I am really looking forward to this new 2-discer of Mulan, even though some of the reviews say the a/v don't necessarily pack a punch. I really would've preferred a pieced together doc than the multiple featurettes the set got. Mulan is a highly "underlooked" (pun intended) Disney film of the TLK-onwards years, that deserves the treatment it's finally receiving. I'm gonna pick this one up immediately tomorrow, and post my thoughts later on....
yoda_four wrote:P.S.: Do you like the additions of the Reviews and Buy Now links, or are they overkill?
Well I like them. I went ahead and added two more from the front page that are usually somewhat popular (BestBuy and eBay). And I'll also be including a link to this thread in the next newsletter issue (ideally tonight)...so hopefully we'll get even more participation than usual.
I think these threads are great, Paul, and they look even better now. Keep it up!
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
I agree, I love the threads, and I love the new additions with all of the links to reviews and everything. The poster is a nice touch too. If they're not too much trouble, I'd definitely say to continue including all of them! And I'll try to chime in tomorrow with my thoughts on the DVD.
Well, I just bought it this morning (stopped in at Wal-Mart before heading to school) and I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. Only bad thing is that I have to wait until this evening to watch the movie! I miss the days when I had just one class and then I could go home for the rest of the day and do whatever the heck I wanted.
WOW! Thanks Luke! Its an honour to be even remotely mentioned on the newsletter! And thanks for the nice comments! Each time I've done one of these, I've asked for some comments from you; and it's awesome to see you like them!!!!
Thanks as well Satoshi! Glad you've liked them and I will now certainly try my best to keep them up!
Luke wrote:And I'll also be including a link to this thread in the next newsletter issue (ideally tonight)...so hopefully we'll get even more participation than usual.
Hopefully this'll boost up posts. It seemed like many times some people would just post things in the Press Releases and not in here. Those that are here usually post quite a bit though. It didn't quite live up to what I thought it would but I'm sure the newsletter mention will help.
Just watched it. I got mine at Best Buy, for a few cents over 19 dollars (that includes the tax).
First time I've ever seen Mulan, admittedly. And I was certainly taken by it. I did like it. Very much. It felt very bold and dramatic, very unique ... yet also sort of traditional, in terms of themes and the plot.
The animation was very colorful, very beautiful. I liked the style. Liked the designs of the characters, especially Mulan, Mushu, and Cri-kee (sp?). Cri-kee was a cute little character, and Mushu was pretty funny. Certainly had energy. Mulan herself was sympathetic, strong ... sort of down-to-earth, I felt, a more realistic female lead than other Disney films, perhaps.
The animation of the flowering trees, and of Mulan's home, and of the water ... great stuff. As well as the animation in the snowy mountains, during the avalanche, and the fireworks in the Imperial City. It felt soft, with more curves than angles (like the other Orlando films), and though I like both styles, as far as animation goes, I prefer the rounder look.
Jerry Goldsmith's score was quite wonderful ... very distinct, adding to the drama. It sort of, at moments, reminded me of his scores for First Contact and Insurrection (two of the Trek films he did; he did Insurrection the same year as Mulan, in fact). Very vibrant.
The songs were nice. Not the best ... but they were solid, and I enjoyed them. And I liked the progression of the story, the various scenes. There weren't any choppy moments (unlike, say, how I personally found the first ten minutes of Brother Bear to be wobbly, though BB is one of my favorites). All three of Orlando's films are very pretty (and entertaining) to say the least. I wish they were still making films there ...
I've only watched the film thus far. And it looked very clean to me. I have no complaints. I normally don't delve into extras very much (as I want the DVD's for the film; extras are simply bonus), so it'll probably take me a while to get through those, but I'll probably listen to the commentary sometime.
Anyway ... I enjoyed it more than Aladdin, the other DVD release from this month. I'm gushing here, but ... oh, well. I found it to be worthwhile and engaging, so ... as to where I would place it compared to other Disney films, I think it would be my #5 (after Lilo & Stitch, RDU, Fantasia 2000, and Bambi, but before Brother Bear and The Emperor's New Groove, and the rest).
And I think the DVD has a pretty cover, too. I don't mind that it doesn't open. It does look nice. I'm sure I'll watch it again within the next day or so, though ... if not again later tonight.
Meega na la queesta. static & silence and a monochrome vision
Well I picked up my copy at Wal-Mart earlier today for $14.88 and just finished watching the movie about an hour ago. I've seen lots of bits and pieces of the film before, but this was the first time that I saw it in its entirety, beginning to end. I really, really liked it. It ranks up there with Hercules/Tarzan/Treasure Planet in my opinion. Not up to the level of the fab four, but alot better than some of Disney's weaker offerings. I do like the slipcover, because though it's an exact replica of the regular cover, it makes it fit nicely inbetween Roger Rabbit and The Lion King on my shelf.
I haven't had the chance to delve into disc two yet, but I did watch the Mulan 2 preview. The plot seems a little dumb to me, but I suppose the film could end up being good. It's just that I'm getting the same kind of vibe about it that I got from Cinderella II, and that turned out to be not-so-good. We'll see though.
I picked it up today for 18 bucks. That was the cheapest I could find it. So far I've only watched it, but I have taken a quick look at the bonus features. It looks like a pretty solid release. It's a great movie, and the menu screens are cool. I can't wait to listen to the commentary.
