Warner Ultimate Collectors Editions: What next?

[SpellWovenNight]

Yay a The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection: Ultimate Collector’s Edition! Guess who is going shopping!

I think a Ultimate Collection of The Neverending Story would be awesome too!

[my chicken is infected]

Maybe sometime around my birthday when I get lots of moolah, I'll save up enough to buy the Mickey and Judy set. I've only seen Babes In Arms, and that was only once, and it was ages ago. But I definitely would like this, since I love Judy.

[2099net]

The upcoming Directors Cut of Troy (with over 30mins of new material) is going to get an Ultimate Collectors Edition. This will contain "The Art of Troy" photo book and "other memrobilia".

I hope the HD formats get this, just like HD DVD got the Forbidden Planet UCE. (So far, I'm only aware of a "normal" Blu-Ray release for the Director Cut)

[disneyfella]

Here are some articles on the upcoming Kubrick set. Apparently there will be NO barry Lyndon in this new set which will be released in HD DVD, and BluRay.....I sincerely hope that it gets a general DVD release as well (which I'm assuming it will).

http://www.dvdtown.com/news/kubrick-col ... u-ray/4486

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/31/k ... the-works/


Anyway, the aspect ratio thing is still causing controversy among fans. I definitely think that WB will try their hardest to release these films in the way that the director intended them to be seen: whether or not it is what the public agrees with will be interesting to see.



Does anyone know what kind of special features will be released? I heard that Eyes Wide Shut will get an uncut version?!!? I'm also assuming that the bonus disc from the last Kubrick set will be ported over (and rightly so).

[Escapay]

The upcoming Directors Cut of Troy (with over 30mins of new material) is going to get an Ultimate Collectors Edition. This will contain "The Art of Troy" photo book and "other memrobilia".

I hope the HD formats get this, just like HD DVD got the Forbidden Planet UCE. (So far, I'm only aware of a "normal" Blu-Ray release for the Director Cut)

Ooh, interesting. I hope the UCE contains the pre-visualization featurettes that's on the HD DVD. I'm sure I read somewhere that Wolfgang Petersen recorded a commentary for the Director's cut. Any news on a new documentary, or possibly an alternate audio track with the original Gabriel Yared score?

Here are some articles on the upcoming Kubrick set. Apparently there will be NO barry Lyndon in this new set which will be released in HD DVD, and BluRay.....I sincerely hope that it gets a general DVD release as well (which I'm assuming it will).

I'm sure it'll get a regular DVD release.

Anyway, even though I haven't seen Barry Lyndon, I'm a bit upset that it's excluded. Maybe it's just an oversight that'll get corrected later on.

Anyway, the aspect ratio thing is still causing controversy among fans. I definitely think that WB will try their hardest to release these films in the way that the director intended them to be seen: whether or not it is what the public agrees with will be interesting to see.

Didn't Kubrick use multiple ratios in some films? I'm sure he did in Dr. Strangelove.

Does anyone know what kind of special features will be released? I heard that Eyes Wide Shut will get an uncut version?!!? I'm also assuming that the bonus disc from the last Kubrick set will be ported over (and rightly so).

I'm pretty sure Eyes Wide Shut will be the uncut version. Also, I hope the special features from all the older releases (EWS - interviews, Shining - documentary) get ported over as well.

Escapay

[disneyfella]

supposedly, after 2001 had a TV screeng and was shown Pan and Scan, Kubrick was SSSSoooooooo mad. After that he filmed all of his movies in 1.33:1 fullscreen, but framed for a matted 1.85:1 theatrical run. However, when they were shown on TV and subsequently released on video, Kubrick DEMANDED that his films be released in an open matte transfer (which is why most of the films were released as fullscreen films). Apparently, Kubrick didn't like the black bars on the TV sreen either....he thought that they took away from the home theatre experience......seriously

Anyway, Barry Lyndon, while long, is easily appreciable. I'm sorry that it won't be included and hope it is an oversight as well.

[Escapay]

The upcoming Directors Cut of Troy (with over 30mins of new material) is going to get an Ultimate Collectors Edition. This will contain "The Art of Troy" photo book and "other memrobilia".

