The Criterion Collection

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

DVD to Blu

Stillman set (2 of the 3 are "upgrades"), Brief Encounter, Bicycle Thieves.

But those are all the same discs basically right? including also Easy Rider, they were already upgraded before.

Edit: I see Easy Rider was never an upgrade, didn't realize it was released in for the first time in dvd and blu-ray already.

[Count Zaleska]

I just got the Criterion of "Eraserhead" and was pleased to see the special instructions that David Lynch includes to be sure your screen is calibrated at its best. Haven't seen any other directors include that in releases, and a Black&White like "Eraserhead" it helps to have it optimized.....and yeah, my screen was already set to the best possible...and the film is awesome looking...it's a warm, family story to cause your relatives to wonder if you really are part of their bloodline....

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I've done some pivoting of the release data (2009-2016).

Concerning upgrades:

By Year:

2009 12
2010 15
2011 32
2012 20
2013 24
2014 27
2015 16
2016 3

By Month:

Jan 13
Feb 6
Mar 15
Apr 12
May 12
Jun 12
Jul 15
Aug 11
Sep 15
Oct 20
Nov 8
Dec 10

Fascinating statistics.

Somewhere deep down, I wish Criterion would somehow just automatically upgrade all of their DVD titles (I don't expect anything upgraded from Laserdisc though). I guess that would take some of the fun out of announcement days though, to see which titles they upgraded. That is still the true mystery that we can't figure out as phantom pages only apply to new releases, not upgrades. Right?

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Count Zaleska

I just got the Criterion of "Eraserhead" and was pleased to see the special instructions that David Lynch includes to be sure your screen is calibrated at its best. Haven't seen any other directors include that in releases, and a Black&White like "Eraserhead" it helps to have it optimized.....and yeah, my screen was already set to the best possible...and the film is awesome looking...it's a warm, family story to cause your relatives to wonder if you really are part of their bloodline....

Terence Malick recommends you play his film LOUD at the start. My neighbours disagree :P

Also not sur refi they still do but a lot of releases do come with colour bars for calibration .. not sure if I am stupid but for me its not the best method of calibration lol but I am probably being thick and not doing correctly.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

It would be interesting to know why they released Dr. Strangelove, according to an interview from last year with someone from Criterion he says they only do films they can add something worthy in case it is already released, and that in case of living directors they need to be in accordance and that is why they don't do Woody Allen movies because he simply doesn't care, maybe this was a case only of bringing it in print? since the only version available seems to be a best buy exclusive steelbook.

This Dr. Strangelove restoration seems to be the exact same done from Sony many years ago since it doesn't state it is new, so I am wondering how many collectors will double dip in this case, as compared to The Graduate for example.

Profit scheme. If takes a few blockbusters for Criterion to release obscure titles, then I'm all for it.
I also have the Strangelove digibook and the one from the Kubrick set, but I'll gladly have this in my collection.

Kubrick, Antonioni, Renoir and an animated film seem strong to me. I don't know too much about Mr. Jordan and I haven't seen Clouds, yet.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Profit scheme. If takes a few blockbusters for Criterion to release obscure titles, then I'm all for it.
I also have the Strangelove digibook and the one from the Kubrick set, but I'll gladly have this in my collection.

Kubrick, Antonioni, Renoir and an animated film seem strong to me. I don't know too much about Mr. Jordan and I haven't seen Clouds, yet.

I get that, I guess this will be the ultimate test to see how much better a release really needs to be for people to pay for a Criterion edition of something they already had.

In my case I never owned the Sony so I might even buy it, but it seems the original release was already quite popular based on how many people have in their collections in this site.

[olivianewtonyawn]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Did we watch the same film?

Her performance if you want to call it that was pretty empty - she acted no different than the way she does in her other films.. pretty forgettable character tbh

I really liked Clouds of Sils Maria and am in no way a Kristen Stewart fan. I usually find her acting to be lazy... maybe a weird way to phrase it?

