What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Dave Groves]

We'd packed just about everything anticipating a move to be near our son...then the lockdown struck. Looking through the tied up boxes I found one with odd dvd's in. It was like winning the lottery!! Last night we (sorry I, she was asleep) watched 'Becket' with Richard Burton and Peter O'toole. What a great film. Sumptuous costumes and an interesting take on history. And, if was given free years ago by The Sunday Times. What more could you ask for?

[Lee Mannering]

A little bit of a long night but did one of my multi gauge nights from 8mm thru to 4K Ultra HD JURASSIC PARK. So much fun.

4K UHD is a new thing to me I resisted for some time, disc purchases will be limited but it is pretty awesome and I'm enjoying watching some of my S8 home movies which I have scanned up via the new 4K projector.

[Lee Mannering]

A new UK release from Network and I may say excellent.

THE CARD Alec Guinness Pet Clark Glynis Johns no:7958257 £11.50 delivered. Includes trailer and image gallery.

[Edward Nicielnik]

Ride like a Girl Michelle payne first women jockey to win The Melbourne cup Prince of Penance at 100 to one Sam Neill plays her father excellent Australian movie

[Steve Klare]

West Side Story

Our son has been watching Derann extracts from West Side Story since pre-school days. When he was a little kid we wanted him to be exposed to the music, yet not so much the hatred and violence.

It's easy for young kids to miss the point here: when I was in Elementary school the Principal wanted us all to watch West Side Story and see what hatred does, yet right away little boys started walking down the halls in groups snapping their fingers! (-Principal kind of freaked out after that!)

Well...He's going to college in a few months, he had Romeo and Juliet in school last year, and we seem to have a lot of extra screen time these days, so we picked up the West Side Story Blu-Ray this week.

It's been a long time, but it was great to see all of it again. (Our VHS hadn't seen daylight for years and now it is with us no more!)

From what I saw, it wasn't quite full anamorphic format, as if they trimmed just a little bit off the sides. -not all the way to 16:9, but not the full width of my Derann 'scope extracts.

So strange too: during the Derann Sections there were no movie projector sounds!

We started with a Super-8 theater etiquette short from Bugs Bunny and Friends. This was fun because it took my wife and kid a good ten seconds to realize that in this case, Bugs was speaking German! (Das Wascally Wabbit!)

[Graham Ritchie]

We both have been watching one blu-ray title a night on the Panasonic VP, starting with a excellent Australian movie called "Beneath Hill 60" based on actual events during World War One. I ran the actual 35mm print at the cinema when it came out, but missed the chance to watch it back then. Night two the was "The Martian" an excellent movie that looks great. Lastly tonight it was "Passengers" ,once again amazing special effects. We watched the 2D versions of The Martian and Passengers, however in the past I have watched the 3D versions on blu-ray and in that particular format they really look fantastic.

[Brian Fretwell]

Monty Python's Life of Brian (No relation), which for some reason I had believed was a 'scope film but wasn't. Perhaps as it was a Biblical era film I thought it should be!!
Pity they didn't put the spoof travelogue "Away from it all" that was on with it in the West End on original release. I still remember hearing John Cleese's voice at the end of it "And as the sun sinks slowly in the west we see - more f***ing gondolas".

[Graham Ritchie]

Well last night it was something totally different on blu-ray using the Panasonic VP the, "Son Of Rambow" This is another movie I have not seen in a long while, we did also screen it at the cinema many moons ago. I still have the 35mm trailer somewhere. Anyway if you wan't to watch an amusing, easy going movie, about making a movie, then Son Of Rambow is a good one.

PS....Eric Sykes makes a cameo, so watch out for him

[Barry Attwood]

We watched the 4k version of John Carpenter's "Escape From New York", excellent quality, and one of my favourite films of all time. Kurt Russell broke away from his earlier Disney roles with this movie, and he never looked back. Lee Van Cleef got a boost for his later career, and Donald Pleasance chews the scenery as the the American President, just brilliant, I also learnt from one of the documentaries from the complete Blu-Ray of extras that Jamie Lee Curtis was the voice of the computer, watch it again and listen, it really is her!

[Brian Fretwell]

Lat night for me the 2016 BFI restoration of Abel Gance's Napoleon, well act 1 anyway as it runs to over 5 hrs. Tinted and toned with a 7.1 music accompaniment composer Carl Davies. The rest over the next few nights as there are 4 acts and extras, though the commentary track will be much later.

[Graham Ritchie]

Not last night but the night before with a double feature Tintin in 2D and it looks and sounds great. I have watched the 3D version in the past, and that is "really" good. After a break and to be honest running out of movies to watch since this lock down started. I thought we would watch Hugh Grant in a movie that I remember running a 35mm print at the cinema "WAY" back in 2002. "About a Boy" is really a good movie with an excellent script and cast. The casting of Hugh Grant was spot on. Looking back to my cinema days, this particular film did very well, and we screened a number of very successful private bookings with it during its run. The film does take in my view, take a very serious look at depression and how its not an easy fix, if at all.

The rest of the cast are excellent, and should add the music by "Badly Drawn Boy" is brilliant, "all in all" a very entertaining night.



some screen shots











The CD sound track

[Lee Mannering]

Ended the VE Day celebrations with some S8 and one of my own made Bly-Rays as follows following some film scanning.

All Derann: STD8 For your future Programme-S8 Pinewood Studios open day-Cinema reel-Hollywood USA-Its in the air and all stand for the Queen.

[Graham Ritchie]

You never forget this ending from two months ago...

[Lee Mannering]

From my Techniscope filmed collection

The Psychopath 1966 Directed by Freddie Francis this is a wonderful watch particularly as the first 2000ft of 35mm negative scanned had a couple of scratches, but the rest is quality and a great movie. Go treat yourself to this rarity also trailer surprises

The Projected Man 1967 Definitely a drive in gem!

[Chip Gelmini]

Blu-ray disc

WYATT EARP
Kevin Costner