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DVD Review: Back to the Future Trilogy (Widescreen)
All 3 movies have undergone audio and video re-mastering. Audio was updated to the de-facto 5.1 digital surround, and all film was not only digitally transferred, but cleaned up and rendered crystal clear. The bonus material not only gives additional value to the DVDs, but also helps to answer numerous questions about the movies, including time travel, plot lines, and the characters themselves. My intentions here are to generally review the DVD, but not reveal any of the specific deleted scenes, for those that still want something to remain a surprise.
To begin, the movies themselves are intact, as originally shown in the theaters. Unlike recent DVD releases of 80s classics (ie. the gun-to-walkie-talkie edits in E.T.), there were no political corrections made. While this is not usually something of concern, there were TV edits made that removed "the Libyans" from the first movie, shortly after the 9-11 events. All that aside, the DVDs are a pretty standard affair, with each one being themed after the respective movies: Part 1 in the 50s, Part 2 in the future, and Part 3 in the old west.
For a DVD box set that has been over 15 years in the making, Zemeckis and team definitely deliver. This set has all that you would expect of any feature-packed DVDs, including deleted scenes, outtakes, original trailers, and behind the scenes features. The movies themselves contain additional commentaries, and an option that pops up an icon for additional production notes and factoids during viewing. Even the deleted scenes have an option for viewing with commentary by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
The larger behind the scenes features include a "Making of" for each of the three movies, and an overall "Making of the Trilogy" that spans all three DVDs. Among the smaller behind the scenes features are the evolution of special effects, production Q&A's, making of the DeLorean time machine, and the original discussion of the time-travel plot lines.
Among the only drawbacks I noticed were a few minor flaws in the DVD menus. While viewing the bonus material, some features returned to a pure black menu. However, the problem isn't critical, as pressing the Menu button on your DVD remote will eventually take you back to the main menu. It's just distracting to have such a flaw that appears on each of the DVDs.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the conversion of the movies to DVD format, and even more so with the additional material on the DVDs. Personally, I know I've had questions about what I thought were plot holes in the whole time travel theory, and Zemeckis made sure to include plenty of notes, FAQs, and Q&As to clear up any confusion, or add to it, depending on your acceptance of his answers. Bottom line: if you've ever waited for an answer to your "whys" or "what ifs" --- or if you just want to enjoy the movies as they are, then look no further than the Back to the Future trilogy.
However, hang on a second: NetGyver writes with a reason to hold off on buying this trilogy:
"The Digital Bits is reporting that the widescreen matting has been done in error on the BTTF Part II and III discs in the trilogy box set. The results very from minor to extremely irritating. Here is a side by side frame comparison between the full-screen DVDs/Laserdisc/and widescreen DVDs for you to view.The widescreen DVD set is considered defective and Universal has an exchange program on the way where you can mail in discs II and III for replacements. But that won't roll out until late February 2003. There is no word for disc replacements for other regions besides North America, at least for now. This a fix for those who already own the widescreen DVD set. The corrected DVD batch will arrive in U.S. stores in late February according to Universal Studios."
Slashdot welcomes reader-submitted features and reviews, and thanks da3dAlus for this one.
Back! To the future!
FAGS....
..appear on the DVD. I love the Back to the Future trilogy as I think a lot of geeks due with all that hi tech equipment and such. Of course with the movie being so old I wonder what kind of stuff would appear on the DVD and I bet the quality is amazing.
Steve
What the hell is a jigawatt?
.
First "Hello, McFly!" post !!
.
~~
Suck my balls! - Terrance and Phillip
To make this first post mine...
Ha!
Webmaster Wanted - Entropic Reactions
Back to the Future Trilogy (Widescreen) reviews you! (It's Monday, I guess /. likes Hollywood today)
I loved these movies when they came out. Of course I have not seen them in several years. ButI find movies that an entire family can watch and enjoy come few and far between these days.
...we could all work together to make the world a better -- OOOH!!! SHINEY!!
I remember the first time I saw Back to the Future, I wanted to be like Marty Mc Fly. and then I started using computers, and now my parents are scared. And My Wife is Scared for Life! Good Review by the way
---
Good job... I for one will go ahead and wait for the better disks in Feb... though it burns me up. But, hey, I get to drive a Time Travel car everyday I want to! :-)
"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"
Sen. Davy Crocket to US Congress, Nov. 1, 1835
Great, now that the DVD's are out, maybe I can begin to convert my 93 Accord into a time machine!
for me to POOP on.
like that 40 jigabyte hard drive you have in your computer, anonycow.
*shakes head*
I guess anonycows can't see past interesting pronounciation. There was a time, in the past, when giga-anything wasn't in the vernacular.
I recognize people by their sigs. Is that a bad thing?
post
... and possibly buying another. In a few years, the "defective" discs will probably be collectors items. It seems that is the case with laserdiscs or CEDs (RCA Select-a-vision discs) etc.
Just my 88 miles-per-hour worth...
RickTheWizKid
.. that this article will comprise mostly jokes about travelling back in time to fix an article on Slashdot or nerdy arguments over percieved inconsistencies in any of the movies.
Hopefully now that I've pointed that out, a bunch of moderators will be able to use their 'Redundant' button.
While this is not usually something of concern, there were TV edits made that removed "the Libyans" from the first movie, shortly after the 9-11 events.
I can believe that overly-nervous TV executives would want to cut this out, but I'm at a loss to actually figure out how they would do it. The Libyans are sort of a central plot point to the film (after all, they are the whole reason that Marty ends up in 1955 to begin with!) Has anybody seen this edit?
We're going down, in a spiral to the ground
From this story:
"Back to the Future redux - 12:43am
Thinking about picking up that Back to the Future trilogy box set this week for a stocking stuffer? You may want to hold off on that. Amid numerous consumer complaints over noticeably misframed shots in the widescreen edition of Parts II and III of the trilogy, Universal Studios Home Video announced yesterday that they will be repressing the discs with corrected framing, and these repressed versions will be included in all future runs of the box set.
While the shots - some of which ruin crucial jokes and visual gags - may be relatively minor to some, what to do if you've already picked up the set and want the corrected versions? A Universal spokesperson has told us that consumers unhappy with the current version (widescreen only - the full frame edition is not affected) can call the Universal Studios Home Video Consumer Hotline at (888) 703-0010 to request an exchange. While repressed versions of discs 2 and 3 (disc 1 remains unaffected) won't be available until February, Universal will provide corrected versions to those who have already purchased the set. Consumers will need to send the discs back to Universal at their own expense. Stay tuned for any further updates as the story develops..."
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Unlike recent DVD releases of 80s classics (ie. the gun-to-walkie-talkie edits in E.T.)
You know that the ET DVDs have both the original, unedited version released in 1982 and the modified 2002 release on them, right?
No, I didn't think you did.
Star Wars
Star Trek
Terminator
LoTR
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Check out the Home Theater Forum for evidence.
Here is Universal's official response, as found on The Digital Bits:
Thank you for your email. Universal Studios will exchange Back to the Future parts 2 and 3 for copies with the updated framing in late February 2003. You may send the DVDs back now or wait until February. Please send Back to the Future disks 2 and 3, without the case, and a letter with the following information: Name, Full Mailing Address, Daytime Phone Number, Reason for Return and Return Address. Send to:
Back to the Future DVD Returns
PO Box 224468
Dallas, Texas 75260
Thank you,
Universal Studios Customer Service
Those in Canada can call 866-532-2202.
As for me, I'm waiting until February to get a correct version of all three films. The fanboy who reviewed this got a bit carried away.
I traveled back in the future to post this comment just today, knowing full well a Back to the Future post was on the way!
I still want my hoverboard. And my regenerated spleen. Never know when having an extra spleen could come in handy.
Must...wait...after...xmas....maybe...pare
And when I do get 'em, I can go into ubergeek mode and start showing people the resseblance between it and Buckaroo Banzai! : )
Joy
You can't take the sky from me...
Anyone ever been on 'Back to the Future: The Ride' at Universal Studios?
