What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Ed Gordon]

RE: The Fall of the Roman Empire

I have this in my collection, but I don't think I have watched it in one sitting since I first saw it. I found these comments on IMDB:

There is something flawed about this film that I can't quite put my finger on. It does not reach the heights of other 50s and 60s epics such as The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur. Still, it is a dramatic and at times moving film. It does convey the gravity (some might say tragedy) of the Empire's fall and the pax romana that never was.

"The Fall of the Roman Empire" was the nail in its genre's coffin. Ponderous, expensive, it bombed and put the swords'n'sandals epic in a coma for a good 34 years, until the arrival of "Gladiator", with which it shares quite a few story similarities. But where Ridley Scott's film is lean and mean, Anthony Mann's is slow, stately and overly in love with its production design.

The inspiration and source material for GLADIATOR in case you hadn't noticed. This particular historical romp coming very late in the epic cycle in the 60's was a masterpiece of script, direction and set construction. You may have thought the Colosseum in GLADIATOR was impressive - digitised though it was, but compare it to the jaw-dropping scenes in Commodus' Rome - and they BUILT those! Ridley Scott used LESS than 50 people in his Colosseum scenes - every ONE of the thousands of Roman citizens you see, are there! To film this today with the same realism would cost $600-800,000 perhaps one billion plus!

Other scenes, such as the funeral of Aurelius are simply spinal-tap if you have the slightest understanding of what you are seeing. Most people didn't - leaving the theater (even in the 60's) feeling they'd just sat through a history seminar rather than an entertaining movie.

I wonder if it could be edited down to something less ponderous? The cinematography and acting are spectacular.

[Brian Fretwell]

I started but not finished watching "The Fall of the Roman Empire" "Digitally remastered" edition from Anchor Bay. I found it cropped to 2.35:1 from the original Ultra Panovision and too contracty for my liking, compared remembering the 70mm version I had seen in NFT3 some years ago. At 173 minutes I found it too long for one sitting, though I believe the Lone Wlf Super 8 version was longer than that.

[Brian Fretwell]

I wonder if Angela Lansbury is the only person to appear in a Poirot film then go on to star as another Chritie detective, Miss Marple, in another (The Mirror Cracked)?

[Graham Ritchie]

Watched two, one being Friday night "Death On The Nile" 1978 Saturday night "Jungle Cruise".

Although "Jungle Cruise" was alright, the one I enjoyed the most was "Death On The Nile" with a running time of around 2hrs 20minutes. It held my attention right to the end. What a brilliant cast, great locations in Egypt, an outstanding "who done it story", excellent blu-ray transfer as with the sound, you really simply can't ask for more.

"Death On The Nile" 1978 is a must have blu-ray, it makes for a great nights entertainment, as such I highly recommend getting this one.

PS....Included in the special features is a interview with Angela Lansbury, it sounds both her and the rest of the cast had a enjoyable time making it and all got on well with each other. One thing I do like about the script, is the addition of light humor in the film, especially between Bette Davis and her maid played by Maggie Smith who are great at witty comments bouncing between each other.

[Osi Osgood]

Oh, BTW, I own a wonderful low fade super 8 print of the extra extra long trailer for "Papilion" It's almost a mini documentary.

[Osi Osgood]

We watched what I still think is the best giant monster film in decades, "Cloverfield", and the only film I have ever liked where a handheld camera is more than just a cheap gimmick.

[Ed Gordon]

...

Now, speaking as somebody who was a little kid in the 1960s, and loved Pop Tarts and had a Schwinn Stingray bicycle, this movie is utterly hysterical! Still the same, my son (-born in THIS century) loved it too! Much the same as when he was about 10 and I got a box of Pop-Tarts so he could experience a little of my own childhood, my wife and I needed to explain a couple of things, but he would have liked it anyway!

I will deduct a few points for them showing a sound film on an obviously silent Keystone R8 projector, but then again give most of them back for it being there at all! (This will be a candidate for "Projectors in Movies" someday for sure!)

-so maybe I cheated here, just a little, by putting a tale of streaming on the Blu-Ray thread, but I have a feeling when the disk for this one becomes available, it will find a place on our shelves!

Anyone who was a kid in the 60's will enjoy this movie. It will be interesting to see how it plays for those not born in the 20th century. The cast of the movie where certainly having fun making the movie.

Don't worry about posting a review of a streaming program on "the Blu-Ray thread". You will find reviews of TV shows, DVD's, Blu-Ray's and UHD's and films here.

[Steve Klare]

We got it in our heads to "watch a movie" last night and the rules were "something new". This means we streamed it. Usually my VP gets its input signal from a disk player on the shelf underneath the two Super-8 machines, but our streaming services usually plug into a flat screen TV about 15 feet in the wrong direction behind my projector cart, so step one was change some connections around and run a long (and temporary) HDMI cable across the floor.

The movie itself is Unfrosted: Jerry Seinfeld's history of the development of the Pop Tart! This is based on a true story, including the rivalry of Post and Kellogg, two competing cereal companies both based in Battle Creek, Michigan, so close together they can look out their windows and see the other guy's building, The story is they kept track of each other's sales by counting how many boxcars were leaving each other's warehouses.
.

