What have you been watching?

Hi all,
I was thinking it might be cool to start a 'what have we been watching?' thread. Either on Laserdisc, or any other format I suppose.
I have quite a few LD's but sometimes struggle to choose what to watch. Thought if I read that one of you had just watched such-and-such, it might make me go, 'Hey, I've got the LD. I'll watch it as well.'
If anything, it would be interesting to hear what movies you guys are watching.
I'm not looking for detailed reviews or anything (though feel free), just a sentence or two.

Anyway I'll start-

As its coming up to Chrirstmas, I like to watch some good old fashioned Christmas movies. So the other night I chucked on a favourite- 'Scrooged' (pic) on LD(Japanese title is 'the 3 ghosts').
Absolutely love this movie and probably watch it every December.
The Laserdisc is a pretty old pressing and unfortunately not in widescreen, but the Dolby Surround track was pretty good.

I also opened up my sealed copy of Chasing Amy Criterion, that I just got recently, to listen to the Kevin Smith and gang commentary track.

Last week I watched the first side of 'The Hard Way' with Michael J Fox. Has a few laughs, especially the trailer for the fake movie 'Smoking Gunn 2' (youtube trailer)
Haven't got round to watching the second half yet though.

Not on Laserdisc but, I watched the new Jim Carry 'Christmas Carol' on Bluray. It was OK, but definitely no Scrooged.

Lastly and the surprise of the week, I watched 'Speed Racer' on BR. I had never seen this before as I thought it would be rubbish, but it was actually pretty good. Also, it is the best looking BR I have seen. The colors were SO bright

So what about you guys?

I too watched Scrooged recently. Picked it up on DVD for £1

I watched X-Files the move on LD the other day - sent to me by DTGWooward. Pretty decent flick.

On DVD this past week I watched Black Book. Really enjoyed it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389557/

March wrote:I too watched Scrooged recently. Picked it up on DVD for £1

Damn, thats a nice price

I'd never heard of black book, but i see it's directed by Paul Verhoeven. So I'll definitely check it out.

See, the threads working already

Recently, we watched WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE which is almost a WAR OF THE WORLDS companion piece (which we also watched) as it is virtually the same production crew.

We also watched THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.

All three from Laserdisc, as I am writihg reviews of them for the site as we speak.

Nice one DGTW. I've never seen When Worlds Collide. But the write up on imdb sounds sweet.
Ill have to keep my eyes open for this Japanese Release.

Watched the first half of Richie Rich on LD (on the girlfriends request-she was over it by the side change though )

Have just finished off Die Hard AC3 release on LD. Pretty happy with the video on the release and the sound is great. Got bullets flying all over the place.

Not on Laserdisc, but I watched UK Channel 4's 2004 'Top 100 TV Christmas Moments'. Great stuff.

Also, couldn't resist Band Aid 20th Anniversary Doco.

I love Christmas

Was the channel 4 Christmas moments on TV? It's definitely time for Chritmas flix. I wish I had a few more on LD.

I watched Rising Sun LD last night. It's not a bad movie, but Snipes' acting let's it down a little. The LD it's self is also mediocre. The picture is a little washed out, more than watchable, but a bit of extra contrast improved it greatly.

March (Wed Dec 15, 2010 11:40 am) wrote:Was the channel 4 Christmas moments on TV?

Well I guess it was back in 2004, but i doubt recently. I got the torrent off of thebox.bz. Was a great show.
I've now also finished off watching 'Knowing Me Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge. Next I'm onto the Blackadder Christmas episode.

I just watched "Invation" - Nicole Kidman & Daniel Craig. It was an ok movie, kept me entertained but has major plot flaws. It's like a watered down cross between V and 28 days later and it's shot like a polished TV show24/CSI.

Worth a look if it's on TV but I wouldn't rent/buy it.

I watched a few LDs over the weekend:

Scanners - I remember watching this years ago and thinking it was a cool movie. But on second viewing I must say it wasn't that reat. The part when the guys head explodes is still cool, but overall it shows it's age.

The transfer is ok but nothing special.

Robin & Marian - I picked up this LD a few months back and thought I'd check it out. The first thing I should mention is that the artwork is terrible. Whoever designed it really undersells the movie.

The movie it's self is ok. It looks a little too 'made for TV' in parts and reminds me of Monty Python's Holy grail in other parts - but without the comedy. To be honest I was a little dissapointed with the film overall.

