The Criterion Collection

[BIGXWHIFF]

What a wonderful month! My favorite part of the announcements is Jackie Chan kicking himself in the dick on the cover.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

Holy crap - Texasville, and the B/W directors cut too. How long had Bogdanovich been trying that into the collection? I honestly didn’t think we’d ever see that hit.

Ughhh, I didn't notice that--guess I'll be getting this. . .

[dvining]

Originally Posted by Macatouille

When is the next Criterion-site sale? Don't they usually have a flash sale in October?

It'll probably be mid-late October.

They'll announce it the day before it happens.

[HipsterTrash]

Hell yeah. Knew waiting for Mean Streets was a good idea. Chances of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is gettin' better.
Also totally in for Last Picture Show and a good reminder to nab Targets.
Lastly, that Jackie Chan set looks stoke but getting boxsets as a Canadian is rough.

[Taylor3978]

I thought if cinematography was the great beneficiary of an upgrade to UHD, then the two films I've most wanted to see upgraded are Days of Heaven and Barry Lyndon. Happy to see this for DoH (it figures they would upgrade the title I already have on BD), still in a holding pattern for Barry.

Great to see The Last Picture Show getting the presentation it deserves (The BBS box set is still definitely worth getting, for early gems of the American New Wave!). Still hoping for a boxset (preferably UHD but could live with BD, but please not BD followed by UHD six months later) of the Powell and Pressburger B&W films, which still languish on DVD.

[sandman slim]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

I’m definitely in for The Last Picture Show. I have the BBS set, but will happily upgrade to UHD, and also happy to see Texasville finally available, and with the director’s cut too.

I just bought that set a few weeks ago, specifically for The Last Picture Show. Y'all are welcome.

[HipsterTrash]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And it ended at 1199 ...Hey, could be a separate special announcement for spine 1200

After they finally released more desired Scorsese films, here's hoping some of those back catalogued Anderson titles start showing up.

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

Mean Streets, Days Of Heaven, and The Last Picture Show. November is going to be one hell of a month.

Also, since 4K rereleases are becoming a thing, here’s another eventual Criterion release: Goodfellas, with the same actual scan and restoration, but with new HDR and new DV. I also fee confident saying that when Alice and WTKAMD finally get here, Criterion will be the one doing them.

I could see them releasing them individually then possibly doing an Early Scorsese box set. Similar to how the del Toro films were released.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And it ended at 1199 ...Hey, could be a separate special announcement for spine 1200

Bigger than Mean Streets, bigger than TLPS...but what could it be?

Go by directors, it would have to be a significant one by one of their go-to directors. Wes Anderson comes instantly to mind, since as far as I know none of his films are on 4K. Kubrick too, but considering BL is already in the collection and a 4K would have the same spine number, a Kubrick 4K would need a big title and have to be new to the collection (at least in the DVD/Blu-ray/4K era). For instance, 2001, ACO, The Shining, FMJ, and EWS have all never had modern releases. In fact, only 2001 has had a laserdisc release. We could also finally bring Tarantino back. His Pulp Fiction laserdisc is still legendary, and any of his movies would be welcome in the collection. And as I said above, Scorsese is big right now, and I think Criterion will eventually redo Goodfellas. Spine 1200 is a great time for that one.

Movies themselves, it would have to be one significant to the collection. Kino already called Body Snatchers 56, or I’d say that one. Other options include their last released laserdisc, Armageddon, and the axed laserdisc 385: Gone With The Wind. Go through their DVDs, and you can find easily hundreds of titles that never made the jump.

Then of course we have anniversaries, which have been the number one excuse to release a movie over the years. Leaving one big one out, I got The Robe, 2001: A Space Odyssey, American Graffiti (the first Lucas film in Criterion history; Universal said it’s coming but didn’t say from who), Grease (if the Paramount deal is indeed back on), Scarface, Return Of The Jedi, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Shakespeare In Love, Saving Private Ryan, and Argo.

When you combine anniversaries with big Criterion titles, one big one comes to mind: King Kong. It’s laserdisc number 2, released day-and-date with Citizen Kane. It had the first commentary ever. And WHV has kindly decided to do absolutely squat with the anniversary on their own (having WAC repress and rerelease the 2010 Blu-ray doesn’t count. A Criterion 4K, with all previous features, would be a real winner.

Another significant film in history could be a last on the format movie: Mission Impossible (Beta), A History Of Violence (VHS), Sleepy Hollow (laserdisc), Bringing Out The Dead (laserdisc, same day as Sleepy Hollow), and The Jewel Of The Nile (CED). While MI seems unlikely and Sleepy Hollow has already been announced by Paramount, the other three are welcome.

