I can see why in their eyes they would like physical media to stop because if you walk into a Best Buy, Target, Barnes and Noble, and more their selection seems to be getting smaller and smaller like they plan on phasing it out like most of them have done with music.
This may be happening as a result of pressure from the elite studios who wish they could stop production altogether on physical media and push their will onto masses. It is not Shatner or Friedle they are trying to push on us. The studios seem to want us to watch an inferior product through downloaded material or stream it.
The problem is there I have not seen a good digital source or stream yet without some kind of problem. Whether your movie that you watch cuts midstream in the middle of you watching it or the film just looks a step above DVD quality, but you get something inferior looking to BluRay. Now this can be an issue I own the WWE Network and have never been able to watch a Live Event without it breaking up or even a movie without some pause.
Yet the studios want to educate you streaming is the way go to go and that they can convince the majority of the population who don't care or try to see the difference in quality this is the best route to go. Honestly this irritates me because a 4K stream looks subpar to BluRay and BluRay is below 4KUHD. The Cinephiles are not buying it.
The Truth: The days of Physical Media as we know it did die and Samsung's announcement proves that. Is that a bad thing? At first glance yes, but in all honesty that may be the best thing happening at the moment in film the fall of studio handled releases.
What I am seeing in the last few years is the rise of boutique labels in the industry. Sure Criterion is the king when it comes to boutique labels that not only the Boutique Labels follow, but the big boys followed for quite a while as well. The thing is the big boys don't know how to handle their releases or even care on some if the film can get a release or not.
What this means for us not all films may see the light of digital or streaming or may just ne available for a limited time. What that has done is open a new market for boutique labels to say hey let us license the film from you and release it under our label.
The Result: Companies whose main goals are to restore older films with love get them and release them on to physical media for us. Sure they make a stream and digital copy as well, but these individuals who restore them actually love these films and went us to enjoy them as much as they do. That may be why on most top ten releases of 2018 onto home media the overwhelming majority of the picks actually came from Boutique Labels.
So what Physical Media has evolved into is the hipsters reason for vinyl. We want the best quality of video possible, but at the same time stay true as possible to the source material. What we also want is access to the films we fell in love with as kids or in our college years. The studios are not giving us that because they don't want to do small print runs of 300 to 2000 releases onto BluRay or 4KUHD they don't see the money they want. These boutique labels as long as their is a profit will deliver us the films we want. Here are a few you should research.
Twilight Times: They seem to mostly release the older catalog films 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures onto BluRay. This group takes the time to clean and restore the films they release. Some of the highlights include 9 to 5, Bob Ted Carol Alice, and more. So they tend to release popular films that are older and just might not have enough sells to warrant a release from the studio. I was shocked 9 to 5 was not released by Fox Studios directly.
Criterion: They are the kings, but the films they pick lately you have to ask are they Criterion worthy. That said they do a great job on restoration and release what they feel are the most influential films of their time. That said some people look at these films for snobs or the general public wont understand. I don't care if a film I like is getting a Criterion release I'll pick it up.
Vinegar Syndrome: They release B films of all genres thay fall under exploitation. I'm not saying. If you like exploitation films this is your company. The odd thing is they clean up their releases, but leave some damage in to give the films a tough grindhouse look to them. For people who want to complain they hate the look BluRay gives to film, Vinegar Syndrome is your company. Stand out releases are Sex World and Penitentiary.
Arrow Films: If Criterion is the king of world, indie, and arthouse cinema, then Arrow Films are the king of important Cult, Grindhouse, and exploitation films across the world. Arrow in many ways is a gateway drug to a fantastic new world that once you are hooked you can't stop watching. Arrow's Restoration for older films is to give them the look, grain, and color the film deserves to be seen in. Alot of films from Japan and Italy are in this collection. Stand out films The Baby, Deep Red, and Shock and Gore Box Set.
Severin Films: As a Boutique Label Severin Films is all about the overall experience. Severin if you pre-order will include goodies with their releases which could be anything from collectable pins to sign films posters or even black gloves. They are probably the most fun company to buy an item from directly.
Other Indie Labels: Kino Lorber also specializes in cult films, foriegn, and indie films, but they mostly license from other companies that do the work. So as a result a film from the can be like a box of chocolates. I personally love the sexploitation horror line from them called Redemption Films. Issue is they don't get released on a regular basis. I would also check out Shameless from the UK. Raro Video is another company to check out that specializes in Italian Films.
The thing is while places said they had a loss in sales in 2018 with Physical Media these boutique labels said they had record sales by providing hard to get films, stellar restorations, and sometimes goodies that let you know these video companies care that there name is on the label.
Don't let that Samsung article scare you, instead be happy that physical media is becoming hip again thanks to boutique labels and will now be thought of as fondly as vinyl is now.
Next Review: Faust
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