Excellent year end roundup there John and I totally agree with you on physical medium gaining popularity again as streaming services just change their rules and censor films when they want to, not to mention withdrawing films when they want. Nothing beats a good collection at home👍
Well said Dark Vader! Apparently the overall sales are down this year but I think the past few years were exceptional so now that Covid is consigned to the history books perhaps a bit of a downturn was to be expected. Certainly the releases keep on coming so that's a good sign. John.
Can't believe I've only just seen this! Great video. Your ability to speak knowledgeably about film at length it's very impressive! Gold standard. Fingers crossed this year for Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi in 4K!
Thank you Luke. I recently spotted the Second Sight Films Blu-ray of BARAKA on the shelves on a CEX store. My feeling is that there is no need for a 4K with a Blu-ray that good. I hope to stumble across a copy of SAMSARA too (or whatever the follow-up was called) because that BARAKA Blu-ray was just £2. Next video will be a look at a couple of film projectors where I run an 8mm short and a Super 8 cut down which were sent to me by a follower of this channel. Great fun to run these old but rather special projectors again. John.
I'll have to check out Baraka, I only have the DVD. Same with the Qatsi trilogy. I do have a Blu-ray of Samsara however! Perhaps they wouldn't benefit from a bump in resolution, but HDR would be nice!
Your knowledge of film is phenomenal,thanks for your informative videos of 2023. Looking forward to 2024 and seeing what you have in store for us. Happy new year. 👍❤️📀🥂🍾
It's not the transfer Jim, it's how good a film was originally. I only have Sleepy Hollow on an NTSC region 1 DVD and it looks great on that thereby confirming that the film looked great as shot. After years of lower quality video shoots I think we've largely forgotten how good 35mm was throughout most of the 1990's. It started to tail off towards the end of the decade as the preparation for the big downgrade commenced but I well remember how good films looked on the huge screen in The Empire, Leicester Square and other premiere houses. I also remember how awful films looked in there as the 2000's progressed to the point that I stopped going. John.
Thank you Nick. I'm bound to get some things wrong though so always make up your own mind and if you fancy seeing a film that I may not give the biggest recommendation possible then take a chance. The cost of them is minuscule compared to what we used to have to pay for quality like this. John.
Hi John , I really enjoyed your look back over 2023, including the top 10, one of the things I love about your videos is how informative they are, and the fact that you considered the overall package rather than purely the quality of the picture or audio is an added bonus there’s certainly at least four of your top 10 that I want to purchase. We so need good people like you making such excellent videos to keep our beloved cinemas open and to ensure the 4K physical media continues for many years to come. Thanks again and wishing you and your family, a happy New Year.
I had to think about what to say in this video for a while before setting the camera up but in the end I gave up and just went for it. Thankfully it turned out okay but I did cut out a couple of lesser titles as the running time was going on for too long. Good luck with any 4K purchases you do make and I hope the four in this video that you fancy give you as much enjoyment as they did me. A happy new year to you as well. John.
@Movie Collector another great video. Great to see you keep up your usual high quality standard. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into making all the nice, interesting and entertaining videos in 2023. Wishing you and the mrs a healthy and beautiful 2024 and I look forward to your contributions in 2024.
Thank you Pieter. The 'Mrs' is standing over my shoulder and you just gave her a good laugh. Have a happy new year and don't drink too much on Sunday night. John.
I stumbled on this channel, and it's completely rekindled my old love of collecting DVDs and bluray. I've started picking up some lovely 4ks of late and now have the itch to rebuild and grow my collection once again. Physical media just feels better. Even to sit and look at on the shelf lol
It's good to have you here and I'm glad you're rediscovered your love of owning movies on home video. I've got a collection of home movies going back more than 55 years now so there's no hope for me at all! If you really get back into it then next time you think you need to replace your telly have a look at a few budget video projectors because all you need for that is a white wall. That's actually what I've always preferred to use and what I'm using again now. The rest of it is cardboard covered with black velvet but people who come in here think it's something that's cost a fortune from a screen supplier. I then go and knock my fist on the wall and they're always amazed. John.
Great roundup John! I think we’re really in the golden age of this format now. As with any new format, the initial releases were a bit hit and miss, but since around 2019 I feel that companies have really got a handle on how to do 4K releases right, and we’re getting some amazing stuff. Cannot wait to see what releases await us in 2024!
HDR does seem to be a little variable but fortunately not to the extremes it could be a few years ago. Let's hope enough people are purchasing the discs to make it all worthwhile for the companies and studios releasing the films. John.
Thank you Eoghan. And thank you also to DarkVader. Nothing is better than having a personal collection of films. Just last night we were looking at our shelves deciding on a movie to watch. It cost us nothing as we bought the disc we watched years ago and we had a great evening without even leaving the home. Powering the video projector and amp always cost quite a bit though, damn it! John.
American Graffiti has caused quite a lot of consternation but it's mainly because TechniScope is not standard 35mm and in reality just a bit of a notch up on 16mm. The detail people expect to see is therefore not there. It does look a little over processed in places but I went through that in my review because I'd have preferred they hadn't done some of that mastering but the end result is that I find it amazing that American Graffiti can look so good from TechniScope. Worth a try, particularly because of the lovely steelbook. John.
Deep Impact and The Flash...two of my favs for 2023. Have not watched American Graffiti yet, own it, but my wife and son are not wanting to watch it...NOT a boring movie at all. Saw it in the Theater when it first came out, incredible.
I can't imagine many people won't enjoy American Graffiti Bob. We had friends round with their 20 year old daughter just after I'd done the review and because I thought their daughter would enjoy it I stuck it on again. She did enjoy it and so did everyone else. It looked just as impressive second time around too. John.
Love the video! Agree with everything you said. It was like listening to my brain if my brain had an english accent. Your love for movies is infectious. Good stuff
I'd never even heard of it Nicholas but a few people asked me to review it and it looked like it might be interesting. A wonderful film. To be honest, anything with Rosanna Arquette in it will pique my interest. John.
Great choices I agree Oppenheimer on 4k is brilliant. Also surprisingly really like dial of destiny Mads mikkelsen is brilliant, when he realises they're in the wrong year the look on his face, priceless! Keep up the good work John here's looking forward to top 10 of 2024😊
I could watch that Indiana Jones film again already and that speaks volumes for how enjoyable my wife and I found it. I was glad to find out we weren't alone. There are a lot of fans out there for that film in spite of the social media hate campaign. John.
I enjoyed it very much also. I loved how the ending did something wholly new for the series, and I was getting excited as I thought are they actually going to do this? I know some people were groaning at the same moment but I think some just want the films to be exactly like the previous. Nothing wrong with innovation if it does something good. The ending was very fitting to the characters and a great send off for Harrison Ford and the actress you like. Not to mention John Rhys Davies as Sallah. I was curious as to what your reaction to the look would be given how much you liked Le Mans 66's digital recreation of film. I was particularly impressed with how the World War 2 sequence not only looked like film, but looked like film from around the time of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade!
@@davidjames579 There was much that was so good in this one David and you and I have certainly appreciated that. Such a shame others didn't. Some were genuine in their dislike but it seems that others were sadly influenced by the social media hate campaign. Happy new year! John.
The Fugitive always looked fabulous so it's no surprise that people are so impressed with it. I've had it on Super 8 since shortly after it was in cinemas and it looks great on Super 8 which is always a good indication. The Rocky Blu-ray from some years ago is almost as good as the 4K but it's wonderful to have it and in that steelbook too. Quite special in fact. John.
I have an Epson 4K projector and turned off HDR processing on my 4K player a few months ago. I never feel like I’m missing out on any HDR encoded content. In fact, I’m no longer required to spend any time fiddling around with projector settings to get brilliant quality images. Better clarity and depth is still definitely noticeable, especially on movies shot on film. Maybe I’d feel different if using a standard display. But, wouldn’t give up my projector for it, which always makes movies look and feel more film-like.
I had similar problems when I first got a 4K projector about six years ago but after a while I found the time to do some serious fiddling and got there in the end. Sometimes I still think it might be nice to have a button to just turn it off but most of the time it does make a video look more like a film print. THE OTHERS was certainly an exception though. Nothing beats projecting a movie so you've got the best possible home cinema solution which no telly could ever match. John.
@@moviecollector5920 The biggest problem I have with HDR is the reduction in brightness. Even though the Epson pumps out 2,500 lumens, I see more details in the shadows when it’s turned off, things I’m sure are supposed to be seen. I’ve fiddled with all settings and gone online to follow various recommendations. Whatever benefit I’ve noticed is outweighed by the time required on each movie trying to get it right. And it seems that each movie requires its own unique settings.
I felt that the first half of the film was better than the second. But I didn't see it in my twenties which probably would have made a difference. John.
Thanks for sharing your 2023 collection. I've only recently began collecting in 4K, just this year. I too got a 4K copy of The Firm. Great thriller. Last time I saw it, I watched it on standard DVD. The 4K version was spectacular. I felt as if I were experiencing it all anew. I believe it has HDR, which made the colors really pop. Either way, it was a great experience. Seeing how 4K is on the rise with more and more releases of iconic films, I feel confident that physical media is alive and well. It's a real treat for film fans. I'm still learning about 4K releases and how they are made. What has been your impressions with 4K so far? Are they doing us good, offering images close to the original film source? Or is 4K complicating matters, such as the mentioned Exorcist 4K, with the colors seeming too vibrant? It's a fascinating topic. As you mentioned we can only know if we had a copy of the original film source. I also haven't considered the different types of film used for movies either. I should look more into that, so I'll better understand it when you bring them up in your reviews. I'm looking forward to seeing how well the Abyss, Aliens and True Lies turn out in 4K. I actually saw The Abyss in theaters earlier this month on a limited re-release. It looked good to me. But I'm not well versed on what to look for with new scans outside of noticing a substantial difference in color grading or frame rate. Well, that's all for now. Happy New Year!
You have some catching up to do Andy but you'll get there. The fundamental for any movie shot on film when it is transferred to video is how did the film look when it was originally shot. The best 4K discs all come from large format film releases, many of which were made decades ago such as Spartacus and The Ten Commandments. 65mm is still used today and that is why Murder on the Orient Express (Kenneth Branagh) is one of the best looking 4K discs. Most people on TH-cam are too young to have had film collecting as a hobby when Super 8 was the ultimate (legal) home movie format. By the 1990's it had become a bit of an obsession for me and that is why I can remember how films looked in a cinema because I was so used to scrutinizing my purchases on Super 8. I therefore started to do the same thing in cinemas and a great looking film in the cinema that happened to get released on Super 8 (The Fugitive is a good example of this) would look great on the tiny gauge even though the picture area is only 6mm wide. Not all the 35mm formats are the same though. There are a lot of variations and I've been trying to explain TECHNISOCPE in recent videos because so many people think the lack of detail on the 4K disc is down to the mastering after the cine to video transfer. Some of it probably is but some, or most, is down to the fact that the detail was never there as TECHNICSOPE is half frame 35mm and not the usual full frame or even SUPER 35 process. Good to have you here and a happy new year to you and your family. John.
Hi John. Happy New Year to you and Sue. 2023 was a pretty good year for releases and our channels. You number one spot surprised me but taking in to account, packaging and all, I don't disagree. Not sure what mine is. So many releases I haven't had chance to watch yet. Here's to 2024. Your video gave me some collaboration ideas. So speak to you soon. Trev
I watched your review of the year earlier Trevor and enjoyed it very much. Funny to see myself in it. My own review of the year didn't do very well but I suppose people are mainly interested in the latest home video releases and therefore a 4K disc releases review of the year will always do better. I think we've both had good years with our TH-cam adventures. It's nice to share those adventures with our small audiences made up of film enthusiasts. Home movie collectors are a rare breed now so it's not like there are lots of people around to share our hobby with and TH-cam gives us that opportunity. John.
Thanks for this, great as ever. Managed to pick up that lovely special edition of The Changeling. Hopefully watch it in the next couple of days. Look forward to more content in 24. Happy new year.
A happy new year to you too Robert. I hope you enjoy The Changeling as much as I did. I need to play the CD soundtrack again because the music is beautiful and big part of the success of the film as a whole. John.
Great video John. Nice to recap all the releases of this year and again hear your views on them. I have brought a lot of movies based on your recommendations so I'm always happy when a new video pops up.... the wife on the other hand might not be so pleased 😊
That gave me a good laugh Darren. I read it out to my wife and although she laughed I think she sympathizes. It's important to remember that sometimes what might look brilliant on my system won't look quite as good on another and vice versa. We put the 4K of THE MULE on again the other night having not looked at it for a few years and it does not look quite as good through this video projector as it does through our older Optoma UHD550X. John.
Excellent round up John,The Changeling set is amazing, I bought it after you reviewed it earlier in the year,very pleased with it...have a Happy New Year 😊
If they hadn't have sent me the Blu-ray review disc I wouldn't have ended up purchasing the special release. It's funny how things work out sometimes. Have a nice weekend and a happy new year Marty. John.
Thanks for a great top 10 list. Love your channel and especially your technical knowledge which is overlooked by so many content creators. Happy New Year!
