criterionforum.org

Does it still feature The Four Tops It's The Same Old Song? That's important.

Lemmy Caution wrote:Does it still feature The Four Tops It's The Same Old Song? That's important.

Yes, that song is still present. To be honest with you, I saw the original "Theatrical Cut" on cable two or three times before I viewed the "Director's Cut" on DVD...and I cannot recall anything of substance that had been cut!

"duck duck" - what were some of your "favorite bits" that got trimmed?

They were little touches of comedy, I believe the Director's cut takes out the bit where the main character is at McDormand's house and before they leave he stick his cigarette up the nose of a stuffed and mounted hog.

I also really liked the black bartender catching the guy's quarter and saying do you know what night it is?? In the director's cut the "do you know what night it is?" It comes back but just thrown away for the "Same Old Song" to recognize what is happening....

I think things like this makes the difference between a "Cohen Brother's film" and another independent film trying to bring back noir.... but apparently they don't...

They didn't port over the joke "critic" commentary

Ugh, Dave Eggers.

Also, I was really hoping for the pitch trailer featuring Bruce Campbell

Pretty surprised the theatrical cut wasn't included, especially considering the tone of the re-release lead-in that accompanies the director's cut.

also-no Dan Hedaya interview?

Blood Simple is sadly underwhelming. I too am surprised and disappointed they didn't include the joke track.

I also find it interesting that Criterion is officially crediting Ethan Coen as a director since he didn't receive official directing credit until The Ladykillers.

Disappointed. I had emailed Mulvaney when they teased this to let him know I hoped they'd include the theatrical cut in addition to the director's cut. Besides the commentary they didn't port, wasn't there also a joke introduction that hasn't been ported?

PfR73 wrote:Disappointed. I had emailed Mulvaney when they teased this to let him know I hoped they'd include the theatrical cut in addition to the director's cut. Besides the commentary they didn't port, wasn't there also a joke introduction that hasn't been ported?

I think the joke intro is what I was describing, and it aired when I saw a print of the film at Film Forum in February. It's a pretty good send-up of general revisionism in Hollywood. An old man does a bit where he says "you're seeing the cleaned up director's edition which used computers to enhance and clean up the film." I can't do it justice, but it's a shame if it's not included as well.

domino harvey wrote:They didn't port over the joke "critic" commentary

Was going to mention the same thing

beamish13 wrote:I was really hoping for the pitch trailer featuring Bruce Campbell

I suppose that it might be included as part of the Eggers interview. In the meantime, Vanity Fair has posted the pitch trailer along with a short article about its creation.

Looks like the Website's listing has been changed to the (correct) sole directing credit for Joel Coen. Could the cover be soon to follow?

It's still a film by both of them.

Ribs wrote:Looks like the Website's listing has been changed to the (correct) sole directing credit for Joel Coen. Could the cover be soon to follow?

I thought on their older films Joel got the sole directing credit only because of DGA rules?

Beaver

The Coens/Sonnenfeld feature is 70 minutes long!

Jeff wrote:

beamish13 wrote:I was really hoping for the pitch trailer featuring Bruce Campbell

I suppose that it might be included as part of the Eggers interview. In the meantime, Vanity Fair has posted the pitch trailer along with a short article about its creation.

Looks like it made it since DVDBeaver lists a "Fund Raising" trailer!

I guess I'll need to keep my old copy around for this supplement.

• Audio Commentary by Kenneth Loring of Forever Young Films

DeprongMori wrote:I guess I'll need to keep my old copy around for this supplement.

• Audio Commentary by Kenneth Loring of Forever Young Films

wasn't that commentary a gag and not a "real" extra so to speak?

movielocke wrote:

DeprongMori wrote:I guess I'll need to keep my old copy around for this supplement.

• Audio Commentary by Kenneth Loring of Forever Young Films

wasn't that commentary a gag and not a "real" extra so to speak?

100% a gag.

movielocke wrote:

DeprongMori wrote:
I guess I'll need to keep my old copy around for this supplement.

• Audio Commentary by Kenneth Loring of Forever Young Films

wasn't that commentary a gag and not a "real" extra so to speak?

Of course it's a gag. That doesn't mean it's not a real extra. (A number of the extras on Being John Malkovich would fall into this category as well.) It's a bit of authorial silliness that we lost in the new release. The overhead was low to keep it, so I'm surprised it got dropped. On the question of whether it was worthwhile to keep, YMMV. I'm sorry to see it go.

Ribs wrote:Beaver

The Coens/Sonnenfeld feature is 70 minutes long!

It's actually "sorta" an audio commentary, playing over a good chunk of the film (a select scene commentary you could say), with some breakaways to the three occasionally, and there's even replays, stills, and slow motion bits to focus on certain elements. The three use Telestartors to "draw" on the screen to point out compositions, placements of equipment and mistakes they tried to cover up then (bumps in the camera, filter misuse, etc.) or notice now, along with other things. It mostly plays in sequence though occasionally jumps around to related scenes.

It's very technical and there's a few times where they may be just playing around with the telestrator equipment, but they do use it rather usefully throughout to focus your attention or address the framing and more (it doesn't feel like a gimmick). I rather enjoyed it and thought it was a fairly creative twist to a general commentary track.

That telestrator addition sounds like it may be a Sonnenfeld touch as I seem to remember he had the same thing on the Men In Black DVD back in the day!