Twilight Time / Redwind

[pointless]

Don't Bother to Knock (Roy Ward Baker, 1952)

Release Date: March 20th, 2018.
Pre-order date: Wednesday, March 7th at 4 pm EST.

Special Features:

• Isolated Music Track
  Marilyn Monroe: The Mortal Goddess
  Richard Widmark: Strength of Characters
  Original Theatrical Trailer

Booklet art:

[dda1996a]

How good is Underworld U.S.A? Love Fuller for the most part

[Rayon Vert]

I think it's his best movie.

[dwk]

May releases (from HTF's announcement):
GERONIMO: AN AMERICAN LEGEND (1993)
NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE (1976) (Brand New 4K Transfer)
HILDA CRANE (1956) (New 2K Transfer)
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) (The Kevin Brownlow / Photoplay Restoration; 2015)

[Big Ben]

Wow Birth of a Nation? I mean I know Restorations aren't public domain but the film certainly is and it has better releases than Twilight Time can give it. Seriously? BIRTH OF A NATION?

[jsteffe]

Wow Birth of a Nation? I mean I know Restorations aren't public domain but the film certainly is and it has better releases than Twilight Time can give it. Seriously? BIRTH OF A NATION?

But they're licensing the 2015 Brownlow restoration, which hasn't been released here yet. I'm glad that Twilight Time is at least making this available for the U.S. market.

[domino harvey]

I mean, it will almost certainly be around long enough to be ten bucks in a future liquidation sale at least!

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

What’s the difference in terms of quality from the previous editions? And is the “photoplay” version is slightly different cut? The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray looks incredible and can’t imagine something looking better.

[Big Ben]

I mean, it will almost certainly be around long enough to be ten bucks in a future liquidation sale at least!

This is precisely my point. I doubt many people will be scrambling for a Twilight Time version of this film because it's something they'll rewatch regularly. It's important to film history sure but it's in no way a wholesome picture. If you're going to get an archival copy why would you do so with Twilight Time?

What’s the difference in terms of quality from the previous editions? And is the “photoplay” version is slightly different cut? The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray looks incredible and can’t imagine something looking better.

Here's a rundown.

[domino harvey]

I mean, Hilda Crane is a far less commercial choice for release, a movie that literally would never have come out on Blu-Ray from any other label in the world, so if I can support that I can support this

[Feego]

What’s the difference in terms of quality from the previous editions? And is the “photoplay” version is slightly different cut? The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray looks incredible and can’t imagine something looking better.

The Photoplay restoration was used for the BFI's Blu-ray edition. You can see caps-a-holic's comparison between that version at the MoC here.

[McCrutchy]

Wow Birth of a Nation? I mean I know Restorations aren't public domain but the film certainly is and it has better releases than Twilight Time can give it. Seriously? BIRTH OF A NATION?

But they're licensing the 2015 Brownlow restoration, which hasn't been released here yet. I'm glad that Twilight Time is at least making this available for the U.S. market.

At least we'll finally hear the incredible isolated score track in lossless audio for the first ti--HEY...WAIT A MINUTE!

[pointless]

The Seven-Ups (Philip D’Antoni, 1973)

Release Date: March 20th, 2018.
Pre-order date: Wednesday, March 7th at 4 pm EST.

Special Features:

• Isolated Music Track of the Don Ellis Film Score
  Isolated Music Track of the Unused Johnny Mandel Score
  Audio Commentary with Film Historian Richard Harland Smith
  Introduction by Director-Producer Philip D’Antoni
  The Seven-Ups Connection
  A Tony Lo Bianco Type
  Real to Reel
  Cut to the Chase
  Anatomy of a Chase: Behind the Scenes of the Filming of The Seven-Ups
  Randy Jurgensen’s Scrapbook
  Super 8 Version
  Lobby Cards, Stills and Media Gallery
  Original Theatrical Trailers
  Brand New 4K Transfer

Booklet art:

[tenia]

Sooooo I posted on TT's FB page that their New Centurions release was feeling quite light compared to the UK or FR releases, especially given its price point.
I was answered basically that "yes, but who cares, it's for the US customers."
Followed a fascinating discussion (that of course ended up being deleted) where I was accused of trolling and trying to shill for the competition (and maybe I was actually working for them) and why not leaving the US labels alone and keep on my local territories.
I just love talking to labels who don't realise it's actually very quick and factual to go on DVD Beaver, Amazon or blu-ray.com and compare release A vs Release B and see what you're getting for your money and what others are getting for theirs.

