Night of the Living Dead (1990) - Twilight Time 10/09/12

[CPT HOOK]

Originally Posted by Vortex

^ So, Sony doesn't allow Twilight Time to put extras on these releases, but if some other company got the rights, they'd magically be allowed to? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

There are parameters regarding the existing extras, where Twilight Time would have to pay for the rights if available. They did say that some were completely unavailable though.

But having read a few of the interviews with Twilight Time, I didn't see anything about them not being allowed to create extras. They don't have the money for it. But other companies do it all the time.

The three-year moratorium on the rights was insisted on by Twilight Time to ensure that their release was truly a limited edition, so no other company can touch it until then. It is part of the licensing deal, so it may look like all these restrictions came solely from Sony, but they were initially proposed by Twilight Time (as well as the limited 3,000 copy run).

[Dave]

I don't have any regrets about not getting Fright Night. I watch it very rarely and the DVD will suffice for the time being. I suppose someday I will have a big enough TV to want the bluray but I really have been particular about what I buy over the past few years. As for NOTLD90, I've been a fan since it first hit video so I will definitely grab that one.

[elDomenechHDG]

Originally Posted by X-human

People bitched and yet Fright Night still sold out. Hmm...

We should all buy from companies we support like Synapse Films at full MSRP from their website. It's doesn't help much when you buy a used disc, rent or even buying them on sale at near cost. Basically people want something for close to nothing and Twilight Time is saying no. I say good for them. I don't buy all of their releases, and I'm on the fence about this one, but I'd rather have them do it right than Echo Bridge do it wrong or Sony just not do it at all.

I agree with this 100%. "You get what you pay for" applies to this situation. A $5 or $10 bargain bin Blu-ray from Echo Bridge sounds good on paper but what you're stuck with is a disposable disc with sloppy mastering/poor compression and absolutely zero extras that can barely be called high definition. I have no problem spending some money on a quality product while helping to support an indie label who does it right.

[foller]

This is still a Savini zombie movie. His special effects make it special. That's why a version with trimmed gore scenes is not worth 30$ for me, the more so as they are not even featured as deleted scenes in the extras section.
If Twilight wanted to do the real thing, they should get together with Savini and restore the original uncut version. That would be worth more than 30$.

[tropical marsh]

Originally Posted by buck135

The only thing that bugs me is; if you're going to limit a release to 3000 copies, don't permit more than one copy per customer. I have a feeling Fright Night would have lasted more than a week had the ebayers not snatched up more than their share. I strongly recommend those that want it, buy it the day it goes on sale.

Fright Night sold out 5 weeks after the preorder went up. Remember that Twilight Time opens preorders about a month before the disc is released.

Originally Posted by CPT HOOK

The difference being Synapse goes all out for their releases. Twilight Time does not. If companies like Synapse, Shout Factory, or Blue Underground charged $30 for every release, I'd probably be a bit more selective about what I buy from them, but at least I'd know I'd be getting my money's worth.

If I'm not mistaken, Twilight Time is just taking the HD master that the studio provides them with and slapping it on a disc. I don't see how that is any different from what companies like Echo Bridge or Mill Creek is doing?

If the transfer is great, then Sony is to be applauded for that. And Twilight Time's hold on the release prevents any other companies from coming along and getting it right for the next three years.

Really, I question Sony more than Twilight Time. Afterall, TT are just a couple of dudes trying to make some $$$. I have more of a beef with Sony. We know they have licensing agreements with Image and Mill Creek (besides TT)--is there any question that those fucking clowns wouldn't put out Fright Night (or Night of the Living Dead '90, or As Good as It Gets, etc). Bottom line is, Sony doesn't give a fuck...

[X-human]

Originally Posted by CPT HOOK

The difference being Synapse goes all out for their releases. Twilight Time does not. If companies like Synapse, Shout Factory, or Blue Underground charged $30 for every release, I'd probably be a bit more selective about what I buy from them, but at least I'd know I'd be getting my money's worth.

