Jump to content

Anyone else miss all the specks in movies?


Recommended Posts

33 minutes ago, Norma's Corpse said:

Sounds like the consensus is people prefer movies to look bland and sterile.

 

I don’t necessarily miss the dust specks but I do miss the “filmic” look of movies before they got cleaned up for HD or 4K home releases — which often turned them flat and sterile, like you say. Making it worse was the way this cleanup process made special effects look cheap and fake. Explosions especially. The old film feel smoothed the harsh edges on those. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Iron_Giant said:

 

I don’t necessarily miss the dust specks but I do miss the “filmic” look of movies before they got cleaned up for HD or 4K home releases — which often turned them flat and sterile, like you say. Making it worse was the way this cleanup process made special effects look cheap and fake. Explosions especially. The old film feel smoothed the harsh edges on those. 

 

Perhaps you are you referring to video noise reduction?

 

4 minutes ago, Norma's Corpse said:

Back then they made it loud and clear.

star-wars-trilogy-vhs-widescreen-collection-trailer.jpg

39881710_2290481341262497_6653558825800433664_n.jpg

 

I admit, I was always on the lookout for black bars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Searchers was the first Blu Ray I watched and I remember it had an almost 3D look to it. I realize this was probably due to the Vistavision, but I wish more films had this quality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Titanic is actually a great example — when it got cleaned up for Netflix or Amazon Prime or wherever I last watched it, the filmic charm was gone. The sinking scenes looked so much like they were shot on a studio lot.🙁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Alexcremers said:

Why do you (and Drax) know so much about Cinemascope, Vistavision, Anamorphic and so on? Don't you prefer 4:3?

 

u2qx7nx484lz.jpg

 

You gotta know your enemies...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You had to go to Suncoast and hope they had the widescreen alternative. Full screen was still common for a while in the US when DVD and widescreen TVs were popular, so you had to make sure you picked the right version. The jet black bars made the movies look more cinematic on your Sony Trinitron. I think there was more nudity in the 4:3 Titanic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indubitably!

 

I do have a certain nostalgia for the dirty film look Justin's talking about, but I generally prefer the clean look of modern digital projectors...with the major caveat being that I still prefer the look of stuff shot on film (especially during the 80s and 90s). Give me that, but projected with modern equipment, and I'm a happy camper.

 

That's not to say everything shot nowadays looks horrible to me...I just don't have as strong an association between that look and the cinematic experience. I'm sure it'd be different if I grew up in the 2010s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alex, Datameister lives near LA.  The digital screens there are absolutely better than the ones you're describing from your area.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Jay said:

Alex, Datameister lives near LA.  The digital screens there are absolutely better than the ones you're describing from your area.  

 

I dunno, what we have here is supposed to be state of the art (Laser projection) and everyone raves about the quality, but to me color or contrast are sorely lacking. Have to check the theatres in L.A. to see if there's truly a difference.

 

5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Definitely.  She was great in Jackie Brown!

 

One of Tarantino's best!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how much better the theater setups are out here, but I do remember the earliest films I saw in digital, and they looked pretty "computery" to be. Same goes for non-CRT TVs/monitors. Now I have no such issues. I assume the technology has just gotten better, but maybe I've adjusted too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/16/2018 at 6:12 AM, Alexcremers said:

Really? I think digital projection is downright terrible with awful image quality (at least in the theatres in my city). It's the main reason why I never go see movies in theatres. Nothing beats a German 35mm/70mm film projector and a fresh release print. 

 

 

For Drax & Dynamic:

 

interieur-astra.jpg

 

Ciné Trinitron

Funniest post, all week!

Thanks, Alex.

I'm with you (oh, no, we're agreeing on something!:lol:)😞 Digital sucks.

Ironically, the only way that I can see something on "celluloid", is to watch DVDs and Blu Rays of older films. Even with remastering, the "organic" quality shines through.

 

 

 

 

On 10/15/2018 at 4:47 PM, Iron_Giant said:

The sinking scenes looked so much like they were shot on a studio lot.🙁

Erm...they were :unsure:.

 

 

 

 

 

On 10/15/2018 at 5:00 PM, Norma's Corpse said:

I remember they made a "Special Widescreen Presentation" for Multiplicity when it first aired on cable TV in 1997.

...with a "Special Widescreen" waste bin, to go with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, sure, those scenes were lot-shot (is that a term?)—but in the theatrical release, it never looked that way. The “filmness” of film masked that, at least until it got cleaned up for high-def.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.