[FrauBlucher]

Nick Redman strikes again. His label can’t go under fast enough for me.

[Ribs]

He must be so excited to be so close to 2020 when the home video market collapses around him and he can finally flee the country under an assumed name with a briefcase full of money, the only one to have seen it coming

[FrauBlucher]

I think his original marker was 5 to 7 years from his first interview for his company and that was 2012. So, I think we’re past his initial prediction.

[tenia]

What I’m most tired with when discussing with some (too many, to be fair) labels is how quick they are to take the first exist door : I’m not in their market, I’m not in the industry, I don’t know crap, I’m just a troll, I’m not factual, it’s not important, nobody cares, I’m the only one complaining about this.

True, they can’t know who am I and how much time I can spend gathering information to be factual about what I’m discussing, but this has nothing to do with the remark. Having to justify this means I was just basically thrown an ad hominem sophism in order to avoid having to assess frontally the remark.

In this precise case, there’s no trolling or no need to justify who I am when saying it’s very easy to compare the 3 BD releases of The New Centurions and realise the TT one, despite its price point, will be the only one not to have the Cop Stories feature nor the Super 8 version.

And yet, instead, I was quickly dismissed as being a foreign troll.

But in 2018, this just looks like a 90s defense. In which world labels are living that even if they don’t massively import foreign releases, cinephile people wouldn’t at least look at what is done elsewhere and compare it to what they’ll be getting ?
My remark could have perfectly be emitted by a US customer being disappointed his release will be the only one not to have this feature, but instead of understanding that their releases are being compared whether they like it or not, TT chose to respond this contemptuous way.
They could instead have relied solely on why they didn’t or couldn’t licence these extras and instead included a new audio com’ instead, but they basically preferred to insult a potential customer instead.

And that’s sadly not the first time I’ve have labels reacting this way. I remember having a very heated argument with a label who was trying to explain to me how having the movie incorrectly encoded in 108050 instead of 1080p24 was actually OK (it’s not), that nobody cares (because sure, the general audience is the most knowledgeable mass when it comes to this), and that it was very difficult to have corrected anyway (it’s not).

I’ve met a few labels who understand how continuous improvement can be important, and how customers feedback need to be treated fairly, because the general audience isn’t knowledgeable so few knowledgeable feedbacks might be enough to point out a legitimate issue.

But here, it’s either lazy or cynical. Or both. I don’t know.
But if TT is tired being unfavourably compared to foreign releases, maybe they should realise the problem isn’t the people doing the comparisons...

He must be so excited to be so close to 2020 when the home video market collapses around him and he can finally flee the country under an assumed name with a briefcase full of money, the only one to have seen it coming

Seeing how the market is doing vs how TT is seemingly doing, I'm wondering how small this briefcase will be.

[TMDaines]

I remember the good old days when the tone was that the kleine Mann shouldn't question their model and we should all be grateful for them. I think the release of the UK bargain bin staple, hooligan porn, The Firm, with a region free Blu-ray elsewhere, was the turning point. It's now gone full WENGER OUT. Thankfully other labels both in the States and abroad have rescued many of their releases and I'm sure loads of people here have made good money flipping their releases.

[tenia]

In a way, their model is what it is, with its few strenghts and many weaknesses.
My issue really lies more in the way they're answering people, as if they believed their very own customers are stupid ignorant blessed chaps who just are craving light but expensive releases and don't care paying that much for inferior releases (though to be fair, many of the comments on labels FB do look like coming from ignorant people happy to pay too much for inferior or technically debatable releases).

