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Perhaps Criterion got a couple blu rays to license in trade for letting Universal release Traffic, Do the Right Thing and Spartacus. Let's see an excellent blu ray of Sorcerer finally!

I originally posted the quotes in the Blu-Ray General thread but Universal's upcoming BD of The Game is dreadful if the early review is anything to go by: they've used an old master and applied DNR to it; better still, they haven't even ported the extras from the SE DVD over.

If Criterion wants anything else from FOCUS they should work out a deal in the near future...

Universal is in early discussions about selling off Focus Features. According to the rumors, the asking price is $300 million.

I wonder if this potential streamlining is being forced by new owners Comcast?

It would be unfortunate if this ends up leaving Focus shuttered or even severely crippled. There's not many independent/specialty film companies out there left than can handle a wide, national theatrical release for art house fims.

Along the same lines of my post on the Paramount thread, I'd also think it would be cool if Midnight Run got a number. It did well critically and at the box office, but hasn't been too well represented on home video. Martin Brest is probably still in director jail for Gigli, and I think he deserves his due for films like this.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Along the same lines of my post on the Paramount thread, I'd also think it would be cool if Midnight Run got a number. It did well critically and at the box office, but hasn't been too well represented on home video. Martin Brest is probably still in director jail for Gigli, and I think he deserves his due for films like this.

I agree. Not to mention, De Niro isn't represented in the Collection right now, excluding the Laserdiscs. I'd like to see Criterion release 1900, as well. I forget who had the rights to that DVD. (I think it's out of print now.)

DeNiro is in Brazil.

swo17 wrote:DeNiro is in Brazil.

Wow. That was a fail on my behalf. I wish I could go back and delete that!

It's a pretty minor role there, though. I still want one that he has a lead role in.

I was also mistaken about the DVD of 1900 being OOP. Paramount owns the rights to the relatively barebones release.

I wonder what Fox is doing with The Coens' Barton Fink. It was included in their previous box set, but is conspicuously absent on the new Blu set coming out. There's a German Blu release forthcoming, not sure of its region code.

Of all of the Coen titles fit for Criterion, Barton Fink would be my pick. Any scuttlebutt regarding this title?

1900 is OOP.

Where did you see a forthcoming German release? I can't see any information on Amazon.de

Gary Gnu wrote:

swo17 wrote:DeNiro is in Brazil.

It's a pretty minor role there, though. I still want one that he has a lead role in.

Unless you count the bonus "Love Conquers All" version, but then (quite rightly) nobody does.

Arthur House wrote:

Gary Gnu wrote:

swo17 wrote:DeNiro is in Brazil.

It's a pretty minor role there, though. I still want one that he has a lead role in.

Unless you count the bonus "Love Conquers All" version, but then (quite rightly) nobody does.

... What's wrong with that version?

bergelson wrote:Where did you see a forthcoming German release? I can't see any information on Amazon.de

My mistake, it's a Swedish release.

Gary Gnu wrote:

Arthur House wrote:

Gary Gnu wrote:It's a pretty minor role there, though. I still want one that he has a lead role in.

Unless you count the bonus "Love Conquers All" version, but then (quite rightly) nobody does.

... What's wrong with that version?

Everything?

It's actually maybe my favorite part of the package, although I've never managed to watch it through without the commentary- it's an amazing mini-course on the profound impact relatively small changes of cutting, take, and shot order can have, as it really is an entirely different film built of broadly the same materials.

Seconded. The commentary on this is one of the most revealing pieces on the nuts and bolts of filmmaking in the entire Criterion Collection. It shows just how little needs to be done to completely reverse the meaning of a film

matrixschmatrix wrote:It's actually maybe my favorite part of the package, although I've never managed to watch it through without the commentary- it's an amazing mini-course on the profound impact relatively small changes of cutting, take, and shot order can have, as it really is an entirely different film built of broadly the same materials.

I don't know that the term "small changes" is really accurate. Perhaps the most inexplicable aspect of this version is the realization about two-thirds through that all the comedy has been cut out!

Roger Ryan wrote:

matrixschmatrix wrote:It's actually maybe my favorite part of the package, although I've never managed to watch it through without the commentary- it's an amazing mini-course on the profound impact relatively small changes of cutting, take, and shot order can have, as it really is an entirely different film built of broadly the same materials.

I don't know that the term "small changes" is really accurate. Perhaps the most inexplicable aspect of this version is the realization about two-thirds through that all the comedy has been cut out!

Well, right- it's technically small changes, all working with material Gilliam shot etc, but in spite of Gilliam's incredibly distinctive art design the result is almost unrecognizable.

I was in a situation once where I was arguing with someone over the merits of the movie, and we were totally at loggerheads- he insisted the movie didn't make any sense, that it was Hollywood-ish, that it felt like the characterization was all over the place. Eventually it came out he'd only seen it on TV, and at the time the Love Conquers All version was the only one that played on TV- when he watched Gilliam's cut, it immediately became one of his favorite movies. I sometimes wonder how many movies would be similarly transformed if the studios didn't get involved on the back end.

Or if they did. Ford's original cut of My Darling Clementine is not that good. I'm not saying the present version is a masterpiece, but it's good.

Ford's original cut of Clementine no longer exists. I think (hope?) what you are referring to is Zanuck's theatrical cut. The "pre-release" version reinstates some of the excised footage from the original cut and removes the kiss Zanuck insisted on including.

That's the stuff I'm referring to yes. It's not as significant as the Brazil stuff, but it does show a two way street situation.

Sorry, guys. I was just joking. With the commentary, that version is very watchable and revealing; but without, it's a grueling experience. (It feels longer than the original 2 1/2 long cut!)

Next time use this:

I heard about this punctuation mark called the "sarc mark" that's used to indicate sarcasm. It's hard to communicate in writing, I guess.

Here's what it looks like:

So Fox has licensed The Ox-Bow Incident and Yellow Sky to Koch Lorber for European release, and they both just came out on Blu-ray in Germany. What are the chances that Criterion might have picked up either of these from Fox? Their relationship seems to be pretty solid.