Posted September 29, 2010 09:53 AM by Juan Calonge
On December 7, Image Entertainment will re-release half a dozen movies previously released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: About Last Night..., The Big Hit, Closer, The Deep, Half Past Dead and St. Elmo's Fire. Special features in most titles differ from those in the now out-of-print BDs from SPHE. In all likelihood, this is part of a partnership agreement both companies recently entered into.
Special features are as follows:
About Last Night...
Theatrical trailers
The SPHE release also included Ed Zwick and Rob Lowe in Conversation; an original making-of featurette; and trailers for several Sony titles. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
The Big Hit
Theatrical trailer
Director's, Producer's and Screenwriter's Commentary
Deleted scenes
The SPHE release included the same special features, except the deleted scenes. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
Closer
Music video: Damien Rice, "The Blower's Daughter"
The SPHE release included the same special features. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
The Deep
No special features listed
The SPHE release included a making-of documentary, and six 1080p selected scenes from the three-hour special edition. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
Half Past Dead
Audio commentary with director Don Michael Paul
Deleted scenes
Cinemax Special: On the Set of Half Past Dead
Theatrical trailers
The SPHE edition also included The Making of Half Past Dead. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
St. Elmo's Fire
Commentary with director Joel Schumacher
Original featurette
Music Video: John Paer, "Man in Motion"
Theatrical trailers
Filmographies
Production notes
The SPHE release also included the featurette Joel Schumacher Remembers 'St. Elmo's Fire'; 12 deleted scenes; and trailers for several Sony titles. See Blu-ray.com's review for details.
On August 31, Image Entertainment, Inc. announced that it had entered into a multi-year agreement with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (SPHE) in which SPHE will handle all manufacturing and distribution services for Image Entertainment's Blu-ray and DVD releases. Image retains its own sales and marketing functions while leveraging Sony's unique strength including their direct access to traditional accounts and non-traditional distribution.
In a separate agreement, Sony licensed an undisclosed number of titles to Image for distribution. The titles listed above are obviously part of the licensed titles.
I think just giving these titles to IMAGE doesn't do a thing... they are released and pressed already why go thru the trouble of having them pressed again etc ? This is a really big waste of time. I own CLOSER and THE DEEP.
While this news has finally convinced me to get off my ass and grab The Deep, I too am underwhelmed here.
When announced, it seemed this pairing would be ideal, since Image has always been great at releasing obscure/cult films. I figured they were going to mine Sony's untapped catalog for gold.
Instead, we get a holiday re-release of existing titles? With fewer supplements? Not exactly what I had in mind.
If Image and Sony need a list of suggestions, I'm happy to provide it.
As of now, Sony only has 1 new catalog planned for the rest of the year (River Kwai). In Q3, they released 4 new catalogs. That would be 5 catalogs in 6 months, from one of the co-founders and replicators of BD.
Maybe the big hit will be pressed without all the original defects on the insert like smudges, black dot's, and tears on the insert! Any body know what causes these anomolies is it just machines or somebody half assing there job I am really sick of this! Inserts should be flawless for the price of blu-ray's!
Hey how about re-releasing Starman with that commentary with Carpenter and Bridges from a while back. Would be great seeing as there was NOTHING to the last bd release in terms of extras!
Sony has decided not to re-press these titles on Blu ray. They simply have turned over the distribution and replication to Image in order to keep these titles on the market. Sony (like most of the other studios) seem to be easing off catalog titles, but did license an abundance to Image to produce and from I understand some to Criterion.
why re-release the same films on Image?
uhhh maybe so Image could enjoy some profits on them.
seems pretty obvious if this is part of the agreement between Sony and Image.
which of course it is.
Sony's commitment to catalog bd at present is pitiful plain and simple.
just like every other major studio not named Warner.
the big question is when will this change or will it ever change?
are the other majors done with catalog bd?
Warner Bros. seems to be the only one releasing (some) catalog titles. Other studios may as well share their goods with Criterion because somebody has gotta release th em.
"why re-release the same films on Image?
uhhh maybe so Image could enjoy some profits on them."
Yes, I'm quite sure that re-releasing The Big Hit and Half Past Dead or any of those other 4 in HD for the second time will have the $$$ rolling in. People were clamoring for it.
Hopefully the next wave of Sony titles released under Image's banner will be films that sony hasnt allready released. but hey you cant argue the prices on these re releases, they are 12.49 each right now on Amazon.
I went ahead and pre orderd the big hit which i allready own but intrested into what new deleted scenes are included, as the article indicates. And i also pre orderd Closer, which i used to own but sold a while back
CLOSER is a really nice looking film so hopefully the transfer is good. It won't be the same transfer as the Sony BD release will it? The review I read for that one was pretty solid.
