The Criterion Collection

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Watershipdownisgood

Well darn he's definitely missing out on a lot of stuff though by not doing it.

I don't really see it that way as there are simply too many films coming out here that it's hard to keep up with in the US alone. If it's a film that I want to watch that doesn't have a BD, I'll just watch it online, but for collection purposes I try to keep it all from the US. I have a handful of Canadian releases, and even those bother me and hope to replace them with US releases.

I'm at the point also where I simply have so many movies that I probably will never rewatch a lot of them.

[Colonel Blimp]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I don't really see it that way as there are simply too many films coming out here that it's hard to keep up with in the US alone. If it's a film that I want to watch that doesn't have a BD, I'll just watch it online, but for collection purposes I try to keep it all from the US. I have a handful of Canadian releases, and even those bother me and hope to replace them with US releases.

I'm at the point also where I simply have so many movies that I probably will never rewatch a lot of them.

Yeah, this makes sense.

There isn't that one specific movie that will suddenly make region-free some vital addition. Yes, now and again there might be some region-locked LE that's kind of interesting - but there are dozens of other movies in the meantime. In the end, there's no real loss.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I don't really see it that way as there are simply too many films coming out here that it's hard to keep up with in the US alone. If it's a film that I want to watch that doesn't have a BD, I'll just watch it online, but for collection purposes I try to keep it all from the US. I have a handful of Canadian releases, and even those bother me and hope to replace them with US releases.

I'm at the point also where I simply have so many movies that I probably will never rewatch a lot of them.

I had a brief moment about 12 years ago when I went region-free. It was nice at first, but I found that the titles I was purchasing were being released in the U.S., and quite often as better releases. I eventually gave away my region free player to a friend, and soon after UHD was introduced and I had other things to focus on.

[javy]

Chaplin.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Watershipdownisgood

Well darn he's definitely missing out on a lot of stuff though by not doing it.

If he was British he'd have gone region free by now due to some films suffering CUTS or being banned in the UK.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by JupiterMission

Very cool month! Although initially I thought "Choose Me" was 1988's "Call Me" and got even more excited, lol.

Hoping Call Me gets a Blu-ray release next year as part of the Vestron Video line.

Definitely want to get Choose Me (it's been on my wishlist).

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

If he was British he'd have gone region free by now due to some films suffering CUTS or being banned in the UK.

Depends on the movie. It's a favorite film like Violent Street that got cut because of a chicken death, it would drive me bonkers. I don't want to see a chicken die, but I still want the film to be unedited.

[Trek Billionth]

Originally Posted by dwk

Looks like The Wages of Fear is getting a new Blu-ray, so the UHD will have the upgraded Blu-ray.

Is this the first time during a 4K upgrade that the blu ray disc was upgraded with a new transfer and released as a standalone edition? I can’t think of this ever happening before unless I have not been paying attention.

I have been a viewer of this forum for a while, but had to make an account and ask this, because I don’t think I will find the answer easily elsewhere.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Trek Billionth

Is this the first time during a 4K upgrade that the blu ray disc was upgraded with a new transfer and released as a standalone edition? I can’t think of this ever happening before unless I have not been paying attention.

I have been a viewer of this forum for a while, but had to make an account and ask this, because I don’t think I will find the answer easily elsewhere.

I believe so, unless you count The Last Picture Show, which was exclusive to the America: Lost and Found box set until Criterion announced its own 4K release of the film in 2023. This "new" standalone release retained the same HD transfer and extras as the 2010 disc, but now Criterion added Texasville and some extras related to the release.

America: Lost and Found (2010)

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer of Peter Bogdanovich's director's cut, supervised by Bogdanovich, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
• Two audio commentaries, one from 1991, featuring Bogdanovich and actors Cybill Shepherd, Randy Quaid, Cloris Leachman, and Frank Marshall; the other from 2009, featuring Bogdanovich
• “The Last Picture Show”: A Look Back, (1999) and Picture This (1990), documentaries about the making of the film
• A Discussion with Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, a 2009 Q&A
• Screen tests and location footage
• Excerpts from a 1972 television interview with director François Truffaut about the New Hollywood
• Theatrical trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

This is the booklet details for the entire box set:

• PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by critics J. Hoberman, Chuck Stephens, Matt Zoller Seitz, Kent Jones, Graham Fuller, and Mark Le Fanu

Standalone (2023)

• High-definition digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised by director Peter Bogdanovich, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Texasville (1990), the sequel to The Last Picture Show, presented in both the original theatrical version and a black-and-white version of the director’s cut, produced in collaboration with cinematographer Nicholas von Sternberg
• Two audio commentaries, featuring director Peter Bogdanovich and actors Cybill Shepherd, Randy Quaid, Cloris Leachman, and Frank Marshall
• Three documentaries about the making of the film
• Screen tests and location footage
• Introduction to Texasville featuring Bogdanovich, Shepherd, and actor Jeff Bridges
• Excerpts from a 1972 television interview with filmmaker François Truffaut about the New Hollywood
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Graham Fuller and excerpts from an interview with Bogdanovich about Texasville, with a new introduction by Bogdanovich biographer Peter Tonguette
• Cover by F. Ron Miller

[koberulz]

Didn't it happen with Le Cercle Rouge?

[BXR 1138]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Didn't it happen with Le Cercle Rouge?

Yeah.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Didn't it happen with Le Cercle Rouge?

Good point. I forgot about that.

...which actually leads me to a new question, which is why didn't Criterion opt to re-release Le Cercle Rouge in a standalone Blu-ray, as well? Instead it's one single 4K + BD release, unlike everything else.

After quickly browsing through their site, it seems like these are the only other releases without a separate BD only release.

