Matt wrote: Wed Jul 30, 2025 11:21 pm
Ooh, yeah, I'd buy Excalibur on UHD. Kind of a silly film, but it looks great and was a childhood favorite.
Excellent, with Nicol Willamson as a dirty realpolitik Merlin! Interestingly Alex Cox in the 1994 Moviedrome introduction to the film mentions that apparently Boorman really wanted to do an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (which was presumably around the same time that Ralph Bakshi was doing his 1978 animated adaptation of the first half the story), but did this as an alternative to it.
Boorman’s would have been produced in the 60’s, I think, when Tolkien was still alive.
He and writer Rospo Pallenberg had an interesting creative partnership. I still really like Pallenberg’s script for an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand that George Romero was slate to make around 1979
We definitely need more Boorman in 4K. Maybe Arrow will upgrade Zardoz…an acquired taste…to 4K. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Criterion rumors regarding Point Blank and Deliverance are accurate. Hopefully, Kino or Vinegar Syndrome releases Leo the Last.
They probably just had extra cards in stock since that was already released in the Shawscope Vol. 3 box. Speaking of which, shouldn't the fourth volume have been announced by now, unless it's been delayed till next year.
Robert Burnett just hinted at an upcoming Arrow WB title on his show, a 1988 film with a crappy Blu-ray he was surprised they have. (Sounds like it is Tequila Sunrise.)
He said non-genre, so I think he meant not horror, sci-fi or action. But based on his reaction when asked if it is Tequila Sunrise, I think that is it.
dwk wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 8:21 pm
He said non-genre, so I think he meant not horror, sci-fi or action. But based on his reaction when asked if it is Tequila Sunrise, I think that is it.
Such a beautifully constructed film. Possibly career-best performances from all 3 leads as well.
Considering what they've released or announced so far, I'd be surprised if Arrow picked downright non-genre films like Running on Empty or Bird (the former is a drama, the latter is a musical biography, of course, but you know what I mean). More like Criterion materials to me. Tequila Sunrise may not be a pure genre entertainment, but still genre enough for Arrow to release, like Witness.
Bird was such an an obvious pairing with Straight, No Chaser (as a simultaneous release, not an actual set) that the fact it didn't happen convinced me it's not in the Criterion pipeline (which obviously doesn't mean it'll come from Arrow either). I think it, Honkytonk Man, and White Hunter Black Heart are the only Eastwood-directed films still absent on BD—French releases of Bird were apparently announced on a couple of occasions, but I'm pretty sure they never actually came out.
I really hope Arrow’s next WB license is for Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon. A wonderful work in its commercially released form, but Cimino’s preferred cut, with small but important tweaks, still exists on a print held by the AMPAS
Finch wrote: Sun Aug 17, 2025 9:24 pm
Would be nice if Arrow got The Iron Giant from WB.
I'd be very happy with that. WB don't seem to have any interest in putting it out. I'd be pleased with Arrow or Criterion, whoever Bird prefers to work with. the movie just really deserves a great release. feels like it fits more with Arrow honestly, especially as they have the nostalgia crowd on lock in a lot of ways
beamish14 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:20 pm
I really hope Arrow’s next WB license is for Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon. A wonderful work in its commercially released form, but Cimino’s preferred cut, with small but important tweaks, still exists on a print held by the AMPAS
Ditto for that pre-release cut of Last Boy Scout, forget if an archive or WB proper has it
beamish14 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:20 pm
I really hope Arrow’s next WB license is for Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon. A wonderful work in its commercially released form, but Cimino’s preferred cut, with small but important tweaks, still exists on a print held by the AMPAS
I saw this for the first time recently and it is really interesting and deeply flawed, and still very recognizably Cimino, where I incorrectly assumed it was a fully commercial concession for the studio. It should be rediscovered.
Last edited by Zot! on Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
beamish14 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:20 pm
I really hope Arrow’s next WB license is for Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon. A wonderful work in its commercially released form, but Cimino’s preferred cut, with small but important tweaks, still exists on a print held by the AMPAS
Ditto for that pre-release cut of Last Boy Scout, forget if an archive or WB proper has it
I asked WB Archive about Year of the Dragon and they dismissed including both cuts as being cost-prohibitive. Ridiculous. They likely didn’t even know it existed until after the Academy’s print was screened shortly after Cimino died. I was lucky to see it, and the audience’s jaws dropped when Mickey Rourke said the final line that made UA/De Laurentiis lose their shit
beamish14 wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:20 pm
I really hope Arrow’s next WB license is for Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon. A wonderful work in its commercially released form, but Cimino’s preferred cut, with small but important tweaks, still exists on a print held by the AMPAS
Ditto for that pre-release cut of Last Boy Scout, forget if an archive or WB proper has it
I asked WB Archive about Year of the Dragon and they dismissed including both cuts as being cost-prohibitive. Ridiculous. They likely didn’t even know it existed until after the Academy’s print was screened shortly after Cimino died. I was lucky to see it, and the audience’s jaws dropped when Mickey Rourke said the final line that made UA/De Laurentiis lose their shit
