564 replies to this topic

[007jamesbond]

Probably buy the blueray this week likely friday.......it won't be sold out that fast?? 

[Double-0-7]

I waited until the Sunday Target/BestBuy/WalMart ads were out in case someone had extras before I ordered from Amazon.  I can't really watch it until Friday, so a projected delivery date of Wednesday is fine.  But it just sitting there taunting me for 2 days will be difficult.

 

To those watching it today - enjoy! 

[The Dove]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

[TopGearJB007]

I just picked up my copy about 3 hours ago, and I've already watched it! I'm a little disappointed that the DVD quality isn't higher. I was watching it on my HD laptop and I couldn't even read Bond's obituary because it was so grainy. I was also disappointed at how low rent the cover looks. It doesn't even say "Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions Presents Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in Skyfall" on the cover. :(

I'll probably be picking up the Blu-ray later this week.

I also picked up Top Gear's 50 years of Bond cars DVD as well. I look forward to watching it again. It will go nicely with my DVDs of Top Gear Seasons 10-18.

[FlemingBond]

well i picked up the blu ray -dvd combo, since i don't have blu ray yet. the dvd in that set has No extras.

still cool to have it.

[Ernst Stavro Blofeld Jr.]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

 

This is the way all releases are nowadays.  Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening.  If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player.  This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

[JimmyBond]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

 

This is the way all releases are nowadays.  Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening.  If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player.  This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

 

It took me a whlie to upgrade. What clinched it for me was a movie I really liked had gotten an extended cut. But the extended cut was only available on Blu-ray  so I bit the bullet and upgraded. Really glad I did though.

[The Dove]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

This is the way all releases are nowadays. Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening. If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player. This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

Whatever....

[quantumofsolace]

thedrum 11 feb 2013

Bond Street gets 007 makeover courtesy of CBS Outdoor UK to promote Skyfall DVD release

To celebrate the impending release of Skyfall on DVD CBS Outdoor UK has
wrapped the - appropriately named - Bond Street station exit in Skyfall
creative featuring James Bond himself, Daniel Craig.

A mega Digital Escalator Panel (DEP) and ticket giveaways will also be employed throughout the station.

“This campaign will bring two great British Institutions together –
James Bond and the Tube – with a high profile, impactful creative to
target the high end urban audience who pass through Bond Street
Station,” commented Jason Cotterrell, country director at CBS Outdoor
UK.

The campaign runs from today (Monday 11 February) for the next two
weeks, additional promotion will also run via national T-side bus ads
and on LCDs across the National Rail network.

[quantumofsolace]

whatculture feb 12 2013 Skyfall: Blu-Ray Director’s Commentary and Shooting Bond Review

 

 

 

Last year, the release of Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond film, pushed
the boundaries of what audiences expected from Daniel Craig’s 007
outings, progressing from the super serious, and a little bloated,
Quantum of Solace, to bring a more classic feel Bond, yet one that did
not feel out of place in the slightest with Craig’s Bond. A large amount
of the praise garnered by Skyfall has been aimed, rightfully, at Sam
Mendes, the visionary director behind such classic films as American
Beauty and Road to Perdition, who brought his own brand of storytelling
to the Bond franchise as well as orchestrating a number of massive
stunts that have even seen Skyfall win the award for Outstanding Action
Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture, at the Screen
Actors Guild Awards.

But you’d be forgiven for wondering how many of the scenes were
filmed, most notably the fight on top of the train at the climax of the
film’s opener, and the underground train hurtling through the sewer
tunnel and almost killing Bond in the process. This is where the
director’s commentary comes in, Sam Mendes prides himself on attention
to detail and it is clear from the opening minutes of his commentary
that he truly loves the art form. Skyfall provided a different execution
of the classic gun barrel scene that is present in every Bond film in
one way or another, in which Bond walks into a gun barrel, turns and
fires towards the camera, before blood pours down the screen, actually
providing the scene twice from different respects, effectively
book-ending the film. Some fans were disheartened by this, fearing the
change to a series staple, something Sam Mendes was clearly very aware
of as it is the first issue raised during his commentary and the reasons
behind said decision are brilliantly intelligent to say the least.

 

This keen attention to addressing the various issues raised during
filming and well as during fan reaction is exactly what makes this
commentary such a joy to watch. I’ve sat through director’s commentaries
before that have added almost nothing to a film, giving very little
insight into the process that the film underwent or the various problems
that the crew faced during production. This is not the case with
Skyfall, in which Mendes’s commentary is as fine tuned as the film
itself, giving interesting accounts of the various teams that worked on
each stunt and how Craig and Ola Rapace, who played Patrice, actually
performed the fight scene on top of the train themselves, without stunt
doubles, as well as Mendes’s own fear of standing on top of the
stationary train above the bridge that Bond falls from, let alone when
it was moving.

