The Criterion Collection

[mmarczi]

Originally Posted by The hitcher

Figures, I just bought Le Samourai on blu-ray

We thank you for your service.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by dkelly26666

I see that Janus also has Med Hondo's "Soleil O" and "Sarraounia", as well.

Perhaps we'll get a Criterion box set of Hondo's work at some point, similar to the Sembene set.

Soleil O was already included in one of the WCP sets.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Soleil O was already included in one of the WCP sets.

Holy hell, you're dead right, LOL. And, to boot, I HAVE it, LOL.

I'm old as hell, excuse me and carry on, LOL.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

The article serves as a decent summary of the company's history, but I can't say it really offers any great new insight, or even really answer the question it posed in its title. The article doesn't even mention the word Oscar a single time, so yet another example of clickbait there.

I love the NYT, but an article like this screams "file copy filler for slow news day" despite it being overlong. It almost seems like it's an obituary for Criterion that has been pre-written for decades and just pumped up a bit to appear current and news worthy.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Matteo Garrone’s Closet Picks - YouTube

This was great. So self-effacing and humbled, not only by the titles surrounding him, but by the opportunity accorded him to choose his faves for free. Nice guy, it seems.

[MifuneFan]

(Possible minor spoilers below)

On Friday, I saw Masahiro Shinoda's Demon Pond (1979) at the Film Forum in NYC (part of their ongoing Japanese Horror program), and I really enjoyed it. I went in knowing very little about the movie, but given the title, and some artwork I've seen, I figured it would be more of a traditional ghost story. While there is a supernatural element, the film was quite different than I imagined. In my mind, there are three distinct chapters, each with a somewhat unique tone and atmosphere.

In the opening act, which was my favorite of the film, we follow a man as he passes through a parched landscape. He soon comes upon a village that's seemingly abandoned. There's no dialogue in these early scenes, just the sounds of his surroundings, which added to the eerie, and ominous vibes of this setting. He eventually encounters some villagers, but right away you can tell things are pretty askew here. We learn the village is suffering from a massive drought, and it seems to be draining the life out of the town. I knew I was in for a wild ride when this visitor asks for water to get some dirt out his eye, and a woman's solution was to

[Show spoiler]nonchalantly pull out her breast to squirt some milk into his eye. Wait, what?! Look, I know there's little to no water to go around, but breast milk ain't the answer lady!

The stranger continues on his aimless journey, going deeper into the surrounding woods. Suddenly, he finds a woman kneeling by a small pond. Her back is turned to him as she explains the lore behind the nearby demon pond, and why the villagers are afraid to drink its water. Just hearing her voice and not being able to see her face, I imagined her to be some creepy old witch, but she's revealed to be an innocent-looking young woman named Yuri. Still, there's a mysterious aura about her that makes you question who or what she really is. Soon after, the protagonist has a chance encounter with someone from his past, and this sets in motion a number of events that will follow.

About an hour in, the film completely shifts gears. We go from hearing the legend of the demon pond to actually seeing the characters and creatures that inhabit this world brought to life. I was not expecting this at all, so it took me a little while to process such scenes as a human-sized crab and carp having a full-on conversation. These parts were more theatrical, and stagey, even featuring a famous Kabuki actor, Tamasaburô Bandô, as the Dragon Princess (confession:

[Show spoiler] I thought it was a woman for most of the film. I also had no idea until just recently that the character Yuri from the earlier pond scene was also played by him. That sort of broke my brain for a moment

). There's also a somewhat playful, and humorous tone here that reminded me a little of the Yokai monsters films.

The main theme that ties everything together is superstition. The villagers refuse to drink water because they believe it's poisoned by a dragon demon. Another character is compelled to ring a bell daily because he believes it keeps a demon at bay. Even the dragon princess, and her followers are beholden to their superstitious beliefs. I found this motif to be really fascinating, especially since some character's superstitions are in direct opposition to others - so there's this constant push and pull happening, with neither side really being able to prove who's beliefs are correct. It isn't until the final act of the film where we finally get to see who (if anyone) is right. It results in a pretty epic showcase of scenes to cap off the film.