Probably the most overrated peice of crap I've ever been on...
Gave me a headache. Rough! It sucks. SUCKS!
I hate fucking Christopher Lloyd. He's a faggot fucker. Why did he ever make that movie Baby Geniuses?
It had Kim Catrall in it, thank God, so I just sat there holding my balls, patiently waiting for her to appear on screen.
Ooh great, now you too can see films at least ten years old in the comfort of your own home!
is explained here
> answer numerous questions about the movies,
> including time travel
We knew this all along. The flux capacitor. It's what make time travel possible!
----------
I am an expert in electricity. My father held the chair of applied electricity at the state prision.
OPERATING THETAN
Section Three
The head of the Galactic Federation (76 planets around larger stars visible from here) (founded 75,000,000 years ago, very space opera) solved overpopulation (250 billion or so per planet -178 billion on average) by mass implanting. He caused people to be brought to Teegeeack (Earth) and put an H-Bomb on the principal volcanoes (Incident II) and THEN the Pacific area ones were taken in boxes to HAWAII and the Atlantic area ones to LAS PALMAS and then re "packaged". His name was Xenu. He used renegades. Various misleading data by means of circuits etc. was placed in the implants. When through with his crime loyal officers (to the people) captured him after six years of battle and put him in an electronic mountain trap where he still is. "They" are gone. The place (Confederation) has since been a desert. The length and brutality of it all was such that this Confederation never recovered. The implant is calculated to kill (by pneumonia etc.) anyone who attempts to solve it. This liability has been dispensed with by my tech development.
One can freewheel through the implant and die unless it is approached as precisely outlined. The "freewheel" (auto-running on and on) lasts too long, denies sleep etc. and one dies. So be careful to do only Incidents I and II as given and not plough around and fail to complete one thetan at a time.
In December 1967 I knew someone had to take the plunge. I did and emerged very knocked out, but alive. Probably the only one ever to do so in 75,000,000 years. I have ALL the data now, but only that given here is needful.
One's body is a mass of individual thetans stuck to oneself or to the body.
One has to clean them off by running Incident II and Incident I. It is a long job, requiring care, patience and good auditing. You are running beings. They respond like any preclear. Some large, some small.
Thetans believed they were ONE. This is the primary error. Good luck.* * *
For the purpose of clarity, by BODY THETAN is meant a thetan who is stuck to another thetan or body but is not in control.
A THETAN is, of course, a Scientology word using the Greek theta which was the Greek symbol for thought or life. An individual being such as a man is a thetan, he is not a body and he does not think because he has a brain.
A CLUSTER is a group of body thetans crushed or held together by some mutual bad experience.
CHARACTER OF BODY THETANS
Body thetans are just Thetans. When you get rid of one he goes off and possibly squares around, picks up a body or admires daisies. He is in fact a sort of cleared Being. He cannot fail to eventually, if not at once, regain many abilities. Many have been asleep for the last 75,000,000 years. A body Thetan responds to any process any Thetan responds to.
Some Body Thetans are suppressive. A suppressive is out of valence in R6. He is in a valence in Incident I almost always.
One can't run a human being on these two incidents since human beings are composites and would not be able to run the lot. Aside from that, non-clears are way below awareness required to even find these Incidents.
Huge amounts of charge have already been removed from the case AND the body thetans by Clearing and OT I and OT II to say nothing of engrams and lower grades.
Awareness is proportional to the charge removed from the case.
Although a human is a composite being there is only one I (that is you) who runs things.
Body thetans just hold one back.
You will continue to be you. You, inside, can of course separate out body thetans and so solo auditing is the answer. How good do you have to be to run body thetans off? Well, if you didn't skip your grades, Clearing and OT II particularly, you should be able to command body thetans easily.
Is it just me or does this this "story" sound more like a press release, rather than "news" ?
Is this a new ad system on /. ?
I feel I do not need to be supporting the MPAA which is intent on removing our rights to fair use of media products.
I feel you should all do the same if you care about your rights at all.
Stanley Feinbaum, professional journalist and master debater! God bless the USA!
Well, I am a card carrying member of the BTTF fan club, and I remember from one of the four magazine issues I recieved a Q&A section, where the magazine was given the question of why did the future family exist, when Marty and Jennifer were brought forward -- the future they traveled to should have been a future where they disappeared in 1985. The answer was a blunt "we messed up," with an explanation that the future HAD to exist, because the ending of the first movie had the statement "Something's gotta be done about your kids!" and they couldn't very well go back on that, eh?
According to Dvdfile
"A Universal spokesperson has told us that consumers unhappy with the current version (widescreen only - the full frame edition is not affected) can call the Universal Studios Home Video Consumer Hotline at (888) 703-0010 to request an exchange. While repressed versions of discs 2 and 3 (disc 1 remains unaffected) won't be available until February, Universal will provide corrected versions to those who have already purchased the set. Consumers will need to send the discs back to Universal at their own expense. "
Is that it's easy to skip past the parts in part two that you just saw in part one.
Looks like the Slashdot Slackers are at it again.
They might be asleep at the wheel, but I am not:
- - Yahoo Buys Search-Software Maker Inktomi - -
News at 11
We, as a nation, have suffered. Wounded and confused, we wonder
whether life will ever be the same again. But for all our pain, we can
heal, if each one of us pitches in. We all have a part to play,
whether donating blood, contributing to relief charities, or writing
high-quality fan fiction to help a grieving nation forget its troubles
for just a little while.
Such is the burden I have assumed.
Since 1997, through good times and bad, I have been there,
creating rousing tales of events that did not actually take place in
the official Back To The Future universe but could have. And now, in
this time of crisis, I humbly offer these tales to the American people
to help soothe their jangled nerves.
Certainly, I am neither the most prolific nor the most acclaimed
of America's many Back To The Future fanfic authors. But I like to
think that my work is among the most heartfelt, the most human. Take
my recently self-published fanfic novella Think, McFly, in which Marty
briefly becomes trapped in 1975 Hill Valley.
Let's not dwell on, for the purposes of this brief discussion,
my historically accurate portrayal of the era, right down to the TV
blaring All In The Family (a sly allusion to the whole theme of the
film series). My depiction of Marty as he discovers yet another layer
of the intertwined histories of his hometown and family surely
approaches the depth of Robert Zemeckis' own work. In one scene, I
have Marty encounter his 7-year-old self and, along with the reader,
discover why being called a "chicken" has become such a personal
curse. Who else in the online fanfic-writing community has taken such
a bold leap of imagination while remaining completely true to the
spirit of the film series? Can you name even one? I thought not.
But I am not here to cast aspersions on other BTTF fanfic
authors. (Not even the wildly overrated Marion Gehl.) Now is the time
for Americans to stand tall and united in the face of an ultimate
evil, not to nitpick about who obviously doesn't understand what the
films are even about. And it certainly isn't the time to actually dare
to claim that Claudia Wells was a better Jennifer than Elisabeth Shue.
But, then, it never is. (She didn't do anything!)
But I digress. Back To The Future is a timeless story of
universal human experiences, like the quest for self-knowledge,
overcoming adversity, and going to the school dance with your mother.
It is this spirit I seek to honor and uplift through my works.
Consider my upcoming 1920s adventure, tentatively titled
Density. In it, Marty and Doc find themselves in the year 1925, only
to meet Marty's grandfather, Cyrus McFly, operating a "speakeasy" out
of a familiar-looking beverage hall in downtown Hill Valley. The naïve
young Marty romances a pretty young flapper who turns out to be his
own grandmother. As if that weren't enough, to ensure the proper flow
of time, he must mix things up with the Hill Valley crime syndicate,
led by Bart Tannen, the eventual father of Biff! Particularly deft is
my passing mention of a congenital heart defect in Bart, which helps
foreshadow why Biff is raised by his grandmother in the '50s.
Still hurting? The weary and dispirited among us can turn to
Biffco, a recently completed novella that reveals more tantalizing
details about the powerful alternate version of Biff that appears in
the middle of BTTF2. I don't want to give away the ending, but let's
just say that the age-old conundrum of how the elderly Biff
encountered his younger self without creating a time paradox will
finally be answered.
