Stop Making Sense to get a new 4K theatrical run, courtesy of A24 (with E.T. Thorngren Atmos mix)

Advertise with us
Amazon
Find deals on ebay
QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
IMG_1449.jpg
Well I never got a shipping notice, and yet…
 
I contacted A24 a couple days back and was told ‘shipping by end of this week’. No shipping/tracking number yet so I guess it’s shipping next week now…
 
Just gave the extended cut a spin, might be my preferred way of watching this now, Cities and Big Business/I Zimbra fit perfectly well into the flow.

The new 4K remaster is stellar, no DNR (thank god) but a nice crisp image, with tight grain. The Dolby Vision is nice although the only actually bright thing is the lamp in This Must Be The Place.

The Atmos is killer. It could stand to be a touch more adventurous, leaning towards a front heavy and audience in back experience but opens up as the film progresses, with Life During Wartime when things start really picking up. Synth solos swirl around, backing vocals like Heaven (not Tina! Caught that this time, her mouth doesn’t move… must be someone off stage) float in the rear heights, and when David puts the mic near the cowbell in Take Me To The River it does some fun things in the heights/sides/rears.

Exploring the special features reveals a few things:

The two new songs are available as separate videos that use the same 4K remaster footage… but are Dolby Digital 5.1 for some reason, and lack Dolby Vision. Notably this is the only 5.1 on this disc (minus the Atmos fold down) as it is lacking the two previous 5.1 mixes. There’s a transfer of a very worn VHS of David Byrne (and later on some of the other extended band members) practicing choreography to absolute silence, and a compilation of the band being interviewed on TV back in the day and in 2023. There’s also the pre-existing director commentary that is advertised to be “remixed using archival material”, which I haven’t gotten to yet but seems interesting.

The most baffling inclusion, however, is the old home video version on Laserdisc. Other than the 4:3 framing, this inclusion seems to serve no point as the new extended cut seems to be the same thing, just in 4K, with Dolby Vision, and Atmos (where as the laserdisc transfer is limited to stereo). If the new restored/edited version of this cut, done better, is on this disc, why include a worse version? I’d rather have the two 5.1 mixes on this disc to make it feel more “complete”.

The book it comes inside is… strange. Lots of pages but most of them are just scans of film strips, the same image over and over just slightly different. The content it does have is however, interesting, such as scans of the editor’s notebook, who seems overwhelmed by the project, and diagrams of camera placements, call sheets, etc. The disc slot is in the front cover of the book and has one of those “push to release” disc holders that… has imprinted on the first few pages of the book. On paper its a neat package… in practice it’s a bit odd.

As a huge fan of the film I’m glad I have it, but have to admit it’s a steep price for something that can’t really be called definitive. I have to wonder if a cheaper non deluxe version is coming later down the line… if so and you don’t want the book and slipcase and bells and whistles that’s probably the version to get
 
PurpleMoustache said:
I have to wonder if a cheaper non deluxe version is coming later down the line… if so and you don’t want the book and slipcase and bells and whistles that’s probably the version to get
Click to expand...
If there is, it most likely won't be released by A24. They haven't themselves released cheaper versions of any of their other "Collector's Editions". Some of their titles have been licensed out to other publishers though.
 
I received mine but unable to rip it so far. I'm told in a day or two DVDFab will have it figured out.
I don't have a 4K disc player so rely on software for playback.
Actually I had to downgrade the firmware in the pc optical drive I use for ripping just to "see" the disc.
 
Got mine yesterday. Compared the new 4k disc to the Kaleidescape downloaded version that I received back on March 26th. The extended version of the concert on the 4k disc has 2 songs not included on the regular concert version on the disc, and unfortunately the Kaleidescape version does not include the extended version with the extra 2 songs - all in Dolby Atmos - Cities (track 4) and Big Business / I Zimbra (track 14).
Both the picture and Dolby Atmos audio are simply sensational - best convert video ever both video and audio!
 
Mine has finally shipped but not due to arrive for another 10 days (on a slow plane to Australia):

I found this in The Digital Bits review which makes this Atmos mix different than the usual with an interesting ‘focus’ approach:

Harrison (band member and Atmo mixer) also made one interesting change throughout the entire Atmos mix that really does enhance the subjective experience of watching Stop Making Sense. Any time that the camera is focused on one of the band members, he subtly dialed up the sound of their instruments (or their voices), and not just during the solos, either—it happens even when the camera cuts to someone who is “only” playing rhythm. It’s a busy mix no matter what, especially when the full expanded band is onstage, but the new change makes it easier to focus on whatever the person in front of the camera is doing. As a result, details that were previously buried in the mix are now much clearer.

I’ve not noticed this mixing style on any previous surround mixes. Has this been done before? @sjcorne
 
HomerJAU said:
Mine has finally shipped but not due to arrive for another 10 days (on a slow plane to Australia):

I found this in The Digital Bits review which makes this Atmos mix different than the usual with an interesting ‘focus’ approach:

Harrison (band member and Atmo mixer) also made one interesting change throughout the entire Atmos mix that really does enhance the subjective experience of watching Stop Making Sense. Any time that the camera is focused on one of the band members, he subtly dialed up the sound of their instruments (or their voices), and not just during the solos, either—it happens even when the camera cuts to someone who is “only” playing rhythm. It’s a busy mix no matter what, especially when the full expanded band is onstage, but the new change makes it easier to focus on whatever the person in front of the camera is doing. As a result, details that were previously buried in the mix are now much clearer.

I’ve not noticed this mixing style on any previous surround mixes. Has this been done before? @sjcorne
Click to expand...
That is pretty cool. I wasn't paying attention to notice. I've watched both the Kaleidescape 4k HDR and the 4k disc version (today) and thought the sonics and Dolby Atmos presentation were outstanding both times! But turning up when video is focused on a particular player/instrument is so natural that most of us will simply enjoy it and not realize this unless we are "forewarned"! Now I'll have to watch again shortly.
 
So on the fence for this one. I will cost me more than $100, which is not worth it - especially as I do not give a xxxx for the tat that comes with the disc. BUt would hate it if this one is out of print by the time we realise that a regular edition will not become available. Does anyone have a clue as to how rare these A24 releases end up to be?
 
JoshBasswood said:
So on the fence for this one. I will cost me more than $100, which is not worth it - especially as I do not give a xxxx for the tat that comes with the disc. BUt would hate it if this one is out of print by the time we realise that a regular edition will not become available. Does anyone have a clue as to how rare these A24 releases end up to be?
Click to expand...

As a fan and collector of some of the often eclectic movies that A24 chooses to produce and/or distribute, it would not at all surprise me if this expensive limited edition was the only way which the 4k version was released. This has been the case with several of their past 4k movie titles. The 4k Director's Cut of Midsommar, 4k The Last Black Man In San Francisco, and 4k Marcel the Shell With Shoes On were all exclusively offered for sale direct from the A24 online store in expensive limited collectors editions. All have since ended up on eBay at scalper pricing.

This is why I grudgingly sucked it up and pre-ordered the 4k Stop Making Sense set on offer for $124.30 CAD shipped. I sure hope I don't get dinged for import fees as well when it arrives...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

haikubass
2024 SURROUND RELEASES
4 5 6
Replies
107
Views
27K
haikubass
haikubass

Latest posts

Back
Top