't aged well.

I am a Scream Factory fan, and it's because of that fandom that I want to see them improve. Blind fandom is as useless as blind hatred.

[Ray_Rogers]

Shout/Scream Factory really ought to step up their game in their quality department and stop overly focusing on always settling for mediocre or slightly better transfers when they can more than excel at their game. They seem far too overly focused on quality of the cover-artwork and newer extra features, not so much on encoding and compression. Even The Duellists has tolerable enough DNR in it for me to watch rarely and many of their releases do in fact mirror very early Arrow UK quality output.
C'mon, it's 2015. On my birthday in 2011, Sony released TAXI DRIVER which utilized a brand new 4K remaster and restoration which has perfect compression along with encoding, especially special features. The 4K with zero extras is literally the same encode used from the features laden disc but uses far higher bitrate. Same goes for their releases for GHOSTBUSTERS 1 & 2 which I'm never purchasing again until UHD Blu and too many other titles to list which have perfect releases on Blu, especially THE EVIL DEAD.
If they can't get their act together and start making solid releases as other companies have made a complete turn-around, Universal is finally making the full go ahead to redeem theirselves for their older transfers more currently (High Plains Drifter, In the Name of the Father, and some other titles already count,) they'll be far behind on current PQ/AQ we film enthusiasts currently expect for catalog releases. Not middling piss poor transfers with excess DNR/EE, that was expected far back when Blu-ray was in its infancy and shouldn't even be accepted now and even in the future.
Why they're even considering Steelbooks in the first place when many of their releases are mediocre in terms of PQ is utterly pointless when they ought to get proper training by the scanning and compressionists from other companies. Booklets are still fine though.
If there's a dual release from both Arrow UK and Shout/Scream Factory, more often than not I'm going to flat out choose the former over the latter due to overall quality instead of having a release be comprimised due to improper use of tools in the mastering process. Only my opinion though and just a preference, including having more options available to myself. Too many.

[Sky_Captain]

Originally Posted by dsman71

Maybe there needs to be an "anti-scream factory" thread for the haters who rant nitpick and whine all the time.
The debate leads to nothing but arguments and its all pointless.

There needs to be tread for whiners whining about whining...

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by sonicyogurt

I absolutely do not hate Scream Factory, and I can't imagine much of anyone does. They've brought many of my favorite movies to Blu-ray, including quite a few I never, ever thought I'd see. I appreciate the exceptionally loaded special editions they often put together. If I had the time and money, I would eagerly buy every single release they put out. I probably have more Scream Factory BDs than any other boutique cult label, and for me, that's saying something.

What you call "nitpicking" and "whining", I see as constructive criticism. I want Scream Factory to be the best label they can be. I want to pick up a Scream Factory disc and not have to wonder if the compression has been botched or if it's recycling a 15 year old, heavily DNRed master that really hasn't aged well.

I am a Scream Factory fan, and it's because of that fandom that I want to see them improve. Blind fandom is as useless as blind hatred.

That "constructive criticism" that you call it is a politically correct way of calling it what it actually is - nitpicking and whining and if you think you can release it better than Scream, go create your own blu ray label and do it yourself ...
None of us are blind fandom, and a lot of us feel that members here are being way over critical. And also, not many of them care about a compression issue - they care about how it looks when they see it.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

There needs to be tread for whiners whining about whining...

And you can be the charter member

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by dsman71

That "constructive criticism" that you call it is a politically correct way of calling it what it actually is - nitpicking and whining

No, it's the absolute definition of constructive criticism:

Constructive criticism is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one. The purpose of constructive criticism is to improve the outcome.

Valid, check. Well-reasoned, check. Friendly...eh, debatable and will vary by the person posting, but I'd like to think I land on that side with my reviews. I'm definitely not oppositional. I am absolutely hoping to improve the outcome.

Originally Posted by dsman71

they care about how it looks when they see it.

Me too! That's the entire crux of everything I'm saying. Just because you're okay with it doesn't mean there's nothing wrong.