Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I just received my copies of Phenomena and Tenebre in the mail today. I haven't even put in the discs into my player, but I'm in love with the packaging.

Now I'm tempted to purchase the remaining Argento Arrow titles despite owning the Blue Underground editions. Goddamnit!

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I would see that release being region locked, seeing as how Criterion has the rights in the US...

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I finally watched Phenomena and Tenebre over the past few nights. I'm confused on why Arrow gets so much love other than the fact they put together comprehensive bonus material (and the fact we all creamed our pants over their limited edition release of Battle Royale).

1. I will admit that both films look the best in any sort of presentation I've personally seen. I'm only speaking based upon Anchor Bay's original DVD releases from 1999 and the re-releases in 2008. For those of you who remember both releases, the re-releases included the same outdated (and awful) transfers just now anamorphically enhanced alongside some new bonus features.

2. There are moments of Phenomena's transfer that genuinely look fantastic. There also happens to be moments of Phenomena's transfer that questions if they shot the film with a lens that was covered vaseline due to the sometimes massive amounts of DNR applied. I couldn't tell during the opening scene of the film if I was watching a live-action movie or a messed up Monet painting. It's a very schizophrenic transfer, but again, it's the best I've ever seen the film presented.

3. For those who complained about the noise patterns on Blue Underground's release of The Cat O' Nine Tails are in for a treat with Tenebre. The entire film is plagued with it and it's an eyesore. Again, it's sadly the best I've ever seen the film presented. However Arrow, what the hell happened? Especially when there's a perfectly good transfer that exists that doesn't have the fucking issue.

4. Anchor Bay, at a time when they weren't on the map yet, put together some solid 5.1 remixes alongside their original stereo mixes for their original 1999 DVD releases (that were later used again on the 2008 re-releases). Arrow presents Phenomena and Tenebre in their original stereo (and 2.0 mono for Tenebre) mixes... and that's it. Wah-wah.

5. The bonus material looks like it was shot on some standard definition camcorder from the beginning of last decade. Seriously? Does anyone over at Arrow own any decent equipment? Christ, I could've shot (and edited) the interview footage on my iPhone using an external microphone and it probably would've came out better.

6. The second audio commentary track on Tenebre sounds like it was recorded in a shed using tin cans and string.

I paid $14 for each once all is said and done which I can't complain based upon the killer packaging and the fact these don't exist here in the states. However, I wish Blue Underground could just snatch the rights away from Anchor Bay so we can finally get a proper Blu-ray release of them here. I know Blue Underground won't give us the hours of bonus material Arrow provided, but I know they'd present the film with better audio and picture quality.

I have Demons and Demons 2 (despite the fact it's a steaming pile of shit) pre-ordered because of my love for the first film and the fact that Anchor Bay won't release it on Blu-ray while they own the rights to them. It sucks that I'm already expecting a lackluster transfer for both, but at least it'll be better than the non-anamorphic DVDs I already own. I wish we could get better transfers, but c'est la vie.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Plus each extra, even if it's only a 5-minute talking head interview, has both opening and closing credits.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Man, if only Arrow put such dedication towards their transfers, we'd have Criterion-esque releases from them.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I was quite pleased with the look of both The Funhouse and Vamp - it's only the Italian transfers that are problematic. That does make me a bit wary of the upcoming Demons discs. I'm hoping Candyman will be more in line with the above titles.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Definitely makes sense. Since (as you mentioned), The Funhouse, Vamp, Frankenhooker, Maniac Cop and The Exterminator all got pretty solid/good reviews compared to the Italian films that Arrow has put out on Blu-Ray.

^
This x 1,000

Hell, if they put the amount of work into the transfers that they do with the artwork, we'd be in the same spot.

I'd still like to know from the company themselves why they seem to love Contrast Boosting and (tons of) DNR.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

It's not Arrow that's out of control with the DNR. Whomever they get the masters from for their Italian films are the ones that go crazy with it (if you notice, one of the complaints for Blue Underground's transfers of those same films is that there's still DNR, but it's covered up with "fake grain"). Not to mention their transfers for films like The Funhouse, Vamp and Obsession are, as you said, well-received.