Thank you David. To be fair, if I hadn't grown up with Super 8 film there wouldn't have been much chance of understanding all the various film formats and why just about every film ever released looks different and why the quality can vary so much. It's all down to film stocks, film gauges, lenses, lighting and how good the cinematographers are. Too often a cine to video transfer is criticized when there's been nothing wrong with that aspect of it. John.
Well, well. That explains why that looks so good then. I preferred Whiplash but Babylon certainly looks better. Thanks for the correction Richard. John.
Hey John, I’ve been quietly keeping up with your videos. Thanks for continuing to keep the flag flying for the more experienced film enthusiasts! Having said that, your video reminded me that I hadn’t seen Flashdance, despite it being of my generation. I just saw it tonight, and oh, what a feeling! So many themes of my teenage years wrapped up in one amazing picture. Now so many moments on and off screen from past and present are connecting together. I would have still missed it but for your video - so thank you John!
You may have heard earlier in 2023 Jamil but if not, Irene Cara sadly died. She's the beautiful lady who sang 'What A Feeling' and was also one of the stars and singers in Alan Parker's 'Fame'. She released an album following the 'What A Feeling' single success and I purchased it and have played it regularly ever since. A great disco album from our era and it is great not only to listen to but also to dance to. She was only in her early sixties as I recall. You've made me want to have another look at Flashdance now. Thank you for that. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I hadn’t heard, that is indeed sad news. She had such a powerful and melodic voice. Which can live on in the present tense in our theaters. As for the film, there’s a lot to pick apart by modern standards, or even contemporary ones. But it’s a wonderful snapshot into the times, and as an early Simpson/Bruckheimer picture, a great example of their eye for the zeitgeist.
Always love your reviews John thank you, and this is a great review of the year. Interestingly and this happened last year the prices of some of your recommendations have gone up in price on Amazon etc! 😂 I was going to add the Changling box set to my collection and it's already up £8! 😮 since your review, so I'll just wait a few days and hopefully it will come back down . 😊😊 Thanks again.. Mark
Now that's a surprise Mark... about The Changeling going up in price. I just looked on the HMV site and it's gone up a tenner on there. It must be in demand now the last few copies are around but maybe take the risk and hold on another week or so to see if it comes back down. It might be priced out of the market and a correction back down has to be made. John.
Hi John, one of the best end of year reviews I've seen, can see your passion for film come through in your videos, I have subscribed. Looking forward to what 2024 has for us!
Good to have you here John. A few of the releases I've enjoyed the most over the past 12 months or so have been rather controversial. I think quite a lot of people wanted them to be rubbish and wanted my affirmation to that effect and I disappointed them. I don't think I can think of a 4K disc that has been anything other than very good, even Gemini Man which is the worst video quality I could ever imagine but it's not the 4K disc's fault, that was how it was shot. And to be fair, Gemini Man was specifically aimed at a younger, 3D audience whereas it clearly doesn't work in 2D. I bet it was a different kettle of fish on a huge screen in 3D. John.
I have to say, the Titanic 4K edition is absolutely stunning. You will agree, John. It has a fabulous filmic image and some of the best HDR/Dolby Vision I've ever seen. I didn't notice much dnr. Definitely top 5 best 4K reference discs.
You'll need to see that 4K as big as possible to fully ascertain how good it is because sometimes they don't stand up quite so well. But the film did look fabulous at the Odeon in 70mm in spite of its comparatively diminutive origins so I'm not surprised to hear it's very good. My trouble is that apart from the sinking of the ship I don't much like the film. I didn't like any of the main characters which is never a good starting point. We have run that LaserDisc two or three times over the years though and it's another cracking PAL LaserDisc which it should be given how the film looked in the cinema. John.
@@moviecollector5920 in all honesty, John, I'm not a big fan of the movie either. My interest is passing. But I do appreciate the technical achievement of the movie and the giant production it went through. I enjoy it for the Titanic itself, not really the characters. Thanks John.
Apparently The Abyss isn't going to be released over here as it would mean creating two different discs owing to the rat being submerged in the oxygenated fluid scene which had to have a cut applied back in 1989. I would have taken a look at that one but might not have watched it all the way through as I have the film on Super 8 and only ran it a few weeks ago. TRUE LIES is great fun but I've never found it as repeatable as some of James Cameron's earlier films. No doubt I'll get a copy and have a great time with it all over again. If it doesn't look top-notch then someone will have messed up because the PAL LaserDisc is a beauty and it also looked pretty sensational in the cinema. Cue more howls of excessive DNR again then. John.
Superb roundup of the year, thank you. I watched Dial of Destiny for the first time last night and despite all the negative press, I really enjoyed it. My only fault is one awful CGI shot of Indy on the horse. Why don’t they just cut failed shots out. It looked lovely in HDR but the Atmos track was amazing. All the best for 2024. Kind regards, Dave
Morning Dave (just!). It's possible that one dodgy computer re-worked shot you spotted was expected to be left alone with the stunt man in place but once it was scrutinized it was too obviously not Harrison Ford. The stunt man used is a very good resemblance from a distance but he's probably about 40 years younger so no doubt there are always a few minor issues to overcome. Glad you enjoyed it though. It seems that a lot more of us do enjoy it than don't if the comments on this channel are representative. Don't get up to too much mischief later and have a very happy new year. It's now afternoon by the way. John.
Great video sir! I love your take on your top 10. I would like to ask about your shelving in the background. Are they custom built? Or if they are purchased, can you tell me who the manufacturer is? I am finding it near impossible to find media storage in store so my only option is online or custom. Online I cant determine quality from the pictures. At any rate I hope you and your loved enjoy a very happy New Year. Cheers!
The shelves come from Argos and although they were £18 each when we got them they were £28 when we last looked. Purchase two and put one on top of the other but upside down and you then have the six shelves with room on the top to put more discs and other collectibles. I think we have 12 of them in that room so six finished units and about 1000 movies with a load of additional box sets of series and other things. John.
Oppenheimer bluray looks exceptional. Nolan's films look superb. Although, having seen the 4k clips of Aliens blew me away! If the UHD looks like that it will be the best 4k image yet. It looks unbelievable.
Aliens won't be that good Lborg because it was only a Super 35 shoot. My Super 8 prints are a bit grainy but I did see the 70mm blow up and I don't remember film grain being coarse at all. I then saw a 35mm general release print and it wasn't anywhere near as impressive. I'm expecting a 4K to be the best it's ever looked outside of a premiere house but others are telling me to anticipate a disaster. I think the same people possibly think American Graffiti was a disaster though so we all need to make up our own minds. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Have a look at the 'My Moonization Aliens 4k HDR10 vs 2010' video on youtube John. Do you think the 4k image has been enhanced in some way? Looks very clean. Cheers.
Appreciate all the hard work, Happy New Year !! Unfortunately the abyss uk release has apparently been shelved due to a seen with rats ? So we may have to import.
The cut to the rat sequence was enforced in 1989 Bill so even though it's in the UK version it's slightly shorter but would mean a authoring a different disc just for this market. What a pity. John.
I've had a Super 8 film print of that for probably more than 30 years now. It's not the best looking film ever made but it is one of my favourite films even if it doesn't look as good as it probably should. Good to know the 4K is pretty good. There are always some shots that don't fully work out with any film or video. John.
Great selection of 4Ks John. My collection is coming on too although the some of the titles here in Germany are not the best. I did however, purchased Raw Deal in steelbook. Guilty pleasure from the 80s. Tremendous job again John.
I still have the VHS of Raw Deal Tony. I haven't run it in years but the quality is truly awful so it's not really that inspiring now that we have cinema quality on home movie discs. John.
Wonderful list, John! You're one of the main reasons I use TH-cam and this was another great episode. The Changeling is one of my very favorite ghost films, so I will def be picking up the 4k soon! If you're in the mood for another great, moody Ghost story - Lady In White has a lovely blu ray I bought from the UK that works on my R1 4k/Blu Ray player. Happy New Year!
Morning Lincoln and a happy new year to you too. I've been corresponding with Severin Film about a few things and I've been told that Second Sight used the Severin master for THE CHANGELING but applied their own HDR grade. This could mean that they did other work too so bear that in mind. I'm sure the Severin version will still be very good it just may not be quite as good. It's the special pack that tips the balance on why I consider it to be the best release I've purchased this year but it would still be up there somewhere irrespective of that. I don't think I know LADY IN WHITE so thank you for mentioning it. I'll keep a look out for it. I've gone off horror movies now I'm older but I still enjoy a good ghost story. John.
Happy New Year John. Hope you had a good one mate. What a great roundup. Not many people seemed to enjoy The Flash but Im glad you did. I really enjoyed it myself. Was a pleasant surprise after seeing all the negative press it received. A great 4k disc for the collection. Did you see Black Adam? Not a 2023 film but that was another surprise and looks great in 4k. I picked up all 4 Rocky steelbooks when they came out and love them. The new cut of Rocky 4 is worth a watch
Morning Chris. It seems that a great many of us very much like THE FLASH so we're not alone. Maybe it will grow in favour as the years go on as more people finally get to see it. I didn't see BLACK ADAM. I'm not the biggest fan of the comic book films really but I have just been given a whole load of them on Blu-ray and DVD so I suppose I'll be catching up a bit in the months ahead. As for the Rocky films, I like them all but it's the first one that I think is the classic. They all look exceptionally good in the Blu-ray set so even though the difference between the 4K of ROCKY and the Blu-ray is barely perceptible I wanted to support that first film. The nice steelbook helped secure the deal too. No doubt I'll end up with the new version of the fourth film at some stage though so I'll see it eventually. John.
Hello John, really enjoyed your video. I bought 65 on blu ray for just £6 a couple of weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The picture quality was stunning for a blu ray. My brother also watched it and he loved it as well, he likes a good dinosaur film. Happy new year. Gary.
I ordered The Exorcist from Germany because believe it or not the original cover photo for the film is not being sold in America on the 4K package. Clad to hear that you understand the resolution controversy surrounding "American Graffiti".
Yes, that was an odd decision Paul. Someone at Warner Bros. must have had a reason for that decision. Maybe they thought it would fuel sales of a more expensive steelbook with the original poster art on that. John.
Great year in the end. I like the deep impact release. The movie is just great. And Oppenheimer was nice. But I like all you choices. Thanks for a good review year. Happy new year to you and your family.
The way you transition from American Graffiti to Oppenheimer is why I love you and your channel. That you make a great round-up video at the end of the year, shows yet again that you really mean this stuff. Concerning Aliens: I remember James Cameron saying in some behind-the-scenes material (on the Aliens DVD, I think) that Kodak made some change(s) to the film stock they used to shoot Aliens the same year they shot it and that this made the stock more coarse grained than it otherwise would be (if I understood it correctly). Cameron also said that Aliens would have looked terrible if he had shot it in Super 35 - the statement was related to the work Kodak did on that film stock.
Good morning Erik. I was rather pleased with how the shelf of discs gave me a good way to go from American Graffiti to Oppenheimer. People are still telling me that American Graffiti on 4K disc is awful so my trying to give people the information to understand why there possibly isn't the usual 35mm imagery there that they expected owing to it being TechniScope either hasn't cut through of their systems are turning that disc to mush. It all seems a little odd bit I've done as much as I can on that one I think. It would be interesting to see a 70mm blow-up of Aliens again just to check how it really did look back in 1986. Thinking about it now I can only remember the first time of seeing it and where I sat which was in the circle so quite a way from the screen. It was disappointing that it wasn't a 'Scope film but after that initial disappointment it was all so exciting and one of the most impactive cinema visits I've ever had. I went to see Aliens a fourth time but that was at a local cinema and a general release print. It was nowhere near as good. I think it was 1992 when I purchased the Super 8 print and although it's good and is masked to the original 1.85:1 image ratio, it's not the most impressive feature print to ever make it onto the gauge. This may well be representative of how the film really did look though, I just don't remember the 70mm print being as grainy. If the 4K disc isn't riddled with coarse film grain then I expect there will be more complaints on excessive DNR but if the end product looks good then I don't really understand why some get so hot under the collar. I don't like the sterilized look of the Star Wars 4K disc and that is because I'm used to seeing Star Wars on Super 8 so I suppose I'm just as bad really. Happy new year. John.
@@moviecollector5920I think you do great work exploring/explaining 'controversial' discs like American Grafitti. I imagine the Aliens 70mm blow-up print you saw was excellent because, as you point out, it was struck directly from the camera negative. But, given Cameron's statements about the film stock used for Aliens, it's interesting that your Aliens Super 8 print is not one of the best ones. Happy new year, John.
great list. I'm a little behind this year and I need to pick some of these up. I'm excited for the Aliens 4k version this year. I've been waiting for that one for a long time.
Aliens should be an interesting release Luis as I'm a little confused as to how it will look. I did see the 70mm blow-up three times but my Super 8 feature is really quite grainy. I don't recall the 70mm looking quite that way. I also saw a 35mm general release print and that was so disappointing compared to the 70mm so it could be that the film stock used for lesser prints was a coarse grain whereas master prints were fine grain. If it's the latter then expect howls of excessive image noise reduction yet again. People don't understand that side of film and neither do I but I can hazard a guess. John.
