Mike86

I like a lot of the output from Olive Films but it is slightly irritating given how they price their titles that the discs are always bare bones. They've put out some great stuff though that probably wouldn't have come out otherwise. I'm thankful to them for finishing off King of the Hill from where Fox left off years ago.

clappj

Amazon DotD is Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray + DVD) for $97.99.
*discount is 56% off

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Brian T

Which probably explains, in part, why their once excellent booklets are now nothing more than flimsy brochures. Had to cut somewhere, so out with the some of the scholarship and context that made Criterion's name, I guess.

Considering Kino and Olive (and presumably Shout in certain cases?) are working with titles that Criterion wouldn't touch, and in many cases even the original studio couldn't be bothered to treat with respect, I think Kino in particular has increasingly gone above-and-beyond in giving these second- and third-tier titles a fitting treatment. If people prefer to hold out for Criterion-grade masters of stuff like, uhh, Harry In Your Pocket, Woman of Straw, Navajo Joe, Bank Shot or what have you (all good shows, mind you, but quite forgettable in the grander scheme of things), then more power to them. I'd rather enjoy the films now, with perfectly acceptable audio and picture quality that, in most cases, vastly improves on earlier releases, assuming there were earlier releases at all!

None of this forgives Olive's high prices and lack of supplements, of course. Price is really the only thing that keeps me from loading up on their stuff (unless better U.K. editions exist, in which case my money goes there). At least Kino has a large enough catalog now (and growing like crazy) that they've eased up on pricing restrictions, it seems. I'm sure they'll relent even further when they start repackaging their catalog into double- and triple-features and 4-film collections. I can picture quite a few already . . .




Sounds about right, which is why, instead of expecting full-blown, speck-free HD restorations and whatnot, we can at least be grateful that: 1) titles like these are getting released on Blu-ray in OAR over here at all and 2) that Kino is flexible when it comes to allowing sale pricing on this kind of stuff, and 3) that Kino bothers to re-use existing supplements and commission new ones (huge case in point: Convoy, among many others). Much of Kino's "Studio Classics" catalog wasn't treated this well when MGM put them out originally (if ever).

PhantomStranger

Both Olive and Kino Lorber have furnished new film transfers on occasion for Blu-ray. What they don't really do are film restorations, which separates them from labels like Criterion and Arrow Video.

Why So Blu?

Which sucks and that's why I go for the Eureka! version of anything they would release here.

Shannon Nutt

Yes, but the transfers were/are done by the studios who own the movies - that's what I was trying to say. They aren't supervising the transfers that appear on their releases, so any blame needs to go to the studio that owns the film.

MooMooMooMoo

My #1 bitch about Olive is that they apparently licensed the Betty Boop catalog & are releasing it in such a haphazard manner. I greatly prefer my Republic VHS box (yes I did say VHS).

lizard

Water for Elephants $4.72

The Spy Next Door $4.97

Henry's Crime $6.60

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam - Extended Edition (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) $7.86

Goal! The Dream Begins $7.87

House Broken $8.14

Bring It On $8.67

The Flintstones $8.88

Paycheck $9.11

Kissing Jessica Stein $9.57

Death at a Funeral $9.83

Witness (Pre-order) $9.99
Kiss the Girls (Pre-order) $9.99
Boulevard (Pre-order) $9.99

Kedrix

Witness and Kiss the Girls are quite enticing at those prices (and I would like to upgrade my DVD of Witness for sure). And so is Boulevard, but yet I have a feeling a certain member in my household just won't get that film and therefore I will have to watch it by myself when everybody else is off to bed. Hrmmm, decisions, decisions.

Bandoman

Just ordered Witness, one of my faves. Thanks!

Greg MacGuffin

We Are Still Here - $9.99
http://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Still-H...ZJAFGJ5Q67VEJD

DJariya

Looks like all FOX pre-orders were pulled from Amazon. I was thinking about pre-ordering Empire season 1 and it's currently not available.

How many times does Amazon have to re-negotiate their wholesale prices with the studios? I thought we just went through this with FOX.

