Criterion Additions

Sept titles:

The Game, Les Visiteurs Du Soir, and Eating Raoul, with Blu-updates of Children of Paradise (new artwork!) and Umberto D (also new artwork).

Eating Raoul is another to strike off from the new years cartoon, and The Game has been in the pipeline for years.

I got Hulu+ for the Criterion stuff and it's been a good investment. The best one I have watched so far was Devil and Daniel Webster, which tbh scared me so much I kind of felt like I should go to church the next day! Equinox was also badass. Worst so far has been The Plumber, which wasn't really bad, but it was billed as a comedy and I would have put it in the "creepy movies about awful humans" category. Turns out it was made for TV.

They just added Mahler and Eraserhead to the Hulu+ channel.

Also: The B & N 50% off sale started today.

so I can't get up the list for some reason, but Rosemary's Baby and In the Mood for Love Blu?

Yeah, also Forgiveness of Blood, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and a Gainsborough Eclipse set.

folks on the web are claiming this is real:

http://i.imgur.com/ZvRZH.jpg

they are using the jump in spine numbers from Sunday Bloody Sunday to Rosemary's Baby to buttress their absurd claims.

think they'll do anything interesting at #666?

Criterion #666: The Room*

Also: The Pasolini claim holds water. That box set has been in the pipeline for years (IIRC, they picked up the rights in their initial MGM deal back in 2005 or so.)

*Wishful thinking would be The Devils, but that is so not happening in the States.

They made Salo happen in the states. Is The Devils that much more complicated?

The Devils presents a set of problems. First of all, it's a Warner Bros. title, and Warner USA really doesn't license to boutique labels. Secondly, even after all these years, there are people in the Warner organization who are offended by the content of the film who've gone so far as to block releases of the film on physical media, such as a dvd edition that had a transfer and artwork ready to go.*

All that said, it is a miracle of sorts that BFI was able to release their edition earlier this year. However, it was a compromise, featuring the censored UK theatrical version (which admittedly isn't as censored as the US version) which is missing existing footage that at one time Warners US let out for a "making of" doc, but has since been thrown back in the vaults. It's been speculated that this release only happened because of persistent inquires from the UK causing them to cave and broker a one-off deal. I imagine Warners is of the mind that anyone in the states who's interested in the film will just go region-free and buy the BFI edition.

Of course, I'd love to be proved wrong about the worst parts of this. However, I just don't see Criterion wanting to play ball with Warners & vice versa.

*Of course the film has been issued on video in the states, but usually in truncated versions. This also hasn't stopped them from distributing prints for rep screenings.

Heaven's Gate confirmed in the latest newsletter.

I should have clocked the skating fiddler. I don't know about this one. I know it has it's hardcore fans, but...

...Tiny Furniture's better? I concur! OTOH, Heaven's Gate is one of the most important films ever made (not that important=good, mind you), and the old MGM disc's minuses (non-anamorphic 'scope transfer, scratchy image) outdo the pluses (premiere-length cut, unintentionally hilarious booklet focusing only positive aspects of the production).

And of the course the collection can always use more nude Isabelle Huppert!

I've only seen the long version on VHS.

Pretty sure I saw the long version in a theatre--I recall that they gave it a re-release some time after the abridged version. (A year later? Two years?) I've watched it one or two times subsequent to that. It requires a lot of patience between some incredible sequences.

Yeah, I think the "Premiere Cut" (which played briefly in NYC, getting the initial damning reviews before the recut was ordered) made the rounds as a kinda-sorta rep title in the early '80s along with the famous Z-Channel airing.

November: Rashomon reissue, Weekend (the Godard one), The Trilogy of Life, Heaven's Gate, and Eclipse 37: When Horror Came To Shochiku.

Aside from Rashomon, which I've seen, and the Eclipse thing, which I know nothing about, I've been wanting to see all these movies.

Looks like a confirmation on The Qatsi Trilogy in the latest newsletter.

did you get that from the drawing of the three C's? because i couldn't figure that out. still can't tbh.

Someone on the Criterionforum figured it out as a pun: "Three Caught C's".

oooh, of course...

Purple Noon, Qatsi trilogy, and Nolan's Following in December

and a Brazil Blu

About time for the Qatsi trilogy. Does that mean pretty much everything besides Y Tu Mama Tambien from the New Year's newsletter ended up coming out?

Supposedly the car hauler symbolized The Wenders "Road Trilogy", but was probably really Rosetta.

The only other MIA clue aside from Y tu mama... (which has missed for two years now) is the little mime guy, which is supposed to represent a Pierre Etaix collection, which has been delayed due to a forthcoming tour of his films.

Here is the Criterion Cast roundup of guesses, along with the cartoon itself. They assigned clues to Breaking The Waves and The Bow as well.

Badlands, apparently?

where you getting that Badlands info?

the little clue in the newsletter.

Yeah, probably Badlands, although the picture screamed In Cold Blood to me. But they don't quite match:

https://i10.createsend1.com/ei/r/BC/DC3/8AA/065339/images/wacky_lambs.png
vs.
http://i2.listal.com/image/741926/600full-in-cold-blood-photo.jpg

Okay, according to their FB page, Martin Sheen stopped by Criterion's office today.

So count that as a confirmation...Spawn is coming to Criterion!

The Man Who Knew Too Much, Ivan's Childhood, Pina (3D), and Blu updates for Two Lane Blacktop and The Tin Drum

The Tarkovsky is just a blu upgrade, while Tin Drum has a full reissue/upgrade on sd too.

oh, forgot they had released Ivan's Childhood.

It gets deeper: apparently Tin Drum is just the new director's cut, so if you want the old version, you have to go R2 or hold on to the old (and now OOP) CC edition.

This could be down to poor wording on the site, but it also looks like the blu Two-Lane will not come with the screenplay reprint.

Monsieur Verdoux confirmed in the latest newsletter.

After much ado (trips to 3 B&Ns!) I got a hold of Rosemary's Baby.

Entire Criterion Collection 50% off at Barnes & Noble. Stock up for Christmas.

http://www.indiewire.com/article/criterion-collection-50-off-at-barnes-and-noble

Feb: Ballad of Narayama, Kid with a Bike, On the Waterfront, Chronicle of Summer, and Sansho the Bailiff.

On The Waterfront!!

Chronicle of a Summer!

Waterfront comes in three different Aspect Ratios!

i like the cover art:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/release_images/4031/647_box_348x490.jpg?1352995396

Writer credit on the cover. That's...unusual.

Is this some original poster art?

the insane aspect ratio ppl have been all over that OtW development.

Jeffery Wells will still find something to bitch about re:OtW

the insane aspect ratio ppl

crucial cineaste subset finally categorised

Medium Cool confirmed in latest newsletter.