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

[Lyris]

Just about to buy the UK Blu-ray version of Fight Club, does anyone know if it's uncut? Thanx!

Yes it is. They changed their minds.

[Bydo]

Just actually bought it - did you mean that the Blu-ray is cut now?

[Lyris]

No, it's uncut (my "yes it is" is a response to "is it uncut?").
The BBFC changed their minds and waived all previous censorship.

[Bydo]

Phew! thanx Lyris, sorry for the confusion

[Lyris]

It's always best to check isn't it... I watched a film which I really liked, then learned later that it had been meddled with by the scissor-lovers. I felt like a total chump for being duped like that.

[SuperBeatBoy]

My copy of Anchorman has shipped from Play.com Wooo!

[spagmasterswift]

This looks interesting...

[SuperBeatBoy]

Anyone know if Das Boot is getting a release at all, either the mini-series or directors cut?

[NekoFever]

It's always best to check isn't it... I watched a film which I really liked, then learned later that it had been meddled with by the scissor-lovers. I felt like a total chump for being duped like that.

I make a point of checking nowadays, and any cuts at all is a deal-breaker for me on principle.

Way back when I bought Eraser on DVD, which admittedly is no classic in any form, but it got eviscerated for the UK release to get it from a hard R to a 15. The cuts only got reversed last year, I believe.

Another one is the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. I saw it on TV fairly recently now that the cuts have been waived, and I loved it as a kid so remember it pretty well, and it blew me away how much was removed. And it was all incredibly tame stuff, just because it involved nunchucks.

In short, **** the BBFC.

[JP]

Anyone know if Das Boot is getting a release at all, either the mini-series or directors cut?

As far as I'm aware it's only been announced for Germany for October and it's the 208 minute director's cut.

It looks like it only has German subtitles, I've only imported a blu-ray from amazon.de blu-ray once which was Silent Hill due to everywhere else getting a really poor quality print but everything was nice and simple but it may not suitable without the subtitles for you.

[Lyris]

In short, **** the BBFC.

Think about the number of people who try to get their independent films made (and made to a high standard), who struggle to find the money to do so.

Then these people in Soho Square are paid safe salaries to meddle and degrade. Imagine if they were shut down and the money was diverted to deserving people.

[SmokeMeAKipper]

Got the UK version of Jacob's Ladder on Blu-ray - not watched it yet but was disappointed to see it has none of the special features from the US Blu-ray. Disappointing.

[JP]

I've not tried it yet but this was delivered earlier...


The good news is that it's a really enjoyable film, it has Karin Viard and her body in it while and and at this point she still looked absolutely stunning.

The bad news is that it's printed from a StudioCanal master which doesn't fill me with hope and they've packaged it inside one of those pointless book style covers which Warner use for their catalogue titles in the US. It's not quite the same as the Warner covers as the Warner covers at least look and feel like they may still be in one piece six months down the line.

[Lyris]

My brother got the new StudioCanal BD of Mulholland Drive. It's made from the same master as the old HD DVD version, only it's had more grain reduction done.

It's not awful, but it's inferior to the version released 4 years ago. Facepalm.

[JP]

That's the worry I have, they're usually better than may you get out there and I have seen screen captures which suggest that they've done an OK job of it but they never seem to be quite right.

Although I'm not happy relying on screen captures it was discussion about CanalPlus's treatment of the colour on Le Cercle Rouge which concerned me. It's clear if I compare the colours of the billiard table in those shots that they have followed the earlier versions even though the people who made the film have always been very clear how the colour should be treated.

That then lead me onto the colour usage in Pierrot Le Fou which is one of my favourite films. Again, I just don't understand how they seem approach their masters without seemingly having any concern of how the creators want their films to look.

It's perhaps not as simple in a film like Pierrot Le Fou as Godard would often over saturate the colours anyway but they were always perfectly balanced when he did.

I very nearly didn't buy Delicatessen but it does seem OK and it could be a very long time before I get the chance to watch something better than the pretty poor DVDs. It's another difficult one though as Caro & Jeunet have used the colour as if they were painting on the film.