The Criterion Collection

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Some people think Criterion releases too many Asian films. If this describes you, maybe just skip over this post.

If you think they could never release *enough* Asian Cinema, well this is the post for you.

[Show spoiler]
What do you think is likely for additional Asian Cinema releases from Criterion? What is your wish list?

I would imagine these are a given:

- Remainder of Kurosawa upgrades (Red Beard, Ikiru, Stray Dog, The Bad Sleep Well, The Lower Depths, Drunken Angel, Dodes'ka-den), plus Madadayo
- Remainder of Ozu Upgrades (Good Morning, Floating Weeds set, Early Summer, Only Son/There Was A Father)
- Ugetsu Monogatari

These seem reasonable as well:

- Onibaba upgrade.
- Fires on the Plain/Burmese Harp upgrades
- Shinoda Upgrades (Double Suicide/Samurai Spy)
- Kobayashi upgrades (Kwaiden, Samurai Rebellion, Human Condition)
- Oshima (Empire of Passion upgrade)
- Suzuki upgrades (Youth Of The Beast, Fighting Elegy, Gate Of Flesh, Story of A Prostitute)
- Imamura upgrades (The Pornographers, Pigs and Battleships, Insect Woman, Intentions of Murder)
- Kill!, Crazed Fruit, Jigoku, Sword of The Beast - Upgrades

What else?

- More Ozu? (Another Silent Eclipse? What Did the Lady Forget?,Brothers and Sisters of The Toda Family, Record of A Tenement Gentleman, A Hen In The Wind, Munekata Sisters, A Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)?
- Other Mizoguchi?
- More Naruse? (At least When A Woman Ascends The Stairs upgrade, maybe another Eclipse set?)
- More Kore-eda?
- More Lee Chang-dong? (Oasis/Peppermint Candy/Green Fish)
- Teshigahara upgrades?
- More Oshima (Boy)?
- More Shindo?
- Twenty-Four Eyes Upgrade?
- More Ichikawa?
- More Edward Yang (A Brighter Summer day. Terrorizers?)
- More Ang Lee (Father Knows Best Trilogy?)
- More Wong Kar-wai (2046?)
- Naomi Kawase (The Mourning Forest, Still The Water)?
- Hou Hsiao-Hsien?
- Tsai Ming Liang?
- Hong Sang-Soo?
- Sion Sono?
- King Hu?
- Other Recent Asian Films (Departures, A Story Of Yonosuke,The Light Shines Only There, Haemoo, The Great Passage, Black Coal Thin Ice)?

Any other ideas? Anything on Hulu that could get released? (I don't have hulu or scan that list very often)

Anything obvious/likely that I've overlooked?

Have i included anything on here that we know is unlikely to be released by Criterion (as in rights issues/already out)?

So far I'm a fan of most of the Asian releases that Criterion has... and most recently Tokyo Story really hit the mark with me. It was an amazing story and piece of film. I have a few Kurosawa films, the Eclipse When Horror Came to Shochiku, several Samurai films, Pale Flower, and a few others. I'm really enjoying the releases and would love to see more, but do like that Criterion spreads out their releases across countries, cinema styles, and directors. I'd love to see some of the above, but I'm not one of the members here who know a lot about who has rights to what, so I'll leave that to those experts.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Still hoping for Farewell to my Concubine and Raise the Red Lantern!

Yes!! Those would be amazing releases!

[fahrenheit290]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Some people think Criterion releases too many Asian films. If this describes you, maybe just skip over this post.

If you think they could never release *enough* Asian Cinema, well this is the post for you.

[Show spoiler]
What do you think is likely for additional Asian Cinema releases from Criterion? What is your wish list?

I would imagine these are a given:

- Remainder of Kurosawa upgrades (Red Beard, Ikiru, Stray Dog, The Bad Sleep Well, The Lower Depths, Drunken Angel, Dodes'ka-den), plus Madadayo
- Remainder of Ozu Upgrades (Good Morning, Floating Weeds set, Early Summer, Only Son/There Was A Father)
- Ugetsu Monogatari

These seem reasonable as well:

- Onibaba upgrade.
- Fires on the Plain/Burmese Harp upgrades
- Shinoda Upgrades (Double Suicide/Samurai Spy)
- Kobayashi upgrades (Kwaiden, Samurai Rebellion, Human Condition)
- Oshima (Empire of Passion upgrade)
- Suzuki upgrades (Youth Of The Beast, Fighting Elegy, Gate Of Flesh, Story of A Prostitute)
- Imamura upgrades (The Pornographers, Pigs and Battleships, Insect Woman, Intentions of Murder)
- Kill!, Crazed Fruit, Jigoku, Sword of The Beast - Upgrades

What else?

