The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion

[therewillbeblus]

So glad to see Bone there- would love for Criterion to scoop it if Blue Underground is gonna sleep on an upgrade

[movielocke]

August programming

WOW, that's probably the best month they've ever done. there aren't enough hours in the day. Some of the Myrna Loy back catalog made available is nice.

deep cuts, the Betrayal is very good, glad to see it featured. I've only seen Arabesque in pan and scan VHS, is it worth rewatching again in OAR? I don't really remember it, just an impression of it being pretty good.

beyond that, and I wish I had time to rewatch most of the Mancini bundle of films, the Gulpilil series looks amazing, but I have no idea what to prioritize. but the Hollywood Chinese series and documentary looks like the beyond blaxploitation series where I'll wind up trying to watch all of it.

[FrauBlucher]

I see Damnation is programmed for August 1. Is this first Tarr to appear on the Channel?

[fiendishthingy]

Sátántangó is currently on the Channel and has been for a while, I believe.

[FrauBlucher]

OK. Thanks. I don't check the schedule that often

[RIP Film]

Just signed up again and surprised there’s still no user profiles. Does anyone have problems sharing their account? I know you can have 3 devices logged in simultaneously.

[yoloswegmaster]

Coming in September 2022

[Michael Kerpan]

I wonder whether Secret of Roan Inish will be "restored" in any fashion -- or just the old DVD version.

[therewillbeblus]

Well, I believe we know that one's coming regardless. I'm much more interested in seeing if Air Force, Elvira Madigan, and Hud show up with Janus/Criterion logos

[Computer Raheem]

Coming in September 2022

Excited to see The Man Who Fell To Earth and the Visconti films being added. A little miffed that If.... has been added right after I rented it from my library, but it'll give me a good excuse to revisit it

[Quote Perf Unquote]

OMG, all those Carlos Saura, awesome, let's get these on disc please

[JakeStewart]

Spotlights on Carlos Saura, Romy Schneider, and James Wong Howe. That’ll play.

[ryannichols7]

I don't know if anyone has pointed this out yet, but Criterion has added old laserdisc limbo commentaries for Billy Liar and Bad Day at Black Rock - the former is with Kino and the latter with WAC. both nice surprises, hopefully they can do this for King Kong in the near future

what's even cooler is how Bad Day at Black Rock retains its old laserdisc art for its display on the channel. its not uncommon at all to see Criterion keep old supplements available for OOP titles (see most of the Canal licenses), but I don't remember them doing a full on laserdisc rescue for one like this before. can anyone recall an earlier one?

[fiendishthingy]

I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but I think the Billy Liar commentary is from the DVD -- it says it was recorded in 2000, and it doesn't look like Criterion released the film on laserdisc (at least according to Wikipedia's list of Criterion laserdiscs). At any rate, it's nice that they've made it available.

[dwk]

They've presented the laserdisc supplements a few times. Silence of the Lambs and Pink Flamingos before Criterion released them on Blu-ray, and Trainspotting and Invasion of the Bodysnatchers are a couple that come to mind.

[FrauBlucher]

Criterion just posted a 9 film Tribute to Godard on the Channel

[fiendishthingy]

The Godard tribute now has 21 films.

[therewillbeblus]

The Godard tribute now has 21 films.

Are there any that open with Criterion/Janus logos that aren’t out on disc yet, and if so, which ones?

[fiendishthingy]

It doesn't look like it, unfortunately. The ones where the Criterion edition is out of print (A Woman Is a Woman, Contempt and Alphaville) open with Criterion and StudioCanal logos. (Is Tout va bien out of print? If so, I hadn't realized, but it's saying "currently unavailable" on Criterion's site. It opens with Criterion and Janus logos, anyway.) La Chinoise and Le gai savoir open with a Gaumont logo. Film socialisme, Goodbye to Language and The Image Book go straight into the films. The shorts open with Criterion and Janus logos (including All the Boys Are Called Patrick, which is on the out of print A Woman Is a Woman), while Letter to Jane opens with Criterion Channel and Gaumont logos. I think everything else is in print with Criterion, but I may be wrong.

Edited to add: Now they’re up to 23 films, but I think the new ones are Band of Outsiders and Made in U.S.A, both of which are in print. Still, maybe there will be others.

[yoloswegmaster]

A 80s horror series is coming to the Channel next month:

• Inferno, Dario Argento, 1980
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, Walerian Borowczyk, 1981
• Dead & Buried, Gary Sherman, 1981
• The House by the Cemetery, Lucio Fulci, 1981
• The Funhouse, Tobe Hooper, 1981
• Strange Behavior, Michael Laughlin, 1981
• Wolfen, Michael Wadleigh, 1981
• Scanners, David Cronenberg, 1981
• Road Games, Richard Franklin, 1981
• The Fan, Ed Bianchi, 1981
• Basket Case, Frank Henenlotter, 1982
• Next of Kin, Tony Williams, 1982
• Cat People, Paul Schrader, 1982
• Q: The Winged Serpent, Larry Cohen, 1982
• The Slumber Party Massacre, Amy Holden Jones, 1982
• The Keep, Michael Mann, 1983
• The Hunger, Tony Scott, 1983*
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, John McNaughton, 1986
• The Hidden, Jack Sholder, 1987
• Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter, 1987
• White of the Eye, Donald Cammell, 1987
• Near Dark, Kathryn Bigelow, 1987
• The Vanishing, George Sluizer, 1988
• Brain Damage, Frank Henenlotter, 1988
• Dream Demon, Harley Cokeliss, 1988
• The Blob, Chuck Russell, 1988
• Lair of the White Worm, Ken Russell, 1988
• Vampire’s Kiss, Robert Bierman, 1989
• Society, Brian Yuzna, 1989
• Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Shinya Tsukamoto, 1989

[therewillbeblus]

Some good stuff on there- glad to see The Slumber Party Massacre make the list, and Vampire’s Kiss! I watched the Cage recently, having shrugged it off for years under a misassumption that it was just over-the-top-bad, and surprisingly loved it. It's basically what would happen if Abel Ferrara took liberties in adapting American Psycho with more agonizing pathos in the subtext brewing violently under the satirical text

[dwk]

Here is the full slate for October. I am real curious to find out if any of those Ishirō Honda titles have the Criterion/Janus logos.

[ryannichols7]

surprised/disappointed the WCF vol 4 movies aren't being added yet. was hoping to preview those. there doesn't seem to be a lot in the way of potential Janus acquisitions this month, is there?

[dwk]

Other than the Honda titles, no.

[Calvin]

The early Villeneuves seem like candidates