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Got a dispatch notice from dvdworldusa today so hopefully others will be getting their copies from importcds as well. Pity that Night Across The Street is not a Blu-Ray as so many of Ruiz's films deserve to be seen in 1080p. Can't wait to see the film though and hopefully it'll sell well enough for Cinema Guild to perhaps consider delving into his older catalogue.

Blu-ray is of course always preferable, though a lot of the film takes place in front of intentionally fake-looking green screens, so in a sense, the lower resolution is of a piece with the film's aesthetic.

Cinema Guild have acquired Lav Diaz's Norte, the End of History. A theatrical release is lined up for next year.

With all the praise this has already gotten from zedz and others, I'm totally excited to see this. Nice to find another challenging film in Cinema Guild's good hands.

CG keep getting the kinds of modern films that Criterion should really be putting out. Fortunately, they do just as good a job with them.

Does anyone know if Norte was shot in HD or SD? The prospect of the first (mainstream) commercial release of a Diaz film on blu is tantalizing.

edit: In answer to my own question, it's definitely not SD. Looks maybe like some flavor of DSLR to me, although the rather good highlight handling suggests maybe it was something a little higher-end. At any rate, very much deserving of a blu release at some point.

Oedipax wrote:The prospect of the first (mainstream) commercial release of a Diaz film on blu is tantalizing.

Extremely so and I really hope it happens because I'm not sure what the chances are with a UK release.

swo17 wrote:CG keep getting the kinds of modern films that Criterion should really be putting out. Fortunately, they do just as good a job with them.

Putting this theory to the test, and just looking at films released in the last five years, Criterion's selection is way more conservative. Their international films from the period represent a decent array of big names - Antichrist, White Material, Certified Copy, Carlos, Le Havre, Pina, The Kid with a Bike - but there's only two by directors who made their debuts since the 1980s - Weekend, Fish Tank. And your mileage will no doubt vary, but I'd say only a couple of those films represent those particular directors at the top of their game.

Beyond that, it's an American indie grab bag, and it really is a grab bag: Tiny Furniture, Life During Wartime, And Everything Is Going Fine, The Forgiveness of Blood, Frances Ha. I'd argue that only the first and last of those are particularly significant in the bigger scheme of things.

Cinema Guild? From the same period I'd say we have as strong a selection from established (debuting in the 80s or earlier) auteurs, even if they're fewer in number: The Strange Case of Angelica, Around a Small Mountain, The Turin Horse, Ne change rien, Night Across the Street.

Cinema Guild trounces Criterion in terms of the (21st century) newcomers: Leviathan, Neighbouring Sounds, Aurora, Two Years at Sea, Marwencol.

But the big difference is in the in-between directors who started out in the 90s and have now reached maturity, and this is where Cinema Guild reinforces the strength of their selection with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and The Day He Arrives.

And this is leaving aside a lot of documentaries and indies that are the equal of or better than some of Criterion's selections (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Sweetgrass). And, if you look back just a little, Cinema Guild already represents several of Criterion's heaviest hitters in contemporary cinema (Kiarostami, Denis) and some they've never touched but really should have by now (Jia, Sokurov, Petzold, Guerin, Gomes).

One of these labels really has their finger on the pulse of what's exciting in contemporary cinema.

Oedipax wrote:Does anyone know if Norte was shot in HD or SD? The prospect of the first (mainstream) commercial release of a Diaz film on blu is tantalizing.

edit: In answer to my own question, it's definitely not SD. Looks maybe like some flavor of DSLR to me, although the rather good highlight handling suggests maybe it was something a little higher-end. At any rate, very much deserving of a blu release at some point.

It's definitely HD (not sure what brand), and it looks absolutely stunning. I hope the critical momentum for the film will be enough to warrant a Blu release.

Oh what the hell, here's a pic to show you a little of how Diaz paints with light on the wide screen:


And this poster should also give you an idea of how great the film looks.

I'd probably blind buy this anyway, but Blu-ray would make it a no-brainer, as it was for Neighboring Sounds.

