Scanners (1981)

[BobSimms]

Yeah, my body is ready for a 4K of this. I haven’t bought any Blu-ray editions of it yet because I figure something better has to be imminent.

[5meohd]

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

I still say.....C'mon Second Sight! Please give us a Scanners 4kUHD with hdr and a FiM encode!!!!

Literally logged on to say this. Second Sight wasn't on my radar when they released the Blu-ray. I had just read about it being a better version than the CC disc. Sadly, I don't see my self side grading Scanners. I WILL upgrade if SS puts out a nice 4KUHD though.

[DaylightsEnd]

I started watching this tonight as part of my October Horror splurge. I started on the SS blu ray (which looks rougher than I remembered), then moved over to the CC blu ray. More of "Meh". It's like CC was ashamed of this title, and tried their best to hide it under a thin veil of dull grey sludge. Even worse, my CC disc is already starting to visibly bronze, and didn't seem to want to fire up at first. Pathetic.

All I could think of was.....

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

C'mon Second Sight! Please give us a Scanners 4k uhd with hdr and an FiM encode!!!!

It's like there was a scanner nearby somewhere, pushing this message into my brain, over and over, as I gaped at the blah PQ on both flawed, aging blu ray releases....

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

the CC blu ray.

Criterion Collection? I'm sure it is but I'm just making sure.

[DaylightsEnd]

Originally Posted by thebarnman

Criterion Collection? I'm sure it is but I'm just making sure.

Yes

[DisneyDreamer2023]

Hi everyone, I want to add Scanners to my collection soon so just to check.. if I want the best picture quality I need to track down the German Subkultur release?

I checked on dvdcompare and If I want all the exclusive special features, I’ll need to pick up the US Criterion, the UK Second Sight, German Wicked-Vision Media & the Australian Umbrella release.

Exclusive to Umbrella Entertainment release:
"The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg" 1999 documentary (59:03)


Exclusive to Criterion release:
"The Scanners Way" 2014 documentary by Michael Lennick (22:57)
"Mental Saboteur" 2014 interview with actor Michael Ironside (19:26)
"The Ephemerol Diaries" 2012 interview with actor Stephen Lack (14:22)
Interview with writer/director David Cronenberg from a 1981 episode of the CBC television series The Bob McLean Show (11:07) [1080i 60Hz]
* Stereo (1969) feature film by David Cronenberg (62:43)

Exclusive to UK Second Sight release:
"My Art Keeps Me Sane" 2013 interview with star Stephen Lack (23:46) [1080i 60Hz]
"The Eye of Scanners" 2013 interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin (15:11)
"The Chaos of Scanners" 2013 interview with executive producer Pierre David (13:42)
"Exploding Brains & Popping Heads" 2013 interview with makeup effects artist Stephan Dupuis (9:33) [1080i 60Hz]
"Bad Guy Dane" 2013 interview with actor Lawrence Dane (5:18) [480i]

Exclusive to German Wicked-Vision Media Trilogy Ultimate Edition:
Audio commentary with film scholar Professor Dr. William Beard (in English with optional German subtitles)
Isolated Score
"Monster Kid" interview with special makeup artist Chris Walas (in English with optional German subtitles) (21:40)
"Mind Fragments" interview with composer Howard Shore (in English with optional German subtitles) (18:54)
"Telepathic Visions" interview with director of photography Mark Irwin (in English with optional German subtitles) (18:39)
"A Method in his Madness" interview with actor Michael Ironside (in English with optional German subtitles) (30:32)
"Pierre David on Scanners" featurette (in English with optional German subtitles) (12:33)
"The Emphenol Diaries" interview with actor Stephen Lack (in English with optional German subtitles) (14:22)
"Inside Scan: Scanners 1" featurette (in English with optional German subtitles) (8:50)
Vintage Interview with writer/director David Cronenberg & composer Howard Shore (in French with optional English and German subtitles) (21:27)

Has any Cronenberg/Scanners fans bought all 5 versions for the best picture quality and all the exclusive special features?

I’m not sure whether to keep all 5 versions next to each other on my shelf or whether to get a large custom case to put all the discs into to save space…

I live in the UK and have ordered the Second Sight version so just 4 to go.

[JMDiaz718]

Yes, I have the Criterion version. It has awful cover art.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer2023

Hi everyone, I want to add Scanners to my collection soon so just to check.. if I want the best picture quality I need to track down the German Subkultur release?

I keep reading the Criterion Collection edition has the best picture quality.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer2023

Hi everyone, I want to add Scanners to my collection soon so just to check.. if I want the best picture quality I need to track down the German Subkultur release?

