Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.3

[Tribe]

Criterion could never release any of those and still churn out a handful of great films every month.

Is that hate on the films I listed, or are you backing up that they can find tons more great films?

You do realize the availability of any given film depends on the availability of rights?

[swo17]

Criterion could never release any of those and still churn out a handful of great films every month.

Is that hate on the films I listed, or are you backing up that they can find tons more great films?

No hate, just that there are thousands of films that they could release that one person or another would consider "great." If you're going to judge every month based on how many they release from your own personal shortlist, you're going to be disappointed most of the time.

[SpiderBaby]

Criterion could never release any of those and still churn out a handful of great films every month.

Is that hate on the films I listed, or are you backing up that they can find tons more great films?

You do realize the availability of any given film depends on the availability of rights?

Yes, and fun question, does any of us know the rights to all of that? Prob not. So until then, those are great films that hasn't had any attention as far a U.S. and even World dvd releases has gone. Sure, the Warhols might be hard to ask for, but I listed alot of stuff there.

[MoonlitKnight]

I agree with CG, 2011 is dull for Criterion so far because pretty much everything released, announced or hinted at already has releases, or has in the past on DVD. Exceptions being the Naruse set, Mikado, some of the Dearden films possibly, Senso (with english subtitles, in an acceptable edition unlike the appalling old UK dvd), Bitter Rice (?)... any more? Even among these the only one which really stands out is the Naruse.

The World Cinema set will help I guess but it's still pretty disappointing so far.
I like Blu-ray upgrades as much as the next guy but it's always going to be more exciting to get hard to see things like Paisa + Germany Year Zero, Sing a Song of Sex + other Oshima, Docks of New York + other Sternberg, Colossal Youth + Tarrafal, Rabbit Hunters, Make Way for Tomorrow, 2 Films by Ozu, Story of a Cheat + other Guitry, Warrendale + other Allan King, The Traveller, the Brakhage's etc.....

Indeed, stop fuckin' releasing all these titles that were already released with relatively decent anamorphic widescreen transfers by one of the big studios' home video companies, Criterion! With so many great titles out there that have still never been released on Blu-ray, let alone DVD here in North America, why are they simply reheating so many things? So far this year I've only bought the Dearden set and upgraded "Amarcord" onto Blu-ray. "Fish Tank" and "Kes" are the only other officially announced titles I plan to get so far (but WILL buy "Insignificance" and "Cul-de-Sac" when they come out). I'm still only buying my absolute favorite films on Blu-ray (or, in the case of "Doctor Zhivago," "Once Upon a Time in America," and "Gangs of New York," films that were split over 2 discs in their released DVD form), and only 4 released Criterion titles so far have met that criteria (no pun intended): "Black Narcissus," "Repulsion," "Amarcord," and "Days of Heaven." I'll be all over "Fanny and Alexander" once it finally gets the oft-whispered-about-here Blu treatment, though (providing the vastly superior TV version is included, that is).

BTW, I read last year somewhere that "Deep End" and "Tristana" were being planned for release (2 more titles I'd buy on DVD in a heartbeat). What happened there?

[SpiderBaby]

Criterion could never release any of those and still churn out a handful of great films every month.

Is that hate on the films I listed, or are you backing up that they can find tons more great films?

No hate, just that there are thousands of films that they could release that one person or another would consider "great." If you're going to judge every month based on how many they release from your own personal shortlist, you're going to be disappointed most of the time.

Fair, but seeing that EVERYONE complains on every forum, facebook, even here, about opinions and tastes in the releases, why can't I? I just thought Rivette, Rocha, Hopper, and Warhol (again if they can even touch them) are still huge names and offers so much more to Criterion's "label" of what they do, that anyone would agree.

I mean, the Fear and Loathing release, was that really needed right this moment, right after a studio blu-ray? The whole "they need money from better selling titles for other obscure titles" is silly, like they are living off each title to the next.

[knives]

So far this year I've only bought the Dearden set and upgraded "Amarcord" onto Blu-ray. "Kes" is the only other officially announced title I plan to get so far

Naruse silents? If you people can't appreciate even that than you are hopeless.

[MoonlitKnight]

So far this year I've only bought the Dearden set and upgraded "Amarcord" onto Blu-ray. "Kes" is the only other officially announced title I plan to get so far

Naruse silents? If you people can't appreciate even that than you are hopeless.

