Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[dwk]

Honestly for all the issues with their caps, DVD Beaver is the best resource when comparing on disc special features across releases.

And to answer your question it appears that all the on disc content was carried over: Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, & The Silence. (I'm not sure about the written essays, as I don't think anyone has created a definitive list of what is and isn't in the book.)

[Morbii]

Thank you for the suggestion!

[Finch]

I also think Netflix don't have anything to lose from allowing a disc release of their films. A fair compromise might be to say to the filmmakers, your film will be a streaming exclusive for the first six months after which it's free to be sold on disc as well. I'd absolutely buy Mudbound.

[jedgeco]

Isn't this almost always going to hinge on the production financing and what bundle of rights Nexflix ends up with? Most of Netflix's "original" content is licensed from another production company for Netflix to have an exclusive first run on Netflix, so it's going to vary from license-to-license what the exclusivity period is. "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" have had physical media releases. Participant Media financed "Roma," so it might have only sold the streaming rights to Netflix but held back the rights for a future disc release after some period of exclusivity with Netflix ends.

[FrauBlucher]

Could the monthly Newsletter be a thing of the past? It seems like Criterion sent out weekly Newsletters the weeks they had releases this past month. I didn't think anything of it but now maybe that's their new way.

[soundchaser]

I think we'll get a new hint at the end of this month, with the New Year's Drawing a sort of December/January crossover.

[What A Disgrace]

Not having a newsletter is a clue for Midnight Cowboy.

[Big Ben]

I can't imagine Criterion would get rid of their Newsletter folks. It's entirely possible Criterion just didn't do it in January.

[Minkin]

They used to do the monthly newsletter which was a bit of a recap of stuff from the current, newly announced films, coming soon stuff, then the drawing at the bottom. Then since they got their new website, they switched to sending out emails highlighting films that come out that week - for each of the month's announcements (unless they came out on the same day). These would talk about that film, then include Current stuff at the bottom; then the last one of these emails of the month had the clue at the bottom.

It seems that the email with the title: "Sidney Poitier smolders in a Hollywood landmark" - should have had the clue at the bottom. Perhaps they just forgot and goofed it up with all the goings-on with the Criterion Channel stuff they're working on. They have been doing this newsletter clue thing for like ten years now (someone can look up when it exactly started).

[Morbii]

I kinda like the idea that they left it out AS a clue, though obviously not for Midnight Cowboy.

[FrauBlucher]

I kinda like the idea that they left it out AS a clue, though obviously not for Midnight Cowboy.

Amy Heckerling's Clueless makes the most sense then.

[Luke M]

I kinda like the idea that they left it out AS a clue, though obviously not for Midnight Cowboy.

Amy Heckerling's Clueless makes the most sense then.

Now I miss Happy Endings

[yoloswegmaster]

Spike Lee confirmed on his latest instagram post that 'Bamboozled' is indeed being released by Criterion.

[The Narrator Returns]

Where he does say that in it?

[Big Ben]

All I see is him rightfully calling out the current Governor of Virginia for wearing blackface.

[DRW.mov]

All I see is him rightfully calling out the current Governor of Virginia for wearing blackface.

He confirmed in the comments.

[Yaanu]

Instagram lacks a good desktop interface, so I dug through the 800+ comments so that you didn't have to:

Part One

Part Two

[dwk]

Not news, but

itsfrankiedemarco
John Cameron Mitchell and I are supervising the 4K restoration of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Criterion with colorist Lee Kline. It’s been 20 years and Hedwig is more gorgeous than ever dahling!

[doh286]

Alex Buono, Documentary Now! director/executive producer, has heard rumors of Original Cast Album: Company being released by Criterion.

[yoloswegmaster]

James Ivory's The Guru is listed as a 20th Century Fox/Criterion film: https://bampfa.org/event/guru

[CSM126]

James Ivory's The Guru is listed as a 20th Century Fox/Criterion film: https://bampfa.org/event/guru

I think Fox has a division called “Criterion Films” that isn’t actually the Criterion Collection.

[Timec]

Alex Buono, Documentary Now! director/executive producer, has heard rumors of Original Cast Album: Company being released by Criterion.

I'm not sure how much interest this would hold for someone who isn't already a fan of Company (or interested in the process of making a cast album in general), but as a Sondheim devotee I'd be ecstatic if this happens.

I don't know how much the A/V quality could really be upgraded over the 18-year old Docurama DVD, but I'm sure they could put together some interesting extras about Michael Bennett and Elaine Stritch, as well as interviews/commentaries with Sondheim, Hal Prince, and some of the surviving cast members.

[Minkin]

Perhaps they could do a "Les Blank" style boxset with all of the loose ends of Pennebaker films they have the rights to - boxing together the films which wouldn't really work as stand-alone releases or as supplements to other films.
-----------------------------------------
I've never heard of the film or the director, but the Bolivian film Lo peor de los deseos lists "Diabla Cine en co-produccion con Agentes Secretos y Janus Films." Here's a trailer. Perhaps somebody can figure out what's going on with this film.

Edit

Digging a little further: there's a "Janus Films de Colombia" ??? I guess Colombia has a film company also called Janus Films. Strange.

[yoloswegmaster]

'House of Games' just showed up in the upcoming releases section before being quickly taken down.

[domino harvey]

Oh nice, that and Homicide getting upgrades would be a great treat