Morning, everyone! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day weekend.

Well... it looks like Speed Racer didn't fare so well over the weekend. It's a shame. I really love the movie, and think it's a lot better than most critics are giving it credit for. It's hard to figure out what exactly it is that some people are expecting from a movie called Speed Racer by The Wachowski Brothers. As a fan of the original cartoon, it delivered pretty much everything I was looking for. It's interesting... I've heard from a number of Bits readers who saw and enjoyed the film over the weekend, but I've also heard from a few people who were very much of the "Screw the Wachowskis!" opinion. Guess there's still a lot of backlash over the last two Matrix movies? Ah well.

By the way, thanks to those of you who e-mailed download links to Michael Giacchino's complete score for the film over the last couple days. It's very much appreciated.

One other quick note: If you ARE a fan of the film, you might want to drop by your local Target store. They've got an exclusive promo DVD that you can buy right now for just $9.99. It's called Speed Racer: Wonderful World of Racing - The Amazing Racer Family. The disc runs about 30 minutes, and is separated into two programs. The first piece plays like something you'd see on ESPN Classics or the Speed Channel. It features all the major (and even many of the minor) cast members being interviewed in character, as if this were a real documentary profile of Racer Motors. It's illustrated with footage and production artwork from the film. The second piece is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, called Speed Racer: Ramping Up, which covers a bit of the production design and greenscreen work. The DVD also contains a coupon for $7.50 in Movie Money to go see the film, so you basically get a free ticket as well. It's a very cool little disc for fans, so if you're interested, be sure to grab a copy while they last.

We'll be back later with a new Classic Coming Attractions column from Barrie. Stay tuned!

5/9/08

So... a little something tells me The Wachowskis are gonna have the last laugh in this whole Racer-gate business. Man, I haven't seen so many reviewers blow a call in years. 32% on the Tomatometer? That's NUTS! But I'll tell you, I just got back from a Midnight screening of Speed in IMAX, and the place was PACKED. Wall to wall moviegoers turned out for the first taste of fun. There were guys dressed as Speed... gal pals with Trixie bows in their bobs. There were more than a few white helmets in the joint. One guy was even walking around wearing a cardboard Mach V - no kidding. Not little kids mind you, but the high-school and college set. It was off the hook. People laughed and cheered the whole way through, and they were all pretty hyped as they left the theatre. Personally, I enjoyed Speed just as much the second time 'round the track. Though I think if I had to pick between IMAX and DLP Digital (having now seen the film in both formats), I'd go with the latter to get the best effect. I'm gonna be very curious to see what the film's weekend numbers are like on Sunday night, but at the starting gate at least, it looks like they're gonna be pretty solid. This is shaping up to be a pretty crazy summer at the box office, folks.

By the way, if anyone out there managed to record Michael Giacchino's complete 2-hour score for the film that was available for streaming online here a couple weeks ago, please let me know. I'd love a copy of it. I ran out and picked up the CD release yesterday, which is terrific, but of course it's just the highlights.

Anyway, as promised, we've got a trio of new DVD reviews for you to check out this morning. Adam's turned in a new edition of The Bottom Shelf with a review of High School on disc. No, not the musical - the '68 classic from Zipporah Films! Do check it out. Also, Peter Schorn delivers his thoughts on New Line's Blade: The Series - The Completely Complete Series, along with Universal's Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Enjoy!

Okay, any major breaking news aside, that's it for another week. Be sure to treat your own Mom Racer nice this weekend. Mother's Day and all. Buy her some flowers or something. Take her out to the movies.

Have a great one and we'll see you Monday!

5/8/08

Afternoon, folks! We've got a couple interesting things for you today.

First, we have a little follow up on yesterday's Criterion announcement. We've spoken with the folks at Criterion and have learned that they're still working out whether or not their new Blu-ray releases will use a new numbering system of their own (different from the DVD versions). They also haven't yet finalized what the Blu-ray packaging will look like. Rest assured, we'll keep checking back with them and let you know as soon as we hear anything.

Also today, we wanted to let you know that American Cinematographer magazine has just posted a great feature story on the new restoration of The Godfather Trilogy that was recent completed by our very own Robert A. Harris, a longtime regular contributor to The Bits. Robert's Film Preserve has previously been responsible for meticulous restorations of such films as Vertigo and Lawrence of Arabia, and I can tell you from first-hand experience that his work on the Godfather films is nothing short of a marvel. The article is an excellent read, and we recommend you all check it out if you're interested in the subject. According to the story (and our own industry sources), Paramount is planning to release new DVD editions of the films in September here in the States (they're already announced for release in Europe on 6/2 - see the European cover art below). Our sources say there's a decent chance that the films will be released on Blu-ray Disc as well, so cross you fingers. In the meantime, enjoy the article (and know that Robert will be writing on the subject himself in his own Yellow Layer Failure column here at The Bits in the coming weeks).