LEVIATHAN is out today on Blu-ray and DVD! Both include a new short film by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel, "Still Life / Nature Morte" (28 minutes), as well as the excellent essay "Blood of the Fish, Beauty of the Monster" by Cyril Neyrat (translated from the French by Nicholas Elliott).

http://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Blu-ray ... lu_title_0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CENTRO HISTORICO is now available to watch exclusively on iTunes. It features new work from Aki Kaurismaki, Pedro Costa, Victor Erice and Manoel de Oliveira.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/centr ... d712755769" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

cinemaguild wrote:CENTRO HISTORICO is now available to watch exclusively on iTunes. It features new work from Aki Kaurismaki, Pedro Costa, Victor Erice and Manoel de Oliveira.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/centr ... d712755769" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is that rare beast, a great portmanteau film. The Costa and Oliveira are especially necessary. I hope it isn't going to be banished to iTunes forever.

Full details for Museum Hours.

- Alternate English audio track
- Amber City (1999, 49 mins) a short film by Jem Cohen
- Annie Truitt, Working (2010, 13 mins) a short film by Jem Cohen
- Unknown Man (1997, 8mins) a short film by Jem Cohen
- Theatrical Trailer
- Festival Trailer
- Book featuring essay by Luc Sante, and notes and photography from Jem Cohen

zedz wrote:

swo17 wrote:CG keep getting the kinds of modern films that Criterion should really be putting out. Fortunately, they do just as good a job with them.

Putting this theory to the test, and just looking at films released in the last five years, Criterion's selection is way more conservative. Their international films from the period represent a decent array of big names - Antichrist, White Material, Certified Copy, Carlos, Le Havre, Pina, The Kid with a Bike - but there's only two by directors who made their debuts since the 1980s - Weekend, Fish Tank. And your mileage will no doubt vary, but I'd say only a couple of those films represent those particular directors at the top of their game.

Beyond that, it's an American indie grab bag, and it really is a grab bag: Tiny Furniture, Life During Wartime, And Everything Is Going Fine, The Forgiveness of Blood, Frances Ha. I'd argue that only the first and last of those are particularly significant in the bigger scheme of things.

Cinema Guild? From the same period I'd say we have as strong a selection from established (debuting in the 80s or earlier) auteurs, even if they're fewer in number: The Strange Case of Angelica, Around a Small Mountain, The Turin Horse, Ne change rien, Night Across the Street.

Cinema Guild trounces Criterion in terms of the (21st century) newcomers: Leviathan, Neighbouring Sounds, Aurora, Two Years at Sea, Marwencol.

But the big difference is in the in-between directors who started out in the 90s and have now reached maturity, and this is where Cinema Guild reinforces the strength of their selection with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and The Day He Arrives.

And this is leaving aside a lot of documentaries and indies that are the equal of or better than some of Criterion's selections (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Sweetgrass). And, if you look back just a little, Cinema Guild already represents several of Criterion's heaviest hitters in contemporary cinema (Kiarostami, Denis) and some they've never touched but really should have by now (Jia, Sokurov, Petzold, Guerin, Gomes).

One of these labels really has their finger on the pulse of what's exciting in contemporary cinema.

But the big advantage CG has over CC is they have distributed many, if not all, of these films theatrically.

Janus Films distributed only three new films theatrically in the past five years - Revanche (2008), Le Havre (2011) and The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza) (2013).

CG's having their 50% off sale this, errr next weekend. Time to do some catching up!

AlexHansen wrote:CG's having their 50% off sale this weekend. Time to do some catching up!

Is this already in effect? Doesn't look like anything's discounted THAT much right now...

EDIT: My mistake. Website clearly states it's next weekend, post-Thanksgiving.

Is The Unspeakable Act good?

I haven't seen it yet, but its reputation seems pretty solid if you like stuff in the sort of American micro-indie vein.

I'd recommend it (and will be picking it up). Actually put on a screening of it on campus last month. I don't think I'd compare it to any other micro indies though. There's a stronger sense of control behind it. if that's the way to put it. Medel's absolutely fantastic. It's available to watch on Fandor if you've got a subscription (which every one should) and want to sample.

EDIT: this capsule hits the nail on the head

That's good enough for me (assuming I can afford after everything else).

Perhaps it's time for me to go ahead and snag up those three Vardas which come with a boat load of shorts. Or should I just wait, save up some more, and get that big Varda set from Arte Editions Hmmm....

For what it is the CG sets are great though I don't have their Beaches.

Don't forget the Sokurov set which is a steal at half off.