The Official Criterion Thread: Release Dates,Rumors,News,Collections And More

[Mikey2Dope]

Thought it would be good to start one single thread up to discuss Criterions. Post any Criterion related news,rumors,release dates,reviews,collections etc in here.

Release Dates:

March 1
My Own Private Idaho
The River

March 15
The Sword of Doom
Young Torless
L' Eclisse

March 29
Jules et Jim
Kagemusha

April 26
A Generation
Kanal
Ashes and Diamonds
Andrzej Wajda: Three War Films
Divoce Italian Style
F For Fake!

May 10
Hoop Dreams
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Burden of Dreams

May 24
The Phantom of Liberty

Rumored:
Seven Samurai Reissue

[Mikey2Dope]

Hoop Dreams Special Features:

- Letterbox presentation enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Two audio commentaries with stars Arthur Agee and William Gates and filmmakers Peter Gilbert, Steve James, and Frederick Marx
- Segments from Siskel and Ebert tracking the acclaim for Hoop Dreams
- Original music video
Theatrical trailers
- A booklet featuring a dedication to the Gates and Agee families written by Steve James; new essays by writer and cultural historian John Edgar Wideman, and Sports Illustrated senior writer Alexander Wolff; and Michael Wise’s Washington Post article “Looking Back at Broken Dreams”
- English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired

Phantom of Liberty Special Features:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Video introduction by screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Original theatrical trailer
- A new essay by culture critic Gary Indiana

Kagemusha Special Features:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer enhanced for widescreen televisions
- Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa)
- A 40-minute documentary on the making of Kagemusha, part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- Helping a Master: Coppola, Lucas, and Kagemusha, new video interviews with executive producers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas
- Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity, a new video piece that reconstructs - Kagemusha through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches
- A booklet featuring new essays by scholars Darrell Davis and Peter Grilli and biographical sketches by Japanese film historian Donald Richie
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- More!

[MacReady]

I can't wait to get Burden Of Dreams. It'll not only be a nice companion piece to my Fitzcarraldo DVD but I've always wanted to see Werner Herzog dine on his footwear.:D

To contribute to this thread, here's link with releases that are heavily rumoured but haven't come out yet. (http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&sub=In%20Production&id=dvdaf.criterion)

Personally, I'ld most like to see those Kurosawa movies along with Olympia and Eisentein: The Silent Years.

[Tayzlor]

Can you tell me if Hoop Dreams is a double-discer Mikey?

Burden of Dreams looks supremely interesting. I should really bump up Fitzcarraldo in my queue, I've been meaning to follow up my viewing to Aguirre, the Wrath of God for what, nine months now.

Definite Purchase Number One - L'eclisse

It seems likely I'll enjoy this one, loving L'Avventura so much and being a fan of everything I've seen from Antonioni.

Definite Purchase Number Two - The Phantom of Liberty

May is looking awesome for viewing Buñuel films. TCM is airing five unreleased films of his-- Los Olvidados, Nazarin, Viridiana, The Exterminating Angel, and Simon of the Desert and now this great release.

Definite Purchase Number Three - Jules and Jim

It's been awhile since I've seen it, and will eventually get around to buying this like in the summer. I've already sold my Fox Lorber edition.

Indefinite Purchase - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

I gave the movie a six, but as long as its cheaply priced....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I obtained this list from criterionforum.org....

For sure to be released.

THE 49th PARALLEL (Powell & Pressburger)

A CANTERBURY TALE (Powell & Pressburger)

UGETSU (1954, Mizoguchi)

PANDORA'S BOX (1929, G. W. Pabst)

JOUR DE FETE (Tati, 1949)

more Yasujiro Ozu (as of Nov 2003 they are planning to release 12 Ozu DVDs, Donald Richie has mentioned that THE ONLY SON is coming soon; EQUINOX FLOWER and AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON have been mooted too.)

EISENSTEIN SILENT YEARS boxset (2005?)

MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S (1969, Rohmer)

CLAIRE'S KNEE (1970, Rohmer)


And here are some distinct possibilities (they haven't been confirmed yet):



YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (Ford, 1939)

DAMAGE (Malle, 1992)

CRASH (Cronenberg, 1996)

THIS SPORTING LIFE (Lindsay Anderson, 1963)

NAKED (Mike Leigh, 1993)

AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (Jane Campion, 1990)

AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON (1962, Ozu)

EQUINOX FLOWER (1958, Ozu)

THE ONLY SON (1936, Ozu)

THE TWO OF US [Le Vieil homme et l'enfant] (Berri, 1967)

HANDS OVER THE CITY (Rosi, 1963)

Richard GORDON boxset containing THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE (Bennet, 1959); THE HAUNTED STRANGLER (Day, 1958); FIRST MAN INTO SPACE (Day, 1959); CORRIDORS OF BLOOD (Day, 1962) (showing up on the Classic Horror DVD website as coming soon)

JIGOKU (Nakagawa, 1960)

PIERROT LE FOU (Godard, 1965)

THIEVES' HIGHWAY (Dassin, 1949)

NIGHT AND THE CITY (Dassin, 1950)

SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT (Lee, 1986)

CONFIDENTIAL REPORT (Welles, 1955)

FANFAN LA TULIPE (1952, Christian-Jaque)

CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (1960, Sautet)

PANIQUE (1946, Duvivier)

THE PHANTOM CHARIOT (1921, Victor Sjöström)

WOMAN IN THE DUNES (1964, Teshigahara)

GODZILLA (Honda, 1954)

SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Erice, 1973)

UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (Sturges, 1948)

SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS (Parajanov, 1964)

LE BONHEUR (1965, Agnès Varda)

BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970, Meyer)

THE STORY OF A PROSTITUTE (1965, Seijun Suzuki)

EQUINOX (1970, Jack Woods & Dennis Muren)

SEVEN SAMURAI (1954, Akira Kurosawa) reissue / new transfer (probably 2 x disc set)

THE BAD SLEEP WELL (1946, Akira Kurosawa)

DRUNKEN ANGEL (1948, Akira Kurosawa)

I LIVE IN FEAR (1955, Akira Kurosawa)

THE BURMESE HARP (Harp Of Burma)

FIRES ON THE PLAIN (Nobi) (1965, Kon Ichikawa)

MASCULIN, FÉMININ (1966, Jean-Luc Godard)

PICKPOCKET (1959, Bresson)

AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (1966, Robert Bresson)

MOUCHETTE * (1967, Robert Bresson)

LE PROCES DE JEANNE D'ARC (1962, Robert Bresson)

TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER (2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle) (1967, Jean-Luc Godard)

more Renoir (LA BETE HUMAINE?)

Tarkovsky (NOSTALGHIA)

THREEPENNY OPERA (1931, G. W. Pabst)

GRAY'S ANATOMY (1996, Soderbergh)

THE LAST METRO (1982, Truffaut)

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (1960, Truffaut)

ARMY OF SHADOWS (1969, Melville)

GOLD OF NAPLES (1954, De Sica)

LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD (1961, Resnais)

LE DOULOS (1961, Melville)

LÉON MORIN, PRÊTRE (1961, Melville)

MAFIOSO (1962, Lattuada)

THE MILKY WAY (1969, Buñuel)

[bluesbrother965]

Of those, I'll definitely rent Two or Three Things I Know About Her, This Sporting Life, any of the Melville movies, Last Year At Marienbad, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, She's Gotta Have It, the Milky Way, the Kurosawa movies, and maybe Spirit of the Beehive. Of the ones I have seen, I plan on getting the new Seven Samurai release, Life Aquatic, and Jules and Jim.

[Mikey2Dope]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
Can you tell me if Hoop Dreams is a double-discer Mikey?

Not too sure man. I got that info from the Criterion site and they don't mention anything about how many discs it is. Here's hoping for a 2 Discer because I'm still hoping they will put an Ebert commentary on it.

[MacReady]

Somehow I knew it was Tayzlor's destiny to be one of the first few people to post (I was almost certain he'd post after me).

Originally posted by Mikey2Dope
Not too sure man. I got that info from the Criterion site and they don't mention anything about how many discs it is. Here's hoping for a 2 Discer because I'm still hoping they will put an Ebert commentary on it.

According to Criterion DVD, it's going to be simply a one-discer (althought it's a very long film there isn't that many extras in my opinion).

[A.J. Hakari]

A GRAY'S ANATOMY Criterion? Is it just a rumor at this point, or are there actual rumblings of one in the process of creation?

If so, I actually might buy my first Criterion DVD. :D

[Saruman]

How come hardly anything recognizable gets a Criterion? Who picks these films?

[Tyler_Durden_208]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
GODZILLA (Honda, 1954)
Oh god man I hope so. That would be the end all be all for me. It deserves one with all the crappy discs we Godzilla fans have had to endure. It'd be even better if it was the original Japanese version, GOJIRA.

[bob]

Originally posted by Saruman
How come hardly anything recognizable gets a Criterion? Who picks these films?

Well, they go by A) What films they can get the rights to, and B) What films aren't going to be released by other major studios.

I mean, why release a Lord of the Rings or Godfather Criterion when they already are getting attention from their own studios?

These "unrecognizable" films are not going to get released in a decent edition unless Criterion does it.

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Adam J. Hakari
A GRAY'S ANATOMY Criterion? Is it just a rumor at this point, or are there actual rumblings of one in the process of creation?

If so, I actually might buy my first Criterion DVD. :D

Originally posted by Tayzlor
GRAY'S ANATOMY (1996, Soderbergh)

If it's official, I'll get it rather than face the shame of not owning a Criterion DVD that Adam does.

[A.J. Hakari]

Originally posted by bob
I mean, why release a Lord of the Rings or Godfather Criterion when they already are getting attention from their own studios?

Which is why I'm extremely puzzled as to why THE ROCK and ARMAGEDDON are amongst the collection...:confused:

These "unrecognizable" films are not going to get released in a decent edition unless Criterion does it.

And God bless them for getting out TANNER '88. I'd been trying to get ahold of it for friggin' years, so the Criterion edition was a blessing from above.

[bankholdup]

Originally posted by Adam J. Hakari
A GRAY'S ANATOMY Criterion? Is it just a rumor at this point, or are there actual rumblings of one in the process of creation?

If so, I actually might buy my first Criterion DVD. :D

Oh dear God...don't release it, Criterion! You know better!

[Cipher Jo]

I'm glad somebody made this thread, and what's wrong with The Rock? One of the best action films of the 90's. Armaggeddon they could have done without though.

[A.J. Hakari]

Originally posted by bankholdup
Oh dear God...don't release it, Criterion! You know better!

So I guess that's a "No" on you renting SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA anytime soon, right? ;)

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/289_box_348x490.jpg

[brodeurnumber1]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/289_box_348x490.jpg

That is one terrific cover. I'm definetly blind buying it since I've always wanted to see it and I love basketball.

[Tayzlor]

I think the Hoop Dreams art is horrible and tacky.

The below coverart is without the "copyrighted material".

http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/669633h.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/300_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s287.jpg


May Coverarts
1. Burden of Dreams
2. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
3. The Phantom of Liberty
4. Hoop Dreams

[Sigur509]

dont like the Hoop Dreams cover at all. Im sure the guys at Criterion could have come up with something better.

[Mikey2Dope]

Hoop Dreams cover is awite. I actually would prefer it more just being the jersey and not having the Newspaper Clippings at the bottom.

Accoring to Criterions website, Jules et Jim is now in the "Coming Soon" section for May, so it may have been pushed back a couple months.

[bluesbrother965]

Does anyone know if it'd be likely for them to re-release some of their early dvd's that don't have any extras, besides the trailer (Great Expectations, Alphaville, Oliver Twist, etc.)?

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by bluesbrother965
Does anyone know if it'd be likely for them to re-release some of their early dvd's that don't have any extras, besides the trailer (Great Expectations, Alphaville, Oliver Twist, etc.)?

I'd say it's highly likely. Besides the Kurosawa rereleases the only thing I've heard is a possible Alphaville rerelease, which has restrained me from purchasing it.

I'm not sure what was going on with Criterion when they released some of their earlier titles plainly, lack of funds perhaps? But I'm quite sure Criterion will get every film right from now on.

Films In Dire Need of a Rerelease
002 - Seven Samurai
003 - The Lady Vanishes
004 - Amarcord
010 - Walkabout
011 - The Seventh Seal
018 - The Naked Kiss
019 - Shock Corridor
022 - Summertime
024 - High And Low
025 - Alphaville
026 - The Long Good Friday
029 - Picnic at Hanging Rock
031 - Great Expectations
032 - Oliver Twist
035 - Diabolique
036 - Wages of Fear
037 - Time Bandits

[Atreus]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
[
I'm not sure what was going on with Criterion when they released some of their earlier titles plainly, lack of funds perhaps? But I'm quite sure Criterion will get every film right from now on.