The Ranown Westerns
The Shape of Water
WALL-E

[Rayjg]

Another great lineup. And sign me up for The Late Show too. Just rewatched it on Kanopy. Kanopy is great. I’ve been watching all of Mark Rappaport’s features and they are quite unique. They have most of his shorts too.

[Vinyl]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Depends on the movie. It's a favorite film like Violent Street that got cut because of a chicken death, it would drive me bonkers. I don't want to see a chicken die, but I still want the film to be unedited.

I just rewatched that a few days ago. It really holds up. The characters, even the ones with a few minutes of screen time, feel fleshed out. Gosha is such a good director. Of all the things to be censored, the chickens would be the on the bottom of my list. But, I think it has to do with something about animal cruelty and the like.

It makes sense on paper, but in practice these rules seem bizarre and arbitrary.

[shimmy]

I generally dont like Criterion's covers but that Wages of Fear art is something I wouldnt mind having framed on my wall.

[cgpublic]

Another incredible month from Criterion, every title in UHD except Chaplin no less. The once seemingly infatigable and repetitive noise in regard to Criterion not embracing 4K has now faded to a distant and unwelcome memory. Night Moves, The Wages of Fear, Thief and Choose Me are at the top of my next sale wishlist, but wouldn't be surprised if all eventually found their way to my shelf.

Night Moves is a big surprise, given the quality of the WAC Blu-ray, which is based on a then new 4K scan of the OCN.

While Bonnie and Clyde would have represented a holy of all holies get for Criterion to honor of Arthur Penn, WB most likely wants to keep it for themselves or perhaps that's an expensive project for another day. Regardless, the new slate of Penn-centric supplements combined with the older EPK and trailer is very welcome, and I can't wait to watch one of the most accurate representations of 70s neo-noir cinema, film and restoration, on a UHD disc with DV no less.

This film has a special place in my memory as I've noted over in the WAC thread. As a young teen back in 75, my Dad and me, sans my younger brother, saw Night Moves at The Quad over on West 4th. After the film, my Dad said it’s not that your brother is too young for Melanie Griffith, he’s just not old enough to appreciate her talent.

I just nodded my head and smiled.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by shimmy

I generally dont like Criterion's covers but that Wages of Fear art is something I wouldnt mind having framed on my wall.

I miss the days when Criterion used to sell posters directly. Now you can find many of them, including this one sold exclusively through Posteritati, but for a lot more money.

https://posteritati.com/poster/60626...t-movie-poster

Hi-res poster via Janus' website

[Show spoiler]

[Trek Billionth]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Good point. I forgot about that.

...which actually leads me to a new question, which is why didn't Criterion opt to re-release Le Cercle Rouge in a standalone Blu-ray, as well? Instead it's one single 4K + BD release, unlike everything else.

After quickly browsing through their site, it seems like these are the only other releases without a separate BD only release.

The Ranown Westerns
The Shape of Water
WALL-E

I assume Disney has something to do with the reason behind WALL-E and The Shape of Water. I can’t answer the other two - seems random.

And thank you for your answer earlier. Saved me a lot of time looking into it myself.

[MifuneFan]

The Japanese film Undercurrent (Yoru no kawa) (1956) will having it's west coast premiere at the Academy Museum on December 19th . It received a 4K restoration from Kadokawa, and Janus/Criterion have the rights.

https://www.academymuseum.org/en/pro...e-a5e0a2b10492

West Coast Restoration Premiere

Kozaburo Yoshimura—former assistant director to notable filmmakers such as Yasujiro Ozu—added another compelling drama about postwar Japanese society to his incredible body of work with his first feature in color. Kiwa (Fujiko Yamamoto) is a keen-eyed, assertive kimono designer who embodies both traditional Japanese and modern Western notions—two clashing viewpoints that propel the development of the film’s narrative and characters. Yoshimura employs visually stunning symbolism like vivid red fabric, a Picasso-influenced painting, and beautiful insert shots of flowers to evoke the complex and unsettling dichotomy of postwar Japan.

Note by Hyesung ii.
DIRECTED BY: Kozaburo Yoshimura. WRITTEN BY: Sumie Tanaka. WITH: Fujiko Yamamoto, Ken Uehara, Keizo Kawasaki, Michiko Ai. 1956. 104 min. Japan. Color. Japanese. 4K DCP. Digital restoration by Kadokawa Corporation; courtesy Janus Films.
Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

I previously made a post last December mentioning it when MoMA premiered it. Here's the info from their page

https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/9296

Yoru no kawa (Undercurrent). 1956. Japan. Directed by Kōzaburō Yoshimura. Screenplay by Sumie Tanaka. With Fujiko Yamamoto, Ken Uehara, Keizō Kawasaki. North American premiere. In Japanese; English subtitles. 104 min.

One of the most stunningly and subtly beautiful color films to come out of 1950s Japan, Undercurrent is a Sirkian melodrama about an aspiring young kimono and necktie designer (oh, those gorgeous layered textile patterns!) who has an affair with a married scientist. Set in the ancient capital of Kyoto, this postwar rediscovery reflects on a nation’s uncertain future and the place of a working woman in it, with Yoshimura and the great cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (the subject of a major MoMA tribute in 2018) using the French tricolors of red, white, and blue to symbolize her wished-for independence and the encroachments of modern Western culture on native Japanese traditions.

4K digital restoration by Kadokawa Corporation; courtesy Janus Films.

[shimmy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I miss the days when Criterion used to sell posters directly. Now you can find many of them, including this one sold exclusively through Posteritati, but for a lot more money.

Oh wow, thats almost the price of four Criterion blu's during a sale, the art is not THAT good. I did save the high res file, will probably use it as a wallpaper on my phone.