Solid Snake

Godzilla vs. Destroyah/Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is going for $8.62

It immediately shows the seller's price of (currently) $8.35. You have to see other sellers for Amazon. So pick and choose, yo.

lizard

Witness (Pre-order) $9.69 [anybody who pre-ordered at the higher price will get this new lower price]

Cellar Door

Interstellar - bonus deal of the day for $8.99.

GatorDeb

Amazon DOTD 9/7 GOT 1+2 BD: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-C...1616393&sr=1-1

$38.99

gryffinmaster

Pre-order price for Criterion's Mullholland Drive Blu-ray has dropped to $22.49: http://www.amazon.com/Mulholland-Dr-...rive+criterion

davidh777

I actually slept on the original $9.99 only to see it jump to $14, so I just pre-ordered at $9.69 before it changes again.

laidbacklarkin

why would you want to pay $22.49 when you can pick up this region free set of 3 DL movies for under $20 shipped ?

http://www.amazon.de/David-Lynch-Box.../dp/B004LV1N28

(from Amazon Germany) and I don't know why it never links properly when posting a non USA site. Go to Amazon.de and search for item B004LV1N28

EDIT: Just found out this set does not have English subtitles :-(...too late cos my order's on the way from Deutschland

TheBang

West Side Story for $5

jwstl

Do these films need subtitles?

Dr. Mantle

Maybe because some people don't want to deal with international shipping?
Maybe because some people don't want to take a chance that a disc won't work on their player (even if it's region free) and have the hassle of trying to return it?
Maybe because movies are sometimes released differently in other countries and they might have a slightly different cut?
Maybe because it could be a completely different transfer of dubious quality?

And in this particular case the US release is from Criterion which has a reputation for going the extra mile to release a film correctly. This version of Mulholland Dr. was actually supervised by Lynch.

Most people on a DVD forum are aware that you might get a cheaper version of any movie if you look at international sites. But for the reasons listed above (and probably others) why waste your time when you can just pay a little more and know you're getting it done right?

laidbacklarkin

Maybe because some people don't want to deal with international shipping?
>>lame. if there's a problem, the retailer bears the risk. and Amazon's great customer service is the same across all their setups. besides, if you haven't shopped Zavvi, Arrow etc, you don't know that sometimes you receive their orders faster across the pond, than you do with coast to coast shipping here in the USA. And all of these retailers have great customer service

Maybe because some people don't want to take a chance that a disc won't work on their player (even if it's region free) and have the hassle of trying to return it?
>>makes no sense speculating on this. there are reasons forums and reviewing sites exist - to put out this sort of information clearly out there. Region free Bluray HD content is region free - there's no ifs and buts. however, standard content encoded in PAL (usually on extras) can be a limitation depending on the equipment you use for playback. But again, am not saying EVERYONE has to get this - am saying consider an alternative when it makes financial sense and for the informed masses that knows how to work around limitations. Its my assumption that a good percentage of folks here on these forums are savvy enough that way. And this is also an option for some (like me) for who the main feature is the driver, not the extras

Maybe because movies are sometimes released differently in other countries and they might have a slightly different cut?
>>review sites. is there anything you cannot find on the internet now ?

Maybe because it could be a completely different transfer of dubious quality?
>>same answer as above - review sites

for this set, go to bluray.com, set your country to Germany, find this set, check out the reviews for the individual movies and be your own judge. am not dissing Criterion here - am just saying be aware of alternatives that may work for you. with the Euro being at record lows, there's just so much value importing many titles even with shipping charges.

kefrank

To be fair to Dr. Mantle, that's not how you expressed your original thought. It's easy for tone to be misunderstood when there's just text, but the tone of your question seemed to be looking down on anyone who would pay $22.49 for the U.S. release, rather than graciously offering an alternative for people to consider. You asked a question to which Dr. Mantle provided many very reasonable answers.

Mosskeeto

In agreement with your observations up to this point. The Euro may be at recent lows but I remember traveling once when it was worth 90¢ and the all time low was about 83.95¢ on Oct. 20, 2000. It's currently a long ways from record low territory.
Ah, those were the days to travel to Europe.