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07/01/09Fixed Canadian Blu-Rays Due July 22nd

For all of you who have been holding off on the Region A Canadian Blu-Ray of Outlander because of the cropping issues we brought to your attention a while back, we've been pleasantly surprised to hear the Alliance Films (the Canadian distributor of Outlander) is working of fixing the issue.

First off, what exactly is the issue with the disk? Well, happily all the special features of the DVD we're on the disk despite not being listed on the box, so that isn't the issue. Here is David Dodson - Editor of Outlander's description of the mess up:

"What we have is a full 16×9 presentation. Not letterboxed. Not 2.35. And not even properly pan&scanned for 16×9. Most shots simply use the entire Super35 3-perf image area, thereby allowing all the extra headroom and lower space that was never intended to be seen. Careful widescreen compositions are thrown out the window. Shots that were composed for intensity or any other particular, professional use of the 2.35 frame are now just ordinary."

"But it gets worse. Since many of the CGI shots were only finished out to 2.35 and not to the full 1.78 frame, many VFX shots are cropped on the sides in order to accommodate the 16×9 frame. For example, the Moorwen’s first rampage out of the trap truly needs the full 2.35 frame to be legible. But instead all we have is a 16×9 center-cut. As a result, the sequence feels cramped and hard to read."

So you are actually getting *more* picture in a lot of the scenes and not less. But the film is such a hight percentage of special effects shots that half the film is less! Anything that has effects work -and there is more than is apparent at times because of set extension and whatnot - has the ends chopped off!

So what is Alliance doing about it? Right now Alliance is phasing out their Current Blu-Ray stock and has been working on a fixed Blu-Ray disk that will have the proper aspect ratio of the film, with none of the ends cutt off and that preserves the inteded composition fo the shots that the director and cinematographer intended. They've told us that if you order Outlander on Blu-ray *after* July 22nd your order should be filled with the new disks, which we've heard they might even be slipping the Making-of featurette intended for the UK release onto the disks as well.

There's also talk of a disk swap / buy back program for people who have purchased the original disks. Now I don't have any details about this. I've been told it's happening but we're still trying to find that out for sure as well as any details about how one would go about getting their disks replaced. You can be sure we'll let you all know as soon as we find out, so stay tuned.

In other home video news, if you haven't heard, the UK blu-ray/DVD release is happening on August 31st. A Hong Kong VCD/DVD release is happening on July 9th.

06/23/09OUTLANDER in Italy - See it Today

With Outlander's theatrical debut in Italy rearing its head in about a week and a half on July 3rd, the film it's making its mark this week at the FantaFestival in Rome. The festival starts today and runs until the 28th of June during which Outlander will be shown more than once and will be up for the main prize in the genre festival.

Outlander's first showing at the festival is tomorrow night at 9pm. It will also be showing saturday at 3pm. For full details on location and programming check out the festival website HERE.

To promote the film, the Italian distributor Eagle Pictures has set up a nifty website HERE which showcases the various actors, and also has a few unique wallpapers to dowload. Check out the trailer for the film dubbed in Italian below.

06/16/09Nova Scotia Screening

Well, if I hadn't been away this past weekend you would have had a little more notice. This Thursday there is apparently a free screening of Outlander at the Oxford theater in Halifax, Nova Scotia. You will recall that much of Outlander was filmed in and around Halifax so I'm certain that there will be much interest in this showing which may be your only oportunity ever to catch Outlander on the big screen with a lively audience in the Halifax area, so you will want to show up early since seating is on a first come, first serve basis.

The screening is being hosted by 'Film Nova Scotia' and will be at 6:30p.m. on Thursday, June 18th. Howard McCain, Dirk Blackman, and Don Carmody will be in attendance to introduce the film and to do an audience Q&A afterward. If there's any way someone can record the Q&A session we'd love to host it.

05/31/09Exclusive Interview: Dirk Blackman

Apologies for taking so long before posting this. I've been working on a companion piece with the Director, but that's taken a lot longer than I had planned due to no ones fault really. Hopefully we'll have that ready soon. Anyway, in the mean time, here's the brief Q&A we did with OUTLANDER writer/executive producer Dirk Blackman. Also don't forget to check out the Q&A Dirk and Jack Huston did in the UK last year, in our media gallery.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background? What prompted you to get into writing for the film buisness?

I Grew up in New Jersey, graduated from Columbia University, got a masters at the American Film Institute, worked at William Morris while getting my writing career started. I always loved movies and Watched them incessantly with my father, a film freak. At a certain point, I could have even told you the release date of any movie ever made because it was listed in the TV Guide and I tore through it every week to find out what movies were being shown. And, when the newspaper came, I went to the film section before the comics because I wanted to see those big display ads. As for why I got into writing? I guess because I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. Just kidding. Maybe.

