criterionforum.org

Posted: **Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:21 pm**

Hey guys, let's send half-coherent 3k e-mails to the Mulvaney account that the Criterion office can laugh at.

Posted: **Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:26 pm**

Be sure to include "I pay your salaries", "I may have owned some hot pink bandannas in the 1980s but that's neither here nor there" and "... on ACID!"

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:24 pm**

...that Mishima cover is just awful....absolutely awful...I may not buy it because of it, it's so awful...

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:07 pm**

that Mishima cover is just awful....absolutely awful...I may not buy it because of it, it's so awful...

Yes, I agree it's awful, but not buying it because of it is just stupid. I seriously don't think you mean that?

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:09 pm**

99.9% of the time all I see of a DVD is the spine... which coincidently makes Breathless one of Criterion's best releases based on that, er, criteria. SO DON'T FUCK UP THE SPINE, DESIGNERS

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:13 pm**

Guys, guys! Once again, channel your frustration towards the possibility of change: write Mulvaney and protest that grotesque artwork! [email protected]

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:23 pm**

Cinephrenic wrote:
that Mishima cover is just awful....absolutely awful...I may not buy it because of it, it's so awful...
Yes, I agree it's awful, but not buying it because of it is just stupid. I seriouslly don't think you mean that?

well...if the design doesn't continue onto the spine maybe...otherwise I am strongly considering enduring months of "Very Long Wait" and hoping it doesn't go OOP for a Very Long Time.

domino harvey wrote:99.9% of the time all I see of a DVD is the spine... which coincidently makes Breathless one of Criterion's best releases based on that, er, criteria. SO DON'T FUCK UP THE SPINE, DESIGNERS

WTF Domi I can't even reply before you get a comment in there

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:24 pm**

My email sent:

Dear Jon Mulvaney,

I am writing to protest the recently unveiled artwork for Paul Schrader's "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters."

It is horrible.

Jon, this is a very important release for fans of Mishima and this long-neglected film. Unlike the beautiful and elegant cover for "Patriotism," the artwork for "Mishima" is a hotchpotch of psychedelic colors and grotesque imagery. I understand your designers may have been trying to evoke the stylized, collage aspects of the film, but -- frankly -- they have failed.

Please consider this note and the possibility of revising the artwork. It's NOT too late!

Thank you.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:38 pm**

Actually (and I'm not being contrary here, I promise you), the first time I laid eyes on the Mishima cover I instantly loved it. And yes, I've seen the movie and I know that it is unrepresentative of it. But it's still one very powerful image. Maybe it just reminded me of those books' artwork that kinjitsu posted on another thread or maybe it just struck me as something out of the (very) ordinary.

Either way, a big fan here. Time for a (ludicrous) poll?

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:47 pm**

Haven't seen the film. Love the cover.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:49 pm**

I'm sorry, I'm only writing to Criterion to ask when they'll be releasing Brick

Posted: **Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:26 am**

Ok, I gotta say Brick gets knocked a lot around here. What was it exactly that was wrong with it?

Posted: **Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:45 am**

domino harvey wrote:99.9% of the time all I see of a DVD is the spine... which coincidently makes Breathless one of Criterion's best releases based on that, er, criteria. SO DON'T FUCK UP THE SPINE, DESIGNERS

The red and black stripes or the kissy faces? Please say the stripes...

Posted: **Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:59 am**

don't be a love hater

Posted: **Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:01 am**

I'm not, I just find that lovey spine all wrong. Like a promo shot for a 1970s TV show or something.

Posted: **Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:10 am**

I like the Mishima cover a lot. It's a lot more attractive than the gritty, old, angry face cover from that older release.

I hate the Breathless spine, and love the cover. (The film's not that good either, but that's besides the point).

Posted: **Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:23 am**

a.khan wrote:My email sent:
Dear Jon Mulvaney,

I am writing to protest the recently unveiled artwork for Paul Schrader's "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters."

It is horrible.

Jon, this is a very important release for fans of Mishima and this long-neglected film. Unlike the beautiful and elegant cover for "Patriotism," the artwork for "Mishima" is a hotchpotch of psychedelic colors and grotesque imagery. I understand your designers may have been trying to evoke the stylized, collage aspects of the film, but -- frankly -- they have failed.

Please consider this note and the possibility of revising the artwork. It's NOT too late!

Dearest a.khan,

Hey, can we come where you work and tell you how to do your job? Sounds like fun!

Sincerely,

Jon

P.S. Look at those new Paramount covers and then just you try tell me we fucked up, OK?

Posted: **Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:49 am**

Dearest Jon:

First of all, let me thank you for your prompt reply.

Yes, of course, you are more than welcome to come and visit me where I work -- except, let me confess, I don't work. I'm unemployed. But if you could tell me how to be better at being unemployed, I sure would appreciate any advice.

Re. the Paramount covers, I totally see your point-of-view. Is Paramount your new benchmark for quality? If the answer is yes, then kindly accept my sincerest apologies for wasting your valuable time.

All the best with your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

A.Khan

Posted: **Sun Mar 23, 2008 11:56 pm**

granted I have never seen mishima so I can't speak to how it matches up with the movie but i can say that I like the cover and it makes me want to check it out.

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:35 am**

It's just a cover. But please everyone write to Criterion so we can exercise out faux power over them.

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:47 am**

Difference of opinion I can understand. What I do not understand is the constant sarcasm about taking action. If Criterion has an email address for "feedback," hey, why shouldn't we use it?

If they revise the artwork, then that would be excellent and extremely humble of them. If they don't, I will still buy "Mishima" simply because the film begs purchasing; that's the bottom line. In my unimportant opinion, writing to Criterion directly rather than repeatedly spewing venomous hate on forums is a more constructive way of reconciling my frustrations -- "faux power" be damned.

This was my last post on the subject.

Edit: This just in:

Tamara Hellgreen, CC wrote:Thanks for your email! We always appreciate it when customers take the time to write in and share their feedback. To the best of my knowledge we do not have plans to revise the cover artwork for "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" but please feel free to write in again if you have any other concerns or questions!

Sincerely,

Tamara

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:12 pm**

The Fire Within spine is visible in this "shelf" pic.

I dig it.

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:52 pm**

I'll dig it if the spine for "The Lovers" matches it. The spine seems a bit weak to be on it's own, but considering how the covers match, the spines should, too.

Great find, by the way. I noticed that The Fire Within was on that list yesterday but I was too oblivious to realize that the spine artwork would be in that picture. Good work!

Posted: **Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:18 am**

The Mishima cover is great and its detractors are whiny twats.

Posted: **Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:50 am**

Donald Brown wrote:The Mishima cover is great and its detractors are whiny twats.

"Eat dank toilet loaf, poothead."

Is this how we play this game?

criterionforum.org

Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol.4

Letter campaign: Mishima artwork

Re: Letter campaign: Mishima artwork

Re: Letter campaign: Mishima artwork