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Frank Capra's "Lady For A Day" (1933), from no-name company "Inception Media", suprisingly looks REALLY good.

Whoa, and it's got almost five minutes extra footage. It's a great film, I don't mind more of it!

I had this Blu-ray on my radar, but I was leery, as I expected it would just be another washed-out and soft-as-hell PD job. Now I'll definitely have to keep an eye on this company's future releases!

The extra footage is great news, and quite a surprise.

Feego wrote:I had this Blu-ray on my radar, but I was leery, as I expected it would just be another washed-out and soft-as-hell PD job. Now I'll definitely have to keep an eye on this company's future releases!

While I share your skepticism of no-name labels releasing classics on blu. I've had high hopes for this release since it's announcement because Lady for a Day isn't in the public domain. But speaking of Capra and the PD, can't anyone release a version of Meet John Doe that doesn't look like it's sourced from an old VHS? Few great films have been treated to as much contempt as that one. I guess no one thinks people will pay for a better version of a film available in cheap PD versions, but I would snap up a competent Blu-Ray of John Doe in a heartbeat.

Apologies if this should have been placed in a different thread, I didn't notice one exclusively for animated fare or Puppetoons.

From Jerry Beck's Cartoon Research page:

It’s tough-sledding these days for classic animation collectors with less and less being made available on DVD and Blu-Ray. But here’s some good news. A boutique video producer/distributor, B2MP, Inc. has licensed Arnold Leibovit’s 1987 compilation feature The Puppetoon Movie and is making it available exclusively on blu-ray.

The blu-ray set (two discs) will be availble in October – and only 3000 copies will be produced (that’s the attractive cover above). In addtion to a newly re-mastered High-Def copy of Leibovit’s feature – which bridges ten classic Pal Puppetoons with an all new stop-motion framing story starring Art Clokey’s Gumby and Pokey (voiced by Dal McKennon), narrator Paul Frees (as Arnie the Dinosaur) and cameos by Speedy Alka Seltzer, King Kong and Spielberg’s Gremlins – the set also contains seven HD Puppetoons never released on video before – restored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and sub-licensed from Paramount Pictures.

The set also contains a newly remastered in HD Pal feature The Great Rupert (starring Jimmy Durante), as well as standard-definition bonus material including 12 complete Puppetoons (from 35mm masters), Leibovit’s fine Pal documentary, The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, rare interview footage with Ray Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, Wah Chang, Roy Disney, etc. – not to mention an all-new audio commentary by Arnold Leibovit and… me!

This is a must-have for anyone who cares about animation history, stop motion fans and animation students, George Pal devotees (of which I am one of) and cartoon buffs.

I'll probably pass on this. It looks like the Twilight Time model of a run of 3,000 copies not available at regular retail outlets, and $50 for a 2 set on Blu-ray, and here's the kicker: 12 of the bonus Puppetoons are mastered from 35mm but are only presented in standard def—on a Blu-ray. Why?
I like the George Pal advertising and industrial shorts but have mixed feelings about some of these Puppetoons.
Ideally, I'd wait until the set is out and read reviews to make sure the transfers are good, but there are lots of dedication classic animation buffs lining up for this already, and it looks like theres a push to sell it out before the release date.

That cover image is horrifying: the girl with the pinup-model body but with a huge little-girl head. Nightmarish.

Gregory wrote:the 12 bonus Puppetoons are mastered from 35mm but are only presented in standard def—on a Blu-ray.

There are seven additional Puppetoons that are in HD.

Yes, I saw. I was referring to the 12 bonus ones on the second disc. I hadn't noticed that the 7 on disc 1 were also labeled as "bonus Puppetoons." I've edited my previous post to clarify.

"That cover image is horrifying: the girl with the pinup-model body but with a huge little-girl head. Nightmarish."