Great selection John. I was due a delivery of Oppenheimer 4k special steelbook just before Christmas from Amazon but unfortunately they didn't get stock. Actually the 2nd time that happened. Annoying as I pre ordered it ages ago so hopefully they sort it out soon. I agree with you about The Flash. Good old fashioned enjoyable hokum. Thank you for all your great videos this year and wish you an amazing 2024. Regards Alan
Thank you Alan. Amazon are a strange company but I don't use them so I don't have to worry about it. To be fair people do have similar troubles with Zavvi on occasion. I hope you get your order soon and you love it. Have a happy new year and keep watching those movies... except for OPPENHEIMER for a while at least!!! John.
Some great picks there, John. Just to note, Babylon was actually shot on 35mm. Sadly it didn’t get a 35mm release, but in America one 70mm blowup print has been doing the rounds. Hopefully it makes it across the pond. I appreciate the film itself is not your cup of tea, but it certainly is beautifully shot.
i keep forgetting to make a correction note in the description to say about Babylon being a 35mm David. That explains why it looks so good I suppose. I wonder if it was finished on film because Death on the Nile wasn't and they did 70mm prints from the 4k file. Ridiculous! John.
@@moviecollector5920 No worries, John. I noticed after, that someone had mentioned this earlier and you'd responded on that. A look on IMDb reveals amazingly it was also mastered at 4K. I've only seen it in the cinema so far, in Dolby Vision at the Odeon Leicester Square and it looked very good. Even if the 70mm is printed from a 4K file I'd still see it for comparison. Hopefully The Prince Charles gets it at some point.
@@davidjames579 If Death on the Nile is a barometer for these things then any 70mm from a 4K master will be something of a disappointment. Most people haven't seen genuine 70mm so probably wouldn't realize it was a bit of a con. Having said that, a lot of people saw the 70mm and the 15/70 prints of OPPENHEIMER so perhaps it won't be so easy to pull the wool over the eyes any longer. I'll finally get that description updated right now. John.
Happy New Year John! I watch all your videos but don't get a chance to comment on them. Great list. Can't wait to see all your videos from 2024. (i know my username is weird compared to your other viewers. I made it when i was 12 😅)
Your user ID is almost like someone who would be a member of The Fantastic Four but I'm not a comic book nerd... not any more anyway. The Fantastic Four used to be in Marvel Comics Weekly if I recall correctly and "Flame On" was the expression used by THE HUMAN TORCH but it was so long ago there's no way I'd ever remember that! Good to have you here and thank you for watching during 2023. John.
Hi my name is Wayne i live in America, I love all your videos but I'd like you ask you to review the lord of rings and hobbit 4k blurays. I curious to see what your opinions are on them. I hope you have the best newyear, bless you and your family.
I did see The Lord of the Rings Wayne but didn't like it so haven't seen any of the other films in the series. I do have the second and third Rings film trailers on Super 8 (and the first now that I think about it) and they are all fabulous. That first film had such poor image quality and inadequate special effects for the giant screen at the Odeon Leicester Square and that certainly didn't help my enjoyment, or rather, lack of enjoyment. Sorry about that. John.
Mission Impossible 7 i think is my favourite film i watched this year. So much fun. I also loved The Flash. Seeing Keaton back as my Batman was a joy. Happy new year to you John! 😊
I very much enjoyed MI7 too. On another day it would have been selected for a top ten but I when I stood there and went through them I had it in mind that the film as a whole left me feeling something was missing. I will probably feel differently once the eighth film is released and we can see where it was heading. John.
Thank you John for this excellent wrap-up. I've learned a few things here and will take consideration of your thoughts in areas where I had already discounted their potential.. such as American Graffiti (which I skipped buying on-sale for a measlly $18 steelbook in-store, due to negative reviews of its transfer & grain.) I am especially happy to hear your comments on The Flash, for which I picked up the USA steelbook, purely and only because of Michael Keaton in the film. I have not yet seen the film and I am very aware it has a lot of negative press, but like you, I feel that Keaton *_IS_* Batman... so I put my money down on that steelbook. Very much looking forward to Aliens 2 and The Abyss... oh Please Please PLEASE do them justice!
American Graffiti confused a lot of people because they tend to think that all film transfers are the same but American Graffiti was just a little above 16mm when you actually know what TechniScope is so it never quite had the detail of other 35mm formats, particularly full frame anamorphic. It looks a little odd in places but that's to be expected. The shots of main street with all the colour have no business looking as good as they do. It doesn't all come across so well on my telly and that seems to be a general thing with what others have been telling me but without a big screen projection I think it's almost impossible to see the fine film grain a lot of the time but it is there. With The Flash be prepared for a load of nonsense that's more of a comedy for much of it. I've shown the opening to a few people because it's so funny and entertaining. The steelbook of both American Graffiti and The Flash are beautiful. John.
I haven't seen Rosemary's Baby in probably more than 40 years. I do still remember it very well though. Marketing Film International issued it full length on Super 8 in 1979 but that was out of my reach back then by a long way. John.
Great video as always John. Haven’t watched in awhile but great to catch up and see your video output is as good and consistent as ever. Happy New Year. Looking forward to your reviews of the new Cameron releases next year.
Great synopsis of 4K 2023 and interesting top ten picks, loved the build up! One I'm looking forward to is Vanishing Point as I think it's only on Blu-ray, so would love a review of this with a 4K follow-up, if it comes...
Ooh, that's the car chase film starring Barry Newman I think. That will be an exciting 4K release so if that is coming out then put me down for a copy! John.
I showed the opening of The Flash to a friend on Saturday Kieran and we both laughed all the way through it. Terrific fun. Apparently Ezra Miller is out of favour and so people stayed away from the cinema for that one. What a terrible shame. John.
An interesting top-ten, John. Can't wait to catch your 4K Titanic review, though. Have you heard that it's unlikely we're gonna get a UK 4K The Abyss, due to that rat scene?
Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦! Great list! I was looking over my purchased movies this year and I think Maverick and John Wick 4 were my standouts. I bought one stinker. Event Horizon. What a pile. Can’t wait to see what’s next on your channel. I wish nothing but the best for you in the coming year.
It's interesting about Event Horizon because a few people have told me the same Jeremy. I put the LaserDisc on a few weeks ago just to check my memory of that being absolutely fabulous was correct. It was. What is it that you think is bad? I'm wondering if it's because of the similar opinion of American Graffiti which is accused of looking like a digital video and if that's the case it will make sense because EVENT HORIZON is so clean and crisp and I suspect people don't believe it ever looked like that in the first place. It looked stunning at The Empire too but everything always looked pretty darned great in there until the downgrade in image quality had commenced as a prelude to the video switchover of 2011. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I can’t complain about the transfer. It was clear when I wanted it to be and the CGI was what it was. I guess I’m more upset with the story. The flow and pace at which things occurred. It just felt kind of forced and jumped to conclusions. I needed a different progression. What that is, I couldn’t tell you. It’s been too long since I watch the film to remember specifically. I DO feel that this movie lends itself well to the Hellraiser universe. Which would have made me pay more attention during this movie had that been true. I’ve only seen the first Hellraiser movie, but I felt it was really well done. I love Sam Neil, Lawrence fishburn, etc in most things, but this movie rubbed me the wrong way.
@@jeremyj. The first hour of EVENT HORIZON is gripping and full of suspense Jeremy but then it's suddenly in a rush. Apparently there was some enforced editing to get the running time down. I think it all went a bit silly which I can't see how a slower pace could have helped much but that first hour is good. A lot of horror films are similar now; good for the first half or the first hour and then turn into nonsense. It's not generally anything to do with a cine transfer that affects how good a film looks when it's put onto any video format, it's more about how good (or not) it looked in the first place. THE FUGITIVE is a good case in point as many people are telling me "it's an excellent transfer" when its nothing to do with that, it was a great looking film to start with. People don't realize how good 35mm could be after so many years of lower quality video shoots. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I think you’ve captured that point perfectly! Maybe I’ll watch it again next year and see if I feel the same. I own it after all! The most sense of awe I felt this last year was when I was watching Murder on The Orient Express (2017). Holy poo that looked nice. All the shots were great. Then I saw Everything Everywhere All At Once. Which blew my mind from a story telling perspective. Then I watch Event Horizon… so I was a bit let down sad to say. Especially after a great run of movies!
@@jeremyj. I'm afraid that I found Everything Everywhere a let down. So many people recommended it but I can't bear to see perverted things in film and even though I can appreciate it's come from the mind of a mad man and is all meant to be fun I can't imagine that I'll ever be able to look at it again. Maybe if you give Event Horizon another try you can remind me to give Everything Everywhere another go at the same time. Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best. It isn't number one on our newer video projector but it's still up there in the top two or three. Funny how all this equipment gives variable results but it's something I'm getting ever more careful about when doing any review video because some can look wonderful in here and yet on televisions many are reporting that the same discs look awful. I haven't gotten to the bottom of why that is yet but I suspect digital 'enhancements' are switched on when they should all be off or minimized. John.
Thanks for this review John. I have most of the films you mentioned. High on my list is The Fugitive followed by TItanic My unexpected guilty pleasure is Vol 3 of the Hitchcock universal series. Not the best of his films but pleased to have them as high quality back catalogue. I have The Abyss on DVD pretty sure its uncut on my version. Just seen it on pre-order on a site for 59.99 plus postage not happy.
Rest assured that £59.99 is a lot less than I paid for my Super 8 print about 30 years ago! Gawd only knows what that would be worth today but it ain't going anywhere. The Fugitive is another excellent Super 8 print which denotes the original quality of the film as it came from a 35mm general release print. If the 4K wasn't excellent then someone would have cocked up! Have a happy new year Mike and keep enjoying those movies. John.
John do you have a multi region bluray player? There are so many classic films in the US on 4k you can import Kino are doing excellent work on 4k and Shout studios brilliant JFK which I’m sure you’d appreciate all from OCN and now sadly there will be no 4k release of The Abyss in the UK.
It's a rare thing for a 4K disc release to have a Blu-ray zone applied to it. There are some but I can't remember any in my own collection. The BLOW OUT 4K has a Blu-ray with a second Brian De Palma film on it which is worth a look but not exactly his best piece of work. The 4K of that one isn't available over here and the Blu-ray has zone A but easy to get around on any player. I'm only interested in seeing the quality of THE ABYSS for a review video but I can't imagine I'd actually watch it all the way through. I did watch it about six weeks ago on Super 8 and that will always remain the most special way to see that great film at home for me. It's easy to forget how much fun the Super 8 hobby is until you put something like The Abyss on. When you know a film that well you don't really have to watch it, just enjoy looking at it and enjoying the interaction of the cast members and the artistry of how it was all put together, Sadly, importing films tends to be a little too expensive for me so I'm not able to do it very often. John.
Sorry I’m late to comment. Happy New Year. Finally got the Blow Out Criterion😊 It really is a great watch. Got The Driver upon release in late 2022 and having revisited it a few weeks ago it truly is astounding. Get Carter is another great transfer. However as for Titanic… it does look cleaned up, but having said that grain is still ever so slightly evident, mind you the detail is superb. 2023 really was a great year and it was ruined by the news that The Abyss may not be getting a UK release due to a BBFC hiccup. May have to add another import onto the list along with Conan The Barbarian. As for Second Sight, really do hope The Hitcher makes its way finally to the format(s)
Titanic looked pristine on the 70mm blow-up I saw so I expect the usual howls of anguish are out there about it looking like a digital video now on 4K. A lot of it is a misunderstanding of the fine grain film stocks that are apparently often used for the lower quality 35mm formats. It's a shame about The Abyss but I only watched my Super 8 print about five or six weeks ago and nothing is ever going to replace that. Even if I bought a copy of the 4K disc I'd probably only watch parts of it to facilitate doing a review video as I don't think I could sit through the whole film again just yet. If I do want to watch it again I'll run the film print. BLOW OUT had the most velvety blacks on our Optoma UHD550X video projector. I must take a look at some of those dark scenes out by the river again through the UHZ50 to see if it's just as good through that. Thank you for your support during 2023 and a happy new year. If the weather continues like this at least we won't be threatened with hose pipe bans and all that nonsense this summer! John
@@moviecollector5920 Thank You. All The Best toy you too. When it comes to the weather I am more concerned about falling trees, since a tree fell down the road from where I reside, thankfully the property wasn’t damaged and no one was hurt. Since I live next door to a really high tree with a vast trunk which poses a risk to more than just one house. Anyhow regarding Titanic, I did see it 70mm in January 98 and I certainly remember it being pristine. Regarding the 4K it has come under fire for the CGI water looking fake, but honestly this is 90s CGI and because the rest of the transfer looks so detailed I cannot complain. As for The Abyss, which cut do you own? And prefer? One title that has come under fire though is True Lies and even though I only saw the introduction on streaming on Apple TV (really do not recall how I managed to purchase it for some reason) the picture looks DNR’d to within an inch of its life. It could be just the stream since it says that the stream is in Dolby Vision, but it doesn’t look great. However I will reserve my judgment till I see it on a physical copy.
