What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Ed Gordon]

If you are looking for a good family movie, I recommend MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS. This was in theaters last month and is now available to stream. It is a UK/Hungarian remake of the 1992 movie.

The story of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a familiar one that has been told many times, but somehow it manages to retain freshness each time a new iteration is served to movie lovers. The summer movie is based upon Paul Gallico’s 1958 bestseller novel of the same title, Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris which is the first of what became a beloved novel series of four books with each chronicling Mrs. Arris’ adventurous sojourn to a different place – Paris, New York, Parliament, and Moscow. The first adaptation of the novel came as a Studio One TV series released in the same year the book was published. A West German TV film followed before Angela Lansbury’s 1992 TV movie version with Lansbury doubling as the lead and co-producer and her son Anthony Shaw serving as the director.

Link

Here is the preview:

Both film versions got a rating of 7.2/10 from IMDB.

[Ed Gordon]

I was running a few 35mm trailers tonight, one of them was for the film "Road To Perdition" after watching them, that had me thinking of the blu-ray I do remember screening the 35mm print at the cinema many years ago, so I checked our old paper work tonight and there it was. The print arrived on the 27/9/02, now that is almost 20 years ago how time passes. I don't no if any of you have ever seen this film, but there is a scene where Tom Hanks character gets shot at the end, well at the cinema, when this particular scene was about to happen, I would look out from the projection room and "every time" those shots were fired, heads would jump, says a lot for our sound system eh!

I was thinking tonight that the only thing better than this blu-ray would be a 35mm print itself, certainly our old 35mm trailer looks fantastic, just need the feature to go with it. In the blu-ray there is a introduction by director Sam Mendes, who talks about director of photography Conrad Hall ASC, and his passing a year later. I notice at the end of the "blu-ray" release there is a dedication to Conrad Hall during the end credits. Conrad Hall was the director of photography in another Paul Newman 1960s film "Cool Hand Luke" ...

Road to Perdition is showing on the broadcast channel "MOVIES!". To find your local channel number in the US go to: https://www.moviestvnetwork.com

Road to Perdition
Tue, Aug 16, 10:05 AM / MOVIES! Channel
After his young son accidentally witnesses one of his killings, a mob hitman takes the boy on the run as he plots to take down his former crime family before they and their peculiar assassin can track him down and eliminate him.

[Graham Ritchie]

Tonight it was "Billy Elliot" again on the Epson VP I really do like the music, plus I think Julie Walters is brilliant in this film, "Billy Elliot" was another hit at the cinema, still got the 35mm trailer. excellent picture and sound.

PS.
Ed I watched Humphrey Bogart "Sahara" last night you recommended. I only have it on DVD but projected it using the VP. excellent movie, thanks

[Ed Gordon]

...Ed I watched Humphrey Bogart "Sahara" last night you recommended. I only have it on DVD but projected it using the VP.

We forget that when DVD's were introduced, we watched them on old low resolution CRT's. It wasn't until we got digital displays that we discovered that DVD's were capable of very good resolution (albeit, only a fraction of the resolution we get with Blurays and UHD's). Theater owners will often use a Bluray to make DCP's to show on their huge cinema screens. I wonder if anyone has tried this with a DVD source. Probably not...

[Steve Klare]

I project a number of DVDs 52" by 92" and they look fine. There are any number of movies you just can't get any other way.

-on the other hand there was the time maybe 15 years ago I went to a Sons of the Desert meeting and they were projecting Way out West at least 10 feet across from VHS! (...need I say more?)

I bet I could have surprised most people in that room by saying Super-8 could do much better!

(The founding Tent in New York still has 16mm.)

[Graham Ritchie]

Well folks you cant get much better than this one screened tonight using the Epson VP. I usually only watch it at midnight "New Years Eve" but tonight I made an exception due to it being the 50 Anniversary of the films release onto the big screen.

As far as disaster films are concerned, Irwin Allen's production of "The Poseidon Adventure" is the best. With a perfect cast, script etc, its really timeless. The film might be 50 years old, but it ain't aged a bit.

Director Ronald Neame really did put his cast through all that heat, water and grime. I am sure looking at the faces of some of the cast in some scenes, it was not acting, it was real.

Some quick screen shots from tonight both picture and sound are excellent.

[Graham Ritchie]

Oh! forgot to add this one I put on you-tube a while back

[Brian Fretwell]

Toy Story 3. I had watched in on DVD before and wasn't impressed. This time possibly due to taking in more as well as the HD picture I liked it a lot more.

[Steve Klare]

I liked TS3, and have always thought they should have gone no further!

[Graham Ritchie]

I particularly liked the monkey in TS3

Tonight it was a step back to 1951 with the blu-ray of "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The B/W blu-ray picture quality is simply stunning to watch, on the sound side the DTS 5:1 is really something.

You cant ask for more from this excellent release, some quick screen shots below, highly recommend this one.

[Ed Gordon]

...Tonight it was a step back to 1951 with the blu-ray of "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The B/W blu-ray picture quality is simply stunning to watch, on the sound side the DTS 5:1 is really something.

You cant ask for more from this excellent release, some quick screen shots below, highly recommend this one.

When I first watched this restored version, the DTS 5.1 was a surprise to me. The use of rear channel was minimal but very effective. Quite an accomplishment, considering the original source was a mono soundtrack.

[Graham Ritchie]

Totally agree Ed, Bernard Herrmann score in 5:1 is made to full effect

[Ed Gordon]

Totally agree Ed, Bernard Herrmann score in 5:1 is made to full effect

Bernard Herrmann is my favorite film score composer, and I am not the only one with that opinion:

In his series 20th Century Greats (2004), British composer and presenter Howard Goodall made a case for Hermann as one of the four most important composers of the 20th century, along with Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter and the Lennon (John Lennon)\McCartney (Paul McCartney) songwriting partnership.

I have heard that he wasn't the most amiable person. He certainly was not shy about he talents. He is quoted as having said of Alfred Hitchcock:

[Alfred Hitchcock] only finishes a picture 60 percent. I have to finish it for him.

[Lincoln Thorn]

As reward for spending my whole day doing active shooter training drills at work, I'm treating myself to a Howard Hawks double bill of ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS and HIS GIRL FRIDAY tonight!

[Graham Ritchie]

Tonight I needed to watch something, not quite as thought provoking as last night, so it was back to "Night At The Museum 2" from 2009. I could not remember this one, but sure enough checking our old cinema paperwork, there it was. A the time we had prints coming and going all the time and really never had the time to watch the very films we put together. Night At The Museum 2 is a fun movie, something to chill, sit back and simply enjoy.