In fact, this is where possibly the only issue I had with the
commentary comes in, although the more I think about it the less
relevant it seems. Many fans have questioned how Bond survived the
gunshot and the subsequent fall from the train into the river below,
something which I have pondered myself in an article on this very site.
Sam Mendes however doesn’t mention this question, something which I
thought he would have been keen to add his own thoughts on into the mix.
It doesn’t feel like it lets down his commentary at all, but it did
seem a little odd that the question wasn’t answered after the fan
reaction that it received, although I personally now believe that he
survives because he is James Bond, maybe it doesn’t really need an
explanation anyway.

 

The commentary over the opening titles and Adele’s rousing theme are
naturally excellent too, pointing out exactly how the song came together
with the visuals and exactly what it all means, Mendes actually pointed
out numerous aspects of the titles sequence which I just didn’t realise
during my previous two viewings of Skyfall, no mean feat, which
immediately drew me into his world and made me realise just how easy it
is to miss key aspects of scenes when you are drawn into a world as
intricately crafted as that of Skyfall. As Mendes gives reasons for each
key casting and expresses his desire was always to return Bond to the
normality that we know at the end of the film, ready for action again
with a new M, Q and Moneypenny, it’s hard to imagine that anyone else
could have done a better job with this film or indeed would have loved
the process as much as he clearly did.

That’s not to say that the commentary is flawless and perfect. If you
disliked Skyfall for whatever reason first time around, the commentary
is unlikely to win you over, but then why would you be watching it
anyway. For those who have always wondered how set pieces as large as
Skyfall’s are created, the background of each actor and plot point, or
even how Javier Bardem gave Silva the look that defined him as one of
history’s greatest Bond villains, then this is a rare beauty and worth
every second of your time. It’s tough that for once I am torn between
giving away specific details and quotes from Mendes himself, and keeping
as spoiler free as possible as I genuinely believe this commentary is
best experienced entirely for yourself. However, I can definitely say
that I would recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in
James Bond.

 

Unfortunately, Shooting Bond, a series of short featurettes regarding
various aspects of the film, such as the Bond Girls and the film’s
Villains, was ultimately less successful. Whilst it was interesting to
hear from the film’s actors, including relative newcomer Berenice
Marlohe, there just wasn’t enough time spent with each of them to really
classify the sections on Bond women or villains as essential watching.
That’s not to say what we learnt from each of them wasn’t interesting,
with Javier Bardem in particular proving that he’s not at all like his
counterpart, Silva, in real life. It just would have been good to have
spent longer with each of them, especially as this is the last time we
will see Judi Dench in a Bond film.

The featurettes actually go some way to completely redeeming
themselves with the stellar, and slightly longer, sections dedicated to
the stunt work and the action sequences of Skyfall. They go into detail
as to the stunt sequences involved in the film, spending the longest
time with what was the most ambitious scene of the film by a long way,
as the underground train crashes into the sewers, showing exactly how
the shot was achieved and just how important it was that it worked
perfectly first time around, as it would have taken a whole month to fix
the set in order for them to have another chance. We also get the
chance to hear from the unsung heroes of film, with Barbara Broccoli and
Michael G. Wilson giving their own thoughts on each aspect of the film
as the featurettes go on, as well as Gary Powell the stunt co-ordinator,
highly important people who are usually hidden behind the scenes, their
contributions often going unnoticed by a majority of Skyfall’s
audience, but whose extreme dedication is highlighted within Shooting
Bond.

 

So, Shooting Bond is overall a a mixed bag, with some extremely
interesting sections mired only by those lacking depth and any real
probing interviews. It’s definitely worth a watch if you are interested
in looking ever deeper into the film-making process or fancy yourself as
a stunt co-ordinator and want some tips from some of the best in the
business, but not exactly essential if you just want to delve deeper
into the relationships and backstories of the Bond women or the Bond
villains, with those being discussed to a much more exciting extent in
the Director’s commentary.

Overall, the Skyfall Blu-Ray release is shaping up to be an
incredibly enticing purchase, one that should appeal to anyone who has
enjoyed a James Bond film over the years and not just the hardcore fans
of Skyfall itself. Lovingly crafted and crisply presented, it looked
truly stunning on the screen, this is not to be missed.

Edited by quantumofsolace, 13 February 2013 - 02:26 AM.

[B5Erik]

My daughter wants to watch Skyfall today, but I'm thinking that Saturday may be better...

And today AND Saturday will be better yet.

Well, she made a fuss (12 year olds are good at that), and we decided to go ahead and watch it this evening (which we just did).

 

DAMN!!! But that's a phenomenal Blu Ray when it comes to picture quality.  Beautiful.

 

And the movie itself is extremely rewatchable.  I love it.  I can't wait for November, 2014!