The gorgeous rare cover photo we used on the DVD is the ACTUAL Judy puppet shot on set LIVE from "Together in the Weather" in 1945! As several of the photos on the cover and ad slicks ("John Henry", "Tulips Shall Grow", "Tubby the Tuba") and others coming out , these were photographed as stills in Technicolor utilizing an unusual and long out of use 3 color strip still camera process specifically for the live shooting of the Puppetoon itself. We felt these extremely rare and beautiful negative transfers would make for an interesting yet simple cover design conveying the brilliant and exquisite nature of George Pal's priceless works.

Thanks,

Arnold Leibovit
Producer/Director

Hmm, fantastic news, if it actually materializes. This is one of my childhood favorites. It's coming from Inception Media Group, who did great work bringing Capra's Lady for a Day to Blu, but their announced release of Our Daily Bread went the way of the dinosaur before it even came out.

rockysds wrote:The Slipper and the Rose materialized: blu-ray.com review + a German blu-ray of Deadfall will be out soon.

Wow, The Slipper and the Rose looks gorgeous, and they grabbed all of the features from the OOP Image DVD, including Forbes' terrific commentary. I'm there!

TIVOLI wrote:Does anyone know what happened with the blu-ray release of Our Daily Bread? The $40 list price makes Twilight Time sound like a discounter, so I was hoping to find some reviews before taking the plunge. When I checked Amazon on April 15th, the release date, it was shown to be "temporarily out of stock". Now, it is listed as "unavailable".

Just stumbled on this month old update from B2MP where it is listed as shipping soon. Seems they've been busy with a release of The Puppetoon Movie + putting together a really impressive release of Our Daily Bread

B2MP wrote:BONUS FILMS INCLUDE:
• Our Daily Bread Prologue by King Vidor (1983)
• The River (1937) directed by Pare Lorentz
• The Plough that Broke the Plains (1936) directed by Pare Lorentz
• Power and the Land (1940) directed by Joris Ivens
• The New Frontier (1934) directed by H. P. McClure
• California Election News #1 and #2 (1934) produced by Irving Thalberg
• The Land (1942) directed by Robert Flaherty: First Release on home video of the complete film

ADDITIONAL BONUS FEATURES:
• Commentary on both Our Daily Bread and The Plow that Broke the Plains by Howie Movshovitz (film professor at University of Colorado and film critic for NPR and Colorado Public Radio)
• New essay by film critic and historian Scott Eyman
(Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille, Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford, Mary Pickford: From Here to Hollywood, The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution)

I've contacted them to see if they can specify the release date, and will report back if they reply. At least it looks like they haven't abandoned it.

rockysds wrote: Just stumbled on this month old update from B2MP where it is listed as shipping soon. Seems they've been busy with a release of The Puppetoon Movie + putting together a really impressive release of Our Daily Bread

B2MP wrote:BONUS FILMS INCLUDE:
• Our Daily Bread Prologue by King Vidor (1983)
• The River (1937) directed by Pare Lorentz
• The Plough that Broke the Plains (1936) directed by Pare Lorentz
• Power and the Land (1940) directed by Joris Ivens
• The New Frontier (1934) directed by H. P. McClure
• California Election News #1 and #2 (1934) produced by Irving Thalberg
• The Land (1942) directed by Robert Flaherty: First Release on home video of the complete film

ADDITIONAL BONUS FEATURES:
• Commentary on both Our Daily Bread and The Plow that Broke the Plains by Howie Movshovitz (film professor at University of Colorado and film critic for NPR and Colorado Public Radio)
• New essay by film critic and historian Scott Eyman
(Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil B. DeMille, Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford, Mary Pickford: From Here to Hollywood, The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution)

I've contacted them to see if they can specify the release date, and will report back if they reply. At least it looks like they haven't abandoned it.

If this comes to fruition, it's going to be an amazing package.

April 10, 2014

B2MP, Inc. to release Blu-ray/DVD combo of TOMORROW with Robert Duvall

B2MP, Inc. is excited to announce its upcoming release of a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of Tomorrow starring Robert Duvall. This title will be sold exclusively on the B2MP website, http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and will not be available at retail outlets. This marks the first release of the film on Blu-ray and the return to DVD of the film after a several year absence.

