The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
04-23-12, 03:42 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
It can't be as bad as those Buena Vista releases, right?
SAVING SILVERMAN FANS, YOUR TIME HAS COME!
WAVE 1 (October 9th, 2012)
WAVE 2 (March 26th, 2013)
WAVE 3 (May 7th, 2013)
WAVE 3.1 (October 1st, 2013)
WAVE 4 (July 22nd, 2014)
WAVE 5 (August 19th, 2014)
WAVE 6 (September 30th, 2014)
POSSIBLE FUTURE RELEASES CONFIRMED BY MILL CREEK & SONY
Originally Posted by Home Theater Magazine
Minneapolis’ Mill Creek Entertainment has licensed 250 titles from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for DVD and Blu-ray Disc distribution in the United States and Canada.
The deal covers everything from the “Hostel” and “Hollow Man” franchises to classics such as Ship of Fools, Bonjour Tristesse, The Last Detail, Avalon, The Chase and Agnes of God. Many of the titles will see their first-ever Blu-ray release.
“It’s a defining moment for Mill Creek Entertainment. The sun is shining over here on the home video business,” said Jeff Hayne, VP of content acquisition for Mill Creek. “We’re going to do a lot of things where we package titles together by star, like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal, and in other cases we’ll do that by genre. That’s been our bread and butter with DVD for a long time, and now we get to do that with Blu-ray.”
Mill Creek plans a first wave of releases included in the deal this fall. Hollywood Homicide, All the Pretty Horses and Saving Silverman are among the other well-known titles Mill Creek will release.
“This treasure trove of SPHE films represents a watershed enhancement of our growing filmed entertainment catalog,” said Ian Warfield, president and COO of Mill Creek. “We are excited to work with the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment team to deliver this amazing line-up of star-filled titles for the enjoyment of an even broader audience of consumers.”
The deal covers everything from the “Hostel” and “Hollow Man” franchises to classics such as Ship of Fools, Bonjour Tristesse, The Last Detail, Avalon, The Chase and Agnes of God. Many of the titles will see their first-ever Blu-ray release.
“It’s a defining moment for Mill Creek Entertainment. The sun is shining over here on the home video business,” said Jeff Hayne, VP of content acquisition for Mill Creek. “We’re going to do a lot of things where we package titles together by star, like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal, and in other cases we’ll do that by genre. That’s been our bread and butter with DVD for a long time, and now we get to do that with Blu-ray.”
Mill Creek plans a first wave of releases included in the deal this fall. Hollywood Homicide, All the Pretty Horses and Saving Silverman are among the other well-known titles Mill Creek will release.
“This treasure trove of SPHE films represents a watershed enhancement of our growing filmed entertainment catalog,” said Ian Warfield, president and COO of Mill Creek. “We are excited to work with the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment team to deliver this amazing line-up of star-filled titles for the enjoyment of an even broader audience of consumers.”
WAVE 1 (October 9th, 2012)
- Freedomland / The Messengers
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (Freedomland) / 1080p 1.78:1 (The Messengers); DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Material: None
Note: The Messengers originally received a Blu-ray release from Sony in 2007 with an audio commentary and a 37-minute documentary. - Hostel (Director's Cut) / Hostel II (Director's Cut)
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Hostel & Hostel: Part II originally received Blu-ray releases from Sony in 2007 with numerous audio commentary tracks, documentaries, deleted scenes and more. - Stealth / Vertical Limit
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (Stealth) / 1080p 1.78:1 (Vertical Limit); DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Stealth & Vertical Limit originally received Blu-ray releases from Sony in 2006 & 2007. The former was bare bones, the latter retained the bonus material from the original DVD.
