criterionforum.org

Hopefully they'll get the rights to all (or most) of Wong Kar-Wai's films for Blu-Ray (and this may be the way Criterion gets around Kino... maybe they'll release Blu Tarkovsky!)

Tribe wrote:

domino harvey wrote:It says Walkabout is coming out in a regular Criterion edition

Yes, but without extras. Damn, I gotta go buy a Blu Ray now...

Svevan wrote:So Chungking and Bottle Rocket, for now, are Blu-Ray only

The email is admittedly vague, but I wouldn't jump to these conclusions. I'm assuming that these three titles will be available on DVD -- with all supplements intact -- as well.

domino harvey wrote:I hope and assume Criterion has some sort of strategy to prevent the "I'll wait for it to come on Blu-ray" consumers.

Indeed. I myself will be very cautious in considering which Criterions to buy from now on. It seems a bit risky announcing Blu-Rays for October when they still have a slate of SD titles for the next five months. I was looking forward to the new Mishima, for example, but now, the idea of that film in 1080p for the same price has cooled my enthusiasm for the upcoming SD edition. But then again, no Blu-Ray edition has been announced and may not appear for a long time. Frustrating.

Brianruns10 wrote:I wonder if they will create a new logo? Wacky B anyone?

They already did.

Tribe wrote:

domino harvey wrote:

Tribe wrote:The new releases like Chungking Express and the like...are those coming out only in Blu Ray? Or in both editions?

It says Walkabout is coming out in a regular Criterion edition

Yes, but without extras. Damn, I gotta go buy a Blu Ray now...

Where does it say without extras? I imagine that both discs will contain the same extra content.

That "b" logo is one of the most heinous things I've ever seen.

miless wrote:Hopefully they'll get the rights to all (or most) of Wong Kar-Wai's films for Blu-Ray (and this may be the way Criterion gets around Kino... maybe they'll release Blu Tarkovsky!)

That is a good point to bring up regarding a possible loophole of releasing films of existing standard DVDs from other companies to releasing Blu-Ray DVDs by Criterion. Any experts out there can comment if such a loophole legally exists?

I'm impressed by how many complaints we've managed to rack up so far without the thread even reaching page 2 yet.

What other CC's do you expect to see get the Blu upgrade?
I'm thinking Days of Heaven will be essential in this respect.

King Prendergast wrote:What other CC's do you expect to see get the Blu upgrade?

Fishing With John, the Night Porter, Koko

Ovader wrote:Any experts out there can comment if such a loophole legally exists?

I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that may well be the kind of thing that might vary according to the wording of each licensing contract.

King Prendergast wrote:I'm thinking Days of Heaven will be essential in this respect.

I'm actually really surprised it wasn't one of the titles, but its absence makes me suspect Criterion only licensed standard-def DVD rights.

oh man... this opens the doors to all sorts of interesting title possibilities...

Now's the time for Oppo to finish their region-free Blu-ray player.

As for Blu Tarkovsky, isn't Criterion's Andrei Rublev around the same vintage as their original release of Walkabout? There have been ongoing rumblings for some time about a new transfer, seems to make sense that they'd be doing it in time for the next batch of Blu-rays...

great news, I was expecting Contempt, 400 Blows, and 3rd Man in the first batch. But surprised no 7 Samurai or Brazil. Still, the email was a bit vague, still have these questions:

1. Will those listed not currently in collection get DVD release?
2. What type of cases?
3. Spine numbering?
4. How many releases per month? 12 over 2008? 4 per month?
5. What audio format(s) with they be using?
6. will dual-sets be consolidated to 1 BD?

Where's the love for El Norte?

I wonder if the Man Who Fell to Earth will include the book the SD version came with.


Interesting choices for the first batch, here's hoping the second batch has:

The Leopard
Kwaidan
Jigoku
Ran
Kagemusha

Those would look amazing!

PS3 sold.

chaddoli wrote:PS3 sold.

As much as I hate Sony, I'll probably end up buying a PS3 for its Blu-Ray capability now, as well as the occasional good game they put out for it.

Yeah, it would feel like a smack to the face if they dont release Bottle Rocket for standard def, and also if they dont knock down prices on standard compared to the blu-ray, i would also be a little peeved. I guess it's just about patience and seeing the prices and what they release for the future.

Svevan wrote:

domino harvey wrote:

Tribe wrote:The new releases like Chungking Express and the like...are those coming out only in Blu Ray? Or in both editions?

It says Walkabout is coming out in a regular Criterion edition

So Chungking and Bottle Rocket, for now, are Blu-Ray only.

Doubtful. The wording at the beginning ("These new editions will feature glorious high-definition picture and sound, all the supplemental content of the DVD releases, and they will be priced to match our standard-def editions") and the lack of anything saying "Bottle Rocket and Chungking will be on Blu-Ray only" suggests they'll be on both. I was more assuming the releases won't be released on the same date (EDIT: forgot to finish with my guess is Bottle Rocket and Chungking are probably both coming out before October.)

So, to kick off the next couple months of speculating with the thing that matters most:
Same covers for standard and Blu-ray, or different covers for each format?

I can't see Bottle Rocket being a Blu-Ray only release. I doubt Wes Anderson fans are going to be grabbing Blu-ray players for awhile, so a lack of DVD would cut a big chunk of the film's market base.

El Norte and Chungking Express maybe not. What is the rights situation with the Quentin-Tarantino's-Face version of Chungking? Is it in print? Does the defunct nature of that Rolling Thunder enterprise mean it doesn't really matter?

Eclipse blu-ray?