Lost in Translation and Dawn of the Dead: UE on Blu-Ray?

After reading some less than stellar reviews on the HD-DVD version of Lost in Translation, I have decided to hold out for a BR release of the film. I am also wanting to pick up an HD copy of Dawn of the Dead (1978), but I was wondering if anyone knows if we will ever see a re-release of the Ultimate Edition (4 discs, 3 versions of the movie, and documentary or two and a comic book) on BR as well?



EDIT: Sorry about the title. I tried to edit it, but it's not showing up for some reason.

[Post edited by Fumbled_Revolution on Apr 25, 2008]

the "lost in translation" hd dvd is a great presentation of the movie. the video is a huge improvement over the sd dvd, which had a very noisy picture.

I want to see Lost in Translation on HD DVD as I heard it looked good also. I'm putting it in my rental queue so I'll let you know when I see it.

By the way if Posters says it looks good than it probably is. The only thing he's ever been wrong about is...

Star Trek > Star Wars. Nobodys perfect I guess.

[Post edited by Falcon01 on Apr 25, 2008]

falcon,

lemme tell you something. lucas has said on several occassions that, if there had not been "star trek" on tv, then "star wars" wouldn't have been greenlighted at all.

"star trek" = (Y)

"star wars" =

eddie

I like Star Trek as some of it was good. Star Wars is on another level though but hey I respect your opinions. Besides I still love Kirk and Spock.

I certainly agree with Eddie (posters5) on LIT - outstanding quality on the HD-DVD, and some excellent bonus 'behind the scenes' video segments, featuring Murray, director Sofia Coppola, and crew etc. Also I loved the extended (bonus) scene segment when Murray appears on that Japanese TV show - great! While this movie has a leisurely pace, it's got a nice 'coolness' factor, and along with FATF: Tokyo Drift, might lure you into taking a Japanese area vacation.



Director Soffia Coppola (daughter of Francis)


-JIMI LOVE (the Voodoo Child)

I'm a little surprised to hear that the PQ is really good on Lost in Translation. I've read quite a few reviews and posts on other boards about the HD-DVD version and have read almost nothing but complaints. I think I probably will pick up a copy. Hell, I may even get a Blu-Ray copy too, if we ever get one. You can never have too many different versions of one of your favorite movies.

Just a little FYI, the HD-DVD version of LiT has all of the same features as the S-DVD version. The only exception might be Bill Murray on that TV show. It's been a while since I've checked out my standard copy. Also, all the extras are only 480p, but that's probably at least a slight improvement over the DVD release.

Eddie (posters5) said -

Quote:
"lemme tell you something. lucas has said on several occassions that, if there had not been "star trek" on tv, then "star wars" wouldn't have been greenlighted at all."

Well, that's one take on it.

But executives also were very weary of Lucas earlier efforts (young untested director at the time), with only two smaller films to his credit, THX 1138 and American Graffiti, and thought even a mid-budget project like Star Wars might be a risky investment ($8 million budget, which increased by another $3 million for SpFx).

As for any ease in getting it 'greenlighted', it's well known that Lucas spent a few years asking & getting rejected from every major Hollywood studio, and finally Fox decided to take the chance. When finally ready for theaters (by summer 1977), so few theater owners wanted to even book the film(!) that Fox had to threaten them...

"When 20th Century Fox attempted to distribute the film in the U.S., fewer than 40 theatres agreed to show it. As a solution, Fox threatened that any cinema that refused to show Star Wars would not be given the rights to screen the potential blockbuster The Other Side of Midnight (1977) (which ended up grossing less than 10% of what Star Wars did)." - from IMDB.com

-JIMI LOVE (the Voodoo Child)

I've been to Japan half a dozen times and was "lost in translation" in real life, but not in the way these sleazy characters were. I must be missing something with this movie.

Skyhawk, we must have seen two different movies, how did you get sleaze from any of the characters in the movie?

