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| teddanson |
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Posted: 14 May 2021, 18:52
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I'm going to write a post about the Mind Control discs on my blog as I'd like to go in to them in depth (see my Cyberdelia post on my blog). They are very obscure. Similar to the Luminous Trip disc I got not so long ago (see the Laserdisc Reviews section on LDDB Forum for more on that disc).
I was going to post this here when these arrive but here's some seller photos.
I waited a year or so just to get one disc. Ophelia was my first disc. Fast forward a couple of years to yesterday and I got another disc, Salome.
Now you know the saying about waiting for a bus and two come along at once?
FOUR came along at once. :thumbup:
https://i.postimg.cc/TYbYLq12/i-img1200x800-161638825343cetp68066.jpg
One of the discs is not listed on LDDB so I will add it when it arrives. I only have one more disc to get now. Who knows how long until that one comes along though?
I'll have two spare discs though once they arrive so happy to sell those on here if folks are interested. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 14 May 2021, 21:41
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Masayoshi Takanaka: Guitar Fantasia (1982) [5133-17]
https://i.postimg.cc/MGKk5ZG3/8e2314a9-de95-4afc-bfaf-5e30a32d0e58.jpg
Ok so i've had a quick look through the third and final release of Guitar Fantasia.
I know it's probably marginally harder to find than the already hard to find digital version, but...
I think this is the best version of the three.
The picture quality is out of this world. No seriously, it's not even a contest. The other two releases are superb already but the picture on this, holy moly. If you told me it was a MUSE disc i'd believe you. Okay that's maybe stretching the truth a little bit but heed this much, its absolutely sensational.
It has to be from a different source of the broadcast recording or processed differently. I don't know. I am no expert in this stuff. Just suffice to say the picture quality is genuinely, in my opinion, a true showcase for early Laserdisc.
Audio is right up there. It's analogue only but sounds just as good if not slightly better than the original Kitty release. Maybe this was a remaster or adjusted repressing?
I'll cut this review short because the other two reviews cover the concert in enough detail (i hope). I will say this though, i think it's the best release of the three. Though if you got any of them you would be happy.
Or you can have all three releases and be truly happy! :thumbup: |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 20 May 2021, 14:06
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rein-o wrote: Teddanson how am I beating you to trashy films 
Probably because I have a DVD box set with 200 of 42nd Street's finest cinema treats to work though as yet! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 29 May 2021, 14:05
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Just a quick note on the U-ROMAM disc.
It's definitely 3D. It's fairly impressive material. The disc does have some mint marks and other information.
I will make sure to add it to LDDB later today.  |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 30 May 2021, 10:24
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3D Soft [U-ROMAM] [SAV970701]
https://i.postimg.cc/4N7mNQPq/3e91c976-b75b-4c9e-9ae8-af9b02a3377c.jpg
This is a 3D feature that mixes computer graphics and live action. The disc has the same material recorded on both sides. The disc is plain with no labels. Just a plain white centre sticker on each side. On one side of the disc is two pieces of thermal printed tape (like from a Dymo or Brother labelling device) each with red text on it. One sticker says 'RCH' on it. The other sticker says 'この面を上にしてください' (Please turn this side up).
The outer sleeve is plainw hite and has a white sticker with writing on it describing the frame numbers for various events. The events range from an introduction narration (before and after), U-ROMAM, Sea Creatures and Rafting. There is a piece of plain paper inside the sleeve with text on it describing the feature. Using a translation engine it states something along the lines of U-ROMAM being a machine flying through space as an 'Earth defender'.
The feature itself appears to be in over/under 3D. I was able to view it perfectly with a Sony HMZ-T3W headset. No glasses are supplied with the disc. The CG animation is very much of it's time but still very effective. There is no mention as to what this feature was designed for. My assumption is educational purposes or perhaps children's television. Narration is entirely in Japanese. On-screen text is in English. It is quite an interesting production. You get some great pop-out's flying through asteroid belts, ships exploding and warp speeding through space. The live-action interactions are well done too considering the technology available when this was made (my guess is the early 1990's). The opening section of the video is like watching a shoot 'em up arcade game being played out like a film.