How did you first get in contact with Howard, and what prompted you two to develop Outlander?

A mutual friend of ours who went to undergraduate school with me to Columbia and graduate school at NYU thought we should meet because we both loved Lawrence of Arabia. As for Outlander, we just got talking about Beowulf and thought it would make a terrific movie. We just didn't know how to tackle it at first. Then we came up with the idea of doing the sci-fi version. That seemed really right to us, so we went from there. That's the thing with ideas - once they click in your head, as this did, you kind of have to follow them through.

What was it about Beowulf that made you want to adapt it for modern audiences?

We knew that if we told it straight, it would just be fantasy, because everyone knows there were no monsters in the Viking world. On the other hand, it is within the realm of possibility that something crashed here from another world. (I'm not saying it's likely, mind you, just possible. That's what sci-fi does - gives the patina of possibility to outlandish ideas. Makes them kind of respectable, if you know what I mean.) I'm not sure we thought of it in quite those terms, but the modern touch we liked was the holocaust idea. Once we decided that there should be some sympathy for the creature, we decided that Kainan was partially responsible for the destruction of its race. That gave him a very modern feeling of guilt. (Because my guess is the Vikings wouldn't have sneezed at wiping out an entire population of fellow humans.)

It's been such a long time since you and Howard first came up with the concept of this film. How does/did it feel to finally be able to see Outlander come to life on set and on the screen?

Seeing it shoot the first day was exalting and humbling at the same time. I thought to myself ' wow - all these people - hundreds! - are here because of an idea that came from my mind. How great am I?' This was followed very quickly by the realization that the film itself had nothing more to do with me, that it would not live without the work done by everyone from the craft service folks to the grips to the director. And I'm not just saying that because it sounds good. It was very striking at the time to realize it truly was no longer mine. Kind of like sending your kid off to college.

You also perfomed some executive producer duties. Can you explain a little how involved you were with the whole process?

Much of my input as EP came prior to shooting, in helping to get the film made, and in supporting Howard as director. (Which included turning down a fairly lucrative offer from a company that wanted to buy it outright.) I was involved in the pre-pre-production with 9th Ray, adding my voice during the design phase. (Which was absolutely fascinating. {not my voice, the phase} Iain McCaig and his group were fun and inventive. I can still recall the moment when Iain came up with the idea for Kainan's sci-fi sword. There were dozens of designs that were just riffs on normal Earthly weapons. But he realized that if it were made from the metal from Kainan's ship, they wouldn't have time to completely reforge it. That meant it would still carry the characteristics of the ship piece it was cut from. Came out very cool.) What else? Well, as EP, I felt it incumbent upon me to loan the production money at a certain point when it looked like the financing would fall through a few days before principal photography began. And since then, I, as well as the producers, have been trying to liaise as best as possible with the Weinsteins to get them to release the movie in as many theaters as possible.

Can you tell us a little about going to the premiere in Locarno?

There's almost too much to say. First off, it's gorgeous. I mean, a Swiss lakeside city on the border of Italy. They treated us beautifully. It was fun going out every night with Howard, Chris Roberts, Sophia and Jack. Obviously way too much alcohol consumption. The media day was great, with all the paps taking pictures, and the premier was terrific. Rain threatening at every minute to drown the screening but backing off at the last minute. Lot of good food. Beautifully projected on an outdoor screen in the middle of an Italianate piazza. What more can you ask for? I remember stopping Howard when it was over and making sure the two of us fully soaked it in. So we just watched the piazza empty and met some fans.

What scenes are you most fond of?

There is a lovely scene in which Rothgar tells Wulfric about the role of kingship. It was nicely written and beautifully acted by John and Jack. Unfortunately because TWC wouldn't give us an extra 15 seconds, some of the nicer lines were removed from it in editing.

There was also a very nice exchange between Wulfric and his pal Einar in which Einar asks him if he wants Kainan killed with a knife in the back and Wulfric explodes at him that when he kills Kainan it'll be face to face. That got cut a few drafts before shooting. Just wasn't needed. But it was nice.

The Shield Dance is perhaps my favorite. Just good old Viking fun. We took our cue from the Kirk Douglas movie, The Vikings. He had a marvelous scene where he runs along outstretched oars to get to shore. I wanted to do something that would have that same fun, glorious feel.

Best missing scene - the opening of the film. It actually begins with a Viking funeral then goes up to the crashing spaceship. Then it goes INSIDE, where we meet Kainan and his captain in the crashing ship, fighting some kind of creature. It set the mood for the whole first act. Never got to shoot it because we didn't have the money.