I think it was mainly two factors. One was the technology both for DVD printing and the hardware people had at home. It wasn't worth it to put out anamorphic transfers at the beginning because almost no one had a Widescreen television. (I believe Insomnia #47 was the first Anamorphic)

The other reason that earliy releases (from all studios) were light on features was because the didn't know if the technology would catch on. After years of LaserDisc, must have been considered a technological flop (marketwise) studios were probably cautious about investing a tonne of money into a format that no one would buy. DVDs are a unique technological invention. The have acheived amazing success in a short period of time. I think DVDs are the first home video format that changed the industry. People who would never buy a VHS have a collection of DVDs. It has become a cultural phenomenon..

[Tayzlor]

^That probably explains it.

[Mikey2Dope]

New Criterion Titles added for June (from the Criterion Website)

Heaven Can Wait
Au hasard Balthazar
Crazed Fruit
The Browning Version

[MacReady]

This week saw the release of Criterion's new DVD edition of Akira Kurosawa's epic Kagemusha, featuring exclusive new video interviews with filmmakers George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince, a 41 minute documentary on the making of the film, and much more. Kurosawa fans can also look forward to Criterion's upcoming edition of Ran, due out in late 2005 in a special edition which includes, among other features, an exclusive interview recently conducted in Tokyo with star Tatsuya Nakadai.

I saw this on the Criterion homepage but it's since been taken down.

[Briare Rabbit]

Ran. Yuck.

Here's hoping they do a Spirit of the Beehive DVD, because no one else will. It's one of my favorite movies. Any of you checked it out yet?

[Tayzlor]

Here is the coverart for three of the June releases.

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/294_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/291_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/297_box_348x490.jpg

[dvdpunk]

will David Finchers movie the game be releases on Criterion

[therealjohng]

Originally posted by dvdpunk
will David Finchers movie the game be releases on Criterion


This has been a rumor for years. I wish it would come true.

[MacReady]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/295_box_348x490.jpg

I'm not impressed. I hope this is simply a "working cover" like the one we saw for My Own Private Idaho and L'Eclisse.

[Indy in IN]

This is interesting.

I just got my Columbia House DVD club ifo for this month and they now have Criterion discs. The Red Shoes, Hamlet, and The Third Man are in the flier. Best of all, they qualify for the buy one at regular price, get the rest 1/2 off. You could get all three for $63.91 plus shipping. Not a bad deal.

I'm sure they have more than that on the website.

Just an FYI.

[DaMovieMan]

This has got to be one of the best covers I have seen from Criterion:

http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s288.jpg

Makes me want to buy the DVD just for the cover!

Has anyone seen this movie?



DMM

[Cipher Jo]

Certainly a good purchase

[rilocay]

Originally posted by Tayzlor


Films In Dire Need of a Rerelease

029 - Picnic at Hanging Rock


I'd say it should be soon enough, Australia has the 2 disc set (or maybe more?) with a whole lot of new brandpsanking features but i havnt got it yet so i coudlnt tell you what it is, but needless to say theres plenty extra that could be added to a re-release.

[MacReady]

A new video interview with actress Candice Bergen will appear on Criterion's upcoming DVD release of Louis Malle's Au Revoir Les Enfants. In the interview, Bergen discusses her late husband's return to filmmaking in his native France with Au revoir and his methods for bringing this heartbreaking story to life. Look for Au Revoir Les Enfants from Criterion this summer.

Shit. I bought a crappy bootleg in december and now I can't get rid of it and now this pops up.

[horseflesh]

What are the chances of Criterion doing "A Matter of Life and Death"?
They obviously like Powell & Pressburger.......

[Mikey2Dope]

New Criterions:

#292 Unfaithfully Yours

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/292_box_348x490.jpg

#296 Le notti bianche

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/296_box_348x490.jpg

#298 Gates of Flesh

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/298_box_348x490.jpg

#299 Story of a Prostitute

No Cover Art Yet

[MacReady]

Wages of Fear to Be Rereleased in Late 2005
The original Criterion edition of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece of suspense Wages Of Fear will be taken out of print on May 16 to make room for an all new DVD edition of the film. The rerelease, due out in late 2005, will feature a brilliant transfer from newly restored film elements. Keep an eye on this space for more details in the coming months!

I have no regrets. Mine has that kickass original design anyway.

Oh, and here's the cover for Story Of A Prostitute:

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/299_box_348x490.jpg

I prefer the vastly superior Gate Of Flesh anyway. It has this cool Rashomon thing going on.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
Wages of Fear to Be Rereleased in Late 2005
The original Criterion edition of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece of suspense Wages Of Fear will be taken out of print on May 16 to make room for an all new DVD edition of the film. The rerelease, due out in late 2005, will feature a brilliant transfer from newly restored film elements. Keep an eye on this space for more details in the coming months!


*wipes sweat off forehead*

I was in a deadlock between ordering that or Vagabond.

[Tayzlor]

Time for its monthly (or bi) update!

I'll just re-post the August releases, seeing as we all missed them..

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/305_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/302_box_348x490.jpg
(I recall someone's fan-art looking exactly like that..)
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/293_box_348x490.jpg

Just Criterion releasing the titles that don't push Christmas units.

Now, September, a glorious month, looking like so...


Bad Timing (Roeg)
The Man Who Fell To Earth (Roeg)
Masculin féminin (Godard)
Naked (Leigh)
An Angel at My Table (Campion)


http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/303_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/304_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s301.jpg
http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s308.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/307_box_348x490.jpg

I'm looking to nab Naked and Bowie near its release date, and eventually purchase the new Godard.

[MacReady]

I'll defintely anticipating Naked. Althought I didn't like The Man Who Fell To Earth, there's enough glorious, gratiutous nudity to make me happy to get it (still don't see much need after the rather good Anchor Bay release). Finally, when will Godard ever help out Criterion to make one of his releases a director approved DVD? At least a new interview would be nice.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
Finally, when will Godard ever help out Criterion to make one of his releases a director approved DVD? At least a new interview would be nice.

He's too busy naming Vivre sa vie the sixth best film of 1962. I also heard he likes to play tennis.

[Tayzlor]

Between September and October, I will be dead broke.
Actually I'm probably just excited about the newness of the titles, and probably won't buy them until a few months later...but STILL, these are great looking titles.


Kill!
Sword of the Beast
Samurai Spy
Samurai Rebellion

Le Samourai
Wages of Fear (rerelease)

The four samurai films do come in a box set, if you want all four for a cheaper price, but they are not connected. Also, from what I understand, Criterion also plans on releasing Pickpocket in November.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/310_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/311_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/312_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/313_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/306_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/36_box_348x490.jpg

[MacReady]

The first 5 look way too alike.

And is that all they have to put on the new release of Wages Of Fear? Jam that motherfucker with all the goodies man.

Anyway I'm still infuriatated that I had to cut down on my spending followed with the recent cancelation of my DVDs after waiting several months for them (thus causing me to look for them in order to finally get them at a muchhigher price somewhere else thus disrupting my plans for future buys) by a cocksucking online DVD retailer.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
The first 5 look way too alike.


Perhaps because the first four are coming in a box-set, which I heard, will be in the same vein as the "Great Adaptations" set with no spine-number.

But Criterion's covers have seemed uninspired as of late. The Godson cover does look like it wants to be apart of that samurai set.

And the atrocious "The Man Who Fell to Earth" cover is well-documented.

[bluesbrother965]

The Man Who Fell To Earth's cover sucks, yes, but I think the worst is the Masculin-Feminin cover, which I think looks absolutely terrible. I can't wait to see Naked, or Pickpocket, hopefully they'll release that. Le Samourai is one of my favorite foreign movies, I'll buy that as soon as it comes out.

[HilfigerB2]

Originally posted by Saruman
How come hardly anything recognizable gets a Criterion? Who picks these films?


I am with you on this one.. Criterion releases some beautiful discs, beautiful packaging - very sophisticated, beautiful transfers, and very fucking weird movies.. I am in love with independent cinema and I am sorry but a lot of these people are far too weird for their own good.. they go overboard and it doesn't feel profound nor interesting because they are trying far TOO hard to be artsy when it should just come naturally from the material.. a lot of these movies feel very forced to me.

[bluesbrother965]

New releases, both for NOVEMBER:

(I don't know how to insert the images from the criterion website, so I just gave the link)


Kenji Mizoguchi's UGETSU (http://criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=309)


Powell & Pressburger's THE TALES OF HOFFMAN (http://criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=317)


Both covers look good to me. More releases will probably come soon, because Ugetsu is spine #309 and Tales of Hoffman is #317.

[bluesbrother965]

Originally posted by HilfigerB2
I am with you on this one.. Criterion releases some beautiful discs, beautiful packaging - very sophisticated, beautiful transfers, and very fucking weird movies.. I am in love with independent cinema and I am sorry but a lot of these people are far too weird for their own good.. they go overboard and it doesn't feel profound nor interesting because they are trying far TOO hard to be artsy when it should just come naturally from the material.. a lot of these movies feel very forced to me.

The thign that bothers me is when they call movies that no one's ever heard of "classics". Even if they deserve to be classics, which is often true, I think it's important that a classic (unless it's a cult classic) is well known, which these Samurai films, to my knowledge, are not. More of a pet peeve than something that seriously annoys me, but whatever.

[Tayzlor]

Man, the November releases look absolutely tasty thus far. That Ugetsu is a first dayer. Criterion is really turning it up this fall.

I guess this isn't on the site, but the new version of Ran is also coming out in November.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/mcgee75/316_box_348x490.jpg

So, for November, three monstrous releases (Ran, Pickpocket, Ugetsu) and a major release but minor Powellburger. Godard's Pierrot le Fou is also rumored along with a Louis Malle boxset.

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
So, for November, three monstrous releases (Ran, Pickpocket, Ugetsu) and a major release but minor Powellburger. Godard's Pierrot le Fou is also rumored along with a Louis Malle boxset.

Turning it up indeed. My next online pruchases were going to be the only 2 Powell and Pressburgers not currently in my possesion but Crition simply moved too fast for me to catch up. I'm going to have a very expensive christmas.

[bluesbrother965]

If they release Pierrot La Fou, I will be a happy man indeed.

[Mattapooh]

A Criterion issue of Ran? This is kinda frustrating, I'd like to know what's on it to see how it compares to the copy I already have.

[bubutthead]

from criterionco.com:

Ran Special Features:

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES

New, restored high-definition digital transfer

Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince

An appreciation of the film by director Sidney Lumet (Network, Dog Day Afternoon)

A.K., a 74-minute film by director Chris Marker (La jetée, Sans soleil), examining the making of Ran

Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create, a 37-minute documentary on the making of Ran, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series

Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity, a 35-minute video piece recon_structing Ran through Akira Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches

New video interview with actor Tatsuya Nakadai

Original theatrical trailer

New essay by film critic Michael Wilmington

New and improved English subtitle translation

More!

[LegionX]

I'm thinking about ordering the Samauri series are they any good?

[the movie guy]

I caught a bit of the samurai movie "Kill!" on IFC about a year ago and it's always stayed in my mind as something I would definitely buy when it came out on DVD. What I saw of it was awesome.

And when I saw it among Criterion's list about a month ago I almost shit myself.

Those who made comments along the lines of, "no one has heard of these movies", "they're too arty", etc. are obviously being either naive or knowingly too general for their own good. Those who really do their "movie homework" already know about some such titles and probably, like me, appreciate that such lost art, no matter the quality in their eyes, is being reborn on DVD. And obviously being on DVD for the first time will give it a whole new audience and fanbase as well, so no matter how you look at it, "no one" is a far cry from the truth.

Finally, "no one's" forcing anyone else to be a Criterion fan here, so if you don't like their collection, get out of the thread! :p (Just playing.)

[Tayzlor]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/mcgee75/314_box_348x490.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/mcgee75/315_box_348x490.jpg

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v375/mcgee75/315_box_348x490.jpg

Done and done.

Truffaut, along with Capra and Welles, is a director I really need to pick up on soon.

[bluesbrother965]

Shoot the Piano Player's a good one, I might pick it up, and I'll see Pickpocket at some poiont. Two mighty fine covers, too.

[Tayzlor]

December

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/315_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/318_box_348x490.jpg

January

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/319_box_348x490.jpg

also....

