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

[JP]

Shame, our slip case went in with the recycling but you'd have been welcome to it if I'd known before.

Has any one seen this film (Metropolis that is)?

I imagine some of you guys have, I myself have not.

I'm considering pre-ordering, but after watching Mr Parry's link to the official trailer (see here http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=106401), I am not too sure if its a bit too 'high brow' for me. It appears, based purely on the trailer, one of those films that you want to like due to its critical acclaim, but end up turning it off half way through.

Probably a better way of phrasing the above statement would be, is the film still relevant today or has it been surpassed by 'more modern' masterpieces?

Seen it loads of times and really enjoy it which is why I'm looking forward to seeing what is probably as close to the original cut as we'll get.

As well as being enjoyable purely for the film it is also interesting for historical reasons. If you watch Metropolis, then Forbidden Planet & then 2001: A Space Odyssey you'll never need to watch another science fiction film again.

As fantastic as I think the film is, if you don't feel you don't want to watch the film then I'd really advise you not to. I'm sure it'll be on telly again at some point and you're no worse off if you don't enjoy it then.

EDIT:
Here you go, this is an adequate substitute for people who aren't sure about buying it.


I'm really hoping that nobody posts a video of the Giorgio Moroder version!

[Soundwave]

Shame, our slip case went in with the recycling but you'd have been welcome to it if I'd known before.

No worries buddy just one of them things really.
Bit gutted as HMV orders are all arriving with them...I nearly ordered from HMV but had a voucher for Zavvi so went there instead.

Quite tempted to buy a copy on the high street from somewhere selling both versions & then return my sealed copy with out the case as a duplicate gift

Neil

[Lyris]

Just watched Alien tonight. I thought it was pretty outstanding in every way.

[Sane]

My Alien box finally arrived today so I'll be watching Alien and Aliens tonight, can't wait after all the positive comments. I noticed my box looks different from I've seen in stores here, mine is a normal box, in the shops they had one with a facehugger relief on it. Is that like a special edition? Not that I'm jealous mind, I think the normal box looks lovely.

[Mad Gear]

Slightly OT but what's happened to Playusa? Their site hasn't been updated for about a month now and the future release section is empty. Shame as they were probably the cheapest around for BRD's.

[Lyris]

Some screen grabs of the Japanese Nausicaa vs UK version. The UK version has been grain reduced slightly, but it's not a travesty by any means. I would be happy with either but would rather have the Japanese one:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19470418#post19470418

[Super Grover]

Quick heads up.

Red Cliff on Blu Ray, full 5 hour version (I belive it is spread over 2 discs), for ?6.91 @ HMV.

It won a load of awards, and the transfer to Blu Ray is supposed to be very, very good.

Will post in the bargains section incase anyone misses this post.

Go order!

[Flabio]

Red Cliff is indeed pretty damned awesome. Although I have the original Hong Kong Blu-Ray releases, not sure how this version stacks up (I know the BBFC cut a few seconds off one scene as the horse stunt being done isn't legal here)

[SuperBeatBoy]

Is that instore Super Grover? I've seen the cut version of the film and absolutly loved it. Would love to see it all in its 5hr glory.

[Decider-VT]

Alien Resurrection: Has been slated alot over the years, but has alot more going for it than Alien 3 does. It goes the action route of Aliens which was needed again, as we all know what the Aliens are by now and didn`t need reintroducing to them again like Alien 3. Ok the last 20minutes suck but besides that, It`s a pretty decent sci-fi action movie.

Slated and rightly so. Alien 3 was quite bold for the series and although it was hampered by studio interference and budgetary restraints I still prefer it to Resurrection by a long shot. It neatly tied up the series, which Resurrection hastily unpicked in some sort of bizarre attempt to limply retread the same territory as Aliens. Resurrection just seems like the worst sort of "doodle on a napkin" thinking- one can imagine every sentence in the pitch beginning with "and wouldn't it be cool if..."