Sorry, I have no real interest in Asian cinema. 8-[

I'm sure there are many fantastic films that have come out of Japan, China, Taiwan, etc., but seeing as how it's pretty much impossible for anyone to consume EVERY very-good-to-utterly-brilliant film ever made, you kind of have to pick your battles... and I'm sticking with the North American and European fronts (for now).

[knives]

I'm sorry, but that's incredibly stupid. It's fine to have your preferences, I go after Italian films like a shark to chum, but to completely avoid a world of cinema just because it's nit your favorite is incredibly dumb. for all you know those Naruse films may turn out to be the best things you've ever had the possibility to see, but you've wound up steadfastly refusing. I can understand if you wanted to wait for the set to be lower in price, but to outright refuse it is disgusting and ignorant.

[mfunk9786]

Haven't we learned anything from TV?

[What A Disgrace]

Yeah, that's an approach I don't understand. I *want* to see as many of the great films of world cinema as possible, and I intend to do so, and keep my radar as wide and weird as possible. An Eclipse set of Brazilian silent films? Holy smoke, I'd be there like a flash.

[swo17]

I refuse to watch films from the United Arab Emirates. They know why.

[matrixschmatrix]

I'm sorry, but that's incredibly stupid. It's fine to have your preferences, I go after Italian films like a shark to chum, but to completely avoid a world of cinema just because it's nit your favorite is incredibly dumb. for all you know those Naruse films may turn out to be the best things you've ever had the possibility to see, but you've wound up steadfastly refusing. I can understand if you wanted to wait for the set to be lower in price, but to outright refuse it is disgusting and ignorant.

I don't know, I think most people set totally arbitrary limits on what type of thing they're willing to look into- it's inherently silly, but cinema is a nearly never-ending fractal of great work, and you can't watch everything.

That said, if you are going to set such a limit on your viewing, it makes any 'they never release anything I want to watch' complaint pretty absurd. I mean, I haven't caught up with Naruse either- he's someone I intend to get into at some point, but I've barely scratched the surface on Kurosawa and Ozu at this point, and they both have more movies that appeal to me on the surface- but I'm willing to appreciate that Criterion putting out a set of his unreleased work is a big deal, regardless of whether I watch it any time soon.

[domino harvey]

I refuse to film watches from Asia

[SpiderBaby]

I refuse to film watches from Asia

[swo17]

I wish domino would tell the jokes I want him to tell.

[Jun-Dai]

Wow, this conversation is going downhill fast

But in all seriousness, it's not really a dull month. I'm excited about the fact that I've never seen Pale Flower or Something Wild, and whether I like the films or not, I'll have a chance to watch them in the best possible (home-video) experience. And I'm excited that should I choose to rewatch The Great Dictator or Diabolique (or make someone else watch it), that it'll be a lot better than it would have been a year ago.

I guess I'm not so much blah about the month as I am anxiously wishful that Criterion could get their loving fingers all over more of the thousands of films out there that need help. There's a long wishlist of films that I'd like to have Criterion work on, and there's a much longer list of films that I currently know nothing about that Criterion could be introducing me to. At this rate, it'll take Criterion forever to get to #1000.

[James]

I'm sorry, but that's incredibly stupid. It's fine to have your preferences, I go after Italian films like a shark to chum, but to completely avoid a world of cinema just because it's nit your favorite is incredibly dumb. for all you know those Naruse films may turn out to be the best things you've ever had the possibility to see, but you've wound up steadfastly refusing. I can understand if you wanted to wait for the set to be lower in price, but to outright refuse it is disgusting and ignorant.

I don't think it's incredibly stupid at all. It would be incredibly stupid if he dismissed all Asian films, but perhaps he just isn't a fan of the classical style of Ozu, Naruse, etc. and tends to more frequently choose American and European films.

[zedz]

I'm very happy for all the upgrades, but surely it's understandable that people are disappointed by a month in which every single release has already enjoyed a good R1 release? Or does everybody else actually enjoy buying the same films over and over again?

Really, seven releases and they couldn't find one new title to include? I'm sticking to my fading theory that they have some stunning delayed projects up their sleeves that would have provided a bit of balance.

[SpiderBaby]

I'm very happy for all the upgrades, but surely it's understandable that people are disappointed by a month in which every single release has already enjoyed a good R1 release? Or does everybody else actually enjoy buying the same films over and over again?

