Site Blu-Ray section

Moderators: Evil James, EvilDeadChainsaws

Elise41
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:40 pm

Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Elise41 »

So, I'm new to Blu-ray as I have used my Christmas money to buy a Blu-ray player and got my first BR with my HMV gift card I also got for Christmas, the Lionsgate ED II BR. I wanted to visit the Collectables site to see what selection of BRs exist for the trilogy and was surprised to see that there wasn't a section for one! I thought that I'd suggest it. There's also the new Kate Egan Cultographies book "The Evil Dead" I ordered it and will let everyone know what I think of it after I read it!
User avatar
The Aluminum Falcon
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:47 am

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by The Aluminum Falcon »

Hello. I agree a Blu-Ray section would be nice. That's cool that EDII is your first Blu-Ray. As far as a "selection of BRs" for the ED trilogy, there aren't that many.

For The Evil Dead, there is only the U.S. Blu-Ray and the U.K Blu-Ray. The U.K has some extra features, but I believe the U.S. is vastly superior for its inclusion of the open matte version of Evil Dead (in stunning quality BTW).

For Evil Dead II, there is the Anchor Bay Blu-Ray and the Lionsgate Blu-Ray. The BDs overseas all are variants of the Anchor Bay Blu-Ray, with the same transfer, just different features (sometimes). The Lionsgate is only in the U.S. now I believe and has a far better transfer...

For Army of Darkness, there is the HD-DVD release, the UK Blu-Ray release, and the U.S Blu-Ray release. They all are the same master, but the U.S. BD fares the worst. The HD-DVD release was the first to utilise the Universal HD master of Army of Darkness and the UK Blu-Ray used the same thing. The UK BD has the edge for better special features, including a (not-so-good quality) copy of the Director's Cut. Unfortunately, the UK BD is Area B locked so you'll need a BR player that can play all Areas. The U.S. BD has the worst transfer since it is edge enhanced, artificially sharpened causing halo-ing artifacts; it's not atrocious by any means though. It's worth noting that all BDs are the U.S. Theatrical Cut, which is awfully truncated.
User avatar
EvilDeadChainsaws
Site Admin
Posts: 104
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:23 pm
Location: England, UK
Contact:

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by EvilDeadChainsaws »

Thanks for that info, currently I don't own a Blu-ray drive/player, but that may change in the future, but I'm in no frame of mind to ditch my 600+ DVD collection and start buying new stuff all over again. The technological leap from VHS to DVD was indeed a big step, but from DVD to HD-DVD & Blu-Ray is far less so, and not overly worth it in my opinion.
Elise41
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:40 pm

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Elise41 »

Thanks so much for the information!! I knew everything you stated except the fact that the UK BR is superior to the U.S. BR for AOD. My BR player isn't region free....yet. I did a search and I just need to get my hands on a specific remote control and I should be able to hack it. I can buy the remote for around $15. I'm lucky to be Canadian, so I can have this wonderful ED II Blu-Ray! I actually plan to pick up both ED BRs because of the U.S. one having the open matte version and because of the extra special feature on the UK version. Honestly, I don't need to upgrade for AOD. I have the R3 MGM release which is beautiful! But being the nerd I am, I'll probably pick up the AOD BR anyway! Thanks for the info. :)
User avatar
Kyle
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:21 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Kyle »

I picked up the new ED2 Blu I was hoping it was region free, but no :cry:
I will do some scans of the covers for the collectables section asap.
Elise41
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:40 pm

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Elise41 »

Kyle wrote:I picked up the new ED2 Blu I was hoping it was region free, but no :cry:
I will do some scans of the covers for the collectables section asap.
Yeah it isn't region free. :( Sucks for people who want to import it because it's a fantastic Blu-ray. Hacking Blu-ray seems to be a tiny bit more difficult than hacking DVD players. I have to buy a remote to hack mine.

I got the book today! It's pretty tiny. Only a little over 100 pages, the book itself is small, and there's some small pics in there. So it won't take me long before I finish reading it. Will let you all know what I think!
User avatar
The Aluminum Falcon
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:47 am

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by The Aluminum Falcon »

I'll be curious to see what you think of the book... It sounds interesting. About Blu-Ray Region Coding, it's definitely a pain. I'm just glad more Blu-Ray releases are region free than DVDs. You can usually import stuff...

I wonder when a Europe equivalent will come out for EDII. The new master does look far better and I'm sure there will be a market for it. Does anyone know if Lionsgate has jurisdiction over EDII rights overseas?
User avatar
Kyle
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:21 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Kyle »

Studio Canal/ Optimum have had the rights for a while, I guess they could license the new features.
Elise41
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:40 pm

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by Elise41 »

According to Blu-ray.com, all Lionsgate Blu-rays are either Region A or Region free with VERY few exceptions. I highly doubt that they'll release a version for the UK, though maybe those special features could be picked up somehow.

I finished reading the book! It's a very analytic/argumentative essay/research paper type of approach on the movie. The author first tells her story of how she came to see the movie, then tells of the production and such which is mostly a rehash of commentaries/The Evil Dead Companion/ etc. The last three chapters examine fan response, cult status, and its status as a video nasty with a little bit of history. She marks the reasons why it took off rather than remained amongst other "Drive-in type" horror at the time, why it remains a cult classic and what drives it to be a cult film along with examining it as more of a cult film vs. its "two big brothers" (the sequels). The book is like a research paper so there are notes and referencing abound. I find it interesting that she interviewed Mark Dutton, who you know Rob! Creator of Within the Woods. Though Deadites Online gets two mentions, one that also marks it as a source for fans in the early 90s that helped with its growing fanbase (as well as Within the Woods) and another where it mentions the section of the website "Ashplay". The book studies the film techniques and borrowed elements and influences from other films and analyzes it to death, explaining the meaning or interpretation of the themes and shots in the film. It is important to note that the author stated that when she picked out reviews on IMDb, they dated up til 2008, indicating when this book was probably written (as the release date of the book itself was pushed as well.) She watched the film on DVD so before the Blu-ray.

Personally I am happy with it. It was interesting and made me want to take the movie out and watch it again. Though with tax at $18.5 Canadian, the book is a little expensive IMO. It's only like 100 pages long. So there you go!
User avatar
The Aluminum Falcon
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:47 am

Re: Site Blu-Ray section

Post by The Aluminum Falcon »

Sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the mini-review, Elise41. It's appreciated. Evil Dead does seem to be more cult-y than the other two movies. I'll probably pick it up later; since it's just 100 pages, that is a pretty steep price.

On the subject of licensing the features of the latest EDII BDs overseas, that, in itself even without the better transfer, would definitely merit a new release. I watched and enjoyed the brand new HD documentary for the 25th Anniversary BD. If you've got the BD, I suggest you watch it as soon as possible. It's relatively informative and it's great to see a great portion of the cast speak up about their experiences. There's a lot of camcorder footage integrated which is absolutely lovely; it even includes deleted scenes not seen in the Elite documentary...
Post Reply