Demon Pond features a synth and electronic soundtrack from composer Isao Tomita. It's pretty different from any other film I've seen from this genre, but it worked surprisingly well here, and added to the otherworldly, and sometimes trippy nature of the film. I thought the 4K restoration looked very nice as well. There were a couple wide shots that looked a little soft, but otherwise the film was nicely-detailed, and colors all well-balanced. I missed out on seeing the film when it was at MoMA a couple years back, so I'm really glad I got another opportunity to see it. With this being the 45th anniversary of the film, I hope Criterion will release the film on Blu-ray (or 4K) later this year.. (The screenshots used here were taken from Carlotta's trailer for their Blu-ray release. While the trailer is subtitled in French, I would still recommend you only watch the first half as it gives away much of the ending)

[DukeTogo84]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

(Possible minor spoilers below)

On Friday, I saw Masahiro Shinoda's Demon Pond (1979) at the Film Forum in NYC (part of their ongoing Japanese Horror program), and I really enjoyed it. I went in knowing very little about the movie, but given the title, and some artwork I've seen, I figured it would be more of a traditional ghost story. While there is a supernatural element, the film was quite different than I imagined. In my mind, there are three distinct chapters, each with a somewhat unique tone and atmosphere.

In the opening act, which was my favorite of the film, we follow a man as he passes through a parched landscape. He soon comes upon a village that's seemingly abandoned. There's no dialogue in these early scenes, just the sounds of his surroundings, which added to the eerie, and ominous vibes of this setting. He eventually encounters some villagers, but right away you can tell things are pretty askew here. We learn the village is suffering from a massive drought, and it seems to be draining the life out of the town. I knew I was in for a wild ride when this visitor asks for water to get some dirt out his eye, and a woman's solution was to

[Show spoiler]nonchalantly pull out her breast to squirt some milk into his eye. Wait, what?! Look, I know there's little to no water to go around, but breast milk ain't the answer lady!

The stranger continues on his aimless journey, going deeper into the surrounding woods. Suddenly, he finds a woman kneeling by a small pond. Her back is turned to him, as she explains the lore behind the nearby demon pond, and why the villagers are afraid to drink its water. Just hearing her voice, and not being able to see her face, I imagined her to be some creepy old witch, but she's revealed to be an innocent-looking young woman named Yuri. Still, there's a mysterious aura about her that makes you question who or what she really is. Soon after, the protagonist has a chance encounter with someone from his past, and this sets in motion a number of events that will follow.

About an hour in, the film completely shifts gears. We go from hearing the legend of the demon pond to actually seeing the characters and creatures that inhabit this world brought to life. I was not expecting this at all, so it took me a little while to process such scenes as a human-sized crab and carp having a full-on conversation. These parts were more theatrical, and stagey, even featuring a famous Kabuki actor, Tamasaburô Bandô, as the Dragon Princess (confession:

[Show spoiler] I thought it was a woman for most of the film. I also had no idea until just recently that the character Yuri from the earlier pond scene was also played by him. That sort of broke my brain for a moment

). There's also a somewhat playful, and humorous tone here that reminded me a little of the Yokai monsters films.

The main theme that ties everything together is superstition. The villagers refuse to drink water because they believe it's poisoned by a dragon demon. Another character is compelled to ring a bell daily because he believes it keeps a demon at bay. Even the dragon princess, and her followers are beholden to their superstitious beliefs. I found this motif to be really fascinating, especially since some character's superstitions are in direct opposition to others - so there's this constant push and pull happening, with neither side really being able to prove who's beliefs are correct. It isn't until the final act of the film where we finally get to see who (if anyone) is right. It results in a pretty epic showcase of scenes to cap off the film.

Demon Pond features a synth and electronic soundtrack from composer Isao Tomita. It's pretty different from any other film I've seen from this genre, but it worked surprisingly well here, and added to the otherworldly, and sometimes trippy nature of the film. I thought the 4K restoration looked very nice as well. There were a couple wide shots that looked a little soft, but otherwise the film was nicely-detailed, and colors all well-balanced. I had missed out on seeing the film when it was at MoMA a couple years back, so I'm really glad I got another opportunity to see it. Hopefully, with this being the 45th anniversary of the film, Criterion will put out a physical release of it this year.

(The screenshots used here were taken from Carlotta's trailer for their Blu-ray release. While the trailer is subtitled in French, I would still recommend you only watch the first half as it gives away much of the ending)

Nice review and I'm really jealous. I guess one of the perks of living in NYC is being able to have these type of experience. Not many older Japanese films play in my parts.

