The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Finally watched Carol this week and have to say I am pretty impressed, the cinematography and music alone make this quite worthwhile, then it has terrific acting.

After having seen most other Haynes stuff (Velvet Goldmine, Safe and I'm not There) I wasn't expecting much but this is a real contender for best of that year.

Bringing this to Criterion related territory it kind of reminded me a little bit of the type of social issues of All that Heaven Allows/Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, which is kind of weird knowing Haynes also has a version: Far From Heaven, which I haven't seen, but I remember quite a few here want Criterion to release it.

Is Far From Heaven similar to Carol? or more like his other works?

Not related but I also saw Anomalisa, The Diary of a Teenage Girl and The Lobster, really great films too, looking back at 2015 I think it was a great year and I still have plenty to watch.

I thought the music was so incredibly over bearing. In fact, I assigned lyrics to the melody that plays ad nauseam during the film: "This is the saddest lesbian story of all-time." Haynes pummels you with the idea that his story is somehow special or that the film is unique. This type of story has been done many times before and done much better. It has been years since I saw Far From Heaven, but I remember liking that one better. Carol was quite a slog for me.

[jmclick]

Under any other circumstances, it is not the title that I would have picked to become my 400th Criterion blu-ray, but such are the vagaries of fate. Yesterday I found a copy of the stand-alone release of Easy Rider priced at $12.50, and it was too good a deal to pass up. So it received the honor that I had intended to bestow upon either Cat People, Blood Simple, or A Taste of Honey. Ah, well ...

[MifuneFan]

Picture of the upcoming Canadian release of The Man Who Fell to Earth. No word on whether Lionsgate will be releasing it in the US, but you can import it for about $25 USD shipped, which is a bargain.



https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Under any other circumstances, it is not the title that I would have picked to become my 400th Criterion blu-ray, but such are the vagaries of fate. Yesterday I found a copy of the stand-alone release of Easy Rider priced at $12.50, and it was too good a deal to pass up. So it received the honor that I had intended to bestow upon either Cat People, Blood Simple, or A Taste of Honey. Ah, well ...

you're one of the first around here who has expressed interest in A Taste of Honey. its on my want list, too. it wasn't at first, but I was sold on the brief article on Criterion's web site about how Morrissey is an avid admirer of Shelagh Delaney and even has gone so far as to pay homage to bits of her dialogue in his lyrics.

I'd like to see Saturday Night and Sunday Morning released by Criterion, too - "whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not." good stuff.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by sc1957

A) The film tells a true story. The story of a boy who was given a totally sheltered and pampered life to become the leader of a great empire. But the world changed and he was reduced to nothing, ending his life as a gardener.

B) The film also tells the true story of China's change from a land of emperors and peasants to a land of Communist mind control.

C) Filming was done within China's Forbidden City. No foreign filmmakers had ever been allowed to do that.

D) The colors are lush and beautiful. There have been arguments about the framing of various editions of the film. Ignore them.

E) Peter O'Toole as the Englishman who's job is to bring the Emperor into the modern world.

It's not a film I watch often (years can go by), but I always enjoy it when I do.

F) Get the Japanese release if you want a superior video presentation in every way. One of Criterion's rare mis-steps.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Picture of the upcoming Canadian release of The Man Who Fell to Earth. No word on whether Lionsgate will be releasing it in the US, but you can import it for about $25 USD shipped, which is a bargain.



https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

Just pre-ordered it. I'm guessing it will be the same scan as the current StudioCanal U.K. releases. A beautiful, sad movie with a pitch-perfect performance by Bowie.

Take that, eBay scalpers!

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

you're one of the first around here who has expressed interest in A Taste of Honey. its on my want list, too. it wasn't at first, but I was sold on the brief article on Criterion's web site about how Morrissey is an avid admirer of Shelagh Delaney and even has gone so far as to pay homage to bits of her dialogue in his lyrics.

I'd like to see Saturday Night and Sunday Morning released by Criterion, too - "whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not." good stuff.

I'm surprised more people have not expressed an interest in A Taste of Honey. At the time of its release, it was extremely well reviewed, and it won both Best Actor and Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and later cleaned up at the BAFTA Awards. In the U.S., the National Board of Review named it one of the 10 Best Films of the Year. I've long wanted to see it, and was thrilled when Criterion announced they were going to release it.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Just pre-ordered it. I'm guessing it will be the same scan as the current StudioCanal U.K. releases. A beautiful, sad movie with a pitch-perfect performance by Bowie.

Take that, eBay scalpers!

Yep, should be identical to the Studocanal release overseas.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Picture of the upcoming Canadian release of The Man Who Fell to Earth. No word on whether Lionsgate will be releasing it in the US, but you can import it for about $25 USD shipped, which is a bargain.



https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

Hahahaha Lionsgate Region A release? lol

Who knows I guess anything could happen, but I doubt it.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Picture of the upcoming Canadian release of The Man Who Fell to Earth. No word on whether Lionsgate will be releasing it in the US, but you can import it for about $25 USD shipped, which is a bargain.

Right now, I'm inclined to be happy with my Criterion Blu-ray of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

For those who have seen the new 4K restoration, though, is it a drastic improvement or is it something that I might not notice on my 49" 4K television screen?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Hahahaha Lionsgate Region A release? lol

Who knows I guess anything could happen, but I doubt it.

I usually have zero hope for them releasing StudioCanal's stuff in the US, but David Bowie's website posted this back in July:

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Nicolas Roeg’s iconic movie, The Man Who Fell To Earth, we’re delighted to announce that the film will return to UK cinemas in 4K this September.