I think an excellent movie but some people these days don't have the patience for slower paced fare. To me it's worth it just to see Scarlett. The transfer is pretty good in my opinion and it will look the same on Blu-ray unless Universal decides to remaster/restore it.

Quote:
Skyhawk, we must have seen two different movies, how did you get sleaze from any of the characters in the movie?

Yikes, perhaps I am getting this movie mixed up with some other one. The movie I saw was about two people cheating of their respective partners in some hotel while away on business, when I thought the movie was going to be about cultural adjustment and perception. Hmmm... now I'm wondering what movie I actually saw.

[Post edited by Skyhawk on Apr 26, 2008]

"...young untested director at the time, with only two smaller films to his credit, THX 1138 and American Graffiti" --Love

Not to seem contrary, but "American Graffiti" returned over $21,000,000 at the box office in 1973 (equal to probably $100,000,000 or more in today's inflated dollars) on a budget of only about three-quarters of a million. It is one of moviedom's biggest success stories.

John

That's true^ John (about Griffiti's surprising box office), but even that film barely got 'greenlighted' without the support of Francis Coppola, the mentor and friend of George Lucas. Both of Lucas's films were small productions, he was an unknown and untested director ('untested' on a studio production like SW would end up being, made in several countries, different continents, with much responsbility for a young director).

But as we all know, contrary to studio executives, theater owners, etc, STAR WARS become an incredible $UCCESS! Fox was so surprised at the early box office returns, they were not prepared for the requests of theater owners for additional film prints! The studio scrambled to get more copies developed and either shipped or hand-delivered to theaters around the country.

And thank goodness that Fox had faith in George Lucas - the project was his creation and vision, and I personally feel the first movie is the best overall in the series. Great direction, pacing, acting, music, effects, sound, costumes, Alec Guinness/Peter Cushing (yes!), and a more 'adult' nature to the actors than seen in later films ("Red leader, this is Gold leader - we are starting our attack run now)... and Han Solo never acted 'tougher' (like the smuggler he was) than in the original Star Wars.

Yes, EMPIRE is great too, but Star Wars will always be my personal favorite. The John Williams musical score is nothing short of a 20th century masterpiece!

-JIMI LOVE (the Voodoo Child)

Note to Skyhawk... there was no 'cheating' in LIT, as Murray and Johansson did not sleep together... the movie is about their new friendship, after meeting in Japan, where, though their English-speaking is 'lost in translation' (hehe) among that country's citizens, both come to 'understand' each other and develop a mutual friendship.

[Post edited by Love Hendrix! on Apr 27, 2008]

For the record... since Wikipedia has a better summary (info) for LIT than what I provided above (message to Skyhawk), here it is as well -

Lost in Translation is an Academy Award-winning 2003 comedy-drama film. It centers on Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an American movie star whose career (and seemingly, marriage) is in decline. The film joins him as he arrives in Tokyo, Japan to film a Suntory whisky commercial.

Unfulfilled with the work, he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a recent Yale philosophy graduate who is unsure of the direction she would like her life to take. She is married to a celebrity photographer (played by Giovanni Ribisi), and is in Japan to accompany her husband on work trip to take publicity photos for a rock band and, later, a female movie star, but has become bored and lonely due to her husband's preoccupation with work. Although both are married, Bob and Charlotte share a friendship that borders on unconsummated romance, while briefly exploring the cultural life of Tokyo and the surrounding area. The central focus of the film is on the two characters' feelings of alienation, not only with their immediate Japanese surroundings, but their own separate senses of alienation from those closest to them, and their uncertainty about the direction of their lives. The ending is deliberately ambiguous about whether they will continue their friendship when they return (separately) to America.

Superficially, Lost in Translation is a movie about culture shock. The film explores these themes against the background of the modern Japanese cityscape. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Bill Murray, and Best Director for Sofia Coppola. Coppola won Best Original Screenplay. -[END]-



-JIMI LOVE (the Voodoo Child)