I've tried hard to find some more information on this disc but there's nothing out there (that I can find). Was it recorded on both sides to be played on loop in an exhibition of some sort? A pilot for a children's series or an educational broadcast? I'm unsure. The disc is sparse on detail. The only thing I can come up with is U-ROMAM is MAMOR-U backwards. Perhaps the creators first name? I've simply no idea. If anyone can help please throw in some more information!
This is a fun little 3D disc. If you can track a copy down it's well worth adding to your collection (if you are an oddball and like 3D stuff and weird, niche things too!).
Here's some photos of the disc and the video (these are not mine, they are from the original seller of the disc):
https://i.postimg.cc/bNxYF6N0/i-img1200x1200-16193344068nabb1101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/fW0RYzGr/i-img1200x900-1619334405mrspmy101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/FRwFw8Lp/i-img1200x900-1619334405oniknk101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SsYkLdvM/i-img1200x900-1619334406eylm0x101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/8c8DZv2n/i-img1200x900-1619334406gydmmc101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SNFNd0qN/i-img1200x900-1619334406oypcwm101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/g0TG6QNp/i-img1200x900-1619334406qwuhgj101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7ZXHqfzf/i-img1200x900-1619334406sjuvqf101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/6qdKg3w6/i-img1200x900-1619334406warazr101930.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/N0MgFB8b/i-img1200x900-1619334406wzkkyu101930.jpg |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 May 2021, 07:02
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I 'think' it was shot in 3D. The trailer is in 3D too.
I wasn't aware a 3D edition existed until I stumbled on this disc. It's on Jeff's German online store if you want to pick up a copy. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 May 2021, 10:31
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I would avoid cheap stepdowns like the plague.
100%. If you've spent, what to you (not the thread creator literally) personally, is a lot of money on something (not just a Laserdisc player) then spend the right money looking after it, shipping it and so on.
Same with anything. Look after it and it should look after you. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 May 2021, 16:41
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You should just watch the documentary of the walk, its much better and no fake bad french accent.
Man On Wire? I watched that a good while ago. It's a great docu. How on Earth he had the courage to go through with it I just cannot fathom.
I guess at such a height if he did fall he'd have likely died of shock or something long before reaching the ground? (Said with the greatest of respect considering the WTC connection). |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 31 May 2021, 16:44
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There's a Soundgarden 3D disc? 
Inject as much 3D content in to my retinas as possible! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 10 Jun 2021, 13:43
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This is excellent. Great job.
There's elements of Prefuse73, DJ Shadow, DJ Vadim, JDilla etc. Love it. More please. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 14 Jun 2021, 11:15
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I've had a quick skim through a handful of the 3D stuff so far. Just little snippets.
Someone asked the other day about Dark Star. I 'think' it was shot on 16mm back in 1974 and finished off later on after the show reel footage was originally shot to get backers on board to fund it? Not sure where the 3D element came in to play. To the best of my knowledge it did play in theatres as a 3D feature though I am not sure when. Also I cannot find any information about if some scenes were shot natively in 3D or if it was a post conversion. I cannot imagine it being post-converted unless done much later due to technology constraints at the time perhaps? I'll dig in to this one a bit more to see if I can unearth anything. Maybe someone here knows more about it? The 3D is alright, very much constrained by the effects budget and so on. It reminds me a little of the 3D cardboard cutout style in Jaws 3 though done slightly better in places.
A couple to note on are the Scorpions and Guns N Roses 3D concert discs. With regards the 3D, it works to an extent. It's very subtle on the Scorpions disc and near non-existant on the GnR disc. I was hoping for a bit more from each disc in terms of the use of 3D. The Scorpions disc looks the better of the two I think.
The big difference is in audio quality. The Scorpions disc is lovely! Nice and loud, using a wide sound stage so it doesn't suffer from the problem many other titles across all formats seem to suffer from. They all seem to have a very narrow sound stage with instruments and vocals all competing for supremacy which ends up sounding like a muffled mess. With the Scorpions disc it's so loud I had to turn the volume down a bit for the sake of protecting my ear drums!
