DVD?
Is this movie out on DVD?
shareNo, it isn't.
shareBut the showings on cable TV appear to be open matte (the ceiling of his loft where the front end of the triceratops is under construction is far too high and was surely matted out), so if you're adept at video capture, matting, and DVD mastering, you can make your own widescreen edition.
But if you do, buy the DVD anyway if it comes out.
Good point about the ceiling, and good advice about bootlegging. I noticed the preview before the film on my VHS tape was widescreen, which was pretty rare for mainstream films in the '80s.
Maybe if this film ever is released on DVD -- and I'm not saying it should be -- they could include a "making of" feature titled "'Squeeze' Technique." Or maybe not.
It was released on Netflix today, not the DVD but for online viewing, I guess they made a transfer from a VHS tape.
----------
"If I've never seen it before, it's a new release to me."
That's too bad the print is only as good as a full-screen VHS tape, but maybe that's the best source that was available. Of course, this isn't necessarily the type of film that merits a careful restoration.
shareI'm not going to have time to watch it until this weekend but out of curiosity I checked and it is in 1.85 or 16:9 ratio, they must have sourced the original print. I have my computer hooked up to a Samsung 46" 1080p HDTV and surround sound and this movie looked and sounded as if it were DVD quality.
----------
"If I've never seen it before, it's a new release to me."
Oh, that sounds good. I would be surprised if Netflix were just offering the VHS-quality film for a download, unless it was an extremely rare title. (I don't speak from experience here -- just guessing.) I found a cheap VHS of this film for a buck, and while it's not great cinema, it's pleasant entertainment, a pretty typical '80s action comedy.
shareIt's also now available in high definition on cable. I have it marked Keep Until I Delete on my TiVo Series3 and will be doing a comparison to the open matte version. (I will amend this posting with the channel name.)
It was on HDNET Movies.
Also, keep in mind that the aspect ratio of a trailer isn't necessarily reflective of the aspect ratio of the movie. Consider the "The X-Files: Fight the Future" DVD and the trailers included on it. That film is wider than many of its widescreen trailers.
share