I really was transfixed by her performance in Clouds though and impressed with her on screen chemistry with Binoche. I thought she was incredible in the role and deserved the Cesar.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

I really liked Clouds of Sils Maria and am in no way a Kristen Stewart fan. I usually find her acting to be lazy... maybe a weird way to phrase it?

I really was transfixed by her performance in Clouds though and impressed with her on screen chemistry with Binoche. I thought she was incredible in the role and deserved the Cesar.

The chemistry was great and they worked well off each other, I loved the almost mother and daughter relationship they had. But I just didn't see anything new from Stewart, not saying she was bad - I just wasn't completely convinced and never got why she got so much hype for the role.

[ckt]

Very excited about Dr. Strangelove. "Paths of Glory" looks fantastic, so this new 4K scan of Strangelove should be awesome as well!! I already have all Kubrick's Blus, but will definitely pick this up.

BTW, is this not the first release of a Kubrick 4K restoration?!?!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ckt

Very excited about Dr. Strangelove. "Paths of Glory" looks fantastic, so this new 4K scan of Strangelove should be awesome as well!! I already have all Kubrick's Blus, but will definitely pick this up.

BTW, is this not the first release of a Kubrick 4K restoration?!?!

Sony's 4K restoration is included on the original Blu-ray release.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dr-St...y/1106/#Review

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by ckt

Very excited about Dr. Strangelove. "Paths of Glory" looks fantastic, so this new 4K scan of Strangelove should be awesome as well!! I already have all Kubrick's Blus, but will definitely pick this up.

BTW, is this not the first release of a Kubrick 4K restoration?!?!

Spartacus was also restored in 4K.

There is actually no indication that this is a new 4K scan, the specs on Criterion website simply say:

* Restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray

Which might mean it is the same of the Sony disc.


Actually according to this: http://www.4kdcp.net/movies-in-4k-dcp-restored/

2001: Space Odyssey is also restored in 4K, but not sure when.

[RickDee]

Originally Posted by ckt

Very excited about Dr. Strangelove. "Paths of Glory" looks fantastic, so this new 4K scan of Strangelove should be awesome as well!! I already have all Kubrick's Blus, but will definitely pick this up.

BTW, is this not the first release of a Kubrick 4K restoration?!?!

It's the same as the release that's already out.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by RickDee

To me it was the best.

I already have the big Kubrick box set so no reason to upgrade as they all look stunning.



I actually prefer 1978's Heaven Can Wait over Here comes Mr. Jordan.

It's one of the better remakes and well cast but I much prefer Montgomery's characterization of Joe and you can't top James Gleason and especially Edward Everett Horton in supporting roles.

[ckt]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Sony's 4K restoration is included on the original Blu-ray release.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dr-St...y/1106/#Review

Ahhh, didn't realize that. Is that also the transfer in this set: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Stanl...Blu-ray/20820/ ?? Have I been watching a 4K scan all along?

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Spartacus was also restored in 4K.

Haha, oh yea, that movie. Forgot about that. That restoration looked really good.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by DenOfEarth

Yeh i see but do you think American Pop in a Criterion special edition BD with new 2K or 4K restoration from the original negative with commentary by Ralph Bakshi, featurette, interview with one of the animators, trailers, TV spots and all that be awesome? Richard Moll was in that movie before he was Two-Face, Bull Shannon and more.

Well, yeah, of course a Criterion SE BD with a 2K/4K restoration, commentaries and extras, etc. would be amazing for any movie we like. I'm just saying, if you're in the mood to see the movie now, there's a cheap way to own it.

BTW, the movie was a blind buy (and I still haven't watched it), so I had no idea about Richard Moll - very interesting and cool (I used to love Night Court as a kid).

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

wait ... I'm confused I thought a Ralph Bakshi movie was getting a Criterion treatment? or was that wishful thinking?

That was someone's wishful thinking (luckily; I've seen Fritz the Cat and didn't like it at all).