I checked on dvdcompare and If I want all the exclusive special features, I’ll need to pick up the US Criterion, the UK Second Sight, German Wicked-Vision Media & the Australian Umbrella release.

The Directors appears on Rabid, so no need to get the Umbrella.

The Beard commentary is great, but pretty hard to come by and with the faux leather mediabook design it would probably be better to keep in its original packaging, though you could put the Criterion and Second Sight in a 2 disc scanavo. Second Sight does have some good interviews. Stereo has a few different releases like Early Works from Arrow.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer2023

Hi everyone, I want to add Scanners to my collection soon so just to check.. if I want the best picture quality I need to track down the German Subkultur release?

The only problem with the Subkultur release is that it's not the cleanest picture. If you don't mind some white specks popping up, I'd say yeah, it's the best. But I have the Umbrella out on the shelf now. It's got a lower bitrate, but better gamma compared to the Second Sight, for my taste at least. I'd rank Criterion last out of the four I have. It turned out better in motion than I'd expected from the caps, so watchable, but still not a fan.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Originally Posted by DaylightsEnd

I started watching this tonight as part of my October Horror splurge. I started on the SS blu ray (which looks rougher than I remembered), then moved over to the CC blu ray. More of "Meh". It's like CC was ashamed of this title, and tried their best to hide it under a thin veil of dull grey sludge. Even worse, my CC disc is already starting to visibly bronze, and didn't seem to want to fire up at first. Pathetic.

All I could think of was.....



It's like there was a scanner nearby somewhere, pushing this message into my brain, over and over, as I gaped at the blah PQ on both flawed, aging blu ray releases....

Originally Posted by Rockercub

The only problem with the Subkultur release is that it's not the cleanest picture. If you don't mind some white specks popping up, I'd say yeah, it's the best. But I have the Umbrella out on the shelf now. It's got a lower bitrate, but better gamma compared to the Second Sight, for my taste at least. I'd rank Criterion last out of the four I have. It turned out better in motion than I'd expected from the caps, so watchable, but still not a fan.

While I perfectly understand your stance on the Criterion, please go back in the thread a little. I think there are some valid points being made towards the Criterion bluray being the most accurate towards Cronenberg's intended look of the movie:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=1479


Or check out the entire thread page:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...5#post19574775

And to think, I was one of the guys opposing the CC when I picked up the Subkultur release. But once you've become accustomed to the CCs palette, there's no going back to the Subkultur disc, because it feels processed (sharpening and boosted colours/ contrast)...

If anything the CC could use a better encode. So,yes: a well-encoded 4K with the overall same look would really be something!

[DaylightsEnd]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomassi

So,yes: a well-encoded 4K...would really be something!

THIS. It's why I said it, and I'll say it again: "C'mon Second Sight! Please give us a new Scanners 4k uhd, based on a fresh 4k scan of the ocn, and an FiM encode!!!!"

The title would have its best shot at a definitive release on physical media, finally. Same with The Brood. I'm ready.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by Rollo Tomassi

While I perfectly understand your stance on the Criterion, please go back in the thread a little. I think there are some valid points being made towards the Criterion bluray being the most accurate towards Cronenberg's intended look of the movie:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=1479


Or check out the entire thread page:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...5#post19574775

And to think, I was one of the guys opposing the CC when I picked up the Subkultur release. But once you've become accustomed to the CCs palette, there's no going back to the Subkultur disc, because it feels processed (sharpening and boosted colours/ contrast)...

If anything the CC could use a better encode. So,yes: a well-encoded 4K with the overall same look would really be something!

On, no! You've gone to the dark side! I can't remember if I read all that at the time, but I can see the argument. Regarding the Subkultur release, I really should have said "the only problem for me..." so as not to suggest it was perfect otherwise.

But regarding intent, I will add that the more natural looking transfer for The Brood from Wicked Vision got approval from Mark Irwin, so which is really correct? I mean, I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast, so I'm not claiming to remember what Scanners looked like in the theater, but the Criterion feels wrong, even if there are improvements in other areas. Maybe with future viewings of the Criterion, my opinion would change, but for me at this point, life's too short for all that. I'm sticking with the cinematographer and the natural look.

[thebarnman]

Originally Posted by Rockercub

The only problem with the Subkultur release is that it's not the cleanest picture. If you don't mind some white specks popping up, I'd say yeah, it's the best. But I have the Umbrella out on the shelf now. It's got a lower bitrate, but better gamma compared to the Second Sight, for my taste at least. I'd rank Criterion last out of the four I have. It turned out better in motion than I'd expected from the caps, so watchable, but still not a fan.

Unfortunately I have the CC one. What's not good about it and what's the best one to own?