WAVE 2 (March 26th, 2013)
- Attack Force / Into the Sun
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None - Happy Birthday to Me / When a Stranger Calls
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Bonus Materials: None - Hollow Man (Director's Cut) / Hollow Man 2
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1 (Hollow Man) / 1080p 2.40:1 (Hollow Man 2); English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Hollow Man originally received a Blu-ray release from Sony in 2007 with nearly an hour of bonus materials. - Hollywood Homicide / Hudson Hawk
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (Hollywood Homicide) / 1080p 1.78:1 (Hudson Hawk); English DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Hollywood Homicide) / English DTS-HD MA 2.0 (Hudson Hawk) - Lilith / Ship of Fools
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Bonus Materials: None - The Replacement Killers (Theatrical Cut) / Truth or Consequences, N.M.
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (The Replacement Killers) / 1080p 1.78:1 (Truth or Consequences, N.M.); English DTS-HD MA 5.1 (The Replacement Killers) / English DTS-HD MA 2.0 (Truth or Consequences, N.M.)
Bonus Materials: None
Note: The Replacement Killers originally received a Blu-ray release from Sony in 2007 with nearly an hour of bonus materials and an extended cut. - Running with Scissors / The Squid and the Whale
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (Running with Scissors) / 1080p 1.78:1 (The Squid and the Whale); English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Running with Scissors originally received a Blu-ray release from Sony in 2007 with three featurettes.
WAVE 3 (May 7th, 2013)
- Anatomy / Anatomy 2
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; German Dolby Digital 5.1 (Anatomy); German DTS-HD MA 5.1 (Anatomy 2)
Bonus Materials: None
Note: While the English dub of Anatomy is available as a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 on the disc, the original German soundtrack is only given a lossy Dolby Digital track encoded at 384 kbps. In addition, Anatomy 2 has non-removeable English subtitles. - The Anderson Tapes / Physical Evidence
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Bonus Materials: None - The Brotherhood of Satan / Mr. Sardonicus
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1 (The Brotherhood of Satan) / 1080p 1.78:1 (Mr. Sardonicus); English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Bonus Materials: None - In the Cut (Unrated Cut) / Trapped
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1 / English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None - The Nines / Slipstream
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1 (The Nines) / 1080p 2.40:1 (Slipstream); English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None - Second in Command / Universal Soldier: The Return
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
WAVE 3.1 (October 1st, 2013)
- Attack Force / Into the Sun / Second in Command / Universal Soldier: The Return
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Two-disc set consisting of Mill Creek's two previous Van Damme double-feature discs.
WAVE 4 (July 22nd, 2014)
- Anaconda
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; English Dolby Digital 2.0
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2009 with no bonus material, but a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio option. - Donnie Brasco
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; English Dolby Digital 5.1
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2007 available only in an extended cut, two featurettes, and a lossless PCM audio option. - Flatliners
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40.1: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2007 with no bonus material, but a lossless PCM audio option. - Gridiron Gang
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2007 with an audio commentary and 45 minutes of bonus material. - Last Action Hero
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; English Dolby Digital 5.1
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2010 with no bonus materials, but a lossless DTS-HD MA audio option. - The Legend of Billie Jean
Technical Specifications: 1080p 1.78:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: Audio Commentary with Helen Slater and Yardley Smith.
WAVE 5 (August 19th, 2014)
- 20 Million Miles To Earth / It Came From Beneath the Sea
Technical Specifications: Video TBA; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: None - Basic / S.W.A.T.
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: None
Note: S.W.A.T. was released on Blu-ray in 2006 as a bare-bones edition. - Identity / Vacancy
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: None
Note: Identity and Vacancy were both released on Blu-ray in 2007 with various bonus material.
WAVE 6 (September 30th, 2014)
- Blue Thunder
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2009 as a special edition. - I Know What You Did Last Summer
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2007 with an audio commentary and featurettes. - Krull
Technical Specifications: Video TBA: Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: TBA - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Theatrical Cut)
Technical Specifications: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio TBA
Bonus Materials: TBA
Note: Previously released to Blu-ray in 2008 as a two-disc special edition.
POSSIBLE FUTURE RELEASES CONFIRMED BY MILL CREEK & SONY
Spoiler:
Last edited by Matthew Chmiel; 07-20-14 at 09:10 PM.