As I wrote originally to TT, they should just remember how lucky they are customers simply don't massively import, because they'd otherwise would have had to amp up massively their game in terms of content v. price ratio, and it's a shame they don't have the bollocks to at least admit this.

And they're not the only ones, as I wrote, to have this very poor way of dealing with legitimate complaints. I know it's always tiring to get criticized, but a factual comparison remains, well, factual, and labels shouldn't be afraid to explaining their local constraints and why the final result is what it is. Even if it doesn't teach a lot of new elements, it'll still be better than reaching the first exit door.

[dwk]

I know everyone here that is interested in the Budd Boetticher titles will pick up the Indicator release, but I figure I'd share this post by TT from the Home Theater Forum

As of this time, although we do have the titles under license, Sony's asset management team have advised us the transfers don't meet their QC standards enforced in the U.S. Apparently the UK doesn't operate under such restrictions, but we do have to conform to those requirements under the guidelines of our license agreement here. This has affected our ability to release a number of other titles that are also out in other territories. We understand that many members will likely want to obtain this set, so they must do what they must, but we have no choice but to wait until such time in the future when better masters may be generated.

[tenia]

It seems weird. Sony are doing the masters themselves, so the QC standards are theirs, no matter the countries they're selling it to.
They might not meet TT's standards or expectations, but that's another matter (especially for a label that have released some technical duds like Heaven & Hell).

[dwk]

I suspect that the masters that TT are referencing are all DVD era masters (for example, in the Boetticher set, only Ride Lonesome is listed as a 2K master, while the remaining titles are only listed as HD.) Still, all the Hammer titles that Mill Creek has released used older DVD era masters.

Actually, that TT post reminded me that Robert Harris warned people on HTF to skip Indicator's Castle Keep and wait for the US release, so I don't doubt that TT is telling the truth. With the MGM deal done and Fox currently not licensing to them, I think Sony is the only Studio that is licensing to them. They obviously have some Fox titles from their previous deals, but the well is running dry and I have to think that they would be releasing those Sony titles if they could.

[tenia]

I don't doubt that these remasters are older pre-existing HD masters that could be improved upon. I myself voiced how unfortunate it was for some Indicator releases to be using not only pre-existing masters, but vastly dated ones like (indeed) Castle Keep.
I'm more perplex by how TT is writing this, as if Sony had one standard for the UK and one for the US, which they likely don't. They have 1 existing master for a given movie, no matter where you're at, and if you don't want, fine, or if it's contractually impossible for them to sell you such an older master, fine.
I'm quite certain it's more a matter of the label choosing or not to go ahead with dated material.

Also, TT’s situation doesn’t mean these refused movies will ever be newly restored anyway, and TT have licenced pre-existing masters many times (a perfect example being The Stone Killer, released only 3 months before Indicator with the same pre-existing HD master which honestly is visibly dated), which makes this look simply like TT being caught in a potential sales drop because of Indicator eating part of their sales, and responding by trying to shame them as a whole by saying the whole UK standards for Sony are lower than the US ones.

Meanwhile, their The Front release is beaten by Indicator's 4K-sourced one, and I believe it will be the same for The St Valentin Massacre (I don't think TT is using a 4K restoration).

The video catalogue can be complicated, why trying to overly simplify it ? It's just opening the door for someone like me asking them how come then they accepted The Stone Killer pre-existing master, EXACTLY like Indicator did.

[dwk]

Sale: $15 each for 15 days. Starts today at 4pm/1pm and ends on the 28th.

Edge of Eternity
The Emperor in August
Harlock Space Pirate
Julia
The Last Detail
The Panic in Needle Park
Peyton Place
The Pirates of Blood River
Runaway Train
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow / Drunken Master
State Fair
The Stone Killer
Two for the Road
U Turn
The Valachi Papers