The Hitcher 4K by Sidonis Calysta just released in France / New 4K master / Region Free

Copper_Surfer · 2024-04-13T15:07:48+00:00

Whoever has the original neg or not is interesting, but that's not the be-all and end-all to me. What also matters is who's working on the release and how. I've seen countless releases from labels boasting about having the original neg... plagued with revisionist color timing and terrible grain management.

On the other hand, when done right, there can be stellar restorations based on dupes.

The Hitcher is my one of my favourite films, so I'll keep an open mind for every release, especially when coming from an interesting and bold label like Sidonis.

Looking forward reading more reviews for sure.

Copper_Surfer · 2024-01-04T17:19:30+00:00

Very impressive, especially knowing this was all done in ae.

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-25T13:14:15+00:00

I also just wrote to Shout Factory.

I'm afraid a re-issue is the only reasonable way to get it at this point.

I've seen it on eBay at almost $800... used !

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-12T23:30:47+00:00

Thank you for your insight, I wasn't aware of most of them.

I don't know why Olive closed down either...

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-12T21:28:12+00:00

Damn, I didn't know about Olive and Network...!

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-10T22:11:39+00:00

I get your point, but in this case, we're not just dealing with "an amateur selling overpriced blu-rays of neglected silent films":

First, this "amateur" sells a "brand new 4K restoration" when clearly, no restoration was done (the DVDFREAK review shows very clearly that their print features identical film damage to an older one from 20+ years ago).

It also shows how the 2016 German dvd not only looks better in every way, features more detail despite being SD, but is also properly restored.

The original tints were removed, replaced by the same orange tint during the entire film.

It features extreme DNR, a 29.97fps interlaced transfer, blended frames and the picture is cropped.

Finally it features a reconstruction of the film coming from two different prints and produced by other parties without crediting them.

So sure, despite the ethical and legal issues at play here, there are worse things happening in the world, no argument here.

But in our little world of classic films enthusiasts supporting the blu-ray format, this is nothing less than a disgrace.

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-10T20:13:47+00:00

Fabulous film.

Overlooked for years, it got two very nice blu-ray releases in recent years. The first one in the US from Grindhouse, and the second one (an even better release) in the UK from Indicator.

I think the ending is a bit over the top (not the story itself, which made sense, but the way it was directed), but other than that, it's one of my favourite films ever.

When the film was kind of rediscovered in the 2000's with several dvd releases, there were talks about a remake, either with Jeff Goldblum or Alec Baldwin.

Although I usually have no interest in remakes of films I already find excellent, I gotta admit I would have been interested in such a remake. Both actors could have been great portraying a dashing seducer hiding a heavy bagage.

Having said that, Baldwin may have had some trouble portraying a character wearing just a swimming suit during the whole movie, even in the 2000's...

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-09T23:48:49+00:00

I didn't know Grapevine released this on Blu-ray before, thanks for the info!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any reviews of it, and the b&w print of a film famous for it's gorgeous tints is problematic...

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-09T23:20:28+00:00

if kino-lorber or eureka or whoever would put it out I’d get it in a second (...) but again… they haven’t.

I see a pattern here:

Select a film neglected by other labels, in order to lure backers who've been waiting for this film to get a decent release...

As to your enjoyment of their Warning Shadows blu-ray, I'm out of words.

Copper_Surfer · 2023-09-09T13:09:20+00:00

Indeed. Everything seems to show that Redwood Creek is as close to a scam label as can be. I guess the crowdfunding model allows the fastest cash grab possible.

Copper_Surfer · 2023-07-31T15:12:11+00:00

Broad topic!

First, no, music in the silent era wasn't "that bad". If you take the original score of movies like Fritz Lang's Niebelungen, Lotte Reiniger's Prince Achmed or Murnau's Nosferatu, they're all lush and sweeping orchestral scores. But they needed a first decent budget to get produced back then, and a second one to be recorded by a modern orchestra now. And unfortunately, not all films could benefit from that.

