Just noticed that The Wire plays in 16:9 when viewed on Amazon's Prime Instant Streaming service.
I assumed that this was Amazon matting the original 4:3 frame, but to be sure I started S01E01 from the DVD on my TV, and the same episode from Amazon on my phone.
Amazon's image isn't cutting off anything from the top and bottom of the image - it's actually a true widescreen frame with more image on the left and right.
Also, Amazon's picture quality is better than the old DVDs (YMMV depending on bandwidth, I guess).
I skipped ahead a few seasons on Amazon and they look to be 16:9 the whole way through. Time for another rewatch!
Sheeeeeiit. My wife returned today (she's been gone a couple days). Had to put on fresh clothes, brush my hair and pick up all the trash around the place. IOW, turn from Bubbs into Astrohip.
I felt like that line from Truckin' "Living on reds, vitamin C and cocaine".
And... it's on to Season Four. It's gonna be tougher now that the regular season has started back up, but I have to find a way to watch one or two eps a night.
Truly an amazing show. The writing is as sharp as any I've ever watched, and the casting/acting is just killer. Huge number of actors I recognize from more current shows, that this was their first big gig.
When a season is done, you don't know whether you want to laugh, cry, scream out... or all of them. They certainly don't wrap up story lines in neat little bows*, and it's as frustrating as real life can be. But damn, it just draws you in, and won't let go.
How was it perceived as it aired?
* Made the mistake of watching the latest Blue Bloods over the weekend. Talk about the antithesis of The Wire. Everything *was* wrapped up neat, and the good guys won.
By about the third season, many critics were calling it the best show on TV and it had a fairly large following, though nothing like newer HBO hit shows. The first season somewhat flew under the radar by my perceptions.
(top of my head)
1) Avon Barksdale and Omar.
2) Frank Sobotka, "The Greek," Ziggy, ??? Frank?, and Proposition Joe
3) The kids? leading to Marlo
4) Marlo?
Recommended? As in you can only watch one season? Season 1 is Avon and Oamar
Season 2 is the Wharf, kind of boring but is great set up for the rest of the series.
Season 3 is All about Avon Barksdale Stringer Bell
Season 4 is the Kids and my favorite
Season 5 is about McNulty and the Baltimore Sun.
Of all of them Season 4 is the most emotional. David Simon's treatment of what happens to inner city kids is hauntingly accurate.
I agree, Season 4 was the best. It's amazing seeing all the scenery in Baltimore. The areas around the water have been gentrified and safe but a large portion of the rest of the city is just as you see it in the show.
The HD quality and 16x9 really make the show a new experience.
I noticed Ben Carson's name got mentioned in a Season 4 episode. He's a prominent name in the news today but was apparently a noteworthy name 8-9 years ago in Baltimore.
I was just catching up on "Veep" this past weekend and Isaiah Whitlock Jr. plays a presidential candidate running against the lead character. The staff is doing prep for an upcoming debate and one of the staff is supposed to be playing the part of Isaiah's character. When told this, someone else in the room said, "Don't do the voice." I'm sitting on my couch by myself and it was an almost involuntary reaction to say, "Sheeeeeeeeit."
Season Four is done. Wasn't able to watch much during the week, so I binged the last 10 eps this weekend. You know a show is getting to you when you start caring about fictional characters.
I like the way David Simon is able to create a season about an entire new world, in the case "The Kids", and still encompass the full Wire universe--cops, politicians, the corners, Omar, Bubbs.
Time to take a long walk thru the pastures with my dog, and clear my head. The Wire can leave you in a strange place. Especially when it leaves you with final scenes like this...
I see Battlestar Galactica (the original series), of all shows, is getting it "right." The new remastered blu-ray is available in a widescreen version, and in a version with both the widescreen and the 4:3!
I wish The Wire had gone that route. I would have paid extra for the "definitive" edition; but I won't pay anything for the altered version. I can live with the DVDs.
I see Battlestar Galactica (the original series), of all shows, is getting it "right." The new remastered blu-ray is available in a widescreen version, and in a version with both the widescreen and the 4:3!
I wish The Wire had gone that route. I would have paid extra for the "definitive" edition; but I won't pay anything for the altered version. I can live with the DVDs.
Perhaps I'm not a purist, but I prefer the new remastered versions of The Wire. They look fantastic in widescreen HD. The picture is so crisp and clear that I can't even imagine going back and watching them in SD now. I agree that it would have been nice to have a choice, but I think you gain a lot more than you give up.
Perhaps I'm not a purist, but I prefer the new remastered versions of The Wire. They look fantastic in widescreen HD. The picture is so crisp and clear that I can't even imagine going back and watching them in SD now. I agree that it would have been nice to have a choice, but I think you gain a lot more than you give up.
I would venture to guess that most people would prefer a widescreen picture to a 4:3 picture. For me, it's irritating having the pillarboxing space on the screen. If I get more enjoyment out of the remaster, it's not a "defective product." Wink aside.
I see Battlestar Galactica (the original series), of all shows, is getting it "right." The new remastered blu-ray is available in a widescreen version, and in a version with both the widescreen and the 4:3!
Is there a thread to discuss the Battlestar Galactica BD release?
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