- More Ozu? (Another Silent Eclipse? What Did the Lady Forget?,Brothers and Sisters of The Toda Family, Record of A Tenement Gentleman, A Hen In The Wind, Munekata Sisters, A Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)?
- Other Mizoguchi?
- More Naruse? (At least When A Woman Ascends The Stairs upgrade, maybe another Eclipse set?)
- More Kore-eda?
- More Lee Chang-dong? (Oasis/Peppermint Candy/Green Fish)
- Teshigahara upgrades?
- More Oshima (Boy)?
- More Shindo?
- Twenty-Four Eyes Upgrade?
- More Ichikawa?
- More Edward Yang (A Brighter Summer day. Terrorizers?)
- More Ang Lee (Father Knows Best Trilogy?)
- More Wong Kar-wai (2046?)
- Naomi Kawase (The Mourning Forest, Still The Water)?
- Hou Hsiao-Hsien?
- Tsai Ming Liang?
- Hong Sang-Soo?
- Sion Sono?
- King Hu?
- Other Recent Asian Films (Departures, A Story Of Yonosuke,The Light Shines Only There, Haemoo, The Great Passage, Black Coal Thin Ice)?

Any other ideas? Anything on Hulu that could get released? (I don't have hulu or scan that list very often)

Anything obvious/likely that I've overlooked?

Have i included anything on here that we know is unlikely to be released by Criterion (as in rights issues/already out)?

Would Criterion not be able to get the rights for Dersu Uzala? There's one Kurosawa that doesn't yet have a blu-ray. Of course, I'd love to see Ran and Dreams in the Criterion Collection too. And Ikiru needs its update to come out soon...we're waiting.

- Chinese Cinema: Huo Zhe (To Live), Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine. I'd 100% love another Ang Lee film added to the Criterion Collection along with The Ice Storm...Crouching Tiger would be amazing, down the line. And of course there are his earlier films.

Also, it's not Asian cinema, but Martin Scorsese's Kundun could be a way to get another Scorsese film into the collection.

[dsman71]

Id like Kwaidan on blu ray too, but most of the Asian films I want in HD are Godzilla and other Kaiju films. I wasnt interested in the set that had X From Outer Space, Goke, Genocide since I didnt like those films....
Id love that Monsters and Madmen set to also get an HD release as well

[P@t_Mtl]

Its funny how some think they release too much Asian films and for others its too much European films. It seme its a matter of how you view it? While I am always happy with what they release (I am not the type to go and buy all they release but always find that the choices are good ones) and I am a fan of Asian cinema I find that they ignore a little too much other part of the world. It might be fun the see more from South America or Africa for example?

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Its funny how some think they release too much Asian films and for others its too much European films. It seme its a matter of how you view it? While I am always happy with what they release (I am not the type to go and buy all they release but always find that the choices are good ones) and I am a fan of Asian cinema I find that they ignore a little too much other part of the world. It might be fun the see more from South America or Africa for example?

I agree P@t, that's one of the reasons I like The World Cinema Project and am hoping for a Volume 2 soon.

Re: Kurosawa, am I correct in thinking there are only 5 of his 30 films that they do *not* have the rights for?

The Quiet Duel
Ran
Dersu Uzala
Dreams
Rhapsody in August

[bwdowiak]

I need to see more Asian cinema. I'm not much for the samurai stuff, but I've liked what I have seen well enough to seek out more. I'm sure that there is better stuff that I should prioritize, but the Nikkatsu Noir set has piqued my interest. It's nice sometimes to watch something knowing next to nothing about it and having very low expectations for it. I'm kinda wishing that I had thought about it 6 weeks ago... I could have used the B&N 30% in conjunction with their sale and had it for around 20 bucks.

I did see Like Father, Like Son recently and while I enjoyed the tone of the film and thought it was a pleasant enough watch, I had some big problems with it. I’ll have to give that director another try. I know he has several other highly regarded films.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Its funny how some think they release too much Asian films and for others its too much European films. It seme its a matter of how you view it? While I am always happy with what they release (I am not the type to go and buy all they release but always find that the choices are good ones) and I am a fan of Asian cinema I find that they ignore a little too much other part of the world. It might be fun the see more from South America or Africa for example?

