The Criterion Collection

[Blutar]

Not just you. I love most of Wes Anderson's movies and I'm in the exact same boat. I'd grab the Criterions if I had infinite funds but the regular releases are solid enough that I'll likely never get around to that on the Criterion side.

[exolstice]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

I'm probably in the minority, but I'm never excited when Criterion puts out a movie like this with a perfectly fine existing Blu-ray release.

Yes:

- It's a fantastic film.

- I look forward to seeing the artwork get "the Criterion treatment" (although Moonrise Kingdom's Criterion cover was massively disappointing to me).

- The Criterion extras should be good.

But still, it's hard to muster enthusiasm when I picked up the previous Blu-ray for $6, the case uses the lush poster art, and that disc looks great and already contains okay extras.

Come to think of it, I haven't bothered with any of Wes Anderson's movies on Criterion because all of the ones I own already have great previous Blu-ray releases that I've picked up for as cheap as $5-$6 (except for The Darjeeling Limited, which I do have the Criterion of).

I'm sure everyone will disagree, and that's fine.

I tend to agree. The existing version of Fantastic Mr. Fox was good enough for me.

[bsend]

Has there been any recent Criterion titles to go OOP?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by bsend

Has there been any recent Criterion titles to go OOP?

Nope

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

July 2017 pre-orders are live.

Have they completely phased out the "director's signature" thing on the stickers? I would understand if they did, but I always kinda liked those.

[MifuneFan]

As a grouping, this is probably the lightest amount of extras for a month. All the new titles to the collection don't really have much. The war trilogy has a decent amount, but most carried over from the DVD release.. I assume this is just a coincidence, and not a trend .

L'argent

• Press conference from the 1983 Cannes Film Festival
• “L’argent,” A to Z, a new video essay by film scholar James Quandt
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Adrian Martin and a newly expanded 1983 interview with director Robert Bresson by critic Michel Ciment

Lost in America

• New conversation with director Albert Brooks and filmmaker Robert Weide
• New interviews with actor Julie Hagerty, executive producer Herb Nanas, and comic writer and director James L. Brooks
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Scott Tobias

Stalker

• New interview with Geoff Dyer, author of Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room
• Interview from 2002 with cinematographer Alexander Knyazhinsky
• Interview from 2002 with set designer Rashit Safiullin
• Interview from 2002 with composer Eduard Artemyev
• PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Le Fanu

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Have they completely phased out the "director's signature" thing on the stickers? I would understand if they did, but I always kinda liked those.

Lost in America will be the only Director Approved Blu-ray of July 2017.

It's impossible for the other three to approve the releases when they've been dead for years.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Lost in America will be the only Director Approved Blu-ray of July 2017.

It's impossible for the other three to approve the releases when they've been dead for years.

Criterion has released some posthumous director-approved blu-rays like Fanny and Alexander. As long as the director approved the transfer prior to his/her death.

[bsend]

Originally Posted by iScottie

It's impossible for the other three to approve the releases when they've been dead for years.

"I'm afraid all those players have retired and, uh, passed on. In fact, your right fielder has been dead for 130 years."

[MifuneFan]

thatguamguy is just asking whether they still put signatures on the stickers, because he liked it. He is referring to Lost in America, and the apparent lack of Albert Brooks' signature.

Speaking of, is there a list somewhere that catalogs all the signature stickers?

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

As a grouping, this is probably the lightest amount of extras for a month. All the new titles to the collection don't really have much. The war trilogy has a decent amount, but most carried over from the DVD release.. I assume this is just a coincidence, and not a trend .

I'm thinking a coincidence. The Brooks is pretty new, there may not be a ton of material on the film, and they have some conversations with the major players from it. I'm sure they'll be enough on there to feel like the film is enhanced a bit.

I kind of thought there would be a commentary on STALKER, but the old material is probably pretty strong as well.