These are merely one man's meager efforts, to be sure. Such
fanciful tales are far less than is needed to salve the wounds of
Sept. 11. But, hopefully, they're enough to assure America that better
days lie ahead. Better days and even better Back To The Future fanfic.
Specifically, my nearly completed masterwork: It's an ambitious,
never-before-attempted Back To The Future/Star Trek crossover titled
Trek To The Future.
Operating on the premise that Hill Valley is a suburb of San
Francisco, my magnum opus takes the events of Star Trek IV: The Voyage
Home and throws Marty, Doc, and Jennifer into the mix. While Kirk and
crew stumble around the year 1986, attempting to save two humpback
whales before returning to the 23rd century, Doc and Marty hover about
the fringes, "helping" where necessary and borrowing Starfleet
technology in myriad ingenious ways. It may well be my finest hour as
a fanfic writer when Doc modifies a phaser to generate the necessary
1.21 gigawatts (I refuse to use the unscientific and meaningless
"jigowatts") of power for the DeLorean.
Trek To The Future's coda, in which Bryce McFly, the
24th-century descendant of Marty, is a skittish Starfleet Academy
cadet menaced by half-Klingon Ba'Qa Tannen, will surely represent a
high-water mark of American fan fiction. And the throwaway gag about
Picard being descended from Principal Strickland will be masterfully
rendered.
No, these humble offerings don't match the healing power of,
say, an all-frills DVD box set of the trilogy (we're still waiting,
Universal!), but it's important that each of us does what he or she
can.
Sadly, the flux-capacitor technology masterminded by Dr. Emmet
Brown remains a fantasy. As such, we cannot go back in time and change
the terrible events of Sept. 11. But we can draw strength by drawing
close to one another and holding fast to the faith that tomorrow will
be a brighter day. And also by reading my Back To The Future fan
fiction. My next story should be up on the site as soon as my renewal
money order to Dreamhost clears.
Were the last two movies.
The original BTTF was good entertainment, but 2 and 3 were complete stinkers. If memory serves, both sequels were filmed at the same time or back-to-back. Which does not leave me optimistic for the Matrix sequals.
(LOTR isn't in the same category, as they aren't sequals, just a story told in three movies.)
I cant wait to see the making of Leah Tompson's huge HOOTERS in the second Movie. "Mom . . . your so . . . BIG!", said Marty McFly.
Dirty birds...
Back to the Future? Please. Who cares?
I have trouble with passwords among other things.
It does not matter whether or not you ran Incident I and II on self. The End Phenomena of III is getting rid of all body thetans. This does not necessarily include self. If you overrun III it will be by trying to get rid of more body thetans than there were or by then, having got rid of the others, starting in on self. So III is complete for purposes of overrun as above. If you have not done Incident I and II on self when above is achieved, attest completion and then do I and II on self.
EP's: No BT's left = OT III, Exterior = OT IV
List of Volcanoes
There were two zones of assembly after the thetan was implanted. Thetans of volcanoes in Asia and the Pacific were taken to Hawaii. Thetans of Atlantic areas were taken to Las Palmas.
Asia and the Pacific: North Japan Mt. Shasta South Japan San Gorgornio Krakajawia Indonesia Mount Washington Philippines Mount Ranier Himalayas Mount Hood (Hawaii) Andes
Atlantic: Tangier (Las Palmas) St. Helena Canada Kolomonjero
(Spelling not guaranteed) (List may be incomplete)
Incident II: 75,000,000 years ago on this planet. Sometimes capture was on another planet and explosion on this planet, then called Teegeeack. Locate area of explosion. Pictures of explosion follow it. Get original explosion. Effort to stop usually present.
H-BOMB DROPPED ON VOLCANO
EXPLOSION
TERRIFIC WINDS
THETAN CARRIED OVER PEAK
ELECTRONIC RIBBON CAME UP
HE STUCK TO IT
IT WAS THEN PULLED DOWN AND HE WAS (AS PART OF A GROUP)
IMPLANTED WITH R6
PICTURE OF PILOT SAYING HE IS MOCKING IT UP
(R6 materials follow, then days of pictures of God, Devil, etc.)
(Thetan usually cognites on pilot or before (or on first incident) and leaves.)
Incident I: Occurs at start of track (4 quadrillion years ago).
LOUD SNAP
WAVES OF LIGHT
CHARIOT COMES OUT, TURNS RIGHT AND LEFT
CHERUB COMES OUT
BLOWS HORN, COMES CLOSE
SHATTERING SERIES OF SNAPS
CHERUB FADES BACK (RETREATS)
BLACKNESS DUMPED ON THETAN
Effort to stop must be gotten off (sometimes to hurry). Run as an engram.
THE BB [Basic-Basic] GPMs
This is a series of 5 GPMs, all the same pattern occurring about trillions 214th Power years ago.
Run the two lines all as one line, not as separate items for each number.
The explosions occur "inside one's head" or, that is to say, where the Thetan is.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE CAUTION
When a student in the course does not have English as his native tongue, or as language changes through the years, or when the Clearing course is translated into another language.
The greatest care must be used to establish the exact meaning or equivalent words. The most precise meaning is required and off shades will prevent erasure with much upset.
Such a student or translator must use a Meter to obtain the translated word and establish its correctness. It will, of course, be the most *lasting* read which lasts after all other versions have ceased to read.
Ordinarily when you have the right equivalent, wrong versions will not read.
Sometimes when you have discarded the right one you have to regain it by finding one which reacts to "suppress" or "challenge." Only the right version reacts to these.
It would be well to check all the key words of a GPM for the correct version of non-English words before attempting to actually run it.
One should rewrite the entire GPM or pattern in the native tongue one uses. Don't attempt sight translation.
[ Note: for brevity in uploading, this has been condensed to one set of commands. In the original, they were written out for EACH endword, a total of79 handwritten pages.
Each set of 26 items is run through on each endword; 1-26 for endword 1, then 1-26 on endword 2, etc. More instructions after the command set.
The endwords are: 1. Self 2. Mind 3. Body 4. Spirit 5. Head 6. Memory 7. Mass 8. Thought 9. Universe 10. Belief 11. People 12. Intention 13. Society 14. Custom 15. Government 16. Concept 17. Religion 18. Computation 19. System 20. Reason 21. Health 22. Logic 23. Poison 24. Secret 25. Interior 26. Amnesia end of editor's comments]
After the last endword, there is a SMASH!
Has anyone else noticed that the images on the DVDs themselves for Parts I and II are really fuzzy? I hope Universal corrects that by Feb 2003 as well.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Apparently Universal expects us to go back to the Future to get those replacement DVDs.
This is my post. There are many others like it. If you don't like what you read here, go try one of the others.
The Back to the Future trilogy has probably been one of the most highly anticipated DVD releases, mainly due to the age and enduring popularity...
Age and enduring popularity are no guarantee long-term of success; just ask Nora Bayes. The most popular vaudeville entertainer for the first quarter of last century. Anyone heard of her now?
Maybe it was the transfer quality that made people forget.
(Thank you for enduring this attempt at humor).
Anyone with an oedipal complex knows what the triology was really about. How many times did we see Marty in bed with his hot mother (or hot maternal kin) next to him?
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
# 531-byte qrpff-fast, Keith Winstein and Marc Horowitz
# MPEG 2 PS VOB file on stdin -> descrambled output on stdout
# arguments: title key bytes in least to most-significant order
$_='while(read+STDIN,$_,2048){$a=29;$b=73;
$m=(11,10,116,100,
-2?0:$m&17)),$b^=$_%64?1
=5;$_=unxb24,join"",
d=unxV,xb25,$_;$e=256
$d^$d/8))>8^($t&($g=($q=$e>>14&7^$e)^$q*8
I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!
Great Scots!
There, now nobody else has to do it.
That's "shiny".
Anyhoo, I missed the second film, and the third got such bad reviews that I didn't even bother trying to go.