To me, I think they haven't released many foreign films from the 90s.
because most of the foreign films I want are from the 90s.

(Cyrano, Indochine, Farewell to my Concubine, Raise the Red Lantern, Mediterraneo, Il Postino, City of Lost Children, Farinelli, Rhapsody in August etc.)

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

More Ang Lee (Father Knows Best Trilogy?)
[snip]
Have i included anything on here that we know is unlikely to be released by Criterion (as in rights issues/already out)?

Eat Drink Man Woman has been announced for release by Olive Films, so the Trilogy is out of the question for Criterion. I would certainly be happy if Criterion managed to release either of the other two, though.

I'm also game for most of the rest of what you suggested. Except maybe for Sion Sono. I haven't seen any of his films, but from what I've read of them, they don't seem to be my sort of thing.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit290

Would Criterion not be able to get the rights for Dersu Uzala? There's one Kurosawa that doesn't yet have a blu-ray.

I believe that Kino still has the rights to that.

Of course, I'd love to see Ran and Dreams in the Criterion Collection too. And Ikiru needs its update to come out soon...we're waiting.

They lost the rights to Ran because of the Studio Canal thing. Though given that Lionsgate seems to have dropped the ball with regard to the SC Collection on physical media, who knows if Criterion might get it back?

Warner owns the rights to Dreams, so that's not likely.

Chinese Cinema: Huo Zhe (To Live), Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine. I'd 100% love another Ang Lee film added to the Criterion Collection along with The Ice Storm...Crouching Tiger would be amazing, down the line. And of course there are his earlier films.

Any of Zhang Yimou's early films would be welcome.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Re: Kurosawa, am I correct in thinking there are only 5 of his 30 films that they do *not* have the rights for?

The Quiet Duel
Ran
Dersu Uzala
Dreams
Rhapsody in August

That's correct. Although the US rights for Rhapsody in August are with MGM, so it's not a stretch to believe that Criterion might be able to license it.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Eat Drink Man Woman has been announced for release by Olive Films, so the Trilogy is out of the question for Criterion. I would certainly be happy if Criterion managed to release either of the other two, though.

I'm also game for most of the rest of what you suggested. Except maybe for Sion Sono. I haven't seen any of his films, but from what I've read of them, they don't seem to be my sort of thing.

I just got the Taiwanese blu release of the trilogy a week ago or so. I'll let you know how it is once I get around to watching it.

Sono is all over the place. Cold Fish was a bit gruesome for my tastes. Love Exposure is insane, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. The Land Of Hope was a pretty normal Japanese drama. It had more in common in terms of feel with something like Still Walking than it did with other Sono films mentioned. I'm looking forward to seeing Tokyo Tribes and Why Don't You Play In Hell?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I just got the Taiwanese blu release of the trilogy a week ago or so. I'll let you know how it is once I get around to watching it.

I'll keep watch for your comments.

Sono is all over the place. Cold Fish was a bit gruesome for my tastes. Love Exposure is insane, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. The Land Of Hope was a pretty normal Japanese drama. It had more in common in terms of feel with something like Still Walking than it did with other Sono films mentioned. I'm looking forward to seeing Tokyo Tribes and Why Don't You Play In Hell?

I'll keep that in mind. I thought that I might be wrong in expecting all of his films to be of the same ilk. Much like thinking Seijun Suzuki's films are all alike: Story of a Prostitute is nothing like Branded to Kill or Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by octagon

And while I'm making silly stretches, the masks worn by the gang of four look a lot like the masks protesters wear to symbolize being voiceless.

The Tribe (2014)

This one actually sounds pretty interesting. I could see them taking a flier on something like this.

The Tribe is brilliant. There isn't a single line of spoken dialogue in the whole film, nor is the sign language subtitled, forcing hearing audiences to work in a way like no other film I've ever seen.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

The Tribe is brilliant. There isn't a single line of spoken dialogue in the whole film, nor is the sign language subtitled, forcing hearing audiences to work in a way like no other film I've ever seen.

The Tribe is being released by Drafthouse in the US.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Eat Drink Man Woman has been announced for release by Olive Films.

