Criterion Additions

I would love to see a collection of Jem Cohen's films released by Criterion, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

Once again, I refer you all to the wonderfully great Criterion messageboard of http://pub125.ezboard.com/bcriterioncollectionforum/

Try that...

I just ordered my copy - $18. on DVD-R. Natch. - along with a copy of <em> F is for Fake </em> from
www.pimpadelicwonderland.com

Weekend is owned by New Yorker films but no plans for a DVD have been made. It may come on Region 2 at some point.

And because they can - they've got the name and the identity to hook in film geeks, where else are you going to turn, New Yorker?

I haven't seen it, but supposedly it was aimed at the special effects mavens out there. Also I recall reading an interview with one of the Criterion folks who said that the revenues from the Armageddon allowed them to fund a lot of other less-popular titles.

Here's just the start of the relevant section:

Specifically, with "Armageddon": You'd be silly to overlook blockbusters as a genre and leave them out of a film library. They drive so much. They drive tastes and shooting styles and visual references that appear all over the world in commercials and on TV as well as on movie screens. They're part of a huge cultural cross-pollination. And special effects are one of the most important aspects of a certain kind of contemporary filmmaking.

Is The Rock Criterion still in print? I'd much rather have that than Armageddon.

Those were the days when you actually got your $140 million dollars worth out of your production budget.

I miss the days when a budget topping $80mln was big news and a reason to go see the film. Now that barely buys you a romantic comedy.

it depends on how you look at it. it my mind, there's no need for it to necessarily become somethi@5{te the suggestion that short films/music videos/avant-garde & experimental work are just a "warm-up" for a feature length narrative. it's kind of absurd to but a limitation of film that it has to be 90-180 minutes long with actors, dialogue & a plot. at least 50% of my favorite cinematic works don't fit into the categorization, and whenever i hear about people complaining about a lack of innovation in film, it's usually because all they watch are feature length narratives.

but as for the idea of the innovation in these works not "catching on" in the mainstream, you simply have to look around you to see their influence: magazines, billboards, popular films and music, even architecture. it's everywhere, and most of the good, innovative feature filmmakers will be the first to admit that they've been influenced by someone like michel gondry, spike jonze, jem cohen, etc.

two words: HOLY SHIT.

so rejoice, damn you.

Never seen Love Jones, is it good?

https://i.imgur.com/qYRItgl.png

APRIL: The Girl Can't Help It; Miracle in Milan; Eyimofe (This Is My Desire); 'Round Midnight; and redos on Walker* and For All Mankind**

*BR reissue
**4K reissue

Man, Walker is an upgrade from deeeeeep left field.

Looking at the extras, I see The Girl... comes with the You Must Remember This ep on Mansfield. First time an actual podcast has been included w/a Criterion? I know NPR pieces have been extras before.

ooh that's interesting. I've been hoping Longworth could coordinate with the Channel in some way--how nice would it be if you could watch a bunch of the movies discussed in the current season? I almost watched 5-Card Stud just because Martin was in it until I looked it up and it seems generally disliked (and was barely mentioned in the podcast)

I love YMRT but it doesn't really get me in the mood to watch the actual films most of the time, "oh yeah the male lead in this comedy was an abusive piece of shit and the female lead killed herself".

That's ungenerous in terms of the podcast's remit imo, but, sure, I didn't mean every single season—I don't want a Dead Blondes collection—just ones where it would be fun to have access to some of the films under discussion: Sammy & Dino, Polly Platt, Bela & Boris, Jean & Jane, Joan Crawford, the blacklist, probably some older ones I don't remember well at this point; I think those would all have been good candidates

Hard Day's Night 4k disc has missing shots/transfer issues and a recall/replace program is being launched.

^^New 4K AHDN discs will be ready in March.

Reports are coming in that the CC Miller's Crossing is a new, slightly trimmed down Director's Cut.

Trimmed down? What would you trim?

20% less high hat given, and the audience is left wondering about what exactly is the rumpus

apparently it's approx. 2 minutes shorter, but I only specific thing I know that got cut was Mike Starr saying "Jesus, Tom" after getting hit in the face with the chair, which is one of the biggest laugh lines in the movie for me.

the audience is left wondering about what exactly is the rumpus

Nice...perfect film; wouldn't cut anything.

MAY: Double Indemnity*; Chan Is Missing; Mississippi Masala; The Funeral; and Mr. Klein.

*4K available

only specific thing I know that got cut was Mike Starr saying "Jesus, Tom" after getting hit in the face with the chair, which is one of the biggest laugh lines in the movie for me.

After extensive thought and much prayer & somber reflection I have concluded that this scene is actually a little funnier without the line (much to my surprise.) With the line, Starr gets the laugh. Without the line, Byrne standing there alone holding the chair becomes funnier imho, with more emphasis on the perfect note of Keatonesque confusion in his performance as he looks down at the chair then back at the door. Still a deeply weird cut to decide to make, but I sign off on it.