@@spaceodds1985 There have been plenty of trees down everywhere with the train lines suffering particularly badly as they haven't had the maintenance they used to get to ensure everything carries on running. Ever get the feeling we're falling apart here because I've never known such a crap time? Rant over and onto more interesting things. I have been replying to many comments about TITANIC with mention of the shots of the ship in the water looking so fake that it turned the film into a bit of a joke. I don't know why others didn't pick up on it back in 1998 because it was so bad. One friend who ran a special effects house in Covent Garden mentioned it to me though and we both laughed at how awful it looked. This is happening all the time now whereby people are passing opinions on films thinking something has been done to them for a new 4K release when in reality that was how it looked in the first place. Apparently the correct star field has been put in for when the ship is sinking so they have played around a bit but that's probably only in an attempt to shut up the armchair moaning minnies on social media. It takes a heck of a lot of work to get any disc release out there so we should all be more understanding of what these studios and companies have to go through. A 35mm general release print of TITANIC onto a huge screen will have disguised most of the inadequacies but a 70mm blow-up directly from the camera negative won't have done. It's the same with a 4K home video release which most are watching on a tiny telly - there is no way to hide those inadequacies. Add to that the necessity to rein in the exacerbated film grain caused by scanning and it is amazing that they all do as well as they do. It might be the same thing with TRUE LIES which looks pristine on LaserDisc and Super 8 (just the trailer this time though) I also remember it looking pretty perfect in the cinema. Queue more howls of excessive image noise reduction when the 4K appears! John.
Just got word of a new release coming soon... thought you'd like it so.. keep an eye out... Southern Comfort.. 4k in the special features there's a 15min interview/discussion on Walter Hill by Wayne Byrne who wrote the book on him last year.
I don't think I've ever seen Southern Comfort. Just looked it up and no, never seen it. Looks like it's a Shout Factory release so may not go on sale over here. Maybe Arrow Films will do a deal with them as they sometimes do. John.
Happy new year John my favourite has to be Oppenheimer at first thought it was very confusing but when i got into it i thought it was fantastic but my favourite Nolan film has to be interstellar one film i would like to see on 4k would be kingdom of Heaven but probably won't happen any way keep up with the great content and lets hope for many new releases to come this year
OPPENHEIMER looks so good owing to its large film format origins that it probably would have been towards the top of the list irrespective of what the film was actually like. a happy new year to you John. John.
Excellent video John, you have some great picks there. I must check out Blow Out as I've never seen it 😮. I for one would be very interested in a video of your full Alien collection in the future. Keep your great videos coming in 2024. All the best too.
Thank you Andrew. I think I had almost everything out for the Alien review almost three years ago but I'll go through it all again and see if I can come up with an interesting review video for Aliens. Blow Out has Nancy Allen with John Travolta again and that was a big help in terms of me getting wrapped up in it. They are great individually but even better together. It's a great story though with a great look and a wonderful, downbeat ending. John.
Nice list😀 My number goes to the Psycho 4k Collection from arrow video all the sequels that arrow did an restoration of with the help from Universal looked awesome !
I finally purchased the 4K of Psycho a couple of months ago Niels. I saw the film on a telly broadcast as a boy but didn't much care for it. The reviews of the 4K box set told me it was time to finally try that first classic film again but I still didn't much care for it. Just as well I didn't invest in the box of four films after all but I'm pleased that fabulous Arrow set has gone down well. The 4K disc is a cracker though. Who would ever have thought we'd be able to see Hitchcock's ground breaking thriller in such wonderful quality at home? John.
Just watched the Blu-ray of a Haunting in Venice, looked beautiful, the cinematography was fantastic, in the extras it said it was filmed in I-max , it wasn't as good as the other two but the look of it ,wow, shame there's no 4k release, but it looked wonderful on Blu-ray.
I really must purchase a copy of that one Laura. It wasn't shot in IMAX though so take that with a pinch of salt because they pass off video cameras as IMAX now which is a fraction of the resolution of genuine IMAX. In the case of A HAUNTING IN VENICE it was 6K video cameras so probably a little above 35mm potential quality. Thank you for reminding me that I still haven't seen this one. If there had have been a 4K disc I would have done by now but Blu-ray is so good I don't know why I didn't get it immediately. John.
Hi John, Happy New Year! I have enjoyed your reviews throughout and also really liked your home Cinema set up. I have a nostalgia movie called Melody came out 1971 directed by Waris Hussian stars Mark Lester and Jack Wild and a great soundtrack by the Bee Gees it’s real gem of a movie was wondering if you have it in your collection and if you have what are your views on it. Regards Darren
I don't think I've ever seen MELODY Darren. I do like Mark Lester though so it's possible I saw it on a television broadcast when I was younger and now have not recollection of it. I hadn't got into the BeeGees by the time that film was made but as a result of them having composed the soundtrack I really should know and remember the film. I'll have to look it up. Happy new year by the way. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I have it on blu ray for my collection also purchased it on Amazon prime I think both you and your wife will enjoy this little gem I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen this , hope you enjoy it and maybe review it on your next video , cheers Darren 🙏
Some great picks John, I have to say I really enjoyed The Fabelmans, I was so drawn into that film it left me wanting more, and as everybody knows, it's all about Speilberg. 65 was recommended to me by Keith, and I had a good time with that one as well.
There have been some good films this year - some very good films now that I think about it. It's a shame there was so much negativity about a few of them but I suppose that's the modern world. 65 was a wonderful surprise. Another I did speak about but cut it out as the video was rambling on for too long was the 2022 release of 'CRAWL'. If you haven't seen that one and you liked 65 then you should enjoy that too. John.
Haven't seen or purchased The Changeling on 4k yet but overall, I think horror movies get some of the biggest upgrades from Blu-ray to 4k. Logically makes sense with the amount of contrast available but doesn't get mentioned enough.
You've hit on something there... the dark and low light levels were almost made for ghost stories. But then THE OTHERS on 4K didn't come with HDR and didn't need it. It's always a learning process because I considered HDR vital to the success of 4K before I took a look at that one. John.
Couple of recommendations for you that might surprise you John. Sisu, Dungeons and Dragons, The Fugitive (amazing 4k, I loved rewatching this) and I’ve just picked up the Robodoc documentary which I’ve heard great things about. For me personally my favourite film and 4k disc of the year for picture/sound has to be John Wick 4.
I can tell you why The Fugitive is an amazing 4K Tom and that's because it was an amazing 35mm. I don't have to see that disc to know it will be top-notch because it has been on every home video release up to this point but most fundamentally it was a Super 8 feature taken from a 35mm general release print and that looked sensational. It looks fabulous at the Warner West End in 1993 so it shouldn't be any surprise. The most important factor in any cine to video transfer is how good did the film look originally and this is why the Nolan IMAX films make for the best 4K disc releases. John Wick 4 looked brilliant, particularly when you consider it was shot entirely on video. Babylon probably looks even better but I've been told that one was actually a 35mm so it would be interesting to know what you think of how that looks. It's not a particularly nice film though so that's something to bear in mind. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I wanted to see Babylon mainly because of the cast but then the subject matter just didn’t really appeal to me. It’s also about 3 hours long I think? I may pick it up when it’s cheap. I’ve Got a lot of new releases coming in the new year that are going to lighten my wallet somewhat!😆
I don't have The Maltese Falcon Gary but American Made and The Town are both bloody good! It's a shame you have to use Amazon though. I had a similar problem looking for optical mirrors for the 35mm projection and the only listing I can find is in China - and that's even worse than using Amazon. A slap on the wrist for me there! John.
@moviecollector5920 I usually do. Also, as usual, there are a few titles I'd like your opinion on. Such as Die Hard 4k and Robin Hood: Prince of Thives. I know that they aren't the newest titles, but I'm sure that there are still a lot of us who would be interested in your opinion of them.
@@timothymathetes I might get the Robin Hood title sometime Timothy but Die Hard is less likely as I've had a Super 8 feature print for so long that I don't think I would ever want to watch it on anything else. I did say that about Alien though and eventually I relented and took a look at the 4K. It's just sitting there on the shelf though and I don't suppose I'll ever pull it out to watch it all the way through. I actually prefer Die Hard 2 over the original film. Another Super 8 feature and one that I've probably run more than any other except for John Carpenter's Halloween. John.
@moviecollector5920 How interesting! I only just finished rewatching Die Hard 2 last night. My favorite of the sequels has always been Die Hard with a Vengeance, but I definitely got a better appreciation for Die Hard 2 last night. The cinematography is very good, and I enjoyed seeing McClane getting along with his wife. The stakes were much higher, too. It was fun.
@@timothymathetes It's the snow and the confined nature of that film being set within an airport at Christmas that makes it for me. The wonderful special effects of the aeroplanes also helps. And Marvin the janitor too of course. John.
Great video John. I discovered your channel early this year and have loved watching your videos ever since. You & Keith at Euphoria Pictures are my two favourite channels. I'm curious - how many 4K discs do you own? Thanks for a great year of videos and happy new year to you!
Good to have you here Matt. Keith and I have been in contact since soon after I started this channel. Keith only got going a couple of months before and we have similar taste so we hit it off. As for how many 4K discs I have I don't know but my estimate would be around 300. John.
Great video, John and I'm so glad The Others made the Top 10! It's one of my favourite films of all time. I look forward to the Aliens special video in 2024 😅....Happy New Year!
Evening James. The Others is the first to make it obvious that 4K doesn't always need HDR to look just like a film print and still be superior to the Blu-ray taken from the same master. On top of that it's a great film so it had to be up there somewhere. John.
Excellent year end roundup there John and I totally agree with you on physical medium gaining popularity again as streaming services just change their rules and censor films when they want to, not to mention withdrawing films when they want. Nothing beats a good collection at home👍
Well said Dark Vader! Apparently the overall sales are down this year but I think the past few years were exceptional so now that Covid is consigned to the history books perhaps a bit of a downturn was to be expected. Certainly the releases keep on coming so that's a good sign. John.
Absolutely. Sony recently deleted some TV seasons in customers Digital collections. You only truly own the product when it’s physical.
@@MrMattyG And the situation is only going to get worse Mr. Matty. John.
Thanks John for all your reviews and showing us the world of home cinema and commercial cinema projection. Look forward to 2024. Happy New Year.
Thank you Michael. A happy new year to you too. John.
Can't believe I've only just seen this! Great video. Your ability to speak knowledgeably about film at length it's very impressive! Gold standard. Fingers crossed this year for Baraka and Koyaanisqatsi in 4K!
Thank you Luke. I recently spotted the Second Sight Films Blu-ray of BARAKA on the shelves on a CEX store. My feeling is that there is no need for a 4K with a Blu-ray that good. I hope to stumble across a copy of SAMSARA too (or whatever the follow-up was called) because that BARAKA Blu-ray was just £2.
Next video will be a look at a couple of film projectors where I run an 8mm short and a Super 8 cut down which were sent to me by a follower of this channel. Great fun to run these old but rather special projectors again.
John.
I'll have to check out Baraka, I only have the DVD. Same with the Qatsi trilogy. I do have a Blu-ray of Samsara however! Perhaps they wouldn't benefit from a bump in resolution, but HDR would be nice!
Your knowledge of film is phenomenal,thanks for your informative videos of 2023. Looking forward to 2024 and seeing what you have in store for us. Happy new year. 👍❤️📀🥂🍾
Thank you Steve. Have a happy new year. John.
Sleepy Hollow was my favorite. Beautiful looking 4K transfer. Absolutely gorgeous. Made my year, home video wise.
It's not the transfer Jim, it's how good a film was originally. I only have Sleepy Hollow on an NTSC region 1 DVD and it looks great on that thereby confirming that the film looked great as shot. After years of lower quality video shoots I think we've largely forgotten how good 35mm was throughout most of the 1990's. It started to tail off towards the end of the decade as the preparation for the big downgrade commenced but I well remember how good films looked on the huge screen in The Empire, Leicester Square and other premiere houses. I also remember how awful films looked in there as the 2000's progressed to the point that I stopped going.
John.
Really good roundup. One of your best videos, thank you.
Very kind of you to say. Thank you. John.
Great picks John! Hat's off to your dedication for Physical Media🎉
And a Happyy New Year🥳
Thank you Vishwa. And thank you too for your dedication to 15/70 IMAX. John.
It’s incredible the amount of things that I learn with your videos , John. Great professional who knows his stuff ❤️. Cheers , mate
Thank you Nick. I'm bound to get some things wrong though so always make up your own mind and if you fancy seeing a film that I may not give the biggest recommendation possible then take a chance. The cost of them is minuscule compared to what we used to have to pay for quality like this. John.
I concur.
Hi John , I really enjoyed your look back over 2023, including the top 10, one of the things I love about your videos is how informative they are, and the fact that you considered the overall package rather than purely the quality of the picture or audio is an added bonus there’s certainly at least four of your top 10 that I want to purchase. We so need good people like you making such excellent videos to keep our beloved cinemas open and to ensure the 4K physical media continues for many years to come. Thanks again and wishing you and your family, a happy New Year.
