The OOP Heads-Up Thread

[Cash Flagg]

Parallax View
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Broadway Melody of 1929

[HistoryProf]

All the Miramax stuff is now OOP, so if there is any title you are concerned about being re-released in a lesser quality version (or being re-released at all) by Lionsgate or Echo Bridge, buy now.

so i guess i have to suck it up and buy the SE blu ray of No Country For Old Men now eh? How much of this stuff is really going to go away for good?

[dwk]

All the Miramax stuff is now OOP, so if there is any title you are concerned about being re-released in a lesser quality version (or being re-released at all) by Lionsgate or Echo Bridge, buy now.

so i guess i have to suck it up and buy the SE blu ray of No Country For Old Men now eh? How much of this stuff is really going to go away for good?

Who knows. As for No Country For Old Men, it seems Lionsgate has licensed it and its 2-disc blu-ray has an April 22 release date at Amazon. (Actually it has two Blu-rays listed for April 22, the two-disc one I linked to and this one, so maybe these Lionsgate releases will be direct ports of the previous Miramax releases.)

[Brian C]

I'm in the same boat wrt NCFOM, but if they're direct ports, it makes sense to just wait for the Lionsgate release. Whatever else their strengths and faults may be, their discs are at least much more reasonably priced than Disney's have ever been.

[HistoryProf]

All the Miramax stuff is now OOP, so if there is any title you are concerned about being re-released in a lesser quality version (or being re-released at all) by Lionsgate or Echo Bridge, buy now.

so i guess i have to suck it up and buy the SE blu ray of No Country For Old Men now eh? How much of this stuff is really going to go away for good?

Who knows. As for No Country For Old Men, it seems Lionsgate has licensed it and its 2-disc blu-ray has an April 22 release date at Amazon. (Actually it has two Blu-rays listed for April 22, the two-disc one I linked to and this one, so maybe these Lionsgate releases will be direct ports of the previous Miramax releases.)

Thanks....saved me from leaving the house today

And Disney's ridiculous attempts to force higher price points on blu rays is part of the reason these ventures failed - see the $44.99 MSRP on Adventureland. I'm a very patient man since my budget for buying movies is limited, so I've waited a long time for the SE blu of NCfOM to drop below $20, but it's NEVER been on sale for less than $25. So for the bigger films, this may turn out to be a good thing if they are porting everything over.

[Brian C]

Maybe we'll even get cover art that doesn't absurdly overemphasize the presence of the digital copy.

[dwk]

Well a couple of weeks ago I panicked and bought the No Country For Old Men Blu-ray. So, go me! #-o

[swo17]

If the worst thing in your life is you own No Country on Blu-ray, I'd say you have a pretty good life.

[dwk]

Taking this past week into account, owning the No Country Blu-ray is far closer to being the best thing in my life than it is the worst.

[HistoryProf]

Maybe we'll even get cover art that doesn't absurdly overemphasize the presence of the digital copy.

or giant floating heads!

[Cash Flagg]

Another Woman
Cutter's Way
Lianna
Naked Truth
Stardust Memories

[rrenault]

Does the Miramax deal with Lionsgate mean the criterion release of Double Life of Veronique will go out of print.

[knives]

As long as Criterions contract is valid there is nothing to worry about. When it does end if Miramax still holds the film(they allowed many titles to lapse)than Criterion may still be able to negotiate for the film and other Miramax titles they have released.

[rrenault]

What's the deal with films like Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, La Haine, Last year at Marienbad, etc.? Are they still endangered? On that note, I would think they'd release a blu ray of La Haine before they lose it, if they lose it. A side of me thinks Studio Canal may have given up on the Studio Canal Collection, because of how much of a disaster it's been, and that they'll let Criterion keep the films they still have after all, but it may just be wishful thinking.

[domino harvey]

Fucking horrifying news

The Facebook page mentioned that "The Unsinkable Molly Brown,'' which had been available at retail and is now out of print, will be coming back via the Archive. Will there be other OOP titles like "The Crimson Pirate''?

There are right issues on "The Crimson Pirate,'' but there are 200 other out-of-print titles we will now be able to bring back with the same features as the original retail releases. We're now using some dual-layer discs that give us a good bit rate for longer titles. In the past, we were limited by he space on DVD 5s and on some titles, we had to leave the trailers off because it would drop the bit rate. Now that is no longer a problem.

[Murdoch]

So does that mean they could pull titles on pressed discs from print and just release them on DVDRs? This does not bode well.

[knives]

That is the most terrifying news I can think of.

[HistoryProf]

fucking Warner Brothers. Jesus H Christ on a cracker.

[Jonathan S]

So does that mean they could pull titles on pressed discs from print and just release them on DVDRs? This does not bode well.

I mentioned this strategy on the Warner Archive thread last week where I also linked to the George Feltenstein interview from which Domino quotes.

I think it was always pretty clear this was going to happen if the Archive was a success and (at the risk of sounding self-righteous) it's one of the many reasons I've resisted buying a single feature film from it. Every MOD purchase has encouraged this strategy imo. The only WA releases I've bought are a couple of shorts collections which I believe are all this format should have been used for. Maybe some really obscure early talkies too - but I can't imagine any title being more unappealing than some of the junk Warner tossed out in their retail sets. The worst or most unpopular films usually survive in the best condition so in many cases I think Warner just released the stuff on which they needed to do the least work.

I remember posting two years ago on HTF that it was far more likely retail releases would move to MOD than the other way round, though Warner were encouraging everyone to believe that a WA issue might lead later to a proper pressed release (has there been a single instance yet of that?) But most other HTF members and moderators thought toasted classics were the best thing since sliced bread. I also posted that MOD was probably just a stepping stone to download exclusives, and I still think that will happen. Given all the reports I've read recently on various forums of initially good WA discs that have become unplayable in less than two years, maybe downloads are indeed are a safer option.

[Dirk]

I agree, this is definitely one of the (many) reasons I've avoided any of this DVD-R stuff. With that said, what the fuck, Warner Brothers?! As consumers, how do we even combat this? It seems that simply not buying anymore Archive releases won't cut it now.

[Jonathan S]

Maybe it's easier for me than most as I have my own archive of off-air recordings made over the last thirty-odd years (and I'm quite happy with first-generation VHS quality, at least on b&w Academy films, my main interest), plus commercial tapes, laser transfers and so on. I also have contacts who will send me their US TCM recordings... especially when they replace them with Warner Archive releases (so perhaps I should be grateful to WA after all!) Also a number of WA titles have been released on pressed retail discs in other regions, as discussed in another thread. I dare say more computer-savvy people than me can find the stuff they need by downloading.

I agree it's now probably too late for any boycotting to have much effect on their strategy. But, even so, the bottom line for me is: if I can't find a feature film anywhere but Warner Archive, then I'll do without it.

[Cash Flagg]

Another big chunk of WB titles (scroll down)

[knives]

Is the '35 Copperfield good?

[domino harvey]

Be real careful picking up those Warner titles via marketplace-- a lot of them are cutout regulars

[reno dakota]

Is the '35 Copperfield good?

I really enjoyed it.