Never mind; I guess it was a tint issues the director wanted.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by thebarnman

Unfortunately I have the CC one. What's not good about it and what's the best one to own?

Never mind; I guess it was a tint issues the director wanted.

It's not even the "tint" for me. It's like the gamma needs to be bumped up. I know it's "director approved," but I'm so skeptical of that. Setting aside all the upfront revision going on with Lucas, Friedkin, Cameron, and the like, I have to wonder how many directors are actually following the process through to the end. Remember, with the initial botched Dressed to Kill release from Criterion, they cited director approval as evidence of its correctness. And then went on to fix it. So, yeah, Cronenberg gave notes, but did he make sure they got correctly applied? And even with the Mark Irwin example I gave earlier, did he actually watch the movie from front to end or did he just check out a couple of scenes? I don't know.

So I guess I just try to take all this information and put it in a blender with my own personal aesthetic preferences to get my favorite. None of the releases I have is perfect though. I like the look of the Subkultur best, but the white specks are enough to bother me. Second Sight is pretty clean, if memory serves, but highlights are blown out. Umbrella darkens up the Second Sight just a touch, which I like, but still has those blown out highlights and is on a single layer disc. The murkiness on the Criterion keeps it at the bottom of my list, but like I said, it's not as bad on a full viewing as I was expecting. I'd be curious to see what a Criterion 4K looks like, but I think I'd rather see a Second Sight 4K.

[DisneyDreamer2023]

Update on my Scanners collection. I now own 3/4 of the releases I need to get all the exclusive special features from different regions!

Umbrella Entertainment release which has:
"The Directors: The Films of David Cronenberg" 1999 documentary (59:03)

Criterion release which has:
"The Scanners Way" 2014 documentary by Michael Lennick (22:57)
"Mental Saboteur" 2014 interview with actor Michael Ironside (19:26)
"The Ephemerol Diaries" 2012 interview with actor Stephen Lack (14:22)
Interview with writer/director David Cronenberg from a 1981 episode of the CBC television series The Bob McLean Show (11:07) [1080i 60Hz]
* Stereo (1969) feature film by David Cronenberg (62:43)

Second Sight release which has:
"My Art Keeps Me Sane" 2013 interview with star Stephen Lack (23:46) [1080i 60Hz]
"The Eye of Scanners" 2013 interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin (15:11)
"The Chaos of Scanners" 2013 interview with executive producer Pierre David (13:42)
"Exploding Brains & Popping Heads" 2013 interview with makeup effects artist Stephan Dupuis (9:33) [1080i 60Hz]
"Bad Guy Dane" 2013 interview with actor Lawrence Dane (5:18) [480i]

Now I just need to track down the rare and expensive German Wicked-Vision Media Trilogy Ultimate Edition release which has:
Audio commentary with film scholar Professor Dr. William Beard (in English with optional German subtitles)
Isolated Score
"Monster Kid" interview with special makeup artist Chris Walas (in English with optional German subtitles) (21:40)
"Mind Fragments" interview with composer Howard Shore (in English with optional German subtitles) (18:54)
"Telepathic Visions" interview with director of photography Mark Irwin (in English with optional German subtitles) (18:39)
"A Method in his Madness" interview with actor Michael Ironside (in English with optional German subtitles) (30:32)
"Pierre David on Scanners" featurette (in English with optional German subtitles) (12:33)
"The Emphenol Diaries" interview with actor Stephen Lack (in English with optional German subtitles) (14:22)
"Inside Scan: Scanners 1" featurette (in English with optional German subtitles) (8:50)
Vintage Interview with writer/director David Cronenberg & composer Howard Shore (in French with optional English and German subtitles) (21:27)

Admittingly it’s been a little annoying having to track down 4 different versions of the same film but I am a special features junkie haha.
I can’t actually think of many other films to have so many unique special features spread across different countries??

[russweiss1]

I don't think owning multiple releases of the same title is uncommon with folks on this forum.

[Dellamorte13]

Sorry for the dumb question but what's the difference between the two Criterion releases?

I have the larger digibook but I know there's a thinner, more common one that I would rather have to save some much needed shelf space.

[Nosferatu31]

Originally Posted by Dellamorte13

Sorry for the dumb question but what's the difference between the two Criterion releases?

I have the larger digibook but I know there's a thinner, more common one that I would rather have to save some much needed shelf space.

The standard edition is just 1 disc, packaging is the same just thinner.

[Dellamorte13]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu31

The standard edition is just 1 disc, packaging is the same just thinner.

Thanks. Ugh, I just HAD to have it right away once it released. if I had only waited a few months, I'd have the slim version.

I don't suppose anyone wants to trade the slim for the thick box?