John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln
Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring
Vittorio De Sica's The Children Are Watching


And the Criterion Newsletter confirms 2006 releases for Jacques Tati'sPlaytime and Walt (Whilt?) Stillman's Metropolitan

[Tayzlor]

Here's the cover for "The Young Mr. Lincoln".

http://www.criteriondvd.com/images/front/s320.jpg

Also, I believe the following titles have been confirmed in the 2006 Criterion Catalog insert (for February I'm assuming).

La Bête Humaine (Jean Renoir)
Mr. Arkadin (Orson Welles)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer)

[HeavyFknMetal]

Criterion release of Kind Hearts and Coronets, now that is sexy. There are some amazing titles coming out soon I might have to stop buying regular dvds for awhile and save up. Not the biggest fan of Mr. Arkadin but Welles on Criterion is a must have for me. Shoot the Piano Player and Young Mr. Lincoln are both must haves as well.

[dman476]

Oh my, I just bought Le Samourai and I will buy:

Shoot the Piano Player- Nevermind, I've never seen this flick. I mixed it up with some other. I really dig Truffaut but have not seen many of his films. Jules and Jim and 400 Blows were two really good ones, but then Piano Playe I thought was fairly mediocre.

The Bad Sleep Well - A friend of mine said this was amazing last year and I'll take his word. This will be my first *blind bought* criterion dvd.

Ran - Not Kurosawas best but in his top 5.
Seven Samurai
Rashomon
Red Beard
Ran
Kagemushu

Young Mr. Lincoln looks all right and Mr. Arkadin is a great Welles movie.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/326_box_348x490.jpg


Haven't heard of the movie or the director, but the cover does look good.

Okay, and more importantly..

From the Criterion February Titles Press Release (via criterionforum.org):

Banned in Spain and denounced by the Vatican, surrealist genius Luis Buñuel's hilarious vision of life as a beggar's banquet is regarded by many as his masterpiece. Young novice Viridiana does her utmost to maintain her Catholic principles, but her lecherous uncle and a motley assemblage of paupers force her to confront the limits of her idealism. Winner of the Palme d'or at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, this anticlerical free-for-all is as shocking today as ever.

[MacReady]

The cover for both The Children Are Watching and the recently confirmed La Bete Humaine

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/323_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/324_box_348x490.jpg

[Tayzlor]

Here are the covers for "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "Viridiana", both buyable releases with exceptional covers.

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/325_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/332_box_348x490.jpg

[Tayzlor]

Want to ignore the February releases, do ya?

How 'bout March? Care to remain passive over this....

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/322_box_348x490.jpg

or these....

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/327_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/328_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/329_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/330_box_348x490.jpg

Also in March,

Fists in the Pocket (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=333)


About as great as a first third they could muster, all worth buying or blind-buying, albeit my suspicion over "Metropolitan" still remains. The Malle set is the ultimate culmination, as I've been wanting to those movies for awhile, plus Malle is someone I need to check out (I love "My Dinner with Andre").

"Fists in the Pocket" is a great release, mostly due to its anonymity.

Not much to be added, 'cept '06 will bring re-releases of

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Sanjuro.

[TylerDurden182]

Can't wait to pick up Mr. Arkadin.

[dman476]

Mr. Arkadin is a must buy for me, but no Malle for me.
I've seen one of his films, namely Lacombe Lucien, at a retrospective show on him at one of the museums next to me. After that, I've vowed to not see any more of his films for at least ten years. I don't reccomend you see them yet because no matter how good the films are, they are brutal and just, uh, I couldn't watch them.

Have you seen "Kind Hearts and Coronets" or "Viridiana?"
It looks pretty good and Bunuel is always a good bet. While I have also not heard anything about Metropolitan, but Criterion's releasing it so it can't be all bad.

While a Sanjuro, Yojimbo, and Seven Samurai double dip seems lovely. Can't wait for those, thanks for the update Tayzlor.
Oh crap, I just saw that Mr. Arkadin is 50 bucks.

[MacReady]

I will be getting the Malle boxset, but I don't think I'll be getting Fists In The Pocket anytime soon. Needless to say, I'm actually happy they released a totally normal and average looking movie (god, that's one of their weakest plot layout ever).

[bluesbrother965]

Originally posted by Tayzlor

Not much to be added, 'cept '06 will bring re-releases of

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Sanjuro. [/B]

No Hidden Fortress? :confused:

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
Not much to be added, 'cept '06 will bring re-releases of

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Sanjuro.

I was about to put SEVEN SAMURAI on my Christmas wishlist, but good thing I didn't.

[dman476]

Originally posted by bluesbrother965
No Hidden Fortress? :confused:
Well, Hiddden Fortress had a good transfer and one respectable feature. Besides, it's not one of his most famous ala Seven Samurai, yet I find it to be better than Sanjuro.

[Savage Henry]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
Not much to be added, 'cept '06 will bring re-releases of

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo
Sanjuro.
Nice, I'm glad I waited. Will be picking up all 3 of those... I better start saving up.

[bluesbrother965]

Originally posted by dman476
Well, Hiddden Fortress had a good transfer and one respectable feature. Besides, it's not one of his most famous ala Seven Samurai, yet I find it to be better than Sanjuro.

Yeah, but I was wondering because it's the other movie in the "Four Samurai Classics" set. Is it likely that they'll make a new set that features the updated versions of the other three?

[dman476]

Originally posted by bluesbrother965
Yeah, but I was wondering because it's the other movie in the "Four Samurai Classics" set. Is it likely that they'll make a new set that features the updated versions of the other three?
Honestly as far as I know, Criterion doesn't bundle dvds that often unless it's some sort of "exclusive."
It very possibly could but who knows, I'm sure we'll find out when final details will be given. I think we'll get them in about three months, but if they do make it into a set, I think it's safe to say I'd buy it.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/334_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/335_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/331_box_348x490.jpg

[Goosey]

Here's something I haven't seen much news on: I was on aintitcool a couple of weeks ago, and read a story where Harry mentioned that Criterion will be putting out Dazed and Confused sometime this year.

[HeavyFknMetal]

Originally posted by Goosey
Here's something I haven't seen much news on: I was on aintitcool a couple of weeks ago, and read a story where Harry mentioned that Criterion will be putting out Dazed and Confused sometime this year.

I'll believe that when I see it. And when I see it I wont buy it because I already have the recently released special edition.

[Goosey]

I don't have it yet, so I might get it if/when it comes out. Apparently Linklater himself told Harry this at a party or something so I suppose there's a good chance.

[Backstabba]

Can I use this thread to say I ordered my first criterion DVD?.....

.....If I can....then I just ordered my first criterion DVD (Insomnia (original)).....

.....*throws confetti*

[bob]

The February 2006 Criterion Newsletter said Dazed and Confused Criterion is coming this summer. Happy Face!!!!!

P.S. I just picked up the Adventures of Antoine Doinel...so money...

[bluesbrother965]

Wow, whaddaya know about that. I'd been waiting to buy it, since I heard the SE wasn't that good and that Linklater wanted a seperate edition released. Only about a week or two ago, I'd decided that a better version was never coming, and that I'd just buy the current one. Well, what do you know about that...

[Jimmy"The Gent"]

Alright, Alright, Alright................

That is some of the coolest news I've heard in a long time. I've owned two editions of Dazed & Confused (bare-bones and Flashback Edition) and both are seriously lacking in quality. Finally one of my favorite movies gets the red carpet treatment it deserves, and who better than Criterion to dish it out. I'll start saving today.

[Indy in IN]

Originally posted by Jimmy"The Gent"
Alright, Alright, Alright................

That is some of the coolest news I've heard in a long time. I've owned two editions of Dazed & Confused (bare-bones and Flashback Edition) and both are seriously lacking in quality. Finally one of my favorite movies gets the red carpet treatment it deserves, and who better than Criterion to dish it out. I'll start saving today.


I read about that too. They have relaesed Slacker, but I never thought Criterion would do this one. I can't wait to see the cover art!

[bubutthead]

Originally posted by Indy in IN
I read about that too. They have relaesed Slacker, but I never thought Criterion would do this one. I can't wait to see the cover art!

hey, lets not forget criterion did robocop and armageddon haha, im actually interested in this

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/339_box_348x490.jpg

Severely luscious news...considering I was about to purchase the old disc next week. I've been looking towards Criterion to release more movies by current international directors, and with this Criterion is certainly living up to their promise of releasing new directors into the collection this year. Great, great, news that would have been much greater had this been "A Brighter Summer Day", currently unrepresented on DVD but continually discussed glowingly amongst people have seen it and properly rated near the top of whatever list they may be compiling. Dig it!

(It's possible the image may be down.)

The rest of the year looks like:

The Complete Mr. Arkadin - 4/18
Elevator to the Gallows - 4/25
Fists in the Pocket - 4/25
Late Sping - 5/9
Viridiana - 5/23
Harlan County USA - 5/23
Dazed and Confused - 6/6
À nos amours - 6/6
Equinox - 6/6

With Kicking and Screaming, reissues of Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Seven Samurai, and Playtime due.

[dman476]

Yiyi looks like a good movie, my friend said it was kind of similar to Mangolia. I'll check it out sometime.
I'm eagerly awaiting Mr. Arkadin, Equinox, and Elevator to the Gallow.

[Tayzlor]

Here's another..

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/340_box_348x490.jpg

[MacReady]

I've never heard of eithre (as is the case with many criterion titles) but I'm interested in YiYi and I really hope the people at criterion would release more titles from countries that aren't apart of NATO more often (except for Sweden and Japan)

[SamSanchez]

i'm really excited about both those releases. There's been a lot of complaints about all the recent releases, but i don't see why....these new upcoming releases all have me pretty excited.

[bankholdup]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/341_box_348x490.jpg

[dman476]

That should be interesting.
I'll look into that film.

[Tayzlor]

I'll lump that with the other Powell and Pressburger's to catch up with.

That cover isn't that bad. I'm going off my instinct, naturally, because I have no knowledge of good art techniques, or better yet, bad art techniques. It's probably bad that it is reminiscent of those throwaway-Wal Mart romance novels.

[m_burlock]

Originally posted by Saruman
How come hardly anything recognizable gets a Criterion? Who picks these films?


Exactly!!

[mouldy311]

hard boiled and the killer are two of my favorite movies (look at my avatar) and they have criterion editions out there that have been discontinued. anyone know where i could get them for under $500?

[bankholdup]

It seems Criterionco.com has a new layout...as well as 9 new films set to be released.

And...a new location for their logo?!:

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/350_box_348x490.jpg


Kicking and Screaming also has a cover, with the exact location of the Criterion logo as Seduced and Abandoned...but that's not working for me right now.

[dman476]

Hmm, I know. It wasn't working for me either.
But I like the new logo. Kicking and Screaming & Seduced and Abandoned seems like a great double feature.
I will try to get both.

[TylerDurden182]

I like the new logo. I wonder if it still looks the same on the spine.

[MacReady]

I hate the new logo. It's so unimaginative. I also hate the new cover. It's like one of those old Static-X covers plus it has way to much writing on it.

[Tayzlor]

The Seduced and Abandoned cover looks like something Robert Crumb would draw, or probably did draw, considering the exaggerated sexism involved in Divorce Italian Style and no doubt in Seduced and Abandoned. :D

The new design is awful. Isn't the idea to be less intrusive? The old design had the logo placed near the top, allowing the rest of the cover the room for the artwork. Are they going to work around the side-popping tab every time or have it plastered over the side of every cover?

They should go back and add the goofy tab to all covers:
http://www.geocities.com/grapydusk/wages.jpg


It still remains cover art though. And thankfully the upcoming movies look so good as if to disregard the cover, no matter how silly. Also, the floating C? With something more obscure like Seduced and Abandoned you may get blind buys based on its inclusion into The Criterion Collection, but still, is it necessary to include the name twice? It's akin to those pointless "Golden Collection" splattered on most studio DVDs, used as a marketing device.

[dman476]

Hmm, you've convinced me.
I didn't think it looked that bad because I forgot how neat the old logo was. With The Wages of Fear, you've shown how awful it really is. :(
Still, I like the Seduced and Abandoned cover art. It's crazy, and does look like something Crumb would draw.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by dman476
With The Wages of Fear, you've shown how awful it really is. :(


That was more anti-tab propaganda. It's not that bad, but I can't say the same for the giant, floating C.

The Rohmer covers are posted here, along with Kicking and Screaming:

Eric Rohmer (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/coming_soon.asp)

[HeavyFknMetal]

Not a fan.

Some of the covers look all right like Seduced and Abandoned, but then there are others that the tabs become the focal point of the cover like with Kicking and Screaming.

I'm sure they'll grow on me later on down the line. Until then I shall wave my fists in anger.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by HeavyFknMetal
Until then I shall wave my fists in anger.

http://www.homerize.com/framegrabs/2F22/fg_195.jpg

Shake harder boy!

