Criterion and Sony

[Roger Ryan]

The NEW HOLLYWOOD box set films are related inasmuch as the production company BBS was responsible for all of them. Maybe it's akin to "Working Title" putting out a box of some of their stuff.

Head, A Safe Place, and Drive, He Said

These any good?

I can't speak to the quality of the Jaglom film or Nicholson's directorial debut, but I found HEAD to be quite extraordinary. It helps to understand that this feature was intended to simply be a big-screen Monkees TV episode and what you get is a surrealistic, satirical attack on consumerism, Vietnam, film conventions...almost a counter-culture manifesto. If nothing else, HEAD is worth a look for what is perhaps Timothy Carey's most deranged performance!

[HistoryProf]

the big question for me is how much are they going to charge for this? usually we see mainline sets at $25-30 a title (3 films for $79.95 eg)....but that won't fly with a 7 film boxset of mainstream flicks. I'm guessing $99.95 to 129.95, with the low end more wishful thinking, but certainly possible. That would fit more with eclipse pricing.

I've been meaning to pick up Easy Rider forever, so i'm glad my procrastination has finally paid off. The only regular disc I have to ditch is Last Picture Show....and I'm happy to see King of Marvin Gardens included (though would trade Five Easy Pieces for Last Detail...a personal favorite). As for Head - by far the most intriguing title in the set.

I have to say Drive, He Said and A Safe Place almost seem like throw ins that must have been part of the deal in a "we'll give you Easy Rider and Last Picture Show, but only if you take these two mediocre novelties off our hands as well" kind of way.

[ianungstad]

It's not exactly fair to call two films you've obviously never seen "mediocre novelties". Also, why would they drop some of the titles from the box and add the Ashby? The concept of the box is pretty obvious. It's the seven films Rafelson and Schneider produced for Columbia through their productions companies BBS and Raybert Productions.

[movielocke]

the box is such an odd aggregation I expect a lot of them to sell to ebay dealers and entrepreneurs during big sales like DD and B&N who will then break them up and sell the individual blurays at 20$ a pop and probably make a very nice profit.

[domino harvey]

the big question for me is how much are they going to charge for this

~$199.99 for the Blu-ray set is my bet in the office pool

[Jeff]

I'm calling $149.95. The five-film, eight-disc Cassavetes set is $124.95, and I'm betting that these seven films may occupy nine or ten standard discs with supplements (probably only seven Blu-rays).

the box is such an odd aggregation I expect a lot of them to sell to ebay dealers and entrepreneurs during big sales like DD and B&N who will then break them up and sell the individual blurays at 20$ a pop and probably make a very nice profit.

I'm betting that both the Blu and SD versions will be housed individual slim digipaks in a slipcase (a la Cassavetes, Rohmer, et. al.) to prevent that very thing.

[tojoed]

I have to say Drive, He Said and A Safe Place almost seem like throw ins that must have been part of the deal in a "we'll give you Easy Rider and Last Picture Show, but only if you take these two mediocre novelties off our hands as well" kind of way.

I think " A Safe Place" is the best of the lot and I would get it if it were released on its own.
I don't really care for the others.

[perkizitore]

the big question for me is how much are they going to charge for this

~$199.99 for the Blu-ray set is my bet in the office pool

If that is the case, in the B&N sale it will be less than 100$! \:D/

[MoonlitKnight]

Films like Head, A Safe Place, and Drive, He Said probably wouldn't sell very well on their own. Boxing them is a way to get those burgeoning cinephiles who really want Blu-rays of Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider, and The Last Picture Show to spring for all seven films. Of course it's also possible that BBS had a deal with Sony (and now with Criterion) to release all of their output together as a sort of vanity set.

Shrewd, yes, but not exactly fair to those of us who don't want to double- (or possibly triple-) dip on the more high-profile titles. 8-[

[MediaBreak]

I tried to get more specific details but my source at Criterion wouldn't do more than confirm that the story ran on the criterion cast website was factual. I don't think they even wanted to do that, as I'm sure Becker/Turrell will be on the warpath trying to find out who leaked the story to Criterion Cast, if they're not already.

Hmmm. I checked out the piece you referenced at Criterion Cast. Looks like you revealed way more title-specific info than they had access to over there, so perhaps the warpath has been diverted? Just sayin...

[Cinephrenic]

I'm thinking a regular DVD box set with Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider and The Last Picture Show on Blu.

[MediaBreak]

the box is such an odd aggregation I expect a lot of them to sell to ebay dealers and entrepreneurs during big sales like DD and B&N who will then break them up and sell the individual blurays at 20$ a pop and probably make a very nice profit.

ebay, possibly, but unless the amaray or whatever-material DVD cases within the box set are individually barcoded, I don't see how a break-up would be possible from a purely inventory management level (at least for DD/B&N). What's the theoretical work-around on this?

[HistoryProf]

Also, why would they drop some of the titles from the box and add the Ashby?

uhm...because I want them to? duh.

[HistoryProf]

I'm calling $149.95. The five-film, eight-disc Cassavetes set is $124.95, and I'm betting that these seven films may occupy nine or ten standard discs with supplements (probably only seven Blu-rays).

the box is such an odd aggregation I expect a lot of them to sell to ebay dealers and entrepreneurs during big sales like DD and B&N who will then break them up and sell the individual blurays at 20$ a pop and probably make a very nice profit.

I'm betting that both the Blu and SD versions will be housed individual slim digipaks in a slipcase (a la Cassavetes, Rohmer, et. al.) to prevent that very thing.

