The Criterion Collection

[MifuneFan]

Wim Wenders' Anselm coming to Blu-ray w/ 3D on July 23rd through the Janus Contemporaries line.

https://www.criterion.com/films/34053-anselm

In Anselm, Wim Wenders creates a hypnotic portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. Shot in 6K resolution, and presented theatrically and on Blu-ray in 3D, the film presents an immersive cinematic experience of the German artist’s work, which explores the overawing beauty of human existence, landscape, and myth while confronting the horrors of his country’s history and seeking to undo the postwar silence in which both artist and director came of age. Through archival footage, biographical scenes, and direct access to his subject at work amid the massive installation in southern France where he now lives among his creations, Wenders traces the arc of Kiefer’s career, provoking an engagement with creativity through the senses, the intellect, and the spirit.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Wim Wenders
• Trailer

Anselm - Official US Trailer - YouTube

[Scottie]

Evil Does Not Exist (2023)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2183

[Scottie]

St. Vincent’s Closet Picks - YouTube

[JoelGoodsen]

Any person that chooses Dazed and Confused is someone that I want to hang out and have a beer with. Good choice St Vincent!

Totally related to what she said about the film.

[jshaide]

Anselm one of those releases where I'd want it for my Wenders collection, but I also am unsure if I'll ever rewatch it!

[Purplenoon]

I agree with ShaneRollins: O LUCKY MAN! is a masterpiece that needs the Bluray or 4K treatment. It would be a perfect fit for Criterion.

And, an off the wall suggestion, from a couple of years ago: will "RRRR" ever see the light of day in the US. I know it's Bollywood, but from what I've heard it's totally unique. Come on, Criterion: give it a look see.

[amputd]

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

I agree with ShaneRollins: O LUCKY MAN! is a masterpiece that needs the Bluray or 4K treatment. It would be a perfect fit for Criterion.

And, an off the wall suggestion, from a couple of years ago: will "RRRR" ever see the light of day in the US. I know it's Bollywood, but from what I've heard it's totally unique. Come on, Criterion: give it a look see.

I agree on O’LUCKY MAN! It’s almost a forgotten film at this point. “IF” could use the 4k treatment as well.

[NeoNical]

I'm personally not as big of a fan of O Lucky Man! as much as I am a fan of If. However, I think it's a really fun film, even if it clocks at a whopping 3-hours. It's very out there and I think a lot of people will be interested by this one, especially for those who are big fans of Malcolm McDowell.

Speaking of McDowell, Brittania Hospital is going OOP by Kino Lorber. If there's a new restoration coming out, I think either Criterion or Kino should release that and have the entire Mick Travis Trilogy in print and released (Since we're really only missing O Lucky Man, which I think is a far more popular film than Britannia Hospital).

[ravenus]

I see this screenshot of the Criterion blu of Werckmeister Harmonies and I think maybe they should not have placed a 145min main feature + 96 min bonus feature on a single disc.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/scree...774&position=1

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Any person that chooses Dazed and Confused is someone that I want to hang out and have a beer with. Good choice St Vincent!

Totally related to what she said about the film.

I like how well she remembers the soundtrack. Her classic rock roots run deep.

Liked her other choices too.

[eightslicesofpie]

Originally Posted by Scottie

St. Vincent’s Closet Picks - YouTube

Good choices, makes me wanna see that Fassbinder flick soon now. And her new album out today rules

[amputd]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Any person that chooses Dazed and Confused is someone that I want to hang out and have a beer with. Good choice St Vincent!

Totally related to what she said about the film.

I love that film. I also have a personal connection to it. The main plot device about the quarterback who is asked to sign an anti-drug statement, was based on a real incident at my high school- Sharpstown in Houston Tx. In the late ‘70’s. Linklater mentioned it in the director’s commentary. He was a student at our crosstown rivals, Bellaire, at the time.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by amputd

I love that film. I also have a personal connection to it. The main plot device about the quarterback who is asked to sign an anti-drug statement, was based on a real incident at my high school- Sharpstown in Houston Tx. In the late ‘70’s. Linklater mentioned it in the director’s commentary. He was a student at our crosstown rivals, Bellaire, at the time.

That’s a great connection! I really should give the commentary a proper listen. Although I’ve seen it hundreds of times, talking about it has got me in the mood to throw it on.

[Doc Moonlight]

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

I agree with ShaneRollins: O LUCKY MAN! is a masterpiece that needs the Bluray or 4K treatment. It would be a perfect fit for Criterion.

And, an off the wall suggestion, from a couple of years ago: will "RRRR" ever see the light of day in the US. I know it's Bollywood, but from what I've heard it's totally unique. Come on, Criterion: give it a look see.

And do it in 3D!

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Evil Does Not Exist (2023)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2183

I mean they’ve already been screening it theatrically through Sideshow so not exactly a surprise.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Wim Wenders' Anselm coming to Blu-ray w/ 3D on July 23rd through the Janus Contemporaries line.

Unless the encode is significantly better I’d rather get the German mediabook (after I up/downgrade to a 3D TV.)

Originally Posted by Purplenoon

And, an off the wall suggestion, from a couple of years ago: will "RRRR" ever see the light of day in the US. I know it's Bollywood, but from what I've heard it's totally unique. Come on, Criterion: give it a look see.

It’s not a Bollywood film, and if the streaming rights are sticking with Netflix and ZEE5 I’m doubtful.

