Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol. 6

[Peter McM]

Every time IFC Films is mentioned, I always find myself wondering about The Notorious Bettie Page. The studio gave it a really nice DVD originally; it would make a most impressive Criterion blu-ray.

[Yaanu]

I predict Moonrise Kingdom getting an announcement within the next few months.
Mostly because of the recent kogonada pieces that include clips from the film, and the part where "The Fox & Mr. Anderson" credits the whole shebang as being sourced from Criterion.

Then again, it's a Wes Anderson film, so a release is more or less inevitable.

[captveg]

I can even see Fox bypassing their own Blu-ray of The Grand Budapest Hotel and Criterion releasing it at the same time as Moonrise Kingdom. Unlike The Darjeeling Limited and Fantastic Mr. Fox the Blu-ray market is quite changed in 2014 by comparison. They may just want to get it to Criterion right away seeing as how they are licensing titles far more than just a few years ago (though those are mostly catalog rather than new release).

[chatterjees]

I am a big Anderson fan, but I can never imagine 4 Anderson film releases in a year from Criterion. That's just not realistic. I want both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, but don't see it happening before next year.

[Jeff]

If they follow the same cycle as The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom would come out in spring of 2015 and The Grand Budapest Hotel in spring of 2017.

[Bando]

I am a big Anderson fan, but I can never imagine 4 Anderson film releases in a year from Criterion. That's just not realistic. I want both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, but don't see it happening before next year.

I'm inclined to agree, but I also tend to err on the side of the fact that Criterion knows they're going to sell a mountain of any Anderson release they have in the collection. And they're going to sell even more if they manage to have Grand Budapest Hotel for the entirety of its physical release. Money talks, right?

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

The fact they credit Moonrise Kingdom clips to Criterion seems like a clear sign they may own the rights now. Hell, good for them. That's just more money in the bank!

As a note, who the hell is :: kogonada and why are all his films so awful? They have no meaning other than the Tumblr appeal of "Look at these pretty, similar themed images!". His Kubrick video is trite with the absolute worse picked piece of music than shits all over Kubrick's careful musical choices. They're the most soulless examination of cinema I've seen in a while.

[Yaanu]

As a note, who the hell is :: kogonada and why are all his films so awful?

":: kogonada is a filmmaker and regular contributor to Sight & Sound. His projects have been featured on NPR, The Atlantic, Canal+ and Der Spiegel, and have screened internationally. He was born in Seoul, Korea.

He tweets at @kogonada and tumbles at missingozu.tumblr.com. You can view some of his works at kogonada.com."

That's who he is, though the second question is more of a loaded question.

[chatterjees]

I am a big Anderson fan, but I can never imagine 4 Anderson film releases in a year from Criterion. That's just not realistic. I want both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, but don't see it happening before next year.

I'm inclined to agree, but I also tend to err on the side of the fact that Criterion knows they're going to sell a mountain of any Anderson release they have in the collection. And they're going to sell even more if they manage to have Grand Budapest Hotel for the entirety of its physical release. Money talks, right?

It just makes me feel very sad that they are gonna take 20 years to release 18 films by Satyajit Ray (6 released in 3 years; they own his 18 films, and its not a rumor), but for money making business, they will die to release 4 Anderson films in one year on Blu-Ray (2 of them are reissues ).

[Bando]

I am a big Anderson fan, but I can never imagine 4 Anderson film releases in a year from Criterion. That's just not realistic. I want both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom, but don't see it happening before next year.

I'm inclined to agree, but I also tend to err on the side of the fact that Criterion knows they're going to sell a mountain of any Anderson release they have in the collection. And they're going to sell even more if they manage to have Grand Budapest Hotel for the entirety of its physical release. Money talks, right?

It just makes me feel very sad that they are gonna take 20 years to release 18 films by Satyajit Ray (6 released in 3 years; they own his 18 films, and its not a rumor), but for money making business, they will die to release 4 Anderson films in one year on Blu-Ray (2 of them are reissues ).

