Warner Catalog Titles on BD/UHD

[captveg]

David, I don't know how you read that statement in that negative light. It reads to me that there will be less BD25s for catalog titles in the future because they've made the standard to "qualify" for a BD25 more strict than before, and that the practice of throwing in a previously released title in to a new box set (like Gone with the Wind with this 1939 set of four other new-to-Blu titles) is coming to an end.

I suspect that part of this is the result of them just recently having changed to less separation between their WHV and WA divisions, with the latter using BD50s and higher bitrates more often, and that practice being adopted by the WHV side.

[bugsy_pal]

My paranoia may be getting the better of me - the order arrived earlier - I've just put on Ninotchka and the PQ is exemplary, easily as good as one of their older BD50 transfers of 1.37 B&W. And this is a title that doesn't survive as a OCN. This is a dupe first gen, fine grain IP. Quickly glancing at Dark Victory ditto for that as well.

Bob Harris' columns sometimes become oblique to the point of mysterious - one can't be quite sure what he's hinting at, but I was taking the notion that after his pitch early this year that this would be a very big year for WB Classic BD titles, the "new team" regime has signalled a change in that direction too.

One thing is for sure, Warner HD does definitely have an A team and a B Team on Blu Ray mastering and authoring. But that's a topic for another time.

Interesting comments - I'm glad that your paranoia was unjustified in this case. It seems that a BD25 is ample enough to accommodate a well-encoded 1.37 B&W from a good source. I am amazed at how good some HD download versions of old movies look, even when compressed to something like 4Gb (of course these things don't look nearly as good as a bluray when you freeze the frame). I recently acquired a 720p HD of Mildred Pierce - I've been waiting for a bluray of this for years, and it's been available in HD on iTunes - and it looks bloody amazing.

[captveg]

10/6/15

Jackie Chan's First Strike (1997)
Rumble in the Bronx (1995)


Likely to be just the US English audio versions, of course.

[EddieLarkin]

I hope not. Looking at the release history of both films in the US, they have not been released directly by WB before, though they did handle the releases in Japan and Hong Kong, where of course the Cantonese audio was included. So as long as whoever is producing the discs actually gives a damn, it shouldn't be hard for them to make sure they're on there.

[captveg]

10/6/15

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (Also part of 4-film Hammer Collection)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) (Also part of 4-film Hammer Collection)
Mighty Joe Young (1949) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection)
The Mummy (1959) (Also part of 4-film Hammer Collection)
Son of Kong (1933) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) (Also part of 4-film Hammer Collection)
Them! (1954) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection)

[domino harvey]

Mighty Joe Young (1949) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection))

This is, for those keeping track, the second (I believe) title to get downgraded to a Warner Archives DVD-R and then receive a Blu-ray release

[tenia]

There will be French boxsets for these, albeit not with all the titles.
There will only be 2 Draculas (Taste the blood and Dracula has risen) and the 3 King Kong (no Beast from 20000 Fathoms for us).

[captveg]

9/22/15

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) 40th Anniversary Edition


Comes with the I Knew It Was You DVD.

One of their earlier BD titles back in 2007, so hopefully a much improved release. At the very least should have lossless audio this time around.

[palntsc]

Mighty Joe Young (1949) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection))

This is, for those keeping track, the second (I believe) title to get downgraded to a Warner Archives DVD-R and then receive a Blu-ray release

Which was the first? Anyway, MJY was originally released as a regular Warner title, and then re-issued (remastered?) as a dvd-r in the Archive series...

[domino harvey]

Get Carter

[palntsc]

That, too, was released by Warner Home Video back in 2000...

[domino harvey]

Yes, which is why I said both were downgraded to the Archives

[felipe]

Mighty Joe Young (1949) (Also part of 4-film Special Effects Collection))

This is, for those keeping track, the second (I believe) title to get downgraded to a Warner Archives DVD-R and then receive a Blu-ray release

Also The Sunshine Boys, which was "downgraded" to DVD-R and then released on Blu-ray (through WAC, nonetheless).

[domino harvey]

Good catch, I hadn't realized that one had been previously downgraded as well (or forgot)

[domino harvey]

Think of all the movies from the Warner Brothers back catalog you'd like to see get Blu-rays. Now here's what you get instead: Bogus and Boys on the Side are getting Blu-rays in August. These would be hilarious (not the films, their release) as Archive Blus, but as retail Blu-rays it's somehow even funnier.

[FrauBlucher]

I would love to read their interoffice emails on why such and such a title should get a blu ray release. That would be comedy.

[sir_luke]

Hopefully this is evidence that their better titles are being licensed out to worthwhile labels!

[captveg]

As stated in the Fox thread, it's more of an indication that the Regency catalog has been consolidated under Fox, with these two titles being Fox releases.

[captveg]

10/13/15

15 Minutes (2001)
Matchstick Men (2003)

[flyonthewall2983]

Variety: Morgan Creek Identifies Potential Studio, Private Equity Buyers for Film Library

Will be interesting to see how this ends up, maybe Criterion getting the rights back to Dead Ringers. Better yet (for me anyway) to whoever this ends up with, there would likely be a new version of True Romance in the cards as the old Blu-ray had a pretty weak A/V presentation.

[FrauBlucher]

Key Largo blu-ray pre-order Amazon-Germany Feb 4
The Big Sleep blu-ray pre-order Amazon-Germany Feb 4

We'll probably see the region A's get pre-orders soon. \:D/

[onedimension]

Can anyone read German and share whether they're offering both cuts of The Big Sleep?

Thrilled to see that one either way, one of my favorite Bogarts/Noirs/Chandlers/Hawks/Faulkners (!!) overdue for blu ray..

[willoneill]

At the bottom of the Big Sleep listing were links for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as well as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Both also Feb. 4.

[domino harvey]

At the bottom of the Big Sleep listing were links for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as well as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Both also Feb. 4.

Great news on Woolf, especially since it's one of Warner's disc rot titles

[tenia]

There was a product page for The Big Sleep on Amazon France for a very long time and it still hasn't materialised, so I would wait for a real confirmation than Warner rather than getting my hopes high thanks to an Amazon product page.