FRANCHISE ME: ALIENS - Page 2

You should take a look at screencap comparisons for the ALIENS blu-ray.  I think it's just gorgeous. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nardo 

Really? I'd heard some very bad things about Aliens BluRay. That the tight budget and film stock really jump out and slap you in the face. ALIEN however, is insanely benefited by BluRay. The people I heard this from are really into the practical side of things and it was just and endless list of "visible holes-in-the-queen's neck", clearly visible gaffer tape keeping stuff together, inconsistent film grain etc.

 

Made me extremely worried about BluRay in general actually. I haven't bothered rushing into the format. I like a movie to be a movie first and an instructional video second.

Blu ray is about as close as you can get to 35mm at home. Really, I don't know why people aren't looking into it. Go to one of your friend's house and pop one in and check it out.

Aliens was also beautifully restored and de-grained. It isn't Alien cinematography or anything, but at least now it shows its full potential.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nardo 

Really? I'd heard some very bad things about Aliens BluRay. That the tight budget and film stock really jump out and slap you in the face.

ALIENS is probably the best restoration job I've ever seen.  The Blu-ray looks much, much better than any film print I've seen.  (The issue comes because Cameron changed the film's color-timing, but that doesn't have anything to due with the clarity of the film itself.)

Just as long as they didn't go nuts with the de-graining. I hear that everyone in the Blu of Predator looks like plastic dummies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammerhead 

Just as long as they didn't go nuts with the de-graining. I hear that everyone in the Blu of Predator looks like plastic dummies.

They didn't. There's still a level of grain present and it looks natural, just like seeing the Alien blu.

ALIENS looks great. Not sure where the negative comments are coming from. But holy shit does ALIEN look phenomenal. Easily - easily - the best digital transfer I've ever seen.

Going to see Prometheus with one of the dudes this week, so will pick his brains again. Wonder if the shock came from watching ALIEN first, then Aliens straight after...

Anyway, always love how he had the dropship counter-roll during the crash. Somehow adds to the sense of speed and out-of-control-ness. I still think it might be the best crash of a flying vehicle in a movie? (any challengers?) Particularly with everyone running across the rocks in front of it.

I need to dig up the Cinefex article. The guys who worked on that sequence are hilarious: "Because this is a Jim Cameron film, it can't just crash and explode..."

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dark Shape 

 

ALIENS is probably the best restoration job I've ever seen.  The Blu-ray looks much, much better than any film print I've seen.  (The issue comes because Cameron changed the film's color-timing, but that doesn't have anything to due with the clarity of the film itself.)

Agreed, the transfer is remarkable, and say what you will about Fox, but they gave both Alien, and Aliens the time and love they deserve.  Even Alien 3 got brand new ADR for the additional Assembly Cut scenes. 

Anyone who has talked bad about the transfer is blind. 

Those Aliens caps up above look ok.  These ones on the other hand;

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/18187/incredible-aliens-restoration-blu-ray-caps

were a little worrying.  I guess it's probably no big deal when you're watching it.  Some of those comparisons are annoying side by side (everyone's obsessed with warm skin tones, high saturation and heavy contrast these days.  But, despite how some people see it, this isn't any application of great present day insight to how things should be.  It's just fashion.)

How is it in the end?  Did they hit the "Orange! Everyone loves that!" button too many times?

I don't have the orange and teal phobia that lots of people do.  But yes, it's the retiming that gives some people pause about the transfer.  In terms of clarity, it's remarkable.

looks ok?  Jesus Christ, time to collaborate your monitor or get some contacts.

I already Stopped and Listened this morning.  I don't have time to do everything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammerhead 

I need to dig up the Cinefex article. The guys who worked on that sequence are hilarious: "Because this is a Jim Cameron film, it can't just crash and explode..."

Here we go. This is John Richardson, who supervised the miniature pyrotechnics on the crash:

When the drop-ship hit the ground, a small explosion had to go off inside. At that point, the ship had to roll once, explode again and then keep exploding as it tumbled along the ground and over the camera-- all at what would appear to be about two hundred miles an hour. As with all miniature explosions -- most of which are multiple explosions that come together to form a big one -- the problem was one of timing. To get the effect we wanted, I rigged four or five explosions that in real time should have gone off at maybe one-second intervals. But if you hit them when you're shooting high-speed -- say 120 frames a second -- you're going to have five-second intervals and an explosion that lasts half a minute. That's not usually appropriate, so you have to work out exactly what time lag you want between each explosion and then compensate for the shutter speed. Trying to time explosions to fifths of a second is no easy task, but I have several little trick ways of doing it, including running the whole thing off one wire and one switch so it does its own timing. Another thing -- when you have four or five explosions going off inside the model, you have to be careful that the first explosion doesn't damage the wires for all the rest. Otherwise you'll get one little explosion and then nothing else. So it's quite difficult and involved -- and if you've got the thing flying down a wire at fifty miles an hour and hitting a rock and blowing up, it all gets progressively more complicated and confusing.