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December 07, 2009
Blu-Ray Excitement
The Blu-rays are flying fast and furiously these days. Criterion, in particular, is starting to ramp up with some of the greatest films in history in the best format possible on your TV these days. But the Mel Brooks Collection is the UPS delivery that has made me smile widest this season.
Nine movies. The only directorial efforts left out are Dracula: Dead & Loving, Life Stinks, and most notably, The Producers. And there is one film Brooks didn't direct that is in, To Be or Not To Be, a remake directed by Alan Johnson, who was part of Brooks' circle.
I don't know how the politics worked. Seven of the titles are from Fox... and there is one from WB and one from MGM.
I would have loved to see the film list be complete. I would have loved to have seen a couple of Brooksfilms movies that define how Brooks could be more than silly, like The Elephant Man or 84 Charring Cross Rd. or My Favorite Year, which also happened to be a piece of Brooks' personal history.
But still... great to have this. Most people haven't even seen The Twelve Chairs, much less seen it in Blu-ray. So happy that people now will.
The decision to put all the of Blu-rays in a book is iffy. As you can see in the third picture, the book arrived falling apart at the inner seams. Getting the $139 retail package for free from Fox Home Ent for review is very nice, but still, design counts. The book of discs looks great, but it doesn't speak to how all but a small niche of Blu buyers actually store and use their discs. There is also a very nice hardback book about Brooks' work on each film.
It gets a harrumph out of me.
Posted by dpoland at December 7, 2009 04:19 PM
Comments
Always wondered what farting sounds like in 5.1...
Posted by: mutinyco ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 7, 2009 05:05 PM
Huh. Never realized Brooks didn't direct To Be Or Not To Be.
Posted by: Josh Massey at December 7, 2009 08:04 PM
"But still... great to have this. Most people haven't even seen The Twelve Chairs, much less seen it in Blu-ray. So happy that people now will."
As much as it pains me to say this but they should probably check out one of two Soviet adaptations instead (along with the sequel "The Little Golden Calf" which strangely enough happened to be filmed first). Seriously, if you can get them subbed you'll find that they are a lot funnier.
Still, I'm really excited about this set despite the aforementioned packaging shortcomings.
Posted by: Gonzo Knight at December 7, 2009 09:06 PM
hmmm....this was a pleasant surprise (since i didn't request or even know about it) and my book wasn't coming apart at the seams.... sure, you can find faults with the ultimate selections but, like you mention, there are politics probably involved...that said, i really like the design of box set and would love to see more collections presented in the same format.... it's kinda funny that today was a bonanza in fyc screeners (the road, up in the air, lovely bones, a single man) but this collection got the big grin...
Posted by: scooterzz at December 7, 2009 10:59 PM
I love a lot of Mel Brooks' films, quoted dialog from him for decades, but this is exactly the type of thing I could have on reg DVD and hopefully shave the price down to $79.99 or something like that. Fifteen and some change isn't a bad price for blu ray, and I'd imagine there'd be some killer commentary, (there is extensive commentary, isn't there??) but I don't need enhanced audio or cinematography on anything in his library. You could show his films in whatever square-box old tv format and it wouldn't matter since that's what I grew up with and that's all that's required to make me laugh out loud.
I realize most criterion have things other releases don't but does this mean this collection will only be available on Blu Ray? That'd be kind of a shame. Even on sale for 20% off sug retail, I'd have a hard time justifying that expense. And if someone were to buy that for me as a gift, I'd cringe to think of how that money could've been applied elsewhere.
Posted by: Triple Option at December 8, 2009 11:48 PM
The decision to not include THE PRODUCERS was made late in the game due to technical reasons, not so much political reasons. Truly unfortunate.
Posted by: bmcintire at December 9, 2009 02:29 AM
But it's simply impossible to appreciate the subtleties of Robin Hood: Men in Tights in anything less than 1080p. You'll feel like you understand the "braille Playboy" gag on a whole different level.
(Triple Option, if you're really interested, the Blu-ray set is $93 on Amazon.)
Posted by: Eric at December 9, 2009 07:53 AM