04-23-12, 03:50 PM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Hal Ashby deserves so much more than Mill Creek. I am expecting a bare bones, interlaced, upconversion for The Last Detail. Albeit at a bargain basement price...between this and the TT thread I am turning into Goldilocks. Surely, there will be a "just right" boutique label on the horizon.
04-23-12, 06:03 PM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Hal Ashby deserves so much more than Mill Creek. I am expecting a bare bones, interlaced, upconversion for The Last Detail. Albeit at a bargain basement price...between this and the TT thread I am turning into Goldilocks. Surely, there will be a "just right" boutique label on the horizon.
If Mill Creek is going to be their dumping ground for movies they have no intention of remastering, their reputation is going to take a hit. I'm not saying they're above that, but I for one will be disappointed if it turns out to be true.
It would particularly pain me to see a movie like The Last Detail end up on a subpar BD.
04-23-12, 06:30 PM
#5
Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
We’re going to do a lot of things where we package titles together by star, like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal, and in other cases we’ll do that by genre.
04-23-12, 06:52 PM
#6
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Well, I guess I have mixed feelings about this announcement. On one hand, there are some really good movies that might not have ever been released in HD that will end up getting a Blu-ray release. On the other hand, it's Mill Creek ... I guess we'll just have to wait and see how these look.
04-23-12, 07:56 PM
#7
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
GREAT! Wish it was anyone else other than Mill Creek (with the possible exception of Anchor Bay, cf their BD edition of DEADLY SPAWN).
We can look forward to 250 shitty, low-bitrate encodes.
I'd just love for Mill Creek to prove me wrong, turn over a new leaf, and raise the bar by making their BD encodes shine, however!
We can look forward to 250 shitty, low-bitrate encodes.
I'd just love for Mill Creek to prove me wrong, turn over a new leaf, and raise the bar by making their BD encodes shine, however!
04-23-12, 08:35 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
GREAT! Wish it was anyone else other than Mill Creek (with the possible exception of Anchor Bay, cf their BD edition of DEADLY SPAWN).
We can look forward to 250 shitty, low-bitrate encodes.
I'd just love for Mill Creek to prove me wrong, turn over a new leaf, and raise the bar by making their BD encodes shine, however!
We can look forward to 250 shitty, low-bitrate encodes.
I'd just love for Mill Creek to prove me wrong, turn over a new leaf, and raise the bar by making their BD encodes shine, however!
Mill Creek is great at putting out quality product at a cheap price as long as they're given the right material to work with. The Buena Vista titles, not as much, as they look like they're first-generation HDTV masters (especially as all of them have come packed with 2.0 audio tracks). However, based upon the specifications of the next Buena Vista wave, we could be seeing a sudden jump in quality.
If anything, their track record is leaps and bounds better than Echo Bridge or Image Entertainment. If Sony is willing to work with them, we could get some stellar bargain-bin releases.
04-23-12, 10:11 PM
#9
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
04-23-12, 10:29 PM
#10
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
The big studios are no longer interested in releasing catalog. Hardly comes as a shock. At this point we should be glad just to get these on Blu-ray.
04-23-12, 10:37 PM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
I don't mind if they don't get any extras, but hopefully these will at least get decent HD transfers. The Last Detail and Bonjour Tristesse, at least, are great movies, and I'd jump at the chance to get them on Blu-ray.
04-24-12, 12:54 AM
#12
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
The transfers/masters are one thing, but the actual disc encodes are something else. They could (and should) be getting stellar material to work with from Sony, but it won't amount to much if they give them indifferent, low-bit rate encodes. Not saying this is what will happen. I don't own any of the previously released BV releases, and even if I did they might step up their game with the Sony stuff.
We'll all just have to wait and see.
I am positively optimistic considering the titles they are choosing to mention in the initial press release.
