Night of the Living Dead (1990) - Out of Print

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by bboisvert

What point? I think TT is well aware that most everyone was surprised by the change and that a decent number of folks are also unhappy with the end result.

How does sending them my copy "illustrate" that more than the dozens of threads out there or posts on their FB? And to what end? Sending it back to them doesn't mean that they're going to start doing the transfers themselves -- their model isn't going to change, even if all 3000 of them come back.

Nor should it, really... it's been fine bordering on great IMO other than this one snafu. And, while disappointing on a personal level since I wanted a good copy of the film, I'll come out of this ultimately making a profit, given the whole silly 'rarity' thing. So... it doesn't make much sense to send it back.

Originally Posted by bboisvert

I waited to see if there was going to be a recall/replacement. There isn't. So I'm going to get rid of it. I'm not "sending a message" or anything. I just will not personally watch this version -- I think it looks terrible. So there's no reason to hang onto it.

I don't see how it's hypocritical to sell it to someone else, rather than send it back to the company? It, frankly, seems a little stupid to send it back for just $30 or whatever...

Exactly. I will put a disclaimer about the image controversy.

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by JMK

You're wrong. From my review:

Things are now filtered with a dusky blue
cast (see screencap 2 for a good example).

Good review, but you didn't mention the audio issues.

[HyperRealist]

lol a user review gave it 4.5 for video.

[Whirlygig]

Originally Posted by thephantomcat

My statement didn't mean that I saw AGAIG's performance as evidence of how many units it would sell in a wide release. My statement meant that unsold units sitting in a warehouse is why TT doesn't print more than 3,000 copies.

If TT prints more than 3,000 copies (hundreds of thousands, as you said), and as you said, puts them in a Wal-mart bin for $7.88, that would be called a wide release. You said if they did that they would sit unsold in a warehouse. Why would you think that? I don't have to wonder, you said why. Because all the IMDB raters you saw hadn't bought it from TT's limited release, 3,000 copy pile yet. So your argument was, the TT limited release didn't sell out, neither would a wide release. I am starting to question your grasp of language.

Originally Posted by thephantomcat

He didn't shout "you don't remember." He said it was ridiculous for people to say they remember how the transfer of a film looked like when they saw it 20 years ago. I agree that it is ridiculous to believe that anyone can recall something as trivial as the picture quality of a film they saw 20 years with any sort of clarity especially since that memory is no longer objective when dozens of viewings on VHS or DVD have tainted that memory. Also, I fail to see how you can compare agreeing with someone's point with criminal public endangerment?

It's not the entire picture quality they are saying they remember. They remember that the first chunk of the film was not dark, it was bright. Day. That isn't hard to remember. That is all anybody has ever been talking about remembering. And they don't even need to remember it, they have audio of the director vouching for it! And yet you insinuated they were paramnesiacs! Utterly ridiculous, and that's all the more time I'm going to waste listening to you wiggle out of words and retroactively change contexts that are plain for all to see.

[Yojimbo68]

Originally Posted by joie

I ordered two of Universal's 1930s monster movies -- Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein -- for about the same price SAE was selling this movie for.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane is coming ... $30 for a Digibook ... expensive, but it's a good movie.

Anyway, I don't deal with Twilight Time. I don't understand an artificially created shortage. It doesn't seem like true, take-a-risk, roll-up-your-sleeves, get-to-work capitalism to me. I don't think exclusivity in movie licensing was ever intended to limit supply in the way it's being done with these releases.

In Twilight Times defense, they are taking gambles on films that won't sell this year or probably the year after that. Would say The Egyptian ever have life on Blu-ray if it wasn't for Twilight Time? Hard to say. They took the risk and essentially paid Sony for 3000 copies. I'm sure they also worked out a deal in which they get some mid-range titles that they are pretty sure will sell well so the company can stay afloat. Fright Night and NOTLD90 are good examples. As Good As It Gets and Steel Magnolias probably seemed like sure bets but now Twilight Time knows what kind of movie will sell out for them. I have mixed feelings about the company which I have made clear on this very thread. Nobody really wants to spend 35 bucks on a nearly bare bones disc. Nobody. I actually prefer Olive Films which also distributes popular and obscure titles but does away with the whole limted edition business. And most of their titles can be found for 20 bucks. But get ready to see more horror/sci-fi favorites distrubuted by TT in the future along with some obscure titles.

[Whirlygig]

Originally Posted by Yojimbo68

As Good As It Gets and Steel Magnolias probably seemed like sure bets but now Twilight Time knows what kind of movie will sell out for them.

I agree with everything you said, but, I just want to know why everyone kind of has an attitude now that apparently TT titles must sell out within mere months to be successful. Give 'em time!

[HyperRealist]

Originally Posted by Yojimbo68

In Twilight Times defense, they are taking gambles on films that won't sell this year or probably the year after that. Would say The Egyptian ever have life on Blu-ray if it wasn't for Twilight Time? Hard to say. They took the risk and essentially paid Sony for 3000 copies. I'm sure they also worked out a deal in which they get some mid-range titles that they are pretty sure will sell well so the company can stay afloat. Fright Night and NOTLD90 are good examples. As Good As It Gets and Steel Magnolias probably seemed like sure bets but now Twilight Time knows what kind of movie will sell out for them. I have mixed feelings about the company which I have made clear on this very thread. Nobody really wants to spend 35 bucks on a nearly bare bones disc. Nobody. I actually prefer Olive Films which also distributes popular and obscure titles but does away with the whole limted edition business. And most of their titles can be found for 20 bucks. But get ready to see more horror/sci-fi favorites distrubuted by TT in the future along with some obscure titles.

The Egyptian has been released in at least 4 other countries.

[Yojimbo68]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

The Egyptian has been released in at least 4 other countries.

