The Criterion Collection

[Vinyl]

I don’t know what is up with Criterion, but dang!! Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, and now Ugetsu all in 4k. Could this be the year of major Japanese film upgrades?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Vinyl

I don’t know what is up with Criterion, but dang!! Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, and now Ugetsu all in 4k. Could this be the year of major Japanese film upgrades?

I think some upgrades are good, but would like a lot more new to HD Japanese titles in the US. Now that Criterion are playing nice would be great to see Samurai Rebellion, Hanzo the Razor trilogy, The Bad Sleep Well, Stray Dog, and maybe a nice Toho boxset of all the Ishiro Hondo films they have like Matango.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by bergman864

Last Year at Marienbad is Studio Canal, and Kino has released quite a few of their titles. The Criterion blu-ray went OOP long before Kino released their own blu-ray of it.

Plus, I couldn't tell you the last time Criterion released a Studio Canal film.

Brief Encounters / The Long Farewell: Two Films by Kira Muratova, released last August.

[MifuneFan]

David Lynch has passed away

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5VhPYSiCk/?hl=en

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/d...ks-1236276106/

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

David Lynch has passed away

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5VhPYSiCk/?hl=en

Oh man. I didn't hear that he was even sick. Sad news for sure and the man was a legend.

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

David Lynch has passed away

https://www.instagram.com/p/DE5VhPYSiCk/?hl=en

He was a creative hero to me, a guiding light in how I want to be an artist (and from what I understand, how to treat people). I don't know how to process this. I'm shattered.

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Oh man. I didn't hear that he was even sick. Sad news for sure and the man was a legend.

He said last year he wasn't venturing out in public because he had severe emphysema and couldn't risk getting sick. His producer said last week that he was evacuated from the LA fires and I can't help wondering if that was a contributing factor. I can't deal with this horrible, horrible news.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Oh man. I didn't hear that he was even sick. Sad news for sure and the man was a legend.

News came out last Summer that he had Emphysema and was unable to leave his home to direct any longer

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/d...ct-1236095608/

Even knowing of his health issues, it's still such a shock to see a legend like this pass. May he rest in peace.

[Polaroid]

Well 2025 officially sucks.

[UnionJackMix]

I am speechless, as soon as I read the post above I got chills all over. This really came out of the blue. We are yet more one uber legend less in this sad world. Rest In Peace GENIUS that you were.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I am speechless, as soon as I read the post above I got chills all over. This really came out of the blue. We are yet more one uber legend less in this sad world. Rest In Peace GENIUS that you were.

Out of the blue…. You hit the heart strings… in a world of blue… waaaaah

[Cremildo]

My condolences to his family.

Speaking as a movie lover, this is the harshest loss since Bergman passed away.

[Scottie]

Oh my God. No ****ing way.

[jshaide]

No

[concolt]

Damn this is the saddest I’ve ever been of a director passing away. I still remember to this day the first time I watched Elephant Man in the late 80’s. I was about 7 or 8 years old. That movie stuck with me forever.

[Tylerfan]

Oh god

[Rich Pure Doom]

This one hits hard. What a legend. He'll be remembered for 200 years.

[Martin_31]

Terrible news.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by CRASHLANDING

Come on, Professor...you know better than that. These 4K re-releases are not typical double-dips. We were all surprised when KLSC announced those 4K releases for a bunch of films that Criterion had released on BD. KLI was clearly irritated when he posted that the KL titles would be going out of print. This is obviously the result of some behind-the-scenes arm-twisting to wrest those titles back from Kino specifically so that Criterion could release them in 4K now that they've entered that market.

Especially we're still getting 6 new releases in addition to Some Like it Hot, I don't really understand why anyone is surprised or disappointed by that announcement. We also should not be surprised by the inevitable 4Ks of legacy Criterion titles like The Manchurian Candidate, Night of the Hunter, 12 Angry Men, Dressed to Kill, etc. later this year.

Anyone that's happy with their KL disc can simply choose not to buy the Criterion version. To be honest, for most of these I never even felt the need to upgrade my Criterion BD. But regardless, I don't see anything here to be upset about.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of this, but I stand by my post that I don't want to see Criterion inordinately rereleasing titles from other labels no matter their inherent pedigree. I don't want to see it from any label and just because it's Criterion does not add any incentive for me whatsoever. If the original releases are satisfactory I don't see why they have to come out again and it bothers me when KINO does it for their own titles too. There has been a lot of double and triple dipping lately for us region free buyers and the expense is getting out of hand.

However, at the same time I also have to state that it's not as easy as that to dismiss the practice because I see no reason why scalpers should reap all the benefits when a title goes OOP. So on that level I support a rerelease from a reputable label specifically when a title goes OOP.

As for this contradiction, well, it's not a black and white issue, there are grey areas involved as with everything.

[poisonmail]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

If it wasn't already bad enough that the vast majority of Criterion's output is lazy 4k "upgrades" while other movies languish away on substandard formats (or many never even seeing releases), they're now saturating the market with 4ks on top of already-released 4ks.

And this is without going into the continued transparent pandering after the NY Times article. Joke of a label.

Again, I don’t understand why everyone is surprised that the Kino Lorber 4Ks that just went out of print, that were already publicly stated to be now licensed to Criterion, are now being released by Criterion. It makes it sound like you guys are just scrounging for things to complain about.

What pandering are you referring to in this lineup of releases? I’m really dying to know.