Often cited as one of his favorite performances, Robert Duvall stars as Jackson Fentry, a solitary man and sawmill caretaker, who meets and eventually falls in love with an abandoned pregnant woman.

Academy Award ™ winner Horton Foote (“To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Tender Mercies”) wrote the screenplay based on his stage adaptation of a short story by William Faulkner. Directed by Joseph Anthony (“The Matchmaker”, “The Rainmaker”), and shot in beautiful black and white to convey the era in which it takes place, the film is a haunting, emotional tale about a man’s capacity for love.

From the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, and newly transferred to high definition, the film will be presented in 16X9 1080p on the Blu-ray with 24 bit 48 kHz LPCM 2.0 mono audio. The DVD will feature DTS 2.0 mono audio. Retail price is $29.98 and the discs will ship in late April.

Coming over the next few months will be a Native American silent film Blu-ray set, which will include The Last of the Mohicans and The Silent Enemy in high definition and The Vanishing American in standard definition, and a Blu-ray/DVD combo of Around the World With Orson Welles: The Complete Series, including the previously lost episode, Revisiting Vienna, aka The Third Man Returns To Vienna.

For further information, please go to http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just realized from their website that B2MP is the same company that is also known as Inception Media Group. While a very small library so far, they've all been good releases.

EDIT: Not the same company after all. These releases just share the same producer (see below)

Hello, Bruce Venezia of B2MP, Inc. here. I just wanted to give you an update on Our Daily Bread. It's still in restoration and I'm hoping it can go into compression and authoring by the end of the month. It is now a Blu-ray/DVD combo and will only be available on my website at http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or through amazon and ebay from me as a third party seller. Inception Media is still the distributor of three of my other releases, Lady for a Day, On Approval and The Slipper and the Rose.

Thanks for the update. Sounds like it will be a great release!

B2MP, Inc. wrote:Hello, Bruce Venezia of B2MP, Inc. here. I just wanted to give you an update on Our Daily Bread. It's still in restoration and I'm hoping it can go into compression and authoring by the end of the month. It is now a Blu-ray/DVD combo and will only be available on my website at http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or through amazon and ebay from me as a third party seller. Inception Media is still the distributor of three of my other releases, Lady for a Day, On Approval and The Slipper and the Rose.

Thanks for the update and clarification Bruce.

I am pleased to announce that the Blu-ray/DVD combo of Tomorrow with Robert Duvall is now shipping. It is available on the B2MP website or from amazon at a slight premium to cover their costs.

Posted at Home Theater Forum -

B2MP, Inc. will release Jerzy Skolimowski's Moonlighting starring Jeremy Irons on a Blu-ray/DVD combo in the next few weeks. Bonus materials include an isolated music and effects track, a bonus audio track with comments from Jeremy Irons, the theatrical trailer, and a new essay by Ewa Hanna Mazierska. Price will be $29.98 and it will be available on the B2MP website at http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as well as amazon with me as a third party seller. I will update this post as soon as I have an exact ship date.

Was there ever any update on Our Daily Bread? It's still listed as a pre-order on B2MP's site, with no release date.

Ashirg wrote:Posted at Home Theater Forum -

B2MP, Inc. will release Jerzy Skolimowski's Moonlighting starring Jeremy Irons on a Blu-ray/DVD combo in the next few weeks. Bonus materials include an isolated music and effects track, a bonus audio track with comments from Jeremy Irons, the theatrical trailer, and a new essay by Ewa Hanna Mazierska. Price will be $29.98 and it will be available on the B2MP website at http://b2mp.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as well as amazon with me as a third party seller. I will update this post as soon as I have an exact ship date.

I'm keeping a very keen eye out for this. Off the top of my head, this will be the fourth Skolimowski BD, and it's one of my most keenly awaited ones (along with the 1960s Polish quartet).

Moonlighting is now up on amazon.com

Yes, Moonlighting is up on amazon and ebay and will be up on the B2MP, Inc. site shortly. I started shipping them today to reviewers and the first people who ordered them.

Next up is King Vidor's Our Daily Bread. I'm hoping to get that out by late June.