The Criterion Collection

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Mindfather

Scream Factory is doing it. Species 4K just arrived today. Is that less niche than the rest of the David Lynch/DePalma/Croenenberg catalog (and many others)? I'm not saying do every movie 4K if it doesn't make sense, but they need to pivot and focus on releasing ALL the ones that do garner 4K soon.

Also, you are underestimating the 4K market, would anyone expect that Kino Lorber would be dunking on Criterion? Its been happening consistently. One of the main topics on this thread is predicting which releases will be upgraded soon.

I literally mentioned horror labels as an example that could get by with releasing more niche stuff on 4K. Also, Kino has turned down a bunch of noteworthy films that you would think would be 4K worthy, because they said it wouldn't sell well enough to justify a 4K release. So you can qualify them as "dunking" on Criterion because they were very likely able to get a sweetheart deal with MGM for some of Criterion's titles , but they also very clearly believe that the 4K market isn't big enough to support the bulk of their 4K sourced licensed titles.

So since Criterion started doing 4K, can you provide a list of all the films during that time that you believe should have been 4K? Keeping in mind of course what I mentioned about StudioCanal, and 4K licensing (Fox licenses for example being unlikely).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I am looking at all of the upcoming 4K UHD announcements for the months to come, and I am having an epiphany.

I will not be able to finance buying all of the forthcoming 4K UHD upgrades to replace existing Blu-rays that I own, nor should I try.

As soon as payday hits, though, I am going to venture to a brick-and-mortar Barnes & Noble to look for Double Indemnity 4K and Shaft 4K. Those, in particular, are priorities.

Wellllll...

I went to a couple of local Barnes & Noble stores yesterday, and came home with...

Double Indemnity 4K
For All Mankind 4K
Shaft 4K
The Virgin Suicides 4K
Raging Bull 4K
Flight of the Phoenix
Pink Flamingos

I was on the fence about upgrading my old Blu-ray of Raging Bull, since that is a movie that I respect more than I actually honest-to-goodnessly enjoy, but the movie is probably ripe for a reevaluation on my part.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

They haven’t pulled the brakes - we just got An Actor’s Revenge, The Funeral, Drive My Car and After Life. And many Japanese films are notorious for their rights issues.

I would certainly love even more Japanese films, they’re a crucial linchpin of cinema, but they’re also better represented in the collection than any other non-English speaking country except perhaps France and Italy, and I’m delighted to be getting a broader view of world cinema in the collection.

Actor’s revenge was 4 years ago, the others are mostly modern films. Personally I long for the days where Criterion only stuck to true classics. I get what they’re doing now diversifying, but would be nice if they did that on top of their usual releases not instead of. It boggles the mind we haven’t had a Kurosawa movie in like 4 years, where this used to be what they were all about. Japanese films used to be their staple releases. It was their bread and butter 20 years ago.

Hopefully they finally give us the Kurosawa box and I can stop grieving.

[The Great Owl]

Sorry, but it's true...

[SeanJoyce]

^Is Principal Vernon Twilight Time?

[jkoffman]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

Actor’s revenge was 4 years ago, the others are mostly modern films. Personally I long for the days where Criterion only stuck to true classics. I get what they’re doing now diversifying, but would be nice if they did that on top of their usual releases not instead of. It boggles the mind we haven’t had a Kurosawa movie in like 4 years, where this used to be what they were all about. Japanese films used to be their staple releases. It was their bread and butter 20 years ago.

Hopefully they finally give us the Kurosawa box and I can stop grieving.

Specifically, when was this period?

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by jkoffman

Specifically, when was this period?

Obviously when they released Armageddon and The Rock.

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

Actor’s revenge was 4 years ago, the others are mostly modern films. Personally I long for the days where Criterion only stuck to true classics. I get what they’re doing now diversifying, but would be nice if they did that on top of their usual releases not instead of. It boggles the mind we haven’t had a Kurosawa movie in like 4 years, where this used to be what they were all about. Japanese films used to be their staple releases. It was their bread and butter 20 years ago.

