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HBO is airing a marathon of The Wire remastered in HD (one season per day, Dec 26-30)
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Bobby Roberts
Banned
neogaffer1
Banned
I just watched the entire series for the first time a few weeks back in SD. Dammit HBO.
Also, I see discussion on how good the show is. I'd argue that even though it has its moments, it really didn't live up to the hype I'd experienced before hand. In terms of seasons:
1>3>2>5>>>>>>4
The series was best when they kept it focused on one single objective, and took out Barksdale's people. The last good moment was Avon getting arrested, it just went downhill from there.
Also, I see discussion on how good the show is. I'd argue that even though it has its moments, it really didn't live up to the hype I'd experienced before hand. In terms of seasons:
1>3>2>5>>>>>>4
The series was best when they kept it focused on one single objective, and took out Barksdale's people. The last good moment was Avon getting arrested, it just went downhill from there.
BadAss2961
Member
Right? Season 4 is tied with Season 3 as the very best. I can't pick which one is better.
What didn't you like about season 4? I'm genuinely curious since it's one of the greatest seasons for any television show ever. I can't find a single flaw in it.
He said he enjoyed the Barksdales, so it makes sense with some bizzaro world logic. I'll concede that initially I rejected Marlo, and although I've now warmed to him and appreciate his character thematically, his crew was never quite as raw, real or as compelling as The Barksdales. But where S1 and to a lesser extent, S3 live and die by the Barksdale crew, S4 doesn't really rely on the Stanfields I don't think. The kids are the centrepiece of the season, and their journey is fantastic. Marlo is used sparingly and effectively.
Goddamn that better not be it. Surely that's false advertising, right? Eh, I suppose as long as the resolution is legitimately 1080p, regardless of the source, it counts.
TheSinkingKnight
Member
Will this be on HBO GO? Surely it will, right?
biosnake20
Member
Elfforkusu
Member
So I guess the remastered part applies to the last 2 seasons? First 3 were already HD (,I think. Cut I saw on DirecTV a few years back was HD and 16:9, for that matter.
blainethemono
Member
I know what you're talking about, I saw those on the DTV channel as well. Those were cropped. The show was never actually presented in proper HD at the original aspect ratio.
I have to think that if this was an actual new transfer and not just an upscale, there'd be an actual announcement about it and not just this trailer. I can't find any other information at all about this.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
None of them were HD. The links to the relevant articles have been posted earlier in the thread, but essentially, Simon chose 4x3 Standard Def for aesthetic reasons. Cinematographers protected for 16x9, but they never actually shot in it. When the opportunity to go HD was provided, Simon declined, and chose to maintain the SD resolution as well.
Considering the versions that were available on Amazon before HBO cut that deal were SD 4x3, and apparently the versions available on Amazon Prime for streaming now are upscaled and 16x9 cropped (just checked S3, E2 and yup) I'm not too hopeful we're getting anything but those files rebroadcast on the network itself in September.
Same
Hmmm I would have rated the order as 1>4>3>2>>>5. I enjoyed the closer look at the younger community members.
The last season was just... terrible compared to the earlier ones. Easily the worst in my opinion. It felt rushed and unbelievable compared to the methodical and grounded unfolding of the casework and characters of the earlier seasons.
Robot Pants
Member
This comment. It's like a 40 degree day.
blainethemono
Member
If they seriously air a cropped widescreen upscaled version of this and people start considering it the definitive version, this will be almost as tragic as the show itself
PS3GamerKyle
Member
JUST rewatched the whole series this summer.
You know what, I don't even care. Love it all. GOAT GOAT GOAT
Season 4 is on a different level. God-tier
You know what, I don't even care. Love it all. GOAT GOAT GOAT
Season 4 is on a different level. God-tier
Zantetsuken
Member
I'm on Season 2, Episode 3 right now. Got me stuck off the realness. Thanks HBOGO.
neogaffer1
Banned
Same
Hmmm I would have rated the order as 1>4>3>2>>>5. I enjoyed the closer look at the younger community members.