The Guns n Roses disc seems to suffer from the whole competing sounds thing. It sounds much quieter and isn't helped by the fact Axl sounds emphysemic (not an allegation, just a descriptive around his voice). Sure everyone knew anyway that his voice was on the way out around the time of the tour. It's all a bit of a sad state of affairs and the whole thing with pole dancers and Vegas and all the rest of it just seems to make it all look a bit tired and sad. A bit of a disappointing disc but good to have in a 3D/concert collection regardless.
A couple of other standouts in terms of films so far include The Walk, Descpicable Me 2 and Pompeii. I'll work my way through and watch every disc properly at some stage. The HMZ is doing a good job so far. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 17 Jun 2021, 12:44
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All I can say is the training is just utterly soul destroying (in an oddly good way). It's my first ultra, I am doing it after the Ironman I was doing in August got deferred until 2022 (so I start training for that again in February next year).
When I do marathon training it's just relentless miles, week in week out, but with a small bit of respite between runs. With ultra marathon training it's just relentless milebagging. Day in day out. Though you have the added bonus of climbing mountains, navigation and all the rest of it to deal with. Sure since Saturday I've run over 60km (and one of those was a 21km run/hike with 600ft of elevation that took me 3.5hrs to finish).
It's a great experience though so far. Marathons are a test of endurance and mental toughness over a sustained pace/goal. Ultramarathon's, what I've found so far, is that all of what you thought you knew about running, pacing etc just gets thrown out of the window. Nothing matters any more. The distance you need to cover means low HR training for long, sustained periods and maintaining that HR in order to finish (similar to what I learned with ironman training). Not just that but learning to sharpen the mind in terms of focus and mental toughness is absolutely key. Marathon's can ruin you if you lose the head. Ultramarathons will take your head and crush it, and your entire soul like a paper cup.
Great fun! :D |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2021, 12:34
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https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DXcOYkcVI3w/Ts-YoadpdpI/AAAAAAAACFA/rfRMGJ-pHbY/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/sony-HMZT1-3d.jpg
Sony HMZ-T1
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/95abbedb83edfb392437864c592498f2-768-80.jpg
Sony HMZ-T2
https://3dvision-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sony-hmz-t3w-1.jpg
Sony HMZ-T3
Overview
I know of at least one other person on LDDB forums that has a Sony HMZ-Txx device (and they unknowingly made me buy one). With the right setup you can feed your Laserdiscs in to the HMZ-Txx device for a nice cinema experience without the expense and faff required for a full projector setup, especially for 3D!
There are 3 main revisions of the Sony HMZ. The HMZ-T1 and HMZ-T2 which use the old blend of toilet seat meets Atari Jaguar CD design aesthetic, and the HMZ-T3 which offers a full redesign and looks less... 'toilety'. The HMZ-T3 also comes in a wireless flavour as the HMZ-T3W, meaning you canconnect an HDMI or MHL device directly to the battery pack without the need to be tethered to the video processor under the TV. You can also take it on the road with you. A couple of other differences are the HMZ-T1 has permanently attached earphones. These were removed for the HMZ-T2 and HMZ-T3. More importantly, the HMZ-T1 and HMZ-T2 can decode a limited number of audio tracks. Whereas the HMZ-T3 adds the benefit of DTS-HD-MA, Dolby Digital 7.1 and so on up to, but excluding, Atmos and DTS:X. All of the units come with Sony's 24p True Cinema Mode, which is a godsend!
If you are in the market for an HMZ-Txx device I would suggest going for the HMZ-T3 or HMZ-T3W if budget allows. This way you get the benefits of wireless connectivity and the almost full suite of audio capabilities. One other word to note; while all of the devices house twin OLED displays, try to import a Japanese unit if possible as the OLED displays used in these units are reportedly far superior to what Sony installed in all of the units sold outside Japan. I think this specifically applies to the HMZ-T3 (if I can dig out the link again I'll post it here).