It's funny, bc The Funeral is now *older* than Seven Samurai was when it was first released on Criterion. And that's my point. You can't satisfy anyone. No, an old film doesn't make it a classic! No, there's already too much Kurosawa! No, what about Japanese noir? Meanwhile, there's not a real Bollywood film in the collection (yet). Sigh.

Meanwhile, you're free to be the one negotiating with Toho, bc from everything I've heard, they're a nightmare to work with rights-wise.

(* And as someone who collected CC laserdiscs almost from day one, exactly 4 of their first 100 releases were Japanese, so I mean, no, not exactly their bread and butter if you REALLY wanna go back to their roots.)

[DukeTogo84]

When it comes to Japanese cinema and Criterion it can become frustrating just because they have so many films, but release them at a snails pace. If they were to release all the Japanese films they had the rights to at say one title a month in HD, it would be over a decade before they were all out. They currently release maybe 3-4 titles a year if we are lucky, and they currently have some of my favorite Japanese titles EVER, but who knows if they will ever get a Blu-ray release.

At this point, it doesn't bother me as much just because there are so many great releases coming out from so many labels, and I'm happy we are finally getting Cure on Blu-ray. Still, would love for them to release some of those Hideo Gosha titles...

[hammer99]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Sorry, but it's true...

Kino’s too cool for school:

[Jr7936]

and yet we forget about Severin

Originally Posted by hammer99

Kino’s too cool for school:

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Sorry, but it's true...

Don't forget Mill Creek.

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

I would think very low, but I could be wrong. On the whole they haven't been getting upgraded unless they're also cult favorites. Besides when it comes to Japanese movies Criterion seems to have pulled the brakes. There's still many Kurosawa films that Criterion holds that they haven't even gotten to blu ray yet. I wish Criterion would go back to its roots.

Isabella Rossellini might agree with you. She name dropped Criterion as her addiction with her main focus right now watching the films of Huston, Fellini, Varda, Ford and Truffaut. I t also mentioned she was married to Scorsese I though at one point she was married to Lynch, turns out they only dated, but never knew she had a relationship with Scorsese.

[Gacivory]

I went to my local Barnes & Noble and went to get Summertime, but each copy had what sounded like a floating disc. I thought it was interesting that it was just Summertime.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

I went to my local Barnes & Noble and went to get Summertime, but each copy had what sounded like a floating disc. I thought it was interesting that it was just Summertime.

Funny, I just now shook my still in shrink wrap copy of Summertime that I ordered from B&N online, and no floating disc. Maybe that is a service they provide for in-store customers.

[concolt]

Is The Royal Tenenbaums and Rebecca out of print? They never seem to be in stock at the B&N’s around me. Also is there’s good source for going or OOP titles?

[BunyipPouch]

Originally Posted by concolt

Is The Royal Tenenbaums and Rebecca out of print? They never seem to be in stock at the B&N’s around me. Also is there’s good source for going or OOP titles?

No, those are both still in print.

Criterion is (in)famous for not announcing when something is going OOP, so it's a surprise when it happens, most recently the batch of Paramount titles that went OOP a year or two ago (Days of Heaven, Harold and Maude, Don't Look Now, Nashville, etc). Although it's extremely rare overall and they seem to have longer licenses than most other labels.

As for already OOP, they keep a page for that here, currently at 113 titles (mostly DVD-era):

https://www.criterion.com/shop/brows...r=out-of-print

Some of them were re-released by Criterion in box sets, and some were picked up by other labels, I notice a few from Kino and obviously Paramount.

[omahajon]

I did the thing that all the cool kids are doing and picked up the Raging Bull 4K.

[Rayjg]

Kids watch 4K not movie.

[dkelly26666]

Well, not truly Criterion related, but because they just will not seem to ever get to it, I went ahead and pre-ordered the Imprint edition of "Dersu Uzala". (As well as "Barfly").

So, if either of those get announced for Criterion shortly, you're all welcome.