Assault On Precinct 13 SE..any reviews?
02-27-03, 03:51 PM
#1
DVD Talk Special Edition
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Assault On Precinct 13 SE..any reviews?
Interested in reviews of the SE remastered edition of the John Carpenter classic...but unable to locate any as yet.
Would like to hear from those people who may have acquired it from a certain e-tailer shipping it well in advance of the March 11th release date
Would like to hear from those people who may have acquired it from a certain e-tailer shipping it well in advance of the March 11th release date
03-09-03, 04:09 AM
#2
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Picked up an early copy of this in the UK last week.
POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILERS!
Firstly I have not seen any of the previous DVD releases, so don't know how sound and pic compare.
Initially, I was a little worried about the pic quality, because the opening scene where the gang members get killed in the alleyway is extremely grainy. However, once the film gets started, it improves greatly, and I did'nt really notice much evidence of grain or crawl in any other sequences. Considering the age of the movie. it looks pretty damn good to me.
Sound is dolby digital mono. When I first heard about this I, along with many others I am sure, was dissapointed - why no 5.1, or even 2.0? But it's really not a problem, as it's one of the loudest, punchiest and clearest mono tracks I have ever heard. Bottom line is this is how the movie would have sounded in theatres anyway. Besides, grafting a 5.1 track onto older movies often sounds unnatural. And lets be honest, this is low budget stuff, and somehow I cannot see a studio giving Carpenter a ton of money to be able to restore the movie any more than it has been, judging by the quality and poor box office performance of his more recent efforts.
Extras? Commentary is a little laid back (Carpenters collaborations with actors on commentaries are legendary and always entertaining), but interesting and informative. Interesting to hear him cringe occasionally at his naivety back then, and his comments about how a lot of the violence would probably not be allowed in todays climate.
The interview with him and Austin Stoker is slightly dissapointing, as it was very poorly shot at what looks like a convention. Camerawork is a little amateurish, and sound is not that clear, but it's watchable. Good to hear Carpenter talk on the movie in retrospect, though, and there are some interesting anecdotes.
The production gallery, which is not listed on the box, is actually very good - a 16 min vignette containing script pages, poster gallery, storyboards, production photos and explanatory text commentary, with the soundtrack playing over it. It even details the story of how the film became the hit of the London Film Festival, with some newspaper cuttings and reviews from the time. (a little side note here - the film was picked up for UK distribution as a result of the LFF screening by a company called Miracle Films. This was headed up by a guy called Michael Myers. Yes, that Michael Myers, who of course was immortalised courtesy of the Halloween films, as a thank you from Carpenter. Years later in the 80's, during my stint as a cinema manager in the UK, I had many dealings with Michael Myers. Very nice guy, passed away some years back though).
In addition, there is an isolated score, which is a welcome touch .
Add to this a couple of radio spots and a trailer, and it's a very nice package indeed.
Recommended.
POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILERS!
Firstly I have not seen any of the previous DVD releases, so don't know how sound and pic compare.
Initially, I was a little worried about the pic quality, because the opening scene where the gang members get killed in the alleyway is extremely grainy. However, once the film gets started, it improves greatly, and I did'nt really notice much evidence of grain or crawl in any other sequences. Considering the age of the movie. it looks pretty damn good to me.
Sound is dolby digital mono. When I first heard about this I, along with many others I am sure, was dissapointed - why no 5.1, or even 2.0? But it's really not a problem, as it's one of the loudest, punchiest and clearest mono tracks I have ever heard. Bottom line is this is how the movie would have sounded in theatres anyway. Besides, grafting a 5.1 track onto older movies often sounds unnatural. And lets be honest, this is low budget stuff, and somehow I cannot see a studio giving Carpenter a ton of money to be able to restore the movie any more than it has been, judging by the quality and poor box office performance of his more recent efforts.
Extras? Commentary is a little laid back (Carpenters collaborations with actors on commentaries are legendary and always entertaining), but interesting and informative. Interesting to hear him cringe occasionally at his naivety back then, and his comments about how a lot of the violence would probably not be allowed in todays climate.
The interview with him and Austin Stoker is slightly dissapointing, as it was very poorly shot at what looks like a convention. Camerawork is a little amateurish, and sound is not that clear, but it's watchable. Good to hear Carpenter talk on the movie in retrospect, though, and there are some interesting anecdotes.
The production gallery, which is not listed on the box, is actually very good - a 16 min vignette containing script pages, poster gallery, storyboards, production photos and explanatory text commentary, with the soundtrack playing over it. It even details the story of how the film became the hit of the London Film Festival, with some newspaper cuttings and reviews from the time. (a little side note here - the film was picked up for UK distribution as a result of the LFF screening by a company called Miracle Films. This was headed up by a guy called Michael Myers. Yes, that Michael Myers, who of course was immortalised courtesy of the Halloween films, as a thank you from Carpenter. Years later in the 80's, during my stint as a cinema manager in the UK, I had many dealings with Michael Myers. Very nice guy, passed away some years back though).
In addition, there is an isolated score, which is a welcome touch .
Add to this a couple of radio spots and a trailer, and it's a very nice package indeed.
Recommended.
03-09-03, 01:28 PM
#3
Moderator
I just realized this was coming out a couple days ago. Probably my favorite Carpenter flick.
DVD Specs:
Interview With John Carpenter and Austin Stoker
Radio Spots
Still Gallery
Running Commentary By John Carpenter
Original Theatrical Trailer
John Carpenter's Isolated Score
Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic)
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono
Can't wait to pick this up!!!
Spoiler:
DVD Specs:
Interview With John Carpenter and Austin Stoker
Radio Spots
Still Gallery
Running Commentary By John Carpenter
Original Theatrical Trailer
John Carpenter's Isolated Score
Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic)
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono
Can't wait to pick this up!!!
03-13-03, 08:42 PM
#5
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Check my column for a review, and more importantly, enter the giveaway.
