I’ve gotten pissed off recently at the DVD and Blu-Ray industry. Particularly the boutique industry, so to speak. And I’ll give you a couple examples of reasons why:
Number one:
Enemy Territory. This is a movie that has great sentimental value for me due to the fact that in 1987, I rented it from the Schofield, WI Super 29 grocery store's video section. On a Saturday night I watched it with my mom. It was a low budget action picture that never even made the jump from VHS to DVD. Hell, at the time I rented it, I'd never even heard of it. It may not have even seen a theatrical release. Finally Arrow, a company which I have been actually starting to think may surpass Scream Factory in quality and film selection, decides to release it this next year.
But only in the fucking UK. That’s ridiculous. This is the most quintessentially American 80s film that I can even think of off the top of my head and it’s only being released in the UK? It stars Ray Parker Jr. as a maintenance mechanic trapped along with Gary Frank in a gang-infested high rise project. This unlikely duo must fight their way out. My Ma and I enjoyed the hell out of this little CBS/Fox VHS release, and it has great sentimental value as Mom explained to me the cinematic history of Frank, and also Jan-Michael Vincent, another star of the film. Tony Todd makes an early appearance here as a frighteningly intimidating leader of the film's gang, the Vampires. So being released in the UK alone makes no sense to me.
Ditto is the case with Brian DePalma’s The Fury. It did see a DVD release I once encountered at a Shopko in Southeast Wisconsin, and a limited release through Twilight Time's Blu-Ray label. Both are bare bones however. I only own the laser disc you see pictured up at the top. I'm hoping the Arrow folks will eventually push it out over here, or someone else will license the title for American release.
Example Number Two:
Outland. Now this is a film. I’m gonna write further about it in a future Spectrum Files entry. In short, it’s an action sci-fi film that is essentially a retelling of High Noon starring Sean Connery, and taking place on one of the moons of Jupiter. A stellar film directed by Peter Hyams that I won’t go into any more detail with because I selfishly want you to read the other piece. The great thing about it; however, Arrow is releasing a deluxe, special edition with tons of bonus features on it that go above and beyond what I would expect for this film.
The negative: It’s only on 4K.
Salem’s Lot time. I’m sure that if you’ve read this blog, you’re probably tired of hearing about it. Here’s a link to further information on it from me so I don’t have to irritate you by repeating myself: LINK. The film was released to TV in 1979 which was well over 40 years ago. Finally, Arrow is coming out with a super deluxe special edition of the mini-series. The special edition I’ve been waiting for forever.
The problem is: Once again only on 4K.
Now I did a slight amount of research and found out that the reason that Arrow is doing this is because they and other boutique physical media companies think cinephiles and physical media collectors are in the game for 4K and have left Blu-Ray in the wind. If it's true that this is their belief, it pisses me off.
Because it is a bunch of shite.
I’m a collector, but I’ve done most of my film collecting by hunting for the cheapest possible pick up I can find by visiting clearance racks, Entertainmarts, Movie Trading Companies, and the cut out bins of Half-Price Books. By going on eBay and trying to hustle the lowest price out of whoever is selling the films. I'm not cheap. I'm frugal and not wealthy. I’m also not going to pay $500 for a top-of-the-line 4K player. I can’t afford it. And I’m not the only collector of physical media that feels that anger.
I mean, Just sitting there and thinking that true fans of film and those that have a collection of hard copies should be 4K owners is really shortsighted. It’s not gonna kill these companies to put a Blu-ray of their 4K upgraded movie out there for those of us who don’t have the 4K player.
It’s kind of insulting, and a little bit elitist, to think that those who collect physical media are only into the high end reproduction, and the rest of us are a bunch of half-wit art and tech-retarded inbreds. Mind you, these boutique companies do wonderful work: bringing quasi-lost films back from the scrap heap, video and audio remastering, newly filmed documentarian looks back, archival material that they research and gather, and right on down to the packaging. Why, they're fucking artists, really.
Then why cut those nerds among us that can't do the 4k thing, completely out of the running to own these films that have returned from the format grave? The nerds that buttered your bread as you boutique monsters grew your businesses??
You all can kiss my ass, if that's how you're gonna roll, and suck on a chili dog out behind the tasty freeze. .
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