How do you think Criterion pays for bigger-budget projects like Zatoichi or lower-profit titles like Ray releases? By riding the Kurosawa/Bergman/Anderson/etc. horses as far as they can. That's what sells. Like it or not, if Criterion were to release a list of their top-25 all-time bestsellers, you'd probably find all of the Anderson releases somewhere near the top, and probably some of the big-budget blockbuster stuff like the Michael Bay films, too. The Music Room? Not so much.

[Gregory]

but for money making business, they will die to release 4 Anderson films in one year on Blu-Ray (2 of them are reissues ).

I don't think money influenced Criterion's decisions to release as many Anderson films as they can, because they have a relationship with Anderson that's closer and more consistent than they've had with any other working filmmaker. It's such a natural match that I believe Criterion would still be eager to release Anderson's work even if it didn't sell as well as it does.

[Jeff]

It's such a natural match that I believe Criterion would still be eager to release Anderson's work even if it didn't sell as well as it does.

Agreed. Kim Hendrickson confirmed what I had long suspected at the last Wexner talk. Anderson likes working with Criterion and wants them to release his films so much that it is a stipulation of his contract that the films be licensed to Criterion.

[chatterjees]

but for money making business, they will die to release 4 Anderson films in one year on Blu-Ray (2 of them are reissues ).

I don't think money influenced Criterion's decisions to release as many Anderson films as they can, because they have a relationship with Anderson that's closer and more consistent than they've had with any other working filmmaker. It's such a natural match that I believe Criterion would still be eager to release Anderson's work even if it didn't sell as well as it does.

You are right, Gregory. Bando's money making point is a valid one too. What I was trying to say is that they don't usually release 4 titles by same director in a year, except in cases of box sets. They can go for maximum 3 per year and that rule is also true for only some popular directors like Kurosawa or Bergman. It happened one year for Melville too. We already got 2 Anderson released and announced. One is new inclusion and one is upgrade. The latest video posted by them surely tells you that they have got Moonrise Kingdom. It was bound to happen, but the likelihood of it getting released by Criterion this year is probably very thin. Therefore The Grand Budapest Hotel is not at all a possibility for 2014. Again, I love Anderson's film. Hence, if they release them both in 2014, I won't mind.
I would be more happy to see some older classics getting the priority. The Soft Skin and Y Tu Mamá También are long overdue. There is no Fellini, Renoir or Bunuel upgrade for a long time. They have been working on Apu Trilogy for last three years now. I am dying to see the upgrades for The Human Condition, War Trilogy, Ballad of a Soldier, The Cranes Are Flying, Closely Watched Trains, and The Shop on Main Street. If they focus on these classics in June and July, I think they will be able to make a lot of money during the BN July sale.

[domino harvey]

They could release Doug's 1st Movie and still make beaucoup bux

[DarkImbecile]

Apropos of nothing, I'll always remember Doug's 1st Movie despite never having seen it. In my storied and seemingly endless pre-age-17 career of buying a ticket to a PG-13 or PG movie and sneaking into whatever R-rated feature I actually wanted to see, the only time I got caught out of literally hundreds of attempts was when I bought a ticket for the Nickelodeon movie and tried to see Ravenous. Foiled by an uptight usher; I was sixteen.

[Gregory]

Apropos of nothing, I'll always remember Doug's 1st Movie despite never having seen it. In my storied and seemingly endless pre-age-17 career of buying a ticket to a PG-13 or PG movie and sneaking into whatever R-rated feature I actually wanted to see, the only time I got caught out of literally hundreds of attempts was when I bought a ticket for the Nickelodeon movie and tried to see Ravenous. Foiled by an uptight usher; I was sixteen.

