The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Fans of Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman may want to check out Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, because there is a fun and prominent homage to the Zatoichi character.

I'll save the extensive Rogue One discussion for the respective threads dedicated to that movie, but I had to sneak the Zatoichi mention into Criterion waters.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Some comments make it seem like Blow Up is a lesser Antonioni film

Blow-up is an influential arthouse classic that made waves in the 60s, courted controversy, earned Antonioni his only Oscar nomination as Best Director and is routinely listed in all-time greatest lists.

One may like it less than other Antonioni films, but such an opinion is factually a minority one.

[redribbon]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

All great choices. Especially The Hill and The Insider (or anything else from Mann).

And speaking of Lumet, would absolutely love to see Running on Empty in the Collection.

For "Duck You Sucker" (please Criterion a proper restoration of the scenes, inclusion of a lossless Mono soundtrack + the UA Logo at the head), "The Hill" and would the 3 hour Lumet film "Prince Of The City" be an odd choice for the Collection? Multiple people want this in the Collection.
Thought I heard that with longer than 2 hour films Criterion has put on Blu Ray that there were compression issues. Either way I still would love, from their deal with WB, Anderson's 3 hour "O Lucky Man!" and this film, especially to see, if Criterion is allowed, along with other parties, the chance to see these films in the correct OAR of "1:85:1" NOT "1:78:1" like what Warners usually does for their Blus.

Sorry. Not to threadcrap, but to anyone who saw "O Lucky Man!" in any European Country does it look proper, should it be in 1:66:1? Was it screened that way?
Either way, I would love all these films to be included in the Collection.

[redribbon]

Originally Posted by zakzak

How about that ultra-low-budget oddity called Detour?

Hope this and "Gun Crazy" are included then. The Warner DVD of "Gun Crazy" is OOP, maybe Criterion got the rights to pretty much half of the "Controversial Classics" DVD set from WHV back in '05

[eightslicesofpie]

I never got around to seeing "45 Years," but I enjoyed Haigh's work on "Weekend" and "Looking" so it seems like a safe bet

[jacobsever]

45 Years was in my top 10 films of 2015. I absolutely loved it, and have been holding off buying the standard blu ray release. Can't wait for March!

[MifuneFan]

This probably means nothing, but I noticed there's a new pre-order up for the DVD release of Do the Right Thing. It appears to still be the CC edition, but Amazon could be wrong there. Also, the movie isn't avaiable for purchase from Criterion at the moment

https://www.amazon.com/Do-Right-Thin...ion+Collection

It would be great if the film got a CC release on BD one day. The extras on the Universal release are solid, but the transfer is off, and changes the whole feel of the film, and its intended look.

[Member-167298]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

This probably means nothing, but I noticed there's a new pre-order up for the DVD release of Do the Right Thing. It appears to still be the CC edition, but Amazon could be wrong there. Also, the movie isn't avaiable for purchase from Criterion at the moment

https://www.amazon.com/Do-Right-Thin...ion+Collection

It would be great if the film got a CC release on BD one day. The extras on the Universal release are solid, but the transfer is off, and changes the whole feel of the film, and its intended look.

Yes, please!

I am actually showing Do The Right Thing in my Culture of Film class next week. It will be interesting to see what my students think of it as none of the films I have showed them so far (Some Like It Hot, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) have gotten much of a reaction from them...and two of them are A/V students!

Unfortunately I had the Do the Right Thing Blu-ray in my laptop bag under my office desk and the custodian smashed the case when he was vacuuming. Luckily the discs weren't damaged though.

[llj]

Originally Posted by zakzak

How about that ultra-low-budget oddity called Detour?

I seem to recall hearing that original elements don't exist anymore. Only some 16 mm prints floating around. I think Gary Tooze from DVDBeaver owns one of the few 16 mm prints out there.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare3/detour.htm

NOTE: Confession: in April of 2009, from Ann Savage's Estate, I purchased her original (1945) 16mm print of Detour. It is presumed to be a reduction print of the Wade Williams one (Image Entertainment) and the second best source of the film in existence. It has very good density and healthy grain structure. In most spots it shows less damage than the WW. Through a reputable Post House in Toronto I transferred in HD (twice!) - creating a personal Blu-ray for myself with the intention adding up to 7 commentaries (I've spoken to many including Dave Kehr, Jonathan Rosenbaum, from Eddie Muller to Guy Maddin) and making it available, through the DVDBeaver site, to fans of the iconic film. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to restore it to a significantly high enough level to make it viable. I've added three captures below as examples (see very bottom for third sample)

[llj]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Some comments make it seem like Blow Up is a lesser Antonioni film, I really have no opinion on this since I haven't seen it but according to aggregate lists like Sight & Sound poll and TSPDT top 1000, it consistently ranks around the top 100 films 3rd or 4th Antonioni with only L'Avventura and L'Eclisse on top.

Maybe it is too different to those films? I personally think this could be a risky blind buy since those those two on top are not really my favorites, for me those would be La Notte and Red Desert.

Most Antonioni fans believe his Italian films are superior to his english-language ones overall.

I would tend to agree. But that doesn't mean they still aren't great. I love The Passenger and I like Blow Up.

[jw007]

Not to derail this thread but I saw Manchester by the Sea about 9 nights ago by myself at this theater in downtown DC (Landmark E Street Cinemas) and think its prob. the best film of 2016.

Also, has anyone been to that theater in Washington DC? I think it might be the best arthouse/indie theater in the city! Really glad I discovered it. I'd compare it to the Film Forum or IFC Center in NYC.

[GumballRally]

Put me down for Being There. Watched it a lot as a kid on HBO..it always drew me in no matter what part I came in at.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by redribbon

Hope they get the other films you mentioned out on Criterion Blu. Wish they could get with new scans and lossless original Mono audio "A Fistful Of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More", welcome MGM Home Entertainment Blus being phased out or/and titles being included, released through Boutique HV labels. Hope Criterion snag the rights to "In The Heat Of the Night (w/ Lossless original Mono + 1967 Colorful, Circles United Artists Transamerica Logo that opened "You Only Live Twice" in 1:85:1", Traffaut's "The Wild Child" (1970), "Arthur Hiller's "The Hospital" (1971 with George C. Scott)", "Last Tango In Paris", "Platoon" and "The Usual Suspects"

Thanks! I may have forgotten some too. Yeah frankly I wish Criterion was the only blu ray home media label that existed. I know they are expensive but I've never had one problem with one of their releases (even though they had that initial problem with some discs going bad around 2010-2011 but luckily that was fixed). Criterion's quality is just incredible. A Fistful of Dollars really needs a new edition along with A Few Dollars More that frankly should've been taken care of when MGM remastered Good, Bad and the Ugly and released it as The Man with no name trilogy with the same incorrectly framed copy of Fistful that always existed on blu. They could've atleast corrected the framing.

[PaperThinWalls]

Originally Posted by Smegma

Although they didn't make it for March 2017, anyone have info about these possible future titles that I believe have either been hinted at, or previously issued in need of an update, etc...

[Show spoiler]This is Spinal Tap
Midnight Cowboy
Night of the Living Dead
The Cremator
Blood for Dracula
Flesh for Frankenstein
Good, Bad, Ugly
Straw Dogs
Plague Dogs
Ghost World
Catch 22

The Cremator is being restored. Source: http://www.theczechfilmfoundation.com/our-projects

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

Blow-up is an influential arthouse classic that made waves in the 60s, courted controversy, earned Antonioni his only Oscar nomination as Best Director and is routinely listed in all-time greatest lists.

One may like it less than other Antonioni films, but such an opinion is factually a minority one.

Is it a minority one among people who are less familiar with his body of work perhaps, but if you look a bit more closely and stop relying on consensus lists put together by middle brow boomers, an entirely different picture emerges.

[WonderWeasel]

Has anyone seen both blu-ray releases of The New World? Is the Criterion release a dramatic improvement over the original New Line release?

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by llj

Most Antonioni fans believe his Italian films are superior to his english-language ones overall.

I would tend to agree. But that doesn't mean they still aren't great. I love The Passenger and I like Blow Up.

Yes most fans think his best Italian films are superior. Conservative critics, however,especially Anglophone boomers blinded by nostalgia because it was one of the first arthouse films they saw with nudity at a young impressionable age, tend to rate Blow Up more highly.

Blow Up was Antonioni's big crossover moment and the film was certainly influential, but let's not let hype interfere with our better judgement.

Blow Up is a pretty good film, but it isn't his best, not by a long shot.

[SammyJankis]

To say Blow-Up is seen as lesser Antonioni in the critical world really isn't saying anything at all when it placed in the 144th slot for the recent Sight & Sound poll.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Yes most fans think his best Italian films are superior. Conservative critics, however,especially Anglophone boomers blinded by nostalgia because it was one of the first arthouse films they saw with nudity at a young impressionable age, tend to rate Blow Up more highly.

Blow Up was Antonioni's big crossover moment and the film was certainly influential, but let's not let hype interfere with our better judgement.

Blow Up is a pretty good film, but it isn't his best, not by a long shot.

I know at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what everyone else think it's the best, for me his best might be La Notte and the one I least enjoyed L'Eclisse, I was just mentioning that 3rd best according to that group you mention is not bad at all, especially if that same group thinks L'Avventura is his best, which many here probably agree.

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

To say Blow-Up is seen as lesser Antonioni in the critical world really isn't saying anything at all when it placed in the 144th slot for the recent Sight & Sound poll.

Yeah, I guess the problem is he did so many great films, has to be the best feeling in the world when you are a director and the reason people argue about your films is to decide which ones are the best.

[malakaheso]

Rewatched The Player recently. Thankfully i didn't waste money on it in the last B+N sale. It seemed good to me in the 90s when I was less familiar with Altman's classic period, but I can't fathom the idea that it ranks with his best work unless you have amnesia or don't fully connect or understand his best films from the 70s. It almost resembles a TV film. No aesthetic ambition at all, and like most industry satires it is toothless, smug and overly self satisfied. It is a boring film and I'd place it somewhere near the bottom of Altman's filmography.

Rewatched An Autumn Afternoon too, which I do own on C.C. it's one of the greatest swansongs ever and arguably Ozu's most beautiful looking film.