Mars Attacks! -Anamorphic or not?
 

I was about to order Mars Attacks!, just because I used to get a kick out of the movie and hadn't seen it for years.

Best Buy's website ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....&cp=1&id=60104 ) says this release is anamorphic. I read a thread or two here that made me question that; some people were saying that certain non-anamorphic movies were being mislabeled as anamorphic.

Is the release version on BB's website anamorphic or not?

Yup. I just popped it in to double check and it sure is.

Awesome. Thank you!

I don't believe Warner or Sony/Columbia has ever released a non-anamorphic widescreen disc. The other big studios did in the early days.

2010! (might not count, more of a re-issue)

Oh, they released plenty of non anamorphic discs back in the day, they just were one of the better studios (the best was Sony IIRC, worst was Fox) as far as 16x9 goes.

If memory serves, in it's day Mars Attacks was darn near a reference disk.

This is one title I'd loved to see get a new 2-disc set. I really dig it, but I'd also love to see another director tackle this as the serious film it's supposed to be. Imagine a hardcore R-rated version based on the Topps trading cards.

Has Sony released any non-16.9 discs at all? Especially with early dvd titles? I've bought a few, though cautiously, since no 16.9 was listed on packaging. Usually they'd say 'anamorphic video and audio' in some cases. But in others they just said 'widescreen and fullscreen video options. But so far the few early titles I have bought have turned out to be 16.9 enhanced!

I'm curious about Last Action Hero as well. The original widescreen/fullscreen flipper is tough to find now. But i've heard some people claim it is non-16.9 enhanced and thus i'm a bit cautious now if I find it.

Could you tell me how you tell? I now have a WS TV but don't know how to determine if a particlular title is anamorphic (unless the box tells me so). Thanks.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...hic/page2.html
Check the two links in the middle of the page, and then look at the bottom two pictures on each page.

Also, make sure you adjust your dvd player's settings so it knows that you're using a 16:9 tv.

I remember when I was at Ken Cranes back in 1997. I had a few LDs under my arm and they had 2 TVs running side by side. Both were running "Mars Attacks," but one was the LD and one was that new fangled DVD.

I turned and said to my wife, "DVD will never catch on, it's only a couple of clicks up in sharpness!"

It's anamorphic.

I worked at Sears in the summer of 97, in the home electronics department. We got a demo DVD player from the Pioneer rep one day. Our manager looked at it, and says, "Ah, same thing Monkey Ward's is selling. It will just be a niche thing, like laserdisc. I doubt it will sell at all." Now, laserdisc is extinct, and so is Montgomery Ward's. The Pioneer rep gave us one DVD to demo, "Goldeneye". I took that DVD with me when I quit that job.