Well Shout Factory IS charging $29.95 + S&H for their Blu-rays of Halloween II and III. It's that way on their website. That's where I bought mine. The key thing is though these guys haven't made the kind of offer Sony is interested in. And as you can see with Synapse and Shout Factory getting in a bidding war over Universal's H2/H3 it's not that they don't want to release the films it's all about money. Don May has already passed on NotLD. Cliff has already passed on NotLD. Twilight Time set up a system that enabled them to lease these from Sony. That's the bottom line.

If I'm not mistaken, Twilight Time is just taking the HD master that the studio provides them with and slapping it on a disc. I don't see how that is any different from what companies like Echo Bridge or Mill Creek is doing?

Twilight Time is taking an already good transfer and NOT FUCKING WITH IT then putting it on a 50 GB disc with a high bit rate. So no that's not what Echo Bridge, Mill Creek or hell even Arrow and Blue Underground have been doing. I've passed on many cheap discs by all four of these companies because they're fucked. There's very little wrong with Twilight Time's releases from an authoring stand point. That's practically a miracle in and of itself these days. Twilight Time is also pulling all the audio stems and creating an isolated score track. This is an unappreciated special feature that's mostly for a niche group of film audiophiles that they are catering to. If anything this is so special you (nor I) are special enough to appreciate it (I never listen to them but I appreciate when a studio does them).

You can read about Echo Bridge's Godzilla vs. Biollante where an employee is very frank about how much of a battle it is internally at the company to make a competent release. To quote, "I really only get to herald 1 in about 1000 movies to get "special" treatment and not get smashed onto a multi-feature disc with no bonus features." NotLD odd's are not good. There's a completely different culture between Twilight Time and someone like Mill Creek.

And Twilight Time's hold on the release prevents any other companies from coming along and getting it right for the next three years.

Considering it's been over five years and nobody's bothered to release these I somehow doubt Mill Creek would wake up one morning in a tizzy, call up Sony and say "WE'LL PAY ANYTHING TO GET THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD REMAKE TO FLOOD BARGAIN BINS WITH A SPECIAL UNCUT EDITION!" Realistically what do you expect?

Originally Posted by Vortex

So, Sony doesn't allow Twilight Time to put extras on these releases, but if some other company got the rights, they'd magically be allowed to? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Twilight Time has a set amount of money they're willing to spend because they're only going to sell a set amount of copies for a set amount of time. This business model is based more on the current limited edition soundtrack market and these two guys are trying it on the movies themselves. You could call it an experiment. Fright Night sold out so yeah maybe it does make a lot of sense.

I don't consider this ideal but an acceptable alternative. I'm a videophile and I'd rather pay a little more to get the best possible transfer. That I know the money goes right into their hands is all the better. I've sat out many bargain basement releases on shit transfers. I don't buy those Mill Creek or Echo Bridge mulit-packs. As a videophile I can also appreciate when audiophiles get the rare treat of an isolated score.

If you want something cheap and don't care about the quality then I have no sympathy for your plight.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Originally Posted by buck135

The only thing that bugs me is; if you're going to limit a release to 3000 copies, don't permit more than one copy per customer. I have a feeling Fright Night would have lasted more than a week had the ebayers not snatched up more than their share. I strongly recommend those that want it, buy it the day it goes on sale.

What was even dumber was they were offering incentives to order extras! Buy 3 get a signed one free, that shit really happened, I remember it and wish I would've had the extra cash to invest.

That being said, I bitched about $35 for Fright Night but I paid it, and I'll probably get this one as well even though it's still cut. Face it, it's like Friday the 13th 2-8, watch a shitty workprint you can hardly see or watch it cut in pretty HD.
The Fright Night BD is stunning, I'm not just saying that to make myself feel better, so I have high hopes for this one after learning about this company. I think it's gonna be sweet, even if it is cut.

Really, Sleepwalkers coming to Blu? I never would've guessed any company was the least bit interested in that one. Ironically I've been about to re-watch it for months, but never get to it as the lady wants nothing to do with it. That is the definition of 'out of left field'!

[fceurich39]

why hasnt anyone released the original 68 Night of the Living Dead on blu yet amazing and no that crap forgotten films release doesnt count????

[buck135]

Originally Posted by fceurich39

why hasnt anyone released the original 68 Night of the Living Dead on blu yet amazing and no that crap forgotten films release doesnt count????