Still, my hat's off to anyone who can work a day job, a night job, and battle a degenerative nerve disease.
And "Mister Fusion" was inspired.
What do you mean, rambling? This is Slashdot!
what does the word NEWS mean? NEWS is a DVD set that has been around for half a year or so now? or are you americans actually getting a movie LATER than us europeans now? Nah , i suppose its the usual slashdot editors hey-this-article-looks-nice-lets-not-check-a-thing -and-post-it-straight-away-because-we-are-too-busy -bashing-microsoft-to-do-any-real-work ?
Casualties of an 'Undeclared War'
Civilians Killed and Injured as U.S. Airstrikes Escalate in Southern Iraq
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, December 22, 2002; Page A01
BASRA, Iraq -- She flinches just a bit when the air raid siren comes on. Not
because it is unusual, but because it is not. And because it reminds her of that
day just a few weeks ago.
The sirens sound most every day, once, twice, sometimes more. They are
followed by the sound of jet planes soaring overhead. Then the soft puffs of
antiaircraft fire off in the distance.
What Nahla Mohammed remembers from that day, however, is not the sirens or
the jet planes, but running into her son on the street just after she finished
shopping for supper. He asked what she would fix, she recalled. Meat, vegetables
and soup, she answered. He headed off, anticipating the family meal.
Ten minutes later, according to a cousin who was there, a powerful blast
slammed him to the ground as metal shards sliced through his body. Mohammed
Sharif Reda, a 23-year-old mechanic married just two months and planning to
build a house for his family, was among four people who Iraqi officials said were
killed Dec. 1 in what they call an "undeclared war" being waged here in southern
Iraq.
While U.S. troops flow into the Persian Gulf region in preparation for a possible
invasion of Iraq, U.S. and British warplanes fire regularly on what the Pentagon
describes as military targets. U.S. officials say the bombings and missile attacks
are responses to Iraqi challenges to enforcement of the southern "no-fly" zone in
place since 1991 -- painting aircraft with air defense radars or shooting at them.
But the pace of the attacks has quickened demonstrably in recent months and
the Pentagon has broadened its targets to a wide array of command and
communications facilities in what analysts see as an effort to weaken Iraq's
defenses.
The attack on Dec. 1 destroyed a pair of large vehicles parked in an oil company
courtyard in the center of Basra, the country's second-largest city, located near
the Kuwaiti border. U.S. military spokesmen said they hit an air defense facility,
not an oil company, and in any case never deliberately attack civilian targets. But
something obliterated the vehicles here and everyone questioned believes it was
the Americans.
"Every day, every day, all the time. Why?" cried Reda's widow, Najila, 25, at the
family home around the corner from the Museum of the Martyrs of Hostile
Persian Shooting. "I ask you: Why is America bombing?"
Through the first four months of the year, U.S. and British forces struck Iraqi
sites in the northern and southern no-fly zones just six times, while in the past
four months they have launched about four dozen air raids. So far in December,
the U.S. military has reported nine strikes around southern cities such as Kut,
Nasiriyah, Amarah and Basra, including one here on Friday.
Iraqi officials complain that U.S. and British aircraft violated their airspace for
patrols 1,141 times between Nov. 9 and Dec. 6. In response, Iraqi antiaircraft
batteries have fired at U.S. and British planes more than 470 times this year,
according to a Pentagon count, although the Iraqis have never succeeded in
shooting one down.
The no-fly zones were imposed to protect a Kurdish enclave in the north and
rebellious Shiite Muslims in the south from possible attack by President Saddam
Hussein's aircraft. While Iraq and several major powers do not recognize the
legitimacy of the zones, they have become an inescapable fact of life here.
"Not many people realize that a war has been going on for the last several years
in the no-fly zone," said Gen. Amir Saadi, a top Hussein adviser. "The very people
that Britain and the United States claim to be protecting, they're killing them,
maiming them, depriving them of their normal livelihood and also destroying the
infrastructure which is there to serve them."
The Pentagon disputes that and includes a statement at the end of each
announcement of another raid: "Coalition aircraft never target civilian
populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to
civilians and damage to civilian facilities."
Until recently, U.S. and British warplanes responding to threats from Iraqi forces
limited their strikes to gun emplacements, radar facilities and other sites involved
in trying to hit them. But Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in August
ordered his commanders to widen the target list to include more communications
centers, command buildings and fiber-optic links.
The more strategic targeting led U.S. forces to strike the Tallil air base, the air
defense sector headquarters about 160 miles southeast of Baghdad, a dozen
times this fall. With hardened revetments for aircraft, surface-to-air missiles and
two major runways, Tallil protects the southern approach to the capital and was
a major target during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
In September, U.S. planes also hit radars at a remote military airfield 240 miles
west of Baghdad, far from most antiaircraft fire, in a move that analysts
speculated could be intended to open a corridor for Special Forces helicopters to
enter the western desert undetected.
The campaign in the south was recently expanded to include propaganda
warfare as well. Aircraft dropped 480,000 leaflets at six locations in southern Iraq
last week, the seventh time they have conducted such drops in the past three
months, according to military officials. The leaflets, distributed in areas where
coalition planes recently struck, warned Iraqis against repairing fiber-optic cables
and said rebuilding defensive facilities would put their lives in danger.
The leaflets also directed Iraqis to a radio frequency where they could listen to
U.S. broadcasts now beamed into the country for several hours a day by military
aircraft as they patrol the no-fly zone.
While the zones were established to shield Iraqis from their leader, they have
served to embitter at least some of the people, and government officials assert
that they even solidify support for Hussein. "When it gets worse and worse, the
people will be closer to the leadership," said Lt. Gen. Hadi Abdul Reda, head of
civil defense in Basra. "They make me more eager to face the Americans."
"We hate them," said Mesa Ali, 25, a mother of two young boys who lives across
the street from the site of the Dec. 1 bombing. The blast shattered her front
window, covering her 18-month-old son with broken glass. "They want to get the
oil and make us slaves."
"It's a crime," said Ali Abid Hamid, 31, who works at a nearby cement company
and helped his cousin get to a hospital to treat a slashed throat after the
explosion. "There is no reason to bomb civilians. They want to make problems."
It remains unclear how many civilians have actually been hurt or killed by the
recent U.S. and British bombing. Even by Iraqi reports, most targets seem to be
military facilities and government officials decline to take journalists there.
The Dec. 1 episode, however, clearly left noncombatants dead and injured,
according to interviews with survivors, relatives, witnesses and doctors. The U.S.
military reported dropping 23 precision weapons from 13 aircraft in southern
Iraq that day in retaliation for antiaircraft fire at warplanes patrolling the
northern no-fly zone two days earlier, the first time they had struck in the south
for an incident in the north.
The U.S. military said it hit unspecified air defense targets near Basra and Kut,
but not an oil installation. Witnesses and survivors, though, said two explosions
erupted in the yard of the state-run Southern Oil Co. in the center of Basra
between 10 and 11 a.m., about the time U.S. warplanes were reported to be
striking. Iraqi officials said four people were killed and 27 injured.
U.S. officials in the past have accused Hussein of positioning mobile air defense
units in civilian locations in an effort to prevent them from being destroyed or to
draw enemy fire that would kill innocents, thus creating a propaganda victory for
Iraq. From the street, about 50 yards away, it appeared clear that at least two
large vehicles were demolished by the explosions at Southern Oil. But it was
impossible to determine whether they were civilian trucks or mobile missile
launchers or radars.
Iraqi officials would not allow an American reporter inside the compound to
examine the site.
What was clear was that people such as Watheka Raheem Feyad were in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Feyad, 25, a clerk at Southern Oil, had just
returned from vacation and was walking between buildings when she was
suddenly blown off her feet.
"I felt like I was being sucked up into the air, two to three meters up," she said.
"I didn't know if it was a rocket or a missile or a bomb. I didn't know what was
the matter. I was afraid and shocked. The noise was very, very loud and I lost
feeling in my legs. I closed my eyes because I was so scared."