$149.95 seems to be the most likely price for 7 films plus a disc or two of extras - especially if the whole thing is blu...though I'm wondering if we'd finally see a difference in price for blu if they do them all in both formats....a $150/200 split or something. But $150 would be just fine, release it in November in time for a 2nd 50% off sale like last year, use a 20% off coupon on top of that at bn.com, and have it shipped for $60....sounds perfect for xmas!

[ianungstad]

The price is really going to depend on who the distributor is. If Sony handles distribution themselves, the set will likely be a bargain. (ex. Royal Tennenbaums, Life Aquatic, Benjamin Button, Chasing Amy)

If Sony is letting Image Entertainment handle distribution, then things get expensive.

[flyonthewall2983]

Would it be too early to ask to see this discussion as it's own thread (ala the The Thin Red Line discussion)?

[Matt]

Would it be too early to ask to see this discussion as it's own thread (ala the The Thin Red Line discussion)?

Yes, because we haven't received any confirmation from Criterion (not even a hint) that they are actually releasing this. If it gets to that point, we can split these posts off and it can become its own thread.

[onedimension]

The New Hollywood box sounds like it's more about the era/concept than individual films, which makes me think it could be packaged more like the Robeson set or last year's similarly out-of-left-field 'Golden Age of Television'..

[zedz]

I think the big box is a shrewd move by Sony, allowing them to enhance the cred of these films (some of which are rather obscure, despite the big names attached) while keeping the mass market sales for themselves. It should also work out for Criterion, as it will allow them to attach their brand to some really high profile titles. Easy Rider still has a fanatical, drooling fanbase among those who were around at the time (though I think it's a pretty terrible movie) and they'll no doubt go for an opulent box set

Spoiler

rest of sentence redacted to avoid offending any accountants on the forum

.

I'm much more interested in the whole BBS story than a lot of the individual films, so I'm more likely to spring for the convenient box than I am to ever buy an Easy Rider or King of Marvin Gardens BluRay.

I can't speak to the quality of the Jaglom film or Nicholson's directorial debut, but I found HEAD to be quite extraordinary. It helps to understand that this feature was intended to simply be a big-screen Monkees TV episode and what you get is a surrealistic, satirical attack on consumerism, Vietnam, film conventions...almost a counter-culture manifesto. If nothing else, HEAD is worth a look for what is perhaps Timothy Carey's most deranged performance!

This is probably my favourite film in there (never seen Drive, he Said), though it's no masterpiece. But a small correction: it wasn't intended to be a big-screen TV episode, but just what it turned out to be, the calculated opposite, a very public self-immolation that sent up and subverted the band's public image. The big miscalculation was that their fans would gleefully follow them through the Gates of Hell and that they'd all come out the other side happy and successful.

[HarryLong]

Easy Rider still has a fanatical, drooling fanbase among those who were around at the time (though I think it's a pretty terrible movie)

Well, I was around at thge time & I was pretty blown away by it... at the time.
I tried to watch it again only a few years later & found it pretty awful.

[Roger Ryan]

I can't speak to the quality of the Jaglom film or Nicholson's directorial debut, but I found HEAD to be quite extraordinary. It helps to understand that this feature was intended to simply be a big-screen Monkees TV episode and what you get is a surrealistic, satirical attack on consumerism, Vietnam, film conventions...almost a counter-culture manifesto. If nothing else, HEAD is worth a look for what is perhaps Timothy Carey's most deranged performance!

This is probably my favourite film in there (never seen Drive, he Said), though it's no masterpiece. But a small correction: it wasn't intended to be a big-screen TV episode, but just what it turned out to be, the calculated opposite, a very public self-immolation that sent up and subverted the band's public image. The big miscalculation was that their fans would gleefully follow them through the Gates of Hell and that they'd all come out the other side happy and successful.

Exactly. I was careless with my wording; I should have said that the "expectation" was that HEAD would be a big-screen continuation of the TV show. Perhaps I'm thinking of this subjectively, since I first saw the film on the advice of a friend who was a big fan of the Monkees. I went into it thinking it was probably a cross between the TV show and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT. Within the first five minutes, my jaw dropped as I thought WHAT IS THIS?

[Tom Hagen]

The success of this set, in my mind, depends entirely on the level of participation from Nicholson, as he was an actor, writer, or director on every one of the titles except The Last Picture Show (which, given Capt. Ascot's relationship with Criterion, we already know will be excellent/definitive). If we get some good stuff from Jack -- and I know it's possible since he contributed to various Antonioni and Kubrick discs, including a Criterion -- this will be an incredible release. If not, well, then we'll have some nice transfers of some classics, and at long last the availability of some rarities; in short, a very good if not spectacular release.

I'd still like to see Criterion take a shot some other New Hollywood obscurities from the Universal vaults. If Taking Off materializes this year, it will be an excellent dessert course for this BBS box.

[Highway 61]

Completely agree. Besides, if Criterion can establish a good relationship with Nicholson, I think that more or less guarantees a release of The Passenger down the line.

[atcolomb]

Criterion did release Five Easy Pieces on laserdisc (which i have and of all of the Criterion laserdiscs i have this has the worst image) and the Sony dvd release having a ok print of it could use a whole new transfer and i hope Criterion can release it along with The King of The Marvin Gardens..that would be great news!

[HistoryProf]

The success of this set, in my mind, depends entirely on the level of participation from Nicholson

does that mean we have to root for the Lakers now so he's in a good mood this summer?