The Criterion Collection

[mja345]

Spike Lee is pretty under-represented on BD. "Jungle Fever", "Mo' Better Blues" (coming to BD in the UK), "Crooklyn", "Get on the Bus", "She's Gotta Have It", and "Bamboozled" are all very worthwhile films that should get releases while the format is still humming. He and John Sayles are two filmmakers whose peak years are very under-represented on Blu-Ray

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by mja345

Spike Lee is pretty under-represented on BD. "Jungle Fever", "Mo' Better Blues" (coming to BD in the UK), "Crooklyn", "Get on the Bus", "She's Gotta Have It", and "Bamboozled" are all very worthwhile films that should get releases while the format is still humming. He and John Sayles are two filmmakers whose peak years are very under-represented on Blu-Ray

I know Lee and Ernest Dickerson have been working/worked on a restoration of She's Gotta Have It. I bet the release will be timed with the show, so hopefully end of year!

A decent release of Matewan is my dream! In general I feel Sayles is underrated and I agree under-represented on Blu-Ray! Or should it be, barely represented?

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by mja345

Spike Lee is pretty under-represented on BD. "Jungle Fever", "Mo' Better Blues" (coming to BD in the UK), "Crooklyn", "Get on the Bus", "She's Gotta Have It", and "Bamboozled" are all very worthwhile films that should get releases while the format is still humming. He and John Sayles are two filmmakers whose peak years are very under-represented on Blu-Ray

Under-represented isn't the word for Sayles. He has a total of 2 films out on blu out of 18 features he's directed, and one of them (Eight Men Out) has incorrect geometry and the whole image is stretched. I have an HD copy of Lone Star, and I suspect Warner Archive will eventually put that one out, but I'm not even sure who owns the rights anymore to the early stuff that MGM put out on DVD.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Under-represented isn't the word for Sayles. He has a total of 2 films out on blu out of 18 features he's directed, and one of them (Eight Men Out) has incorrect geometry and the whole image is stretched. I have an HD copy of Lone Star, and I suspect Warner Archive will eventually put that one out, but I'm not even sure who owns the rights anymore to the early stuff that MGM put out on DVD.

Yeah, it really sucks how few Sayles films have made it to BD. He's one of the best filmmakers of the last 30-35 years.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Since the 4K scans are primarily made to create DCP's for theatrical screenings, you might as well take that 4K master and use it for a BD release, right? You're right that there is an element of hype concerning 4K scans for BD releases but it's also a bit of a "quality stamp." It's unlikely to get much better than a 4K scan (at least for BD's, UHD BD may be another story), so as long as the encoding process isn't messed up, there's a good chance that a 4K scan is the ultimate release for a blu-ray title in terms of PQ.

I was looking at 75" 4K LCD screens while at Costco the other day. Monstrous sizes, but the prices weren't ludicrous ($2,500-$3,000) all things considered. If the trend towards ever bigger screens continue, 4K vs. 2K scans may end up having a noticeable difference when viewed on such big screens.

Of course, you may as well make a blu-ray out of it. But it's only a matter of time before collectors who felt they were set for life with their Criterion blu-rays of The Third Man or what-have-you are up in arms when they feel they're being manipulated and milked of their money every time a "new restoration" of an already perfectly watchable film is released. When you're made to feel that no, that Criterion blu-ray taken from a HD or 2K source with a 5/5 rating on blu-ray.com is not actually the definitive edition because now there's a 4K 'restoration' you tend to feel a bit ripped off, that's all. It's not wholly different from the "no, not another format, now I have to re-buy my entire collection" attitude. Yes, it may be a somewhat selfish perspective but so it goes. I'm not saying don't continuously restore films, just do it in a manner that doesn't make collectors with HD/2K sourced Criterions/MOCs feel ripped off. When you spend well over 20 USD on a blu-ray, you'd like to think you're set for life just like when you buy a 20 USD trade paperback or that vinyl of Pet Sounds purchased over 40 years ago provided it's been kept in excellent condition.

[KCota15]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Anyone care to guess which movie will receive the coveted #900 next week?

My money is on The Grand Budapest Hotel.

