The Three Stooges - Stooged & Confoosed (Colorized / Black & White)

Rating:
Summary: Fewer shorts for more money
Review: The real problem with these new Stooges releases is that Columbia has used the excuse of the colorization to present only four shorts, some of which have been released on other DVDs previously. Furthermore these retail for 24.99 while most others containing more shorts retail for 19.99 so we are asked to pay more for less. I bought both of them used for under $10 each and suggest you look for them used if you must have them. I have already seen many used copies in stores, probably because there are many disappointed buyers. Advantages of buying used: you'll pay less and Columbia won't make any money off the sale. The sad fact is that if these sell well enough this is all we can expect in the future.

As for the colorization: it may be the best I've seen, which is still pretty awful. Very unrealistic hues, jarring color combinations, unpleasant pastels. If you know anything about film you'll know that if the filmmakers had made these in color they would not have looked anything like this. What is the point of researching what the actual color of a prop was on Ebay (see the self-congratulatory featurette)? The props and costumes were chosen for how they would photograph in black and white. They would have done better to just try and make everything look as natural as possible.

I can't help thinking the choice of the stooges for launching this new colorization line is an odd one. If there is any B&W material that seems almost immune to the objections of people who won't watch black and white it's the stooges. My five-year-old daughter loves the stooges in black and white and so do many people who refuse to watch B&W movies.

In summary because of the colorization we get less entertainment.

But if you find color more important than laughs, this disc is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Format
Review: The three Stooges are so funny and the short films presented on these dvds from Columbia Tristar are classics. Each film is presented in a beautifully restored black & white or new, color version. I know a lot of people will be thinking "colorized - I remember that from the 80s and it didn't look very good". Well in all fairness, a lot of time has passed since then; and the result of the new colorization process is absolutely no comparison whatsoever with the 80s disaster. The result is remarkable by all standards. Technically, the process used here is far superior to anything that has come before it. Gone is the limited pallet and the ghostly halo effect that would occur when characters or objects move abruptly. Earlier colorized movies also looked slightly out of focus and detail was lost. Here the images are crisp and clear and it is easy to imagine it had been filmed in color. Above all the color looks completely natural and doesn't distract you from the movie.

So, only the question of whether this process should be used at all remains. And this is a question that everyone has to answer for him or herself. These dvds give you the choice of watching the original black and white or the new color version. The viewer can do this at any moment during playback by pressing the angle button on the dvd remote. So many reviewers of these dvds take a puritanical stance preaching that it is some sort of crime to create a color version of a black and white film and encourage people to not watch it. How dare you tell me what I can watch, as I have already stated it is an individual, personal choice not a legal requirement! Well done Columbia for releasing these great films in this new format, I hope they are just the first of many.





Rating:
Summary: Why All The Negative Reviews?
Review: This hasn't come out yet and people are starting to make all sorts of negative comments. Maybe the Colorization looks good. You'll never know until you actually buy it and watch it. Until then, refrain from the negative comments. Columbia is working very hard on these shorts in order to give the shorts good restoration and good color. Watch it before making any sort of negative comments. And, let me remind you. EACH DVD HAS THE BLACK AND WHITE ORIGINALS ON IT!! So, stop complaining. If you hate the colorized version, don't watch it. Watch the black and white version. That's why Columbia provided both. If it costs too much, well too bad. Don't buy it, simple as that.