Review wanted: Tormented/Lady Frankenstein
06-08-01, 05:15 PM
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Curious if anyone's bought the double-feature DVD of TORMENTED and LADY FRANKENSTEIN. I know TORMENTED's not a great movie, and I know not to expect great video and audio quality from this label, but my main question is how "cut" is LADY FRANKENSTEIN?
There seem to be several versions of this flick out there, some with sex and violence, and some without. Since the cover lists no ratings info, I just want to know if it's been heavily censored.
And yes, I am aware of DVD Drive-In's L.F. release. Thanks!
There seem to be several versions of this flick out there, some with sex and violence, and some without. Since the cover lists no ratings info, I just want to know if it's been heavily censored.
And yes, I am aware of DVD Drive-In's L.F. release. Thanks!
06-09-01, 03:29 AM
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Tormented/Lady Frankenstein
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/Q-..._LadyFrank.htm
Lady Frankenstein (DVD Drive-In version)
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/I-...ankenstein.htm
The MADACY version has all the gore and nudity that the old VHS tape had. The infamous sex scene is complete but DVD Drive-In's version has a few extra seconds of nudity.
If you like the film then get the DVD Drive-In version. The picture isn't perfect but the audio is nice and the extras are terrific. The interview with the director is great and there's a nice photo gallery.
The MADACY disc is good for $10 since you get two movies, three trailers and a cartoon. I have all ten of these Killer Creature Double Features and they are good for the retail price but the A/V is really bad.
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/Q-..._LadyFrank.htm
Lady Frankenstein (DVD Drive-In version)
http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/I-...ankenstein.htm
The MADACY version has all the gore and nudity that the old VHS tape had. The infamous sex scene is complete but DVD Drive-In's version has a few extra seconds of nudity.
If you like the film then get the DVD Drive-In version. The picture isn't perfect but the audio is nice and the extras are terrific. The interview with the director is great and there's a nice photo gallery.
The MADACY disc is good for $10 since you get two movies, three trailers and a cartoon. I have all ten of these Killer Creature Double Features and they are good for the retail price but the A/V is really bad.
06-09-01, 05:03 AM
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There are a lot of way-too-friendly reviews of DVD Drive-In's Lady Frankenstein out there. I guess that people are lowering their standards for this fledgling company because they started out as fans or something. Anyway, the picture, which is advertised as "pristine" by the company, is far from it. Apart from looking only marginally better than the Madacy disc colorwise, DVD Drive-In have taken a fullscreen, cropped (not even pan & scan) 16mm print and then fake letterboxed it just so they can advertise it as "16x9 enhanced." The result is that you get a picture that is cropped on all four sides. Obviously, this makes the disc almost unwatchable. Not a good stunt to pull with your first release. The extras are nice, but they aren't worth $30. Stick with the Madacy disc instead. Both discs look terrible, but at least the Madacy disc doesn't have phony letterboxing.
06-09-01, 01:40 PM
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Sartana---I take offense to what you said about the reviews being friendly to DVD Drive-In's disc. I wrote both of them reviews and I even watched both the Madacy and DVD Drive-In version of the film side by side.
The Madacy disc's picture is fifty time worse. The sex scene I talked about in my other post can't even be seen in the Madacy disc. The print DVD Drive-In used is in very bad shape but it's still a lot better than the Madacy disc and the old VHS (can't remember the company that released it).
Tim Lucus of Video Watchdog is one of the hardest "critics" when it comes to DVD's but he gave DVD Drive-In's disc a good review. Everyone out there agrees that the video is bad but that the audio and extras are very good.
The reason people are so pissed about the DVD Drive-In disc is because most horror web sites pumped up the disc by saying it would be great. People got very high expectations and then they were letdown. Everyone should remember that the people who made this disc are just like everyone on this board. They work regular, 40 hour week jobs like me and you. They are not Anchor Bay, MGM or Image. $10,000 was spent on this title and bashing it like it were AB is crazy.
People on message boards always piss and moan about studios not treating horror films with any respect. People get upset because studios don't release certain horror films onto DVD. Well, the people at DVD Drive-In didn't go around crying but they spent their money to release a film no studio would touch. True, the print is bad. The audio is good and the extras are excellent. They gave more extras to this disc then companies like Image, MGM, Universal, Warner, Amchor Bay, Elite and Synapse. A regular person gives us more extras than all these major companies? I think they at least deserve some credit.
The Madacy disc's picture is fifty time worse. The sex scene I talked about in my other post can't even be seen in the Madacy disc. The print DVD Drive-In used is in very bad shape but it's still a lot better than the Madacy disc and the old VHS (can't remember the company that released it).
Tim Lucus of Video Watchdog is one of the hardest "critics" when it comes to DVD's but he gave DVD Drive-In's disc a good review. Everyone out there agrees that the video is bad but that the audio and extras are very good.