John Hughes Boxset with Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science being 901-903 (with hopefully Ferris Bueller also)

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by mja345

Spike Lee is pretty under-represented on BD. "Jungle Fever", "Mo' Better Blues" (coming to BD in the UK), "Crooklyn", "Get on the Bus", "She's Gotta Have It", and "Bamboozled" are all very worthwhile films that should get releases while the format is still humming. He and John Sayles are two filmmakers whose peak years are very under-represented on Blu-Ray

Lee is pretty out of fashion right now, even among cinephiles. It isn't too surprising really.

Many of his films also seem bound to their time in a way that others don't. e.g Jungle Fever.

[Reddington]

For those interested, Beaver review of Rebecca is up:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-r...ca_blu-ray.htm

Darker than the MGM release, and some framing differences. Will be glad to pick up and have both.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Lee is pretty out of fashion right now, even among cinephiles. It isn't too surprising really.

Many of his films also seem bound to their time in a way that others don't. e.g Jungle Fever.

For sure, but there are many filmmakers you could say that about. Many great films of the 70s, for example, are completely bound to their time, i.e. films by Woody Allen, Scorsese, Altman, Lumet, etc from that era. "Medium Cool" and "Two Lane Blacktop" are great films that couldn't seem from a more specific era if they tried. Spike Lee has made some terrible films, some great films, but he almost always tries to do something somewhat interesting and I respect him for that.

[dex14]

Originally Posted by Reddington

For those interested, Beaver review of Rebecca is up:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-r...ca_blu-ray.htm

Darker than the MGM release, and some framing differences. Will be glad to pick up and have both.

Jesus... I have owned every edition that is shown on that page (sans the new CC).

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by mja345

For sure, but there are many filmmakers you could say that about. Many great films of the 70s, for example, are completely bound to their time, i.e. films by Woody Allen, Scorsese, Altman, Lumet, etc from that era. "Medium Cool" and "Two Lane Blacktop" are great films that couldn't seem from a more specific era if they tried. Spike Lee has made some terrible films, some great films, but he almost always tries to do something somewhat interesting and I respect him for that.

Yes but a film like Two Lane Blacktop has a more universal quality that most of Lee's films lack.

He is respectable for sure, but there is no doubting that his popularity has waned for a while now.

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Anyone care to guess which movie will receive the coveted #900 next week?

My money is on The Grand Budapest Hotel.

I dunno about #900, but maybe 16 Candles will make the #1,000 spine in a few years.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Yes but a film like Two Lane Blacktop has a more universal quality that most of Lee's films lack.

He is respectable for sure, but there is no doubting that his popularity has waned for a while now.

I agree that he's not terribly popular anymore. It doesn't help that, for the most part, the quality of his films has decreased significantly in the last 15 years.

[mja345]

I'm guessing #900 will be another Henry Jaglom title to capitalize on the popularity of "A Safe Place". Maybe something that will sell a lot, like "Babyfever" or "Eating".

[moody41]

spine 900 announced it's a 32 blu-ray collection of Olympic movies.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-olympic-films

[mja345]

Originally Posted by moody41

spine 900 announced it's a 32 blu-ray collection of Olympic movies.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-olympic-films

Wow, interesting! I wonder how many people will actually buy this though. I gotta be honest, I probably won't purchase because I don't want to watch that much Olympic footage. But it's a pretty daring release IMO.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by moody41

spine 900 announced it's a 32 blu-ray collection of Olympic movies.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-olympic-films

My god, that looks amazing ,but it's too rich for my blood. I hope that some of it shows uo on FilmStruck.

[xxnomad]

Originally Posted by moody41

spine 900 announced it's a 32 blu-ray collection of Olympic movies.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-olympic-films

so then this would be in the 175$ range during the 50% off sales?

[omgkitty]

Originally Posted by xxnomad

so then this would be in the 175$ range during the 50% off sales?

The full retail price is $400, so it will be $200 in a 50% off sale.

[ckt]

Originally Posted by moody41

spine 900 announced it's a 32 blu-ray collection of Olympic movies.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-olympic-films

Was not expecting to be as intrigued by this as I felt I became while reading through the release description. Like others have said, I probably won't actually buy this, and I'm hoping that some of this will end up on Filmstruck.

But, this is a great project and a unique and unexpected release. I never fully considered the fact that cinema and the Olympics had such a close relationship. This seems like a great contribution to history and film preservation.