Does anyone want my gift-card code for the forthcoming Criterion Store sale?

24 hour flash sale has begun.

OK, I have never done a haul haul in all these years of sales, but I came into an unexpected windfall recently and have a few coupons stored up, so I allowed myself to spend a few Bens this time around to fill in a bunch of gaps and titles I’ve hovered and passed over for years now:

The Emigrants/The New Land
Christ Stopped at Eboli
The Furies
Love Affair
L’humanité
Life During Wartime
Marketa Lazarová
The Ascent
The Honeymoon Killers
The Cremator
Throw Down
Punch-Drunk Love
One-Eyed Jacks
The Celebration
Revanche
The Lady Eve
The Night Porter

Looks like Fox borked the transfer provided for The Girl Can't Help It: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film10/blu-ray_review_157/the_girl_cant_help_it_blu-ray.htm

Too Much Darkness for a Tashlin Film

JUNE: Pink Flamingos; The Worst Person In The World; Shaft*; Rouge; Farewell Amor; and a remaster of Tales of Hoffman.

*4K Available

Shaft also includes the sequel, Shaft's Big Score!.

DRIVE MY CAR is officially joining the Criterion Collection in July. pic.twitter.com/hhVCcq5ahs

— Isaac Feldberg (@isaacfeldberg) March 22, 2022

JULY: Devil In A Blue Dress*; Drive My Car; Raging Bull*; Okja*; a Blu upgrade of Summertime; and a 4K upgrade of The Virgin Suicides.

*4K available.

AUGUST: Faya dayi; Buck and The Preacher; Hotel du Nord; Frownland; and Daddy Longlegs (Safdie Bros.)

SEPTEMBER: Sound of Metal*; Take Out; Exotica; Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 4; a Blu upgrade/reissue of Le Corbeau; and Blow-Out on 4K.

*4K available

Exotica also includes Egoyan's earlier feature Calendar, and three shorts from different parts of his career.

Missed the screening of Chess of the Wind a few months back, it sounds fascinating.

Barnes & Noble sale reportedly begins tomorrow. Walker, High Sierra and (eventually) Drive My Car are at the top of my shopping list.

Oh and the Tales of Hoffman remaster.

OCTOBER: Lost Highway*; Eve's Bayou (Theatrical & Director's Cuts); Cure; La Llorona; Arsenic and Old Lace; and Night of The Living Dead on 4K.

*4K available

Nice to see a good old fashioned macabre October lineup again

Cure! what a blinder, of course I only recently bought the Arrow blu.

NOVEMBER: Daises; Malcolm X*; The Infernal Affairs Trilogy; The Power of The Dog*; and a 4K of In The Mood For Love.

*4K Available

So I'm wondering if that 4K will be the controversial re-color graded version of ITMFL. Who am I kidding, of course it will be.

Excited for The Infernal Affairs Trilogy, just found out that Criterion tried to get a hold of the chronological supercut of the three films as a bonus feature, but to no avail. I'd love to watch that.

WALL-E coming on 4K in November!

o_O

Wow, nice! Now that the Disney ice is broken, imma start hollering for The Straight Story.

That is incredibly heartening news. Bob Chapek (current Disney CEO) got his start pushing hard for physical media releases of their stuff, so there's been speculation that they would eventually crank up the output on that front. Here's hoping that they recognize the plethora of boutique labels that are champing at the bit for those sweet sweet Blu-ray rights (particularly Fox movies that I figured would never see another physical release).

There's musing on the Criterion Forum that The Straight Story is only happening after the rights revert to Lynch, which should be soon.

DECEMBER: Cooley High; The Velvet Underground; Three Films By Mai Zetterling (The Girls, Loving Couples, and Night Games); and Michael Haneke: Trilogy (The Seventh Continent, Benny’s Video, and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance)

JANUARY: Bergman Island (2021); This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection; Lars von Trier’s Europe Trilogy (The Elements of Crime, Epidemic, and Europa); Imitation of Life (1934); and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen*.

*4K available

Bummed it's not the Sirk Imitation of Life, but still, good slate!

Imitation of Life (1934)

Hoping for more John M. Stahl....

Motherfuuuuuu

Literally just bought Munchausen. If I had a nickel for every time Criterion pulled this on me, well, I could probably afford to purchase one Criterion Blu-ray. That's a lotta nickels.

Bummed it's not the Sirk Imitation of Life, but still, good slate!

I guess Universal wanted to hold on to it? Kind of odd that they weren't bundled together like on the old 'Franchise Pack' DVD, or Criterion's editions of The Lower Depths or The Killers.

or the Criterion version of Magnificent Obsession, which had the John M. Stahl version as a bonus feature for the Sirk one for that matter.

Feb '23: new BR editions of Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet, Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle and two from Marguerette Duras, plus 4K upgrades for Dazed & Confused and the Three Colors trilogy