Twenty-Four Dollar Island (1927) poster

3.4

Twenty-Four Dollar Island (1927)

Documentary • 13m

Director: Robert Flaherty

3.4

Best English-friendly & video release

Internet Archive Streaming https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928

HD Streaming

Video notes:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray is even though a much better restoration, has the worst AI upscaling I've ever seen, it's almost like a cartoon https://slow.pics/c/dFdgCFgn?image-fit=contain

I would instead recommend the blurry, compressed, and cropped internet archive Streaming version https://archive.org/details/twentyfourdollar-island_1928

Updated 1 month ago

About the film

A visual celebration of Manhattan and its waterways on the 300th anniversary of purchase from the local Native Americans.

Featured Lists: AI Restorations Name and Shame
Kino Silent Avant-Garde BD is even though a much better restoration, has the worst AI upscaling I've ever seen, it's almost like a cartoon https://slow.pics/c/dFdgCFgn
Alternative Titles: Twenty Four Dollar Island, Twenty-Four-Dollar Island

Featured in AI Restorations Name and Shame

The Lost Patrol (1934)

Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements

Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Director: Mark Pellington

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

88 Films is FiM encoded

Germany Filmjuwelen 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

Director: James Cameron

4K · Disappointing

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Fox Blu-ray for original cuts without the extra scene added in the re-release and AI upscaling

Newer Blu-ray/4K has the extra scene, but is poor and has excessive AI upscaling

Additional Info:

An additional scene was added to the ending of the movie in the 2022 re-release: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=493908

Inland Empire (2006)

Director: David Lynch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray or Optimum/Kadokawa Blu-rays

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Reddit (opens in a new tab) · dvdexotica.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion 4k resto, but it was AI upscaled although supervised and approved by Lynch https://www.reddit.com/r/davidlynch/comments/12klbw9/inland_empire_and_ai_upscaling/
Some may prefer previous Optimum/Kadokawa Blu-ray
See another detailed review: https://www.dvdexotica.com/2015/05/lets-get-serious-about-inland-empire.html

The Terminator (1984)

Director: James Cameron

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly:

2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Sources: vimeo.com (opens in a new tab) · facebook.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Steelbook and Mediabook announced for 2026

Best Video:

2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Best Audio:

1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix

Audio Notes:

Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004)

TV series

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2006 UK DVD/2012 Australia DVD

Video Notes:

Recent Streaming versions (All 4 and Peacock) are AI upscaled
Peacock also removes the original ad break slides
The interviews and opening introductions also aren't de-interlaced properly into PAL 50fps

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

Director: Lam Nai-choi

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray See caps

DE Nameless 4K Blu-ray is an extremely poor AI upscale. See caps

Best Audio:

UK 88 Films Blu-ray

Jaws 3-D (1983)

Director: Joe Alves

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: 2016 Universal Blu-ray

3D version: Universal 3D Blu-ray

Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

(caveat: 3D Blu-ray has misaligned eyes)

Nick_M's 3D version is better than Universal 3D Blu-ray

Director: James Cameron

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount/Fox Blu-ray
3D Blu-ray for the IMAX/Open Matte version

35mm scan for original theatrical cut

Video Notes:

4K Blu-ray is AI upscaled

Best Audio:

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray bonus disc, the 2012 Blu-ray bonus disc, and the 2005 3 disc DVD have exclusive extras.

Renegades (1989)

Director: Jack Sholder

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Explosive Media or France ESC Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

Spain Resen Blu-ray is a bootleg

Germany Hanselab 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with AI upscaling

More from Robert Flaherty

Directors: Robert Flaherty & Frances H. Flaherty

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Nanook of the North (1922)

Director: Robert Flaherty

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Flicker Alley Blu-ray

More Documentary on Blu-ray

Making 'The Shining' (1980)

Director: Vivian Kubrick

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Mono: 1999 WB DVD
5.1: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Grizzly Man (2005)

Director: Werner Herzog

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2015 UK Lionsgate Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943)

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Periscope Blu-ray OOP

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/

Otherwise there are DVDs

Hoop Dreams (1994)

Director: Steve James

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray and UK Dogwoof Blu-ray probably similar

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

It's Not Me (2024)

Director: Leos Carax

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Let's Spend the Night Together (1982)

Director: Hal Ashby

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has excellent master in SDR and a good encode. BD caps here.

Audio Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has poor audio: The 2.0 is fine but unremarkable, the 5.1 is presumably an upmix with a botched, strongly raised LFE channel which makes the entire track unlistenable on well-tuned equipment. Audio graphs here.

Safeguarding Military Information (1942)

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion The Palm Beach Story Blu-ray extras

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

While it's included on both Criterion The Palm Beach Story extras and Arrow's Sullivan's Travels' extras, Criterion uses a different source and is vastly superior, see caps

See You Friday, Robinson (2022)

Director: Mitra Farahani

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

Harvest and Seed (1965)

Director: Ebrahim Golestan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

The Hills of Marlik (1964)

Director: Ebrahim Golestan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

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· last reviewed 1 month ago

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