Why does the Sci-Fi channel show such a poor quality version of The Car...

[Villano]

It's on now as I speak. They probably show it at least once every two months. Which is a good thing, it's a very good movie. Except, it looks like they are using a bad VHS copy. Faded, somewhat distorted, washy audio.

Why aren't they using the DVD version? I have that, and the colors are vibrant. And it's widescreen (and there is a full screen version on it, if they really care) and the audio is pretty nice (though there are still some things I can't quite make out. No subtitles, unfortunately).

Some time ago, one of the other channels (I think it was AMC or FMC) aired The Car and, iirc, it was in pretty good condition (I don't think it was widescreen, though).

About the worst quality film Sci-Fi has ever shown was Spectre, a made-for-tv movie starring Robert Culp. The movie itself was good, but apparently it broke after the first showing and was clumsily cut back together because there's a 10 minute chunk missing every time it's aired since.

In the original, the sequence goes something like:

-Culp and Gig Young are in a room deciding what to do next.
-They explore a mini-Stonehenge on the estate grounds.
-They enter a secret door in one of the stones that leads to the estate's basement.
-They look around for a bit and then take cover when they hear the cult members coming.
-They learn that a police officer they were working with is a member of the cult.
-They learn who the leader of the cult is (and he turns briefly into a tiger-man).
-They are discovered.

In later showings, it went:

-Culp and Gig Young are in a room deciding what to do next.
-They are discovered.

Why even play the movie again?!

 

[Simplicity]

There are two types of Sci-Fi:

1) Good Sci-fi
2) Mutant animal movies

I wish the Sci-fi channel would change it's name to the Mutant Animal channel because that way maybe someone would come along with some good Sci-fi programming.

 

[Bront]

Mansquito? Is this a so bad you have to watch it movie?

 

[Ilium]

On the other hand, I happened to catch "Alien Apocolypse" on the SciFi channel the other day. I had never heard of this Bruce Campbell movie, and any channel that brings me more Bruce Campbell is OK in my book.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Mansquito? Is this a so bad you have to watch it movie?

No, this is a so bad you shouldn't watch it. Unless of course you have those masochistic tendencies.

For so bad you need to watch I say Mammoth. I actually taped and saved it. It stars Tom Skerrit and Summer Glau and is just plain wierd. It is not like Sabertooth or other cloning monster movies, rather it is about a formerly frozen mammoth brought back to life by aliens as a zombie mammoth and it goes on a killing spree by tusking people, stomping on people, and sucking peoples souls. Yes you read right. The writing is also done so well it borders on just enough camp to make it funny without going overboard.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

They're probably using an old master tape from who knows how long ago. Cable channels can't use DVD's - they need master tapes or digital files with the breaks already added in and reference video/audio. I used to duplicate those kinds of tapes for a living and some of them can be pretty old and poor quality, especially for late-night, low-rent kinds of films.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Just a short list of some of the fine shows featured on sci-fi in this past year (all original sci-fi productions):

[snip hilarious list]

This is why I don't watch SFC anymore except for BSG, which I tape.

 

[trancejeremy]

They're probably using an old master tape from who knows how long ago. Cable channels can't use DVD's - they need master tapes or digital files with the breaks already added in and reference video/audio. I used to duplicate those kinds of tapes for a living and some of them can be pretty old and poor quality, especially for late-night, low-rent kinds of films.

Ah, thanks! That has to be the reason.

 

[Nightfall]

Still wish they had a reason for airing Manisquto. UGH. At least Man Thing was bearable.

 

[jaerdaph]

Quick question - do I want to watch all four hours of The Monkey King all the way through, or erase it from my DVR? I'm about 40 minutes in to it and I can't telll yet if I like it or not.

And Arabian Nights too - same question as above.

Thanks.