[dman476]

OKAY, thanks for posting the covers.
I'm not 100% convinced it's pure shit. :(
The tab isn't that bad even though I don't like it. Why must they put the year the film was made on the front? :confused:
And the "C", tsk tsk tsk.
That is disastrous.
It's like a piece of beige shit floating around on the cover.
Can someone tell me why they had to change it?

[SamSanchez]

I guess i'm one of the few who enjoys the new look. Yeah, the last look probably looked better overall, but this isn't bad looking, and just needs some accustoming to. THey've been using the last logo for about 300 titles now (almost) and it's nice to go with something different. I don't mind the tab nor the "C" in the corner. The website however, i'm not too thrilled about it....too much white space.

[HeavyFknMetal]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
http://www.homerize.com/framegrabs/2F22/fg_195.jpg

Shake harder boy!

The fact that you found that screenshot is nothing less than brilliant.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/353_box_348x490.jpg

Galleries of posters from selected Nakagawa and Shintoho Studio films
Theatrical trailer
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
"Building the Inferno," a new documentary on Nakagawa and the making of the film
New and improved English subtitle translation
New essay by noted Asian cinema critic Chuck Stephens


http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/352_box_348x490.jpg

New, restored high-definition digital transfer
"The Footprints of a Spirit" documentary featuring Erice, Torrent and more
Director interview, "Victore Erice in Madrid"
Interview with film scholar Linda Ehrlich
Interview with actor Fernando Fernan Gomez
New and improved English subtitle translation
New essay by film schol Paul Julian Smith

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/112_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/2_box_348x490.jpg
[list]
3 discs
All-new restored, high-definition digital transfer
Commentary by film scholars David Desser, Joan Mellen, Donald Richie and more
Commentary by Japanese film expert Michael Jeck
50-minute making-of documentary, "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful To Create"
Two-hour conversation between Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima
New documentary, "Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences"
Theatrical trailers and teaser
New and improved English subtitle translation
Essays by Peter Cowie, Philip Kemp, Kenneth Turan, Sidney Lumet and more


http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/4_box_348x490.jpg

2discs
All-new, restored high-definition digital transfer
Commentary by scholars Peter Brunette and Frank Burke
New 45-minute documentary, "Fellini's Homecoming"
Video interview with star Magali Noel
Fellini's drawings of characters in the film
"Felliniana" collection devoted to the film
Audio interviews with Fellini, his friends and family
New restoration demonstration
American release trailer
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
New and improved English subtitle translation
A book featuring Fellini's memoir La Mia Rimini and essay by Sam Rohdie


:eek:

They're also re-releasing Brazil with a new transfer and the same coverart (with the new logos).

Everything listed is first day buyable, minus "Jigoku" (which I haven't heard of).

[TylerDurden182]

That Seven Samurai set is fucking sweet.

[MacReady]

Holy fucking shit 2/3's of these DVDs are re-releases for god's sake!

This is truly awful work from a normally top notch company. I'm very dissapointed. Fuck it, I think I'm actually gonna write a complaint to whatever the hell department is responsible for it.

The DVDs look nice, but I don't wanna buy the same old DVDs over and over again.

[dman476]

I know Macready.
And just my fucking luck, from the 15 or so Criterion dvds I have, the re-releases are of the dvds I actually bought. :(
Brazil? Fuck you. Same dvd, different transfer.
I've had my CC dvd for a month or so, and I haven't even popped it in. I'll pass. Playtime is something I can wait on, I don't like the film that much. M. Hulot's Holiday is much better than Mon Oncle and that, so I'll wait.
Seven Samurai and Amarcord look amazing.
Amarcord is a must buy for me - if not only for the Fellini-esque special features, but the transfer.
I've wanted to see the Spirit of the Beehive for a while.
Some good news in the bunch, but I was hoping for a more interesting batch, like the August one.
This one isn't very diverse.

I must admit, that Amarcord makes me foam at the mouth.
The cover is really nice.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
Holy fucking shit 2/3's of these DVDs are re-releases for god's sake!

This is truly awful work from a normally top notch company. I'm very dissapointed. Fuck it, I think I'm actually gonna write a complaint to whatever the hell department is responsible for it.

The DVDs look nice, but I don't wanna buy the same old DVDs over and over again.

I can see your anger, understand your anger but, alas, I don't own these wonderful titles, so I'm all beaming, all things shining (to quote "The Thin Red Line")!

These rereleases are completely necessary, they aren't fourth versions of "Black Hawk Down" or "T2". Previous releases were bare-bones with shoddy, non-anamorphic transfers...not on a "Metropolitan" or a "Tunes of Glory", but rather two universal classics made by two of the biggest directors around. Criterion needs the money, of couse, but they wouldn't re-release something unless they believed it needed it.

If I owned the "Brazil" DVD, I would surely be pissed off, all over the place, but at least they are releasing a single-disc version to appease the people who purchased the expensive set

[SamSanchez]

Actually, I don't understand MacReady's anger. They release about 3 NEW films a month, and they only cut that down by 1 and giving re-issues of 3 AMAZING movies that were pretty much barebones, and re-issuing another that was previously out of print and going for about $100 on eBay consistently. And last year, i believe they made September the reissue month as well. So the announcement of these releases has made September my favorite Criterion month so far of the year.


I'd also like to add that i own Brazil, Seven Samurai, and Amarcord, and i will be buying the new editions of each, minus Brazil as the three-disc is sufficient enough for me. I'm however extremely happy about the Playtime being re-issued and now i can avoid buying it on eBay for about triple the price.

And as for the two new films to Criterion, Jigoku and Spirit of the Beehive both have me extremely interested and awaiting September quite eagerly.

[APzombie]

So the new covers have the years release on left? I dunno, I've always dug the consistantcy in their covers.

[MacReady]

You guys keep saying that you don't understand my anger, but you keep giving yourselves away when you say that you haven't bought any of these DVDs. I have.

I mean, maybe if only Seven Samurai and Amarcord were re-released this month, it wouldn't have been earth-shattering but the fact remains that 2/3's of their releases are movies I already own. I wanna complete the entire collection, not be forced to go back and re-buy the same goddamn movies over and over again.

This is more annoying for me than for average buyers since I'm a completist and am bound my habbit to get them all, but I say this is a load of bullshit. Criterion has released dozens of barebones titles within their first 100 releases alone, so I think they should just cut their loses. I know some of them are going to be really mind blowing, but releasing things like The 400 Blows or Brazil and making them only slightly different from the old releases is just plain obnoxious. Releases like Beauty And The Beast and Grey Gardens are perfectly fine and don't need to be re-done every goddamn time.

[Savage Henry]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
They're also re-releasing Brazil with a new transfer and the same coverart (with the new logos).

This is sort of lame considering i just bought Brazil a day ago. I suppose all they will be doing is making it anamorphic, which since I don't even own a widescreen tv (YET), I guess this is nothing to wet my pants about.

The Seven Samurai and Amarcord rereleases are something I've been waiting for, and I will be all over those in september.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
You guys keep saying that you don't understand my anger, but you keep giving yourselves away when you say that you haven't bought any of these DVDs. I have.

Hey, I said I understand your anger. Criterions are expensive, especially for Canadians. And Sam owns all the old versions of the rereleases except Playtime.



This is more annoying for me than for average buyers since I'm a completist and am bound my habbit to get them all, but I say this is a load of bullshit. Criterion has released dozens of barebones titles within their first 100 releases alone, so I think they should just cut their loses. I know some of them are going to be really mind blowing, but releasing things like The 400 Blows or Brazil and making them only slightly different from the old releases is just plain obnoxious. Releases like Beauty And The Beast and Grey Gardens are perfectly fine and don't need to be re-done every goddamn time.

Seven Samurai needs this rerelease. The picture quality is awful, it's all shakey and the those white spots pop up constantly (I guess it's called dirt). It makes perfect sense for them to rerelease it given that and that it's one of their most popular movies. I don't know Criterion's financial situation, but I'm sure they need the money to release the A Nos Amours and the Fists in the Pockets out there. It's getting harder and harder for them to have a new cash cow as all the popular movies make there way onto DVD. Plus, the "Seven Samurai" rerelease is a good launching title for their new logo.

The 400 Blows was a money-grabber, but not for the owners of the original Antoine Doinel box-set. They probably should've taken their new Brazil further and allowed free copies of the single-disc new transfer if you said in your UPC or something.

It'll probably anger you more that they have plans to rerelease Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Picnic at Hanging Rock, probably High and Low, and I think The Third Man (which isn't necessary).

[HeavyFknMetal]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
It'll probably anger you more that they have plans to rerelease Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Picnic at Hanging Rock, probably High and Low, and I think The Third Man (which isn't necessary).

So angry....must....kill.....everyone.....

That's actually not so bad for me I guess since I don't own Yojimbo, Picnic, or High and Low. Plus I'll be happier than a pig in shit to get a nice new version of Hanging Rock.

As for MacReady, I'm sure he'll be steaming with joy.

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by MacReady
You guys keep saying that you don't understand my anger, but you keep giving yourselves away when you say that you haven't bought any of these DVDs. I have.


Actually, I didn't read many other replies to this other than yours, and I am one of the ones that doesn't understand your anger, and I also included in my reply that I own 3 of the 4 DVDs that are being re-released. The only one i don't own is Playtime. ANd I'm looking forward to September. I also consider myself a completist in a way....probably don't have as much as you (i really have no idea how much you have though), but i'm closing in on 200 Criterion owned, which is safe to say far above the average on here. So yeah, i guess i could understand where you're coming from being a little ticked off, but not TOO much really. I apologize again though if it sounds like i'm trying to put you down or anything though.

[dman476]

I can actually see why this would aggravate Macready.
I don't like buying titles over and over again, grante Criterion doesn't usually do that. If I was a completist like Macready, I'd be pretty angered by the shameless 400 Blows plug, Beauty and the Beast, and of course, Grey Gardens.
But lucky for me, I'm not a completist.
I don't have too many Criterion titles, and with strange misfortune, I own Amarcord, Seven Samurai, and Brazil.
Does it mean I'm angry by the re-releases?
Yes and no.
I wish they would come out with these SE's in the first place, but they didn't, and these special editions sound amazing.
The films were in need of better editions, so whatever.
Brazil is shameless attempt though.
No way am I buying that - the free double dip for the single disc version Tayzlor would be awesome, but they wouldn't do that.
And I can't wait for Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Picnic at Hanging Rock, High and Low, and The Third Man SEs. Mainly because they're great films and I don't own them :D

I went off and sold my Seven Samurai and Carnival of Souls Criterions. It was hard to let them go, but I figured I could use the cash for some other films later on this month.
Seven Samurai since I'm getting the new SE later on, and Carnival of Souls...well because it sucks, and was kind of a bad blind buy.
It sucks in a good way, but I've had it for a few years, and I've only seen it once. Never seen the special features too.
So, yeah - definitely not a keeper. I'm thinking of selling the first disc in the Brazil dvd, if they give me like 15 bucks for it, it might be worth it. I'm not sure though.
Amarcord I can't sell because my parents bought it in back when it first came out, so I'm cool with that. It's my dad's favorite Fellini film.
And because it's his,it won't really be a double dip for me. :)

[Lazy Boy]

Originally posted by dman476
I went off and sold my Seven Samurai and Carnival of Souls Criterions. It was hard to let them go, but I figured I could use the cash for some other films later on this month.
Seven Samurai since I'm getting the new SE later on, and Carnival of Souls...well because it sucks, and was kind of a bad blind buy.
It sucks in a good way, but I've had it for a few years, and I've only seen it once. Never seen the special features too.

Aw, man, I love Carnival of Souls! I blind bought the Criterion years ago, and became a fan of the film ever since...and the extra features a pretty nice, too. Hearkens back to a nostalgia of B-movie mania; no matter how bad the production values, or, hell, any element, of an Ed Wood, Ray Dennis Steckler or Herk Harvey movie, I still enjoy the hell out of 'em. :)

There's a version out there w/Mike Nelson (Mystery Science Theater) doing a commentary track. I'd want to listen to that...

[dman476]

Originally posted by Lazy Boy
Aw, man, I love Carnival of Souls! I blind bought the Criterion years ago, and became a fan of the film ever since...and the extra features a pretty nice, too. Hearkens back to a nostalgia of B-movie mania; no matter how bad the production values, or, hell, any element, of an Ed Wood, Ray Dennis Steckler or Herk Harvey movie, I still enjoy the hell out of 'em. :)

There's a version out there w/Mike Nelson (Mystery Science Theater) doing a commentary track. I'd want to listen to that...
I said it sucks in a good way :D
Like a good B-movie, but I've seen better B-movies.
I think I mentioned that I like sci-fi B-movies more than almost anything else in film. Plan 9, the Blob, Desintation Earth, This Island Earth, the Day the Earth Stood Still (well, this is pretty A grade stuff), Teenagers from Outer Space, and countless others of course. Those are so fun.
And the game Destroy All Humans is a perfect counterpart to those films.

