What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Graham Ritchie]

I have been going through the list of movies I have watched of late. One Blu-ray was "Windtalkers" starring Nicolas Cage, its very good, I remember running the 35mm print at the cinema. Next blu-ray and its "Ice Cold In Alex" from 1958, this is another one I watch every so often, The B/W picture and sound in this blu-ray release from Studiocanal is excellent. A couple of night ago I did screen the DVD of "Another Mother's Son" 2017, this a excellent film and is based on a true story during the Nazi occupation of the British Channel Islands. I would highly recommend watching it.

Lastly and its not something I do very often, and that is to replace a DVD of a particular film with a blu-ray. I am glad I did in this case as the picture quality is light years ahead of the earlier DVD. The blu-ray is the French blu-ray release, but with English sub-titles. I ordered it through Amazon Australia and watched it tonight. I did have a look at the extras that came with it but sadly no English sub-titles with the extras, but one person's name in the documentary caught my attention and that's "Candice Bergen" I always remember her in "The Sand Pebbles" 1966 remember that one?. I am not sure of her involvement in ""Au Revoir Les Enfants" as she spoke in French, but its been a very long time since I have heard her name.

If you want to know more then check out the "Mark Kermode" review link below

[Alan Paterson]

Last night I watched an old favourite 'The Wild Geese' Blu-ray from Arrow Films via EBay. Nice transfer with good sound. I always thought it had a great cast and a good storyline. A real 'Boy's Own' adventure with a bit of heart thrown in. I had a 16mm print of this film back in the early 80's and there were different versions released. I had the 'hard' version which had Roger Moore effing and blinding in a most unsaintly manner. The Blu-ray is a slightly softer version but still involving. Nice to see it in good colour as the Super 8 prints (3x400ft) are red by now. For this blu-ray release they apparently commissioned new cover artwork, which I hate, but the original artwork from the movie poster is on the reverse.

[Graham Ritchie]

Came across this blu-ray on the shelf while out and about a couple of weeks ago, to be honest I had no idea what its about, but thought why not give it a go. Well tonight I got around to watching it using the Panasonic VP, both picture and sound is excellent. Now when it comes to strange films this is one I would say is definitely on that list, all up though I thought it was very well done, it might not be everyone cup of tea, but I thought it was OK.

[Ed Gordon]

I have always liked Bruce Willis as a actor tonight and not for the first time I again watched the blu-ray of "Tears Of The Sun" its really good and would highly recommend it. Both picture and sound are excellent projected using the Panasonic VP. One thing that got my attention written at the start of the end credits was this....quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".... by Edmund Burke.... how true.

Bruce Willis performance was unlike anything else I seen him in. As one IMDB reviewer said:

Most importantly Bruce Willis managed to avoid being Bruce Willis for 80% of the time.

The nearest thing I would compare this movie to is Black Hawk Down. However, BHD is wedged firmly in the action genre and this really isn't. Yup, there is shooting and violence in it but it manages to not be about that, which I think is a great thing.

If you watch the trailer you might think this is just another action hero movie, which it is not. It is about the genocidal wars in Africa, and resulting horror the victims experienced. When someone asks how anyone could such horrible things, a local simply says, "This is what these men do". Edmund Burke's quote about the triumph of evil says it all.

On the technical side, the 6 channel sound was used very effectively. The long treks through the jungle used all the audio channels to envelope you.

[Graham Ritchie]

"Black Sunday" 1977 is a movie I have never seen, but tonight and after picking up the Imprint blu-ray of it today and watching it tonight I was really impressed with it. Both picture and sound are very good. One thing that stands out is John Williams outstanding score, it adds so much to the pace and mood of the film. The extras were also interesting, one being that in the Super Bowl Stadium, they used film camera's disguised as TV camera's at the game, what a neat idea All up its a good movie, with a running time of 2hr 23min, well done Imprint

[Graham Ritchie]

"Das Boot" was another blu-ray I watched last week, but I did it over two nights as its a long one. Now if you are interested like me in the Diesel Engine, one of two that were fitted into U boats, this video I found very interesting. One thing for sure it must have been hard going running them regarding the noise and fumes in a enclosed space.

[Graham Ritchie]

I have always liked Bruce Willis as a actor tonight and not for the first time I again watched the blu-ray of "Tears Of The Sun" its really good and would highly recommend it. Both picture and sound are excellent projected using the Panasonic VP. One thing that got my attention written at the start of the end credits was this....quote "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".... by Edmund Burke.... how true.