Two colleagues dragged her away, she said, and she later woke up in the
hospital. Her brother, Ali Raheem Feyad, 38, raced to the hospital at 100 mph
when he heard the news and was initially told that she was dead. She was not,
but she suffered a head injury and multiple fractures of her leg, which is now in
a metal splint, and still has shrapnel in her body. She takes six types of drugs,
faces several more operations and will need at least a year before she can walk
again, according to her doctor.
Mohammed Sharif Reda was not so lucky. Walking outside the gate, he and his
cousin were caught in the blast, family members said. His relatives were already
angry at Americans, blaming his uncle's death from cancer in March on depleted
uranium used in some U.S. weapons in the area.
"They are killing people," Nahla Mohammed, 49, who has lost her son and
brother, said, occasionally succumbing to tears as she talked. "Why do they
commit such crimes? Why was my son just walking along the streets and died?
Why?"
Reda's cousin, Sabah Hassan Mohammed, 23, who was walking alongside him
that day, survived but suffered deep gashes in his left leg and deep resentment
in his heart. At the hospital last week, he winced in pain and clutched his
brother's hand.
"I will get better and I will take revenge, for me and for others," he said. "We
are strong. Even if they keep bombing us, we will bear it and we will show them
the results."
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Rather disturbing, that Universal knows that pretty much all copies of II and III out there are defective (ok, widescreen only), yet just today I saw several hundred being offered for sale in one store alone.
Isn't this the sort of situation that product recalls are for (I mean beyond 'this meat will kill you')? Why would Universal knowingly allow their dealers to sell defective merchandise? Is the Xmas shopping mania just that strong that we couldn't possibly pull a known defective product? Instead, they'd rather everyone go to the time and expense of mailing these 2 discs back and forth in February.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
Ever notice that /.'ers get excited about DVDs and not new albums? RIAA, START PAYING ATTENTION.
I have seen each of these movies at least 3e6 times each. I have them recorded off TV. I own all three on videocassette. I try to watch them when TBS is running them. Even though I can probably recite each movie by heart, guess what: I was waiting for Target to open last Tuesday so I could be the first to own these. Why? I love these movies.
There's so much techological genius in these movies that the 'making of' stuff is worth the cost of the set to me. I haven't even watched the movies yet, I just opened disc 4 and started watching. GOOD STUFF.
My point? I paid $39.99 for something I already had. I did it VOLUNTARILY. I can download all this stuff off Kazaa I'm sure. Why didn't I? Because it's GOOD STUFF THAT'S WORTH THE MONEY. Most music that's out these days is pure crap. I had no idea that I could take a dump in a jewel case and sell it for $15.99. It's not rocket science: put stuff in the package that people WANT, and they will buy.
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
that most of you have refused to buy DVD players like I have.
Hey, thanks for buying the new DVD set. We knew you guys wouldn't resists.
Universal Studios appreciates your business. Especially since $3 from every sale goes directly to a needy Senator, who is working hard right now to make sure the entire legal system in this country is designed to line our pockets with cold, hard, cash and take away your control over the things you buy.
That's right! Enjoy your DVD today, because tomorrow you may need to pay $4.99 to "re-key" your shiny new DVD+ player so it will play.
That's what we call progress! And you're funding it!
Thanks again,
Universal Studios
You can find comparison shots here, here and here, with more to be seen here (warning, that site is very intensive and not the best designed. It's also in German, but the pics are right in one of the frames if you let it load completely and scroll down a bit).
Keep in mind that those screenshots are just examples. The framing for ALL of BTTF 2 and BTTF 3 is messed up in the same way EXCEPT for special effects shots (those were hard-matted on the print, so there was no need to apply any matting to the transfer).
I've already called Universal and arranged my return, but the screwup is inexcusable given that it's been known for four months and Universal didn't acknowledge the issue until Wednesday.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
I'm glad I decided to just rent these from Netflix instead of buying them. I was surprised to see all 3 available "Now" instead of having a huge wait!
On my wish list of things I would buy should I win a ton of money to waste in the lottery is a DeLorean complete with Mr. Fusion mock up, and a flame thrower device that blasts fire when I hit 88 miles per hour.
...
That and a kick-ass sound system to play the theme music wherever I went.
Just need that hover conversion kit
*sigh, childhood dreams*
Holy Living Fuck, that movie sucked ass. I would have aborted those little fuckers.
Get a better DVD player. Yours is defective.
No problems with the menus on my system. (Pioneer, twin laser).
What's yours?
Simon
Coming soon - pyrogyra
The movies have been available in regions 2 and 4 for months, and they have the same misframing problem there. People noticed it as soon as they did comparisons to the widescreen Laserdisc (which has a slightly less wide and incorrect aspect ratio, but at least the matting that is there is applied correctly), but Universal allowed the problem to slip into the R1 release and they didn't acknowledge any problem despite repeated inquiries until Wednesday.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
is there any real reason to have two different versions to begin with? DVDs have the ability to have both widescreen AND full screen on the same disk. If I'm not mistaken it's not even two different video tracks but the same track with a pan and scan formula built in that takes very little room, any experts care to correct me if I'm under a misconception?
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
You arent funny.
future travels back to YOU!
Was this story straight out of the mouth of a Universal Studios weasel or what?
Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
Well this sucks. I just picked up a copy of the trilogy for my gf. She's been waiting for it for a long time now and here it is. All wrapped and under the tree. Then the next day I find out about the misframing. Yes kids, it's on the entire BTTF II and III films, not just select scenes. While I'm not a DVD afficiando, I do certainly appreciate watching a well produced DVD. Seeing all the example shots and taking a look at the film myself now proves that the misframing basically ruins the movie. Most of the gags are site gags and without the bottom or top of the frame, it's just not the same movie.
What really has me peeved is the fact that a) Universal knew about the problem as people in R2-R5 have been yelling about it without any resolution and b) you have to return the discs at your own expense to replace them. Sure, Universal is not going to spend whatever the cost would be to get everyone a copy but now to really enjoy the movie I'm going to have to shell out another $10US or something to get the updated discs.
And basically, even though they knew about it but might not admit it, there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it except eat up the cost of replacing the discs. Oh well, live and learn.
I wonder why they don't do similar edits and remove the Nazis from World War II movies.
Actually, in some video games, they have. Hitler shaved off his mustache and became the Staatmeister in Wolfenstein 3D for Super NES. (id Software was so frustrated at the actions of Nintendo's censors that id sold a Wolf3d engine license to Wisdom Tree, an independent console software publisher, in retaliation.) The USA version of Bionic Commando for the NES had "Badds" instead of "Nazis".
Hate Dubya? Vote Libertarian-Nazi-Green in 2004!
Will I retire or break 10K?
Wheres my car??
Funny how in BTTF, the bad guys were Muslim terrorists after nuclear weapons. How little has changed in 20 years ...
Joe
http://www.joegrossberg.com
Anyone have a link to the side-by-side pictures that works?
Common sense is not so common.
The easiest thing to workaround. Right-click desired image, keep mouse button pressed, dismiss warning dialog with SPACE. Menu appears.
This set has all that you would expect of any feature-packed DVDs, including deleted scenes, outtakes, original trailers, and behind the scenes features. The movies themselves contain additional commentaries, and an option that pops up an icon for additional production notes and factoids during viewing. Even the deleted scenes have an option for viewing with commentary by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale.
p ?R eviewID=1761
Here is some more info:
http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Reviews.as
I've asked Santa for this one, and I've been dyying for it to come out on DVD well, ever since I got my DVD player.
This was my alltime favorite Movie set of all time (er well maybe equal with Star Wars)
But Either way I'm glad to see it finally apprearing on DVD, problems with the widescreen or not, I can't wait to get my copy!
-Henry
--- #@$DF@#2%@^%3^&*$%FRHG%%[NO CARRIER]
As a student of film and animation, watching the old 20's and 30's cartoons with betty boop and heckle & jeckle and the watermelon eating negros of that time certainly show the changes that have happened. (except with Trent Lott :)
To go and CHANGE that and show it is wrong. It's important to know where we came from and what attitudes were. Its fine to understand that these attitudes were wrong, but denying that they existed is just horrifying.