What are your favorite characters?

Favorite character - H'mm. Maybe the Moorwen. I always loved his backstory, how his race had been killed by Kainan's, which is why he wanted revenge. And in the first draft, I had what I thought was a marvelous epiphany. Hadn't even planned it. When the Moorwen falls to his death, he actually speaks. Says Kainan's name. So all through the movie, what we thought was just an animal was actually a thinking being. It made Kainan's crime even greater and deepened the pathos. It just never happened. I'm not bemoaning that, as I can't tell you whether it was ultimately the right move or not. It just felt really good at the moment of writing.

Next to the Moorwen, i'd say Wulfric. In the script, he always had the most to do, the farthest to go. From hotheaded wannabe to king for a day, along the way wooing and giving up the girl to the better man.

05/25/09Canadian Outlander TV spot

With the Canadian Outlander release mere hours away, A 15 second TV spot has hit the web. If you haven't already seen it by clicking one of the banner ads that link here, check it out below!

05/25/09Outlander out in Canada Tomorrow - Contests

Outlander is being released on DVD and Blu-Ray tomorrow in Canada. You can head to your local video store or retailer to buy or rent the film. As such, there are a couple of online contests to let you know about. We already let you all know about the contest to win a DVD over at Eye Weekly.

Hour.ca is also giving away three copies of the DVD. Registered members can enter HERE. Entries must be recieved by June 11th.

Also, straight.com is offering a contest for residents of British Columbia for a copy of Outlander on DVD. You can enter that contest HERE. That contest ends wednesday though so there's only a little time left to enter.

05/23/09Canadian Blu-Ray details - Tentatively

We've been trying to come to the bottom of what exactly is on the Canadian Blu-ray which you can order from Amazon HERE (No US Blu-ray is currently planned). Part of the confusion, it seems, stems from incorrect info on the packaging. Matt emailed us (he contributes to a DVD/Blu-ray centric website and got an advance copy) to let us know what he found when he recieved his copy.

"Thought I'd drop you a line so that you could possibly pass on some information regarding Alliance Film's Canadian Blu-ray release of Outlander since The Weinstein Company is not releasing a Blu-ray version anytime soon in the U.S. and many of your site visitors may be looking to import the disc when it is released on May 26th. Reliable information about this disc has been hard to come by and I'd like folks to know what they're purchasing before they decide to import it from Canada."

"Unfortunately, the movie is NOT in the original theatrical aspect ratio. Alliance Films has made the terrible decision to put the movie on the disc at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, not the film's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. I suspected that it might be a case of them putting a full frame presentation on the disc, but after comparing the Blu-ray to the U.S. DVD release I have found this not to be the case. Alliance has cropped the film on each side to make the 2.35:1 film 1.78:1 on the disc. Quality wise the video is still a step up from the DVD, but then again the U.S. DVD is in the correct aspect ratio."

"On the plus side--even though no mention is made on the packaging--all of the special features from the U.S. DVD release are present--including all of the deleted scenes (curiously presented in the correct aspect ratio), animatics, galleries, and the audio commentary--and the audio is available in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 along with a French Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Like I said, the package says nothing about the features just the video and audio specs (the audio is also incorrectly labeled on the packaging--it's listed as Dolby TrueHD when in fact it is DTS-HD Master Audio)"

"I'm not happy at all about the OAR foul-up, but regardless the video quality of the Blu-ray is a step up from the DVD version, the audio is good, and I'm relieved that the special features from the U.S. DVD made it onto the disc."

I have to echo Matt's sentiments about the aspect ratio, and too and pleased to hear that the features are on the bluray. I'll be checking out my own copy when it arrives so I'll try and provide more details at that time and will be able to confirm what Matt says, as many people are alleging that there are no features on the disk, possible by only looking at the packaging and not actually playing the film itself. So for now, don't be too alarmed if your copy arrives and makes no mention of the special features on the packaging. And regarding aspect rations, we have yet to check, but the Canadian DVD version is most likely also correct.

05/22/09More HD Options For the US

Sony unveiled their latest additions to the Playstation Network store today (which you can find HERE). Not to be left out, PS3 users now join their X-Box 360 counterparts in being able to rent Outlander in High Definition on the download service.

05/21/09Outlander In HD On iTunes

A quick update to let everyone know that you can rent or puchase outlander on Apple's iTunes store! Follow the link HERE to load up the Oulander page. Note that you can also get the movie in HD using appleTV providing a second alternative for People in the US To watch Outlander in HD give the lack of a US Blu-Ray release. Outlander is at this moment the fifth most sold movie on the service! that's pretty impressive for a movie pretty much without any promotion.