As you can see, we also included the newly-released artwork for CBS's Jericho: The Complete Series on DVD (due on 6/17) and Criterion's Vampyr DVD (7/22). Jericho: The Complete Series will include all the extras from the Season One and Two DVDs, along with an exclusive bonus disc containing 3 featurettes (Tick Tick Boom, 100 Reasons to Watch Jericho and Cast Members' Memorable Moments), as well as video of a script table reading with the cast, a Behind-the-Scenes "Thank You" to the fans and what looks to be either two expanded action scenes from Season Two or behind-the-scenes looks at the same (the Napalm Action Sequence and the Train Crash Sequence). And of course, both Season Two and The Complete Series DVDs (due on the same day) will feature the unseen alternate ending of the season (the cliffhanger that would have been used had the show been renewed).

Finally today... while we're talking about the possibility of older classic films coming to Blu-ray Disc... there's a very important and related issue I wanted to address today. We've been getting a few e-mails a week (over the last month or so) from readers who are new to Blu-ray, who say they're disappointed in the quality of older catalog titles on the format. They disappointed not so much the selection, but the actual video quality. One person said the colors weren't as vibrant as they were expecting. Another thought the image looked too soft. Several have complained of "noise" on their TV screens when they watched certain older films. It actually took me a while at first to understand what they meant, but now I've figured it out... and as a serious film enthusiast, it's troubling to say the least. That noise some are complaining about? It's film grain! It seems that many people who came to home theater more recently via DVD, and so who may never have seen older films in an actual movie theater before, simply don't understand what film grain is. They don't realize that it's SUPPOSED to be there.

Now, if you're one of those people... look, don't feel bad. It's okay that you didn't know what that so-called 'noise' was, because having grown up seeing older films only on DVD or cable TV, how could you know otherwise? That's why The Bits is here - to fill you in on such things. Here's what you need to understand: Film grain is an inherent part of the texture and character of older movies, which of course were shot on photochemical film stock (see Wikipedia's entry on the subject). The grains are tiny bits of metallic silver that are part of the actual physical structure of a piece of film. The amount of grain you see in the image may be the result of a stylistic choice by the director and cinematographer, as determined by their selection of film stock used during the production, or it's the product of the aging process of the film itself, the chemical composition of which changes over time. Often, it's a little of both. DVD didn't always have enough resolution to render grain properly, but Blu-ray does. So now many people are seeing it for the first time, and those who don't understand the nature of film think it's a defect in the disc! It's not, folks. Just like those black bars are supposed to be there on 2.35 (Scope) films - yes, even on your new widescreen HDTV sets - that grain is part of the film medium itself. Unfortunately, it seems that all too many people are expecting older films on Blu-ray to look like Ratatouille or Star Wars: Episode III. In other words, perfect - super-clean, super-clear, super-vibrant. No 'noise.'

To quote Han Solo, "I've got a BAD feeling about this." I suspect THIS issue is going to be the new anamorphic widescreen, the new black bars. This is the issue that enthusiasts and the studios are going to have to make an effort to explain to consumers who are new to Blu-ray and high-definition in general. Unfortunately, what seems to happening right now is that the studio marketing folks are conducting focus groups with new Blu-ray consumers, who are saying they want perfect pictures every time. As a result, a few of the Hollywood studios are currently A) using excessive Digital Noise Reduction to completely scrub film grain from their Blu-ray releases, or B) not releasing as many older catalog titles as they might otherwise for fear that people will complain about grain. Some studios are even going so far as to scrub the grain out of NEW releases that have been shot on film. Case in point: New Line's Pan's Labyrinth Blu-ray Disc. When I saw this film in the theaters, it was dark and gritty. The grain was a deliberate stylistic choice - part of the artistic character of the film. New Line's Blu-ray, on the other hand, is sparkly and glossy - almost entirely grain-free. So much fine detail has been removed that the faces of characters actually look waxy. Everyone looks like a plastic doll. It's worth noting that the European release doesn't suffer the same fate. One can only assume that there are fewer marketing fingers in the pie over there?

This isn't just a Blu-ray issue, it's going to affect ALL high-definition presentations of older films, if we allow it to. Film enthusiasts (and those at the studios who actually CARE about and respect the integrity of older films) need to really start educating people on this subject - new Blu-ray consumers, friends and family, fellow studio employees. FILM IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE FILM. Older titles on Blu-ray are NOT supposed to look perfect, as if they were shot today on video! The Blu-ray presentation should replicate, as closely as possible, the best original theatrical experience of the film. THAT'S the goal. I'll tell you right now, this is an important issue, just as anamorphic enhancement and presenting films in their original aspect ratios on DVD were before it. As we did with those issues, you better believe it's something the staff here at The Digital Bits will take up as a crusade with the Hollywood studios if it becomes necessary. So you studio folks... let's just say that you'd better get this one right, or you'll definitely be hearing about it from us in the months ahead (and, we suspect, from many others as well).

All right, enough soapboxing for today. Before we close this afternoon, are any of you Bits readers located in France? Our own Todd Doogan wants to hear from you. Drop him an e-mail if you have a moment (he appreciates your help in advance).

We'll be back tomorrow with new disc reviews from Adam and Peter, and currently we're targeting Rob's next Golden Hollywood column for Monday. Stay tuned!

Bill Hunt, Editor
The Digital Bits
billhunt@thedigitalbits.com