I had to think about what to say in this video for a while before setting the camera up but in the end I gave up and just went for it. Thankfully it turned out okay but I did cut out a couple of lesser titles as the running time was going on for too long. Good luck with any 4K purchases you do make and I hope the four in this video that you fancy give you as much enjoyment as they did me. A happy new year to you as well. John.
@Movie Collector another great video. Great to see you keep up your usual high quality standard.
Thanks for all the time and effort you put into making all the nice, interesting and entertaining videos in 2023.
Wishing you and the mrs a healthy and beautiful 2024 and I look forward to your contributions in 2024.
Thank you Pieter. The 'Mrs' is standing over my shoulder and you just gave her a good laugh. Have a happy new year and don't drink too much on Sunday night. John.
I stumbled on this channel, and it's completely rekindled my old love of collecting DVDs and bluray. I've started picking up some lovely 4ks of late and now have the itch to rebuild and grow my collection once again. Physical media just feels better. Even to sit and look at on the shelf lol
It's good to have you here and I'm glad you're rediscovered your love of owning movies on home video. I've got a collection of home movies going back more than 55 years now so there's no hope for me at all! If you really get back into it then next time you think you need to replace your telly have a look at a few budget video projectors because all you need for that is a white wall. That's actually what I've always preferred to use and what I'm using again now. The rest of it is cardboard covered with black velvet but people who come in here think it's something that's cost a fortune from a screen supplier. I then go and knock my fist on the wall and they're always amazed.
John.
Great roundup John! I think we’re really in the golden age of this format now. As with any new format, the initial releases were a bit hit and miss, but since around 2019 I feel that companies have really got a handle on how to do 4K releases right, and we’re getting some amazing stuff. Cannot wait to see what releases await us in 2024!
HDR does seem to be a little variable but fortunately not to the extremes it could be a few years ago. Let's hope enough people are purchasing the discs to make it all worthwhile for the companies and studios releasing the films. John.
Thank you for this excellent video and a great retrospective of the past year's releases. Your reviews are, as always, a pleasure to listen to.
Thank you Eoghan. And thank you also to DarkVader. Nothing is better than having a personal collection of films. Just last night we were looking at our shelves deciding on a movie to watch. It cost us nothing as we bought the disc we watched years ago and we had a great evening without even leaving the home. Powering the video projector and amp always cost quite a bit though, damn it! John.
Thank you and here’s to 2024 🎉
Thank you Foxy. A happy new year to you. John.
Happy new year John here’s to many many more releases in 2024 and many many more of your fantastic videos.
Thank you Sisco. Have a happy new year and keep running those movies. John.
Thank you for your excellent reviews. And describing American Graffiti is helpful to understand.👍
American Graffiti has caused quite a lot of consternation but it's mainly because TechniScope is not standard 35mm and in reality just a bit of a notch up on 16mm. The detail people expect to see is therefore not there. It does look a little over processed in places but I went through that in my review because I'd have preferred they hadn't done some of that mastering but the end result is that I find it amazing that American Graffiti can look so good from TechniScope. Worth a try, particularly because of the lovely steelbook. John.
Thank you for sharing.🙂@@moviecollector5920
Thanks for all your reviews this year John! Can’t wait to see more in 2024
Thank you Will and thank you for your support in 2023. John.
Deep Impact and The Flash...two of my favs for 2023.
Have not watched American Graffiti yet, own it, but my wife and son are not wanting to watch it...NOT a boring movie at all. Saw it in the Theater when it first came out, incredible.
The Flash is actually REALLY good. With all the negative press I expected nothing, but was pleasantly surprised!
I can't imagine many people won't enjoy American Graffiti Bob. We had friends round with their 20 year old daughter just after I'd done the review and because I thought their daughter would enjoy it I stuck it on again. She did enjoy it and so did everyone else. It looked just as impressive second time around too. John.
@@MonkeyspankOit's not, but keep hitting that copium.
Watched American Graffiti...All I can is WOW!!!! Loved the VQ, color and of course the music.
@@moviecollector5920
Thank you John for a great round up and all your hard work in 2023.
Happy new year and looking forward to seeing more of your work in 2024!!
Thank you Jeff. Have a happy new year. John.
Love the video! Agree with everything you said. It was like listening to my brain if my brain had an english accent. Your love for movies is infectious. Good stuff
Thank you Jeffrey. I'm glad you like the video. John.
Glad you mention "After Hours," John! Truly the best completely blind purchase I've ever made. Happy New Year!!!
I'd never even heard of it Nicholas but a few people asked me to review it and it looked like it might be interesting. A wonderful film. To be honest, anything with Rosanna Arquette in it will pique my interest.
John.
Totally enjoyed, thank you John.
You'r welcome Pete and thank you. John.
Great choices I agree Oppenheimer on 4k is brilliant. Also surprisingly really like dial of destiny Mads mikkelsen is brilliant, when he realises they're in the wrong year the look on his face, priceless! Keep up the good work John here's looking forward to top 10 of 2024😊
I could watch that Indiana Jones film again already and that speaks volumes for how enjoyable my wife and I found it. I was glad to find out we weren't alone. There are a lot of fans out there for that film in spite of the social media hate campaign. John.
I enjoyed it very much also. I loved how the ending did something wholly new for the series, and I was getting excited as I thought are they actually going to do this? I know some people were groaning at the same moment but I think some just want the films to be exactly like the previous. Nothing wrong with innovation if it does something good. The ending was very fitting to the characters and a great send off for Harrison Ford and the actress you like. Not to mention John Rhys Davies as Sallah. I was curious as to what your reaction to the look would be given how much you liked Le Mans 66's digital recreation of film. I was particularly impressed with how the World War 2 sequence not only looked like film, but looked like film from around the time of Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade!
@@davidjames579 There was much that was so good in this one David and you and I have certainly appreciated that. Such a shame others didn't. Some were genuine in their dislike but it seems that others were sadly influenced by the social media hate campaign. Happy new year! John.
Thanks for all your work & have a Happy New Year 🎉
You too Barry and thank you. John.
Thanks for showing love to both 65 & The Flash. I really liked both those films.
It seems that a lot of us did William. We're not alone! John.
Thank you John. Another really interesting video. Truman Show was a favourite of mine this last year. Glad you enjoyed it too. 👍🏼
I've always liked The Truman Show. I think Jim Carrey's best may be The Majestic. I need to see that one again too. John.
Great Collection , Long Life for Fisical Midia.
Well said Tiago! John.
Thanks John, great list of movies. Happy New Year.
Thank you Craig. A happy new year to you too. John.
Excellent content, John and a belated New Year to you and yours. Cheers.
Thank you young Skywalker! And a happy new year to you too. John.
The Fugitive is at the top of my list. Up there with Rocky as both feel like fresh prints of classic films.
The Fugitive always looked fabulous so it's no surprise that people are so impressed with it. I've had it on Super 8 since shortly after it was in cinemas and it looks great on Super 8 which is always a good indication. The Rocky Blu-ray from some years ago is almost as good as the 4K but it's wonderful to have it and in that steelbook too. Quite special in fact. John.
Brilliant review, I could listen to you talk about films all day, I wish you could get to review so many other titles released this year.
Thank you Colum. If there were enough time and the discs were freebies then I'd be able to but alas, I need a wealthy benefactor! John.
I have an Epson 4K projector and turned off HDR processing on my 4K player a few months ago. I never feel like I’m missing out on any HDR encoded content. In fact, I’m no longer required to spend any time fiddling around with projector settings to get brilliant quality images. Better clarity and depth is still definitely noticeable, especially on movies shot on film. Maybe I’d feel different if using a standard display. But, wouldn’t give up my projector for it, which always makes movies look and feel more film-like.
I had similar problems when I first got a 4K projector about six years ago but after a while I found the time to do some serious fiddling and got there in the end. Sometimes I still think it might be nice to have a button to just turn it off but most of the time it does make a video look more like a film print. THE OTHERS was certainly an exception though. Nothing beats projecting a movie so you've got the best possible home cinema solution which no telly could ever match.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 The biggest problem I have with HDR is the reduction in brightness. Even though the Epson pumps out 2,500 lumens, I see more details in the shadows when it’s turned off, things I’m sure are supposed to be seen. I’ve fiddled with all settings and gone online to follow various recommendations. Whatever benefit I’ve noticed is outweighed by the time required on each movie trying to get it right. And it seems that each movie requires its own unique settings.
Have a great year Sir, and please carry on with your excellent content.
Thank you Hugo. See you next year then. John.
I was a 30-something when I first saw traning day, and it's still one of the greatest movies ever.
I felt that the first half of the film was better than the second. But I didn't see it in my twenties which probably would have made a difference. John.
Thanks for sharing your 2023 collection. I've only recently began collecting in 4K, just this year. I too got a 4K copy of The Firm. Great thriller. Last time I saw it, I watched it on standard DVD. The 4K version was spectacular. I felt as if I were experiencing it all anew. I believe it has HDR, which made the colors really pop. Either way, it was a great experience. Seeing how 4K is on the rise with more and more releases of iconic films, I feel confident that physical media is alive and well. It's a real treat for film fans.
I'm still learning about 4K releases and how they are made. What has been your impressions with 4K so far? Are they doing us good, offering images close to the original film source? Or is 4K complicating matters, such as the mentioned Exorcist 4K, with the colors seeming too vibrant? It's a fascinating topic. As you mentioned we can only know if we had a copy of the original film source. I also haven't considered the different types of film used for movies either. I should look more into that, so I'll better understand it when you bring them up in your reviews.
I'm looking forward to seeing how well the Abyss, Aliens and True Lies turn out in 4K. I actually saw The Abyss in theaters earlier this month on a limited re-release. It looked good to me. But I'm not well versed on what to look for with new scans outside of noticing a substantial difference in color grading or frame rate.
Well, that's all for now. Happy New Year!
You have some catching up to do Andy but you'll get there. The fundamental for any movie shot on film when it is transferred to video is how did the film look when it was originally shot. The best 4K discs all come from large format film releases, many of which were made decades ago such as Spartacus and The Ten Commandments. 65mm is still used today and that is why Murder on the Orient Express (Kenneth Branagh) is one of the best looking 4K discs. Most people on TH-cam are too young to have had film collecting as a hobby when Super 8 was the ultimate (legal) home movie format. By the 1990's it had become a bit of an obsession for me and that is why I can remember how films looked in a cinema because I was so used to scrutinizing my purchases on Super 8. I therefore started to do the same thing in cinemas and a great looking film in the cinema that happened to get released on Super 8 (The Fugitive is a good example of this) would look great on the tiny gauge even though the picture area is only 6mm wide. Not all the 35mm formats are the same though. There are a lot of variations and I've been trying to explain TECHNISOCPE in recent videos because so many people think the lack of detail on the 4K disc is down to the mastering after the cine to video transfer. Some of it probably is but some, or most, is down to the fact that the detail was never there as TECHNICSOPE is half frame 35mm and not the usual full frame or even SUPER 35 process.
Good to have you here and a happy new year to you and your family.
John.
Happy New Year!
Congrats on > 25K subs.
Thanks for all the great vids.
Have a fantastic 2024.
Thank you Saint. A happy new year to you too. John.
Hi John. Happy New Year to you and Sue.
2023 was a pretty good year for releases and our channels.
You number one spot surprised me but taking in to account, packaging and all, I don't disagree.
Not sure what mine is. So many releases I haven't had chance to watch yet.
Here's to 2024.
Your video gave me some collaboration ideas. So speak to you soon.
Trev
I watched your review of the year earlier Trevor and enjoyed it very much. Funny to see myself in it. My own review of the year didn't do very well but I suppose people are mainly interested in the latest home video releases and therefore a 4K disc releases review of the year will always do better. I think we've both had good years with our TH-cam adventures. It's nice to share those adventures with our small audiences made up of film enthusiasts. Home movie collectors are a rare breed now so it's not like there are lots of people around to share our hobby with and TH-cam gives us that opportunity.
John.
Great extended review of the year John , look forward to many more in 2024 , happy new year and keep up the great work you do all the best 👍
Thank you Paul and thank you for all your support this year. Don't drink too much on Sunday night!
John.
Thank you John.
Bloomn' heck Cheekster, that was quicker than ever! John.
@@moviecollector5920 - In case you weren’t already aware I thoroughly enjoy your content. 👍🏻
Thanks, as always. 🙏🏻
Thanks for this, great as ever. Managed to pick up that lovely special edition of The Changeling. Hopefully watch it in the next couple of days. Look forward to more content in 24. Happy new year.
A happy new year to you too Robert. I hope you enjoy The Changeling as much as I did. I need to play the CD soundtrack again because the music is beautiful and big part of the success of the film as a whole. John.
Great video John. Nice to recap all the releases of this year and again hear your views on them. I have brought a lot of movies based on your recommendations so I'm always happy when a new video pops up.... the wife on the other hand might not be so pleased 😊
That gave me a good laugh Darren. I read it out to my wife and although she laughed I think she sympathizes. It's important to remember that sometimes what might look brilliant on my system won't look quite as good on another and vice versa. We put the 4K of THE MULE on again the other night having not looked at it for a few years and it does not look quite as good through this video projector as it does through our older Optoma UHD550X. John.