Carnival of Souls is interesting, and I'm sure the features are good - I might rebuy it if there were an SE, but like I said, I've only seen it once. The picture quality wasn't that great on the release.
But it is a cool Macabre film.
It's not that it's a bad B-movie by any means, I'm merely saying I've had more fun watching others. God knows, it is a better film than Equinox. It's just an odd criterion title, and I figured I'd need the money to pick up Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll", "Plan 9 From Outer Space: SE", and "The Little Shop of Horrors: SE" later this month.

Is there really a MIke Nelson commentary for Carnival?
That'd be pretty kick ass.
A somewhat good movie for MST3K for once.
I wish they'd include it on the Criterion.
That'd be a dvd worth keeping. :)
Hopefully they release Carnival under their logo with the Mike Nelson commentary. That'd be wicked.

And you know the Plan 9 dvd I mentioned, that has a Mike Nelson commentary which I want to listen to really bad. :p

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by dman476
I'd be pretty angered by the shameless 400 Blows plug.

I really don't think "The 400 Blows" was shameless. It seems more courteous, even if money was the driving force behind it's separation from the boxset. "The 400 Blows" is too much of a popular classic to be confined to a 60 dollar boxset, and it is the same version from the boxset.

[dman476]

I didn't mean shameless to non completists.
To Macready, it is a shameless plug.
To me, it is a miracle :D

It is courteous, but obviously, if I was a collector like Macready per se, I'd be pretty pissed although if it's the same dvd, do you need to buy it even if you are a completist? Is it just for the packaging?

Oh, and did anyone else get a Grand Illusion post card in the dvd?

[A.J. Hakari]

I got EQUINOX from Netflix, and I wrapped up watching the 1970 version a while ago. Please tell me most of the Criterion movies are better than this godawful B-movie...

"Asmodeus! I just remembered, that's another name for the Devil!"

:(

Needless to say, I sent it back without watching the student film version.

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by Adam J. Hakari
I got EQUINOX from Netflix, and I wrapped up watching the 1970 version a while ago. Please tell me most of the Criterion movies are better than this godawful B-movie...

"Asmodeus! I just remembered, that's another name for the Devil!"

:(

Needless to say, I sent it back without watching the student film version.

Yeah, i love b-movies, but Equinox was not great at all. It gets credit for being the film to inspire the Evil Dead movies and for the budget that was used, it wasn't that bad. But yeah, DO NOT let Equinox discourage you from the Criterion collection.

[MacReady]

Originally posted by dman476
It is courteous, but obviously, if I was a collector like Macready per se, I'd be pretty pissed although if it's the same dvd, do you need to buy it even if you are a completist? Is it just for the packaging?

I do have my limits (like the fact that I won't buy the single releases of Fanny And Alexander or the one-disc Life Aquatic release) because they are basically the exact same thing as another release in the collection. I think I went too far with The 400 Blows, but it's the fact that it's a different cover makes it unique enough to make me go out and get it.

As for Sam and Tayzlor, let's not turn this nerdy, basement-dwelling argument into a internet drama. What I ultimately meant was that I had damn good reason to be pissed. I have other complaints.

Along with the fact that they annouced 4 re-released with only 2 measely original titles on the same month, there's also the issue that I'm a completist. I buy from them at an insane rate, yet they keep doing this to me and I have to go back and update certain spines in order to be up to date, rather than just letting me collect the ones I'm missing so I can fill up my collection. Also, I figured since I'm such a big collector, why can't they do this kind of crap sparingly?

Also, I will note that they've released literally dozens of barebones titles. If criterion was to adopt an attitude where they should start going back and re-release their crappier titles we could end up with literally many many duplicate titles.

Finally, I guess I might be a bit steamed since the news of the Grey Gardens and The Third Man being re-released have made me a little pissed. Well, that's all.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
As for Sam and Tayzlor, let's not turn this nerdy, basement-dwelling argument into a internet drama. What I ultimately meant was that I had damn good reason to be pissed. I have other complaints.


Internet drama? Come on Mac, I said I understood your anger. I just disagreed with you on Criterion's release schedule (man, this is nerdy). Being a Canadian Criterion Completist has to take up all your monthly funds.

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
Internet drama? Come on Mac, I said I understood your anger. I just disagreed with you on Criterion's release schedule (man, this is nerdy). Being a Canadian Criterion Completist has to take up all your monthly funds.

No no, I wasn't talking about you. Just the momentary misunderstanding that we were having (about when I said you guys weren't really understanding me and shit. I knew you said you understood me and all that).

I still hate those bastards at criterion by the way. I'd better win their little contest for this month or I am gonna be pissed.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
I still hate those bastards at criterion by the way. I'd better win their little contest for this month or I am gonna be pissed.

Shit, I deleted my newsletter. What is it? I gave up trying to muster up a decent enough haiku for the contest.

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
Shit, I deleted my newsletter. What is it? I gave up trying to muster up a decent enough haiku for the contest.

Meh, it was about some tunes on the Dazed And Confused soundtrack. At first I figured I wouldn't even bother (like I did with the haiku) because I didn't know shit about music. However I then started searching for lyrics and before I knew it I had a complete list.

If you ask nicely, I can repost the questions and you can try your luck.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
If you ask nicely, I can repost the questions and you can try your luck.

MacReady, grand, brave!
May I have the questions, sir?
Please not on the face.

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
MacReady, grand and brave!
May I have the questions, sir?
Please not on the face.

that WAS pretty nice

[MacReady]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
MacReady, grand, brave!
May I have the questions, sir?
Please not on the face.

You know, you actually managed to come off as more gay and effeminate than your avatar. It nearly put me off from actually telling you. Nevertheless:

1. “See the curtains hanging in the window
In the evening on a Friday night.
A little light a-shining through the window
Lets me know everything’s all right.”

2. “You could dance all night if you felt all right,
drinking whiskey and throwing dice.”

3. “Did you have any bad dreams, did you break any glass?
Would you be my companion, is there even a chance?”

4. “Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand.
Peached up, Peached Ale, never fails.
Must have been a dream, I don’t believe where I’ve been.
Come on, let’s do it again.”

5. “All over the country I’ve seen it the same,
Nobody’s winning at this kind of game.
We’ve got to do better; it’s time to begin.
You know all the answers must come from within,
so. . . ”

6. “You stand in the front just a-shakin’ your ass.
I’ll take you backstage, you can drink from my glass.
I talk about something you can sure understand,
‘cause a month on the road an I’ll be eating from your hand.”

7. “I hope y’all know what I’m talkin’ about,
The way she wiggled that thing, it really knocks me out.
Gettin’ high all the time, but if you’re not there too
Come on a little closer, gonna do it to you.
Yeah. . .”

Bonus question:
“Get high, everybody, get high.
Get high, everybody, get high.
Get high, everybody, get high.
Get high, everybody, get high.”

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MacReady
You know, you actually managed to come off as more gay and effeminate than your avatar. It nearly put me off from actually telling you. Nevertheless:


Hope you're referring to my old avatar and not my current one with the pretty brunette.

These questions are definitely going to be googled up.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/354_box_348x490.jpg
Lodge Kerrigan began his succession of utterly unique, visually and aurally dazzling character studies with the raw, ravaging Clean, Shaven. A compelling headfirst dive into the mindscape of a schizophrenic (played by the remarkable Peter Greene) as he tries to track down his birth daughter after he is released from an institution, Kerrigan’s film brilliantly uses sound and image to lead audiences into a terrifying subjectivity. No one is left unscathed.

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Lodge Kerrigan
Audio commentary in which Steven Soderbergh interviews Kerrigan
New video piece written and narrated by critic Michael Atkinson exploring the film’s unique subjectivity and sound design
MP3 downloads from the film's final sound mix
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Plus: A new essay by critic Dennis Lim

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/356_box_348x490.jpg
Though she followed it with a string of brilliant films, Jane Campion will always be remembered for her stunning debut feature, Sweetie. Campion focuses her askew lens on the hazardous relationship between the buttoned-down, superstitious Kay and her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, “Sweetie,” and by extension, their entire family’s profoundly rotten roots. A feast of quirky photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, Sweetie heralded the emergence of this enormously gifted director as well as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take international film by storm in the Nineties.

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Sally Bongers and approved by director Jane Campion
New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack Audio commentary featuring Campion and Bongers and screenwriter Gerard Lee
Making Sweetie, a new video interview featuring stars Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston
Campion’s early short films: An Exercise in Discipline: Peel; Passionless Moments; and A Girl’s Own Story
Jane Campion: The Film School Years, a 1989 conversation between Campion and critic Peter Thompson
Gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and production stills
Original theatrical trailer
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Plus: A new essay by film scholar Dana Polan


http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/355_box_348x490.jpg
Anchored by a ferocious lead performance from Rod Steiger as a scheming land developer, Francesco Rosi’s Hands Over the City moves breathlessly from a cataclysmic building collapse to the backroom negotiations of civic leaders vying for power in the City Council election. Plunging headfirst into the politically driven real-estate speculation that has devastated Naples’ civilian landscape, Hands Over the City, which was awarded the Golden Lion at the 1963 Venice Film Festival, remains a blistering work of social realism.

New, restored high-definition digital transfer
New video interviews with director Francesco Rosi, film critic Tullio Kezich, and filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin
Video discussion with Rosi, co-writer Raffaele La Capria, and film critic Michel Ciment
Plus: A new essay by film critic Stuart Klawams and a 2003 interview with Rosi



AND (no coverart at the moment)

Sólo con tu pareja (Only With Your Pair..?)
by Alfonso Cuarón

Before Alfonso Cuarón helmed the international sensation Y tu mamá también, he made his mark on Mexican cinema with the ribald and lightning-quick contemporary social satire Sólo con tu pareja. Don Juan-ish yuppie Tomás Tomás (Daniel Giménez Cacho, from Bad Education) spends his nights juggling so many beautiful women that he can’t keep their names straight—until one of his many conquests, a spurned nurse, gives him a taste of his own medicine. Beautifully filmed in widescreen by the inimitable Emmanuel Lubezki (The New World), Cuarón’s wildly successful feature debut (which has never been released in the U.S.) gave voice to a Mexican middle-class that had remained largely unseen onscreen, and surveys contemporary urban sexual mores with style to spare.

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
A new documentary on the making of Sólo con tu pareja, featuring Cuarón, screenwriter Carlos Cuarón, and actor Daniel Giménez Cacho
Alfonso Cuarón’s 1983 short film Quartet for the End of Time
Carlos Cuarón’s 2000 short film Wedding Night
Original theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation


EDIT: I should've just linked to the official site, where they are up:
Coming Soon (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/coming_soon.asp)

[dman476]

I don't know.
I'm not too excited for these films, but I might get either the Cuaron film or Clean, Shaven.

[FilmKing2000]

I can't wait for the three-disc Criterion re-issue of Seven Samurai! September 5th! :D :D

[TylerDurden182]

I will probably pick up Clean, Shaven because it sounds interesting.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by dman476
I don't know.
I'm not too excited for these films, but I might get either the Cuaron film or Clean, Shaven.

Yeah, it appears Criterion picked October to dump all of their more obscure titles. November is supposed to bring Kieslowski's "The Double Life of Veronique".

I'm excited for the new Francesco Rosi film -- I cherish my copy of Salvatore Giuliano.

But this month is highly appropriate when juxtaposed with last month and all those big name titles by big name directors.

[dman476]

I totally forgot about the promised Kieslwoski.
That I can't wait for (everyone says its Veronique; I'm hoping Dekalog).
Rosi will be a rental for me, and you're right about the obscure titles of this month. They do need to mix it up a bit - but they are some of the oddest titles I've seen in Criterion.
"Sweetie"?
Since when is Jane Campion a refined auteur?
Oh well.

[Lazy Boy]

I've always wanted to see Sweetie in some format or the other...An Angel at My Table was a great film for Campion, and although her followup, The Piano, was well regarded, I think she's one of the last prominent female directors to fall so high from grace to the point of oblivion (In the Cut? Portrait of a Lady? Holy Smoke? Holy shit, what happened?).

[APzombie]

Clean, Shaven sounds pretty rad. Might pick it up if some schmoes dug it.