And then if we just list movies that have had the short end of the stick on video, we get Greed, El Cid, The Fall Of The Roman Empire, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Doctor Zhivago, Ryan’s Daughter, The Devils, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (a Best Picture winner ffs), The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Looking For Mr. Goodbar (okay probably not happening), Star Wars (on second thought, Goodbar’s a possibility), The Warriors, Little Darlings (rumored to be coming this year), a comprehensive release of Blade Runner, Pink Floyd - The Wall, The Terminator, Amadeus, and Dances With Wolves are just some.

Unless number 1200 is a really out-there title, it’s probably somewhere up in that behemoth of a list.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by mande2013

I doubt WB would give Goodfellas to a boutique label considering it’s in their inner circle of legacy titles.

So is Citizen Kane and Mean Streets.

[kwillard37]

The Last Picture Show getting a Criterion 4K after already being included in Columbia Classics Volume 3, and Criterion really adding to their Scorsese releases in the last year makes me wonder if Taxi Driver is a possibility in the future.

[PowellPressburger]

Wish we got a 4K UHD upgrade for The Ice Storm which has been hinted at by Studio Canal UK

Kind of figured since Criterion have a relationship with Disney for some titles and those are still in print they might give the okay for a 4K upgrade.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Wish we got a 4K UHD upgrade for The Ice Storm which has been hinted at by Studio Canal UK

Kind of figured since Criterion have a relationship with Disney for some titles and those are still in print they might give the okay for a 4K upgrade.

I was hoping so too. The Ice Storm is a wonderful film.

[MifuneFan]

We can now cross another one off this list too.

Originally Posted by Akijama

In case it wasn't posted yet: Bunch of titles were recently listed as discontinued on WB's press site. Some of them already released by Criterion (Being There, Mildred Pierce, Pan's Labyrinth etc.), and the rest of the list is definitely something that Criterion would love to bring into their fold.


Round Midnight
The Roaring Twenties*
The Philadelphia Story
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
O Lucky Man
Lone Star
Hedwig & The Angry Inch
Captain Blood
Bringing Up Baby
Arsenic and Old Lace

also...

Mean Streets
Barry Lyndon

(*Roaring Twenties is confirmed to be coming according to George Feltenstein, though he didn't specify if it's WAC or Criterion. I would say it's likely the latter given its place on this list.)

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by Taylor3978

I thought if cinematography was the great beneficiary of an upgrade to UHD, then the two films I've most wanted to see upgraded are Days of Heaven and Barry Lyndon. Happy to see this for DoH (it figures they would upgrade the title I already have on BD), still in a holding pattern for Barry.

Great to see The Last Picture Show getting the presentation it deserves (The Columbia box set is still definitely worth getting, for early gems of the American New Wave!). Still hoping for a boxset (preferably UHD but could live with BD, but please not BD followed by UHD six months later) of the Powell and Pressburger B&W films, which still languish on DVD.

BL is a when, not an if. The question is who will release it. I predict Criterion at this point.

As for P&P, what the hell is the holdup there? They’re literally like the True Lies/The Abyss of Criterion. At this point I’m assuming it’s a rights issue, since they know how popular these are and have no reason not to release them.

[RWZMJL]

Paper Moon and Alice are both in my top five most desired 4K releases... came so close this month...

[Areyakiddin]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

American Graffiti (the first Lucas film in Criterion history; Universal said it’s coming but didn’t say from who)

The preorder pages are up and it's definitely coming from Universal themselves.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid
O Lucky Man

PG as far as I know had been out of print for at least ten years, no shock there. OLM has been out of print presumably since it came out. Have you seen the prices for that one?

While I think PG has a bigger shot at being 1200 than OLM, I think they’ll both have a chance in the collection. If... is already in the collection, so OLM just fits.

[goodnitesteve]

Glad to see Texasvillle coming out. Curious to see what elements they used for that Directors Cut. It was only released on Laserdisc.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by BIGXWHIFF

What a wonderful month! My favorite part of the announcements is Jackie Chan kicking himself in the dick on the cover.

I might have to get that just for the cover. I thought The Little Mermaid had hysterical cover art but this one might be better. Why show off a dick when you can kick yourself in it?

[fred25_Ca]

Oh wow, I thought for sure these Jackie Chan movies would be stuck on streaming with Criterion, VERY happy to be proven wrong. With this box set, the two shout sets and the few Arrow and 88 films releases, i'd say the only big ones missing are the Project A movies (which I think 88 films is working on?). Couldn't care less about anything after Drunken master 2 (1994). Oh there's still Miracles I guess and I wouldn't mind another release of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow too. But still, Jackie Chan movies on blu ray in North America are looking pretty damn good these days!