A word on installation and comfort. I haven't used the HMZ-T1 or HMZ-T2 but hear they are notorious for skullcrushing 'comfort'. You may want to investigate comfort mods for these devices. The HMZ-T3W is fairly comfortable but you need to ensure you get the fit just right. It took me a couple of weeks of experimenting with it to find the fit best suited to my mallet. A note as well on fitting the device. I find if you push the top adjustable band all the way forward, slide the device on to your mallet and then take hold of the top adjustable band and hold it like a shopping bag carry handle, you can then adjust either side of the band a little before lowering it down. I find this method saves a lot of fiddling. I've had no major comfort issues with the device now since finding what fit suits my mallet best. Everyone is different so keep trial and error in mind if you want one of these devices.
3D Laserdiscs
I have tried the HMZ-T3W with a variety of 3D Laserdiscs that each use different methods to deliver their 3D or immersion gimmick. Some just work straight out of the box. The HMZ-T3W has a cool auto-detect feature to apply the correct processing per the 3D image it detects e.g. SBS, OU etc. A couple of discs use the Red/Cyan or Red/Green 3D and you will need to use the supplied 3D glasses that came with your disc along with the HMZ-T3W (if you want to watch your 3D Laserdisc in a virtual cinema!). It can be a bit of a fiddle to get the headset on over a pair of traditional paper 3D glasses, but it is manageable. Once installed you should be good to go. I am thinking of making a pair of modified, trimmed down glasses for such discs. The same applies to discs that use Refractive 3D (e.g. Virtual Drug, Mind Control etc).
One thing that should be noted, the Virtual Drug discs already look great on a standard large screen television. Ramped up to a large cinema display they are absolutely superb! The Virtual Trip discs also look great blown up to cinema size with their special '3D audio' tracks.
'Standard' Laserdiscs
To get Laserdiscs to play on the HMZ-T3W I run my Laserdisc player through a DVDO Edge and let that handle the pulling, stretching and general fiddling of the image with whatever trickery DVDO uses in order to splatter itself all over the HMZ-T3W displays. The Sony device adds in a nice bonus though of applying a gentle curve to the output image, or for the devoted cinephile you can apply a whopper Cinemascope curve to the display. If you want neither you can just switch the effect off. Regardless, Laserdiscs look great on the HMZ-T3W. Lots of fun and a more immersive experience!
HMZ-Txx Resources
Here's some useful stuff you might want. Note that the HMZ-T3 and HMZ-T3W units sold in Japan ship with Japanese language menus only. There is no way to change this. The menus are not hard to navigate anyway.
HMZ-T3x Manuals (English)
HMZ-T1 Manuals (English)
HMZ-T1 Manuals (English)
HMZ-T3x Service Manual (English)
HMZ-T3/T3W Service Manual v2.0 (English)
Firmware updates and tools
Looking at the service manuals, it appears there is a firmware update tool and also a system reset tool amongst other possible features. Maybe a way to flash English (or other) language firmware on to a Japanese device?
Firmware details are as follows (and done over a COM port link)
Service Jig Tool is provided by named HmzServiceTool1100zip.
*Unzip the files to any folder on your PC first.
JIG name：HmzServiceTool.exe
Version：1.1.0.0
*Contents:
1. HmzServiceTool.exe : Body of JIG Software
2. HmdWriterDll.dll : Library dll of JIG connection
3. HmzServiceTool.ini : Command definition statement
4. HmdWriter.exe : Firmware writing software
5. HmdWriterResEng.dll : Convert display to English
6. Inf folder :
hmdcom.inf :Device driver for 32bit Windows
hmdcom64.inf :Device driver for 64bit Windows
Service Mode Menu Code
To access the service mode menu perform the following steps (HMZ-T3x Only. Not tested on prior versions):
1. Press [MENU] button on the Head Mounted Unit to enter the MENU mode.
2. Press five buttons in order of [↑] → [↑] → [↓] → [↓] → [→] while holding down the VOL[ －] button.
3. Release from the VOL[ －] button.
4. Menu indication is replaced by a SERVICE MODE MENU.
Command
off : No action
+1 : Bright dot , Dark dot pattern A （Inside black)
+2 : Bright dot , Dark dot pattern B （Inside white）
+3 : Raster image red
+4 : Raster image green
+5 : Raster image blue
+6 : Raster image white |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jun 2021, 09:51
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I've gone all out and gotten a Sony HIL-C1 MUSE player, with the original remote and manual. It's currently broken, though I am looking forward to going on the journey to fix it.