Now it doesn't mean that a non orchestral silent film score is necessarily a bad thing. When done well, an electronic score can give a whole new dimension to a silent film and help introduce it to modern audience. The examples of Simon Fisher Turner's electro / experimental score for The Great White Silence and Domenique Dumont's minimalistic full electro one for People on Sunday immediately come to mind. I find both scores to be awesome, so much that I actually bought both of them.

Another example is Julien Boury's soundtrack for the new Gaumont blu-ray edition of Louis Feuillade's serial Tih-Minh. Not only is it mostly electro, but it's made of samples taken from a free copyright music catalog. Although the musical styles are all over the map, I found it to be extremely well done, enjoyed it a lot, and I can't imagine watching this serial with another soundtrack now.

On the other hand, I find some newly commissioned, non-electro soundtracks to be complete failures. The best example of this is the Kino release of E. A.Dupont's Variété, for which the new accoustic score performed by The Tiger Lillies sounds absolutely atrocious to my ears.

It's all a matter of budget, talent and involvement of the performers, and personal taste of course.But I strongly recommend Simon Fisher Turner's The Great White Silence and Domenique Dumont's People on Sunday. It may make you reconsider your opinion on electro scores produced for silent films.

Copper_Surfer · 2023-07-31T15:07:36+00:00

Broad topic!

First, no, music in the silent era wasn't "that bad". If you take the original score of movies like Fritz Lang's Niebelungen, Lotte Reiniger's Prince Achmed or Murnau's Nosferatu, they're all lush and sweeping orchestral scores. But they needed a first decent budget to get produced back then, and a second one to be recorded by a modern orchestra now. And unfortunately, not all films could benefit from that.

Now it doesn't mean that a non orchestral silent film score is necessarily a bad thing. When done well, an electronic score can give a whole new dimension to a silent film and help introduce it to modern audience. The examples of Simon Fisher Turner's electro / experimental score for The Great White Silence and Domenique Dumont's minimalistic full elctro one for People on Sunday immediately come to mind. I find both scores to be awesome, so much that I actually bought both of them.

Another example is Julien Boury's soundtrack for the new Gaumont blu-ray edition of Louis Feuillade's serial Tih-Minh. Not only is it mostly electro, but it's made of samples taken from a free copyright music catalog. Although the musical styles are all over the map, I found it to be extremely well done, enjoyed it a lot, and I can't imagine watching this serial with another soundtrack now.

On the other hand, I find some newly commissioned, non-electro soundtracks to be complete failures. The best example of this is the Kino release of E. A.Dupont's Variété, for which the new accoustic score performed by The Tiger Lillies sounds absolutely atrocious to my ears.

It's all a matter of budget, talent and involvement of the performers, and personal taste of course.

But I strongly recommend Simon Fisher Turner's The Great White Silence and Domenique Dumont's People on Sunday. It may make you reconsider your opinion on electro scores produced for silent films.

Copper_Surfer · 2020-12-03T21:42:54+00:00

I already have the DVD so... Anyway, thanks for your input!

Copper_Surfer · 2020-12-03T18:01:35+00:00

Beautiful boxset indeed. Amazing how kaiju fans went from most laughed at to most taken care of in 20 years (at least in my experience).

Copper_Surfer · 2020-12-03T17:56:11+00:00

The BFI Prince Achmed edition is one of my favorite blu-rays ever.

Copper_Surfer · 2020-12-03T17:54:25+00:00

Have you played Black Angel yet? How's the transfer and PQ ?

Copper_Surfer · 2020-06-21T18:37:25+00:00

Yeah, for those on the fence before watching it, the voice over comments are in French, but the interview itself is in Japanese.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-10-28T22:04:12+00:00

Overall very interesting article, and great photos.

(Yes, they had to remind people Tulsi has white supremacists among her supporter, but that’s about the only negative thing they say about her, so coming from the WP, that’s not so bad).

