I just came across this today at my local Walmart in the Mill Creek 2pk section. Was surprised to see it, particularly as Amazon has it being released on 3/26 and for $9.98.

Though Running with Scissors has already been released separately, The Squid and the Whale is new to Blu-ray. As it's one of my favorites, I'd prefer to just own it as a single set, but you can't really beat this price.

I haven't seen Running With Scissors but I absolutely love The Squid and the Whale and will gladly pick up the blu-ray and at a great price, thank you!

Mill Creek. Enough said

Not enough said. What does Mill Creek mean?

It means someone is a lame threadcrapper and needs to get a life.

I'm not sure what he means by it either, but here is a link to Mill Creek reviews at blu-ray.com.

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php?studioid=241

Take a look and see if you can figure it out.

There are a bunch of these double features for $5. They have been at Wal-Mart for about a couple of months now. If anyone is interested in seeing what other releases there are, we had a lot of discussion about it in the Wal-Mart Blu-ray Bargains thread a while back. One of the other big standouts, in my opinion, is When a Stranger Calls/Happy Birthday to Me.

I went to my store tonight in the Chicago area and could not find this. Nor did I see any other of the $5 blu-ray double features.

Music, some people have negative feelings towards Echo Bridge and Mill Creek, two companies who have been releasing a large amount of redistributed titles, castoffs, selloffs, so on. To comment on who distributes this title does matter to some.

Meanwhile, you linked to something worse than the threadcap you wanted to call out, considering how the rose tint there is enough to make one go blind.

I understand that, but companies can improve.

Are you the same nate that was banned from there?

Squid and the Whale is my favorite Baumbach film. Really hope it's a quality release.

Mill Creek is garbage. I'd rather just watch the DVD.

How the f can one explain this scoring method ? For the Puppet Masters/Deep Uprising, PQ gets 3.5/5, AQ gets 4/5, Special features get 0/5 - yet the whole set gets 4/5 ??? Similarly, New York Stories gets 3.5/5 for PQ, 3 for AQ, 0 for special features, yet 4/5 overall score ? what kind of average scoring is that ? No wonder all the raving psychotic fans of Echo Bridge and Mill Creek seem to be rushing to their rescue

The Bluray format allows for immense data storage - enough to accommodate uncompressed sound tracks and stellar encoded video. That is what it was developed for. Not to use it for putting out upconverted DVD quality PQ and less than average/compressed AQ - worse, not even surround sound on many of them. Its like trivializing what the technology can offer by using that technology platform to its lowest potential.

Its been documented across many user forums that these two studios put out garbage for content - there is a reason why these discs are priced bargain bin. Because that's what they offer - garbage. The BD format is not meant to be compromised for less than adequate content like these. Just so they can exploit the BD craze/adoption of the populace.

It was the same in the DVD world as well - these two companies put out junk for content. And they're doing the same in the BD world as well. Your BD players possess the ability to upconvert DVD well enough. And that same upconverted quality is what you are getting with video and compressed sound for audio on these BD discs. Why settle for these just because its on BD when they can be put out the same way on DVD ? Just because you serve coke in a wine bottle, it does not make it wine. It WILL make you WHINE though...

once again, Mill Creek, enough said. Consumers should not encourage substandard content. Call it threadcrapping or whatever justification you can provide for purchasing inferior content.

^ I have bought a few of these double features but haven't watched any of them yet, so I personally can't comment on quality. But if you go to the Wal-Mart bargains thread, you will see some of our posters giving their opinions on the AV quality of some of these releases, and they have been mostly positive. A lot of it has to do with the quality of the transfers they were given. Don't expect Mill Creek to put any money into fixing up a transfer, but everything I've read (and I'm not talking Blu-ray.com; I'm talking about actual people posting impressions) has indicated these discs aren't bad releases at all. They won't knock your socks off, but they are solid discs.

And I don't understand the criticism about many of the titles not having surround sound when a good chunk of these Blu-rays are for movies made before there was such thing as surround. I looked at my copy of Running With Scissors/The Squid and the Whale, and both movies are listed as 5.1 sound.

Like I said before, by most accounts that I've read, this recent wave of double features have been pretty solid. It all depends on the type of transfer they receive. So, yes, one could say it is slightly threadcrapping when you make statements like the Blu-rays are nothing more than upconverted DVDs when you admit to not having viewed one and that there is no surround sound on many of their releases, which is only partially true and doesn't really tell the full story.

I don't go to Blu-ray.com very often, so I can't comment on their ratings, but I bet the overall average is at least partially based on the quality of the movie itself. Maybe I'm wrong about that. I don't know, but that would be my guess.

I went to two Wal-Marts near me and couldn't find any of them, but the third Wal-Mart I hit up had them. It was a special display at the back of the electronics department, but it's certainly possible that your store doesn't have any.

Philistines have invaded this thread!

Some of us simply want to watch the movie for cheap.

Can anyone comment on how The Squid and the Whale looks and sounds please? I really like that film.

I know why people dislike EB and MC, but these titles would probably never get released at all and if it's a choice between that an average pq and aq of a blu-ray vs. dvd, I'm fine with what I can get. Especially when it's $5. The Mill Creek releases of That 70's Show have looked fantastic so far and have really gotten me addicted to a show that I kind of ignored when it was on.

I just bought The Grifters, Beautiful Girls and Playing by Heart from EB and have watched the first two. I'd give the pq a 3 out of 5 and at times up to a 3.5 at its best. That's not unconverted dvd in my opinion and I'm really happy to have them than to not have them at all. The dvds were junk.

Oh, and EB actually threw on some special features for Beautiful Girls that weren't on the dvd. And they were both good, with the longer one being quite interesting and entertaining. I'm very happy and I think I robbed them by paying $6, not the other way around.

have not watched them yet but its a bd50. Both have DTS HD MA. The running with scissors artwork has the following "...excellent performances and good picture..." -Dvdtalk/Daniel Hirshleifer

Finally found one . . . but had to dig down to the bottom of the $7.88 Blu-ray bin to find this $5 title!

Glad to report that the "Mafia!/The Crew" title has excellent picture and sound!

wait Beautiful Girls is on BLU? i loved that movie and the dvd is non anamorphic crapolla

Thanks. I just pre-ordered this and Replacement Killers/Truth or Consequences, N.M. from DDD for $7.99 each. I know it's more, but it's worth not having to go to WalMart and deal with all the spandex-clad water buffaloes pushing their overflowing carts with their screaming kids as they whip out their WIC cards to pay for junk food.

I saw the Squid set before and disregarded it. But when I saw this thread it got me interested. Of course now I can't find it anywhere.

Exactly what happened to me.

Nine if these at my Wal-Mart

I recently grabbed the "Hollow Man / Hollow Man II" Blu at a local WM. Haven't watched it yet, but the name Mill Creek + the fact that it's two films on one disc tell me to not expect much. But it was only $5, and I don't believe HM II has previously been on Blu, so...

AAAANNNND the fact that its HOLLOW MAN! Some great looking effects but dumb as a box of dumb as I recall.