All the very best John great round up happy new year .
Thank you Richard. A happy new year to you too. John.
another great year in review John, thanks :-)
You're welcome Branscombe. Glad you enjoyed it. John.
Good video.happy new year,looking forward to your reviews in 2024
Thank you Benjamin. You have a good new year too. John.
Excellent round up John,The Changeling set is amazing, I bought it after you reviewed it earlier in the year,very pleased with it...have a Happy New Year 😊
If they hadn't have sent me the Blu-ray review disc I wouldn't have ended up purchasing the special release. It's funny how things work out sometimes. Have a nice weekend and a happy new year Marty.
John.
Thanks for a great top 10 list. Love your channel and especially your technical knowledge which is overlooked by so many content creators. Happy New Year!
Thank you David. To be fair, if I hadn't grown up with Super 8 film there wouldn't have been much chance of understanding all the various film formats and why just about every film ever released looks different and why the quality can vary so much. It's all down to film stocks, film gauges, lenses, lighting and how good the cinematographers are. Too often a cine to video transfer is criticized when there's been nothing wrong with that aspect of it. John.
Babylon was shot on 35mm film. Chazelle hasn't used digital since Whiplash.
Well, well. That explains why that looks so good then. I preferred Whiplash but Babylon certainly looks better. Thanks for the correction Richard. John.
Hey John, I’ve been quietly keeping up with your videos. Thanks for continuing to keep the flag flying for the more experienced film enthusiasts! Having said that, your video reminded me that I hadn’t seen Flashdance, despite it being of my generation. I just saw it tonight, and oh, what a feeling! So many themes of my teenage years wrapped up in one amazing picture. Now so many moments on and off screen from past and present are connecting together. I would have still missed it but for your video - so thank you John!
You may have heard earlier in 2023 Jamil but if not, Irene Cara sadly died. She's the beautiful lady who sang 'What A Feeling' and was also one of the stars and singers in Alan Parker's 'Fame'. She released an album following the 'What A Feeling' single success and I purchased it and have played it regularly ever since. A great disco album from our era and it is great not only to listen to but also to dance to. She was only in her early sixties as I recall.
You've made me want to have another look at Flashdance now. Thank you for that.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I hadn’t heard, that is indeed sad news. She had such a powerful and melodic voice. Which can live on in the present tense in our theaters.
As for the film, there’s a lot to pick apart by modern standards, or even contemporary ones. But it’s a wonderful snapshot into the times, and as an early Simpson/Bruckheimer picture, a great example of their eye for the zeitgeist.
Always love your reviews John thank you, and this is a great review of the year. Interestingly and this happened last year the prices of some of your recommendations have gone up in price on Amazon etc! 😂 I was going to add the Changling box set to my collection and it's already up £8! 😮 since your review, so I'll just wait a few days and hopefully it will come back down . 😊😊 Thanks again.. Mark
Now that's a surprise Mark... about The Changeling going up in price. I just looked on the HMV site and it's gone up a tenner on there. It must be in demand now the last few copies are around but maybe take the risk and hold on another week or so to see if it comes back down. It might be priced out of the market and a correction back down has to be made.
John.
Happy New Year, John! I look forward to what you bring out in the future. 🙂
Happy new year to you too Vincent and thank you. John.
Hi John, one of the best end of year reviews I've seen, can see your passion for film come through in your videos, I have subscribed. Looking forward to what 2024 has for us!
Good to have you here John. A few of the releases I've enjoyed the most over the past 12 months or so have been rather controversial. I think quite a lot of people wanted them to be rubbish and wanted my affirmation to that effect and I disappointed them. I don't think I can think of a 4K disc that has been anything other than very good, even Gemini Man which is the worst video quality I could ever imagine but it's not the 4K disc's fault, that was how it was shot. And to be fair, Gemini Man was specifically aimed at a younger, 3D audience whereas it clearly doesn't work in 2D. I bet it was a different kettle of fish on a huge screen in 3D.
John.
Good round up John,my favourite release is Bruce Lee box closely followed by Texas Chainsaw boxset , Happy New year
I don't have either of those sets Gazza. Send 'em over!!! John.
I have to say, the Titanic 4K edition is absolutely stunning. You will agree, John. It has a fabulous filmic image and some of the best HDR/Dolby Vision I've ever seen. I didn't notice much dnr.
Definitely top 5 best 4K reference discs.
You'll need to see that 4K as big as possible to fully ascertain how good it is because sometimes they don't stand up quite so well. But the film did look fabulous at the Odeon in 70mm in spite of its comparatively diminutive origins so I'm not surprised to hear it's very good. My trouble is that apart from the sinking of the ship I don't much like the film. I didn't like any of the main characters which is never a good starting point. We have run that LaserDisc two or three times over the years though and it's another cracking PAL LaserDisc which it should be given how the film looked in the cinema.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 in all honesty, John, I'm not a big fan of the movie either. My interest is passing. But I do appreciate the technical achievement of the movie and the giant production it went through. I enjoy it for the Titanic itself, not really the characters.
Thanks John.
Great video John! Do You look forward to the long awaited 4K releases of James Cameron’s True Lies and The Abyss?
Apparently The Abyss isn't going to be released over here as it would mean creating two different discs owing to the rat being submerged in the oxygenated fluid scene which had to have a cut applied back in 1989. I would have taken a look at that one but might not have watched it all the way through as I have the film on Super 8 and only ran it a few weeks ago. TRUE LIES is great fun but I've never found it as repeatable as some of James Cameron's earlier films. No doubt I'll get a copy and have a great time with it all over again. If it doesn't look top-notch then someone will have messed up because the PAL LaserDisc is a beauty and it also looked pretty sensational in the cinema. Cue more howls of excessive DNR again then.
John.
Superb roundup of the year, thank you. I watched Dial of Destiny for the first time last night and despite all the negative press, I really enjoyed it.
My only fault is one awful CGI shot of Indy on the horse. Why don’t they just cut failed shots out.
It looked lovely in HDR but the Atmos track was amazing.
All the best for 2024. Kind regards, Dave
Morning Dave (just!). It's possible that one dodgy computer re-worked shot you spotted was expected to be left alone with the stunt man in place but once it was scrutinized it was too obviously not Harrison Ford. The stunt man used is a very good resemblance from a distance but he's probably about 40 years younger so no doubt there are always a few minor issues to overcome. Glad you enjoyed it though. It seems that a lot more of us do enjoy it than don't if the comments on this channel are representative. Don't get up to too much mischief later and have a very happy new year.
It's now afternoon by the way.
John.
Great video sir! I love your take on your top 10.
I would like to ask about your shelving in the background. Are they custom built? Or if they are purchased, can you tell me who the manufacturer is? I am finding it near impossible to find media storage in store so my only option is online or custom. Online I cant determine quality from the pictures.
At any rate I hope you and your loved enjoy a very happy New Year. Cheers!
The shelves come from Argos and although they were £18 each when we got them they were £28 when we last looked. Purchase two and put one on top of the other but upside down and you then have the six shelves with room on the top to put more discs and other collectibles. I think we have 12 of them in that room so six finished units and about 1000 movies with a load of additional box sets of series and other things. John.
Oppenheimer bluray looks exceptional. Nolan's films look superb. Although, having seen the 4k clips of Aliens blew me away! If the UHD looks like that it will be the best 4k image yet. It looks unbelievable.
Aliens won't be that good Lborg because it was only a Super 35 shoot. My Super 8 prints are a bit grainy but I did see the 70mm blow up and I don't remember film grain being coarse at all. I then saw a 35mm general release print and it wasn't anywhere near as impressive. I'm expecting a 4K to be the best it's ever looked outside of a premiere house but others are telling me to anticipate a disaster. I think the same people possibly think American Graffiti was a disaster though so we all need to make up our own minds.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Have a look at the 'My Moonization Aliens 4k HDR10 vs 2010' video on youtube John. Do you think the 4k image has been enhanced in some way? Looks very clean. Cheers.
Appreciate all the hard work, Happy New Year !! Unfortunately the abyss uk release has apparently been shelved due to a seen with rats ? So we may have to import.
The cut to the rat sequence was enforced in 1989 Bill so even though it's in the UK version it's slightly shorter but would mean a authoring a different disc just for this market. What a pity. John.
Great stuff John. Happy Hogmanay!
Now there's an old Scottish word. A happy hogmanay to you too Doug. Thank you for all your support during 2023. John.
I just bought the Highlander 4K directors cut, super satisifed. There's a couple kinda yucky looking shots but everything else is excellent!
I've had a Super 8 film print of that for probably more than 30 years now. It's not the best looking film ever made but it is one of my favourite films even if it doesn't look as good as it probably should. Good to know the 4K is pretty good. There are always some shots that don't fully work out with any film or video. John.
Great selection of 4Ks John. My collection is coming on too although the some of the titles here in Germany are not the best. I did however, purchased Raw Deal in steelbook. Guilty pleasure from the 80s. Tremendous job again John.
I still have the VHS of Raw Deal Tony. I haven't run it in years but the quality is truly awful so it's not really that inspiring now that we have cinema quality on home movie discs. John.
Wonderful list, John! You're one of the main reasons I use TH-cam and this was another great episode.
The Changeling is one of my very favorite ghost films, so I will def be picking up the 4k soon! If you're in the mood for another great, moody Ghost story - Lady In White has a lovely blu ray I bought from the UK that works on my R1 4k/Blu Ray player.
Happy New Year!
Morning Lincoln and a happy new year to you too. I've been corresponding with Severin Film about a few things and I've been told that Second Sight used the Severin master for THE CHANGELING but applied their own HDR grade. This could mean that they did other work too so bear that in mind. I'm sure the Severin version will still be very good it just may not be quite as good. It's the special pack that tips the balance on why I consider it to be the best release I've purchased this year but it would still be up there somewhere irrespective of that.
I don't think I know LADY IN WHITE so thank you for mentioning it. I'll keep a look out for it. I've gone off horror movies now I'm older but I still enjoy a good ghost story.
John.
Happy New Year John. Hope you had a good one mate.
What a great roundup. Not many people seemed to enjoy The Flash but Im glad you did. I really enjoyed it myself. Was a pleasant surprise after seeing all the negative press it received. A great 4k disc for the collection. Did you see Black Adam? Not a 2023 film but that was another surprise and looks great in 4k.
I picked up all 4 Rocky steelbooks when they came out and love them. The new cut of Rocky 4 is worth a watch
Morning Chris. It seems that a great many of us very much like THE FLASH so we're not alone. Maybe it will grow in favour as the years go on as more people finally get to see it. I didn't see BLACK ADAM. I'm not the biggest fan of the comic book films really but I have just been given a whole load of them on Blu-ray and DVD so I suppose I'll be catching up a bit in the months ahead. As for the Rocky films, I like them all but it's the first one that I think is the classic. They all look exceptionally good in the Blu-ray set so even though the difference between the 4K of ROCKY and the Blu-ray is barely perceptible I wanted to support that first film. The nice steelbook helped secure the deal too. No doubt I'll end up with the new version of the fourth film at some stage though so I'll see it eventually.
John.
Hello John, really enjoyed your video. I bought 65 on blu ray for just £6 a couple of weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The picture quality was stunning for a blu ray. My brother also watched it and he loved it as well, he likes a good dinosaur film. Happy new year. Gary.
Glad you and your brother enjoyed 65 Gary. £6 is a bargain. What else could give you so much for so little? Not much, that's for sure. John.
I ordered The Exorcist from Germany because believe it or not the original cover photo for the film is not being sold in America on the 4K package. Clad to hear that you understand the resolution controversy surrounding "American Graffiti".
Yes, that was an odd decision Paul. Someone at Warner Bros. must have had a reason for that decision. Maybe they thought it would fuel sales of a more expensive steelbook with the original poster art on that. John.
Great year in the end. I like the deep impact release. The movie is just great. And Oppenheimer was nice. But I like all you choices. Thanks for a good review year. Happy new year to you and your family.
Thank you Nightbreaker. You have a good new year too. John.
The way you transition from American Graffiti to Oppenheimer is why I love you and your channel.
That you make a great round-up video at the end of the year, shows yet again that you really mean this stuff.
Concerning Aliens: I remember James Cameron saying in some behind-the-scenes material (on the Aliens DVD, I think) that Kodak made some change(s) to the film stock they used to shoot Aliens the same year they shot it and that this made the stock more coarse grained than it otherwise would be (if I understood it correctly). Cameron also said that Aliens would have looked terrible if he had shot it in Super 35 - the statement was related to the work Kodak did on that film stock.