Really, seven releases and they couldn't find one new title to include? I'm sticking to my fading theory that they have some stunning delayed projects up their sleeves that would have provided a bit of balance.

I hope so, that way they HAVE A REASON why they are doing this. They are great films announced today, but why should anyone want to keep rebuying the same stuff is beyond me. Time is a waste to wait for new things. So much films that isn't on R1 dvd or even in the world (The Last Movie for example). Delays for going all blu-rays instead of dvd only releases is a good reason, but they haven't came out to say that, nor have they even expressed, that what they are doing is buying time.

[MoonlitKnight]

I don't think it's incredibly stupid at all. It would be incredibly stupid if he dismissed all Asian films, but perhaps he just isn't a fan of the classical style of Ozu, Naruse, etc. and tends to more frequently choose American and European films.

I don't know, I think most people set totally arbitrary limits on what type of thing they're willing to look into- it's inherently silly, but cinema is a nearly never-ending fractal of great work, and you can't watch everything.

Well, at least there's a couple other people here who got what I was trying to say. There's NO WAY any of us is going to be able to see every remotely lauded film ever made in our own lifetimes. Let's face it, we all just can't sit around in front of the TV or at the cinema 24/7; alas, there's other shit in the world to which we must attend. And surely we've passed all up on a film of great acclaim because it didn't interest us on a purely gut level. If I still have time after I've seen everything that interests me on a gut level, THEN I'll expand into other territories -- yes, even Asian cinema. That's all I was implying. :-"

That said, if you are going to set such a limit on your viewing, it makes any 'they never release anything I want to watch' complaint pretty absurd. I mean, I haven't caught up with Naruse either- he's someone I intend to get into at some point, but I've barely scratched the surface on Kurosawa and Ozu at this point, and they both have more movies that appeal to me on the surface- but I'm willing to appreciate that Criterion putting out a set of his unreleased work is a big deal, regardless of whether I watch it any time soon.

OK, I'll admit I've lost my head and gone on some selfish rants here in this department. I don't mean disrespect (Criterion particularly spoiled me in '09), but sometimes one can't help but get a little impatient when your home video wishlist starts coming to a standstill. :-k And, yes, the double-dipping from other studios is getting a little tiresome. I already have the MGM copies of "Sweet Smell," "Something Wild," "Mystery Train," "French Lieutenant's Woman," the Polygram copy of "Topsy-Turvy," the Fox copies of "Paris Texas," "Darjeeling Limited," etc., and they were all perfectly fine the first time around.

[aox]

They are great films announced today, but why should anyone want to keep rebuying the same stuff is beyond me.

Oh, I'll field this one! Some of the films are being released on Blu Ray for the first time. The resolution is almost triple that of a DVD Mpeg-2 compression. In many cases, the presentations (film is visual, so PQ is key), even for films one has seen 1000x, are a revelation (like seeing them for the first time).

[fdm]

This does seem to be the year of the blu-ray back catalog onslaught, so maybe Criterion is just trying to keep up with the Joneses and make sure they get their cut of that pie.

[Tom Hagen]

. So much films that isn't on R1 dvd or even in the world (The Last Movie for example).

My entirely uninformed speculation is that Hopper/his estate probably didn't have much of an interest in getting this out.

[Jeff]

I already have the MGM copies of "Sweet Smell," "Something Wild," "Mystery Train," "French Lieutenant's Woman," the Polygram copy of "Topsy-Turvy," the Fox copies of "Paris Texas," "Darjeeling Limited," etc., and they were all perfectly fine the first time around.

Well, some of those were more "perfectly fine" than others. MGM's release of Sweet Smell, for example, while sourced from a decent-looking element was non-anamorphic, featureless, and plagued by tramlines. That's pretty shoddy treatment for one of the great American films. The other films you mention, save Paris Texas, were mostly featureless mediocrities on their studio releases too. As has been mentioned, if nothing else, this month represents the first Blu-ray releases of any of these films.

[SpiderBaby]

. So much films that isn't on R1 dvd or even in the world (The Last Movie for example).

My entirely uninformed speculation is that Hopper/his estate probably didn't have much of an interest in getting this out.

I thought the whole reason Hopper got the rights was to release it, only to have passed away before that chance. There are still prints of this being shown, so something is going on, on that front anyways.