I was also lucky enough to find a Snow White Platinum Edition, but I was 2 dollars short, unfortunately. I'm hoping to go back and pick it up soon. I think it's the only Platinum release missing from my collection.
Here's my take on Disc 1, set to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" . . .
Let's down to business,
And describe "Mulan."
Where's my book-slip-cover,
When I wanted one?
It's next 2-Disc Set after "Al",
And you can bet before I'm through,
I will enjoy the second disc too.
(DVD)
I liked the transfer but it was lacking.
(DVD)
I liked the bonuses on Disc 1.
(DVD)
The deleted scenes were really awesome.
I'll be back with with more when I've watched all Disc 2.
Nick Lachey likes Asians.
So do his friends, man.
Stevie Wonder is blind.
Guess Raven is too.
She's the saddest star I've ever seen.
And you can bet she has no clue,
Mister, she has no talent for you.
(DVD)
I liked the transfer but it was lacking.
(DVD)
I liked the bonuses on Disc 1.
(DVD)
The deleted scenes were really awesome.
I'll be back with with more when I've watched all Disc 2.
Well, I haven't gotten it yet, but as a devotee of Entertainment Weekly, I thought I'd let everyone know they have a capsule review of the DVD this week. There was no gripes with transfer, but this review obviously didn't like the actual movie as much as the original 1998 movie reviewer. In regards to extras, they called this a Lord of the Rings treatment. Highlights were deleted scenes, an audio commentary, and they were none too impressed with the deleted Mushu song, however, they actually liked the goofy Jackie Chan Song. Final grade: B+. That means according to EW, it stands above Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
I adore this movie, and I would rank it about equal to The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Groove.
I liked the extras, but I felt that they could have included a little more than two hours of material on the second disc. That being said, this is a great DVD treatment of the movie, and I wish that EVERY Disney animated classic would get treated at least as well.
Mushu rules!
"Mustard? Don't let's be silly!"
--Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland
It took me about 2 hours to go through everything on Disc 2. I liked the featurettes better than I thought I would, they were pretty informative. The galleries were also quite extensive, and certainly contain the most stills of any other recent Disney DVDs. Overall, it kind of reminded me of Tarzan's Disc 2 - they are almost equal in quantity & quality. It's not the best that could've been produced, but I was satisfied.
After reading some negative reviews of the picture quality on the new Mulan DVD (including the review on this website), I was expecting the worst. Thaksfully, I found the picture image PERFECT with the exception of the ocational color banding described. This problem was not that bad at all. The picture is very enjoyable to watch. The reviewer on this site goes on to mention he/she prefers the image quality from the first DVD release which was transfered from film (as opposed to the new digital transfer). I have to disagree EXTREMELY. After watching the new DVD, I poped in the old release: Oh my god! What a piece of... waste. The old DVD was badly transfered to say the least. There is terrible noise throught the ENTIRE film. You can only see it if you pay attention to details, but there is bad grain througout. DVDs have a very hard time presenting grain, so it looks like something you would download off the internet. Yes, I wish the new DVD didn't have the color banding issue, but compared to the old DVD, this one kicks butt. The audio is very nice, but this film would have definetly benefited from an "Enhanced Home Theater" mix.
All in all, I highly recomend people to replace their old DVD with this new one. This new disc also offers a little bit more image than the old DVD. Also consider the following: I'm basing this review on my home theater set up which includes a digital widecreen TV and a progressive scan DVD player. And this DOES make a difference. For example, I read everywhere that people had a problem with the opening titles of the new Alice in Wonderland DVD where the lines "Shimmered." Well, I watched the film at a friend's house who had a regular TV set like most poeple do. I DID see the "shimmering" in question. But when I saw it at home on my set up, the picture quality was PERFECT throughout. Because progressive scan allows for twice the resolution, sometimes the picture quality looks better than through a regular TV set up.
Your friend,
Louis
PS: I'm crossing my fingers that the new Bambi DVD looks great. I can see this film with it's soft look to be a problem (unlike CInderella which will most likely look perfect).
Atomobile wrote:The reviewer on this site goes on to mention he/she prefers the image quality from the first DVD release which was transfered from film (as opposed to the new digital transfer).
I'm sure it's a simple mistake you've made, but I did not say this on the review from this site.
Nonetheless, thanks for your feedback on the review and I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the DVD!
"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president
Some of you might not care, but I'm glad Disney included a Mandarin language track! Because that was the language Hua Mulan spoke when she lived. A very classy move for Disney, knowing where the movie came from. But I wished they could've included a Cantonese track as well, but beggars can't be choosers I guess.
My favorite extra is the DisneyPedia where Donkey... oh I mean a guy tries to sound like Donkey, or was really him? Hmmm... Anyway, learning about the Chinese facts this way is like going through a year of college!
Another extra I enjoy is the multi-language reel of "I'll Make a Man out of You", and the Mulan II sneak peek (even though I know I won't get), because how hot can Ming-Na be? LOL She's 41 but she can pass for a 17.
Those of you who have yet to get this, get it at your local Wal-Mart for the cheapest price possible before Monday when the price baloons to $20 bucks!
I miss the days when I had just one class and then I could go home for the rest of the day and do whatever the heck I wanted.