Wow! You're right! I had no idea! Damn that Twilight Time!

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by odriley

The fact that it was a bright sunny day in those scenes is talked about in the commentary AND featurette. Haha.

You guys are really reaching now.

"How dare you think that you can Remember things!!".

You guys are funny.

I hope this doesn't get deleted for "insulting" people...

but there are only two options for what they are doing.

1) They are trolling
2) They are not very intelligent.

[Yojimbo68]

Originally Posted by Whirlygig

I agree with everything you said, but, I just want to know why everyone kind of has an attitude now that apparently TT titles must sell out within mere months to be successful. Give 'em time!

Good point! It will be interesting to see how sales progress.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

The Egyptian has been released in at least 4 other countries.

...but in inferior versions. None of those overseas labels had access to the 2010 rescan and remaster that TT got from Fox...including commentary plus isolated score.

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by Kryptonic

Savini says they were originally wanting to make the opening a slow transition from B&W to color.

THAT would have been an interesting change that I could have accepted (IF they gave us both versions).

[manta53]

To bad VUDU and amazon streaming thing doesn't exsist in Canada :/

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Another thing that I'm wondering about. We know the cinematographer Frank Prinzi was involved in some way when the master for this was done in 2010. Are we in agreement here that this master was likely being primed for a 20th Anniversary Blu-ray release? I think the timing would certainly indicate that. Now, If that's the case then I have to question what has transpired since then? Not only was this movie shelved and no 20th Anniversary edition released, but it was handed off to Twilight Time instead of a wide release some 2 years later. If I had to guess, I'd say someone higher up at Sony was not pleased with the end result and decided it wasn't a quality enough product to deserve a 20th Anniversary release, or even a wide release in general. Thoughts?

Makes a lot of sense.

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by Whirlygig

People in the world.
Moms.
With Blu-ray players.
Searching the internet for "Steel Magnolias Blu-ray".
Willing to spend $30+ to place an order.
And put their credit card on "teh intarwebs".
3,000.
Within a month of release.
Obviously not.

People in the world.
Moms.
With Blu-ray players.
Walking around in Wal-mart.
Finding "Steel Magnolias" Blu-ray - $7.99.
Willing to throw it in the cart.
3,000.
For however long Wal-mart leaves it on the floor.
More likely.

My friend, I think we both know it is best to ignore this person. No amount of clear logic will resolve a conversation with him/her.

[JMK]

Originally Posted by #Darren

Good review, but you didn't mention the audio issues.

I beg to differ:

The second, relatively inconspicuous, difference is the absence of some foley effects in a couple of moments of the film (effects which in one instance at least are still audible in the Savini commentary, funnily enough—but the commentary was evidently recorded in 2000 for a previous home video release).

[#Darren]

Originally Posted by JMK

I beg to differ:

The second, relatively inconspicuous, difference is the absence of some foley effects in a couple of moments of the film (effects which in one instance at least are still audible in the Savini commentary, funnily enough—but the commentary was evidently recorded in 2000 for a previous home video release).

Sorry, I only read your audio and video subsections. This was in another part?

[Kentai]

Originally Posted by Uncontrol

This isn't as black and white as it was a year and two ago.

Shout Factory, Synapse, BU, Criterion, Olive Films and plenty of even smaller labels release even more obscure titles not only better, but cheaper too. If they can do all of that AND do in-house transfers, what excuse does TT have?

Blue Underground has no new releases announced for 2013, and are re-releasing bargain bin packs of unsold DVDs for the foreseeable future. Until further notice, I think we can put a fork in BU... they're done.

Synapse's only upcoming Blu-ray is a "Limited to 1,500" edition of DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD explicitly based on Twilight Time's 'website only' $30 business model. They're also going DVD-only on BASKET CASE 3 despite there being a UK Blu-ray just on the horizon. Hardly a reassuring sign.

Olive who? Oh yeah, the guys who did a hard-subtitled transfer of LOVE EXPOSURE and a release of 1900 that looks pretty terrible. Look, I wish these guys the best of luck, but they've released a few discs that are not worth getting excited over...

Criterion charges more than Twilight Time - $40 MSRP for a typical release, and up from there if it's a two disc set! At best they're comparably priced, though I'll give them that they typically produce releases overflowing with bonus content. Criterion also does their own in-house mastering, which includes encoding, authoring and (source depending) independant restoration work, although most of their HD materials are provided by the producers who actually own the film; for every GODZILLA they hunt 35mm prints down themselves for, there's got to be at least two Universal titles where most of the expensive work was actually done for them.

Shout Factory is more or less in the same boat; they license an HD master, play around with it as they see fit, and create new bonus features. They're a bit cheaper than Criterion (street prices included), but their model is quite similar. They've only just begun, though... I'm curious exactly how many copies of THE VIDEO DEAD they think they can sell? I'm in on principle, but man, when SEASON OF THE WITCH is your flagship title...

[whitesheik]

Originally Posted by JMK

Anyone who is insisting I've stated that Twilight Time was "responsible" for any transfers--good or bad--is simply either not reading my reviews or misreading them. I have stated over and over (and over and over) again that the label licenses their titles from Fox and Sony-Columbia. When I say something like "another stellar transfer from Sony-Columbia and Twilight Time" I am not stating that Twilight Time did the transfer.

Well, some of us knew what you meant

[kinkyqueen]

Originally Posted by EddieLarkin

Yet my experience of the Blu-ray wasn't a blue one, or a particularly dark one. Altered from the DVD sure, but nothing major as some would make out.

This. Funny thing is, people still say they don't like the transfer and are going to sell/return it, when actually the transfer isn't as bad as some of those screenies posted here. I thought we were going to be past this by now

Selling all your TT titles just because you don't approve of one transfer? Idiotic.