I hope the HD formats get this, just like HD DVD got the Forbidden Planet UCE. (So far, I'm only aware of a "normal" Blu-Ray release for the Director Cut)

Ooh, interesting. I hope the UCE contains the pre-visualization featurettes that's on the HD DVD. I'm sure I read somewhere that Wolfgang Petersen recorded a commentary for the Director's cut. Any news on a new documentary, or possibly an alternate audio track with the original Gabriel Yared score?

Well, color me disappointed and not surprised, I just read what the extras for the set are:

-Troy Revisited: An Introduction by Wolfgang Petersen - where's the commentary, dammit?

-6 Documentary Featurettes - two new, four old
--Troy in Focus
--In the Thick of the Battle (17:14, ported over from original DVD)
--From Ruins to Reality (14:05, ported over from original DVD)
--Troy: An Effects Odyssey (10:58, ported over from original DVD)
--Attacking Troy (15:17, ported over from BestBuy exclusive bonus DVD)
--Greek Ship Towing

-Theatrical Trailer

-Non-DVD Materials
-"Art of Troy" photo book
-Behind the Scenes photos
-Shooting Script: Select Pages

That's it, DVD-wise. No pre-visualization sequences, no more "Gallery of the Gods", no possibility of including the Gabriel Yared score as an alternate track (and I can't find it online to download for free anymore). Boo. If the movie wasn't such a guilty pleasure popcorn flick I'd pass. Still,

supposedly, after 2001 had a TV screeng and was shown Pan and Scan, Kubrick was SSSSoooooooo mad. After that he filmed all of his movies in 1.33:1 fullscreen, but framed for a matted 1.85:1 theatrical run. However, when they were shown on TV and subsequently released on video, Kubrick DEMANDED that his films be released in an open matte transfer (which is why most of the films were released as fullscreen films). Apparently, Kubrick didn't like the black bars on the TV sreen either....he thought that they took away from the home theatre experience......seriously

Anyway, Barry Lyndon, while long, is easily appreciable. I'm sorry that it won't be included and hope it is an oversight as well.

Odd. I was aware of his preference for open matte 1.33:1 when his later movies were on television, but I had no idea about the 2001 incident!

Escapay

[2099net]

Here's the artwork for the various configurations of the Director's Cut of Troy.

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/ ... post110772

Looks like Warner's changing their Ultimate Collector's Edition branding again (just a circle on the spine now - and a different one at that). I'm disappointed that there's no option of UCE "gubbins" on the High Def versions. I would have snapped up the Blu Ray release in an instant if there was. As it is, I think I'll probably stick to my HD DVD Troy now.

It seems odd Warners are offering a HD DVD version without the <strike>bribery</strike> incentive of the physical extras, even if they would make the release cost more money. After all, most people who have an interest in Troy and have a HD DVD are likely to have the current HD DVD.

I must say, the book does look rather impressive. I'm hoping High Def UCEs will be announced soon - after all, HD DVD got the spectacular Forbidden Planet tin.

As for the Pre-Viz feature on the HD DVD, I've never watched it. The IME is good though. I wonder if any of the new features (Troy in Focus or Attacking Troy) will have content that was used in the IME.

[Disneykid]

Color me disappointed, as well. All we get besides the old featurettes and trailer are two new ones and an intro? I thought Wolfgang Petersen said he was recording a commentary for this. They really missed the opportunity to make this set as lavish as, say, the Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut. Ah, well. I'll still be buying this considering I actually liked the theatrical cut, and this new one's supposed to be a practically different movie.

[Escapay]

Looks like Warner's changing their Ultimate Collector's Edition branding again (just a circle on the spine now - and a different one at that).

Damn, now it won't look consistent next to the other UCE's on the shelf! Still, it's the content that matters, and I'm just grateful WB still does cover art unlike Paramount. Jane got the 3-disc SCE of Titanic a while ago, and when we opened it, her discs were the lousy gray ones, while mine (from when I picked it up in 2005) had the disc art.