Hello! :wave:
You should be able to find some great help here with that Sony machine. I think a couple of folks here either have one or could offer some sound knowledge to hopefully get your Sony up and running. Best of luck!
Here's some threads to get you going:
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1537
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6447
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=8312
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5801 |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2021, 17:25
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| Very cool! I used to have a real one. Great thing to have in the home, especially at parties. Pain in the butt to rotate the monitor all the time though. Egret 2's were the best for that as they had a mechanism in them to aid rotation. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2021, 19:33
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| You're correct. The shell is fibreglass with a metal frame inside, e.g. the structure around the monitor, the control panel, coin mech and bin etc. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 05 Jul 2021, 12:19
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Spaghetti Western Bible vol. 2 10 Feature film collection Sartana the Complete Saga.
Hadn't heard of this box set. It looks like an interesting collection, though do note a couple of things. The transfers don't look to be the best (the Arrow set is comprised of all new scans from original camera negatives, except for the first film which is an interpositive as I think the original is assumed lost). Also there are lots of 'unofficial' Sartana films included here. I've never seen any of them so don't know how good they are. The Arrow box set is the complete collection of 'official' Sartana films which, like the guy on that advert who says you will love the way you look, I personally guarantee (whatever that's worth!) are all utterly epic!
More info on the box set you bought here: https://cinemaraiders.blogspot.com/2011/01/spaghetti-western-bible-vol-2.html
Next is If you meet Sartana Pray for your death.
An excellent choice. Although I started out with Sartana's Here...Trade Your Pistol For A Coffin, which not only knocked my socks clean off but also incinerated them, stuffed the ashes in to a cannon and fired them in to the Sun. Light The Fuse... is possibly the only film to surpass it's wonderfulness if only for the climax scene imho.
Side note. The dubs on the official Sartana films all sound as dull as dishwater. Go for the original Italian audio if it's available on your box set.
Edit: watched the first few minutes of Pray and it has Klaus so it must be great :thumbup:
Yes. Yes it is. :thumbup: |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 05 Jul 2021, 16:50
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Worst case scenario you can stream the Arrow versions at https://www.arrow-player.com (free 30 day trial). Years of Lead box set is on there too (because everyone needs a dose of Poliziotteschi films in their life!).
I hope the dreadful dubbing doesn't ruin the official Sartana films for you. Seriously recommend the Arrow set if possible to get the best experience currently available. Regardless, great to see someone else giving the Sartana films a try. I hope you enjoy them. (The official films anyway!) |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 09 Jul 2021, 00:02
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Young Einstein (1988) [NJL-11759]
https://i.postimg.cc/BQjDXZYf/c2151b93-27f5-426e-9278-bebcb32aa527.jpg
I recall my first encounter with Young Einstein back in 1988. It was a full page advert in UK teen magazine 'Look-In'. I loved the poster, thought to myself "this film stars some guy calling himself Yahoo Serious, I have to see this film". I never did. The film never played in any cinemas round my way. In fact other than in Australia, where Young Einstein was a colossal hit, the film was pretty much a flop (taking in around $11m in the USA alone) and received less than favourable reviews. I would imagine given it's poor performance that many cinemas just decided to give it a miss.
Fast forward 33 years and today I received a copy of the Japanese Laserdisc of Young Einstein. Not only that but I was finally able to watch the film. Was it worth it? Just about. Just barely.
Young Einstein takes everyone's favourite scientist and all his theories and fun and frolics, pops them in a blender and dumps the contents out in Tazmania. I think this is possibly what upset many viewers in that Einstein's story was moved away to Australia and given a comedic Aussie twist. If you've ever seen the excellent Pugwall (not forgetting Pugwall's Summer!) and Round The Twist, to name just two shows, then you may get an idea of what kind of comedy to expect here. This was made around the time when Australia and New Zealand churned out pure gold (in television and cinema terms). You had the aformentioned shows. Then you had Neighbours, Home and Away, The Young Doctors, The Sullivans, Bad Taste, Braindead, Body Melt, Back Of The Y, Heartbreak High and so much more. All being churned out of Australia and New Zealand and sold the world over and devoured by billions.
