Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol. 6

[domino harvey]

Now the sticker on the cover makes sense

Cremildo-approved Edition

[Ribs]

What, no upgrade for Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer?!?

[jedgeco]

And most welcome, since it's a classic that deserves a release of its own, independent of the other titles from that expensive box which I would never have bought.

Not disagreeing with you're premise, but the BBS box can be had during the B&N sales for about $45.

[domino harvey]

What, no upgrade for Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer?!?

A+

[ordinaryperson]

This seems to be a very WTF Criterion month.

[criterion10]

This seems to be a very WTF Criterion month.

*Printed, laminated, framed*

[Ribs]

Will the Shawn/Gregory box set's essays be with a proper book like most other box sets, or will it just be three amarays in a case (and matching booklet for Vanya, and leaflets for the other two)

[Minkin]

Sorry everyone about the misleading Vampyr speculation. Blame Criterion, not me! They've since updated it to:

PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, a piece by Koerber on the restoration, and a 1964 interview with producer and star Nicolas de Gunzburg; plus a book featuring Dreyer and Christen Jul’s original screenplay and Sheridan Le Fanu 1872 story “Carmilla,” a source for the film (first-edition DVD only)

A strange month indeed from Criterion. I had been putting off Vanya for whatever reason forever, and I absolutely love My Dinner with Andre, so the boxset makes sense from my perspective!

The BBS boxset does make sense for a marketing decision -as I'm sure there's a much bigger market for Head / Easy Rider / 5 Easy Pieces individually than put together in an expensive boxset. I have heard complaints from some Monkees fans who didn't want to bother with also buying those "other films" and would just wait for a standalone release. Am glad to hear though that Criterion isn't adding anything to the release, so we can just move along and avoid it - while Criterion adds to their war chest.

Big news is Valerie. Wasn't this was originally slated as part of a Czech Eclipse set (that one random guy in the Czech film thread who knew the content of the 1st set and the subsequent sets)? Also excited for a Pre-60s German film!

[dwk]

I wonder if Sony's license for Head is coming to an end (it is the only film in the BBS set that is not owned by Sony), causing that box to go OOP sometime this year. That could be why Criterion is starting to break up that box (and why the BBS doc from the Head disc has been shifted to Five Easy Pieces.)

[mfunk9786]

I wonder if Sony's license for Head is coming to an end (it is the only film in the BBS set that is not owned by Sony), causing that box to go OOP sometime this year. That could be why Criterion is starting to break up that box (and why the BBS doc from the Head disc has been shifted to Five Easy Pieces.)

That seems like a really solid guess.

[Perkins Cobb]

Hm. Well, The Bridge and the Jires shorts are good news ... which makes it a better-than-average Criterion month in my world, I guess.

[Finch]

Nothing in it for me this June except Valerie and her Week of Wonders. Anyone else feeling that Criterion's 2015 line-up to date lacks the Wow factor that Arrow's has?

[FrauBlucher]

I expect the wow to happen before 2015 is all said and done.

[movielocke]

Nothing in it for me this June except Valerie and her Week of Wonders. Anyone else feeling that Criterion's 2015 line-up to date lacks the Wow factor that Arrow's has?

I don't follow arrow (and I know they do good work and have branched out of horror and into the us) so I looked up the list of releases on wiki and their website and only see a half dozenish releases for 2015, most of them interesting, but I already own in other versions. on the other hand, i've got 11 must buys so far from criterion, only one of which I own in another version, plus another dozen I want to buy but probably wont. So criterion seems to have the better slate to me.

[swo17]

Arrow has a Yoshishige Yoshida box in the works among other boxsets, one of which is supposed to make the night Lincoln got shot look like a peanut.

[Lowry_Sam]

I expect the wow to happen before 2015 is all said and done.

I'm expecting better in the second half of the year, but after the 2014 Wow factor, I've anticipated that Criterion's 2015 lineup just won't measure up & I'm not all that bummed. Now I can get rid of my BBS box set, since the only title I've revisited is Head as sort of background eye candy for a party (edit: Actually it looks like only Five Easy Pieces is getting a standalone release, so I still can't get rid of it just yet) ....and now I'm picking up The Lady From Shanghai and The Wild One blu-rays for 8.99 instead of 39.99 each (and in slimmer keepcases), not to mention a Dreyer and a Rossellini box set for under $100 shipped, as opposed to over $100 each.... and as long as MoC keep up the classic Hollywood titles & Arrow the cult titles, I'll be a happy camper.

[ianungstad]

A pretty decent month. I'm looking forward to discovering The Bridge and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.

I've seen The Fisher King many times and will pick it up eventually. It seems like a decent package and I really like the cover.

[Calvin]

It's fantastic to see a Blu-Ray release for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. I wonder if Criterion regrets putting Daisies in Eclipse yet? I also wonder what this means for the supposed line ups for the second and third Czech New Wave volumes. Will Criterion scrap them and release them as restorations arise (or carry out the work themselves)? All My Good Countrymen, another film that was supposed to be on the third set with Valerie, already has a 4K restoration out on Blu in the Czech Republic.

[swo17]

Anyone else feeling that Criterion's 2015 line-up to date lacks the Wow factor?

Clearly not the people writing the blurbs for each release!

[Moe Dickstein]

Surprising to me that Five Easy Pieces would get the standalone issue over Easy Rider, or especially The Last Picture Show.

Glad to see The Fisher King announced, it's good to see more of the LD catalog being brought into the Blu fold.

[mrmarbach]

Apologies if this was already mentioned, but Hiroshima mon Amour is definitely on for this summer - according to Tim Page who just posted an image of himself being interviewed for the release. He describes it as "a deluxe reissue".

[swo17]

There have been inklings but I think this is the first direct confirmation of an imminent release. Great news!

[FrauBlucher]

Not surprised. The 4k restoration screened in the fall. It looked great.

[gleemonex]

Hopefully they package it with a HD Night and Fog, as a supplement, a la Bergman Island.

[ianungstad]

I'm just a bit surprised that the only meaningful hint Kim Hendrickson dropped at the Wexner Center chat; a licensing deal with Warner Brothers, has amounted to a whole lot of nothing so far.