Blu-Ray Best Of The Best - for discussing releases only

[Scythe]

Got my Anthology yesterday, has anyone road tested yet?

[JP]

I had a very brief look at each film yesterday and wasn't particularly impressed with the picture quality from what I saw to be honest. Alien looked fine but the other three films were less than ideal which could also be said the films themselves.

The extras are presented in SD and pretty poor quality SD at that. I often don't bother with documentaries but had really been looking forward to watching Wreckage & Rage. Fox had removed 20+ minutes which covered how they ****ed over David Fincher which resulted in could have been a fantastic film instead ending up as what we got in the end.

It's no real surprise that he as well as many of the other creatives working on the film left before it was completed. If you ever wondered why the alien at the end of Alien Resurrection looked so **** it's because Fox **** all over Giger's work during Alien 3 which resulted in him refusing to work with them again.

I will watch Wreckage & Rage at some point but I know that Fincher still refuses to acknowledge the film as his so I'd be surprised if he makes any sort of meaningful appearances.

I watched Alien last night and it still stands up in it's own right as a fantastic without it having to be supported by calling it a genre film. The audio was a major step up from what I'd heard in previous releases.

I may move on to Aliens tonight if I get time although I do find to be the most boring of the four films even with the serious issues that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection both have. Although it is probably his most entertaining film for me his other films are so clumsy I don't think it's much of a measure.

Something very small which I didn't notice at first but really like after messing around with the discs. Once you've loaded up any of the Anthology discs and it's gone past the normal Fox titles that you always get, if you eject the disc and put another one in instead of restarting everything again it will bring up a Weyland-Yutani screen when you remove the disc and take you straight into the menu of the new disc that you've put in.

It's a simple thing but it is something that's missing from so many sets and I thought it was a really nice touch.

It seems that there are absolutely hours of special features in the set which people are probably going to love but I'll probably not bother with most of it myself.

There's an option to watch each of the films within a MU-TH-UR mode which I haven't used but it sounded like it's going to bring up links to relevant features as you watch the films. Again, it's not really something that I think I'll bother with but I'm sure it's a really useful way to catalogue all the extras that are on the discs in reference to the film you're watching.

I'm not quite sure how that would work as there are special features spread across different discs, I suppose it will just reference on the disc you are watching.

The set itself is certainly not perfect but it's closer than what has been released in the past and most people surely already know which films they like and which they don't and it seems like all the extras are probably as good as there will ever be if you can excuse the poor picture quality they have.

[Bydo]

My Back to The Future Trilogy Blu-rays arrived the other day (UK version). I'm disappointed, for two reasons!

1. The packaging artwork seems fine externally. When you open it though, you get the 3 discs laid-out with a picture of Marty on each one with the third one being the most grainy piece of **** you've ever sceen! What was wrong with the original film poster artwork as per the original DVDs?

2. I put the first disc in and skipped past all the loading and language screens only to be greeted with a ****e animation thanking me for buying the dam thing! What made it worse was that it was a british advert, which doesn't fit the American film you're about to watch - if you know what I mean. You wouldn't get this on a pirate copy (not that I condone it of course)

[Friction]

I got my BTTF too - complete with dented tin thanks to Play.com and their 'excellent' packagin - a piece of cardboard - nice work there chaps!

Great movies though! So many great extras too! Might be my setup but I found some synch issues with the old footage - mainly the BTTF ride stuff, and some of the older documentary bits. Totally fine in the films though!

[spagmasterswift]

Sounds like a bit of a dog package there then - shame.

[Lyris]

a ****e animation thanking me for buying the dam thing! What made it worse was that it was a british advert, which doesn't fit the American film you're about to watch - if you know what I mean.

Do I ever. Was it one of those whimsical ones?

It's a bit like watching South Park on VIVA. Before each part they cut in a warning screen with an obnoxious London voice (I'm from Glasgow so when I say a voice is obnoxious, I REALLY mean it):

"WAU NING! THIS SHAUW CONTOYNES AH-DULT HYOO-MAH that SOME VYOOAHS may foynd AW-FEN-SIVE!"

[JP]

For people after this remember that it's limited to 5000 or 10,000 blu-ray copies depending on which page of the Arrow Films site you read and according to other palces some shops have already stopped taking pre-orders.

EDIT:
Another picture to tempt people.

[Shozuki]

thats nice - I cant find anywhere to order from though - anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

[JP]

Amazon have it for ?16:99 and are still taking orders. Play still have it for ?17:99 and there's always the option of ordering it directly from Arrow Films but they charge ?29:99.

It might be worth reading here as I had concerns about this as soon as I heard about it and some places have reached their limit. Somebody stated on another forum that Arrow Films have said it's multi-region which seems to have encouraged people overseas to order this set. I've not read any official confirmation that it is multi-region though so I don't like to say either way.

[Shozuki]

doh! totally didnt think of Amazon - pre-ordered!!

Thanks

[teddymeow]

I pre-ordered from HMV for £14.99 a few weeks back.

God help 'em if they don't get it!!

EDIT: It contains the "How to fight in BR" featurette which is awesome. The woman who presents it (and in the film) is the voice of Chun Li in SF!!

[SuperBeatBoy]

Excellent, preordered this. I'm just happy they didn't throw BR2 in with it. It shouldn't exist!

[JP]

I pre-ordered from HMV for ?14.99 a few weeks back.

God help 'em if they don't get it!!

EDIT: It contains the "How to fight in BR" featurette which is awesome. The woman who presents it (and in the film) is the voice of Chun Li in SF!!

I'd imagine you'll be fine if you've ordered it a couple of weeks back.

I think it's understandable why a few people are after it though with it being so limited, cheap & possibly multi-region. From what I've read they will sell it later but it'll just be a standard release.

[jim g]

I had a very brief look at each film yesterday and wasn't particularly impressed with the picture quality from what I saw to be honest. Alien looked fine but the other three films were less than ideal which could also be said the films themselves.

I have watched half of Alien and have been blown away. Compared to VHS and DVD this is the best ever.

[Escape-To-88]

I'm just happy they didn't throw BR2 in with it. It shouldn't exist!

Agreed!
Pre-ordered mine from Amazon a week or so ago for a delicious 14.99