I liked that Yahoo Serious produced, starred in and directed the film. At least you got to see his vision of what the film should be and how it should be portrayed. With a project like this it could be easy for someone else to step in and chip away at the original vision. That's not to say Young Einstein is all the better for it, for it does suffer from being a bit overly bland. It sags a bit in the middle and would have benefitted from tighter editing and a slightly better supporting cast (the mum and dad were great and the girl who played Marie Curie was a great love interest, the rest were so-so).
For a film that was really trying hard for the laughs it doesn't succeed all that often. I found that where the film tried hard to knock out the gags, I wasn't really laughing. I found the more innocent humour, the incidental stuff, to be far funnier. There's a great scene about two thirds of the way through in a lunatic asylum where a guy is standing quite innocently in the middle of the shot. Completely nude. Just standing there scrubbing his arse with a bar of soap. For some reason I found that absolutely side-splitting. It's odd in that for it's want to be a comedy film, it hits some rather serious notes and takes a few jibes at politics and politicians but smears the jibes with a coating of humour. The dedication to Einstein after the end credits is a nice touch too. One of the standout pieces is the soundtrack. Back in the day the film won Best Original Score at the Australian Film Institute Awards. It also won Most Performed Australasian Work for Film at the 1990 APRA Music Awards. Rightly so too. One of the standout songs for me is Great Southern Land by Icehouse which features prominently in the film. I've since added it to my Tidal library.
I feel rather mixed about Young Einstein. It's not a rip-roaring comedy success, far from it. What it is though is an interesting 90 minutes that are pleasant enough, provide a few laughs and manage to entertain. I think I do like it. I'm glad I finally got to see it and it will certainly stay in my small library of Laserdiscs.
What about the Laserdisc itself? Is it any use? Well actually yes it is. The audio mix let's the disc down a little though I think this is more down to how the sound was recorded during filming rather than the fault of the audio track on the Laserdisc. It feels a bit quiet and muted in places. I think because of how sound was recorded in certain scenes, you'll see what I mean if you ever watch the film. It's a weird one to explain.
The picture quality on the other hand is absolutely incredible, especially with the D-EXT magic that is applied by the goddess that is the R7G! I'm telling you right now, this is up there as one of the best Laserdiscs I have ever seen. The picture is vibrant (without D-EXT it is a bit washed out, but then that's the magic of the R7G goddess!) and pin sharp. This is proven especially at the beginning in the foliage outside Einstein's family home in Tazmania. Difficult scenes that are fast moving or filled with foliage do not look soft, they look razor sharp. It's all quite bizarre considring how naturally soft image quality is on a Laserdisc compared to modern formats. SFX scenes near the end of the film that are filled with strobing are also presented really well. The whole disc is just fantastic. You'll just need to crank the audio up a bit though.
Overall, if you can get hold of a copy of the disc and are curious then I strongly recommend giving it a try. The film isn't all that and the humour may well fly over a lot of heads, but I think it's worth digging out if only for the great picture quality and the excellent soundtrack. |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 12 Jul 2021, 17:13
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Dear God that's a headmelter! Also, I did not know that the term 'soccer' originated in England. This paper makes for intriguing reading:
http://ns.umich.edu/Releases/2014/June14/Its-football-not-soccer.pdf
With all of that said, and putting it all aside for just a minute, just how the hell did Diana Ross miss an open goal at USA '94? :lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAKsGT9-XB0 |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 17 Jul 2021, 18:57
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Bananarama!   |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2021, 09:45
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https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/bCtlP8MmcQig98jsmcLYKQaxkCD.jpg
Picked up Wilt on a random Blu buy a few weeks ago. This is a film I remember seeing in video shops back when it was released in 1989. It was always there in the background, hovering around, and I just never bothered with it.
What an idiot I was for ignoring Wilt.
This film is hilarious! Very much dry, and in places a bit dated/non-PC humour. Wilt is the story of a school teacher who's wife goes missing and the police are convinced he has murdered her. It's up to Henry Wilt to prove he is innocent!