I tried to do that once. After my friend and I tried to buy tickets to an R-rated horror film and the box office guy refused to sell them to us, I told him we'd see Beethoven instead. I didn't think he'd actually care enough to follow us into the theater, but he did, and forced us to move into the theater where Beethoven was showing, so we just left. Guy in his 30s working a ticket window in some mall for minimum wage, no wonder he wanted to exercise what little power he had.

[Bando]

but for money making business, they will die to release 4 Anderson films in one year on Blu-Ray (2 of them are reissues ).

I don't think money influenced Criterion's decisions to release as many Anderson films as they can, because they have a relationship with Anderson that's closer and more consistent than they've had with any other working filmmaker. It's such a natural match that I believe Criterion would still be eager to release Anderson's work even if it didn't sell as well as it does.

It doesn't matter how "natural" the choice is. The fact of the matter is Wes Anderson earns an audience that is far more mainstream than just about any contemporary director Criterion works with, to the extent that anything Criterion releases from Anderson will far outsell even the highest-profile art house director release they have in the collection. That's just how it is. The relationship Anderson has with Criterion is a two-way street. It plays to his artistic vision just as much as it helps Criterion with their bottom line.

[Gregory]

It does matter how natural a match it is, because they haven't formed the same kind of relationship with other filmmakers, and I can't see how that's solely due to profitability or other filmmakers' lack of mainstream appeal. And it has motivated Anderson to go out of his way to make sure that Criterion releases his work. Their interest in his films and the kinds of releases they can create for them, not just money and number-crunching, have to be an influence on a small company like Criterion. To give a somewhat related example, I also believe that their decision to release the two Michael Bay films was not because they saw it as just a big paycheck but because they were interested in working with someone who makes that kind of film to see what kind of special features they could create that would enhance their reputation for providing interesting bonus content.

[NeilMcGFilm]

Who the hell is Neil McGlone?

That would be me!

My main role is as a film advisor and researcher. I worked on Mark Cousins film "A Story of Children and Film" and I also am involved with the Midnight Sun Film Festival, Il Cinema Ritrovato and the Nordic Film Festival.

I have recently contributed articles to Sight and Sound as well as the online film magazine Vérité.

My blog is here giving a few more details about me.

[Moe Dickstein]

I think they'll hold Budapest until they can give it spine #800.

[dwk]

Could be a mistake, but The Gene Siskel Film Center has Janus Films and Institut Français credited for their print of The Young Girls of Rochefort

[bainbridgezu]

Whilst I am unable to give specific details, I can confirm that the "project" I have been working on with them has been ongoing for around 18 months and will eventually involve a number of forthcoming titles. The first of which should be announced soon.

Welcome to the board, Mr. McGlone.

Any chance you might be able to tell us what this first title is once it has been announced (so we can spend the next few months speculating as to what the rest of the "project" might be)?

[Red Screamer]

Whilst I am unable to give specific details, I can confirm that the "project" I have been working on with them has been ongoing for around 18 months and will eventually involve a number of forthcoming titles. The first of which should be announced soon.

Welcome to the board, Mr. McGlone.

Any chance you might be able to tell us what this first title is once it has been announced (so we can spend the next few months speculating as to what the rest of the "project" might be)?

I'm thinking the Demy films? Plus we just got the confirmation that Janus has the rights to Young Girls of Rochefort.

[Sandman]

My blog is here giving a few more details about me.

Bookmarked!

[Yaanu]

Whilst I am unable to give specific details, I can confirm that the "project" I have been working on with them has been ongoing for around 18 months and will eventually involve a number of forthcoming titles. The first of which should be announced soon.

Welcome to the board, Mr. McGlone.

Any chance you might be able to tell us what this first title is once it has been announced (so we can spend the next few months speculating as to what the rest of the "project" might be)?

I'm thinking the Demy films? Plus we just got the confirmation that Janus has the rights to Young Girls of Rochefort.

My guess is that it's the Satiyajit Ray library, which has to be announced eventually.