New Australian DVD and BD Releases

[alandau]

Five Graves to Cairo

Available From: 04/04/2007

A Film by Billy Wilder

June, 1942. The British Army, retreating ahead of victorious Desert Fox, Erwin Rommel, leaves a lone survivor on the Egyptian border: Corporal John Bramble. Finding refuge at a remote desert hotel-soon to be the German HQ-To survive, Bramble assumes an identity which proves perilous. The new guest of honor is none other than Rommel, hinting of his secret strategy, code-named 'five graves.' And the fate of the British in Egypt depends on whether a humble corporal can penetrate the secret...

DVD Special Features

All new restored print
Original theatrical trailer
'HOLLYWOOD REMEMBERS: ANNE BAXTER': a profile
Insert essay by Dr Adrian Danks, Head of Cinema Studies at the School of Applied Communication, RMIT University, and Co-curator of the Melbourne Cinémathèque

[Solaris]

Upcoming Umbrella Titles:

May -
The Killers (1964)
The Tree Of Wooden CLogs
Two Lane Backtop

June -
Mamma Roma finally some Pasolini on R4, but I wish they wouldn't release Criterion titles
Querelle finally some Fassbinder too
City Of Women never seen this film, hoping Umbrella gives us a decent release here
Fellini Collection I'm guessing its nothing new, just all previous releases in a box
plus two rare Australian films -
Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train and Careful, He May Hear You

and it has been confirmed - Twin Peaks season two will be released in two 3-disc volumes on April 12, however I've read that a "Complete Collection" will be released later and contain more Lynch-approved extras.

[devlinnn]

Mildly interesting report from today's Age (that reads more like a Blu-Ray press release).

If all true it looks like JB Hi-Fi and Myer are only going to stock BR; Dick Smith are importing HD titles (?!?); and 33% of all homes here have HDTV. Surely they jest? 33% with HDTV? and they expect 90% by 2010. Duck your head David, the pigs are flying in velvet gowns.

[marty]

Mildly interesting report from today's Age (that reads more like a Blu-Ray press release).

If all true it looks like JB Hi-Fi and Myer are only going to stock BR; Dick Smith are importing HD titles (?!?); and 33% of all homes here have HDTV. Surely they jest? 33% with HDTV? and they expect 90% by 2010. Duck your head David, the pigs are flying in velvet gowns.

Their definition of HD-TV differs vastly form the reality of people having HD-TV. It ain't happening, especially down under. The whole Blu-Ray/HD is a mess and now that Sony have paid JB H-Fi and Myer exorbitant fees to exclusively stock Blu-ray, corruption has seeped into a murky and disgusting retail industry that treats their customers with contempt.

I can't wait for the day when these rental and retail stores who are actually the ones who decide what titles to stock (hence, the pitiful tiny arthouse sections - the adult erotic section is bigger!) will realise that VOD will be replacing them.

[devlinnn]

Yes David, same bunch of crap found in the SMH, and I'll take my robe in a deep rouge, extra width in the cuffs, cut just below the knees, better know in the catalogue as 'The Clifton Webb'.

Paramount will be releasing Donen's Indiscreet this April. Speaking of Paramount - the PQ of the recent The Greatest Show on Earth (a favourite guilty pleasure for all the right reasons) is eye-poppingly delightful - one of the best I've seen from this period.

[Darth Lavender]

MichaelD posted an article from an organisation called Forresters who have predicted the outcome of the format war...
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/index.asp?Start=2/8/2007

Fri 2.2.07
Forrester predicts Blu-ray will win Format War
Brandon V
One of the most respected technology-research companies and ICT analysts, Forrester, have predicted that Blu-ray will win over its rival HD DVD format, but claimed it won't be a quick victory. "It is now clear to Forrester that the Sony-led Blu-ray format will win," Ted Schadler, a Forrester analyst, said in the report. "But unless the HD DVD group abandons the field [a move Forrester recommended], it will be another two years before consumers are confident enough of the winner to think about buying a new-format DVD player." Also slowing things down: The image quality of today's DVD is "good enough" that most people won't be "itching to switch until high-definition TV is much more widespread". Forrester claims Blu-ray has several advantages that will help it win the day: "HD DVD is a one-trick pony for video playback, but Blu-ray is also designed for games and computers. Indeed, its inclusion in millions of Sony's next-generation video game consoles is a factor. And when former HD DVD loyalist Paramount endorsed Blu-ray, it shifted the movie studio momentum. Finally, although Blu-ray manufacturing will cost a little more initially, it offers more capacity and employs a proven technology, Java, for interactive features."

Myself, I still don't have much of an opinion on who will win or who should win. And, for that matter, there's still the possibility of Sony making another of their spectacular PR blunders (including anthrax with their DVD-Rs, maybe? Who knows what those zany guys will come up with next ) Similar, since HD is unlikely to just bow down, there's also the possibility they'll start releasing near-cost titles or set up a "trade in" scheme.