As I said, this is based on a true story: loosely based...creatively based. -the kind of creativity that comes from the writers being really, really stoned! It's true, Kellogg and Post were trying to be the first to market a toaster pastry and Kellogg won, but that's where the truth and this movie part company. This is a huge mash-up of early-1960s American culture including everything from the Space Program and the Cuban Missile Crisis to the Schwinn Stingray bicycle, all drawn into the origin story of the Pop Tart! (Somehow I doubt the real story would play nearly as well!)

It has an ensemble cast including a lot of tier-one standup comedians. Bill Burr is unrecognizable as John F. Kennedy (The Boston accent works, but they added a LOT of hair!).

Now, speaking as somebody who was a little kid in the 1960s, and loved Pop Tarts and had a Schwinn Stingray bicycle, this movie is utterly hysterical! Still the same, my son (-born in THIS century) loved it too! Much the same as when he was about 10 and I got a box of Pop-Tarts so he could experience a little of my own childhood, my wife and I needed to explain a couple of things, but he would have liked it anyway!

I will deduct a few points for them showing a sound film on an obviously silent Keystone R8 projector, but then again give most of them back for it being there at all! (This will be a candidate for "Projectors in Movies" someday for sure!)

-so maybe I cheated here, just a little, by putting a tale of streaming on the Blu-Ray thread, but I have a feeling when the disk for this one becomes available, it will find a place on our shelves!

[Graham Ritchie]

Last night it was the turn of the 1973 film "Papillon" I don't know if Steve McQueen received a Academy Award for his acting skills, if not he should have. With a running time of 2hrs and 30minutes both picture and sound DTS 5:1 is excellent. I cant think of any other actor past or present than Steve McQueen that could have done this film with such conviction.

A side note also starring is this film you might not pick up on is actor Bill Mumy from the Lost In Space TV series.

"Papillon" 1973 in my book is a classic film that you will never see the likes of again, highly recommend this blu-ray, projected last night using the Epson, below screen shots were taken last night.




Bill Mumy on the left below photo

[Steve Lee]

last night we watched an episode of Only fools and horses ( Stage Fright ), we haven't seen this for many years.
For those of you who may have never seen this, Del is the main character and in this episode he is given a sum of money to provide the cabaret act for a local gangsters mother's birthday celebrations.
He ends up bribing his partner to perform, and teams her up with Tony Angelino the singing dustman ( bin collector).
The only problem is as it turns out Tony can't pronounce his R's.

Even after all the years since this was first broadcasted, it never fails to put a smile on your face, due to its wonderful script writing.

[Graham Ritchie]

Watched the blu-ray of the 1996 movie "Brassed Off" and enjoyed it excellent story and cast highly recommend this one

Out and about a few days ago came across this DVD in the $2 pile at my favorite record and everything else store, so watched it last night The Paper Brigade is really a nice easy going movie that until the other day never heard of it. I will have to show this one to Steven I am sure he can relate to it when he used to deliver papers long ago. He would be gone for hours, later I found out "why" he new a lot of people and dogs on his run, so must let him watch it

[Graham Ritchie]

Saturday night at the movies with this one from Imprint. I bought it new a couple of weeks ago, but only got round to watching it tonight. Its been a long long time since I last watched this movie, most likely on TV, and always thought of it as a OK movie but nothing really spectacular.

Well tonight by OK views from the past went right out the window, not only have "Imprint" done a first class job on the image transfer, but also a impressive DTS 5:1 sound mix as well. I would give "Imprint" full marks for this one, tonight I really enjoyed watching it using the Epson. This release is certainly one I would highly recommend adding to your next shopping list, but be in quick as they seem to do limited runs.

PS I understand that all Imprint titles are region free, that's a big plus for those in other countries.

[Graham Ritchie]

Last night I watched Belle and Sebastian on blu-ray, tonight again with everyone here this time another screening of the movie. The response was very positive. Its a nice film with some of the best scenery you can think of beautifully captured on film. The transfer to blu-ray is one of the best I have come across. Belle and Sebastian is a film for all the family to enjoy. The English sub-titles are not as shown in the release trailer, they do move of the bottom into the black if you are using a video projector this is pity as I like all sub-titles to remain in the image area itself.

However I must add that switching of the French language along the English sub-titles you can go for English dubbing which in this case is really very good, so that's the option I would go far, as mentioned the image quality of the mountains is impressive, the color, the detail this is certainly right at the top of the list as one of the best transfers I have seen

To sum up I highly recommend this blu-ray and if you have a VP to take advantage of it you might be surprised as to how good it actually is

[Douglas Meltzer]

Graham's 3D posts got me to watching the Blu-ray 3D disc of the 1961 film The Mask. Shot on a low budget, there are only three sequences (about 15 minutes total) that are in 3D, however they are creatively done and pretty memorable.



I'm including shots of the earlier anaglyph DVD release since that came with a replica of the glasses that were handed out in the theater. When a character in the film puts on an ancient tribal mask and starts seeing hallucinations, the audience was instructed to put their 3-D glasses on ("Put the mask on, now!").

An excellent restoration by 3-D Film Archive accompanied by very interesting special features.

[Graham Ritchie]

Hi Ed, The 3D disc was available in many countries except for the US, its a region "B" which is a pity, at present I don't think the 3D version in particular is still available for sale. When I worked at the cinema we dealt with "Madman" for 35mm film prints, they were always good to deal with and had quite a range of product. Even these days when I see the name "Madmen" on DVD or blu-ray the discs get my attention.

On the 3D side of things I have certainly enjoyed screening 3D discs every so often