Good morning Erik. I was rather pleased with how the shelf of discs gave me a good way to go from American Graffiti to Oppenheimer. People are still telling me that American Graffiti on 4K disc is awful so my trying to give people the information to understand why there possibly isn't the usual 35mm imagery there that they expected owing to it being TechniScope either hasn't cut through of their systems are turning that disc to mush. It all seems a little odd bit I've done as much as I can on that one I think. It would be interesting to see a 70mm blow-up of Aliens again just to check how it really did look back in 1986. Thinking about it now I can only remember the first time of seeing it and where I sat which was in the circle so quite a way from the screen. It was disappointing that it wasn't a 'Scope film but after that initial disappointment it was all so exciting and one of the most impactive cinema visits I've ever had. I went to see Aliens a fourth time but that was at a local cinema and a general release print. It was nowhere near as good. I think it was 1992 when I purchased the Super 8 print and although it's good and is masked to the original 1.85:1 image ratio, it's not the most impressive feature print to ever make it onto the gauge. This may well be representative of how the film really did look though, I just don't remember the 70mm print being as grainy. If the 4K disc isn't riddled with coarse film grain then I expect there will be more complaints on excessive DNR but if the end product looks good then I don't really understand why some get so hot under the collar. I don't like the sterilized look of the Star Wars 4K disc and that is because I'm used to seeing Star Wars on Super 8 so I suppose I'm just as bad really.
Happy new year.
John.
@@moviecollector5920I think you do great work exploring/explaining 'controversial' discs like American Grafitti.
I imagine the Aliens 70mm blow-up print you saw was excellent because, as you point out, it was struck directly from the camera negative. But, given Cameron's statements about the film stock used for Aliens, it's interesting that your Aliens Super 8 print is not one of the best ones.
Happy new year, John.
great list. I'm a little behind this year and I need to pick some of these up. I'm excited for the Aliens 4k version this year. I've been waiting for that one for a long time.
Aliens should be an interesting release Luis as I'm a little confused as to how it will look. I did see the 70mm blow-up three times but my Super 8 feature is really quite grainy. I don't recall the 70mm looking quite that way. I also saw a 35mm general release print and that was so disappointing compared to the 70mm so it could be that the film stock used for lesser prints was a coarse grain whereas master prints were fine grain. If it's the latter then expect howls of excessive image noise reduction yet again. People don't understand that side of film and neither do I but I can hazard a guess. John.
@@moviecollector5920 i hope it comes out great. an atmos upgrade would be good too but that is doubtful.
Great selection John. I was due a delivery of Oppenheimer 4k special steelbook just before Christmas from Amazon but unfortunately they didn't get stock. Actually the 2nd time that happened. Annoying as I pre ordered it ages ago so hopefully they sort it out soon. I agree with you about The Flash. Good old fashioned enjoyable hokum. Thank you for all your great videos this year and wish you an amazing 2024. Regards Alan
Thank you Alan. Amazon are a strange company but I don't use them so I don't have to worry about it. To be fair people do have similar troubles with Zavvi on occasion. I hope you get your order soon and you love it. Have a happy new year and keep watching those movies... except for OPPENHEIMER for a while at least!!! John.
Some great picks there, John. Just to note, Babylon was actually shot on 35mm. Sadly it didn’t get a 35mm release, but in America one 70mm blowup print has been doing the rounds. Hopefully it makes it across the pond. I appreciate the film itself is not your cup of tea, but it certainly is beautifully shot.
i keep forgetting to make a correction note in the description to say about Babylon being a 35mm David. That explains why it looks so good I suppose. I wonder if it was finished on film because Death on the Nile wasn't and they did 70mm prints from the 4k file. Ridiculous!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 No worries, John. I noticed after, that someone had mentioned this earlier and you'd responded on that. A look on IMDb reveals amazingly it was also mastered at 4K. I've only seen it in the cinema so far, in Dolby Vision at the Odeon Leicester Square and it looked very good. Even if the 70mm is printed from a 4K file I'd still see it for comparison. Hopefully The Prince Charles gets it at some point.
@@davidjames579 If Death on the Nile is a barometer for these things then any 70mm from a 4K master will be something of a disappointment. Most people haven't seen genuine 70mm so probably wouldn't realize it was a bit of a con. Having said that, a lot of people saw the 70mm and the 15/70 prints of OPPENHEIMER so perhaps it won't be so easy to pull the wool over the eyes any longer. I'll finally get that description updated right now. John.
Happy New Year John! I watch all your videos but don't get a chance to comment on them. Great list. Can't wait to see all your videos from 2024. (i know my username is weird compared to your other viewers. I made it when i was 12 😅)
Your user ID is almost like someone who would be a member of The Fantastic Four but I'm not a comic book nerd... not any more anyway. The Fantastic Four used to be in Marvel Comics Weekly if I recall correctly and "Flame On" was the expression used by THE HUMAN TORCH but it was so long ago there's no way I'd ever remember that!
Good to have you here and thank you for watching during 2023.
John.
Nice roundup John..... happy new year 🎉
Happy new year to you too Roy. Thank you for your support in 2023. John.
Hi my name is Wayne i live in America, I love all your videos but I'd like you ask you to review the lord of rings and hobbit 4k blurays. I curious to see what your opinions are on them. I hope you have the best newyear, bless you and your family.
I did see The Lord of the Rings Wayne but didn't like it so haven't seen any of the other films in the series. I do have the second and third Rings film trailers on Super 8 (and the first now that I think about it) and they are all fabulous. That first film had such poor image quality and inadequate special effects for the giant screen at the Odeon Leicester Square and that certainly didn't help my enjoyment, or rather, lack of enjoyment. Sorry about that. John.
Some great picks there John. Happy New year
Thank you Andy. A happy new year to you too. John.
Mission Impossible 7 i think is my favourite film i watched this year. So much fun. I also loved The Flash. Seeing Keaton back as my Batman was a joy. Happy new year to you John! 😊
I very much enjoyed MI7 too. On another day it would have been selected for a top ten but I when I stood there and went through them I had it in mind that the film as a whole left me feeling something was missing. I will probably feel differently once the eighth film is released and we can see where it was heading. John.
Thank you John for this excellent wrap-up. I've learned a few things here and will take consideration of your thoughts in areas where I had already discounted their potential.. such as American Graffiti (which I skipped buying on-sale for a measlly $18 steelbook in-store, due to negative reviews of its transfer & grain.) I am especially happy to hear your comments on The Flash, for which I picked up the USA steelbook, purely and only because of Michael Keaton in the film. I have not yet seen the film and I am very aware it has a lot of negative press, but like you, I feel that Keaton *_IS_* Batman... so I put my money down on that steelbook. Very much looking forward to Aliens 2 and The Abyss... oh Please Please PLEASE do them justice!
American Graffiti confused a lot of people because they tend to think that all film transfers are the same but American Graffiti was just a little above 16mm when you actually know what TechniScope is so it never quite had the detail of other 35mm formats, particularly full frame anamorphic. It looks a little odd in places but that's to be expected. The shots of main street with all the colour have no business looking as good as they do. It doesn't all come across so well on my telly and that seems to be a general thing with what others have been telling me but without a big screen projection I think it's almost impossible to see the fine film grain a lot of the time but it is there. With The Flash be prepared for a load of nonsense that's more of a comedy for much of it. I've shown the opening to a few people because it's so funny and entertaining. The steelbook of both American Graffiti and The Flash are beautiful. John.
John, I appreciate your passion for physical media. I would love to see your take on Rosemary's Baby in 4K. Happy new Year.
I haven't seen Rosemary's Baby in probably more than 40 years. I do still remember it very well though. Marketing Film International issued it full length on Super 8 in 1979 but that was out of my reach back then by a long way. John.
Great video as always John. Haven’t watched in awhile but great to catch up and see your video output is as good and consistent as ever. Happy New Year. Looking forward to your reviews of the new Cameron releases next year.
Thank you Jorge. Good to have you back and happy new year. John.
Great synopsis of 4K 2023 and interesting top ten picks, loved the build up!
One I'm looking forward to is Vanishing Point as I think it's only on Blu-ray, so would love a review of this with a 4K follow-up, if it comes...
Ooh, that's the car chase film starring Barry Newman I think. That will be an exciting 4K release so if that is coming out then put me down for a copy! John.
Terrific round up. l too think The Flash was really good - deserves more love as it is a major fun film - l’ll be getting that on 4K for sure.
I showed the opening of The Flash to a friend on Saturday Kieran and we both laughed all the way through it. Terrific fun. Apparently Ezra Miller is out of favour and so people stayed away from the cinema for that one. What a terrible shame. John.
An interesting top-ten, John. Can't wait to catch your 4K Titanic review, though. Have you heard that it's unlikely we're gonna get a UK 4K The Abyss, due to that rat scene?
I had heard Stan. You might have a long wait for a review of TITANIC. Never much cared for that one but the actual sinking is fabulous. John.
Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦!
Great list! I was looking over my purchased movies this year and I think Maverick and John Wick 4 were my standouts. I bought one stinker. Event Horizon. What a pile.
Can’t wait to see what’s next on your channel. I wish nothing but the best for you in the coming year.
It's interesting about Event Horizon because a few people have told me the same Jeremy. I put the LaserDisc on a few weeks ago just to check my memory of that being absolutely fabulous was correct. It was. What is it that you think is bad? I'm wondering if it's because of the similar opinion of American Graffiti which is accused of looking like a digital video and if that's the case it will make sense because EVENT HORIZON is so clean and crisp and I suspect people don't believe it ever looked like that in the first place. It looked stunning at The Empire too but everything always looked pretty darned great in there until the downgrade in image quality had commenced as a prelude to the video switchover of 2011.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I can’t complain about the transfer. It was clear when I wanted it to be and the CGI was what it was. I guess I’m more upset with the story. The flow and pace at which things occurred. It just felt kind of forced and jumped to conclusions. I needed a different progression. What that is, I couldn’t tell you. It’s been too long since I watch the film to remember specifically.
I DO feel that this movie lends itself well to the Hellraiser universe. Which would have made me pay more attention during this movie had that been true. I’ve only seen the first Hellraiser movie, but I felt it was really well done.
I love Sam Neil, Lawrence fishburn, etc in most things, but this movie rubbed me the wrong way.
@@jeremyj. The first hour of EVENT HORIZON is gripping and full of suspense Jeremy but then it's suddenly in a rush. Apparently there was some enforced editing to get the running time down. I think it all went a bit silly which I can't see how a slower pace could have helped much but that first hour is good. A lot of horror films are similar now; good for the first half or the first hour and then turn into nonsense. It's not generally anything to do with a cine transfer that affects how good a film looks when it's put onto any video format, it's more about how good (or not) it looked in the first place. THE FUGITIVE is a good case in point as many people are telling me "it's an excellent transfer" when its nothing to do with that, it was a great looking film to start with. People don't realize how good 35mm could be after so many years of lower quality video shoots.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I think you’ve captured that point perfectly! Maybe I’ll watch it again next year and see if I feel the same. I own it after all!
The most sense of awe I felt this last year was when I was watching Murder on The Orient Express (2017). Holy poo that looked nice. All the shots were great. Then I saw Everything Everywhere All At Once. Which blew my mind from a story telling perspective. Then I watch Event Horizon… so I was a bit let down sad to say. Especially after a great run of movies!
@@jeremyj. I'm afraid that I found Everything Everywhere a let down. So many people recommended it but I can't bear to see perverted things in film and even though I can appreciate it's come from the mind of a mad man and is all meant to be fun I can't imagine that I'll ever be able to look at it again. Maybe if you give Event Horizon another try you can remind me to give Everything Everywhere another go at the same time. Murder on the Orient Express is one of the best. It isn't number one on our newer video projector but it's still up there in the top two or three. Funny how all this equipment gives variable results but it's something I'm getting ever more careful about when doing any review video because some can look wonderful in here and yet on televisions many are reporting that the same discs look awful. I haven't gotten to the bottom of why that is yet but I suspect digital 'enhancements' are switched on when they should all be off or minimized. John.
Thanks for this review John. I have most of the films you mentioned. High on my list is The Fugitive followed by TItanic
My unexpected guilty pleasure is Vol 3 of the Hitchcock universal series. Not the best of his films but pleased to have them as high quality back catalogue. I have The Abyss on DVD pretty sure its uncut on my version. Just seen it on pre-order on a site for 59.99 plus postage not happy.
Rest assured that £59.99 is a lot less than I paid for my Super 8 print about 30 years ago! Gawd only knows what that would be worth today but it ain't going anywhere. The Fugitive is another excellent Super 8 print which denotes the original quality of the film as it came from a 35mm general release print. If the 4K wasn't excellent then someone would have cocked up!
Have a happy new year Mike and keep enjoying those movies.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 A happy new year to yourself John
John do you have a multi region bluray player? There are so many classic films in the US on 4k you can import Kino are doing excellent work on 4k and Shout studios brilliant JFK which I’m sure you’d appreciate all from OCN and now sadly there will be no 4k release of The Abyss in the UK.
It's a rare thing for a 4K disc release to have a Blu-ray zone applied to it. There are some but I can't remember any in my own collection. The BLOW OUT 4K has a Blu-ray with a second Brian De Palma film on it which is worth a look but not exactly his best piece of work. The 4K of that one isn't available over here and the Blu-ray has zone A but easy to get around on any player.