[MifuneFan]

I'm pretty sure there's like zero people interested in this, but Deep Discount has a selection of Essential Art House DVD's for $8.99 each, and there's a site-wide 15% off coupon, bringing down to $7.64 each.

http://www.deepdiscount.com/deep-cri...der-10/b233582

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I'm pretty sure there's like zero people interested in this, but Deep Discount has a selection of Essential Art House DVD's for $8.99 each, and there's a site-wide 15% off coupon, bringing down to $7.64 each.

Now that you mention it, I might go for that version "La Strada" as an interim until a Blu release. [Have there been any rumors along those lines?]

[repulsed]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Now that you mention it, I might go for that version "La Strada" as an interim until a Blu release. [Have there been any rumors along those lines?]

can't come soon enough! must upgrade.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Now that you mention it, I might go for that version "La Strada" as an interim until a Blu release. [Have there been any rumors along those lines?]

It's been heavily rumored and requested for years, so it's just a matter of time.

[ShellOilJunior]

Warner Archive will be releasing Seven Days in May this summer. Great news that someone will do the film justice on blu-ray.

This completes Frankenheimer's unofficial paranoia trilogy on blu-ray along with Seconds and The Manchurian Candidate.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

It's been heavily rumored and requested for years, so it's just a matter of time.

I read something months ago that alluded to the problem being between Criterion and Studio Canal, but I could never get it pinned down. But apparently there's a quality restoration getting a UK blu in June, so I'll probably just wait a little longer. I can't find anything I want much at this sale and it's probably just as well, I spent too much last month anyway.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Warner Archive will be releasing Seven Days in May this summer. Great news that someone will do the film justice on blu-ray.

This completes Frankenheimer's unofficial paranoia trilogy on blu-ray along with Seconds and The Manchurian Candidate.

It's not Frankenheimer but it certainly is paranoia inducing-could Criterion; Twilight Time, or anybody please release Fail-Safe? A perfect companion to all the films you mentioned.

[kaykaysud]

Watched Riot in Cell Block 11 on Blu.



The 1954 prison noir-drama from a pre-Dirty Harry Don Siegel makes an earnest plea for putting forth better living and working conditions for prisoners, but without having to resort to theatrics or melodrama. Shot on location at the Folsom state prison and featuring real prisoners and guards as extras, the film pulls no punches when it comes to depicting the titular riot (which takes up a remarkable bulk of the film, but never outstays its welcome) and the real prison location does considerably add to the sense of intimidation and isolation.

RiCB11 starts a bit too slow, due to the newsreel-style footage of widespread jail riots as well as bureaucratic discussions, though it finds a steady pace once we're introduced to the story proper. Also on discussion in the film are the effects of mixing up loonies among sane inmates, as well as the bureaucratic ineptitude (and use of violence) in addressing the grave issues that plague them. Despite the dark subject matter, there is a considerable amount of black humor here, thanks to the ever-so-enthusiastic press photographers as well as a few verbal barbs exchanged between the jail's reasonable warden and the trigger-happy police commissioner. The ending too, while downbeat, suggests that the riot has been successful in informing the public about the prison facilities, and hence something beneficial may eventually happen. Neville Brand stars as Dunn, the prisoner who instigates and takes charge of the riot, along with Emile Meyer as Warden Reynolds and Leo Gordon as the psychopathic Carnie.

The mostly deep-focused film, restored from a 4k scan of the negative and in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio, looks excellent on the Criterion blu with a healthy amount of film grain and detail on display. The LPCM Mono audio is limited by its age and sounds a bit tinny. Extras include a film scholar commentary and a few audio-only features. As one of the few titles released by CC during their brief dual-format phase, the packaging includes a DVD edition of the film as well, inclusive of all extras.

[jshaide]

Not sure if this has been noted yet, but I just put on A STORY FROM CHIKAMATSU which I recorded off TCM and it began with both the Criterion logo and the Janus logo, so a release of this should be forthcoming.