Just saw "The Conversation" is being re-released later this year by Lion's Gate. This was a Paramount release and one of the big titles of theirs that recently went OOP. I know Lion's Gate is handling the Blu-Ray of "Apocalypse Now" as well.

I'm glad to see something like "The Conversation" not fading into retail obscurity, but wonder if this is a one-off thing or something big for Lion's Gate. I know there are a few big OOP Paramount titles I'd love see back in print, namely "Medium Cool"

They've released quite a few others over the past year;

The Phantom
Drop Zone
Hard Rain
The Relic
...among others that I can't recall

Not sure why many of their titles have changed hands lately, but I agree that its nice to see certain ones rescued from 'retail obscurity.'

Also double features with oop movies like Let it ride and Brain candy.

As far as I know, Paramount one-off licensed the original My Bloody Valentine to LGF because they didn't want to do the SE. Maybe they found the partnership worked so well for both parties, they expanded the deal.

MGM/Fox have also started licensing away their titles. I saw a Charles Bronson triple feature at Best Buy for $5 that I ultimately wasn't sure about, and later went to Wal-Mart and picked up a double feature of Easy Money and Throw Momma From the Train. I'm not a huge fan of the low-rent packaging on these features (box copy is in Arial and the whole thing looks kind of cheesy, like it's already prepared to go into a super-ultra-mega-bargain bin). The company is called TGG Direct, and both MGM and Fox's logos are on the back.

Obviously, MGM has been having money problems, but I had always heard rumblings about a Throw Momma SE. I guess not...

I hope they re-release the spoof The Big Bus.

I thought it was because Zoetrope, Coppola's company licensed these films to Lionsgate.

That's correct. They pulled all of their films licensed to Paramount (with the exception of The Godfather) and gave them to Lionsgate.

You'll probably see Lionsgate releasing The Virgin Suicides, Hammett, The Rainmaker, The Escape Artist, and Tucker: The Man and His Dream.

hopefully these will start showing up on blu-ray as well.

Those 2 aren't actually Paramount titles. Coppolla owns them and when the deal with Paramount ended, his company decided to lease them to Lionsgate, for better or worse.

I think I'd say that was "worse".

Lionsgate isn't as prestigious as Paramount, certainly, but so far the art looks basically like replicas of Paramount's, and I imagine they'll take care with the transfers -- the same, at the very least, if not better.

Lionsgate DVDs are also frequently inexpensive and better stocked than Paramount's. It sounds like a downside on the very surface, but I don't think it is.

There's a similar thread going on in HD Talk at the moment: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/hd-talk/574...y-release.html

Ladybugs
Jimmy Hollywood
Jade
Flight of the Intruder
The Relic
The Running Man
Hard Rain
Drop Zone
The Phantom
My Bloody Valentine

All Paramount titles currently released (or announced) on Blu-ray... from Lionsgate. You think Paramount would've put these titles out on Blu-ray? Not a snowball's chance in hell.

Most have been bare-bone affairs. However, I own three of the titles on that list....

My Bloody Valentine looks fantastic for a low-budget Canadian horror film from 1980 that's presented in its uncut form in HD alongside all of the extras from the Lionsgate DVD.

The Phantom looks and sounds fantastic, but still only has a theatrical trailer.

The Relic looks and sounds great, but also includes a commentary and featurette. The original Paramount DVD was bare-bones.

Oh, did I mention that Lionsgate has released most of the Paramount titles with DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtracks?

Don't knock Lionsgate just because they're not Paramount. They put out some solid discs onto Blu on a consistent basis. Sucks that Jade was only the rated edition, but it could've been possible that the uncut edition was edited on video rather than on film elements.

Well, Lionsgate is a crapshoot in terms of releases. The Studio Canal films they took from Criterion have worse transfer and less extras. Other films, like the Bunuel Mexican films, don't even have subtitles. Apocalypse Now has been re-released by them only in the Redux cut. Why couldn't they license both versions of the film?

The Studio Canal discs are the same exact releases Studio Canal has put out in their native France alongside other parts of the world. I'm going on a limb and saying Lionsgate is just acting as a distributor and nothing more in that role with them. If the disc sucks, it's Studio Canal's fault more than Lionsgate.

Apocalypse Now being recently re-released in the Redux cut may be due to the fact that's (unfortunately) Coppola's "preferred" cut.

I'm being optimistic, but we will have to see what happens.

You're going to be eating those words... mark MY words...

Hold on Cliff, I have question about some of the July Lionsgate releases, are the Special Edition of Johnny Handsome, Lock Up and Rambo (4) -D.C... are they going to be available on DVD? Or just Blu? Do you know? I know you produced the features for the Rambo DC, but what about the other two?


Yes, I know this is a Coppola Films thread. But it involves Lionsgate too.

I didn't really have anything to do with the titles other than Rambo, but as far as I know, they are BD only at this time. I could be wrong about that, but that was my understanding.

Thank you for answering, that sucks, Blu Ray only Special Editions of Johny Handsome and Lock up, I was really looking forward for these to be on DVD!!!

I hope I'm wrong