JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 09 May 2022, 11:55

Jox wrote:101 FILMS just announced a new release for the UK out April 25th (no B&W version though)
https://101-films-store.com/collections ... ed-edition
Brand New Extras:
• Audio commentary by film critic Rich Johnson
• Limited Edition Booklet: Features 'Future Proof: A Cyberpunk 101' by Rich Johnson and 'The Semiotic Ghosts of William Gibson' by Brian J. Robb
• Limited Edition packaging with new artwork by Lucas Peverill
• Set of six art cards - reproductions of Spanish lobby cards

Additional Extras:
Tomorrow Calling (1993), a short film adaptation of William Gibson's short story The Gernsback Continuum
• Commentary with director Robert Longo
• Japanese Director's cut (SD)
• Featurette
• Behind the Scenes
• Interviews from the shoot
• Music video
• Trailer


Unboxing the new UK release:



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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby dude hallenbeck on 09 May 2022, 15:28

Available in Australia via Zavvi. I tend to check their advertising emials, this one slipped by unannounced. https://www.zavvi.com.au/blu-ray/johnny-mnemonic-limited-edition/13711175.html
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 10 May 2022, 10:34

So apparently the 101 version of the movie is pretty bad, so if you do acquire it, only do it for the packaging and supplement features:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... st20086890

EDIT:
The film is in 1080i, not even 1080p...

EDIT 2:
WOW... :shock: :cry:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.ph ... st20099440
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Leigh2704 on 18 May 2022, 08:06

The 101 blu is definitely a bit of a stinker when it comes to the transfer. The theatrical cut doesn't look better than the old Fox DVD.. However it's nice to have an English friendly version of the Japanese cut.
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 23 May 2022, 09:10

According to producer Staffan Ahrenberg, JOHNNY MNEMONIC IN BLACK AND WHITE will be screened in Paris in October 8)
(perhaps along with a Robert Longo art show /retrospective?)
staffanahrenberg

Reunited to celebrate Robert & Sophie’s wedding - looking forward to the special screening of the film I produced, Robert Longo’s masterful B+W version of Johnny Mnemonic (starring Keanu Reeves and written by William Gibson), in Paris in October #johnnymnemonic #johnnymnemonicinblackandwhite #cahiersdart

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cd4NC-Zp24D/



EDIT:
JM Canadian VHS screener

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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 13 Jul 2022, 17:50

Great news, apparently JOHNNY MNEMONIC IN BLACK AND WHITE comes out on Blu August 16 courtesy of Sony 8)
https://www.moviezyng.com/johnny-mnemon ... 3396582958
Special Features: Black and White Version of the Film; A Candid Conversation Featurette; Theatrical Trailer

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* A Candid Conversation Featurette
Must be the special feature they shot last year with director Robert Longo, writer William Gibson, and of course Keanu Reeves...
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 15 Jul 2022, 01:38

JOHNNY MNEMONIC IN BLACK AND WHITE

Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6JRVYTY/

ImportCDs:
https://www.importcds.com/johnny-mnemon ... 3396582958



And re-posting this interview with Robert Longo about the genesis of his B&W version:
"Johnny Mnemonic in Black-and-White: Robert Longo Interview":
https://www.screenslate.com/articles/johnny-mnemonic-black-and-white-robert-longo-interview
I'm assuming you try to limit contact with the studio nowadays, but do you have any sense of how they feel about the black-and-white cut?

Originally, when I decided to make this black-and-white conversion, I ripped a Blu-ray and turned it black-and-white. I contacted one of the film’s original producers who was also a good guy, Don Carmody. I said to him, "I'm doing this, and I'm going to dump it on the 25th anniversary. I'm going to dump it on YouTube,” or something like that. And he said, "Wait, let me see it." So, I sent it to him, and he got really excited. "This is really great. We should show this to Sony." I hesitated to get Sony involved at first, but the problem with the Blu-ray version is that the quality would not be good enough to project it in a theater. So, Sony gave us the footage to work from, and they may release this new version on Blu-ray. There's never been a director's cut. Ironically, there is a version that some people misunderstand to be a “director's cut,” the Japanese version of it, but it's not a director's cut. It's basically got more Takeshi Kitano in it. That's basically what it is.

So, I got the hi-res footage from the studio, and we graded it into black-and-white. I worked with Cyrus Stowe, who was the colorist on this version. Basically, we went through it scene-by-scene, and he was really great. He's really a very talented guy.

Was that feeling of redemption there, throughout the process?

When I saw the first version of the black-and-white film, I was just so happy. It was so much closer to what I imagined it to be, for sure. I knew turning it black-and-white would get it closer to where I imagined it from the very beginning. In my work, I take inspiration from films like Alphaville, La Jetée, things like that. A lot of black-and-white movies are not really black-and-white. They're kind of gray. The contrast is really pumped up now [in this cut] so it’s very black-and-white.
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 13 Aug 2022, 09:22

For those doubting, the black and white version has a radically different visual look than just turning down the saturation on your screen:
https://twitter.com/DeclouxJ/status/1558243933913858055

Original color:
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Only grayscaled:
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2021 newly-graded black and white version:
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More b&w version captures:
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The extra 25-minute discussion between Robert Longo, William Gibson and Keanu Reeves:
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 16 Aug 2022, 15:16

JOHNNY MNEMONIC IN BLACK AND WHITE screening next Monday, August 22nd in Downtown Brooklyn NYC Alamo Drafthouse
https://drafthouse.com/nyc?showCalendar=true
https://drafthouse.com/nyc/show/johnny- ... -and-white

short clip
https://twitter.com/QuickerMcWild/statu ... 9138654208

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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 17 Aug 2022, 21:15

Jox wrote:JOHNNY MNEMONIC IN BLACK AND WHITE screening next Monday, August 22nd in Downtown Brooklyn NYC Alamo Drafthouse
https://drafthouse.com/nyc?showCalendar=true
https://drafthouse.com/nyc/show/johnny- ... -and-white

Robert Longo in attendance with Q&A to follow. 8)
https://www.instagram.com/p/ChXoTFtl_yW/
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 19 Aug 2022, 20:57

Haven't received my copy yet, but I just read a comment on Twitter saying that JM in BW has "the richness of animated charcoal", which made me remember that director Longo had done a lot of work on charcoal (he even has a monography published entitled "Robert Longo Charcoal"), so it would make sense if that's the effect he was going for.

Actually when JM came out in France in November 1995, Longo had an exhibition in Paris of his charcoal drawings he had done during the production of the film (I went and sill have the 2-fold card of the exhibit with one of those drawings on the front).
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby dude hallenbeck on 23 Aug 2022, 07:29

I received my 101 Films copy yesterday. I might be the only person who actually doesn't mind the transfer quality as it's low quality enough to feel like I'm watching a VHS from the 90's. I'm glad to say at the very least the quick glimpse of the Japanese cut I saw is at the very least acceptable, so it's nice to finally have that in my hands in some capacity. I'll definitely be getting the Black & White edition too as I've actually gotten a huge kick out of Mad Max Fury Road, Logan and Zack Snyder's Justice League's B&W editions.
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Re: JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Robert Longo, 1995)

Postby Jox on 23 Aug 2022, 10:11

https://twitter.com/ericwalkuski/status ... 6735025153
Eric Walkuski @ericwalkuski
Moderating a Q&A with Johnny Mnemonic (B&W version!) director Robert Longo

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