It seems that Wilt falls in to that black hole category of sorely overlooked and forgotten films. Network Films have brought Wilt to Blu Ray for the first time ever with their own scan from a 35mm interpositive (I presume LWT lost or destroyed the original negatives?). Network state on the sleeve notes that they restored the film as best they could but that some damage remains. It's actually a good scan and the damage isn't that bad. The best thing is the film is in it's proper aspect ratio for the first time since it's theatrical release.
The Blu itself is really nice. You get a great sleeve which has all the lobby cards and posters printed on the reverse. Also you get a nice booklet that looks like a replica of a promotional pamphlet perhaps handed out at original screenings back in 1989.
The disc has the film but also lots of nice extras. Interviews, featurettes, trailers and also a great behind the scenes recording on location. There's also an excerpt from an old film show hosted by Tony Slattery that talks about the film.
Overall a great film, great extras and a great package. I love Wilt. I'll watch this film many more times certainly. Great fun! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2021, 21:16
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So I recently completed collecting all of the Virtual Drug titles. I have them all (sort of) across Laserdisc, DVD and Blu Ray and thought to share them with folks here who might be curious to see them all collected together.
I don't have the titles on VHS, nor did I buy the DVD's as they are the same as the Laserdisc releases. The only difference being the VHS editions came with an incense burner and incense sticks. I do have VR Cyberdelia on VHS and some other VHS tapes I've shown before though not pictured here. VR Cyberdelia is actually Virtual Drug Ecstasy rebadged for the UK market. The DVD's shown here are format exclusives (Joy, 2000 and Cosmic Enigma). Altovision is the only Blu Ray exclusive title to date.
Also thought to show the Virtual Trip collection I've started with Bali. I hope to collect all of the Virtual Trip titles over time, though there are a LOT of them! Also there's a couple of Jeff Mills DVD's in there, Blue Potential and The Exhibitionist, and a Video Drug Laserdisc for good measure. I think I have all of the Mind's Eye titles here too though may be wrong. Oh and Infinite Escher and Thursday Afternoon (that Julien gave me a heads up on)!
Rounding out the brain altering video fun is my 99% complete set of Mind Control Laserdiscs, 4 out of 5 titles completed (there is also another title on VHS which might have a Laserdisc release, I'm not sure yet), and the beautiful Luminous Flight on Laserdisc, of which I also have the soundtrack on CD too, the original 1985 disc I bought after watching the LD.
I hope others here enjoy these mind bending discs as much as I do. They took a long time to collect, a good few years! |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 24 Jul 2021, 11:41
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If you are not on a tight timeframe I would wait it out until the correct remote comes along. They are out there, they just don't pop up regularly. Get it all shipshape first time and save problems further down the road.
Enjoy your R7G when it arrives. Make sure to pet it regularly and read the instruction manual to it at bedtime every night! I don't regret being subliminally made to buy one by people on this forum! :lol: |
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| teddanson |
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Posted: 26 Jul 2021, 09:47
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Just re-uploading the images here so they are kept indexed on LDDB. I normally set my image uploads to expire as I figure 'today I received' and 'my collection' posts etc nobody cares too much about so I don't tend to bother with them as such. :oops:
Also, found a photo from a while back of my Virtual Drug VHS tape (aka VR Cyberdelia which is the UK title for Virtual Drug: Ecstasy), VR Cyberdelia: Future Shock (this may be a Virtual Drug re-badge, I don't think it is though. I'll dig out my VCR soon and revisit it). Finally 3 Lux 2 which is a wonderful techno VHS in the style of Virtual Drug from Germany.
https://i.postimg.cc/xT5YQjmP/01627f0d-2f19-47ef-9a99-33a6291bb46e.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/XYvWYMc6/2283202d-8a91-4aa2-a65a-0273ee30b8ad.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Cx6gZvmB/2d8e2662-f4c4-4b7f-ab34-720f7c606366.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/BvrfpjWJ/7e076aa0-6369-455e-a7e0-420183751db7.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Y9QKstkY/886918b1-8403-4d2b-9050-880248eba78f.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/fbthYxrH/c1a877a0-9295-4291-aa07-6464bcde43c7.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/W4PVVD3t/38791c0f-cc12-4c17-a25d-5e56bb629623.jpg |
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Thanks list