I did not know that, very good news

[lordmorpheus72]

Finally starting my movie marathon... starting with the non-Criterion, non-MoC, Touch of Evil... theatrical first. I'll move to the other version, and hopefully The 39 Steps later tonight.

edit: changed my mind, starting with the Reconstructed version.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Finally starting my movie marathon... starting with the non-Criterion, non-MoC, Touch of Evil... theatrical first. I'll move to the other version, and hopefully The 39 Steps later tonight.

edit: changed my mind, starting with the Reconstructed version.

Although I've seen both versions of the film many times in various formats, I have yet to upgrade my DVD of Touch of Evil, so I'll be interested in hearing your opinion on its blu-ray transfer.

And, come to think of it, I have never seen The 39 Steps, either, although I did buy the Criterion blu-ray during the last B&N sale.

You've got an interesting evening ahead! Enjoy!

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Some people think Criterion releases too many Asian films. If this describes you, maybe just skip over this post.

If you think they could never release *enough* Asian Cinema, well this is the post for you.

What is your wish list?

I use IMDB watchlist as a wishlist, I've got 189 titles on it. I'm guessing well over half are Asian films, quite a few of them are genre flicks that I'd look more to Arrow or some other distributor to handle, but a sample of what I'd like to see that might fit in the Collection are as follows:

Angel's Egg (1985) - animation Mamoru Oshii

[Show spoiler]http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=67

Blind Mountain (2007) Yang Li
Dong fu ren (The Arch) (1969) Shu Shuen Tong

[Show spoiler]The 100 Greatest Hong Kong Films #7

Battles Without Honour and Humanity (1973) Kinji Fukasaku
The Blue and The Black (Lan yu hei (Shang) & (Xia) 1966 Ching Doe

[Show spoiler]Released in two parts on the second anniversary of Lin’s suicide, Ching’s adaptation of Taiwanese writer Wang Lan’s poignant WWII novel charts the decade-spanning affair of a pair of star-crossed lovers, who have long been kept apart by family pressure, the ongoing war, and more than a few lamentable life decisions.

Street Angel (1937) Muzhi Yuan

[Show spoiler]Jason McGrath Associate professor, University of Minnesota; author, Postsocialist Modernity: Chinese Cinema, Literature, and Criticism in the Market Age
'No film better captures the odd mix of formal experimentation, social criticism, and deployment of classical Hollywood conventions of the 1930s Shanghai left-wing film movement.'

Treeless Mountain (2008) So-yong Kim
Perfect Blue (1997) - animation Satoshi Kon
Sonatine (1993) Takeshi Kitano
Sorrows of the Forbidden City (1948) Shilin Zhu

[Show spoiler]The greatest of Qing dynasty court dramas also happens to be the most historically important Hong Kong film ever made. First released during the civil war, Shanghai filmmaker Zhu Shilin’s mega-budget epic – about the vicious political wrangling between Empress Dowager Cixi (Tang), Emperor Guangxu (Shu) and his wife Pearl concubine (Zhou), all mesmerisingly portrayed – was cited by Mao Zedong as ‘a film of national betrayal’ in 1954, before being labelled ‘a traitor’s film’ by the Gang of Four in 1967, thereby kicking off the devastating Cultural Revolution.

Really looking forward to BFI's Spring in a Small Town (1948) DVD only and CC's Dragon Inn in 2015. Hopefully CC nabs A Touch of Zen which has been newly restored (Cannes 2015) as well.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Although I've seen both versions of the film many times in various formats, I have yet to upgrade my DVD of Touch of Evil, so I'll be interested in hearing your opinion on its blu-ray transfer.

And, come to think of it, I have never seen The 39 Steps, either, although I did buy the Criterion blu-ray during the last B&N sale.

You've got an interesting evening ahead! Enjoy!

Finished Touch of Evil and I really enjoyed the film. It's odd, and there is a lot going on in the film, but it is an amazing film, and Welles is really a master film maker.

I've note seen the entire film on dvd, just the opening shot, so I don't have anything to compare to, but I will say the quality was quite something to behold. It was very crisp and sharp, with not a lot of noise. However, there were lines in a few parts of the film that looked to be part of the negative and not able to removed. But other than that, it was pretty amazing. Not that I wanted to see Welles sweat and drool, but you can really see all the detail later in the film when he is sweating profusely and he does an extreme close-up of his face.

Overall I loved movie... even with

[Show spoiler]Heston playing a Mexican

.