STUDIOCANAL has announced that they are near to completing a new 4k restoration of the cult classic. The restoration has been in the works since late 2015 and it will be released in cinemas nationwide in the UK on 9th September by Park Circus, opening at BFI Southbank and cinemas nationwide.

The Man Who Fell To Earth will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 10th October by STUDIOCANAL and is part of the ‘Vintage Classics collection’ – showcasing iconic British films, all fully restored and featuring brand new extra content.

Restored by Deluxe London, the restoration of The Man Who Fell To Earth is based on a 4K scan of the original camera negative, followed by a full 4K workflow, with the approval of cinematographer Anthony Richmond and with the blessing of Nic Roeg.

As well as the main poster artwork, there will be a limited edition poster to celebrate the release made available through various promotions and competitions. (See blue version in montage)

Bowie is magnificent in the film as Thomas Jerome Newton, a humanoid alien who comes to Earth from a distant planet on a mission to take water back to his home planet, which is in the midst of a catastrophic drought. Bowie’s performance is timeless and that’s not to mention him looking absolutely incredible throughout...with and without human disguise.

Full details of the DVD/BD release, including a special Collector’s Edition, will follow shortly.

The film will also be released in the US and Germany, stay tuned for more information.

They could very likely just be talking about the theatrical release only however. I'm not counting on a US release, but I wouldn't be shocked if we saw one for this. I was surprised to see Canada getting it even.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Right now, I'm inclined to be happy with my Criterion Blu-ray of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

For those who have seen the new 4K restoration, though, is it a drastic improvement or is it something that I might not notice on my 49" 4K television screen?

With this and Howards End etc my personal view is there are a ton of other titles I'd like to have with a limited budget. So unless there were major issues with the previous release I usually just skip them. However if the price is right at some point I might pick them up.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Banned User

With this and Howards End etc my personal view is there are a ton of other titles I'd like to have with a limited budget. So unless there were major issues with the previous release I usually just skip them. However if the price is right at some point I might pick them up.

That's my mindset, with mixed degrees of success. I did double-dip on The Third Man and Labyrinth, after the virtues of those 4K restorations over the existing Blu-rays became apparent in the site reviews here, but the Criterion Blu-ray of The Man Who Fell to Earth looks quite fitting for that film.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Banned User

With this and Howards End etc my personal view is there are a ton of other titles I'd like to have with a limited budget. So unless there were major issues with the previous release I usually just skip them. However if the price is right at some point I might pick them up.

Normally I would agree with you, but the Criterion transfer of Howards End is, in my opinion, abominable. When I first saw it, I thought my copy was defective, but I later came to learn that the video noise was inherent in the master ... a pity, because the film's cinematography is masterful. As soon as there is an upgrade, I'll be among the first in line to buy it.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I thought the music was so incredibly over bearing. In fact, I assigned lyrics to the melody that plays ad nauseam during the film: "This is the saddest lesbian story of all-time." Haynes pummels you with the idea that his story is somehow special or that the film is unique. This type of story has been done many times before and done much better. It has been years since I saw Far From Heaven, but I remember liking that one better. Carol was quite a slog for me.

Thank you! I thought I was crazy. As a lover of Sirk in particular, admirer of Fassbinder, and enjoyer of mid-century (melo)drama and other Haynes movies, with a taste for the maudlin and overbearing, I still thought Carol was pretty hamfisted and middling. Blanchett is, of course, fantastic, it's admittedly nice to see the L in GLBTQ get some screen time in a non-exploitative way, the production is beautiful, but... I saw it in its first weeks in theaters, and the only reason I've been wanting to see it again is to see what I missed, because I was honestly surprised when all the reviews I read after that were so glowing.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ravenus

I'm not sure why there is a bias against Warner's masters because with their WAC releases they have shown that they can prepare HD masters as good as anyone else. And it's not like Criterion would make 4K restorations for every in-house project. 4K means a lot more work in terms of manual clean-up and would drive up the expense of a project. So unless they are confident to recover it in sales, they won't do a 4K restoration.

Isn't 4K going to be the standard in 5 or 6 years?

Wouldn't market competition force all video distributors (including Criterion) to make 4K HD masters for every future video release, if people all demand 4K. I feel that technology changes with the times and it seems that even now people all expect nothing less than 4K, seeing the advent of UHD 4K HDTVs. In the end, it is totally profit-driven too as well as consumer-driven.

[ShellOilJunior]

We're about due for a newsletter clue before the end of the week.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

We're about due for a newsletter clue before the end of the week.

I predict a fully adorned Japanese warrior eating a croissant at a cafe in Paris.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Right now, I'm inclined to be happy with my Criterion Blu-ray of The Man Who Fell to Earth.

For those who have seen the new 4K restoration, though, is it a drastic improvement or is it something that I might not notice on my 49" 4K television screen?

I figure they'd have to muck up pretty bad to have the new 4K restoration not trump the old discs, and judging by The Third Man it will probably be worth it to upgrade. I've pre-ordered it, marking the third time I've bought this film on blu () so I can post here once I've received it, however by then there might be some reviews or screengrabs anyway. Maybe I'm putting too much faith in SC but I'm looking forward to it.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Normally I would agree with you, but the Criterion transfer of Howards End is, in my opinion, abominable. When I first saw it, I thought my copy was defective, but I later came to learn that the video noise was inherent in the master ... a pity, because the film's cinematography is masterful. As soon as there is an upgrade, I'll be among the first in line to buy it.

Cohen Media 4K release just announced:

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=19932