The IME is good though. I wonder if any of the new features (Troy in Focus or Attacking Troy) will have content that was used in the IME.

The IME is one of the major draws for me to upgrade to hi-def, but reviews I've read so far on titles that have them are almost always either a letdown or a half-and-half of "it's good, but not too good".

Color me disappointed, as well. All we get besides the old featurettes and trailer are two new ones and an intro? I thought Wolfgang Petersen said he was recording a commentary for this.

I'm guessing his commentary became part of the IME on the HD-DVD?

They really missed the opportunity to make this set as lavish as, say, the Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut.

Mmmm...now *that* was an excellent set (and even the theatrical two-disc set was impressive too!). The only thing I felt they could have improved was probably the inclusion of Orlando Bloom's actual screen test. I liked seeing the snippets of it in the doc, but it would have been great to see the entire thing.

Escapay

[2099net]

The IME is good though. I wonder if any of the new features (Troy in Focus or Attacking Troy) will have content that was used in the IME.

The IME is one of the major draws for me to upgrade to hi-def, but reviews I've read so far on titles that have them are almost always either a letdown or a half-and-half of "it's good, but not too good".

Color me disappointed, as well. All we get besides the old featurettes and trailer are two new ones and an intro? I thought Wolfgang Petersen said he was recording a commentary for this.

I'm guessing his commentary became part of the IME on the HD-DVD?

Well, most IME's (or U-Controls on Universal discs) are rather disappointing. When all is said and done they're a tool and most of the time used to make nothing more than a gimmick. Some have too many dead spots between segments, and some are just talking head interviews. Some do nothing a normal commentary can't do better. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire starts out well, but sadly runs out of decent stuff before the movie is half over.

That said, Troy's is good. Petersen's Poseidon has the best IME to date - it really is like watching a whole documentary while watching the film, and I think Peterson has an interest in how the IMEs are presented, and what they contain.

They're not so much commentaries (although Accepted uses its U-Control Picture in Picture as a continuous video stream of the commentary session, and Paramount's Mission Impossible 3 does similar - but also pauses the movie if needed and/or branches out to full screen inserts), but short clips played over a scene. So they may just be a talking head, like a commentary discussing how one scene was filmed or written; or it could be the scene in its unprocessed green screen raw footage; or it could be footage of the actors training for a specific stunt. The best ones mix and match what is shown, keeping it fresh and interesting.

I wouldn't say a PiP function is an essential benefit of high definition, but if you like commentaries and documentries (and I know you do Escapay) they certainly add to the experience - even some of the more fluffy ones like the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one aimed at children.

Remember, in October, new BD players on sale will have to have hardware capable of encoding two full 1080p video streams (HD DVD can only do 1 HD video stream and 1 SD video stream). In theory, this means BD will have more flexible Picture in Picture options... Imagine seeing Sleeping Beauty with the storyboards in the lower right of the screen, but the option to switch these to the main image and the actual film to the secondary window at any time.

[Escapay]

Would Disney's "Visualizing Narnia: The Complete Production Experience" count as a DVD version of an IME/U-Control/PiP Commentary? It's a very unique type of "documentary" that I was simply amazed at. I remember watching a bit of the Video Commentary for Glory, where the director and actors would occasionally show up in PiP when they were discussing the film. While it was interesting to watch, sometimes it does get tedious.

Still, I'm hoping the IME/U-Control features get more interesting/less disappointing.

Escapay

[2099net]

Would Disney's "Visualizing Narnia: The Complete Production Experience" count as a DVD version of an IME/U-Control/PiP Commentary? It's a very unique type of "documentary" that I was simply amazed at. I remember watching a bit of the Video Commentary for Glory, where the director and actors would occasionally show up in PiP when they were discussing the film. While it was interesting to watch, sometimes it does get tedious.

Still, I'm hoping the IME/U-Control features get more interesting/less disappointing.

Escapay

It's like Visualizing Narnia yes, but not as showy. On HD DVD the PiP content is only SD and only about 1/4 or so of the screen, normally in the bottom right corner. Some HD DVDs include diagrams and images as well on the IME, and these can be bigger. Sometimes briefly, two picture in picture windows can be shown too.