[Scharphedin2]

Some HD purchase updates if you're interested:

Dune a knockout NEW print (even better than last year's French Studio Canal SE). Absolutely one of the best looking HDs Ive seen - I still can't tell what the extra ten minutes are in this 138 minute cut, but who cares.

Casablanca - I know I know. This looks like real film in some sort of pristine nitrate first day prem screening. B&W could only otherwise look like this in 35mm. The PQ is so gobsmacking you actually watch the movie youve seen at least ten times too often all over again. I want EVERYTHING from Warner in B&W to look like this!!

Brokeback Mountain - criticized variously for softness in the pic but I think this is in fact the cinematography - certainly the landscapes are somwehat misty in some shots given it's winter. I thought PQ overall was just fine (and miles better than the SD on side 2.)

Casino - Razzle dazzle picture - I never saw it theatrically but have always liked it a lot (Stone really is great). This PQ is like HD on crack (and I mean that in a nice way.)

the Jackson King Kong - I know I know (!!!!) the picture actually looks three dimensional to the point where the defects in CGI become painfully obvious, as though Jackson intended viewers to "get" them (maybe he did?) This is the magic reference disc so far.

At least Warner have Maltese Falcon, Psycho and North by Northwest coming some time later this year.

Holy smoke David... this sounds absolutely fantastic! Thanks for these bulletins. I am sure I am not alone in having adopted a "wait and see" attitude to HD. This post marks the first time that I have seriously begun to think of acquiring the new format.

[Darth Lavender]

Seems that there's a new 2-disk Kagemusha been released with all the Criterion extras. *But* it might still be the cut version

Runtimes are listed as 162 minutes on JBHiFi's website and 152 minutes on the BBFC site, when the uncut film should run about 173 minutes (accounting for PAL speedup)

Can anyone here confirm the run-time for the new 2-disk version? (*If* it's the uncut version, then it's a great deal ($16 at the moment, versus the Criterion's $50 price-tag)

[s_mac_k]

It is indeed 152 minutes, but the transfer isn't dramatically different looking from the caps at dvdbeaver.
What's missing?

[s_mac_k]

Shame on me, looks like a port from the region 2 release. Still, having bought it not knowing that it might be the international version, for $15 this will tide me over til I can cough up for the criterion.

[Darth Lavender]

That's what *really* annoys me about this. I almost blind-bought it myself, before deciding to wait and do some investigating. Just about the only reason I can think of to go to the trouble of releasing a 'Special Edition' like that is in the hopes that a few people will make the mistake of buying it unaware that it's missing twenty minutes. (I actually did make a similar mistake on Roadshow's Pulp Fiction. Blind-bought a two-disk Special Edition only to discover the movie itself is the same terrible transfer as their old disk (but this time *without* the isolated music track.)

Fox seems to have an annoying habbit of quite deliberately deceiving their customers (look at all the disks that get rereleased a few months later in extended editions, with extras, etc. and of course Fox fails to mention this before hand.)

One thing for file-sharing; I think we will soon reach a stage technologically were it's completely anonymous, fast and HD-quality. So for a lot of people the only reason *not* to download movies will be out of consideration for those wonderful people at Fox and the other studios

And, of course, in this utopia, people's DVD budgets will be devoted entirely to those studios like MoC and Anchorbay who, generally speaking, don't treat their customers like c

Hmm... I really should have preceded that last paragraph with the words "I have a dream..."[/rant]

[devlinnn]

Fox look to be releasing the four Alice Faye's in April (don't expect any extra material), along with Can Can, What a Way to Go, Sun Valley Serenade, Daddy Long Legs and the new edition of All That Jazz.

Universal will have a special edition of The Graduate in May.

[devlinnn]

Video Ezy has just bought out Blockbuster, if that's of interest to anyone.

[Solaris]

Universal will have a special edition of The Graduate in May.

Probably same the same as old R1 "special edition", which includes a collectable booklet, Hoffmann interview and short docu.

Video Ezy has just bought out Blockbuster, if that's of interest to anyone.

I haven't rented a DVD in five years, and rarely buy from rental shops, but what exactly does this mean?

[devlinnn]

Besides VideoEzy now owning 99% of all the rental stores in Australia (I know -who cares, who rents), I would imagine this to be a fight against the dominance of JB HiFi and BigW and their powerplays with the local distributors. VideoEzy seems to be devoting more and more of their floorspace to retail, and will probably demand and get more exclusives/deals/etc.

[alandau]

I think DVD rentals are dead. Who wants to borrow a scratched DVD.

[soma]

Video Dogs is great, seriously... but far too expensive.