Bonjour Tristesse is a day one purchase for me, as will likely be The Chase. I'm very surprised to see BT going to Mill Creek rather than Twilight Time. I thought for sure something like that would be a shoo-in over there. Hopefully in 2013 I can start scratching a lot of these off my want list
Gilda
Gidget (finally in it's proper OAR)
From Here To Eternity
The Buddy Holly Story
The China Syndrome
Golden Voyage Of Sinbad
The Swimmer
with all the licensing deals in place now, 2013 should be a decent year for deeper catalog it looks like.
We'll all just have to wait and see.
I am positively optimistic considering the titles they are choosing to mention in the initial press release.
Bonjour Tristesse is a day one purchase for me, as will likely be The Chase. I'm very surprised to see BT going to Mill Creek rather than Twilight Time. I thought for sure something like that would be a shoo-in over there. Hopefully in 2013 I can start scratching a lot of these off my want list
Gilda
Gidget (finally in it's proper OAR)
From Here To Eternity
The Buddy Holly Story
The China Syndrome
Golden Voyage Of Sinbad
The Swimmer
with all the licensing deals in place now, 2013 should be a decent year for deeper catalog it looks like.
04-24-12, 05:37 AM
#13
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
its a distribution deal right, so maybe it will be like the Image deal where Sony seemed to have done encodes and the masters?
04-24-12, 09:05 AM
#14
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Possibly. But some of Sony's BDs haven't looked all that great. I have a feeling were going to get a bunch of ancient HDTV masters slapped on a disc. Why spend the money when the disc will MSRP at $9.99?
04-24-12, 10:25 AM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Seeing as how Sony has completely bypassed releasing some newer films on BD at all (Hostel III, Good Old Fashioned Orgy) it's no surprise they'd do this. Seems like an easy way to focus solely on big titles while allowing a second-rate company to pump out the rest.
04-24-12, 10:36 AM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Mill Creek has been doing decent stuff.
People complaining sound like they're talking about Echo Bridge.
People complaining sound like they're talking about Echo Bridge.
04-24-12, 03:47 PM
#18
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
For example, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was a packed special edition DVD with a 5.1 English track (the original Japanese audio track was stereo). The Blu-ray drops all of the bonus material and even drops the 5.1 English track to PCM 2.0.
If Sony keeps providing the masters, Mill Creek's releases will look great as they don't mind using dual-layered discs for bargain titles (unlike say Echo Bridge). Hopefully they'll bring over the bonus material a lot of these DVDs and Blu-ray releases included as well.
04-25-12, 04:00 AM
#19
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Well if Mill Creek is now using BD50s for its releases, that is wonderful news. The idea should be to encode the best possible PQ out of the provided masters. I'm willing to be optimistic and give Mill Creek the benefit of the doubt.
04-25-12, 08:07 AM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
most have looked pretty solid to me. Image titles like Absence of Malice and And Justice For All look and sound pretty fine.
04-25-12, 09:22 AM
#21
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
But image may have licensed titles that Sony had planned on putting out on BD but didn't. These titles Mill creek just got may not have any work done on them. I doubt Sony was ready to release Saving Silverman.
04-25-12, 10:23 AM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Didn't realize it at first, but Mill Creek has also released the 90's Gamera trilogy on Bluray, and Sony holds the US rights to distribute a lot of Godzilla films. There's still a handful of Godzilla titles that never got legit US DVD releases, and this might be a good way of getting them out the door.
04-25-12, 12:40 PM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
I figure this is the same deal Image has with Sony... Image uses Sony for CEA and replication, in turn Sony gave them a batch of titles to release.
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04-25-12, 01:31 PM
#24
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
But you have to believe that many of these masters have been untouched since the DVD release, as GizmoDVD alluded to in his post. The Image BDs were clearly releases that Sony had once prepared for themselves to release but didn't, and hence looked good. These are all mostly C-list movies where the master has been rotting since the DVD release of years ago.
04-25-12, 01:55 PM
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Re: The Official Mill Creek Sony Firesale Appreciation Thread
Yes, because Jawbreaker is such a pinnacle of Sony's filmed entertainment library.