[tdalton]

DAMN!!! But that's a phenomenal Blu Ray when it comes to picture quality.  Beautiful.

 

Definitely agreed with that.  I watched a bit of the DVD first, just to watch a scene before I was able to watch the whole thing on Blu-ray later on in the evening, and the difference between the DVD and the Blu-ray was one of the bigger differences between the two formats I think I've seen.

[Professor Pi]

 

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

This is the way all releases are nowadays. Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening. If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player. This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

Whatever....

 

 

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

This is the way all releases are nowadays. Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening. If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player. This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

Whatever....

 

Wait!  Does this mean it's not coming out on VHS or Laserdisc?  ... Dammit! 

[x007AceOfSpades]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

 

This is the way all releases are nowadays.  Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening.  If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player.  This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

 

The thing is we shouldn't have to pay more just get good, interesting special features. It's really that much of a pain for studios to put things on the disc or pack it all on a second disc?

[thecasinoroyale]

I'm a sucker for features, wanting to get everything I can for the film I'm buying, so that was another factor to upgrade to a Blu-Ray/DVD player which for me is the best of both worlds, and only my treasured films are getting the Blu-Ray upgrade for now; James Bond, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman and Superman (waiting for the boxset after 'Man Of Steel' though).

 

I was always niffed to get a DVD and then see the Blu-Ray with far more features and content. I understand the size difference, but they were never as sparse as they are nowadays with maybe one commentary and a deleted scene.

 

I say for it The Dove, upgrade if you can as I haven't looked back now I put some money aside for it and now can have the freedom of DVD or Blu-Ray.

[DamnCoffee]

Having a really bad time trying to track down the Steelbook. I was too late to order on Amazon. thanks to HMV only refunding one of the two my friend got for us. They're up on Ebay for £25+, but I'm trying to locate a cheaper version. 

[thecasinoroyale]

I'll look around for you too DC - it's disgusting the price put on it already on Ebay. Hope we can find a decent priced one!

[Matt_13]

The Shooting Bond documentary is excellent.

[JB007YH]

This is the first time I did not see any store exclusives for a Bond DVD release. Usually Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target, and Best Buy have some exclusive giveaway to attract ppl to buy the DVDS/BluRays from them. Is there any that you guys know about in the US?

[When In Egypt]

I don't think you'll ever find a cheap Skyfall steelbook, I'm afraid, not unless it's opened and/or damaged.  

 

The super hot ones that sell out before the release date will remain in demand forever because they won't print new ones.  

 

Look up the steelbooks of Captain America or JJ Abrams' Star Trek on eBay.  Not cheap!

[Hockey Mask]

 

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

 

This is the way all releases are nowadays.  Whether you like it or not, this is the way that home releases are happening.  If you want more features for this and future movies you buy, invest $60-$70 and get a Blu-Ray player.  This is not a new revelation and hearing everyone complain about it is getting annoying.

 

The thing is we shouldn't have to pay more just get good, interesting special features. It's really that much of a pain for studios to put things on the disc or pack it all on a second disc?

If they make a second dice it will cost more.  If it costs more you'll be paying more. 

 

The answer to your question is yes.

[bonded56]

"I also picked up Top Gear's 50 years of Bond cars DVD as well. I look forward to watching it again. It will go nicely with my DVDs of Top Gear Seasons 10-18."

 

TopGearJB007, was the TOP GEAR 50 DVD running time longer than the original broadcast version?  I saw 2 reviews of the DVD which have the running time at 62 min which is the broadcast version without commercials.  I saw somewhere that it was going to be 135 min.  Just wondering what the actual DVD running time is.

Edited by bonded56, 13 February 2013 - 02:02 PM.

[thecasinoroyale]

135 minutes? That's over 2 hours of Top Gear Bond Car goodness...wow, I hadn't heard that before, hope it's true

 

Amzon.co.uk have it for a good price of £5.99 with a 62 minute run as broadcast.

[TopGearJB007]

"I also picked up Top Gear's 50 years of Bond cars DVD as well. I look forward to watching it again. It will go nicely with my DVDs of Top Gear Seasons 10-18."

 

TopGearJB007, was the TOP GEAR 50 DVD running time longer than the original broadcast version?  I saw 2 reviews of the DVD which have the running time at 62 min which is the broadcast version without commercials.  I saw somewhere that it was going to be 135 min.  Just wondering what the actual DVD running time is.

It says "60 mins approx" on the back.

Edited by TopGearJB007, 13 February 2013 - 02:23 PM.

[Double-0-Seven]

Even though I'm in Canada, I ordered from Amazon.com because the bilingual cover art is horrible as usual with most Canadian Blu-ray/DVD releases.

 

The French title for Skyfall in Canada is... *gasps* Skyfall, and they still felt the need to write it in twice on the cover and spine. Damn you Canadian retail laws!