The last season was just... terrible compared to the earlier ones. Easily the worst in my opinion. It felt rushed and unbelievable compared to the methodical and grounded unfolding of the casework and characters of the earlier seasons.
As Dommo mentioned above, part of it is Marlow just not being that interesting to me and not as enjoyable as Barksdale, but a bigger part of it is how it focuses on the children, and I really don't care for those characters. Even after the end I still didn't really care for them--even when it continued Duquan's story in season 5 I found myself wanting to skip those scenes altogether. Plus there were way too many scenes that were just there to make jabs at No Child Left Behind. I got it after the first few scenes, it's a terrible system. I know that from my personal experience, no need to beat me over the head with it.
Ultimadrago
Member
I'm glad that this is happening. More people deserve to witness one of the greatest works of television.
Side note: Season 5 is far and away the weakest season. The show is still one hell of a package though.
Side note: Season 5 is far and away the weakest season. The show is still one hell of a package though.
Don't even given him the time of day. It's hopeless to even try.
Mr.Awesome
Banned
5. Lester Fremon
4. Bubbles
3. Omar Little
2. Jimmy McNulty
1. Stringer Bell
4. Bubbles
3. Omar Little
2. Jimmy McNulty
1. Stringer Bell
I had to watch that scene again and it's fucking chilling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwuckTkE7T4
Bobby Roberts
Banned
that might be my favorite quote of the whole show, honestly. Because of how he says it, specifically. He doesn't say "But it's another way." he says "It's THE other way." As in there was only one. And it doesn't matter what you wanted, that's always the way it was going to go.
You could make an argument for that one line doubling as the thesis for the show.
Battersea Power Station
Member
Bobby Roberts
Banned
I think it happens the instant the guy ALMOST touched him. The way he stiffens when the guard comes THAT close? That's probably the moment. Hell, Partlow seems sorta confused by what he's even looking at.
RangersFan
Member
I hope they don't crop it.
Elfforkusu
Member
Don't know for sure about S3, but S1 and S2 definitely were in proper HD on the special DirecTV run.
Cropped may well be right, but they were definitely not upscaled. The later seasons (S4 and S5) were upscaled.
Could have been how close he got. I could buy that the mere act of challenging Marlo was sufficient to seal his fate.
And it is funny how what Marlo says is almost vapid, but at the same time profound. It's the thesis for the series and for existence itself.
devious.one
Member
MY BODY AND MY DVR WILL BE READY
blainethemono
Member
Snkfanatic
Banned
Oh man I will buy a Bluray set of those so fast...
Battersea Power Station
Member
I know a couple of people find him boring because he doesn't have the charisma of Avon or Stringer, or even the moral complexities of those characters, but I found Marlo fascinating.
He treated everything so cut and dry, so business-like. Like in this scene, you know? "You got in my face? You'll have to die." It's a rule and it's simple to follow. But at the same time it's not business, because he enjoys it. Or at the very least, he needs it in order to function, as exemplified by his last scene of the show. Yeah, he's a psychopath. But I guess I needed that in the show after every other drug kingpin with moral underpinnings.
Simon just said in that post above that that isn't true, at least not consistently so.
Ace Harding
Member
The Wire gets people so confused about aspect ratio vs. resolution.
It was shot in 4:3, therefore it can only be 4:3 or be cropped into something else (which would be a crime). But it was shot on film so they can show it in HD. It will be crisp and pretty it'll just stay in 4:3.
It is a motherfuckin' TV SHOW yo. 4:3 4 lyfe
It was shot in 4:3, therefore it can only be 4:3 or be cropped into something else (which would be a crime). But it was shot on film so they can show it in HD. It will be crisp and pretty it'll just stay in 4:3.
It is a motherfuckin' TV SHOW yo. 4:3 4 lyfe
blainethemono
Member
Simon himself seems to have been confused as hell about this until just recently
http://davidsimon.com/introduction2/comment-page-2/#comment-5454
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