If you chose either method to watch outlander, let us know if the picture fills the entirety of your HDTV. If it's a 16x9 picture that means that you are not watching the original aspect ratio of Outlander. [EDIT] I'm getting all kinds of reports on what exactly is on the Canadian Blu-ray: We got at least one credible sounding email that the Features are indeed on the disk, but aren't labeled on the case. The only thing really wrong sounding with the disk seems to be the aspect ratio[END OF EDIT] The Canadian Blu-Ray is reported to have subpar picture quality (for a Blu-ray) and that it too is in 1.78:1 ratio. Alliance (or whoever did the transfer) has cropped off the ends of the picture... considerably.

The Correct aspect ratio is 2.35:1. 1.78:1 is essentially 16x9 for all intents and purposes whereas 2.35:1 is a considerably wider picture. Films in this aspect ratio will have black bars on the top and bottom on your Widescreen TV. Many people might not care or notice but for purists this is a travesty. I've ordered a DVD and a Blu-ray so I'll be comparing the two releases. I accept it more with something like xbox live, but on a Blu-Ray release?

I believe the France Blu-Ray has the correct aspect ratio and very good picture quality. The region coding is also rumored to be not locked in so it should play on north american players as well if you don't mind the locked-on french subtitles when watching it with the english audio track.

05/19/09Outlander In HD On X-Box Live

Outlander hit store shelves in the US today on DVD. Yet it also apeared in another fashion. People in the US with an X-Box 360 can rent Outlander on the X-Box live service. Outlander is not just on the service though, it's also available for download in HD along side the SD (DVD quality) version. So for now, this is the only way to watch the film in HD in the US outside of waiting a week and ordering a blu-ray from Canada. You can find it in the movies section on your x-box dashboard or you can queue up the download by visiting the xbox live website HERE.

05/18/09Outlander On DVD This Week

People in the US will be able to buy and rent the Outlander DVD this Tuesday! If you are looking to rent Outlander in the US, then you are pretty much limited to Blockbuster as they have an exclusivity deal with the Weinstein company. You can buy the DVD pretty much anywhere that sells DVDs such as Walmart or online such as here on Amazon.com. Unfortunately we don't have a date on a Blu-Ray release for the US yet though.

Fortunately not all is lost on the Blu-Ray front. A North American region release will be out in Canada on May 26th along with the DVD release of the film. Again, it will be in standard retailers such as walmart (see their bluray and DVD pages). The the Canadian DVD and Bluray disks can be ordered online from Amazon.ca HERE and HERE.

05/15/09Canada Contest: Win a DVD

For our Canadian readers, Eye Weekly is running a contest to win a copy of Outlander on DVD. Outlander is releasing in Canada on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 26th. Contest entries must be entered by May 30th. Go HERE to enter.

In other news, we've heard reports that the Outlander trailer has been seen on the 'Defiance' Blu-Ray. If anyone else has spotted the trailer, let us know and we'll report it here.

05/12/09Hong Kong Release Date

Outlander continues to make it's way across the globe. May 21st is the day Outlander will debut in Hong Kong cinemas. The film is being distributed by Deltamac Company Limited in the former British Colony. Check out the the poster and watch the trailer with subtitles below.

Interestingly, while Taiwan also distributed the film in Chinese, the Hong Kong release has a completely different localized title that translates to something like "space dragon" or the like.

Also, If you happen to actually be in Hong Kong, you can try and win tickets for the show. Check out this website HERE for details on how to enter. The promotion seems to be in conjunction with some kind of local retailer or supermarket of some sort.

05/08/09Outlander DVD Review... and a Deleted scene.

Wow... Appologies for the lack of updates the last two weeks. I guess I needed a breather. In general news, Outlander continues into it's third week in the UK, and the film also Opens in Sweden today!

As you all know, Outlander Comes out on DVD in the US on May 19th. IGN got ahold of an advance copy and you can read their very positive review of the disk and it's features HERE.

"This film is absolutely straightforward about what you're getting into when you pop it into your DVD player – Vikings versus aliens. If that description intrigues you, then you'll probably enjoy this film for what it is. Add to that a great A/V presentation, and this disc delivers on its promise. "

Among the DVDs many features are deleted scenes, animatics, and a Director / Produce commentary. There are 27 deleted scenes ranging in legnth. some being just brief snipets, to extended scenes, and completely new scenes. It seems that all 27 are on the US DVD though in france, all 27 were only on the Blu-Ray with only five being found on the DVD edition. The IGN review seems to suggest they are all on the US DVD. Check out one such scene below!

This scene contains unfinished visual and audio effects but it's a neat scene that was cut to get the film to the contractual running time. Gunnar's wife and son have an interchange before the boy is sent out to check on the Horses...