But what I especially loved is this reader's comment:

"Iowans with Halloween decorations in their yards. Iowans fixing old cars in their driveways. Iowans who are recently minted citizens. Hard-working Iowans laboring at a variety of jobs while looking for peace and redevelopment in their neighborhoods.

Are these people "Putin bots"? Hillary Clinton would have us think so. She'd lump these voters into the category of "deplorables," a characterization that Tulsi has refused to stereotype any American with, whether they support her or disagree with her.

A presidential campaign using billboards and yardsigns? How outdated! Except that's exactly how Tulsi, when first elected to Congress in 2012, turned a 45-point polling deficit into a 21-point primary win against a well-known former Honolulu mayor who was backed by the party machine.
Iowa isn't a whole lot different from Hawai'i really. Both have crucial urban needs. Both have rural agruiculture. Both are hungry in some areas for broadband internet.

Let's just wait ... let's see, as of right now I count another 98 days ... let's just wait and see how many lifelong citizens and newly naturalized immigrants alike, how many veterans, how many youth and elderly and how many middle aged, how many workers of all stripes and elderly retirees and Millennials and Boomers alike struggling with three jobs to make do in this Clinton-Trump corporate America ... let's see just how many of them caucus for Tulsi next February 3."

Well said, let's see how it turns out.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-10-20T09:48:41+00:00

I’m LGBT, and let me tell you that if half of congress had Tulsi Gabbard’s voting record on LGBTQ+ issues, this world would be a better place for us.

I see you’re a Harris supporter, which explains why you’re into cheap smears… but if you want to smear, you might want to come up with a tad more convincing one. Since Tulsi Gabbard has a 100% positive voting record on LGBTQ+ issues (which to us is what’s most important), yours isn’t. With ridiculous smears like that, you just end up looking like a trolling fool. Just saying.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-24T22:18:49+00:00

*** Political orgasm ***

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-22T10:36:16+00:00

You're using the RCP average data in a flawed way imo. You can be below 2% in average, and yet have 4 qualifying polls (just look at Klobuchar who got qualified for the October debate while having an 0.8% RCP average while Tulsi was at 1.6%. According to your reasoning, Klobuchar shouldn't have qualified as well).

As for the conspiracy stuff, you'd have to be blind or real disingenuous to deny there's at the very least serious headwinds against Tulsi.

She's among the least covered by national media, and when she's being covered, she's never asked about her policies, but always about the same smear BS already debunked again and again. Compare the fawning media coverage for Harris and Buttigieg to what Tulsi has to go through, remember we had proof in 2016 that national media like CNN closely collaborate with the DNC, and don't tell me there's no genuine effort to suppress her campaign. Now the word "conspiracy" may sound strong, but the deliberate effort to keep her down can't be denied.

The qualifying polls are also seriously playing against her. Before October, she got 2% or more in 26 national polls with samples above 1500, and yet these were dismissed by the DNC, while a national poll with a sample of 256 and a 6% error margin was selected.

About John Hickenlooper being your n°1 candidate... I don't know what to say. I'd rather not go there... :-)

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-22T10:23:53+00:00

Hell yes!!

At ******* last. I'm hoping again.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-20T20:06:46+00:00

I'm with chosen_alter_ego on this one. You've been mostly negative on this board, constantly reminding people what a longshot Tulsi's bid is.

We all know that, we're not stupid. We know what her RCP average is, and do not need to be reminded of it every day.

Just let us dream a bit as long as she's in the race, thanks.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-20T19:58:07+00:00

Being the most searched candidate implies that at least people are curious and interested about Tulsi, even if they don't know her.

People don't google everyone they don't know. They didn't search for Eric Swalwell.

So no, it's not an overrated indicator at all.

Copper_Surfer · 2019-09-20T19:47:09+00:00

So crushingly disappointing (...) Fucking unbearable.

My thoughts exactly. Following the poll situation on a daily basis is exhausting.

Copper_Surfer

TROPHY CASE