U-Control by Universal is very similar, but like the "follow the white rabbit" DVD features you have to manually click on an icon to activate them (which can get frustrating). However, U-Control can give an option what to view (For example a Picture in Picture interview segment, or a brief photo slide show of concept designs).

In theory, according to everything I have read, Blu-ray will be able to do something more like Visualising Narnia, because it supports two 1080p video streams in BD Profile 2.0.

I suggest you read the following reviews of the IMEs on these pages:
Constantine - a good enough IME, especially as it's one of the 1st
Troy - Very Good IME
Batman Begins - Good IME
Charlie/Chocolate Factory - fluffy IME for kids (more like pop-up video captions most of the time)
V for Vendetta - Very good IME
Poseidon - Best IME to date.
Children of Men - Excellent U-Control - I like the propaganda bits best. Sadly, like all U-Control discs, clicking the button every time quickly gets tiring.

Anyhow, to get this back on topic, much as I would like the art book, I've opted to get the Blu Ray Troy Directors Cut, and have already pre-ordered.

[Escapay]

Thanks for those links, netty. I read the ones for Troy and Poseidon and have a better understanding of what the IME really is. It's making me long for acquiring a high-def tv and player (be it Blu-Ray or HD-DVD) even more.

Escapay

[2099net]

A Full Metal Jacket supplement at the BBFC:

FULL METAL JACKET - BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
Run Time 30m 48s

[2099net]

Kubrick Collection revealed [these are for the HD sets, but I assume the SD will be the same on multiple discs]

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65400

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s dazzling, Academy Award-winning achievement (Special Visual Effects) is an allegorical puzzle on the evolution of man and a compelling drama of man vs. machine. Featuring a stunning meld of music and motion, the film was also Oscar® nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits the prehistoric age-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality.

Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include:
1080P 2.20:1 Widescreen
English PCM 5.1 Surround (Blu-ray Disc)
English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround (HD DVD)
English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on Blu-ray, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD)
English, French and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
Theatrical trailer
Channel 4 documentary: 2001: The Making of a Myth
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future
2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork
Look: Stanley Kubrick!
Audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Stomping, whopping, stealing, singing, tap-dancing, violating. Derby-topped hooligan Alex (Malcolm McDowell) has a good time – at the tragic expense of others. His journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again forms the dynamic arc of Kubrick’s future-shock vision of Anthony Burgess’ novel. Controversial when first released, the film garnered three Academy Award nominations – Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Its power still entices, shocks and mesmerizes today.

Using a single dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and two dual-layer HD DVD discs (HD30s) features include:
1080P 1.66:1 Widescreen
English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround
English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD)
English, French and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
Theatrical trailer
Channel 4 documentary: Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange
New featurette: Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange
Career profile: O Lucky Malcolm!

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Kubrick’s daring and controversial last film is a bracing psychosexual journey through a haunting dreamscape, a riveting suspense tale and a career milestone for stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cruise plays a doctor who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage – and may ensnare him in a murder mystery – after his wife’s (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. His graceful tracking shots, rich colors and startling images are some of the bravura traits that show Kubrick as a filmmaker for the ages.

Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include:
1080P 1.78: Widescreen
English, French and Spanish subtitles
Scene specific commentary by Sydney Pollack and historian Peter Loewenberg
Theatrical trailer and TV spots
Channel 4 documentary: The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut
Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick
Kubrick’s 1998 DGA D.W Griffith Award acceptance speech
Interview gallery featuring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Steven Spielberg

Full Metal Jacket (1987)
A superb ensemble falls in for Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant saga about the Vietnam War and the dehumanizing process that turns people into trained killers. The scathing indictment of a film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Screenplay. Joker (Matthew Modine), Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin), Gomer (Vincent D’Onofrio), Eightball (Dorian Harewood) and Cowboy (Arliss Howard) are some of the Marine recruits experiencing boot-camp hell under the punishing command of the foul-mouthed Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermy). The action is savage, the story unsparing, and the dialogue is spiked with scathing humor.