The transfer is in 4.3 which doesn't help things as there are some scenes which probably need to capture the wide landscape to work and this is half the problem.

Gattaca

Great Sci-Fi movie - some think it's slow and too minamilist, but I love it. The LD transfer is good too.

I also watched 'Solar Crisis' on DVD. It cost 50p so I thought I'd take a punt.



The imdb rating is 3.6 so I wasn't expecting much, but surprisingly I really liked it. It was released in 1990 but has a real mid 80s feel to it.

The FX are good. The story is good, although it has been used in way too many movies over the years and most of those movies do it well - Armageddon, Deep Impact, Sunshine... it also has the classic saboteur sub plot also done well in other movies.

One unique thing that this movie has is that there is another sub plot that takes place on Earth. I thought it was a great idea, but wasn't executed well, partly due to the poor acting of the main character in this sub plot - the captain's son who has gone awol from the academy.

The cast is good and the acting is generally good. The script does let it down though. It's not terrible, but some lines are a little amateurish.

The DVD is 4:3 which was a little annoying in some scenes. It still looked pretty good though, and the stereo sound was also good. The soundtrack wasn't very good imo

Overall I give it 5/10 - Worth a watch if you are a fan of Sci-Fi.

Just found this on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SOLAR-CRISIS-LASER-DISC-/320643394158?pt=UK_DVD_Film_TV_OtherFormats_GL&hash=item4aa7d5ea6e

In widescreen! Do I like the movie enough to spend another £7 though, that is the question... probably not

We watched "REC" and "REC 2" on bluray over the weekend. Though the second is quite good in that it proposes a novel idea regarding demon possession, we both still prefer part one.

I am a fluent Spanish speaker anyway so I did not need the sub titles, but I can tell you...they sometimes miss by a mile, using approximations rather than actual translations.

A fluent speaker of Spanish DGTW? Nice one man
I only dream of one day being something like fluent in my second language (Japanese). May I ask, how did that come about? Did you learn it at school, or live over there or something? Massive respect to you

On what I have watched recently. I watched 'the Truman Show' on LD this week. I was very happy with the transfer. Looked very good and the Dolby Digital soundtrack was a pleasure as well.

Next, I watched 'the Thing' (Signature Collection LD) for the first time. Again the picture and sound were great, especially for an older film.
I have to say though, although the special effects were great and I loved the middle section (where the characters are all second guessing who is or is not a 'thing'), over all I wasn't a huge fan of the movie. Very slow. A little surprised it rates so highly on imdb. I much prefer a little 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

Other than that, for some reason, I put on the 'Water Boy' but it was off again after 5 mins

bullruckle wrote:A fluent speaker of Spanish DGTW? Nice one man
I only dream of one day being something like fluent in my second language (Japanese). May I ask, how did that come about? Did you learn it at school, or live over there or something? Massive respect to you

Well, despite that fact that my name is well and truly English (thanks Dad!) I consider myself Spanish, as my mother is Spanish. Until she passed away our Grandmother used to live with us too and help to raise us when my parents divorced. She was a lovely lady, but never learnt to speak English. It was always Spanish at home and English at school! So my sister and I just grew up knowing it more or less.

On what I have watched recently. I watched 'the Truman Show' on LD this week. I was very happy with the transfer. Looked very good and the Dolby Digital soundtrack was a pleasure as well.

Yes it is a fantastic transfer in both PQ and AQ. I have a review in the works. Could well be Jim Carrey's best movie.

Next, I watched 'the Thing' (Signature Collection LD) for the first time. Again the picture and sound were great, especially for an older film.
I have to say though, although the special effects were great and I loved the middle section (where the characters are all second guessing who is or is not a 'thing'), over all I wasn't a huge fan of the movie. Very slow. A little surprised it rates so highly on imdb.

WHAT!!!!? Go and stand in the corner!! You naughty boy you!

I much prefer a little 'Big Trouble in Little China'.

OK, I'll let you off Two movies that only gained real recognition after the fact, as both were commercial failures at the time. Great commentaries on both, you can tell Capenter and Russel were friends.

Other than that, for some reason, I put on the 'Water Boy' but it was off again after 5 mins

Is that the Adam Saddler movie? Yuck, I have no time for him in any way whatsoever, so I am with you there. Whatever you do don't go near '....Zohan' it is so bad I only got about 10-15 minutes in and had to eject the DVD. I found it singularly unfunny and borderline offensive.

I would love to speak Japanese though. Good on you for that.

