What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Graham Ritchie]

I watched the blu-ray of "Cast Away" lately, so if you ever wonder what was in that parcel, that he never opened all that time on the island, and at the end of the film he delivered it as we never saw in the film what was in it, well all can be revealed now in this below video

[Ed Gordon]

...I no longer have the 35mm print, my pick of disaster films would have to be 1972 "The Poseidon Adventure" from start to finish its all go both the script and actors are top notch in that one. My second choice is "The Towering Inferno" followed by Airport and Airport 75, both the Super8 edits are very good...

My favorites of those mentioned (in order of best first):
Airport
Towering Inferno
Earthquake

If we expand the definition of "disaster movie" then Die Hard gets top billing. It is a disaster movie, crime movie, and Christmas movie all-in-one

A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, military/terrorist attacks or global catastrophes such as a pandemic. A subgenre of action films, these films usually feature some degree of build-up, the disaster itself, and sometimes the aftermath, usually from the point of view of specific individual characters or their families or portraying the survival tactics of different people.

These films often feature large casts of actors and multiple plot lines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. The genre came to particular prominence during the 1970s with the release of high-profile films such as Airport (1970), followed in quick succession by The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Earthquake (1974) and The Towering Inferno (1974).

The casts are generally made up of familiar character actors. Once the disaster begins in the film, the characters are usually confronted with human weaknesses, perhaps falling in love or finding a villain to blame. The films usually feature a persevering hero or heroine (Charlton Heston, Steve McQueen, etc.) called upon to lead the struggle against the threat; in many cases, the "evil" or "selfish" individuals are the first to succumb to the disaster.[4] The genre experienced a renewal in the 1990s boosted by computer-generated imagery and larger studio budgets which allowed for greater spectacle, culminating in the cinematic phenomenon that was James Cameron's Titanic in 1997.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster_film

[Graham Ritchie]

On my travels last week one of the second hand DVDs at Pennylane Records and other stuff, I came across "Under the same Moon" which on the back cover was a official selection for the 2007 Sundance and Toronto film festivals. So thought I would give it a go tonight. It actually turned out to be quite a good movie. If you don't mind English sub-titles, as the language is in Spanish. I projected it using the Panasonic VP, both picture and sound quality are very good.

So if you want to watch something a bit different this might be for you.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Ed

I no longer have the 35mm print, my pick of disaster films would have to be 1972 "The Poseidon Adventure" from start to finish its all go both the script and actors are top notch in that one. My second choice is "The Towering Inferno" followed by Airport and Airport 75, both the Super8 edits are very good. I watched Airport 75 just the other night on blu-ray, what stands out is the fact, they used a real aircraft for filming. Sadly many of those Universal 8 have faded which is a real pity. Quite often I don't want to watch the full length but just a mix of digests instead. One more up to date disaster film I never tire of is 2012. The special effects folk seemed to have thrown everything they can think of into it, even the kitchen sink.

Last night it was the blu-ray of "Cast Away" I always feel sorry for Wilson as he floats away near the end.

[Ed Gordon]

Actually Ed I was thinking about using the Super8 print as a guide. I do no someone with one I might be able to borrow. If I remember right the edited 35mm scope version was going to be about 40 minutes long. I played the blu-ray at the time thinking I want this at the start, this in the middle, this at the end get rid of all that padding was my thinking at the time, but it was not to be

Graham, attached below is the subtitles for Earthquake. That can be used to identify the section of the film you want for your digest.

Example:

1
00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:21,430
(Helicopter whirring)
2
00:00:21,430 --> 00:00:23,270
Narrator: <i>Virtually
the entire Pacific coast</i>
3
00:00:23,270 --> 00:00:27,310
<i>of our hemisphere rests on
a series of geologic faults.</i>
4
00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,020
<i>One of the most unstable of these</i>
5
00:00:29,030 --> 00:00:32,400
<i>is the San Andreas
fault, running 600 miles</i>

Earthquake 1974 Subtitles.pdf

Update: I noticed that this is for the TV version which had additional footage added.

[Graham Ritchie]

Actually Ed I was thinking about using the Super8 print as a guide. I do no someone with one I might be able to borrow. If I remember right the edited 35mm scope version was going to be about 40 minutes long. I played the blu-ray at the time thinking I want this at the start, this in the middle, this at the end get rid of all that padding was my thinking at the time, but it was not to be

Anyone here been to the "Chicago Field Museum" to see the man eating lions that the film "The Ghost and the Darkness" is based on?.

As for Jerry Goldsmith score below link is impressive.

[Ed Gordon]

A few years ago I had on loan the 35mm print of Earthquake the problem was it wasn't until reel four that anything action wise started to happen. I did suggest that I could make an edited version out of it. The owner of the print wanted it back at that point I have it on blu-ray and did watch it a while back, however I did feel that of all the disaster films from the 1970s this one has not dated well.

With the Bluray and Makemkv you could make your own digest. The digest on Super 8 runs 17 minutes.


I wonder which scenes were included in the Universal 8 digest.