Perhaps charlie chaplin's imitations of hilter should be altered to not offend people. Perhaps all our references to iraqi's as friends should be stricken from the record.
It's not like I have much expectation from the king of sugar coated movies, steven spielberg, but for him and zemekis to allow the content to be edited for non language (swearing) reasons is just frightening.
If you don't believe me, grab a copy of the Heinlein novel.
Sorry, I just had to say it. :)
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
Are there differences between the R1 and R2 releases? I bought the R2 French edition when it was released in October, and I thought it was mediocre at best. Only the first of the three films has a commentary track, and it's not very good. It's basically an interview about random things. It could have been it's own feature, because it's not related to what's being shown on the screen at all. No commentary at all for the second and third films. The deleted scenes were interesting, but on my DVD there are no commentary tracks for them. The "making of" stuff wasn't bad, but it was basically saying the same stuff over and over again, just like the comentary track. I still had plenty of questions about plot holes etc after watching the DVDs. I thought about waiting for the R1 release, but as a BTTF fan I had to get it right away. Is the R1 release really as good as the reviewer says?
...that Hollywood seems to have forgotten? When I think about BttF, I think of those wonderful days back in the 80's when movies were fun and intruging. Remember Ghostbusters? Indiana Jones? Star Trek IV? (heh)
Anybody else feel like some of the fun spirit of these movies was lost when the 90's rolled around?
I guess there are some early, practice footage of the hoverboards on the dvds. I remember how nuts everyone went after BttF2 came out, and how almost every kid I talked to wanted on (if only someone had been able to capitalize on that!)
I've been waiting 17 years for this to come out (check the user name, and my website), and now I only have to wait a few more days to see if someone got it for me for Christmas! WooHoo!
Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
Nintendo has always tried to keep their software clean (Bubble Bath Babes notwithstanding). The original Mortal Kombat had sweat, rather than blood (although I believe there was a code to turn the sweat red.) Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! became just plain ol' Punch-Out!!, and Mike Tyson became Mr. Dream. The N64 was roasted for its lack of software aimed at older audiences, as well as for its lack of software in general.
I appreciate them sticking to their guns. I've always been a Nintendo fan, even through the N64 years, when the lack of software was a bit of an issue for me. They have relaxed their policies, and some pretty violent/gory games are available for the GameCube, like the RE series and BloodRayne (which I believe actually includes Nazis -- how's that for a full-circle tangent?) All of the Nintendo franchises, however, have stayed kid-safe.
Here on /., I know the prevailing notion is that censorship in general is evil, and I agree to an extent. Nintendo's relaxed a bit, and as I near my parenting years, I'm at least glad to know that when looking for games for my kids, a Nintendo-designed/published title will be kid-safe.
Shite on a silver platter is still shite. I don't think any amount of digital remastering, cleaning up or anything short of rewriting and reshooting could fix this series.
I bought the region 2 version when released september 18th, where I've seen no artifacts whatsoever. The picture is so good, you almost forget the first movie is 17 years old! I was kinda suprised no comments like this had been posted before me, but maybe I'm the only one living in Europe who reads slashdot? ;-)
Its not the corporations responsibility to inform you of defective products. The only loophole is for products with safety concerns. And many people had to die to get those laws passed, and its rather limited product range.
-
My government supports terrorism.
Hey all,
I've got a driver's side door for a 1981-1983 DeLorean DMC-12 for sale, and since this is already a DeLorean forum, I though. "What the hey".
Driver's side door, minor dent around the lock cylinder, and a smaller one which looks like it might have been inflicted by an errant shopping cart. (It was replaced because the car was otherwise a 100-point show car.)
This door is great as a conversation piece, or as a replacement door for a driver, though not appropriate for a show car.
Info and photos will be provided to serious enquiries only.
Go to my website and message me with the form.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.
Are you talking about Back to the Future?
There are only 3 discs.
From what I can gather from the 3 side-by-side comparisons I've managed to find, the transfer process involved taking the fullscreen format and cropping the top and bottom, to create a fake 16:9 "widescreen" version. Disney did the same thing with their early-90's re-release of "Cinderella" (I think, could be wrong), and Siskel and Ebert raked them over the coals for it. And rightly so.
I may be off on what the other guy was referring to, but this is the only thing that immediately popped into my head when I read it.
Why?
I'm referring to the fact that people in regions 2 and 4 have been 'informing' Universal of the defect in the product for months, and Universal did not act (and allowed the defect to slip into the R1 release) on it at all.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
Huey Lewis and the News will be releasing a DVD video box set of their greatest hits... It's speculated to be only half as annoying as the botched widesceen conversion of the back to the future (BTTF) Trilogy...
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
Am I the only one who doesn't care about all the "extras", "bonuses", and "making-of" crap they put on DVDs these days?
When I buy a DVD, I want a good copy of the movie, and maybe a copy of its theatrical trailer. I don't want 3-d menus that take 5 seconds to select from. I don't want interviews with the director's cat. I don't want a 2-disc set for a movie that fits on 1 disc.
As far as I can tell, that extra crap is just an excuse for them to charge more money for a movie than it's worth.
Would they have had framing problems if they'd spent more of their time working on the movie instead of adding a bunch of "extra features" to it? I doubt it. Would people who love BTTF still buy it? I'd bet most of them would.
Better yet, why not have a "just the movie" DVD for one price, and a "movie + extra crap" DVD for a higher price? Then they'd see how many people really like that stuff.
Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
I heard a rumor once (from a Wal-Mart employee) that I shouldn't buy the widescreen version of a movie because it's missing the top & bottom of the picture. At the time I ignored him (I knew better), but now! My gawd, HE'S RIGHT! (in this case at least) What the hell happened to the whole "DVDs are made in widescreen to reflect the artist's true representation of the movie since it was originally shot in widescreen??"
I know I shouldn't remind anyone of this, but it appears ol' George predicted this and reported the "editing" of past events and entertainment.
He's right in that it's missing the top and bottom of the picture, because it should actually be missing only the top.
Widescreen represents the image as it was shown theatrically and typically as the director filmed it. Even when a movie is filmed at a 1.37:1 ratio and matted down, the director is typically only paying attention to the 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 section of the filmed frame that is intended for its theatrical exhibition. Opening up the mattes for a 'fullscreen' presentation can destroy well-composed shots as well as reveal things that should not be in the frame (set equipment, anachronisms in period pieces, etc).
Also note that the special effects shots were hard-matted to 1.85:1, so those ARE panned and scanned on the fullscreen release.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
One thing you'll find is that many of the most vocal proponents of the 'misframing' of these DVDs are people who've never seen them. I watched all three over the weekend and counted about half a dozen shots which looked like they could have been framed better, most of them in the first future sequence of BTTF2... that's it. Frankly, I was so utterly unconcerned by the slightly odd framing in those shots that I doubt I'll even bother sending my disks back for replacements if they release a version with those few shots changed.
Most, if not all, of these comparisons have been between the movie and the laserdisk. Yet the laserdisk apparently wasn't even released in the correct aspect ratio, so who's to say how it was supposed to look other than the director? Until and unless the director or one of the other major creative production staff actually come out and say 'no, they were framed wrong, thanks for getting them to fix the movie', I'm going to presume that the version we got was the version intended and keep it, rather than a new version that's been edited by committee. Oddly, some of the people making the most fuss about these disks are some of the people who make a big fuss whenever a movie is released in a different form to that which the director intended... yet now they want to control how the movie is framed regardless of what the director may think.
It's high time for another prank-calling session to Schuck's (or your favorite auto parts shop) and ask for a flux capacitor for a 1986 Ford Taurus!
There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
I heard the DVDs were delayed so long because they wanted to include some of the footage shot with Eric Stoltz, before Michael J. Fox replaced him. But Stoltz blocked it. If that's true, I guess you can't blame him, but it would still have been interesting to see.