[Graham Ritchie]

Tonight on the big screen it was "The High and the Mighty" from 1954. I only have the DVD but the image and sound were both very good. Long before any the Airport disaster films of the 1970s, there was this one. I can see now where they got the idea from. To be honest I found it a struggle to stay interested and was pleased to see the end. I might suggest though, that anyone who has a sleeping disorder, watching "The High and the Mighty" might do the trick. zzzzzzzzzz. In saying all that you might enjoy it

[Graham Ritchie]

Well folks if you have the DVD title of this film get rid of it, and replace it with the Classics Remastered blu-ray of "Gift Horse" 1952, starring Trevor Howard. I had watched the DVD a while back, but this new blu-ray of "Gift Horse" is light years ahead regarding picture quality. Based on the real life St Nazaire Raid of 1942 AKA Operation Chariot in 1942. If you like old war movies like I do, then add this one to your collection, projected using the Panasonic VP on Saturday night at the movies

[Ed Gordon]

Living is a great film. There is another film from Japan that looks a lot like Living is Perfect Days (2023).



I have not watched it yet, but the reviews are good. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27503384/?ref_=tt_mv_close

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks John

I will be down at the Heritage Park tomorrow and see if we have one of those projectors, at present I am sorting out a number of old projectors and cameras for display after getting our hands on another display cabinet. We have a large collection in storage so it will be interesting to go through and see what is there. One film I think is very good is "Living" you may have already seen it, but if not, its certainly worth searching out.

[John Burgess]

Hi Graham
I am pretty sure the projector you refer to is an American 16mm Revere. Thanks for your interesting posts, always a good read.
John

[Graham Ritchie]

I was doing a bit of checking up on the above film and was interested to find that the Negative format used was was 16mm Kodak "Ektachrome 100D". Cinemagraphic Process Spherical Super 16mm {source format}. That surprised me as I thought it would have been shot on 35mm. I had another screening of it last night, same Panasonic VP, but this time using my Sony blu-ray player and not the standard DVD player from the previous night.

Image wise it looked a lot better with the Sony blu-ray that's connected into the HDMI instead of the Standard DVD of component input. I think the Sony must be up-scaling the image, even the sub-titles looked better.

I should add that in NZ this film rating is only PG, which makes it so anyone can watch it, the DVD extras was very interesting on the background story, also mentions that it was shown in schools in France.

[Graham Ritchie]

Picked up a couple of second hand DVDs in town yesterday plus a couple of CDs, one of the DVDs I projected using the Panasonic VP last night was this one being the first of the two called "Au Revoir Les Enfants" its a French film with English sub-titles, what caught my attention was the reviews. The "New York Times" being one, which states "Malle's Richest Work" on the cover plus "Rotten tomato's" rates it up in the 90s, which is pretty good.

I did take a couple of screen shots last night of a projector, I think its Standard 8mm not sure on that one, and the Charlie Chaplin film they were watching, can you guess what film it is? I have it on Standard 8mm and its good. Returning to the actual film, I thought that this was a really well crafted and acted movie. I think most of the story it is based on fact during World War 2 in France. I wont let on the what happens at the end, you will have to watch it for yourselves. The other DVD I picked up, which I hope to watch soon is another film with English sub-titles called "The Lunchbox" starring Irrfan Khan remember him in "Jurassic World" and "The Life of PI" I have watched both in3D Blu-ray in the past and look great in 3D

Now back to this film, is this a Standard 8mm projector or 16mm any thoughts?

Plus the trailer from the BFI.

[Ed Gordon]

...
Last night being New Years Eve it was a return to the original 1972 The Poseidon Adventure still one of the best and a great New Year film to watch...

I think a big part of re-watching old favorites is that the cast have become old friends you re-visit once and a while. You already now what is going to happen, but that does not matter. After watching Gladiator II last night, I put on an old favorite, The Time Machine (1960) just to watch the beginning which takes place New Years Eve 1899, and got sucked into watching the whole film.

Gladiator II is a satisfying conclusion to the story that began in the first film with Russel Crowe. The violence gets a bit extreme, but so was ancient Rome. Good performances by all in the cast, but Denzel Washington stole the show as the slave owner Macrinus.


Macrinus : The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.