Admittedly, it does have me worried about the Demons films, since I'm sure the Italian master they'll be given will have tons of DNR, but it's likely to be the only Blu-Ray option available for some time, since it's very likely Anchor Bay isn't going to bother with it any time soon.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Good point!

It also seems as if Wild Side's release of Tenebre also suffered from some DNR and strange video anomalies.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I disagree as Blue Underground's releases of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Cat O' Nine Tails and Inferno look far superior. However, to be fair, The Cat O' Nine Tails is the only release where both companies made their transfers based upon the same source material. Blue Underground wins simply off the fact they didn't compress it as much or slap on DNR as Arrow did.

Not all Italian releases are made the same either. For Zombie, Blue Underground went right back to the 35mm negative. It's a shame they don't have the ability or access to do that for the Argento releases.


However, I would've rather had Arrow just reuse that already existing transfer rather than what we received.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Even with some of the issues mentioned, Land Of Whimsy still mostly had great things to say about Wild Side's Tenebre transfer.

http://www.landofwhimsy.com/archives...w-tenebrae-bd/

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

BU's Django disc also has plenty of fake grain, but other than Cat (which I thought was a silly piece of junk anyway), I haven't noticed any major issues with any of their other Italian discs.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I'll agree with you that BU's transfer for The Bird With The Crystal Plumage is superior, just because they did the transfer themselves, rather than having Storaro get involved. However, after double checking the BU thread, it appears that the master for Cat O Nine Tails had plenty of DNR applied before hand, and then was covered with fake grain; which was also leveled at Django (I may have overstated how frequent it was with BU's discs, which I don't intend to do as I enjoy both their releases and Arrow's, but it's not the only time it's happened as well).

And again, it's not the case with all the films Arrow releases as well. As stated before, The Funhouse, Obsession and Vamp all look good, and aren't DNRed beyond belief.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Outside of the birth scene of the baby demon, I really like Demons 2. I love the surrealistic atmosphere.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I finally placed an order this weekend for some Arrow titles. :D

I know that Arrow's transfers for its Italian movies have received very mixed reviews, which is putting it kindly for a couple of titles, but I ordered The Beyond, A Bay of Blood, Phenomena and Tenebrae. And now comes the worst thing for any American ordering from Amazon UK: the wait. I'll have to keep my eyes open for any price drops because I'd love to order a few more.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Transfer-wise, A Bay Of Blood is the best of that lot. If you still can, I'd try and order a region-free copy of The Funhouse from Arrow's site; especially if you need a copy that has all extras in 1080p (I know it's been a while since the initial announcement that all future pressings would be Region B, but I was talking to a regular customer at the store I work at about the release, and about 2 weeks ago, he told me he was able to order a region free release direct from Arrow). Great transfer, not to mention plenty of extras that will never get released in the US, regardless of whether Universal puts it out or not.

Both Vamp and Obsession have great transfers as well.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I agree, it's easily my favorite Arrow release so far.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Good to hear about Bay of Blood. That was the title I read the least about (transfer wise), so I was hoping that was a good thing. The only time I've seen the movie was a *horrible* DVD from Netflix that could barely be heard. I'm sure this will be a massive upgrade from that.

I figured the Region A friendly Funhouse was all sold out from the Arrow site. I might look into that. I can't remember for sure, are the extras on the newly pressed version in PAL or just Region B encoded?

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

To my knowledge, it's just Region B encoded now.

When it was first released, while the disc itself was region free, and the movie played fine, the extras were encoded at a 50i/25p frame rate, which most US players can't play. Tenebre was the same way, actually. A couple months later, they announced that that was done as an error, and that they were pressing new, region free discs that would be fully playable on US players (for both The Funhouse and Tenebre). It was recommended that you order it through them, and then send an e-mail stating that you needed a copy of the newer pressing. A month later, it was announced that it would now be a Region B release. Nothing was confirmed as to why it was changed, although it's speculated that Universal (which owns The Funhouse in the US) had something to do with it.

I would have figured they would have been sold out by now (and I'm glad I ordered my copy when I had the chance), but my friend said he managed to order one about two weeks ago, from their site, so they MAY still have some left...