[Tayzlor]

"Those lucky enough to have seen Jane Campion's eccentric and engaging shorts (such as Passionless Moments and A Girl's Own Story) had reason to expect her first feature to be a breakthrough for the Australian cinema. But nothing quite prepares one for the astonishing freshness and sheer weirdness of this 1989 black comedy about two sisters (Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston) locked in a deadly struggle. Practically every shot is unorthodox, unexpected, and poetically right, and the swerves of the plot are simultaneously smooth, logical, and so bizarre you'll probably wind up pondering them days later. Some critics have compared Campion to David Lynch, but apart from a similar taste for the offbeat and a flair for painterly composition, she's too good and original to be passed off as secondhand--and her acute grasp of character and a family's psychological dynamics is well beyond Lynch's range. The mad behavior of both sisters may make you squirm, and there are plenty of other things in this picture--including the other characters--to make you feel unbalanced, but Campion does so many beautiful, funny, and unexpected things with our disquiet that you're likely to come out of this movie seeing the world quite differently. In short, this is definitely not to be missed."

[dman476]

That actually makes the film (at the very least sound) appealing.
I will actually rent it now...
Thanks Tayzlor.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/357_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/359_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/358_box_348x490.jpg

As per usual, all highly anticipated and at least worth renting.

[TylerDurden182]

Will be checking out all of the new ones. I looked them up on IMDB and they sound interesting, especially The Double Life of Veronique.

[dman476]

Pandora's Box is a rental since I'd never heard of it, but the others I've wanted to see for a long time.
I can't wait to get Idol and Veronique...

[MacReady]

I should watch Diary of a Lost Girl, but I think I might watch both films together. It depends.

I've already seen The Double Life, and like everything else Kieslowski touches, I just didn't like it. Perhaps a re-watch would be best (ah hell, I'm gonna have to own it eventually anyhow).

[SamSanchez]

i'm really looking forward to Fallen Idol quite a bit, along with Double Life....i have seen neither but are certain purchases for me.

[TylerDurden182]

Here is Coverart for Sólo con tu pareja.

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/353_box_348x490.jpg

[Tayzlor]

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/360_box_348x490.jpg

Specs: http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=360



The Beales of Grey Gardens
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/361_box_348x490.jpg

Which is also packaged with:

Grey Gardens

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/123_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=123



Border Radio

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/362_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=362



Yojimbo

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/52_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=52


Sanjuro
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/53_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=53


Masters and Madmen Boxset
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/364_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/boxed_set.asp?id=364



Mouchette
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/363_box_348x490.jpg

Specs:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=363
------------------
The lot is dominated by low budget American movies rather than the usual recognized master directors.

Why do I get the feeling that Criterion is trying to out-austere Bresson with their covers and supplements?

[SamSanchez]

i'm actually looking forward to all of those right there....especially Mouchette and the Monsters and Madmen box set.


Also, in related news, over at Fry's by me, the two new Criterion releases (Clean, Shaven and Solo con tu pareja) were being sold for only $12.99 a piece. First I thought a misticket, but nope, all were labelled as that, so it was nice times there.

[therealjohng]

The Sanjuro and Yojimbo covers are fucking PIMP.

[Tayzlor]

If First Man into Space/The Atomic Submaine weren't packaged so expensively with the other double feature, it would be a certain blind buy.

First Man Into Space:

"In this interstellar cautionary tale, brash U.S. Navy test pilot Dan Prescott, hungry for fame, jettisons himself beyond Earth’s atmosphere, only to come in contact with a hideously mutating extraterrestrial virus."

[dman476]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
If First Man into Space/The Atomic Submaine weren't packaged so expensively with the other double feature, it would be a certain blind buy.
I sadly agree. :(
I'll have to get them off Netflix first, but I do love films like that.

[SamSanchez]

February Releases are up!!!

#369 - #373:
Paul Robeson: Portraits of An Artist (Box Set)

Consists of:
-Body and Soul
-Borderline
-Emperor Jones
-Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist
-The Proud Valley
-Native Land
-Sanders of the River
-Jericho


#374: Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica)

#375: Green for Danger (Sidney Gilliat)

#376: 49th Parallel (Michael Powell)

#377: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Mikio Naruse)


Extremely happy to see Bicycle Thieves, 49th Parallel and the Naruse coming out finally...already a great month there. And Green for Danger actually sounds pretty damn good, so I'll be looking forward this month.

Avaiable Cover Art for the above:

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/377_box_348x490.jpg

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/375_box_348x490.jpg

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/374_box_348x490.jpg

[Tayzlor]

"Bicycle Thieves" looks like a fuckin' trading card.

Still an essential DVD though.

It appears that more and more Criterion will be dipping into their obscure title reservoir for releases -- and there is nothing wrong with that! You can only release so many Godard and Bresson. Has anyone ever heard of "Green for Danger"? Interesting title, among many.

The Paul Robeson's seems to be an important release -- even if my interest in the set falls behind several other titles out there in DVD land. Criterion's upped their black artists total by at least half with that set and "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm".

I look forward to a new director to peruse in Mr. Naruse. Waitaminute.. I sense a haiku...

Who is on the stairs?
A sad woman, ascending
Mikio Naruse

Also interesting is the new blog they have going.

Oh, how I want to give them my money!

[SamSanchez]

yeah...Green for Danger sounds like a great little mystery movie from the '40s. I really look forward to that one. I will no doubt be buying that along with 49th Parallel, Woman Ascending the Stairs, and Bicycle Thieves. I love me some Micahel Powell and De Sica, and have been looking forward to finally seeing something by Naruse.

And as I am completist, I will eventually look to get that Paul Robeson box set, but not for a while.

But yeah, 2007 has already promised to be a great year with:
Monsters and Madmen Box Set
Mouchette (I'm a sucker for Robert Bresson)
Sanjuro/Yojimbo re-releases

and now these announcements.


Now, if only 2007 also sees the releases of:
Army of Shadows
Woman in the Dunes
Overlord
Drunken Angel
Naked City
Ivan's Childhood
Pierrot le Fou

and of course the Alejandro Jodorowsky box set of El Topo, Holy Moutanin, and Fando y Lis


i'll be content for a good while.


In releated news though, i've recently seen that Before Sunset, Before Sunrise, and Suburbia (all by Richard Linklater) will be released on Criterion.

[Tayzlor]

Where did you grab that Linklater tidbit?

Warner owns the two Befores.

My top 5 for 2007:

1. The Red Desert
2. Last Year at Marienbad
3. The Earrings of Madame de...
4. Mizoguchi
5. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
6. La Notte

I think it's likely they'll rerelease "The Seventh Seal" in time for its 50th anniversary.

[SamSanchez]

I read it over on the .org site of Criterion forums, but I actually just bothered to read the article. It's an interview with Richard Linklater, but yeah, there is no apparent certainty, so i spoke a tad prematurely, but he states that Before Sunset and Before Sunrise are being sought after by Criterion and that Suburbia is not even released yet on DVD so Criterion is interested in that one as well, and looking to acquire the rights to all three.

[SamSanchez]

Further confirmation about a certain re-releases:

Salò:
Have we been able to renew our rights? Well, here’s the answer you weren’t expecting. Yes. We’re working on a brand new HD transfer now. It’ll be a totally new release and be out in 2007.

That's take from the Criterion blog at http://www.criterionco.com/blog/index.html.


So yeah, there's something else huge to look forward in 2007 from Criterion. I didn't really enjoy the film too much, but I would not mind owning a copy of it and not having to pay $600 for it.

[Tayzlor]

If they and Warner don't release their Antonioni holdings I'm going to do something I'll eventually regret.

And how about those rereleases? Such speculation emerges from that! It looks my avoidance of those unattractive disks may have been worth my while (whatever that means).

[dman476]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
If they and Warner don't release their Antonioni holdings I'm going to do something I'll eventually regret.

And how about those rereleases? Such speculation emerges from that! It looks my avoidance of those unattractive disks may have been worth my while (whatever that means).
Agreed with the first part...

Now, about the second, what do you mean rereleases?
What are they rereleasing (other than Bicycle Thieves)?
Pardon my ignorance...

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by dman476
Now, about the second, what do you mean rereleases?
What are they rereleasing (other than Bicycle Thieves)?
Pardon my ignorance...

From the blog;

"Why do we rerelease a title? What’s next, and are there rebate programs? I actually answered this in detail in the March 2006 newsletter. In short, we only rerelease a film if we can do a significantly better job with either the film transfer, the supplements, or hopefully both. We know there are a good two-dozen early releases (Andrei Rublev and Shock Corridor, to name just a couple) that need to be redone, and we’ll probably get to them at a rate of three to four a year. I tried to find a rebate program for customers who already owned the discs. We had one for Charade. It didn’t work. The participation was very low. The cost was very high, and we couldn’t effectively price the disc without competing with our retailers in a way we found uncomfortable."

Meanwhile MacReady's head is spinning..

[dman476]

Originally posted by Tayzlor
From the blog;

"Why do we rerelease a title? What’s next, and are there rebate programs? I actually answered this in detail in the March 2006 newsletter. In short, we only rerelease a film if we can do a significantly better job with either the film transfer, the supplements, or hopefully both. We know there are a good two-dozen early releases (Andrei Rublev and Shock Corridor, to name just a couple) that need to be redone, and we’ll probably get to them at a rate of three to four a year. I tried to find a rebate program for customers who already owned the discs. We had one for Charade. It didn’t work. The participation was very low. The cost was very high, and we couldn’t effectively price the disc without competing with our retailers in a way we found uncomfortable."

Meanwhile MacReady's head is spinning..
That's awesome. Thanks Tayzlor.
I'd like to get my hands on a new Andrei Rublev. :)

Meanwhile MacReady wishes he hadn't bought it...:D

[MisterChristian]

Now, if only 2007 also sees the releases of:
Army of Shadows
Woman in the Dunes
Overlord
Drunken Angel
Naked City
Ivan's Childhood
Pierrot le Fou


Overlord is definitely coming. Same with The Naked City (which was hinted at in the last Criterion newsletter). March will be a solid release month too :D

[TylerDurden182]

Here's some new artwork (I think):

From the Monsters and Madmen Boxset:

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/366_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/365_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/368_box_348x490.jpg

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/367_box_348x490.jpg

[A.J. Hakari]

As a fan of '50s B-movies and the like, I'm looking forward to this Monsters & Madmen set. But I hope they're not as disappointing as EQUINOX was...I don't care if the effects people went on to do bigger and better things, that movie was slower than a tortoise in a molasses pit.

[SamSanchez]

Yeah, I'm pretty hyped about the Monsters and Madmen Box Set. I also agree that Equinox was a let down, but this one seems promising. I love old b-horror movies. And The Haunted Strangler and Corridors of Blood seem worth it enough for me. The other two are just added bonuses. I'm actually pretty damn excited about this box set

[Tayzlor]

Those dudes at Criterion played a fast one on the cinephile-somewhat cinephile audience by numbering and touting these discs. It's bothering me how there are some entries in my collection (rather, the mess of DVDs gathered together) that were given the pass, the money, over probably titles I'd find better equipped and much more interesting merely because they sport that slapped on label. Does that bother anyone else? If the lot of Kino's releases were transferred to Criterions people would be more inclined to buy them would they not? It's kinda a blind trust in the burgeoning cinephile group -- if high quality no questions asked of classics is what you desire then invest your money in anything Criterion produces. As a result, interesting DVDs receive some neglect while obscure Criterion's enter many people's canons and bestof lists. But some ex-neglected is better then the remaining neglected, I'd say.

To downplay this I'm going to actually screen my purchases and make it all so fucking thorough. A little insecurity, maybe, but the idea of sending my money for some sort of prefab masterwork is troubling, and I'm sure there are many other masterworks twinkling away in other DVD labels. Criterion is no doubt the primo resource for anyone w/ a passing interest in film (which branches off into an interest of the world around) but they seem to be a stanglehold for the uninitiated, a monopoly on the trained eyes.

[HeavyFknMetal]

I can't say that they've "pulled a fast one" really. Maybe it's just me but I never really cared about the numbering of the discs. The movie is far more important than the number. To me the number means as much as shit in a box.

I don't blind buy Criterions because I know theres a lot of movies that Criterion released, that I simply don't like. Fellini comes to mind as I type this. I only blind buy Criterions if it's a film by a director that I love, or I'm 90% sure I'll love the movie. That and if they're cheap enough, why the hell not.

Originally posted by Tayzlor
To downplay this I'm going to actually screen my purchases and make it all so fucking thorough

I've pretty much always had this approach myself. Especially since Criterions are as expensive as they are. I've always said I'd rather buy 2 great movies instead of 1 good Criterion.