The reason people are so pissed about the DVD Drive-In disc is because most horror web sites pumped up the disc by saying it would be great. People got very high expectations and then they were letdown. Everyone should remember that the people who made this disc are just like everyone on this board. They work regular, 40 hour week jobs like me and you. They are not Anchor Bay, MGM or Image. $10,000 was spent on this title and bashing it like it were AB is crazy.
People on message boards always piss and moan about studios not treating horror films with any respect. People get upset because studios don't release certain horror films onto DVD. Well, the people at DVD Drive-In didn't go around crying but they spent their money to release a film no studio would touch. True, the print is bad. The audio is good and the extras are excellent. They gave more extras to this disc then companies like Image, MGM, Universal, Warner, Amchor Bay, Elite and Synapse. A regular person gives us more extras than all these major companies? I think they at least deserve some credit.
06-09-01, 04:06 PM
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I wasn't referring to just your review, but, yes, you were way too easy on the disc as well. Why does everyone seem to be soft-peddling the fact that this disc has phony letterboxing? It's inexcusable. I don't care if the people who made the disc are "regular...like everyone on this board." DVD Drive-In is a site that reviews the image quality of DVDs, and they have the nerve to advertise this disc as "pristine" and then pull a stunt like fake letterboxing? They don't deserve any special consideration from reviewers or consumers. And why even make the distinction between DVD Drive-In and companies like Synapse and Anchor Bay? All of them are putting out the same product and we shouldn't judge that product any differently because of some misguided notion that the folks at AB or Synapse aren't "regular people...like everyone on this board." I've got news for you. The folks at Image, Synapse, Anchor Bay, Fantoma, etc. are all film fans too. You don't think that every title that Don May works on at Synapse is a labor of love? Do you judge his releases any differently because he's a "regular" guy who does this out of a love for film? Do you judge Anchor Bay releases by a different set of standards simply because the people working on them don't have other jobs? Why turn this into the underdog-versus-the-faceless-suits? There's a bias that you, and others, have shown in these reviews and it doesn't have any place in serious DVD criticism.
Incidentally, Tim Lucas is certainly not one of the "hardest" critics when it comes to DVD and I'm not aware of any good review that he gave Lady Frankenstein. As a matter of fact, he was one of the few people to point out that the disc was cropboxed and of really poor quality. (See the Euro-Cult board at Mobius Home Video Forum at http://www.mhvf.net) Yes, everyone can agree that the extras are good, but who cares? The transfer of the movie is unwatchable.
[Edited by Sartana on 06-10-01 at 01:34 AM]
Incidentally, Tim Lucas is certainly not one of the "hardest" critics when it comes to DVD and I'm not aware of any good review that he gave Lady Frankenstein. As a matter of fact, he was one of the few people to point out that the disc was cropboxed and of really poor quality. (See the Euro-Cult board at Mobius Home Video Forum at http://www.mhvf.net) Yes, everyone can agree that the extras are good, but who cares? The transfer of the movie is unwatchable.
[Edited by Sartana on 06-10-01 at 01:34 AM]
06-09-01, 09:15 PM
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DVD Drive-In's version is nowhere near "unwatchable". Is the print bad? Yes it is but all I'm saying is that it's a lot better than anything released yet.
Did you watch your Madacy version before you bought the DVD Drive In version? As for Lucus, it was on Mobius where he stated the video quality was bad but the audio and extras were nice.
I really don't understand why people say, "Horror sites aren't going to bash this disc". Why wouldn't we? We bash people like Anchor Bay, MGM and all the others.
I gave the Drive In version 2/5 for video quality. The Madacy vesion 1/5. I certainly think the DVD Drive In's picture quality is at least 1/5 times better than Madacy.
Did you watch your Madacy version before you bought the DVD Drive In version? As for Lucus, it was on Mobius where he stated the video quality was bad but the audio and extras were nice.
I really don't understand why people say, "Horror sites aren't going to bash this disc". Why wouldn't we? We bash people like Anchor Bay, MGM and all the others.
I gave the Drive In version 2/5 for video quality. The Madacy vesion 1/5. I certainly think the DVD Drive In's picture quality is at least 1/5 times better than Madacy.
06-10-01, 03:33 AM
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You seem to be missing the point. DVD Drive-In have tried to dupe everyone into thinking that they're providing a letterboxed 16x9 transfer, when they're really just taking a cropped fullscreen master and cropping it even more with letterbox mattes! By saying that your review is "too nice," I'm saying that while you (and other reviewers) are busy pointing out how this disc was made by fans and we should give them credit for going the extra mile with extras, etc., you fail to mention that the picture is needlessly cropped on all four sides. You seem to be purposefully avoiding this criticism for some reason.
Your statement that "I really don't understand why people say, "Horror sites aren't going to bash this disc". Why wouldn't we? We bash people like Anchor Bay, MGM and all the others." doesn't really make much sense in the context of this discussion. Obviously you bash Anchor Bay and MGM. You even bash them in the Lady Frankenstein review, while enthusiastically praising the amount of extras that DVD Drive-In came up with. This is the bias I was referring to. Since MGM and Anchor Bay aren't little one-man fan operations, they are easy to criticize. But since DVD Drive-In is the underdog upstart, you seem willing to not only give them a considerable amount of critical leeway, but you also go out of your way to say that even Anchor Bay and Image don't come up with as many extra features as DVD Drive-In did (a statement that could easily be refuted with dozens of examples).