I'm only interested in seeing the quality of THE ABYSS for a review video but I can't imagine I'd actually watch it all the way through. I did watch it about six weeks ago on Super 8 and that will always remain the most special way to see that great film at home for me. It's easy to forget how much fun the Super 8 hobby is until you put something like The Abyss on. When you know a film that well you don't really have to watch it, just enjoy looking at it and enjoying the interaction of the cast members and the artistry of how it was all put together,
Sadly, importing films tends to be a little too expensive for me so I'm not able to do it very often.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 the 4k don’t but all the features are on a region A bluray especially shout and kino
Sorry I’m late to comment. Happy New Year. Finally got the Blow Out Criterion😊 It really is a great watch. Got The Driver upon release in late 2022 and having revisited it a few weeks ago it truly is astounding. Get Carter is another great transfer. However as for Titanic… it does look cleaned up, but having said that grain is still ever so slightly evident, mind you the detail is superb. 2023 really was a great year and it was ruined by the news that The Abyss may not be getting a UK release due to a BBFC hiccup. May have to add another import onto the list along with Conan The Barbarian. As for Second Sight, really do hope The Hitcher makes its way finally to the format(s)
Titanic looked pristine on the 70mm blow-up I saw so I expect the usual howls of anguish are out there about it looking like a digital video now on 4K. A lot of it is a misunderstanding of the fine grain film stocks that are apparently often used for the lower quality 35mm formats. It's a shame about The Abyss but I only watched my Super 8 print about five or six weeks ago and nothing is ever going to replace that. Even if I bought a copy of the 4K disc I'd probably only watch parts of it to facilitate doing a review video as I don't think I could sit through the whole film again just yet. If I do want to watch it again I'll run the film print. BLOW OUT had the most velvety blacks on our Optoma UHD550X video projector. I must take a look at some of those dark scenes out by the river again through the UHZ50 to see if it's just as good through that.
Thank you for your support during 2023 and a happy new year. If the weather continues like this at least we won't be threatened with hose pipe bans and all that nonsense this summer!
John
@@moviecollector5920 Thank You. All The Best toy you too. When it comes to the weather I am more concerned about falling trees, since a tree fell down the road from where I reside, thankfully the property wasn’t damaged and no one was hurt. Since I live next door to a really high tree with a vast trunk which poses a risk to more than just one house. Anyhow regarding Titanic, I did see it 70mm in January 98 and I certainly remember it being pristine. Regarding the 4K it has come under fire for the CGI water looking fake, but honestly this is 90s CGI and because the rest of the transfer looks so detailed I cannot complain. As for The Abyss, which cut do you own? And prefer? One title that has come under fire though is True Lies and even though I only saw the introduction on streaming on Apple TV (really do not recall how I managed to purchase it for some reason) the picture looks DNR’d to within an inch of its life. It could be just the stream since it says that the stream is in Dolby Vision, but it doesn’t look great. However I will reserve my judgment till I see it on a physical copy.
@@spaceodds1985 There have been plenty of trees down everywhere with the train lines suffering particularly badly as they haven't had the maintenance they used to get to ensure everything carries on running. Ever get the feeling we're falling apart here because I've never known such a crap time? Rant over and onto more interesting things. I have been replying to many comments about TITANIC with mention of the shots of the ship in the water looking so fake that it turned the film into a bit of a joke. I don't know why others didn't pick up on it back in 1998 because it was so bad. One friend who ran a special effects house in Covent Garden mentioned it to me though and we both laughed at how awful it looked. This is happening all the time now whereby people are passing opinions on films thinking something has been done to them for a new 4K release when in reality that was how it looked in the first place. Apparently the correct star field has been put in for when the ship is sinking so they have played around a bit but that's probably only in an attempt to shut up the armchair moaning minnies on social media. It takes a heck of a lot of work to get any disc release out there so we should all be more understanding of what these studios and companies have to go through. A 35mm general release print of TITANIC onto a huge screen will have disguised most of the inadequacies but a 70mm blow-up directly from the camera negative won't have done. It's the same with a 4K home video release which most are watching on a tiny telly - there is no way to hide those inadequacies. Add to that the necessity to rein in the exacerbated film grain caused by scanning and it is amazing that they all do as well as they do. It might be the same thing with TRUE LIES which looks pristine on LaserDisc and Super 8 (just the trailer this time though) I also remember it looking pretty perfect in the cinema. Queue more howls of excessive image noise reduction when the 4K appears!
John.
Just got word of a new release coming soon... thought you'd like it so.. keep an eye out... Southern Comfort.. 4k in the special features there's a 15min interview/discussion on Walter Hill by Wayne Byrne who wrote the book on him last year.
I don't think I've ever seen Southern Comfort. Just looked it up and no, never seen it. Looks like it's a Shout Factory release so may not go on sale over here. Maybe Arrow Films will do a deal with them as they sometimes do. John.
Happy new year John my favourite has to be Oppenheimer at first thought it was very confusing but when i got into it i thought it was fantastic
but my favourite Nolan film has to be interstellar one film i would like to see on 4k would be kingdom of Heaven but probably won't happen any way keep up with the great content and lets hope for many new releases to come this year
OPPENHEIMER looks so good owing to its large film format origins that it probably would have been towards the top of the list irrespective of what the film was actually like. a happy new year to you John.
John.
Excellent video John, you have some great picks there. I must check out Blow Out as I've never seen it 😮. I for one would be very interested in a video of your full Alien collection in the future. Keep your great videos coming in 2024. All the best too.
Thank you Andrew. I think I had almost everything out for the Alien review almost three years ago but I'll go through it all again and see if I can come up with an interesting review video for Aliens. Blow Out has Nancy Allen with John Travolta again and that was a big help in terms of me getting wrapped up in it. They are great individually but even better together. It's a great story though with a great look and a wonderful, downbeat ending. John.
Nice list😀 My number goes to the Psycho 4k Collection from arrow video all the sequels that arrow did an restoration of with the help from Universal looked awesome !
I finally purchased the 4K of Psycho a couple of months ago Niels. I saw the film on a telly broadcast as a boy but didn't much care for it. The reviews of the 4K box set told me it was time to finally try that first classic film again but I still didn't much care for it. Just as well I didn't invest in the box of four films after all but I'm pleased that fabulous Arrow set has gone down well. The 4K disc is a cracker though. Who would ever have thought we'd be able to see Hitchcock's ground breaking thriller in such wonderful quality at home?
John.
Just watched the Blu-ray of a Haunting in Venice, looked beautiful, the cinematography was fantastic, in the extras it said it was filmed in I-max , it wasn't as good as the other two but the look of it ,wow, shame there's no 4k release, but it looked wonderful on Blu-ray.
I really must purchase a copy of that one Laura. It wasn't shot in IMAX though so take that with a pinch of salt because they pass off video cameras as IMAX now which is a fraction of the resolution of genuine IMAX. In the case of A HAUNTING IN VENICE it was 6K video cameras so probably a little above 35mm potential quality. Thank you for reminding me that I still haven't seen this one. If there had have been a 4K disc I would have done by now but Blu-ray is so good I don't know why I didn't get it immediately. John.
hi if you are interested you can now get the blue ray brothers Grimm in both smile box and letterbox format phil
I'd have bought that already Phil but it means importing and that's a little too expensive for me right now. John.
Hi John, Happy New Year! I have enjoyed your reviews throughout and also really liked your home Cinema set up. I have a nostalgia movie called Melody came out 1971 directed by Waris Hussian stars Mark Lester and Jack Wild and a great soundtrack by the Bee Gees it’s real gem of a movie was wondering if you have it in your collection and if you have what are your views on it.
Regards Darren
I don't think I've ever seen MELODY Darren. I do like Mark Lester though so it's possible I saw it on a television broadcast when I was younger and now have not recollection of it. I hadn't got into the BeeGees by the time that film was made but as a result of them having composed the soundtrack I really should know and remember the film. I'll have to look it up.
Happy new year by the way.
John.
@@moviecollector5920
I have it on blu ray for my collection also purchased it on Amazon prime I think both you and your wife will enjoy this little gem I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen this , hope you enjoy it and maybe review it on your next video , cheers Darren 🙏
Happy New Year, John.
Thank you Dan. The same to you. John.
Some great picks John, I have to say I really enjoyed The Fabelmans, I was so drawn into that film it left me wanting more, and as everybody knows, it's all about Speilberg. 65 was recommended to me by Keith, and I had a good time with that one as well.
There have been some good films this year - some very good films now that I think about it. It's a shame there was so much negativity about a few of them but I suppose that's the modern world. 65 was a wonderful surprise. Another I did speak about but cut it out as the video was rambling on for too long was the 2022 release of 'CRAWL'. If you haven't seen that one and you liked 65 then you should enjoy that too.
John.
Yes, Crawl was another enjoyable monster flick. I saw that one a few years ago. Thanks John.@@moviecollector5920
Haven't seen or purchased The Changeling on 4k yet but overall, I think horror movies get some of the biggest upgrades from Blu-ray to 4k. Logically makes sense with the amount of contrast available but doesn't get mentioned enough.
You've hit on something there... the dark and low light levels were almost made for ghost stories. But then THE OTHERS on 4K didn't come with HDR and didn't need it. It's always a learning process because I considered HDR vital to the success of 4K before I took a look at that one. John.
Couple of recommendations for you that might surprise you John.
Sisu, Dungeons and Dragons, The Fugitive (amazing 4k, I loved rewatching this) and I’ve just picked up the Robodoc documentary which I’ve heard great things about.
For me personally my favourite film and 4k disc of the year for picture/sound has to be John Wick 4.
I can tell you why The Fugitive is an amazing 4K Tom and that's because it was an amazing 35mm. I don't have to see that disc to know it will be top-notch because it has been on every home video release up to this point but most fundamentally it was a Super 8 feature taken from a 35mm general release print and that looked sensational. It looks fabulous at the Warner West End in 1993 so it shouldn't be any surprise. The most important factor in any cine to video transfer is how good did the film look originally and this is why the Nolan IMAX films make for the best 4K disc releases.
John Wick 4 looked brilliant, particularly when you consider it was shot entirely on video. Babylon probably looks even better but I've been told that one was actually a 35mm so it would be interesting to know what you think of how that looks. It's not a particularly nice film though so that's something to bear in mind.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I wanted to see Babylon mainly because of the cast but then the subject matter just didn’t really appeal to me. It’s also about 3 hours long I think? I may pick it up when it’s cheap. I’ve Got a lot of new releases coming in the new year that are going to lighten my wallet somewhat!😆
@@TomGur147 It's a dangerous hobby. Just don't let your wife see your bank statement!
Just when I thought I was done for awhile Amazon had a 3 for $33. I got American Made, Maltese Falcon and The Town.
I don't have The Maltese Falcon Gary but American Made and The Town are both bloody good! It's a shame you have to use Amazon though. I had a similar problem looking for optical mirrors for the 35mm projection and the only listing I can find is in China - and that's even worse than using Amazon. A slap on the wrist for me there! John.
@@moviecollector5920 when I was a kid, most cheap stuff said “ made in Japan” and everyone didn’t want it. It’s always something!
Greetings! What a fun video.
Glad you like it Timothy. John.
@moviecollector5920 I usually do. Also, as usual, there are a few titles I'd like your opinion on. Such as Die Hard 4k and Robin Hood: Prince of Thives. I know that they aren't the newest titles, but I'm sure that there are still a lot of us who would be interested in your opinion of them.
@@timothymathetes I might get the Robin Hood title sometime Timothy but Die Hard is less likely as I've had a Super 8 feature print for so long that I don't think I would ever want to watch it on anything else. I did say that about Alien though and eventually I relented and took a look at the 4K. It's just sitting there on the shelf though and I don't suppose I'll ever pull it out to watch it all the way through. I actually prefer Die Hard 2 over the original film. Another Super 8 feature and one that I've probably run more than any other except for John Carpenter's Halloween. John.
@moviecollector5920 How interesting! I only just finished rewatching Die Hard 2 last night. My favorite of the sequels has always been Die Hard with a Vengeance, but I definitely got a better appreciation for Die Hard 2 last night. The cinematography is very good, and I enjoyed seeing McClane getting along with his wife. The stakes were much higher, too. It was fun.
@@timothymathetes It's the snow and the confined nature of that film being set within an airport at Christmas that makes it for me. The wonderful special effects of the aeroplanes also helps. And Marvin the janitor too of course. John.
Great video John. I discovered your channel early this year and have loved watching your videos ever since. You & Keith at Euphoria Pictures are my two favourite channels.
I'm curious - how many 4K discs do you own?
Thanks for a great year of videos and happy new year to you!
Good to have you here Matt. Keith and I have been in contact since soon after I started this channel. Keith only got going a couple of months before and we have similar taste so we hit it off. As for how many 4K discs I have I don't know but my estimate would be around 300. John.
Great video, John and I'm so glad The Others made the Top 10! It's one of my favourite films of all time. I look forward to the Aliens special video in 2024 😅....Happy New Year!
Evening James. The Others is the first to make it obvious that 4K doesn't always need HDR to look just like a film print and still be superior to the Blu-ray taken from the same master. On top of that it's a great film so it had to be up there somewhere. John.