[Tayzlor]

Maybe it wasn't intentional, but I could probably safely say without accompanying facts that their sales have increased as a result.

I buy for the product as well -- but I kinda elevate their titles over others I know I'd enjoy better. Like "Fishing with John". Sounded interesting and was fairly funny, but it didn't need to be purchased, especially over "Time of the Wolf", a title that lands between two of my favorite movies.

[HeavyFknMetal]

I think its a pretty safe bet to say their sales have gone up because of the numbering. In that aspect, you're probably coreect in your "pulled a fast one" statement. They just didn't pull a fast one on me, I'm far to smart for them.....or something.

And I wholeheartedly agree with your Time of the Wolf comment. That, IMO is Haneke's best film. And I bought it for 8 bucks.

[SamSanchez]

Two new titles were announced in the Criterion Newsletter seen here (http://www.criterionco.com/decblast/decblast.html)

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964; Byron Haskin)
Under the Volcano (1984; John Huston)

and also announcing that there will be more titles from the laserdisc line....great news.

[Tayzlor]

I love Criterion's new communication lines and everything but I also miss the element of surprise of coming on and seeing Criterion announce something you have been waiting for for months.

A minor pleasure, but something to look forward to.

Bah, I'm talking out my ass, divulge all info you want Criterion!

There blog is agoldmine man, gere's the latest post..

--
http://www.criterionco.com/blog/index.htmlWell, it’s not exactly writer’s block, but it’s related. I’ve been trying to get this blog entry posted since Tuesday afternoon, but there’s always something that takes me away from the task at hand. I’m procrastinating, and I know why: it’s really kind of a momentous occasion. We are launching a new line. The news will be official on Friday when we ship out PDFs of the first sell sheets for Series 1: Early Bergman. For the past couple of days we’ve been ironing out the last details of the packaging and finalizing the twenty-six words that will appear on the back of every cover: “Eclipse presents a selection of lost, forgotten, or overshadowed films in simple, affordable editions. Each series is a brief cinematheque retrospective for the adventurous home viewer.”

There’s something perilous about writing mission statements. Jon mentioned the famous one from Kane in an earlier blog. That one comes up in conversation a lot. It’s hard to walk the line between idealism and practicality, but that is exactly what we are trying to do with this new line. We’re nine years into the DVD market, and there are still hundreds of important films that can only be seen in old VHS versions or, if you’re lucky enough to live in a town with a good repertory theater, a new print might come around once every ten years or so.

We want those films to be more readily available, and that’s why we’re creating Eclipse. Each month we’ll present a short series, usually three to five films, focusing on a particular director or theme. There will be no supplements and the master materials will be the best we can find, but they won’t be full Criterion restorations. Retail pricing for each set will average under $15 per disc, and we are examining the logistics of making the sets available at an even more favorable rate on a subscriber or club basis. The goal here is to make these films available, to make sure that Criterion’s own work style doesn’t contribute to the continuing unavailability of these films. Once our producers and restoration crew get started on a Criterion edition, the project takes on a life of its own. Months later, with a little luck, we’ll have something really special to show for it, but at that rate we can’t make a dent in the number of important unreleased films that we’d like people to be able to see.

The early films of Ingmar Bergman, the documentaries of Louis Malle—these are extraordinary and important films that are very hard to find outside the revival-house circuit. At the moment you’ll find more Mizoguchis in theaters (thanks to a traveling retrospective) than in the video store, and that’s certainly also true for Naruse, Ozu, and Imamura. While Criterion is working on new special editions of individual pictures by all of these filmmakers, at a rate of maybe one or two a year, we’ll never be able to represent the breadth of their bodies of work. Eclipse will help to fill that gap.

And then there will be discoveries. When you work at Criterion, everyone introduces you to films you’ve never seen, many of which have never been released in the U.S. It’s surprising how many films of extraordinary quality have never been seen here. (If you don’t believe it, just check out the New York Film Critics’ Circle awards, where Army of Shadows, a 1969 film, was selected as best foreign film of 2006. Congratulations to our friends at Rialto on doing a spectacular job bringing this film out from the shadows!) We’re looking forward to introducing quite a few new filmmakers to U.S. audiences, starting with Raymond Bernard whose 1935 Les miserables is the best version of Victor Hugo’s novel ever brought to the screen, and it deserves to be seen alongside his anti-war masterpiece Wooden Crosses.

Okay I’m going to post this now before I start tinkering with the mission language again.
---
Exactly what's needed out of Criterion...just a constant stream of unavailables --- get that film history out for peeping eyes..

[HeavyFknMetal]

THANK YOU GOD!!!

This news has made my week. Is that sad in any sort of way?

Fuck it, I don't care. I cannot wait for this new line to come out. In the mean time, let me try and express my happiness as much as I can through my keyboard....

A;DLFJOQAWEFQPFJAQADFAQQWFOEAFEG;AOQ;GN DA0OWERGNQE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TylerDurden182]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
and also announcing that there will be more titles from the laserdisc line....great news.

Sweet.

[SamSanchez]

Also, apparently, Louis Malle's My Dinner With Andre shall be coming soon from Criterion as well.

Some support for that found Here (http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews25/my_dinner_with_andre.htm)

[dman476]

Yes!

That makes me really happy. I've wanted to own 'Andre' for a long time.

[Tayzlor]

http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/380_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/378_box_348x490.jpg
http://www.criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/379_box_348x490.jpg

Specs can be found at criterion.com

Pretty much perfect month - both directors I've been looking forward to getting into for awhile now (stalled on Dassin, disallowed by distributors on Ichikawa).

I must say though: that Naked City cover is achingly gorgeous. I'd drape a poster of that cover upon my wall, overlapping my 2001, even if the film itself is mediocre.

[dman476]

Ditto'd on the Naked City cover.
I'll be renting Ichikawa films, and buying the Dassin film.

[TylerDurden182]

Can't wait to check out The Naked City.

[SamSanchez]

all three are purchases no doubt

[HeavyFknMetal]

I knew there had to be a reason IFC was showing Fires on the Plain, along with commercials of the Janus box set. Well, this gives me great hope of Miss Julie coming out seperately.

Fires on the Plain was good, but I'll be holding off on buying it for a bit. Naked City will be a required purchase though.

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by HeavyFknMetal
I knew there had to be a reason IFC was showing Fires on the Plain, along with commercials of the Janus box set. Well, this gives me great hope of Miss Julie coming out seperately.

Fires on the Plain was good, but I'll be holding off on buying it for a bit. Naked City will be a required purchase though.

Yeah...I think its only a matter of time before the previously unreleased titles in the Janus box set all get their individual releases.

[SamSanchez]

Check it out:

http://www.criterionco.com/Eclipsesell_web.jpg



Can NOT wait

[TylerDurden182]

^^^^

Awesome... can't wait to pick that up.

[SamSanchez]

Same here....Release date is apparently March 13. Retail at about $69.99. So I'm sure it could be found for about $45-$50 at certain stores, which is pretty good price for 5 films.

[HeavyFknMetal]

I think I just had a small orgasam.


....and by small I mean extremely huge.

[dman476]

Originally posted by HeavyFknMetal
I think I just had a small orgasam.


....and by small I mean extremely huge.
We film buffs tend to get a bit schizophrenic around Criterion...kinda like Mel Gibson and the thought of Jews! (Was that an inappropriate allegory?) :D

[SamSanchez]

APRIL RELEASES:

381:
La Haine (1995; Matthieu Kassovitz)


382:
Overlord (1975; Stuart Cooper)
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/382_box_348x490.jpg


383:
Brute Force (1947; Jules Dassin)
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/383_box_348x490.jpg


three AMAZING releases for April. This year continues to remain great....also more great news. This was in this month's newsletter:

http://www.criterionco.com/newsletters/jan07/images/wacky12monkeys.jpg


The twelve monkeys refer to La Jetee....and the "marker your calender" refers to Chris Marker, director of Sans Soleil (as well as La Jetee) which is also referred to by "the sun's finally coming out". So Sans Soleil/La Jetee set should be coming out soon, and that's pretty damn good news.

[TylerDurden182]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
APRIL RELEASES:

381:
La Haine (1995; Matthieu Kassovitz)

*Orgasm*

[dman476]

Originally posted by TylerDurden182
*Orgasm*
Fuck yeah!

I'm so glad I didn't buy the UK release. :D

So that, and Brute Force for me.

I might rent Overlord.

And if La Jetee is finally coming out, I'll also be happy.

[HeavyFknMetal]

Originally posted by SamSanchez

381:
La Haine (1995; Matthieu Kassovitz)


Fucking sexy

[bubutthead]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
APRIL RELEASES:

381:
La Haine (1995; Matthieu Kassovitz)


382:
Overlord (1975; Stuart Cooper)
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/382_box_348x490.jpg


383:
Brute Force (1947; Jules Dassin)
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/383_box_348x490.jpg


three AMAZING releases for April. This year continues to remain great....also more great news. This was in this month's newsletter:


ill definately be picking these three up

[MisterChristian]

Fantastic! I knew Brute Force was coming - glad it wasn't delayed that long :D

Overlord!! Sweet mother of god!! <drool>

[SamSanchez]

I can't get over how excited I've been for just about every release announced this year. The only two that I'm a little iffy about are Border Radio, and the Paul Robeson box set....other than that, everything else has been pure gold. And the April Releases only raised the bar.



Also...old news, but I don't see it posted here, but the Series 2 of the Eclipse line was announced as Louis Malle Documentaries

[SamSanchez]

Here's the cover for La Haine, it's finally up:

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/381_box_348x490.jpg

[dman476]

Sweet cover.

And Malle docs? First time I hear about it, and I can't say I'm terribly excited. :(

[rdance5507]

I've been dying to see "La Haine"...its on imdb's top 250 and stars one of my foreign favorites Vicent Cassel. I'm glad to see it finally released on DVD.

[TylerDurden182]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Here's the cover for La Haine, it's finally up:

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/381_box_348x490.jpg

*Tears up*

I love you Criterion.

[Jonathan_1605]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Here's the cover for La Haine, it's finally up:

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/381_box_348x490.jpg

Holy Shiite! That's amazing, better try and unlaod my 3-disc ultimate eidition, or maybe just keep both. CANNOT FUDGING WAIT! :D

[SamSanchez]

Awesome!!....apparently Jim Jarmusch's Night On Earth is finally be released and through Criterion! That's GREAT news. This is taken from the Criterion main page:


"Ask Jim Jarmusch"
When we released Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law a few years back, the "Ask Jim" feature was so popular that we've decided to do it again. We are currently working on a special edition DVD of Jarmusch's Night on Earth, and we're wondering what questions about the film you would like to have answered on the DVD. We can't guarantee Jarmusch will answer all (or any) of your questions, but if you have some, please send them to: noe@criterionco.com.

We will be accepting your questions through February 19. Please do not send any personal requests; they will not be answered. Please do send thoughtful and creative questions, as many as you like. Remember to include your full name, city, state, and country of residence. Thanks for participating and look out for the Night on Earth on DVD this fall!

*By sending a question to this address you allow the Criterion Collection to use your full name, city, state, and country of residence and your question in full or edited form, in any or all media, worldwide, in perpetuity.

[TylerDurden182]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Awesome!!....apparently Jim Jarmusch's Night On Earth is finally be released and through Criterion! That's GREAT news. This is taken from the Criterion main page:

Criterion just gets better and better.

[SamSanchez]

Exactly...this year has been damn near FLAWLESS. Last year was pretty damn good, but I think the releases already officially announced couple with the Eclipse line, this year has already surpassed all of last year.

[therealjohng]

I know that Criterion likes to leave hints on what titles they are going to announce next in their newsletters. So I was wondering if anyone figured out the one that got sent out today? It has an elephant (I think) saying something like, "What better way to waste 15 1/2 hours than walking around Berlin".

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by therealjohng
I know that Criterion likes to leave hints on what titles they are going to announce next in their newsletters. So I was wondering if anyone figured out the one that got sent out today? It has an elephant (I think) saying something like, "What better way to waste 15 1/2 hours than walking around Berlin".

I'm sure it has to be Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz It's 939 minutes (15 hours and 39 minutes) long.

[therealjohng]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
I'm sure it has to be Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz It's 939 minutes (15 hours and 39 minutes) long.



Wow, I'd buy it just for that.

[SamSanchez]

It'll probably have to a 5-disc (or more) box set on its own

[MisterChristian]

It was shown originally on broadcast television in episodes so at least it will be easier to watch that way :D Imagine watching a 15 1/2 hour film in one sitting?? lol

I really wish I could let you guys know what's upcoming from Criterion...oh my you would salivate :D

[therealjohng]

[QUOTE]It was shown originally on broadcast television in episodes so at least it will be easier to watch that way :D Imagine watching a 15 1/2 hour film in one sitting?? lol[QUOTE]


I made it through 12-14 episodes of 24 once. Of course those are fast paced.