Yes, you gave it a 2/5 for image quality, but don't you think people deserve to know how screwed up this disc is more than DVD Drive-In deserves a little beginner's critical handicap? What if this disc came from another one-man fan company, Synapse? I don't think everybody would be apologetically pointing out that "it was labor of love" and that "they deserve credit for doing what the big studios don't." DVD Drive-In deserves credit for giving it a go and I hope they do better on their next release, but they don't deserve much credit for the quality of this disc.
And I don't see how anyone could misconstrue Tim Lucas' comments on Mobius as anything remotely resembling a "good review." He blasted the thing. Again, the extras are nice. Everyone will say that, but that doesn't equal "good review."
Your statement that "I really don't understand why people say, "Horror sites aren't going to bash this disc". Why wouldn't we? We bash people like Anchor Bay, MGM and all the others." doesn't really make much sense in the context of this discussion. Obviously you bash Anchor Bay and MGM. You even bash them in the Lady Frankenstein review, while enthusiastically praising the amount of extras that DVD Drive-In came up with. This is the bias I was referring to. Since MGM and Anchor Bay aren't little one-man fan operations, they are easy to criticize. But since DVD Drive-In is the underdog upstart, you seem willing to not only give them a considerable amount of critical leeway, but you also go out of your way to say that even Anchor Bay and Image don't come up with as many extra features as DVD Drive-In did (a statement that could easily be refuted with dozens of examples).
Yes, you gave it a 2/5 for image quality, but don't you think people deserve to know how screwed up this disc is more than DVD Drive-In deserves a little beginner's critical handicap? What if this disc came from another one-man fan company, Synapse? I don't think everybody would be apologetically pointing out that "it was labor of love" and that "they deserve credit for doing what the big studios don't." DVD Drive-In deserves credit for giving it a go and I hope they do better on their next release, but they don't deserve much credit for the quality of this disc.
And I don't see how anyone could misconstrue Tim Lucas' comments on Mobius as anything remotely resembling a "good review." He blasted the thing. Again, the extras are nice. Everyone will say that, but that doesn't equal "good review."
06-12-01, 10:11 PM
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Now I'm confused, ManiacDVD. In one post, you say Madacy's disc has the sex scene "complete," but in another, you say Madacy's disc doesn't have the sex scene at all.
No offense meant here -- just wanting to know which it is. I'm still mulling over a purchase. I figured Something Weird's VHS tape of all things would have been uncut, but it is missing the sex scene entirely!
No offense meant here -- just wanting to know which it is. I'm still mulling over a purchase. I figured Something Weird's VHS tape of all things would have been uncut, but it is missing the sex scene entirely!
06-12-01, 11:50 PM
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RLOTT---No offense taken.
MADACY DISC
The sex scene I talked about in my other post can't even be seen in the Madacy disc.
Is that the line where you thought I said the Madacy disc didn't have the sex scene? In that statement, I was simply trying to say that the Madacy's picture quality is so bad that you can hardly see the sex scene. I just re-watched the scene before replying here. The sex scene in the Madacy disc has all the colors faded and there is a pink tint on the print.
Again, both the Madacy and DVD Drive-In DVD's have the full sex scene and all the violence in them. Due to the bad picture quality, the Madacy sex scene is hard to see.
I recommend all 10 of the Madacy's Killer Creature Double Features because of the low retail price, two films, three trailers and a cartoon. Still, if you are just worried with the Lady Frankenstein film, then I suggest you get the DVD Drive-In version. Again, I watched both versions side by side and the Drive-In version is the better of the two. Even with saying that, the Drive-IN picture quality is FAR from perfect but it's the best I've seen the film.
MADACY DISC
The sex scene I talked about in my other post can't even be seen in the Madacy disc.
Is that the line where you thought I said the Madacy disc didn't have the sex scene? In that statement, I was simply trying to say that the Madacy's picture quality is so bad that you can hardly see the sex scene. I just re-watched the scene before replying here. The sex scene in the Madacy disc has all the colors faded and there is a pink tint on the print.
Again, both the Madacy and DVD Drive-In DVD's have the full sex scene and all the violence in them. Due to the bad picture quality, the Madacy sex scene is hard to see.
I recommend all 10 of the Madacy's Killer Creature Double Features because of the low retail price, two films, three trailers and a cartoon. Still, if you are just worried with the Lady Frankenstein film, then I suggest you get the DVD Drive-In version. Again, I watched both versions side by side and the Drive-In version is the better of the two. Even with saying that, the Drive-IN picture quality is FAR from perfect but it's the best I've seen the film.
06-13-01, 09:28 AM
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Thanks for clearing that up, ManiacDVD. I'll probably get the Madacy version, because I like the "experience" of the Killer Creatures concept. I have the one with "A Bucket of Blood" already.
