zen Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Vijy said: should be fun to watch them. Yeah. They bring new life to old films .... besides video, audio is nicely cleaned up as well Edited January 21, 2019 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 On 1/21/2019 at 12:41 AM, zen said: Yeah. They bring new life to old films .... besides video, audio is nicely cleaned up as well they do a great job. seen any new hitchcock films? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 1 minute ago, Vijy said: they do a great job. seen any new hitchcock films? Seen the ones on criterion channel such as Young and Innocent, the man who knew too much (1st version) btw, vertigo and psycho are on Netflix now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 1 minute ago, zen said: Seen the ones on criterion channel such as Young and Innocent, the man who knew too much (1st version) btw, vertigo and psycho are on Netflix now yes, I noticed. good start, but a long way to go. We need criterion to remaster blackmail. great hitchcock movie. not his 1st tier (therefore not a masterpiece), but a great film for its time nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Just now, Vijy said: yes, I noticed. good start, but a long way to go. We need criterion to remaster blackmail. great hitchcock movie. not his 1st tier (therefore not a masterpiece), but a great film for its time nonetheless. I hv to check but blackmail could be on criterion channel .... there are some pre 1930s movies as well iirc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 2 minutes ago, zen said: I hv to check but blackmail could be on criterion channel .... there are some pre 1930s movies as well iirc I checked some time before and it wasn't therefore. however, if memory serves me right, there should be decent youtube version(s). criterion channel has so many goodies. I've been rewatching some of cukor's movies therein - maybe he is not as great a director as some other hollywood boys (e.g., ford, hitchcock) but he is damn good. particularly enjoyed seeing The Women once again. recommend watching it in case you are looking for a light-hearted but very well acted and directed movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 3 minutes ago, Vijy said: I checked some time before and it wasn't therefore. however, if memory serves me right, there should be decent youtube version(s). criterion channel has so many goodies. I've been rewatching some of cukor's movies therein - maybe he is not as great a director as some other hollywood boys (e.g., ford, hitchcock) but he is damn good. particularly enjoyed seeing The Women once again. recommend watching it in case you are looking for a light-hearted but very well acted and directed movie. Will try YouTube. .... I saw a couple of Cukor’s as well on criterion channel (let’s call it CC) - gaslight and a woman’s face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vijy Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 10 minutes ago, zen said: Will try YouTube. .... I saw a couple of Cukor’s as well on criterion channel (let’s call it CC) - gaslight and a woman’s face gaslight is particularly good, although woman's face is nice as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 Haven't watched a Hitchcock film lately but news is that Paramount Presents has released a new transfer in blu-ray (4k master but not in 4K HDR but the standard blu-ray) of To Catch A Thief: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted April 24, 2020 Author Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) 2012 2020 Color and framing are slightly different Clarity/Detail: The Paramount Presents line has debuted with some immediate controversy off the bat. Starting here with the video, we receive a brand new 4K transfer of To Catch A Thief. Its quite surprising how different this new image is from the original Blu-ray release. And mostly not for the better or the improved. The framing maintains the same cropped 1.78:1 sizing (Originally the film was 1.85:1). While the image boast a more brighter and vivid affair, with some improved color saturation there is a cost. There is a clear application of DNR over it which has smoothed out details as well as removed the grain structure from the image. It does present a bit more waxy look to our humans in the film. This was definitely done to give the film as modern and fresh/new look as it could be. There is also an odd decision to change the color timing during the nighttime sequences of the film. Whereas the film once carried a green filter, intended to drown out the blue by the filmmakers, this new Blu-ray has change it all to blue. Which does have a beauty to it, but its not true to the filmmaker’s intention and what we are supposed to be seeing. Feel free to provide contradiction to me in the comments below, but according to Hitchcock himself from the famed Hitchcock/Truffaut interviews regarding To Catch A Thief, “The only interesting footnote I can add is that since I hate royal-blue skies, I tried to get rid of the Technicolor blue for the night scenes. So we shot with a green filter to get the dark slate blue, the real color of night, but it still didn’t come out as I wanted it.” I guess you could make the argument that one was pulling a George Lucas/Ridley Scott and fulfilling Hitchock’s desires for what he wanted, but that’s not the film that was originally released by him and seen by us for 65 years. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t give the go ahead for that decision. Depth: There is some decent depth work here, a hint of a step down from the previous version in terms of a looser fluidity. But its nothing harmful and the rear projection moments blend with a little less sense of obviousness. Motion has no issues as it features clean character and camera movements throughout. Black Levels: Black levels are deep and close to the natural levels. The main difference here is the lack of graininess, but that also means some of the details could be easily missing here. No crushing witnessed. Color Reproduction: Colors are quite brilliant in their technicolor glory for this release. Its a lot more vivid picture, so they give a little extra pop compared to the previous transfer. There are some better instances of saturation and fuller looking color schemes, especially when it comes to lawns, flower gardens and buildings. Flesh Tones: Skin tones are a bit natural, smoother and a tad waxy. Consistent from beginning to end of the film. Details and textures are pretty good, regardless and you can really see the sweat and make-up facial coloring of the actors with some ease. Noise/Artifacts: Clean. Link ^ Appears as if they did not do a top drawer job on the new transfer .... but may still consider getting the new transfer unless it will be released in 4k + HDR disc too Edited April 25, 2020 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) Rewatched Torn Curtain (1966) after a long time. I had remembered liking it. Hitchcock produced some of his best continuous work from 1958 (Vertigo) to 1963 (The Birds). Post Birds, Hitchcock's work received mixed reviews. However, among Hitchcock's last 4-5 films, Torn Curtain is probably his best. There were some issues during the production of the film with Bernard Herrmann leaving the film. Paul Newman suggested few changes to the script which were not taken into account by Hitchcock. The film released in mid 1960s feels more like a 40s to mid 50s film but in 2020 it is to be watched as a classic anyways. This is also the last Hitchcock film with A list stars like Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. A big chunk of the film's budget went into the salaries of these two stars. The film was a hit at the box office (probably Hitchcock's last noticeable hit). I like films from 40s-50s so this one with that kind of spirit is a good watch. Newman and Andrew's performances are good. The plot is also typical Hitchcock - an ordinary man turned a spy. I think this is an underrated gem among Hitchcock's films! Edited June 20, 2020 by zen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 Rewatched The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), a remake of the 1934 film. Nice entertaining film. Still holds up. Revisited North by Northwest (1959) as well. The finale at Mt. Rushmore is one of my favorite segments. Watching a good Hitchcock film is an experience in itself. You feel like you watched something really good (like having a great meal for e.g.) and the time was well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 Watched Marnie (1964) after a long time so almost felt like a fresh film. It gets mixed reviews as many folks like it, while many rate it as a mid to low tier Hitchcock. I like it since for its psychological drama. The background score by Bernard Herrmann is top tier (the last Hitchcock-Herrmann collaboration iirc). The film has multiple themes playing out such as Connery trying to win Marnie but at its core it is about getting to the bottom of what is making Marnie do what she is doing through Connery's character. These type of subjects, where layers are peeled off slowly, are right up in Hitchcock's alley. Hitchcock can play with such subjects even in his sleep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 Universal has launched 4 titles in 4K - available today or tomorrow per market: Psycho has a Steelbook as well to mark its 60th anniversary: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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