John Takis

The Vitamin String Quartet has also done dedicated albums for Star Wars and Harry Potter. And there are probably more that my cursory search didn't turn up...

I'm a wee bit biased, but I obviously can't recommend this release highly enough! If anyone here has the slightest interest, I urge you not to miss it.

First of all, I'm wrong -- taking another look, this IS the 2018 remastered version of 2001 that was prepared alongside the 4K release! It's supposedly more accurate to the OCN, though the noticeable differences in aspect ratio and color timing engendered a lot of debate online. (It is also apparently NOT the Christopher Nolan version that was released in theaters a while back, which most consider a good thing.) You can view comparison screencaps for yourself here. Personally, there are some shots I prefer in the older scan and others I prefer in the newer scan. I might have picked this one up had I realized it was the new scan, just so I'd have the option to compare for myself. It's dirt cheap! On the other hand, I may want to have this in 4K at some point, and I believe that comes with the exact same remastered Blu-ray disc as this edition... The Shout! Factory EARTHQUAKE has a new 2K scan of the interpositive and a boatload of special features, including the extended TV cut and a Williams featurette with Jon Burlingame. I don't own either edition, but based on reviews, the older transfer is decent but does exhibit some digital sharpening. Still, if all you want is a watchable copy of the film, the $14 price difference (the Shout! is currently $19 on Amazon) might tip the scales. Excellent! WOLFWALKERS left me somewhat cold, despite the typically beautiful animation -- and since I was able to nab both THE SECRET OF KELLS and SONG OF THE SEA for dirt cheap, I contented myself with those. But if you're a fan of Cartoon Saloon, definitely grab THE BREADWINNER for $5 if you don't have it already! Both! The "director preferred" desaturated DRACULA from 1991 is on disc one, while the lusher original theatrical color timing is preserved on disc two. Personally, I strongly prefer the latter. I've seen a few complaints about image softness during the early reels, but it's nothing that bothered me. The Shout! release also boasts a ton of new special features (although I don't believe there are any Williams comments apart from those found on the "Revamping of Dracula" bonus doc that was also on the previous disc).

For this latest order, I added THE BREADWINNER, ROXANNE, SHIRAZ and THIS IS SPINAL TAP. It all averaged out to about $6 a title after shipping. For $3, The Coen Bros. TRUE GRIT is a bargain (and comes with HONDO as a double feature). For $4, there's JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. THE FATAL FIVE if you're a DCAU fan; ZERO THEOREM if you're a Terry Gilliam fan; and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (the older transfer, which I think is fine. EDIT: It's the newer 2018 transfer.) if you don't have it for some reason. $5 gets you EARTHQUAKE (though sadly not the Shout! Factory edition) if you're hunting for more Williams-scored 70s pictures. There are a bunch of STAR TREK releases, though mostly stuff that's since been superseded by the 4K remasters. That's just the sub-$5 stuff. If you click "Power Search" you can scroll through "Select a Publisher" to find boutique labels. Other cheap Arrow titles include THREE BROTHERS and THE WITCHES, though I've seen neither. From Shout! Factory, they have the original MAD MAX Collector's Edition for $5, and $48 is a good price for their release of Cartoon Saloon's IRISH FOLKLORE TRILOGY (it's currently $56 at Amazon and GKIDS). Note that they catalog Scream Factory releases separately from Shout!; you'll find good prices on the Collector's Editions of MISERY and FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN -- and the 1979 Williams-scored DRACULA Collector's Edition is only $18 compared to $23 at Amazon; I'd definitely recommend that one, if you don't have it yet! Hamilton Book also sells music and books (natch), so it's usually well worth your time to shop around -- especially with that flat-rate $4 shipping (I don't know if it goes up when the package volume hits a certain weight, but I've never paid more than that).

For anyone in the U.S. who wants to add IMAGES to your shelf, the excellent Arrow Blu-ray (which includes a music appreciation featurette by musician/author Stephen Thrower) is currently on sale at Hamilton Book for just $6.95 (before $4 flat rate shipping), which is something like 83% off MSRP: https://www.hamiltonbook.com/robert-altmans-images-blu-ray

It's back up for sale at DME! Still limited to 3 per customer. Perhaps it will stick around longer or be restocked again, but I'm not chancing it, so I just placed my order.

Here is the (non) word from DME: Hello John, We appreciate that you've taken the time to contact us! I am sorry, but we are not given anticipated restock dates for out-of-stock items, nor are we provided with advance notice of what may become available in the store. We do not have any information regarding items carried or offered by other retailers. Be sure to check the website regularly to see if specific items become available at a later date. We also recommend subscribing to the newsletter for the latest on new products, back-in-stock notifications, and promotions. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or concerns. Sincerely, Greg Customer Service In other words, their customer service department does not know the answers to these questions. Again, if anyone managed to obtain a spare copy and would be open to selling or trading, feel free to get in touch. Perhaps it will come back in stock, but I'd just as soon not chance it.

I've emailed DME inquiring about ALADDIN, so perhaps they'll respond with some clarification. I'll post if I hear anything back. In the meantime, anyone who may have picked up an extra copy and would be interested in selling at cost (or possibly trading for some OOP goodie) is welcome to send me a private message or drop me an email.

Showing as "not currently available" at the Disney Music Emporium website. Presumably they sold out of their initial stock. Hopefully there are more copies on the way. I will be majorly upset if this turns out to be a "stealth" limited edition! Of all the Disney Renaissance expansions, this was the one I wanted the most. But I was in no rush, as none of the previous titles have been limited or even all that difficult to find. Even Hunchback, which hasn't seemed to be available anywhere but the DME, has been consistently available since its release. Fingers crossed...

Indeed! Edited.

If memory serves, every "volume" of the digital versions corresponds to a single CD from one of the LLL sets. So the first two LLL sets totaling 6 CDs, that works out to 6 digital "volumes." I don't believe anything from Vols. 3 and 4 (which total 6 more CDs) has gotten a digital release -- though I could be wrong. In any case, the physical sets are definitely the way to go -- though I'm clearly biased!

I was a freshman in college when I made the account, and wasn't yet an FSM contributor, let alone working for any of the labels, so using a handle didn't seem like a big deal. I've thought about changing it, but most folks there seem to know who I am.

Ha! You did, I just didn't scroll up far enough.