What Blu-Ray did you watch last night?

[Graham Ritchie]

Osi

Apart from film, I only ever use video projection never a TV. I think at times the camera used for screen shots can tend to go towards the blue, here is an example of two photos taken one after another "Letters From Iwo Jima" on 35mm. The first looks fine, the second one not so, as it goes towards the blue. It can be hit and miss with screen shots, but most of the time they are pretty close to what you are watching. As another example many of the screen shots of the latest Super 8 release films using a HID lamp I have seen do tend towards the blue, in that case, I think its more to do with the HID lamp used in there projector not mine, than possibly the camera itself.

There might be some sort of correction on the camera, but I tend to just take it as is and post it with no alteration and hope for the best its close enough, I don't want to feel like a cat chasing its tail with different settings for everything it will just have to do


This is from 35mm as an example, the first screen shot looks fine

Then the camera does this.

This is another 35mm, trailer, looks good


Then its back to Video projection with Super8 the movie the camera does this

Bad News Bears looks fine

[Graham Ritchie]

Well this movie on blu-ray caught me surprise called "Belfast" to be honest I wasn't expecting to much and had put of watching it for a while. Tonight it was time to watch it using the Panasonic VP. It took me a while though, to confirm my thoughts, was that Judi Dench?, it wasn't until the end credits rolled that is was confirmed. "Belfast" was excellent, and a real pleasure to watch the story unfold. The Irish accent is strong, so you have to listen carefully

Its certainly a film I would highly recommend, an excellent blu-ray release.

[Ken Finch]

I agree Graham. It is an excellent film. I saw it at our local cinema and did have problems understanding some of the dialogue because of the Irish accents. I have not got a dvd copy. I have so many that I doubt whether I have got enough years left to watch them all. I could never afford to purchase feature length films on reel film except for second hand 9.5mm ones so the advent of vhs and dvds have been a godsend to film collectors like me. Ken Finch😊

[Osi Osgood]

We've been watching season 1 of Little House on the Prairie. This Blu-ray really shows the difference between the intelligence of filming on 35mm over the much cheaper videotape, even the deluxe videotape of 70's network TV. With videotape, no matter how good, tape can only look so good, but anything on film can be restored to an absolute brilliance! Back in the 70's, even into and thru the 80's, TV's usually only had a capability of rendering around 300lunes of resolution or less, so videotape shows looked OK, but with the HD TV's of today, restored 35mm TV shows look very good, where the old TV shows look very tired and old.

[Brian Fretwell]

And VT has a limited colour resolution compared to the luminance signal about 6 Mhz for luma and 1.5 or 0.5 for the colour difference (u and v) signals in NTSC (I can't remember which is the lower the u or the v). In PAL they are both 1.5Mhz though.

[Graham Ritchie]

Well its been a while since the last screening, but thought why not, watched "Super 8 the movie", although with that train crash, I had to make a quick bee line to turn the amp down a bit'

Screen shots from last night

[Osi Osgood]

In honor of Easter, we decided to watch C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", that Disney extended cut! Fun film for the family and lots O symbolism for adults to indulge in.

[Lee Mannering]

4k UHD Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Such a popular film on Super 8 in the UK from back in the day. First time I watched it was at dear Barry Wiles Films which was a short ride on my moped at the time. Such a great guy....
As the top end restorations come thru for the last few years I've been retiring these pink ancient s8 films to a memory box which have given me so much fun for decades.

Anyway, the new 4K resto is reelly quite brilliant and worth every penny. Threw it up on screen via the 4K projector 8ft also with worked on sound.

Been a great month for 4K releases, Maltese Falcon and more.

[Paul Adsett]

Easter Parade, what else? Superb MGM musical with Astaire and Garland and supporting roles with Ann Miller and Peter Lawford. Stunning Blu Ray release with saturated color by Technicolor, pin sharp with deep blacks. A joy to watch and hear.

[Graham Ritchie]

Last night blu-ray was once again Logan' Run, I first saw it at the cinema when it came out and still enjoy the odd screening Last week a store in town were having a discount dvd/blu-ray all kinds of stuff sale for a few days, all new stock. I did pick Singin In The Rain blu-ray that came with a 4K disc as well, although I don't have a 4K player the quality of just the blu-ray was very good. I watched this one using the Panasonic VP a most enjoyable night.

Logan's Run.


Another blu-ray I watched last week was this classic movie which I have always liked over the years, and a blu-ray release that I was keen to get and also project.

[Lee Mannering]

We have resumed film screenings at the retirement homes after the covid nightmare
I usually show 16mm but have started varying the programme a little to keep content broad.
Sarted out doing this in the late 80s voluntarily which has been REELLY nice.
Built up some old adverts and trailers on b ray before the main event and works well. More equipment to carry but hey ho presentation is key.

The love seeing the reels turn. God bless them.

[Brian Fretwell]

Last night half of the 1972 Dr Who serial "The Sea Devils". A master class in restoration as the 625 line PAL video tapes of this had been junked. The version here is a combination of B&W 16mm film telerecordings (kinescopes) with the colour signal from 70's PAL to NTSC conversions which lost a lot of definition due to the crude analague converter used and noise induced by "unpicking" the merged fields produced by it. The film has been treated diigally to restore any distortions from the telerecording procedd and converted from 25 frames a second to 50 fields/sec. The sound option I played was a 5.1 remix (there was also a Dolby Atmos one but I can't play that properly).

To keep it (partly) as a serial the next 3 episodes will be for tonight.

[Osi Osgood]

Lee, were they able to actually improve on the original 16mm? This, from what I understand, was shot on 16mm. These days, they can make 16mm look even better than originally shot!

[Brian Fretwell]

I believe, from what was said on the extras of El Mariache that blowing up to 35mm from 16mm in those days gave a huge loss in colour and defitinition, the director gave a comparison between the telecine of the negatives (that he worked with for the edit) to the release print. I iamgine that 4K (or even 8K) scans of the OCNs would give a massive improvement to even 16mm prints.

[Graham Ritchie]

Well folks if you only like feel good movies with a happy ending, then don't watch this one. In saying that its an impressive film based on Cormac McCarthy's novel, however the rating of Restricted R16 is for a good reason. The cast are really superb, Robert Duvall under heaps of make up, he certainly has been around as an actor for a long time. Guy Pearce, Viggo Mortensen, and newcomer Australian Kodi Smit McPhee. "The Road" is a film that does make you think what might happen, if the world you new was changed drastically eg the lack of, or no food, the total collapse of society as we know it.

It certainly makes you think, Director John Hillcoat has certainly captured the feel of the what if. "The Road" is not for everyone so be warned, for me I think its a well made film, with a top notch cast and story and well worth watching.