I still remember watching the original film on VHS back in '86 or '87, and I always told my folks that there would be a sequel. Well, after watching the special features, I learned that originally the whole "We gotta do something about your kids, Marty!" was more of a closing joke than a setup for the next film. Anyway, no matter how many times I saw the original film, nothing was cooler than watching the DVD and seeing the DeLorean roll off Doc Brown's truck for the first time. The audio was great, and my floor shook to the rumbling of the engine. Also, hearing Alan Silvestri's work in CD-quality sound really makes the movie come to life even more. I highly recommend anyone who liked the movies to watch them again on DVD. It really is a whole new experience.
Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
"I've already called Universal and arranged my return, but the screwup is inexcusable given that it's been known for four months and Universal didn't acknowledge the issue until Wednesday."
The most likely explanation being that it _wasn't_ a screwup and they deliberately reframed those few shots to remove problems (crew or equipment in shot, that kind of thing)... since it's only a very few shots that are framed strangely, and most of the movies are fine. But hey, I'm sure that a few websites know better than the director what the framing was meant to be.
Seriously, BTTF I-II-III are CRAPPY MOVIES. It's attention like this that keeps them MAKING crappy movies!
Yes, this is true, though I think directors today have to intend for both framings.
If you compare a widescreen DVD with the same movie on TV, you'll find that pan-and-scan doesn't just chop of the sides. They are forced to chop off less of the sides if they also reveal more of the top and bottom, since both changes make the frame closer to the 1.33:1 of TV.
Directors know this is going to happen, and they have to account for it. They can't let a microphone or a dolly track appear right above or below the frame, though sometimes (as the parent indicated) one slips by. The viewfinders that they use don't have just one rectangle, but several: one for theatrical release, one for TV, and now ones for HDTV and other "future" scenarios, all superimposed.
This is a little sad because it means directors can't explore the edges of their frames any more. They're forced to compose every shot so that the characters appear in the intersection of all the rectanges -- in trying to please every distribution scenario, everything has to be in the boring center of the frame.
I'm glad the general public is starting to come around to letterboxing, so maybe we can eliminate pan-and-scan once and for all.
A side note too: the prints that are shipped to theaters aren't matted; it's up to the projectionist to use the correct lens (anamorphic or no) and the right set of physical mattes. Whenever you see a boom lower into the frame it's almost always the projectionist's fault. I actually went to complain to the usher at a neighborhood theater that the movie wasn't matted right, but she looked at me like I had two heads.
the first time i saw back to the future in the theatre, marty followed up his dad's explanation about the alien that told him he would melt his brain with, "let's just keep this brain melting stuff to ourselves." the next time i saw it in the theatre and every subsequent time i've seen it in any format (tv, vhs) that line was not in the movie. has anybody else out there seen a version that had that line in the movie?
you probably shouldn't have read this.
Having seen/owned/rented many DVDs and watched all of the 'extras', I can only think of one or two which had actual value from the extra features.
Extras
1. movie trailers - good to have - nice to watch just before the movie
2. outtakes - mostly no good unless stunts gone bad
3. computer models - ok
4. behind the scenes - these are mostly a complete waste of time in that they are a 24 minute advertisement for the movie with all of the actors just cheerleading how good the film is.
5. director's commentary - only rarely worth watching
6. extra footage in movie - usually not worth watching since a longer version of a good movie does not necessarily make the movie any better.
Please add the following to the dvd extras:
1. All of the movie trailers including
international/non-english ones.
2. movie poster stills
Not that they're a great store -- last time I went, I had to try 3 times to get a copy of a movie that wasn't unwatchably-fucked-up -- but they do stock Last Temptation of Christ.
(The guy at the counter even told us how he thought it compared to other Scorcese movies. How's that for polite service?)
"For a DVD box set that has been over 15 years in the making"
Am I the only one wondering how a DVD box set could be in the making since before DVD's existed? Maybe this guy just meant that was the last time the movies had been seen in the theaters, but it sounds a little silly.
$45 per U Colocation Special
I worked on the Commodore 64 version of the BTTF2 game (ah, the joys of hand optimised 8-bit assembly language! ;). We did a lot of work from an early draft of the script...
...an interesting fact that many people might not know is that the stories in BTTF2 and BTTF3 were originally destined to be crammed into just the one movie.
Of course, he could be referring to Sluggy Freelance, too.
This signature is a waste of 42 characters
I was remembering how TV censors changed "Son of a bitch" (which isnt that bad to begin with) to "Slug in a ditch"... I couldn't remember where it was from, Google helped though. Turns out I'm not the only one that thinks this edit is hillarious.
This place is always full of posts about how greedy and evil the MPAA/RIAA are. And you're right -- the MPAA/RIAA are quite possibly the greediest, evilest scumbags in history.
So why is it that every time Hollywood turns out some more lame crap (LoTR, Back to the Future DVD set, etc) everybody here can't wait to rush right out and pump more $$ into the pockets of the MPAA.
Who's gonna start that shit up??
Hmmm... And there's evidence to suggest that John Bigboote survived his gunshot wound and the subsequent destruction of the transport ship, and went into hiding as eccentric inventor Doc Brown. He built the time machine to go back and destroy Buckaroo before he was even born by aiding Hanoi Xan back in the 50s. That would allow Yoyodyne to complete the ship unhampered, and he'd get to return to Planet X.
But it went wrong, as meddling with history often does. In the non-Buckaroo timeline, Lord John Whorfin didn't build the ship, but was successfully treated and released from the asylum. After that, he and a few of his Red Lectroid friends began studying the earth by masquarading as Prof. Dick Solomon and his family.
Things become weirder as Lizardo/Whorfin/Solomon falls for someone he believes is an Earthling, but who is actually another alien by the name of Prymatt Conehead!
Chelloveck
I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
According to m-w.com, gigawatt (pronounced jiga/giga, redundant) wasn't coined until 1962, seven years after Doc Brown invents the flux capacitor. Ugh. Back to work...
You should all know that BY LAW you have the RIGHT to return an item you bought and that is defective. So for example if you bought the DVD at some local store with a "no returns" policy, that doesn't really matter, they STILL have to refund you your money.
So go back boys and girls and return those discs and wait for the new release in 2003.
I got the PAL region 2 verson in a 1.85:1 format. How do I know if my DVD set has the incorrect frames? Is there any place to check this?
Any useful links/comments highly apprciated.
You're missing the important bit - the six byte player key, or the cryptographic attack to get it, or the CSS shortcut (known-plaintext) attack...
-
My government supports terrorism. [objectivistcenter.org]
Please use the signature field of your user page for your signature, so that those of us who don't want to waste bandwidth with offtopic signatures can choose not to display it.
no text...
I expect the URL for fish.cx to be taken any second now...
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Note to poster: Slashdot is not a homogenous community. There are people that read/post that could give a rats ass about the MPAA/RIAA.
Not all nerd were created equal, so clue in.
In the law there is no overlap between theft and copyright infringement whatsoever.
The point is, the people who purchased the DVD want to see all that they saw in the original screening (plus more maybe because of the bonus features on the DVD).
Reframing it because they simply didn't like how it looked is like getting the Mona Lisa with the bottom part cut off because it 'was framed strangely'.
ar, ar.
-- thinkyhead software and media
Huh. interesting. I once projected "The Usual Suspects" in a 16m theater. I thought that the boom mikes regularly dropping into the frames was an interesting touch, but never saw it in any other versions.
The middle mind speaks!
There are valid reasons for the 15% of English that is 'odd', and none of those resons allow 'ghoti' to be pronounced 'fish'.
giga as 'jiga' is correct, but like 'forte' or 'demesne' apt to get a strange look from most.
[Set Cain on fire and steal his lute.]
...Can be seen on Home Theater Forum.
I love this movie series, I could hardly take the fact the movie will be in "some way" castrated. Why they just don't release full-blooded version side by side with the castrated one? Let the people decide what they want. In my case, I can withstand Lybian thugs on my TV-screen... :)
And how about "South Park-Bigger,Longer,Uncut", is there going to be some extra version without Saddam Hussein?
