Miami Connection (1987) 4K UHD coming from Vinegar Syndrome

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by AceTrilby

I spent a few minutes tonight skimming through to get an initial impression (and listen to Dragon Sound - repeatedly), as I know in the world of boutique Blu-rays, timing is often a factor!

Please note I don't have a professionally calibrated TV or home theatre or anything fancy like that - just an OLED and settings I like. I have also never owned or seen the Drafthouse release of Miami Connection, despite my best efforts to obtain it, so my analysis here is based on the screenshots on this website and footage from Alamo Drafthouse's YouTube channel. I'm aware there were some issues with mixed source material for AD's release but I won't be able to comment fully on the difference.

First of all, the film looks great to me - definition is probably about on par with a very good standard blu-ray release of a better known film of the era (some shots are soft, some sharp as a tack), with lots of natural grain. Definitely not a 2/5 this time around.

There's a fair amount of flecks on the footage itself, but nothing too egregious. In the Drafthouse trailer there's a shot of Dragon Sound performing (at around 0:37) with some pretty noticeable black flecks - those are vastly reduced in the VinSyn version (but then, maybe they never made it to AD's release).

One thing I can say for sure is the colour timing has been vastly improved by the new transfer and HDR - the screenshot of Maurice Smith's infamous crying scene from the Drafthouse release is very blue, but in the VinSyn version the skin tones and background look far more natural.

Overall my first impressions are very good - I'm intending on watching the whole thing tomorrow, so if I have anything else to add I'll do so then.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the review, sounds like a major upgrade to thw old Drafthouse bd which was culled from a 35mm release print.

Does the VS edition open with a Manson International logo like the Drafthouse transfer did?

What is the alternate cut like PQ wise?

[AceTrilby]

Have now finished a full watch-through - it seems VinSyn have eliminated most of the video mismatches caused by different sources as I only noticed one or two shots that looked noticeably rough (and even then it wasn't distractingly bad as they only lasted a second or two).

Overall, I struggle to believe the film could look any better than this release. Another fine job from the boys in Bridgeport!

[AceTrilby]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

Thanks for the review, sounds like a major upgrade to thw old Drafthouse bd which was culled from a 35mm release print.

Does the VS edition open with a Manson International logo like the Drafthouse transfer did?

What is the alternate cut like PQ wise?

No Manson International logo, as soon as you press play it's the shot of boats on the Miami River.

PQ on Escape from Miami appears to be comparable to the Miami Connection cut, though the colours are more muted without HDR.

[bigrob]

just an FYI, Brad from VS replied to a tweet I sent and with Miami Connection, they had access to all the original elements so it's not the release print that was used for the AD release

[AceTrilby]

Originally Posted by bigrob

just an FYI, Brad from VS replied to a tweet I sent and with Miami Connection, they had access to all the original elements so it's not the release print that was used for the AD release

That makes sense - and it shows in the result!

[mrlanphear]

Drafthouse used the release print because that was the only source available. At the time, it was believed that the negative had been destroyed in a flood.

[mikezilla2]

Who Are all the Retailers Selling this ? the search on vins Site seems to be broken and some sites seem to be sold out .....

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by mikezilla2

Who Are all the Retailers Selling this ? the search on vins Site seems to be broken and some sites seem to be sold out .....

The VS site isn't broken. It's Partners Only Month, which means they do not list their own stuff until July 1st.

[mikezilla2]

Originally Posted by A Tortured Duckling

The VS site isn't broken. It's Partners Only Month, which means they do not list their own stuff until July 1st.

thats all well and good But who be selling it ?

[gigan72]

Originally Posted by mikezilla2

thats all well and good But who be selling it ?

Vinegar Syndrome sell it. However since it's partners only month they aren't offering any of their own titles until July 1st, as stated.

[Bugg]

Originally Posted by mikezilla2

thats all well and good But who be selling it ?

At this moment, nobody is selling it. Diabolikdvd and Grindhouse will probably be selling it, but I assume they wont get their copies until July.

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by mikezilla2

thats all well and good But who be selling it ?

DiabolikDVD, Grindhouse Video and OrbitDVD will be selling it soon enough. It's a brand new release that's still shipping out to subscribers and those who purchased it during the Flash Pre-Order back in March.

It's a big release so there will be plenty of stock to go around. Just relax and wait for July 1st so you can get it directly from VS.

[mikesncc1701]

So good news about the image quality it sounds like, but what about the sound? Even the Alamo audio lossless wouldn't be anything to write about as there's always an underlying issue throughout the run time. Does Dragon Sound, well, sound great now?

[AceTrilby]

Originally Posted by mikesncc1701

So good news about the image quality it sounds like, but what about the sound? Even the Alamo audio lossless wouldn't be anything to write about as there's always an underlying issue throughout the run time. Does Dragon Sound, well, sound great now?

Well I'm no expert, but it sounded pretty good to me - at the very least I didn't notice anything I'd consider an underlying issue.

Then again, I've only got a 2.1 soundbar setup, so YMMV!

[jaynap1981]

Vinegar sent me a copy of a movie called Cloak and Dagger. I emailed them so hopefully they'll send me a replacement. Dammit.

[bradnoyes]

Originally Posted by jaynap1981

Vinegar sent me a copy of a movie called Cloak and Dagger. I emailed them so hopefully they'll send me a replacement. Dammit.

They will, and you’ll be able to keep Cloak.

[Ultra Maddnezz80]

Originally Posted by jaynap1981

Vinegar sent me a copy of a movie called Cloak and Dagger. I emailed them so hopefully they'll send me a replacement. Dammit.

I hope they didn’t send me the wrong movie either now lol. Never ordered from them directly before

[Ultra Maddnezz80]

Originally Posted by Ultra Maddnezz80

I hope they didn’t send me the wrong movie either now lol. Never ordered from them directly before

So I jynxed myself now. They sent me this cloak and dagger movie by mistake as well. I hope they will fix this crap ASAP!

[Ultra Maddnezz80]

Originally Posted by bradnoyes

They will, and you’ll be able to keep Cloak.

Have you experienced a mistake with this company before? Do you know for sure that they will fix the mistake?

[sb5]

Yes, Vinegar Syndrome has fantastic customer service and will definitely fix a mistake as large as sending you the wrong item.