L.A. Story (1991 | Steve Martin) - Japan

[UncleBuckWild]

Paramount Japan / July 13, 2012




Re-release by Kadokawa Entertainment / April 27, 2018

[UncleBuckWild]

Hi Guys,

Does anyone here own the Japanese Blu-ray release of L.A. Story?

If so could you let us know the technical details, like is it 1080p ? or perhaps similar to the Scandinavian release.

This disc was previously OOP however it's somehow available from HMV Japan + a few sellers via Amz Japan Marketplace.

[McCrutchy]

Well, it's not going to be 1080/50i, for sure, because Japan is a 60Hz territory like North America, so it will either be 1080i or 1080p.

The specs provided on Japanese sites suggest it is a BD-25, with English and Japanese LPCM 2.0 audio tracks, and Japanese subtitles. You could also expect this release to be Region A locked, because I believe it is from a group that Paramount Japan were distributing for Twin back in 2012. Here is one of those Paramount/Twin that titles title I verified for myself:

[UncleBuckWild]

Well, I'm a big fan of this movie; therefore equally interested in getting the Blu-ray as the probability of Lionsgate releasing it seems slim.

I know it won't be PAL, although Japan, Hong Kong do use 50hz as well.

Would've been nice if I could get an idea on A/V quality ... right now can't seem to find any useful info on this title.

[Chiefy]

I love this movie. Why has it not been released on Blu-ray in the US? Mind boggling as it has quite a following.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Chiefy

I love this movie. Why has it not been released on Blu-ray in the US? Mind boggling as it has quite a following.

Agreed, this would easily be in my top 5 wishlist for proper remastered Blu-ray releases. I'm very tempted to take a chance on the Japanese release, just wish someone else here could comment on it first!

[C.C. 95]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Well, I'm a big fan of this movie; therefore equally interested in getting the Blu-ray as the probability of Lionsgate releasing it seems slim.

I know it won't be PAL, although Japan, Hong Kong do use 50hz as well.

Would've been nice if I could get an idea on A/V quality ... right now can't seem to find any useful info on this title.

PAL is no longer an issue with Blu ray - however.... There are a few BR discs that have a PAL to NTSC conversion. (Not unlike putting an SD encode on an HD Disc).
And rumor is this has that. Bummer.

[DMRI2006]

I have the disc -- that rumor is erroneous. It runs exactly 95 minutes, it's 1080p and has LPCM English stereo audio with removable subtitles. The trailer is the only extra.

The transfer is perfectly decent. It has what looks like a light use of DNR, but it's not a wax-fest by any means, and overall has much more detail than the DVD. Nice color also. It is absolutely not SD, nor is it a 1080i50 sourced transfer (and I have run into Japanese discs that are -- but not this one).

So, whoever started that rumor, is 100% incorrect. If you like the movie, the disc is low-priced and worth importing. Cheers.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by DMRI2006

I have the disc -- that rumor is erroneous. It runs exactly 95 minutes, it's 1080p and has LPCM English stereo audio with removable subtitles. The trailer is the only extra.

The transfer is perfectly decent. It has what looks like a light use of DNR, but it's not a wax-fest by any means, and overall has much more detail than the DVD. Nice color also. It is absolutely not SD, nor is it a 1080i50 sourced transfer (and I have run into Japanese discs that are -- but not this one).

So, whoever started that rumor, is 100% incorrect. If you like the movie, the disc is low-priced and worth importing. Cheers.

Thanks Buddy! ... So the A/V quality's alright?! Great! / an upgrade from the current DVD, guess that's good enough for me.

[DMRI2006]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Thanks Buddy! ... So the A/V quality's alright?! Great! / an upgrade from the current DVD, guess that's good enough for me.

It is. It's not light-the-world-on-fire 4K restoration quality, but it is def better than DVD. And it sure as heck is NOT an upscale.

[dobyblue]

Thanks for the update, will definitely take a look into importing this now as it appears a US release is still not even a rumor. 1080p24, 2.0 LPCM English, sounds good to me. I can upgrade later if they ever do a proper US release and give it the treatment it deserves, it's so funny and unique...classic to me.

Also folks, PAL refers specifically to 576i50...don't confuse that with 1080i50 on Blu-ray which is not PAL.

[dobyblue]

Well scratch that, did the 2 @ Y1500 deal (picked up Le Grand Bleu to get the discount) and they want Y1900 for shipping!! Brutal, works out to CDN$30/movie.

Guess the waiting game is back on.

[UncleBuckWild]

This is being re-released by Kadokawa Entertainment on April 27, 2018.



Amazon JP • https://www.amazon.co.jp/LA-Story-Blu-ray/dp/B079PJ4HRY

CDJapan • http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/DAXA-91428

[kevbri]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

This is being re-released by Kadokawa Entertainment on April 27, 2018.



Amazon JP • https://www.amazon.co.jp/LA-Story-Blu-ray/dp/B079PJ4HRY

CDJapan • http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/DAXA-91428

So, just bought this from CDJapan, as I hated the shorter run-time and slightly sped up voices from the other versions. Total cost with air mail was $28 and it only took about 2 weeks to get here to Los Angeles. I just wanted to write to confirm that the Japanese version looks and sounds great and has the full run-time of 1:35:12. It does not have DTS-HD--my receiver just shows 2.0 PCM audio--but that's fine for a movie like this, I suppose. I'm not a video expert, but it looks as good as I've seen it on my Panasonic plasma.

I used CDJapan, as it was impossible to checkout using Amazon Japan, even with Chrome translation helping out. The experience with CDJapan was just fine, though I can only vouch for the air mail option.

Hope this helps out! I still don't understand why there's no US version. Rights to the Enya songs perhaps? So perplexing. Oh well, this Japanese release will get you 99% of the way there.