The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: The Exorcist

#126 Post by matrixschmatrix » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:20 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:It kind of runs the same with "scholarly" commentaries. Some of the worst commentaries I've ever heard are on CC, because it's so self-consciously overwrought from a to z. Like Pandoras Box is virtually unlistenable . . . these obscure professors and writers believe they are mounting the Olympus of cinema scholarship by recording these specific kinds of track and suck the fucking fun and excitement right out of the cinema. Cinema is alive, exciting, cinema moves and pulses and throbs, and to me there's few things worse than listening to a track wallowing in the mire of a completely voluntary hyperintellectualization of a text, and dispensing the madness as though it all were irrevocable fact.

Give me a raving fanatic like Greg Mank, Kalat, Mike Blake, etc.
I recently bought the US DVD of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? expressly for the Dana Polan commentary, and while he's well informed and generally keeps clear of Marian Keene-style straight faced insanity, it's so dry and humorless that it almost kills the movie- it 100% sucks the fun out of it, however much good stuff is in there.

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Re: The Exorcist

#127 Post by manicsounds » Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:37 am

How often does Dana Polan say "on one hand...." during a commentary? Average 18 (obviously an even number...)

I'm one of the few that actually likes listening to Friedkin ramble on. I know I've said somewhere else here that he could be reading a shampoo bottle ingredient list and it would still sound fine to me. So obviously it's not about content, but something like listening to an uncle talk, which I rarely get chances to hear these days.

I'm just disappointed this new set has only about 1 hour of new material, and the book is just an excerpt. Oh well, not the worst thing to happen.

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: The Exorcist

#128 Post by Finch » Tue Oct 08, 2013 1:43 pm

A question for the techies: if the 4K scan exists and Warner had decided to use this as the basis for a new transfer, am I right in saying that this would still have had to be downconverted (to 1080p) and that a lot of televisions aren't 4K ready (if I recall correctly), so how much of a tangible improvement would have a new transfer likely been anyway?
I'm not excusing Warners for doing nothing with the video and audio (no original mono? boo) though the new extras seem to be more substantial than some of the original bonus stuff.

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: The Exorcist

#129 Post by tenia » Tue Oct 08, 2013 4:06 pm

Finch wrote:A question for the techies: if the 4K scan exists and Warner had decided to use this as the basis for a new transfer, am I right in saying that this would still have had to be downconverted (to 1080p) and that a lot of televisions aren't 4K ready (if I recall correctly), so how much of a tangible improvement would have a new transfer likely been anyway?
I'm not excusing Warners for doing nothing with the video and audio (no original mono? boo) though the new extras seem to be more substantial than some of the original bonus stuff.
Yes, you're right, but it would mean that the source would have been better. Of course, it could end being marginal, but it would most likely have closed the few limits of the previous transfer.
Think of the 2012 Casablanca release VS the previous one. That's the type of improvement you would expect.

Then, on the more general idea, the issue is more about Warner prefering to recycle old stuff rather than, you know, use the new material they just created. It's not new, though, they've done the same with A Clockwork Orange but the new documentary on the movie was using extracts taken from the new restoration... Go and figure. :roll:

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captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#130 Post by captveg » Tue Jun 24, 2014 6:52 pm

9/23/14

The Exorcist - The Complete Anthology (The Exorcist (1971), The Exorcist - Extended Director's Cut (1971/2000), Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Exorcist III (1990), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005))

Single releases of:

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
The Exorcist III (1990)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

It looks like Dominion: The Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) is exclusive to the box set.

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#131 Post by Gregory » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:09 pm

They need to release a new standalone Blu of just the original film to use the new 4K scan with the color problems fixed, which they should have done last year (and as Friedkin said they were going to do) — especially if they're doing all this.
More disappointing crap from Warner, who don't even correct their past mistakes because people will keep buying whatever they foist onto the market regardless.

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#132 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:14 pm

Next year. They're saving it for the 44 year anniversary.

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sir_luke
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:55 pm

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#133 Post by sir_luke » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:33 pm

The Dee-luxe Diamond Mega Ultra Give Us More Money Edition

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#134 Post by manicsounds » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:48 pm

Image

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domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Warner Catalog Titles on Blu

#135 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:50 pm

I think we're actually approaching the 666th time it's been released

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solaris72
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:03 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: The Exorcist

#136 Post by solaris72 » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:54 pm

Price is quite good though- $35.99 MSRP.


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