 

See for yourself:

http://www.walmart.c...H:skyfall movie

 

Often when such is the case they just simply write "version francaise incluse" in small, tolerable print under the main title, but far more often companies are using the same logo in nearly the same size which really makes no sense especially when the titles are identical.

 

Point of my story and rant: I'll have to wait a couple days until my Amazon order comes, but that's fine because I won't have a chance to watch it until the weekend anyways. Looking forward to seeing the awesome transfer and watching the film again!

[bonded56]

"I also picked up Top Gear's 50 years of Bond cars DVD as well. I look forward to watching it again. It will go nicely with my DVDs of Top Gear Seasons 10-18."

 

TopGearJB007, was the TOP GEAR 50 DVD running time longer than the original broadcast version?  I saw 2 reviews of the DVD which have the running time at 62 min which is the broadcast version without commercials.  I saw somewhere that it was going to be 135 min.  Just wondering what the actual DVD running time is.

It says "60 mins approx" on the back.

Thanks, TopGearJB007.  I was hoping it would be the longer version.

[marktmurphy]

Even though I'm in Canada, I ordered from Amazon.com because the bilingual cover art is horrible as usual with most Canadian Blu-ray/DVD releases.

 

The French title for Skyfall in Canada is... *gasps* Skyfall, and they still felt the need to write it in twice on the cover and spine. Damn you Canadian retail laws!

 

See for yourself:

http://www.walmart.c...H:skyfall movie

 

Often when such is the case they just simply write "version francaise incluse" in small, tolerable print under the main title, but far more often companies are using the same logo in nearly the same size which really makes no sense especially when the titles are identical.

 

Point of my story and rant: I'll have to wait a couple days until my Amazon order comes, but that's fine because I won't have a chance to watch it until the weekend anyways. Looking forward to seeing the awesome transfer and watching the film again!

 

 

Haha! That does look silly, doesn't it? 

 

And here's me thinking our one looks a bit odd because they felt the need to write '007' twice on the front!

[SolidWaffle]

Even though I'm in Canada, I ordered from Amazon.com because the bilingual cover art is horrible as usual with most Canadian Blu-ray/DVD releases.

 

The French title for Skyfall in Canada is... *gasps* Skyfall, and they still felt the need to write it in twice on the cover and spine. Damn you Canadian retail laws!

 

See for yourself:

http://www.walmart.c...H:skyfall movie

 

Often when such is the case they just simply write "version francaise incluse" in small, tolerable print under the main title, but far more often companies are using the same logo in nearly the same size which really makes no sense especially when the titles are identical.

 

Point of my story and rant: I'll have to wait a couple days until my Amazon order comes, but that's fine because I won't have a chance to watch it until the weekend anyways. Looking forward to seeing the awesome transfer and watching the film again!

That is pretty tacky.  I ordered my DVDs of Inception and Drive from Amazon.com and I got bilingual ones anyway. I'm American but I live close to Canada.  I don't know why but having the two titles on it bugs me. 

 

But on topic, the Skyfall Blu-ray quality is top notch (seriously), and it's great to have this fantastic film on my ever-expanding shelf.

[DLibrasnow]

It's an absolute DISGRACE that the standard DVD only gets a portion of the extra featurettes that the Blu-Ray has!! WTF??? EPIC FAIL!!

 

What's an absolute disgrace is a Bond fan still watching the movies in standard definition.

 

I'm guessing you were one of the late-comers to the DVD party. I started collecting DVDs in 1997 and Blu-rays 10 years later. My Blu-ray collection is already well over 800 titles and counting.

 

I'm not entirely sure why you are holding out....DVDs are going the way of VHS tapes and LaserDiscs before them. And, you can play a DVD on a Blu-ray player.

[larrythefatcat]

IMO, Blu-ray is definitely worth the upgrade 99.99% of the time and even a few of the films I've seen with very low source quality ('Birdemic' comes to mind) look at least a little bit better on Blu-ray due to the upgrade in bitrate even though the resolution might not matter.  I haven't seen it, but I've heard that the Blu-ray of '28 Days Later', a film shot on SD DV tape, looks marginally better than its DVD counterpart.

 

I've also noticed the difference in quality starting from when I bought a PS3 roughly 4 years ago and only had a 720p TV.  I've since upgraded from that cheap LCD to a 1080p 3D plasma (with a barebones 5.1 DTS-capable receiver-free speaker system) and I can appreciate the difference even moreso.  The extra bonus features and the capability for much more intricate bonus feature types are only the icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned, and can even be enjoyed by those who don't have a state-of-the-art TV or sound capabilities.

 

Blu-ray is definitely the next clear step in home video technology and I feel that the upcoming "upgrade" to 4K will end up being a modern day Laserdisc analogue... although I might well have said such a thing about Blu-ray compared to DVD back in 2006.