I'm not insane. My mother had me tested.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Ahh... That would explain why I never found it...
All that time, wasted...
BTTF was filmed in Full Screen , thats why they had to chop the top and bottom to make it widescreen. For a movie that was filmed in widescreen, you get the full picture when you buy the 'widescreen' dvd. If you where to buy the 'full screen' version of a movie that was filmed in widescreen, they would have to chop off the sides.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Comment removed based on user account deletion
What's funny is this is also exactly what happens with the new Justice League show on Cartoon Network. Have a look at the normal and widescreen versions. They just cut off the top and botton, and viola, it is 'widescreen'.
By the way, let's see, how are we doing WRT the predictions for 2015? Let's see:
Not a great strike rate, I have to say
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Tough luck, I get to read your sigs, you get to read mine.
These movies (only saw 2) were "OK" when they came out. Nothing fancy, nothing really special. Just goes to show you that nothing but CRAP came out of the 80's (except me leaving high school).
Again, 80's movies remastered to dvd's...who gives a shit?
The technology has been around since BTTF was released but it is now marketable!
These are real hoverboards and act just like the ones in the movie. Check out my source!
Smart people invest their money in stock portfolios. Rednecks invest in commemorative plates."
It was not 'a few shots'. It is 'every scene in both movies except for special effects shots, because those were already hard-matted on the print'. Further, the screenshots given show excess ZOOMING that isn't even present in the fullscreen release. There no evidence of any 'problems' in the original widescreen laserdisc transfer that would be covered up in the mismatting, though there is strong evidence that some visuals are screwed up as a result of the misframing in the DVD.
The shots were misframed. The transfer was not made correctly, and Universal has finally admitted as much.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
yea, but maybe your TV is at fault. remember, these films have been reformatted to fit YOUR tv, not mine. duh
(yes, it's funny, laugh)
Co-producer Neil Canton.
Co-star Christopher Lloyd.
Hero who sings a classic 1958 song on stage ("Since I Don't Have You," "Johnny B. Goode") but doesn't finish it.
Friend of hero (*SPOILER*) seemingly killed partway through film remains alive and well at conclusion (Rawhide resurrected for dam site parade in end credits, Doc Brown wears bulletproof vest to thwart terrorists :)
Uh, no, it's not funny, and the problem affects the widescreen version, which is not 'formatted to fit your screen'.
You got yours at walmart too? I have a theory but i haven't tested it yet.
Could you go to walmart, complain to a manager, and as long as you have a reciept, could you exchange your defective boxset for a corrected version due out in late februrary?
I was thinking of doing this so I didn't have to wait however long Universal decides on shipping the corrected discs out. I figured if i can return my boxset for a complete and corrected version in feb that that would be the ideal way to go. What do you think?
I never returned a dvd, let alone a boxset in this fashion to a retailer before, and i'm unsure that walmart would be able to do this.
I bought widescreen because I wanted to "see" all of the movie--not hacked up pan+scan. I read examples about the differences online and I knew I must have widescreen. And now i get messed up widescreen versions on Part II and III. Isn't that irony? As if the space-time continuium was trying to keep me from seeing the movies like how the director envisioned it.
A Penny for my thoughts? Here's my two cents. I got ripped off!
Who modded this as flamebait? That's funny.
To explain the joke: Back to the Future is ONE OF THE MOVIES. Get it?
Actually, the widescreen one is 'formatted to fit my screen'.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
Near the end, when Harry and Lloyd are handcuffed to the bed and fighting, Harry says "Fine, just tell me where to sign!" to which Lloyd responds, "On my sandwich, right after you kiss it!" "Sandwich" is supposed to be "ass". As bad as it was, it sure made me laugh.
That's right! Enjoy your DVD today, because tomorrow you may need to pay $4.99 to "re-key" your shiny new DVD+ player so it will play.
That's OK, as a Hollywood resident, I've been "re-key"-ing their SUV's in return...
Hmm, I'd have the set bought a few months back in Australia and I haven't seen the problem, at least playing under Ogle on Linux. I'll check again now I know specific scenes to look at.
They were made back to back IIRC no? .... that would be most uncool if the 3'rd one sucked
no jinx'ing please!
All Part II and Part III widescreen dvds are defective, and will be sold defective until Universal gets the corrected batch out in stores in late Feb 2003. Since you bought yours prior to late Feb 2003, that means your eligable for a product replacement program that Universal will roll out in...you guessed it..late Feb 2003.
See article for details.
A Penny for my thoughts? Here's my two cents. I got ripped off!
Check them out here. They are a bit pricey and heavy too but that's a start :)
And btw, BTTF3 was brilliant, the best of the 3. It had horses in it.
Note I did say handle like a sports car, but not accelerate and top speed like a sports car.
Well, if it dosn't accelerate like a sports car, how would you know if it 'handles' like one?
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Actualy, the film was shot with the 'i hate everybody' sign, and then replaced with 'niggers' for the cinema. I doubt the TV production crews would really have enough money to to a nice replacement, so you're probably seeing the orgional shot, not an alteration
:P
That said, I did see a TV edit of showgirls Where they had the most rediculous painted on bra on the character in her stage performances. It looked like a "My first photoshop" excersize
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
What do you think you're doing right now?
Aditionaly, higher gravity = slower time. So, if you were to go into orbit around a black hole without spinning apart (for example) and then leave most things would be advanced along farther. Or, if you traveled near the spead of light, etc.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
people have mesured the time-speed diffrence between the ground and an airplane flying at 60k feet using atomic clocks.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Do you understand what I'm saying yet?
Why would we? All you're doing is ranting and raving like a madman. As far as I can tell, you're whole argument boils down to "He's stupid, damnit, can't you see he's STUPID!??!!"
A paradox dosn't mean something can't happen.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Actualy, I think Starwars was created of its own. And indeed, it stands on its own, as does ROTJ. Obviously, if you write a story your mind will spin with alternate and future ideas for it, but that dosn't mean that the whole was created in one step. (like LOTR, or the Matrix).
Also, the whole LOTR trillogy is a 'sequel' of sorts to the Hobbit.
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
Which is obvious BS. The reason brothers and sisters don't enjoy eachother 'sexualy' has to do with the fact that they grew up together, not that they are geneticaly related. The same behavior can be found in many types of animals (such as birds, etc). Animals that are 'rased' together simply won't mate with eachother.
On the other hand, brother/sister pairs who are not rased together are often attracted...
autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
It's not back to the future, but remember the scene in Ferris Beuler's Day Off, when Ferris is describing his friend and says 'if you put a piece of cole in his ass, in a few weeks you'd have a diamond' (great line, imho). Well, the tv edit changed the line to 'if you put a piece of cole in his hand, in a few weeks you'd have a diamond'.
Sigh.
I'm in agreement that lots of DVDs offer much more entertainment value for one's dollars than most CDs, but what does the MPAA have to do with creating the DVD?
The quote is wrong. It should just go: "DVDs are made in widescreen to reflect the artist's true representation of the movie".
Many 1.85:1 movies are shot in full frame (1.37:1) and then matted. Zemeckis almost always does it. The artist's intention of the movie is still the widescreen one, even if it shows less picture than the fullframe one.
Just to clarify the differences between Region 1 and the others:
Region 2/Region 4: Great sounding DTS 5.1 sound. By all acounts this sounds great throughout the trilogy (after all, BTTF won an Oscar for this!)
Region 1: No DTS, only the inferior Dolby Digital soundtrack. Allegedly this was scrapped in order to make space on the discs for a makeup tests and other nonsense. I'm not sure what was wrong with a 4-disc set, but there you go...
(In fact, a further difference between USA-R1 and Canada-R1 is that some extra deleted scenes are, er, deleted!)
Tough luck, I get to read your sigs, you get to read mine.
First of all, I don't have a sig. Second of all, If I did you could go turn it off in your preferences because I'd put it in the sig field instead of pushing my off topic adgenda on people who have explicitly opted out.