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

^^

I don't know what the current deal with Tenebre discs is, but I ordered one in the last few weeks from Amazon UK and all of the contents play fine on my player. I can't speak for The Funhouse

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I keep getting emails from Amazon UK. When I placed my order, the estimated delivery time was March 9 - March 23. This morning, I get an update saying March 6 - March 9. Then this afternoon, I get another email saying I have an estimated arrival date of Feb. 29 - March 1. The one email I still haven't received? A shipping confirmation.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I ordered my Tenebrae disc from Amazon.co.uk within the past four weeks and it's the corrected 1080p copy. All copies should be the corrected copies considering Arrow had all of their existing inventory destroyed during the riots in England last year.

IIRC, if you reach out to Arrow and order through them, they can supply you a Region ABC disc of The Funhouse. I don't know if that's still the case...

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

That's good. I've been meaning to grab Tenebre for a while, so I'll add it to my cart next time I do an Amazon order...

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Is The Bird with the Crystal Plumage release really all that bad? The movie just recently popped up on my radar so I completely missed out on the US release and I was thinking about picking up the Arrow version.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I bought my Tenebrae and The Funhouse discs as pre-orders so they are definitely first pressings and I just checked them in Corel WinDVD. Most of the Extras are 1080p/25 but I set my region at A and all the extras played fine. Here's the breakdown:

The Funhouse:

Feature:
Framerate: 23.976 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Trailer:
Framerate: 23.976 Hz
Resolution: 1280 x 720

Carnage at the Carnival:
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Miles of Mayhem:
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

The Makeup Madness of Craig Reardon
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Masterclass of Horror
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Tobe Hooper Q&A
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Tenebrae

Feature
Framerate: 24.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Screaming Queen! Daria Nicolodi Remembers Tenebrae
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

The Unsane World of Tenebrae
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

A Composition for Carnage
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Goblin Tenebrae and Phenomena Live
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Trailer
Framerate: 25.000 Hz
Resolution: 1920 x 1080

My standalone players are region-free so I don't know if there is a problem with those. They obviously played fine.

If you want to take a gamble on The Funhouse try here:

http://www.redtagmarket.com/i/502703...e_Funhouse.htm

I called them already and they can't check to see if it's the region free or region B version.

Their Tenebre is more expensive than Amazon currently but who knows which version they have.

http://www.redtagmarket.com/i/502703..._s_Tenebre.htm

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I posted a link to the DVD Beaver comparison in my second-to-last post. For starters, the film is cropped from 2.40:1 to Storaro's "preferred" 2.1:1 aspect ratio.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Any computer (Windows or Mac) can play any video format just fine. The only limitation is if the drive itself is region locked or not.

However, most region A Blu-ray players will not play any PAL or 1080/50i content. My corrected copy of Tenebrae works fine in my PS3. However, if I had the original release, I would only be able to navigate the menus and watch the film.

While I do have a region free Blu-ray player that has no problem handling PAL or 1080/50i content, it's a pain in the ass as it's connected to my smaller bedroom television rather than my setup in the living room.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Where's the best place to get Demons 1 & 2 from? Amazon seems kind of high.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Arrow just announced that the Demons releases are going to be region locked:
http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/219449-post85.html

Now I am going to decide if I want to cancel my order or just buy a cheap player to hack and make region free.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Just came to post this. :( hoping for a US release soon.

Edit- King of New York is apparently locked as well.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Disappointing news about Demons. I'm not as surprised about King of New York since there already is a Blu-ray for it in the U.S.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Now that's disappointing. I had my copies pre-ordered and everything.

I've went ahead and cancelled them. If I end up investing in a Region Free player (which seems more and more likely as time goes on), then I'll gladly snag them.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

^
You should look into one of the Insignia models, mine was $79.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

The prices are actually reasonable, it's just that the first Demons has an insane list price of £27.99. Amazon's £16.99 price (before VAT) is thus 60% off. Demons 2, with a list price of £15.99, is 25% off at £11.99.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Good to know. Too bad being region locked just stopped that pre-order from happening.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

:thmbsdwn:

It's a shame that the Demons films will be region locked. I still have my pre-order set, but if the price doesn't drop closer to the release date, I might end up canceling and wait for a future sale.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Both Demons films have been delayed until 4/30.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

I received my Arrow order this week! I'm really looking forward to watching at least one of them tonight.

Re: The Official Arrow Blu-ray Thread
 

Make sure you replace their horrible commissioned art with one of the original theatrical posters on the reverse side.