Either way, hopefully something happens this year as you mentioned it's the 45th anniversary of the film. Would love to own this on disc.

[NeoNical]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

(Possible minor spoilers below)

On Friday, I saw Masahiro Shinoda's Demon Pond (1979) at the Film Forum in NYC (part of their ongoing Japanese Horror program), and I really enjoyed it. I went in knowing very little about the movie, but given the title, and some artwork I've seen, I figured it would be more of a traditional ghost story. While there is a supernatural element, the film was quite different than I imagined. In my mind, there are three distinct chapters, each with a somewhat unique tone and atmosphere.

In the opening act, which was my favorite of the film, we follow a man as he passes through a parched landscape. He soon comes upon a village that's seemingly abandoned. There's no dialogue in these early scenes, just the sounds of his surroundings, which added to the eerie, and ominous vibes of this setting. He eventually encounters some villagers, but right away you can tell things are pretty askew here. We learn the village is suffering from a massive drought, and it seems to be draining the life out of the town. I knew I was in for a wild ride when this visitor asks for water to get some dirt out his eye, and a woman's solution was to

[Show spoiler]nonchalantly pull out her breast to squirt some milk into his eye. Wait, what?! Look, I know there's little to no water to go around, but breast milk ain't the answer lady!

The stranger continues on his aimless journey, going deeper into the surrounding woods. Suddenly, he finds a woman kneeling by a small pond. Her back is turned to him as she explains the lore behind the nearby demon pond, and why the villagers are afraid to drink its water. Just hearing her voice and not being able to see her face, I imagined her to be some creepy old witch, but she's revealed to be an innocent-looking young woman named Yuri. Still, there's a mysterious aura about her that makes you question who or what she really is. Soon after, the protagonist has a chance encounter with someone from his past, and this sets in motion a number of events that will follow.

About an hour in, the film completely shifts gears. We go from hearing the legend of the demon pond to actually seeing the characters and creatures that inhabit this world brought to life. I was not expecting this at all, so it took me a little while to process such scenes as a human-sized crab and carp having a full-on conversation. These parts were more theatrical, and stagey, even featuring a famous Kabuki actor, Tamasaburô Bandô, as the Dragon Princess (confession:

[Show spoiler] I thought it was a woman for most of the film. I also had no idea until just recently that the character Yuri from the earlier pond scene was also played by him. That sort of broke my brain for a moment

). There's also a somewhat playful, and humorous tone here that reminded me a little of the Yokai monsters films.

The main theme that ties everything together is superstition. The villagers refuse to drink water because they believe it's poisoned by a dragon demon. Another character is compelled to ring a bell daily because he believes it keeps a demon at bay. Even the dragon princess, and her followers are beholden to their superstitious beliefs. I found this motif to be really fascinating, especially since some character's superstitions are in direct opposition to others - so there's this constant push and pull happening, with neither side really being able to prove who's beliefs are correct. It isn't until the final act of the film where we finally get to see who (if anyone) is right. It results in a pretty epic showcase of scenes to cap off the film.

Demon Pond features a synth and electronic soundtrack from composer Isao Tomita. It's pretty different from any other film I've seen from this genre, but it worked surprisingly well here, and added to the otherworldly, and sometimes trippy nature of the film. I thought the 4K restoration looked very nice as well. There were a couple wide shots that looked a little soft, but otherwise the film was nicely-detailed, and colors all well-balanced. I missed out on seeing the film when it was at MoMA a couple years back, so I'm really glad I got another opportunity to see it. With this being the 45th anniversary of the film, I hope Criterion will release the film on Blu-ray (or 4K) later this year..

(The screenshots used here were taken from Carlotta's trailer for their Blu-ray release. While the trailer is subtitled in French, I would still recommend you only watch the first half as it gives away much of the ending)

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Nice review and I'm really jealous. I guess one of the perks of living in NYC is being able to have these type of experience. Not many older Japanese films play in my parts.

Either way, hopefully something happens this year as you mentioned it's the 45th anniversary of the film. Would love to own this on disc.

There's no way Criterion is not going to release this one for October releases this year. Just way too good of an opportunity and it would be such a waste if they never release this and its new restoration.