Quote "I really wish I could let you guys know what's upcoming from Criterion...oh my you would salivate :D" Quote


Yeah, you really shouldn't tease us like that if you actually know. I've been known to "dispose" of schmoes who fuck around like that. Every once in awhile you'll see it say, "former schmoe" under their name? Yeah, that's me. ;)




Sorry, I'm really bad at doing the whole splitting up of quotes.

[SamSanchez]

well, the ones that haven't been announced via spine number but still have been officially announced either on the website, blogs, or via newsletters that we should know of at least for this year or maybe next year are:
Night on Earth (Jim Jarmusch)
Salo (Re-Issue) (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
La Jetee (Chris Marker)
Sans Soleil (Chris Marker)
Le Jour se Leve (Marcel Carne)
Miss Julie (Alf Sjoberg)
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Byron Haskin)
Under the Volcano (John Huston)
My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle)

and we know some more re-issues of earlier titles, likely candidates are:
Shock Corridor
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Third Man
Andrei Rublev
High and Low
The Lady Vanishes

Also, we know they announced that more laserdisc titles will be released soon too. So there's some hints

And for Eclipse we know:
Le Croix du Bois (Raymond Bernard)
Les Miserables (Raymond Bernard)

then sets by Mikio Naruse, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Yasujiro Ozu


There's also ton of rumored ones that are distinct possibilities, but not quite to the level of cetainty, at least from my knowledge. But yeah, that's all i've read about

[SamSanchez]

MAY RELEASES:

Army of Shadows (Melville; 1969)

Vengeance Is Mine (Immamura; 1979)

Sansho the Bailiff (Mizoguchi; 1954)


this is awesome....Army of Shadows is FINALLY being released, this may be the release I'm now most amped for this year. And Sansho the Bailiff is also amazing.

These haven't been announced the Criterion website yet, but they are at the Image Enterntainment website.

[MisterChristian]

Don't forget the re-issue of The Third Man :D

[SamSanchez]

Nice...didn't even notice that one. Awesome

[rdance5507]

Sansho the Baliff is an incredible film...I watched it in my Japanese history class, and I'm stoked that this is finally making its way to dvd.

[OopAnt]

Originally posted by therealjohng
I know that Criterion likes to leave hints on what titles they are going to announce next in their newsletters. So I was wondering if anyone figured out the one that got sent out today? It has an elephant (I think) saying something like, "What better way to waste 15 1/2 hours than walking around Berlin".

I believe the Criterion edition will actually be an edited version - if I understand correctly:

"The long-awaited DVDs of Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz Remastered have just been issued in a special edition by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The box includes extensive extra materials and a booklet. For more information please refer to www.fassbinderfoundation.de/en/dvds_detail.php?id=132
Berlin Alexanderplatz will be edited towards the end of 2007 with English subtitles by Criterion. We will post details as we learn about them."

From http://www.fassbinderfoundation.de/node.php/en/news_detail/104

So when they say "edited" I am not entirely sure what that means.

OopAnt

[bourahioro]

Originally posted by therealjohng
Wow, I'd buy it just for that.

You and me both.

[SamSanchez]

Covers are up:

#384
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/384_box_348x490.jpg

#385
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/385_box_348x490.jpg

#386
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/386_box_348x490.jpg

And the Third Man re-issue:
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg


I love the Third Man and Army of Shadows covers.

Also...all except Vengeance is Mine are $39.99 higher tier titles....that is GREAT news right there...those three deserve incredible releases.

[TylerDurden182]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Covers are up:

#385
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/385_box_348x490.jpg

#386
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/386_box_348x490.jpg

And the Third Man re-issue:
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg

These are must buys.

[therealjohng]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg


Oh my fucking god....

[dman476]

Oh my god, I just think I had a criteriorgasm.

Seriously...The Third Man, Army of Shadows, and Sansho?
Good grief, this may be the very best announcement of Criterion I've lived to see yet. :D

Thanks so much for all the updates Sam.

[bubutthead]

Originally posted by SamSanchez

http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg


awesome, the two-disc re-issue sounds spectacular

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by dman476
Oh my god, I just think I had a criteriorgasm.

Seriously...The Third Man, Army of Shadows, and Sansho?
Good grief, this may be the very best announcement of Criterion I've lived to see yet. :D

Thanks so much for all the updates Sam.

Hah...no problem. This year is amazing...I say it every month, but really, it's just been getting better and better each month....I don't how they can top this one though, as Army of Shadows is quite possibly my most anticipated release, but they gotta keep them coming. Hopefully a Mizoguchi Eclipse Series 3 Box Set for May would be nice.

[dman476]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Hah...no problem. This year is amazing...I say it every month, but really, it's just been getting better and better each month....I don't how they can top this one though, as Army of Shadows is quite possibly my most anticipated release, but they gotta keep them coming. Hopefully a Mizoguchi Eclipse Series 3 Box Set for May would be nice.
I too don't know how they'll top this.
I've been waiting for those three releases forever.
Army of Shadows less than the other two, which says enormous things because I've been dying to see it.

[SamSanchez]

I think the only way they can even come close to top this is if they release:
Bunuel's Exterminating Angel
Kurosawa's Drunken Angel
Kobayashi's Human Condition Trilogy
and the Re-Release of Salo (not that big a fan of movie, but would really love to own an actual Criterion release of this, meh)

which those probably won't be coming any time soon, if ever. Salo for sure later this year, Kobyashi's HC Trilogy i think is slated for early 2008.

[MisterChristian]

Beautiful artwork!!!!!!

As I said before, Criterion has some fantastic stuff lined up for 2007, unfortunately "mum's the word" for now...

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by MisterChristian

As I said before, Criterion has some fantastic stuff lined up for 2007, unfortunately "mum's the word" for now...

Honestly, there really isn't much Criterion could do to surprise us. Their release slate may not be determinable as in what comes out in September or November but you can pinpoint possible plausible titles from their licensing agreements and their Janus/Rialto theatre runs very easily. Couple that with all the juicy titles already announced.

I just want your sweet sweet information! Operates as nutrients on me. Sustains life, that sort of stuff.

I'm with the chorus shitting themselves over "Army of Shadows"...as a taker in of current reviews and a Melville fan it is a definite buy.

I've only seen the other two titles Criterion provided from Mizo and Ima but they were wonderful and everything.

Just announce "La Notte" and "Red Desert" Criterion...My money is your money

Maybe it's me, but don't you think it's likely Criterion is done with Imamura for the year? With a big name among cinephiles but not elsewhere so much they usually match two titles, connect them via coverart, and have them released near-simultaneously. Like what they did for Ichikawa, Dassin, and Olmi.

[Powerslave]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Covers are up:

#385
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/385_box_348x490.jpg

#386
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/386_box_348x490.jpg

And the Third Man re-issue:
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg

:eek:

Amazing. 3 Titles I've wanted to so badly for so long. I'm so happy I'll finally be able to get Sansho.

Actually though, I probably won't buy Army Of Shadows. I might, but probably not. It's not the type of movie I'd be watching very often at all. Maybe for the special features though.
Kobyashi's HC Trilogy i think is slated for early 2008.
Awesome. I've wanted to see these ever since I saw Harakiri.

[Pulp_Joker]

Criterion should just withdraw 120 bucks from my bank account right now. Sansho, Shadows, and Third Man are mine. I think I fell out of my chair when I saw Sansho as a Coming Soon release.

[MisterChristian]

For us Canadian Criterion fans, Army Of Shadows and The Third Man will be N/A here in Canada - imports only (as there's no Canadian rights). Sucks, but what can you do.

[OopAnt]

I think those new releases look great. About 90% of their covers are works of art unto their own.

OopAnt

[scamp2005]

Originally posted by MisterChristian
For us Canadian Criterion fans, Army Of Shadows and The Third Man will be N/A here in Canada - imports only (as there's no Canadian rights). Sucks, but what can you do.

What exactly do you mean by this?

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by scamp2005
What exactly do you mean by this?

I believe he means, the rights to the DVD release for those two titles are for U.S. only, therefore cannot be released in Canada, and so they will have to be purchased as imports. I'm not from Canada, so I guess that would limit to online purchase only, or stores that sell imports. So they won't be available at major retailers.

[dennisv]

I love collecting Criterions, but why the hell do they gotta be 40 freakin dollars?!

[SamSanchez]

That's just retail price, I'm sure you could go to a store near you and get them for about $30...if not, just order them off www.dvdplanet.com for $25.97 (for the $40 releases), or $18.47 (for the $30 releases). Not too expensive at all when new releases these days are $19.99 with little to no supplements.

Also, keep in mind of the quality of the releases, something like Army of Shadows, a 1969 film from France, takes quite a bit to restore to a great quality (which no doubt it will be), and also a large amount of special features which I'm sure took time and money to attain. When you're releasing films which predominantly are between 20-60 years old, finding special features for those may be difficult. They don't have the luxury of filming making-of featurettes on their own, as studios do specifically for DVD with new releases. </rant>

[MisterChristian]

I love collecting Criterions, but why the hell do they gotta be 40 freakin dollars?!

Because they're Criterion. They make no excuses for their pricing. Besides, they are the inventor of "extras" (ahhh Criterion laserdisc memories).

[SamSanchez]

Yeah...pretty much invented the idea of a "special edition" along with audio commentaries. Pioneers to say the least.

[damien22]

Originally posted by SamSanchez

And the Third Man re-issue:
http://criterionco.com/content/images/full_boxshot/64_box_348x490.jpg


Wow, really cool cover art. I'll probably be buying this even though my brother owns the first release.

[SamSanchez]

AWESOME NEWS:

The Eclipse Series 3 has been announced:
http://www.criterion.com/newsletters/eclipsefeb07/eclipseozu_3D_small.jpg

Contains:
Early Spring
Tokyo Twilight
Equinox Flower
Late Autumn
The End of Summer


I'm INCREDIBLY amped for that release...not sure why it's not coming out until June though...no May release for Eclipse?

[dman476]

Looks like the Ozu set will be the first Eclipse I pick up. :)

Boy, I hope they do a set on Fellini, pulling up the final bunch of films that haven't been released by him yet.

[SamSanchez]

Originally posted by dman476
Looks like the Ozu set will be the first Eclipse I pick up. :)

Boy, I hope they do a set on Fellini, pulling up the final bunch of films that haven't been released by him yet.

I've VERY much pulling for a Jean-Pierre Melville Series containing:
Les Enfants Terribles
Forgiven Sinner
Le Doulos
Second Breath

Or...just release some of the unreleased material by Robert Bresson or Luis Bunuel. Or an early Kurosawa box set would be awesome Drunken Angel, and all preceeding haven't been released in Region 1 at all. Although Kurosawa deserves Criterion treatment, I would not mind it on Eclipse.

I'm also looking forward to the already confirmed coming soon box sets of Mizoguchi, Naruse, and Raymond Bernard.

[dman476]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
Although Kurosawa deserves Criterion treatment, I would not mind it on Eclipse.
I agree.

And that Melville set would be awesome.

Do you know if they're planning on releasing American films in Eclipse?
I don't know...maybe the ones still gone missing?

[SamSanchez]

i think just for now, like the first maybe 6 Series or so, are just gonna be the three already announced, and then probably Naruse, Mizoguchi, and Raymond Bernard. They may sneak in some surprise in others in between though. But Id imagine they would release a lot of American stuff too. They've yet to release any series, or announce any, based on THEME. In the mission statement, they said Eclipse would be releasing forgotten or overshadowed titles of a certain director or of a certain theme. So I'm sure there's tons of material, foreign and American, that would be released.

[dman476]

Originally posted by SamSanchez
i think just for now, like the first maybe 6 Series or so, are just gonna be the three already announced, and then probably Naruse, Mizoguchi, and Raymond Bernard. They may sneak in some surprise in others in between though. But Id imagine they would release a lot of American stuff too. They've yet to release any series, or announce any, based on THEME. In the mission statement, they said Eclipse would be releasing forgotten or overshadowed titles of a certain director or of a certain theme. So I'm sure there's tons of material, foreign and American, that would be released.
That sounds awesome.

Thanks for giving me some hope for those great forgotten American films. I wonder what their first THEME series is going to be.
American Treasures of the 1930s?

I hope Criterion finally gets to releasing Shoeshine...those slackers. :p

I could buy the Masters of Cinema set, but I'd rather wait for the packed Criterion. When's it coming boys?

Have you heard anything about that Sam?