There is reportedly a Japanese rental BD. The only markets left for Indian cinema BDs are Germany and Japan, without English support, although there are exceptions like the Mondo horror boxset, the Second Run release of Thampu, BFI releases of Hotel Salvation, Salaam Bombay, independent releases of Love Sonia and Siruthai and the Spectrum releases of Sholay and Ram Gopal Varma.

Originally Posted by minionhd

Twin has released Indian smash-hit RRR on a 2-disc Blu-ray in Japan with DTS-HDMA audio tracks in Telugu and Japanese.
Unfortunately, it's rental-only.

The press release doesn't list a retail version of the Blu-ray.

Originally Posted by ravenus

I see this screenshot of the Criterion blu of Werckmeister Harmonies and I think maybe they should not have placed a 145min main feature + 96 min bonus feature on a single disc.

They already compressed multiple films onto the same disc before with The Heroic Trio/Executioners and Bergman boxset.

Originally Posted by amputd

So I watched the Criterion 4k of I Am Cuba and really feel it could have used an HDR pass. Black levels just weren’t where they needed to be and contrast needed improvement. HDR would have helped with these issues imo. The 4k was almost indistinguishable from the blu ray. Why release this as a 4k I if it looks like the blu ray? I guess Criterion was too lazy/ cheap to release this with HDR. I’d like to hear other people’s opinions on this.

With black and white SDR films like NOTLD, I think it will generally be marginal/subtle improvements with grain structure and compression, but nothing radical. Other black and white films seem to only have smaller differences like Roman Holiday.

Originally Posted by amputd

Perfect Days is a perfect example of a really unimaginative cover.

Criterion has used stills as artwork for a while, but it’s definitely my least favourite genre of cover, would prefer a composite or illustration. (Paris Texas and Wings use stills also I believe.) AX1 had a good idea with the polaroid covers.

Originally Posted by amputd

Why not provide a 4k with HDR if you’re also bundling it with a blu ray?

Doing a HDR pass costs a significant amount of money, and has a degree of subjectivity if a filmmaker or cinematographer isn’t alive to approve it.

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Jean-Pierre Jeunet has the opinion that 4k is a gimmick to sell more TVs.

He also approved Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children UHDs.

***

Notable 4K restorations in Cannes Classics:

Gilda, Paris Texas, Seven Samurai, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Army of Shadows

[NeoNical]

Hopefully we can see the 4Ks of those Cannes Classics titles soon. As far as I'm concerned, Paris Texas already had a few screenings in the US and Seven Samurai had screenings in Japan back in 2016 (?).

Gilda and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg both had 2K restorations years ago. They looked amazing and Cherbourg was probably one of the greatest looking restorations I have seen for a classic film. Really curious how the 4K is going to improve these two.

Army of Shadows has been anticipated for some time now so I can't wait to see how the 4K looks like. The restoration that we've had has definitely been there as far back as the early to mid 2000s when it was rediscovered by American critics and became critically acclaimed (Due to the fact the film has never screened in the US at that point because of how poor the critical reception in France was back in '69). It may be frustrating for many, though, if this new restoration will have a strong yellow tint that Le Cercle Rouge had a few years back.

We're also getting part one of Gance's Napoleon, Four Nights of a Dreamer, Shanghai Blues, Johnny Got His Gun, The Sugarland Express (Not the best film but an early work by Spielberg), and Slap the Monster at Page One. I hope the last one I mentioned does get a release because I find some of these Italian political thrillers to be amazing films and I do know that the one I saw a few years ago (The Mattei Affair), was restored by The Film Foundation and was never released on home video. Johnny Got His Gun has been on my watchlist for some time and I know that Imprint has recently released that one. Shanghai Blues may get a chance of getting a release here in the US although I'm not exactly sure who owns the rights to this one (There's a certain prod. company out there that doesn't give film distribution rights outside of Asia). Bresson is Bresson so another of his films getting rediscovered in the home video market is always welcome. Napoleon has been disturbingly MIA in the US for so long (Is it because of Coppola?) that I think it is time this title gets a US debut on Blu-ray or 4K if possible.

[Egbert Souse]

I'd feel pretty safe predicting we're getting 4Ks of Seven Samurai, Godzilla '54, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and Paris, Texas before the end of the year.

Even though it'll probably be from Universal directly, The Sugarland Express wouldn't be a bad idea for Spielberg's first Criterion since the Close Encounters laserdisc. One idea would be to make it two UHDs and two Blu-rays by including a second disc in 4K of his early shorts and TV work (like Murder by the Book, Something Evil, Amblin') besides Duel, obviously.

[BorisKarloffice]

Originally Posted by ravenus

I see this screenshot of the Criterion blu of Werckmeister Harmonies and I think maybe they should not have placed a 145min main feature + 96 min bonus feature on a single disc.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/scree...774&position=1

We attract such a wide assortment on these forums.

On the one hand you have people insisting the new True Lies and Aliens UHDs look absolutely fine denying the massive, massive problems that are instantly apparent under any viewing circumstances.

And then there are posts like this where I'm staring at a screenshot and can't figure out what the problem is even supposed to be.

[Member-682067]

One movie that's OOP that is something that Criterion or Arrow would release is 'The Tribe' from 2014. Truly unique experience, the characters all being deaf and using sign language. It's pitch black dark and a bit disturbing, but it's great.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

Any person that chooses Dazed and Confused is someone that I want to hang out and have a beer with.........

Alright, alright, alright!