[Dogg Thang]

Slated and rightly so. Alien 3 was quite bold for the series and although it was hampered by studio interference and budgetary restraints I still prefer it to Resurrection by a long shot. It neatly tied up the series

See I wouldn't call completely undoing the previous movie 'neat'. In fact you're own choice of words, 'hastily unpicked', seem rather appropriate for Alien 3. The movie was, for a large part, a train wreck. And, having seen the work cut, the reason there was studio interference seems, to me, to be because it was a train wreck.

Still, the soundtrack was great and, given what they had to work with, I thought the editing was good (the funeral/bursting sequence in particular).

[dvdx2]

See I wouldn't call completely undoing the previous movie 'neat'. In fact you're own choice of words, 'hastily unpicked', seem rather appropriate for Alien 3. The movie was, for a large part, a train wreck. And, having seen the work cut, the reason there was studio interference seems, to me, to be because it was a train wreck.

Still, the soundtrack was great and, given what they had to work with, I thought the editing was good (the funeral/bursting sequence in particular).

matter of opinion really, i though alien 3 was great

[Baseley09]

Alien 3 is a good movie IMO, particularly the extended version, it's a shame a lot of the story boarded ideas didn't come to fruition, some cool stuff in there, tho what was left is still quite decent.

[Decider-VT]

See I wouldn't call completely undoing the previous movie 'neat'. In fact you're own choice of words, 'hastily unpicked', seem rather appropriate for Alien 3. The movie was, for a large part, a train wreck. And, having seen the work cut, the reason there was studio interference seems, to me, to be because it was a train wreck.

Still, the soundtrack was great and, given what they had to work with, I thought the editing was good (the funeral/bursting sequence in particular).

I'll admit that I watch Alien 3 with a sympathetic eye as I know of the troubled production history and what it could have been, although the idea of the monks on the wooden planet seem like a clear case of ambitions running beyond reach.

I assume that you're referring to Hicks, Newt and Bishop dying when talking about undoing the events of the previous film, which sort-of makes the events of Aliens seem to have happened in vain. That's one of the things I really like about Alien 3 though- a horribly downbeat film to end the events of a story that takes place in a corrupt, futile universe.

Ripley's character arc was perfect- from absent mother to a long-dead daughter, to finding fresh hope and a surrogate in Newt to having it all taken away from her again and being forced to "give birth" to the one thing that she has truly grown to hate. It's one of the reasons why her sex scene with Charles Dance was so great- a futile gesture and a rare moment of genuine human comfort in the face of the doom that follows her everywhere. If Hicks and Newt had survived I really can't envision what sort of progress Ripley's character could have made beyond the protective mother she became in Aliens. I like the mourning, defeated Ripley in the third film. She has nothing left to lose, which ironically gives her the strength and courage she needs to finally kill the creature that has haunted her.

[JP]

I watched all four of the films and really enjoyed each of them, it's actually the first time that I've not really hated Aliens but it's also the first time I've seen the longer version which I do think improved it somewhat.

Apart from the original Alien which is pretty much spot on they all have their own issues. I really can understand why some people do dismiss Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection but I like both of them despite their faults.

Alien 3 is a right bloody mess but the more I see and know about it the more I'm convinced it could have been an absolutely fantastic film. There's so many different things that are hinted at in the film we have which just lead nowhere due to not being completed, some stories are started and just disappear in the film.

Alien Resurrection again has issues but I've grown to really like the film and absolutely love the concept behind the script of exploring the alien's recombinant DNA which although touched on in the previous films didn't really lead anywhere.

I think the thing that helped me enjoy Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection over time was to stop wanting them to be Ridley Scott films and to accept them as being James Cameron, David Fincher (well, sort of) & Jean-Pierre Jeunet films.

I'm glad that all of the director's including Ridley Scott were able to take O'Bannon, Hill & Giller's ideas as to what the aliens were and create their own from what was originally written.