Well, you can consider the Japanese Happinet version. To my knowledge, it has the highest bit rate and is the only version to feature a 50gb disc. I bought it from Amazon.jp last year and am very pleased with it.

[buck135]

Originally Posted by bigdaddyhorse

Really, Sleepwalkers coming to Blu? I never would've guessed any company was the least bit interested in that one. Ironically I've been about to re-watch it for months, but never get to it as the lady wants nothing to do with it. That is the definition of 'out of left field'!

A young Mädchen Amick with red hair in 1080p. That's the only selling point I need.

[chrismac87]

Originally Posted by foller

This is still a Savini zombie movie. His special effects make it special. That's why a version with trimmed gore scenes is not worth 30$ for me, the more so as they are not even featured as deleted scenes in the extras section.
If Twilight wanted to do the real thing, they should get together with Savini and restore the original uncut version. That would be worth more than 30$.

First off, Savini didn't do the effects in the film - John Vulich did.

Secondly, the gore that everyone complains about being cut, the juicy blood filled footage; amounts to about 30 seconds.

I've seen the uncut version and let me tell you first hand, it made absolutely no difference to make the film any more gorier than it is as it stands. There wasn't buckets of blood cut, just some exit wounds and a split second head explosion, you want to see said uncut footage do ya? There's a video on YouTube with everything that was trimmed, gore wise you get as I said about 30 seconds, everything else is a minute or so.

Here's the vid, it's a bit over 3 minutes because it includes a few "lingering" shots and a few seconds before and after what was cut; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3XjssXpkgc&feature=plcp


Yeah that's what people have been making a fuss about for years, makes a world of a difference in the impact the film has doesn't it? This was never meant to be a gory film - it was being backed by a studio in 1989 for crying out loud; every studio knew the MPAA was at their peak for cutting shit so they wouldn't let filmmakers go too nuts when it came to gore. This film was no exception and honestly what was cut would pass today without issue.

Now on to putting it back in the film, you might as well give up on that idea. First off the cut footage was never properly color timed with the rest of the film, nor was it mixed, so that would all need to be done which costs a few thousand - if not more - and considering this is going the route it is with Twilight Time; I wouldn't hold your breath for that happening. That and Sony has had ample opportunities to re-insert the footage when they've owned the film since it was...I don't know, released, and they haven't. So those who are thinking it's going to happen now...well, let me know what life is like on Pluto because it must be nice there.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Well, just like Fright Night, NOTLD90 has only one dvd released way back in 1999. Maybe it got a new cover along the way, or just one side of the old dual-sided disc reissued, but it's the same old disc inside either way. That boils down to Sony don't give a fuck about it, so expecting them to do something nice with themselves down the road is kid of silly. They don't care, be glad Twilight Time does.

I'm gonna give the dvd a spin soon and decide if it needs/warrants an upgrade. I thought Fright Night looked okay on dvd, but would benefit from HD. It's all about how many long shots there are where HD really helps. No need to upgrade a movie mostly in close-up, cuz close-ups on dvd look HD when up-converted anyway.

[Mikey Horror]

I'm not looking forward to this fiasco. The whole Fright Night thing didn't effect me 'cause frankly I couldn't care less about that flick 'cause I was never a fan, but I really want this one. Did Fright Night sell out in any record time? I'll just have to keep an eye out and jump on the pre-order as soon as it goes up. This whole limited edition thing really pisses me off. Just do a mass production for Christ's sake instead of playing these fucking games. I was really hoping this company wouldn't get ahold of a title I really wanted. Oh well. This company is ruining the fucking medium, promoting these asshole, price gouging scalpers on ebay. Can someone please tell me the point of limiting these to 3,000 copies? Do they just not want to make more money?

[evildeadfan123]

I purchased Fright Night on Blu-Ray, and I will be purchasing Night 1990, but I also saw another movie on the list that I would like to own: Steel Magnolia on Blu-Ray. I have the DVD, but I would also like the Blu-Ray.

[rxfiend]

The uncut version doesn't make much of a difference. I have a copy on VHS and really, it's nothing major.

While I don't like the price, I probably will bite on this release. I'm not the biggest fan of FN (I like it, but the DVD is fine) but I really enjoy this film. It's also one of my wife's favorite movies. I hope Twilight at least has an isolated score.