[the sordid sentinel]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Last night, I watched two more films from the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman set.

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman

I do not know the backstory of the Shaw Brothers character, the One-Armed Swordsman (Wang Kong in this movie), but I was nonetheless fascinated with the story, which benefits from simplicity and a lack of extraneous characters. There's a real undercurrent of sadness throughout this movie, as we see conflicts erupt simply because of a lack of communication (Present-day America could probably learn a few lessons from this film.), and the story concludes on a haunting note. That said, the fight scenes are pure dynamite, and I was glued to the screen during each battle.

Zatoichi at Large

Zatoichi at Large is a step down from the previous handful of movies, and, while it's an enjoyable and engaging film in many ways, there's really not a lot about it that stands out. This movie slightly rehashes the Fight, Zatoichi, Fight scenario of the title character taking care of a baby, but the end result is not detrimental, probably because the film was made back in the days when people didn't see old movies again once those movies left the theaters, and, as such, the rehashing of older plots didn't seem to raise as many eyebrows. The opening and closing scenes of this movie are both rather spectacular, and, for me, these bookends are the most memorable aspects of this particular entry in the series. I also loved the kid who followed Zatoichi around and repeatedly pelted his head with rocks.

I'm down to the home stretch now, with just two movies to go. After that, I'll watch the special features and read through the book.
(I probably should have been reading through the book all along, but, hey, my mistake.)

Yeah, definitely check out those bonus features. Katsu marched to his own beat and was clearly self destructive. Really wish his falling out with Kurosawa (or vice versa) had not happened and he could have stayed in the Kagemusha starring role. He would have rocked it completely.

Agreed about Zatoichi Meets The One Armed Swordsman. Very strong message in there about communication. The finish line is in sight now. You are about to see Zatoichi get bis-ay with a woman!

[joie]

I am watching "The Brood" and trying to figure out what is important about it. Nearest I can tell, it's part of a new sub-genre, a type of body horror, but different: reproductive horror. That is the horror of the possibilities of reproduction: a child could be some sort of mutant: A monster.

Other reproductive horror examples in film might be "Eraserhead" and "Rosemary's Baby." Are there others?

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by joie

I am watching "The Brood" and trying to figure out what is important about it. Nearest I can tell, it's part of a new sub-genre, a type of body horror, but different: reproductive horror. That is the horror of the possibilities of reproduction: a child could be some sort of mutant: A monster.

Other reproductive horror examples in film might be "Eraserhead" and "Rosemary's Baby." Are there others?

It's Alive
Basket Case

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jw007

Somewhere deep down, I wish Criterion would somehow just automatically upgrade all of their DVD titles (I don't expect anything upgraded from Laserdisc though). I guess that would take some of the fun out of announcement days though, to see which titles they upgraded. That is still the true mystery that we can't figure out as phantom pages only apply to new releases, not upgrades. Right?

Do you mean that you would never expect them to upgrade something that they'd released on LD but not DVD, or you wouldn't expect them to automatically upgrade those titles as a matter of course?

If the latter, I can see that, as their not releasing those titles on DVD (until releasing them simultaneously on BD and DVD) was probably because they lost the rights to them after LDs went bye-bye.

At a fairly short glance, though, I came up with over two dozen titles that were "upgrades" to LD releases, as they didn't appear from Criterion on DVD in between the LD release and the BD (and simultaneous DVD) release:

Chungking Express
The Magician
Paths of Glory
The Night of the Hunter
Five Easy Pieces
The Last Picture Show
The Killing
12 Angry Men
In Which We Serve
The Game
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Purple Noon
Life of Oharu
Breaking the Waves
A Hard Day's Night
The Big Chill
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Parade
Tootsie
Fellini Satyricon
Odd Man Out
The Fisher King
"Breaker" Morant
The Graduate
The Player
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Dr. Strangelove

I may have missed some.

One of these days, I'll make up a list of the titles that Criterion released on LD, but not (or not yet) on BD/DVD.