[Ed Gordon]

The Ghost and the Darkness is one I missed completely. Looks pretty good. IMDB rating is 6.8 and Rotten Tomatoes awards it with 75% on it's "popcornmeter"

[Graham Ritchie]

A few years ago I had on loan the 35mm print of Earthquake the problem was it wasn't until reel four that anything action wise started to happen. I did suggest that I could make an edited version out of it. The owner of the print wanted it back at that point I have it on blu-ray and did watch it a while back, however I did feel that of all the disaster films from the 1970s this one has not dated well.

Last night and its only the DVD projected using the Panasonic it was "The Ghost and the Darkness" this is one movie I watch every so often, starring Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, the music by Jerry Goldsmith is brilliant and adds so much to the film, its edge of the seat stuff and hopefully one day we will see it out here released on blu-ray.

I did take a couple of screen shots of it last night.

[Ed Gordon]

Ed,

I re-recorded the Universal 8 Earthquake digest using the Blu-ray audio and screened it at CineSea. We added an additional speaker for the Sensurround bass, however it was only partly successful. I hope to try again, using Midway.

Walter Matthau did that cameo gratis for the producer Jennings Lang. They had previously worked together on Pete 'n' Tillie and Charlie Varrick.

Doug, your background on Matthau explains the why he was credited with a name he made up. I had not noticed Matthau until seeing the Bluray (hard to believe that we used to have to put up with 480 resolution on a 19" TV).

The Sensurround effect on a 5.1 setup was impressive. The second Bluray release (2019) also includes the original 2.1 Sensurround audio track:

There are three options for this release: a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track (the default option; likely carried over from Universal’s previous Blu-ray release), a 2.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track (which contains and closely replicates the original Sensurround track heard during the film’s crucial earthquake sequences), and a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. All three tracks showcase strong dialogue and sound effects to go with great fidelity and ambiance to John Williams’ score; of the three, the 5.1 track has the best overall quality while the 2.1 is the most faithful to the original sound mix and the most effective with the Sensurround sound effects. Either way, all three represent the best the movie has ever sounded on home video.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Ed,

I re-recorded the Universal 8 Earthquake digest using the Blu-ray audio and screened it at CineSea. We added an additional speaker for the Sensurround bass, however it was only partly successful. I hope to try again, using Midway.

Walter Matthau did that cameo gratis for the producer Jennings Lang. They had previously worked together on Pete 'n' Tillie and Charlie Varrick.

[Ed Gordon]

Earthquake! (1974) revisited.

Following the success of Airport (1970) at the box office, Universal Studios quickly looked to cash in on the trend of disaster pictures they helped usher in at the start of the decade. However, the success of Irwin Allen’s The Poseidon Adventure (1972) for 20th Century Fox forced the studio to step up their game; the result, Earthquake, offered up a Grand Hotel style cast with innovations in technological and special effects. Previously released by Universal on both DVD and Blu-ray, Shout Factory has licensed the film for their Shout Select line and given it a two disc “Collector’s Edition”.

Having previously watched Earthquake! on a DVD, this Bluray release was a pleasant surprise. The DTS 5.1 soundtrack delivers the Sensurround audio very effectively. The movie itself has gotten old enough to become a bit campy, which is a good thing. I remembered it have a few bad performances, for example, Marjoe Gortner as a perverted National Guardsman.

Coming in at the height of the disaster genre craze, Earthquake does succeed as a decent entertainment that’s overshadowed by the technical achievements. The big pluses here are the innovations in special effects and sound – Sensurround was created to replicate the immersive feeling of an actual earthquake – that give the impression of an actual disaster happening; they deservedly earned the film’s 2 Oscar wins for Sound and a Special Achievement Award for the visual effects.

Source: https://www.hometheaterforum.com/ear...lu-ray-review/

I enjoyed Walter Mathau's performance as a drunk who manages to survive the earthquake, only to fall off his bar stool when it is over. I looked for his name in the end credits and found the name Walter Matuschanskayasky instead. Apparently Walter would often make up names to give interviewers.

[Graham Ritchie]

Double feature tonight using the Panasonic VP and its a good one, first of was "The Thing" from 2011, that's the prelude to John Carpenters 1982 film, then after a short break it was onto the 1982 film. The ending of the prelude does flow nicely, to what you see at the start of the 1982 film. Both picture and sound of both blu-ray are very good

It really makes for a nice double feature night .

[Ken Finch]

Not last night but last friday it was wife’s WI charity film show “ I Wanna Dance With Somebody” the bio pic of Whitney Houston on dvd, then Gladiator which I watched on the tv in the lounge. This was the 2 disc special edition dvd. Watched this prior to visiting the local cinema next day to see Gladiator 2. Used the lounge to try out a new Sony dvd player from Argos which upscales to blu ray definition. The existing player having developed problems with the disc tray refusing to open. The new player was £40. To think the first one I ever bought, a Wharfdale was far more. I still use it regularly in my cinema set up.

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Ken

The new one is out on DVD and blu-ray. I bought the blu-ray a while back but have not got around to watching it yet. We ran the Johnny Depp version on 35mm at the cinema, although its good as well, I still think the original 1971 with Gene Wilder is the best.

Last night being Saturday night, it was a long one with "Lawrence Of Arabia" blu-ray using the Panasonic VP. Both picture and sound are excellent, you certainly have to be in the right frame of mind to sit through almost 4 hours of it, last night I was