[javy]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

[Show spoiler]

There's no way Criterion is not going to release this one for October releases this year. Just way too good of an opportunity and it would be such a waste if they never release this and its new restoration.

I hope you are right!

[Shane Rollins]

The TL;DR of Oscar night is we now have several great films with no disc release: Killers Of The Flower Moon, American Fiction, Nyad, Maestro, and many more. Meanwhile, Poor Things gets only a Blu-ray when it would likely be the 4K disc of the year.

Criterion, we spend two months and two days each year breaking out our wallets for you, please break out your wallets for us. We would pounce on any of this year’s nominees on 4K in a heartbeat.

[MifuneFan]

Among other nominees, I hope Criterion can pick up American Fiction from Amazon/MGM. It's one of my favorites from last year. Jeffrey Wright was incredible in the role, as was Sterling K. Brown. Very happy to see it win Best Adapted Screenplay.

[Macatouille]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

The TL;DR of Oscar night is we now have several great films with no disc release: Killers Of The Flower Moon, American Fiction, Nyad, Maestro, and many more. Meanwhile, Poor Things gets only a Blu-ray when it would likely be the 4K disc of the year.

Criterion, we spend two months and two days each year breaking out our wallets for you, please break out your wallets for us. We would pounce on any of this year’s nominees on 4K in a heartbeat.

I would be shocked if Killers didn't get a disc eventually. Poor Things might get a 4K release once Sony takes over Disney's distribution.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

[Show spoiler]

There's no way Criterion is not going to release this one for October releases this year. Just way too good of an opportunity and it would be such a waste if they never release this and its new restoration.

I give it a 50/50 chance. Logically it makes sense to release it this October due to the new restoration and horror themes. But logic and Criterion don't always go hand in hand, so I'm going to be cautiously optimistic.

[jshaide]

I'm sure American Fiction will be getting a disc release, it's still on its theatre run!

[Doc Moonlight]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

The TL;DR of Oscar night is we now have several great films with no disc release: Killers Of The Flower Moon, American Fiction, Nyad, Maestro, and many more. Meanwhile, Poor Things gets only a Blu-ray when it would likely be the 4K disc of the year.

Criterion, we spend two months and two days each year breaking out our wallets for you, please break out your wallets for us. We would pounce on any of this year’s nominees on 4K in a heartbeat.

Additionally, Sideways is long out of print. I don't have it, and wanted to revisit after seeing The Holdovers. This seems like a "made for Criterion" title.

And speaking of Oscar winners, there's been no announcement for Godzilla Minus One. C'mon, Criterion.

[ShellOilJunior]

Sideways would be great! I think Criterion might be able to improve upon the cover art here:

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I give it a 50/50 chance. Logically it makes sense to release it this October due to the new restoration and horror themes. But logic and Criterion don't always go hand in hand, so I'm going to be cautiously optimistic.

I think it was back in 2016 KLI explicitly said that Gillo Pontecorvo’s Burn! was with Criterion, and in 2018 Alex Cox (yes, that Alex Cox) reported that he recorded a commentary for the Criterion Blu-ray of Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid. Not a peep has been heard about either title since.

Aside from Japanese titles, Pat Garrett is probably the most wanted Criterion title, and still nothing.

[MrGarmonbozia]

Though posted in the scratched discs thread, wanted to pass this along here regarding a reply from Criterion when asking for replacements:

I wrote them on the weekend regarding the heavily scratched discs in the Complete Jacques Demy set. Along with the usual request of photos with name/date on art side of the discs and address to send replacements, they have added:

"Please send $12.00 USD to store@criterion.com via PayPal to help offset the cost of international shipping"

I have written back basically saying that this continues to be an ongoing issue with their product, defects and the manufacturing level, and asking customers (at least, outside of the US) to pay for them to correct this is certainly not a good look.

Considering there doesn't seem to be a fix for these manufacturing problems, if Criterions answer is to pay more for clean discs, this really ices their cake in my purchases from them.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

Aside from Japanese titles, Pat Garrett is probably the most wanted Criterion title, and still nothing.

I'm going to bet that Pat Garrett is coming this year. Either in June or November.

[speedracer5]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Sideways would be great! I think Criterion might be able to improve upon the cover art here:

I have the Sideways blu ray, but I would get the Criterion in a heartbeat. This is a great movie!