On Wednesday nights the Video Ezy near me rents any DVD in the store for $2 per title, including new releases. Any other time is $4 per overnight for regular / VIP customers.

I'm very much a "try before you buy" DVD collector, so yes, I still rent... and often. Other than the cinema this is the best way to catch up on films.

I've also used Webflicks for a few months, as I was paying $25 a month and rented over 70 DVDs in this period, which is amazing value. Next up is the ACMI lending collection, which I'll hit up for a year or two to complete my film education. Again it's amazing value.

There's about 20 films I will eventually rent from Video Dogs as they're simply not available anywhere else, but that's it. It's just not value for money, plus considering I live on the other side of the city the 3 day rental policy is frustrating and inconvenient. I've had my share of late fees there and they are harsh and completely non-consumer friendly. Zero flexibility on their policies to boot.

[Solaris]

Directors Suite will release Funny Games and The Seventh Continent in May.

[Darth Lavender]

I still rent movies occasionally; I suppose it really depends upon the costs and fees at the local video-store. Both the stores near me rent weeklies for about $1 each, and once a week rent new releases for $3. So, for any film that I'm just curious about, renting is very definitely the prefered option.
Occasionally, I'll stumble across a spectacularly cheap DVD (picked up All Quiet On the Western Front a few days ago for $7) and just buy it outright. Other than that, the only times I'll buy *without* renting are if the movie isn't available for rent (almost always the case) or if it's a movie that I've seen before.

As for the quality of the rental-stores, blockbuster, EzyDVD, etc. tend to be franchise type affairs, so it just depends on who's managing the local store.

[soma]

Directors Suite will release Funny Gamesin May.

Been waiting for this one, this film is fucking amazing. Probably my favourite Haneke.

16:9 Widescreen Full Height Anamorphic
Interview with director Michael Haneke
Commentary with Hamish Ford
Original theatrical trailer

Available 2nd May.

[soma]

Madman Eastern Eye is also to release Seijun Sezuki's Branded To Kill, Johnny To's Exiled, and Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata II in May.

[solent]

Not sure if this has been mentioned but the complete Monty Python TV series is due out on March 28 at $99.83. It's listed at Ezy as a pre-order. It looks the same as the US R1 16 ton Megaset.

[marty]

I would imagine this to be a fight against the dominance of JB HiFi and BigW and their powerplays with the local distributors. VideoEzy seems to be devoting more and more of their floorspace to retail, and will probably demand and get more exclusives/deals/etc.

Yes, and this aritcle, although primarily about DVD sales from NYT sheds some light on DVD retail in general.

The problem that retailers have with rental stores is that distributors would often give rental stores a 4 month window before going to retail in order to ensure more orders from rental stores. But then the rental stores would starts selling their ex-rental copies PRIOR to the proper retail release date. Retail stores got pissed and now you will find that many distributors are going day-and-date with their releases which is the smart move. But this would adversely affect rental stores so they are now going into retail themselves because rentals have seen a huge nose-dive recently.

In Australia, I think you will find that foreign-langauge DVDs will become a rarity, even rare than now. They just don't turn over enough sales. We can debate forever the lack of quality arthouse DVDs in Australia but where are all the people buying them?

[devlinnn]

Off-topic for a sec or two - for all the would-be/wanna-be/in-fact-are/dream-to-be screenwriters down here you better get a move on. To all would-be actors - beef-up, learn the walk and talk, and for god's sake, know how to handle a gun. The race has begun. From what's been told, at least 30 pro/semi-professional writers have been frantically burning the midnight oil in a rush to land the big one on Melbourne's recently subsided gangland wars. There's so much raw material to work with, and plenty of angels to take it, you go dizzy just thinking about it.

Personally, I'd love to see this as a major-major-movie, rather than ABC 6-part tele-movie etc. We will probably see both, so at least the local industry will at last get a kick-along. In my version, it all centres around Catherine Zeta Jones as underworld lawyer and snake-charmer Zara Garde-Wilson, then spiders out with Eric Bana as Mark Moran, Rachel Griffiths starring as the wife of Carl 'Babyface' Williams, Roberta, and De Niro, naturally, as Mick Gatto.

How to do all this without the obvious Scorsese/Sporanos influence will be difficult for those concerned, as will be casting major player Carl. Director? Local filmmaker Paul Goldman might be able to get a handle on it. Where this all goes over the next year or two should be interesting, with hope that they dont' f*** it up. A classic crime film should be on the horizon.

[devlinnn]

I'm more inclined to Chopin's Ballad No.1, especially during the opening sequence as we view Zara slowly go about getting dressed, feeding the dog, shopping in Flinders Lane etc., climaxing with her greeting her office python slithering over the desk, paperwork and gun - cut to titles played over footage of 1956 Olympics - ending with the starter's pistol played over a union dockyard shooting...