I just finished watching 'The Third Man' - It's an all time classic according to most but I didn't like it. I found it to be tedious and cold.

I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler either, but I am a fan of 'The Wedding Singer'

March wrote:I just finished watching 'The Third Man' - It's an all time classic according to most but I didn't like it. I found it to be tedious and cold.

I'm not a fan of Adam Sandler either, but I am a fan of 'The Wedding Singer'

I remember us being shown "The Third Man" at school as part of our English Language studies. Like you Mark, I found it unappealing and cold. I understood the plot but it was just dull, and if I could have gotten hold of the Mandolin player..!

Also, yes I too liked "The Wedding Singer" Which is odd for me because I cannot stand the Sandler/Barrymore combination.

Watched a few movies lately that are worth a mention:

The House on Haunted Hill - original with Vincent price.
Disappointing. Slow and disjointed.

Doomsday
I really enjoyed this movie. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. It's basically a cross between escape from Newyork and 28 days later. Definitely worth a watch.

Horror Hotel / City of the Dead - Christopher Lee
Strange little witchcraft flick. Bad sets and predictable story but I liked it. A substandard horror movie but extremely memorable. There is a version on LaserDisc that I plan to pick up.

Battle Beyond The Stars
Cheesy Sci-fi classic. I love it. John boy from the waltons plays the part of Luke Skywalker with The A-Teams Hannibal playing Han Solo very much like lone starr in spaceballs.

A few more:

Enemy Mine - LaserDisc
A memorable epic with some glimpses of genius and other parts completely lacking. It's worth watching. The main let down is the effects and mediocre sound. Pal LD transfer is not very impressive.

The Big Red One - Reconstructed - DVD
Lee Marvin & Mark Hamill. Outstanding movie. Often overlooked in the ww2 genre.

The English Patient - LaderDisc
Beautifully shot, amazing scenery, interesting plot and good LD transfer. Slow and self indulgent. I'd give it 4 out of 10.

Enemy Mine! I love that movie! Nice one there March

I watched 'There's something about Mary'. Looked great, DD sounded great and was just the right movie to chuck on while having a few drinks Saturday night. Very Funny.

Also watched 'Highlander' 10th anniversary remaster. First off, love how the gatefold jacket of the LD opens up on this one. Was the first time that I've seen this movie (that I remember anyway). Was OK, but I felt like there was a lack of actual Highlanders in the movie. I would have preferred more Highlanders battling it out, and less time spent on the 'love interest' police woman. Picture was pretty good (especially for an older movie) and the DD track had some good audio coming from the rear speakers.

A Shot In The Dark on LD. Good picture and sound. Peter Sellers really was brilliant.

I haven't had chance to lay my hands on some new LDs in a while so had to but up with DVDs. I watched a great STV dvd last night called Dinner Rush. It's like a cross between an italian cookery show and Goodfellas. Highly recommended.

Mighty Aphrodite - LaserDisc

Weird comedy by Woody Allen. Starts slow and feels awkward. The chemistry between Woody Allen and Helena Bonhem Carter is lacking, maybe that's the point, but it just felt as though they were just reading their lines and adding some ad libs which didn't quite work. The story does develop and has some funny moments, but overall I didn't enjoy it.

Picture quality is mediocre and the sound is below par for LaserDisc.


Star Wars The Phantom Menace - LaserDisc

As a movie, I've always enjoyed this even though it gets slated by most. The CGI is the main thing that lets it down for me.

Picture quality is excellent and the sound is fantastic. I had it set up with Pro Logic and it sounded better than the 5.1 on DVD imo.

We had a bit of a Universal marathon recently... so we watched

The House of Frankenstein/The House Of Dracula double bill

Frankenstein Vs The Wolfman.

They were all part of the ENCORE Collection.

Sheer cheesey brilliance!

We watched RABID, my recent eBay purchase. The PQ was as good as can be expected from the master that was used...it was badly damaged, with scratches, marks and general damage all over it. Still, enjoyable mayhem as Cronenberg clearly tries hard to do George Romero's The Crazies.

Then we watched the classic CASABLANCA. An excellent film, and this from a person that does not really rate Borgart as anything special. Fantastic PQ/AQ age considered, and the supplemental documentary was very good indeed, even if Lauren Bacall (Bogart's widow) has a 90-a-day voice.

April was a busy month for watching laserdiscs:
Waterworld
Jurassic Park
Billy Madison
Close Encounters
The Crow
No Escape