CineSavant Column
Hello!
We were happy last July to review Criterion’s new 4K of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, even if it meant taking some flak for not being a fervent admirer of the movie as a whole. Scholar and film writer Gordon Thomas told me back then that he was writing up his own article on the movie for the Bright Lights Film Journal, and now it has arrived:
I’ve made an effort to appreciate the good things in PGABTK but get bogged down in its shapelessness and lack of development. Mr. Thomas finds a different group of complaints… for instance, he finds the acting contribution of Bob Dylan to be difficult to watch. But Thomas concludes goes on to hail the show as an unique masterpiece and one of Sam’s best.
We’ve been admirers of Gordon Thomas’s film criticism for more years than we care to admit. We strongly recommend his older Bright Lights essays for Beggars of Life, Ben-Hur and War and Peace.
3-D Responses:
Just three days ago we put out a feeler at the CineSavant Column to find out how other 3-D collector aficionados were dealing with the shaky situation with Blu-ray 3-D. I received a number of prompt responses, and discovered that die-hard fans of the format were finding different ways to hang on to 3-D capability.
Here’s a sampling of responses, minimally edited. I’ve not identified anybody, partly because I forgot to ask for permission! —
From October 14:
Hi Glenn … In response to your request for reader feedback on whether we still have 3-D setups, the answer is yes! A few years ago my beloved 3-D plasma tv – a Samsung that delivered stunning picture quality as far as I was concerned – bit the dust and I was pretty blue about it. So last year I invested in a Benq projector with 3-D capability and am in love with it. It uses active glasses – I believe you’ve talked about projectors that used passive glasses, but I was unable to find any. Would be curious about which make/model you mean. But active glasses are not much of an issue for me, so I was happy to buy this model.
My projector cost a little over $1000 and the quality of the 3-D is infinitely better than what I enjoyed on my old plasma screen. I continue to buy new 3-D discs as my budget allows, and am very grateful to those who keep putting them out. And to you, for helping me keep up to date on new releases! Best, —
Note: we can’t remember mentioning any ‘passive’ 3-D projectors … we also don’t think there are any.
October 14:
Glenn … I have two 3-D options: I bought the last generation of 3-D capable LG 64 inch flat screen with passive glasses about the same time as your set-up, and like you I hope it will run for a few more years at least. But more recently I also bought an expensive Sony 4K projector that could be upgraded with active 3-D. It has a laser lamp which is supposed to run for something like 20,000 hours, i.e. for the rest of my life span I hope. These 3-D capable projectors are still on the market, as are 3-D capable Blu-ray and 4K players. Best, —
October 13:
Glenn – Good to see 3-D get a mention in this week’s column. It seems the format has been in the conversation a bit more lately with plenty of releases popping up (Deadpool & Wolverine imported from Japan, an upcoming Jackie Chan title from 88 Films and the usual 3-D Film Archive efforts).
Personally I’ve really become a bit obsessed with gathering all the titles I can before they disappear for good. And with used 3-D TVs nearing the end of their lifespan, they can be found second hand on places like Facebook Marketplace for $50 to $100 bucks. I’ve scooped up four in the past year (much to my family’s dismay) just to make sure I’m not left in the lurch … mostly Panasonic active plasma displays that still look terrific. Thanks for helping to keep the format alive and kicking! —
From October 13:
Regarding your comment in the column about the continued active use of 3-D in home TV arrangements. Well, my son still has a Ben-Q 3-D projector and I am heading over there today to set it up for my Movie Group to watch House of Wax. I would bet that I am the only one out of the group who has seen it before. We did a similar screening a year ago for Creature from the Black Lagoon. The 3-D does make quite an impression being on a BIG screen with good sound. During the year, I’ll go over and check out a few treasures (Hugo and the 2014 Godzilla recently). My grandsons still enjoy it, but I don’t think they (or my son) spend that much time with it. —
From October 12:
Glenn, I have a 2016 passive 3-D-capable LG 55″ TV in my secondary setup in my bedroom. I have several pairs of polarized glasses for viewing. The 3-D performance is very good to excellent depending on how good the disc master is. I hope I can keep this going for many more years. —
Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson