The Criterion Collection

[Al_The_Strange]

Hmm, Tokyo Tribe doesn't have a NA release yet. I wonder if Criterion could pick up the rights.

Shion Sono is a director I'd be willing to collect from, and I think it'd be neat if Criterion could release his films.

[jordan-r]

A little more recent than some of the other Asian directors already mentioned, but it'd be lovely to see some Hong Sang-soo films in the collection. (My picks: The Power of Kangwon Province and Woman on the Beach.)

[ShellOilJunior]

Does anyone believe Jon Mulvaney is a real person?

I think he's Criterion's George Kaplan.

[yoyokid8]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Hmm, Tokyo Tribe doesn't have a NA release yet. I wonder if Criterion could pick up the rights.

Shion Sono is a director I'd be willing to collect from, and I think it'd be neat if Criterion could release his films.

Sion Sono is probably the greatest working director today.
Imagine what Criterion could do with Love Exposure! Tokyo Tribe would be great too.

Hey we're getting Jellyfish Eyes, right? A guy can hope.

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Does anyone believe Jon Mulvaney is a real person?

I think he's Criterion's George Kaplan.

According to Criterion, he's been with them since 1984:

https://www.criterion.com/my_criteri...0-jon-mulvaney

I have been with Criterion since 1984, answering customer questions since the days when they arrived in a stamped envelope. Citizen Kane and Grand Illusion are the Criterion releases I'd most like to see back in the collection, not just because they are, along with Seven Samurai, Rules of the Game, and 8 ½, my not especially surprising favorite movies, but also because Citizen Kane was Criterion's first laserdisc release and Grand Illusion holds DVD spine number 1. Having those two out of print feel like holes in my soul.
Favorite director: Too many to name here...
Favorite Criterion edition: Brazil
Most wanted in the collection: Citizen Kane

[Yami]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

Who are some other excellent Asian filmmakers you'd love to see represented in the collection?

Hou Hsiao-Hsien is surely the most obvious candidate, but there are too many to name...

Shinji Somai
Tsai Ming-liang
Im Kwon-Taek
Shuji Terayama
Tian Zhuangzhuang
Ann Hui
Lino Brocka
Ishmael Bernal
Lav Diaz
Shunji Iwai
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Mamoru Oshii
Hayao Miyazaki
Isao Takahata
Fei Mu
Chen Kaige

Just off the top of my head! Miyazaki in particular is already well represented on Blu-Ray, but Ghibli films in general have been let down in the extras department.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by prior

I know. And because I'm a very thorough person I am now the proud owner of pretty much every Kurosawa Blu-ray or DVD Criterion has ever released. They only need to arrive.

Kurosawa is one of the few directors that when I look at my collection I feel like I have a complete collection of his work. Any Kurosawa experts want to check and let me know of I'm missing anything?

[Show spoiler]
- All 30 of his films, on blu-ray where available (including the Aus release of Sanshiro Sugata with some of the deleted scenes)
- The 3 films of Kuroswawa scripts completed by other directors after he died (After The Rain, Dora-heita, and The Sea Is Watching)
- The 3 hour PBS Kurosawa documentary

Am I missing anything? Is Those Who Make Tomorrow available somewhere?

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by yoyokid8

Sion Sono is probably the greatest working director today.
Imagine what Criterion could do with Love Exposure! Tokyo Tribe would be great too.

Hey we're getting Jellyfish Eyes, right? A guy can hope.

A Criterion release of Love Exposure would make my day. The current Blu-Ray could use a touch-up in picture and sound quality, and it's lacking in extras as I recall. I could see this being a huge two-disc digipak easily.

I'd also support a Criterion edition of Suicide Club if possible. Not sure how it'd look on Blu-Ray, but I trust Criterion would do the best they can.

Haven't seen Jellyfish Eyes, so I'll have to check it out.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Kurosawa is one of the few directors that when I look at my collection I feel like I have a complete collection of his work. Any Kurosawa experts want to check and let me know of I'm missing anything?

[Show spoiler]
- All 30 of his films, on blu-ray where available (including the Aus release of Sanshiro Sugata with some of the deleted scenes)
- The 3 films of Kuroswawa scripts completed by other directors after he died (After The Rain, Dora-heita, and The Sea Is Watching)
- The 3 hour PBS Kurosawa documentary

Am I missing anything? Is Those Who Make Tomorrow available somewhere?

To your last question, no. In fact trying to find a bootleg will even lead you astray most of the time because people have mixed the title up on a lot of the ones I've come across. To be fair he didn't write or fully direct this film, as far as I've gathered he actually directed little of it and didn't consider it his own.

To your first question, which relates to the second in a way, there's a lot of stuff he was AD on or worked on that is hard to find and I'm missing myself but again I don't think he considered any of it part of his catalogue so to speak.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

To your last question, no. In fact trying to find a bootleg will even lead you astray most of the time because people have mixed the title up on a lot of the ones I've come across. To be fair he didn't write or fully direct this film, as far as I've gathered he actually directed little of it and didn't consider it his own.

To your first question, which relates to the second in a way, there's a lot of stuff he was AD on or worked on that is hard to find and I'm missing myself but again I don't think he considered any of it part of his catalogue so to speak.

Yeah, just tying up loose ends for the most part.

This is a pretty decent English resource for his "other" stuff.