Features include:
1080P 1.78:1 Widescreen
English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround
English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD)
Commentary by Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and Jay Cocks
New Featurette: Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil
Theatrical trailer

The Shining (1980)
From a script he co-adapted from the Stephen King novel, Kubrick melds vivid performances, menacing settings, dreamlike tracking shots and shock after shock into a milestone of the macabre. The Shining is the director’s epic tale of a man in a snowbound hotel descending into murderous delusions. In a signature role, Jack Nicholson (“Heeeere’s Johnny!”) stars as Jack Torrance, who’s come to the elegant, isolated Overlook Hotel as off-season caretaker with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd).

Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include:
1080P 1.78:1 Widescreen
English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround
English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD)
English, French and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter
Theatrical trailer
Documentary The Making of the Shining, with optional commentary by Vivian Kubrick
Three new featurettes:
View from The Overlook: Crafting the Shining
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick
Wendy Carlos, Composer

[Escapay]

The first of 2008's "Ultimate Collector's Edition" by WB has been announced, and aside from the lack of commentary (harrumph! ) it sounds like another winner from Warner Brothers:

Bonnie and Clyde: Ultimate Collector's Edition

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Bonnie and Clyde on 25th March 2008. The influential film classic starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and directed by Arthur Penn will be offered as a Two-Disc Special Edition and, available for a limited time only, an Ultimate Collector’s Edition. Both have been completely remastered from the original elements, and both boast more than three hours of new bonus content, highlighted by “Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde,” an all new in-depth commemorative documentary. Also included is the History Channel’s® “Love & Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” (a look at the lives of the real Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow) as well as Warren Beatty wardrobe tests and additional scenes, both newly discovered. The Bonnie and Clyde Ultimate Collector’s Edition will also contain collectible memorabilia, with a 36-page hardcover book of rare, behind-the-scenes photos, a 24-page reproduction of the original 1967 press book and special mail-in poster offer.

Bonnie and Clyde Ultimate Collector’s Edition will sell for $39.92 SRP; Bonnie and Clyde Two-Disc Special Edition will be available for $20.97 SRP. Simultaneous HD DVD and Blu-Ray versions of Bonnie and Clyde will also be released (details here).

Extras include…

Disc 1

* Teaser Trailer
* Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2

* The History Channel® Documentary – Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde
o (newsreel footage, period accounts, and interviews with biographers to bring the story of the notorious outlaws to life)
* Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde
o Bonnie and Clyde’s Gang (The challenges of bringing together the right creative forces to adapt the true story into a glamorous tale)
o The Reality and Myth of Bonnie and Clyde (Blending old and new Hollywood crews to bring about the style and look of a film which impacted more than just the fashion industry during the era)
o Releasing Bonnie and Clyde (From production to the final edited cut, a look at the struggles and joys of making a film that became a worldwide phenomenon and an Oscar winner)
* Warren Beatty Wardrobe Tests
* Deleted Scenes
o The Road to Mineloa
o Outlaws

The DVD release will be included in Warner Home Video’s 85th Anniversary Celebration. The details of this initiative will be announced in January and will introduce a number of branded collections throughout 2008 -- new-to-DVD, High Definition debuts and Ultimate Collector’s Editions. Additional information will be revealed soon.

------

March is looking to be a very bad month for my wallet. 101 Dalmatians, The Davros Collection, Forbidden Hollywood, Volume Two, and now this!

Scaps

[Flanger-Hanger]

Any chance of Warner releasing a 50th Anniversary edition of Gigi? (I assume they own the rights to it, just like every other MGM musical)

[Escapay]

No idea about Gigi. If it were up to me, I'd give SE treatments to Gigi, Silk Stockings and the long-delayed An American in Paris and stick it in some silly boxset like "MGM Goes to Paris" or something.

Scaps

[2099net]

Sounds like it will be another UCE without a HiDef package, just like Troy DC. Man, that Forbidden Planet HD DVD UCE must had sold poorly.