Jade Jaguar
Regular
We have several threads on various TV shows, and movies, but I thought a thread for DVDs we have watched recently would be interesting... hopefully with a bit more of a review than in the "listening to" thread. I'll start it off...
WHV finally did something exactly right, even superb! I'm sure everyone here knows at least some of the various glitches in the B5 DVD release. They released the first season of the Kung Fu TV series in letterbox, cutting off a lot of the 4x3 frame. Also I hate the way they have released Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. They are slapped together in rather poor order, with a few true "Golden Age" cartoons mixed with a few from the 50s, often in no particular order.
Well, they just came out with Popeye the Sailor, 1933-1938. It is magnificent! They did new restorations of the original Fleischer Studios cartoons, and new transfers, which have the original intro cards, nothing edited out, and aren't cropped around the outside edges. They look wonderful. But, that is just the beginning. They put them on the discs in chronoligical order, by original release dates! This adds much to the enjoyment, and understanding of the series. You can see how the characters, and animation changed, and evolved, over time. Many of the cartoons have audio commentaries by animation experts. They put 15 cartoons on each disc, and filled each out with short docs on the studio, artists, and characters. They also included several rare silent era cartoons by the Fleischer Bros. on each disc. Also, two of the three color Popeye two-reelers are included.
This is intended to be followed by a second release, in Nov., that will complete the Fleischer Studios Popeyes. I sure wish WHV would give the same treatment to the rest of the Fleischer catalog, and to their own catalog of cartoons! Okay, just one complaint... the four disc holder has two discs overlapping the other two, so you must remove one disc to get to another. And, one hub prong was broken, but the disc played.
So, comment on this if you like, and/or post something good you have seen on DVD lately. In a couple of weeks, I will receive the movie "Performance,"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066214/, and in the end of October, O, Lucky Man. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070464/ These are both great films of the late 60s, early 70's, that WHV has been dragging their heels on releasing, but are finally coming out.
WHV finally did something exactly right, even superb! I'm sure everyone here knows at least some of the various glitches in the B5 DVD release. They released the first season of the Kung Fu TV series in letterbox, cutting off a lot of the 4x3 frame. Also I hate the way they have released Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. They are slapped together in rather poor order, with a few true "Golden Age" cartoons mixed with a few from the 50s, often in no particular order.
Well, they just came out with Popeye the Sailor, 1933-1938. It is magnificent! They did new restorations of the original Fleischer Studios cartoons, and new transfers, which have the original intro cards, nothing edited out, and aren't cropped around the outside edges. They look wonderful. But, that is just the beginning. They put them on the discs in chronoligical order, by original release dates! This adds much to the enjoyment, and understanding of the series. You can see how the characters, and animation changed, and evolved, over time. Many of the cartoons have audio commentaries by animation experts. They put 15 cartoons on each disc, and filled each out with short docs on the studio, artists, and characters. They also included several rare silent era cartoons by the Fleischer Bros. on each disc. Also, two of the three color Popeye two-reelers are included.
This is intended to be followed by a second release, in Nov., that will complete the Fleischer Studios Popeyes. I sure wish WHV would give the same treatment to the rest of the Fleischer catalog, and to their own catalog of cartoons! Okay, just one complaint... the four disc holder has two discs overlapping the other two, so you must remove one disc to get to another. And, one hub prong was broken, but the disc played.
So, comment on this if you like, and/or post something good you have seen on DVD lately. In a couple of weeks, I will receive the movie "Performance,"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066214/, and in the end of October, O, Lucky Man. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070464/ These are both great films of the late 60s, early 70's, that WHV has been dragging their heels on releasing, but are finally coming out.
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