Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[jwd5275]

If they wanted to do a complete Showa era set, they're missing Godzilla vs Gigan, vs Hedorah and vs the Sea Monster.

A complete Showa era set would also need the original Mothra. Doesn't Sony have this?

[FigrinDan]

As reported by Godzilla-Movies.com, Janus Films and the Criterion Collection have obtained the rights to most of the Shōwa era Godzilla titles!

1. Godzilla (1954)

1. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

1. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)

1. Rodan (1956)

1. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

1. Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964)

1. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

1. War of the Gargantuas (1966)

1. Son of Godzilla (1967)

1. Destroy All Monsters (1968)

1. All Monsters Attack (1969)

1. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

1. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974)

1. Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975)

It's true! Janus Films and the Criterion Collection have the rights to these Godzilla films and Starz is licensing them from us. We hope to make them available on other platforms in the future. Please stay tuned!

[Morbii]

The original Godzilla is great, but I've never seen any of the others. Are they schlocky in comparison to the original? They just SEEM like they'd be, but I'm totally hoping I'm wrong!

[knives]

They offer a radically different pleasure and some are schlocky, but most are surprisingly good and still political. The commentary on Sony's Mothra disc explains this very well if you want to prep

[Morbii]

Cool, thanks. Looking forward to some kind of boxset, then!

Going in, I wasn't sure how I'd react to the original either, but I thought it was great. That first shot of the monster was downright haunting, paired with a perfect soundtrack. One thing I loved about Shin Godzilla was the usage of the original soundtrack over the end credits.

[knives]

The series becomes most comparable to Terry Prachet with some Star Trek after awhile.

[Big Ben]

Some of the Godzilla films are certainly more schlocky than others and it certainly shows. Godzilla vs. Megalon for instance reuses stock footage of claws and even the attack on the city has it. They're not 2001 level effects but what they lack in refinement they more than make up in the fun department. They're an absolute blast to watch.

[Yaanu]

Here's praying that Janus and! Shout Factory are able to cut a deal with Toho, and we get a two-disc release of the MST3K episodes of "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster".

Alternatively, maybe Shout will license the two episodes for release in whatever Criterion release the films get. That would be funny too.

[dwk]

Yeah, Toho ain't letting that happen.

[John Shade]

Could any more Desplechin be coming to Criterion? I noticed he did one of their closet photos recently, just wondering which one it would be if it happens (maybe one of the recent two--since these newer movies seem to pop up on criterion every other month?)

[Emilio]

I appreciate that it actually looks like it was shot on film. So many movies that make a big deal about that like Nolan's and Tarantino's look so digital nowadays presumably due to digital color timing or editing, but that honestly looks like the real deal (to the extant you can tell from a Youtube video).

How did you see Tarantino's / Nolan's pictures? Projected or digital or at home?

I'm not completely sure about Tarantino's postproduction workflow, Nolan though, that is as analog as he can get. No digital intermediate EXCEPT for the DCP's. Which are based on the good oldfashioned laboratory colortiming.

Their look is, in my eyes, far from digital.

[Randall Maysin]

So, does anyone know yet or have the slightest idea or information as to whether the announcements are happening today?

[krnash]

Silence of the Lambs announcement appears to be nigh:

https://twitter.com/Criterion/status/930881724761985030" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[reaky]

Might they have got their hands on the BBC’s Threads?

[knives]

I appreciate that it actually looks like it was shot on film. So many movies that make a big deal about that like Nolan's and Tarantino's look so digital nowadays presumably due to digital color timing or editing, but that honestly looks like the real deal (to the extant you can tell from a Youtube video).

How did you see Tarantino's / Nolan's pictures? Projected or digital or at home?

I'm not completely sure about Tarantino's postproduction workflow, Nolan though, that is as analog as he can get. No digital intermediate EXCEPT for the DCP's. Which are based on the good oldfashioned laboratory colortiming.

Their look is, in my eyes, far from digital.

70mm

[dwk]

Might they have got their hands on the BBC’s Threads?

No, Severin is releasing that.

[Ribs]

Golly, 7 releases, and 3 with 2 discs, almost all of which register as a !!!!! to me.

[tenia]

That's an incredibly loaded month.

[movielocke]

Golly, 7 releases, and 3 with 2 discs, almost all of which register as a !!!!! to me.

And all three of the two disc blurays are currently priced at $39.95 rather than the standard 2 disc price of $49.95. Possibly an error on their part, but bargain hunters may want to jump on the price, particularly if Amazon makes the same mistake and discounts steeper than Criterion.com's price.

[swo17]

Seven releases?

[Ribs]

I miscounted!

[FrauBlucher]

Seven releases?

You didn't know, Ribs always has a couple of cocktails on announcement day.

Timing for the releases of Night of the Living Dead and Silence of Lambs smells like flash sale.

[dwk]

Golly, 7 releases, and 3 with 2 discs, almost all of which register as a !!!!! to me.

And all three of the two disc blurays are currently priced at $39.95 rather than the standard 2 disc price of $49.95. Possibly an error on their part, but bargain hunters may want to jump on the price, particularly if Amazon makes the same mistake and discounts steeper than Criterion.com's price.

No, most recently the $49.95, with the exception of Othello, has been for two films on two discs, not two disc sets

[Ribs]

Silence of the Lambs's release is *probably* meant to mirror its original February release, though it's not an even anniversary year. I'd agree the two of them certainly seem like the week they'd do it but usually the February flash sale is a bit later!

[FlickeringWindow]

Boyhood, Barry Lyndon, A Brighter Summer Day, and Rebecca are $40 MSRP 2-disc sets, too.