Of course then there is the world of his drawings and paintings and books about him. Lots out there.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

According to Criterion, he's been with them since 1984:

https://www.criterion.com/my_criteri...0-jon-mulvaney

I have been with Criterion since 1984, answering customer questions since the days when they arrived in a stamped envelope. Citizen Kane and Grand Illusion are the Criterion releases I'd most like to see back in the collection, not just because they are, along with Seven Samurai, Rules of the Game, and 8 ½, my not especially surprising favorite movies, but also because Citizen Kane was Criterion's first laserdisc release and Grand Illusion holds DVD spine number 1. Having those two out of print feel like holes in my soul.
Favorite director: Too many to name here...
Favorite Criterion edition: Brazil
Most wanted in the collection: Citizen Kane

Sounds like a catch-all account for Criterion.

[Ray Jackson]

Well, finally watched The Vanishing last night.

Initial reaction: definitely liked it...didn't love it.

Starts out really strong, gets a tad slow in the middle and ends on a pretty strong note.

When I thought about what kept it from being great for me, it came down to the music more than anything else. Music is the most underrated element of these kinds of films imo. When a film that's relatively low budget and somewhat slow has the kind of haunting music that hits all the right notes, it can take a good movie and make it a magical movie (see Picnic at Hanging Rock.)

But when the music is a little dull and a little generic, it prevents a movie like this from really taking flight.

Still liked the film.

...thanks to everyone who offered great advice on it.

[Feiereisel]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Does anyone believe Jon Mulvaney is a real person?

I think he's Criterion's George Kaplan.

I've seen this come up from time to time and while I think the idea of him as a MacGuffin is decidedly more interesting and fun to consider, the style and tone of the emails I've gotten in response to my various concerns are similar enough that I think he is indeed real. That said, the style is cordial enough to be easily imitated.

Maybe he oversees communications, drafting and providing response templates to some mailing-list interns and only replying personally to emails that can't be covered by form-letter responses.

But who knows.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Yeah, just tying up loose ends for the most part.

This is a pretty decent English resource for his "other" stuff.

Of course then there is the world of his drawings and paintings and books about him. Lots out there.

It's interesting to think there was a time where a film could just disappear. In today's world a nobody could fall down the stairs and become an Internet sensation. As far as stuff like Song of the Horse I just sort of gave up. There's certain pieces of work he was involved in that I fear I won't get to see. A friend of mine once teased that he'd seen Horse, which is "rumoured" his first directed film, but that's about as close as I've ever come to seeing it! Most of the cool stuff I have is just copies of scripts and bits of info.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Bob Kramer

Can't stand that film. To me it's little more than a warmed over L'Avventura.

Not a fan of L'Avventura.

The only similarity to me is the lack of resolution.

[waxHead]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Well, finally watched The Vanishing last night.

Initial reaction: definitely liked it...didn't love it.

Starts out really strong, gets a tad slow in the middle and ends on a pretty strong note.

When I thought about what kept it from being great for me, it came down to the music more than anything else. Music is the most underrated element of these kinds of films imo. When a film that's relatively low budget and somewhat slow has the kind of haunting music that hits all the right notes, it can take a good movie and make it a magical movie (see Picnic at Hanging Rock.)

But when the music is a little dull and a little generic, it prevents a movie like this from really taking flight.

Still liked the film.

...thanks to everyone who offered great advice on it.

I find music in film (and sound in general) to be at least as important as the visuals. This goes for all types of films, regardless of budget. Along the lines of what you mentioned, excellent music can create an almost transcendent film-watching experience.

Poor music and sound generally have an opposite effect. Even though I've seen the original The Vanishing and own the Criterion DVD, I don't have any desire to watch it again and couldn't describe any of the music used in the movie.

And thanks, now I need to buy Picnic at Hanging Rock during the next B&N sale

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Bob Kramer

I agree about Clockwork Orange. It is bravura film making, but unfortunately the sort of thing that attracts fanboys and and film students (all male, of course.)

I'm glad that others have pointed out that this is complete rubbish. I suppose that if you subscribe to certain stereotypes such as "men don't cry," that somewhere down that list it says, "women don't like A Clockwork Orange."

Originally Posted by Bob Kramer

but unfortunately the sort of thing that attracts fanboys and and film students

who cares? I had this discussion on another thread in the past, but why hold it against a film (this film, any film) if certain people take what they want out of it and run with it. an entire subculture of thugs have Tony Montana (Scarface) posters plastered on their walls and celebrate him (Scarface spoiler) -

[Show spoiler]despite the fact that his greed and excess leads to his demise.

clearly, much like those who celebrate Alex DeLarge, they have missed the point. what bearing should that have on your critical appreciation of the film?

btw.. my wife happened to like A Clockwork Orange. regarding Goodfellas, my sister absolutely LOVES it and my wife would include it on her favorite movies of all-time list.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by popcorntreect

Hsiao-hsien Hou

Is A City of Sadness a good place to start? It seems to have really good reviews and it has Tony Leung in it, so I have something of a connecting point having seen him in WWK movies.

[Freeza]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Does anyone believe Jon Mulvaney is a real person?

I think he's Criterion's George Kaplan.

I thought that was something people have known for years (as in before blu-ray was even a spark in its father's eye), that it's just what they call their customer service line.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Is A City of Sadness a good place to start? It seems to have really good reviews and it has Tony Leung in it, so I have something of a connecting point having seen him in WWK movies.

A City of Sadness is masterful, but I think it needs some background reading on Taiwanese history for full effect. I'd recommend starting off with A Time to Live, a Time to Die or The Puppetmaster