The Criterion Collection

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by Gambit1138

They’ve GOT to be announcing something Wong Kar Wai in July. It’ll be a big month. Definitely no Tree of Life, though. They’re still cutting stuff for it.

Especially with New York's annual Asian film fest happening each July.

[BleedOrange11]

Looks like The Mission and Vengeance are available on FilmStruck.

https://www.filmstruck.com/us/watch/bundle/1520000606

Can't wait for a Johnnie To film by Criterion! The Mission desperately needs a Blu-ray.

[javy]

Anyone have an idea what the chances are of getting an upgrade of Le Deuxieme Souffle this year?

[diskspinner]

REVIEW

[TajSamKojiJesam]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

This is why you can't write off stuff that you don't immediately recognize in the announcements. Sounds interesting (for the record, I skipped to the end and read the Rotten Tomatoes critic blurbs and looked at the screenshots). Anyone seen this and care to comment on what they thought of it? At the very least, visually it's gorgeous.

Here are my notes from when I first saw it a few months ago:

I've read that Ichikawa was coerced by the studio to make this film, a remake of a campy 1935 silent film with the same lead actor, to which he responded by turning the film into a playful mockery, with a silly story, inside jokes that break the fourth wall and super-stylized visuals. The problem is that the joke, while it has a slight charm, isn't very funny. The film is like an interesting precursor to Seijun Suzuki, but stuffed with overplotting which somewhat kills the enjoyment of its simple premise. The pretty visuals here are but a window dressing to a mildly amusing one-off joke which is smothered by a dull serpentine plot. Still, the film is unique enough that I want to rewatch it at some point.

The movie is perceived as a classic of Japanese cinema, and there are great ideas scattered all over it, but I personally didn't enjoy it. Hopefully I'll like it more if I ever rewatch it, but in that case I'll probably read up on it not to miss some context or other.

In any case, you really have to concetrate while watching this movie since the plot is quite convoluted. If you've seen Kill! (1968) and Samurai Spy (1965), then you know what type of samurai film I'm talking about, only Ichikawa's movie is colorful and theatrical in style.

[pikachufan1336]

Another Availability Question:

Is Freaks ever going to be on Criterion?

[Bradsdadg]

Random question, but I was wondering...I recently picked up Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD version at a Salvation Army. (Not one that would ever be on my list but for $3 I figured I've give it a chance) Inside the case and behind the booklet there was a checklist. It says 2002-2003 on the front and folds out to reveal spine numbers 1-178. I was wondering do anyone of you know how long they included the checklist for? What #they stopped at? I just found it interesting, too bad they stopped including them at some point...

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Janus is promoting The White Balloon on Twitter.

http://metrograph.com/film/film/1356/the-white-balloon

Man, this would be great. A wonderful film, and one that has not even had a DVD release in the US to this point.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by javy

Anyone have an idea what the chances are of getting an upgrade of Le Deuxieme Souffle this year?

No clue, but I hope it happens soon.

I want this upgraded more than I wanted Le Samourai upgraded, tbh.

[CMNPlanet]

Originally Posted by Bradsdadg

Random question, but I was wondering...I recently picked up Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD version at a Salvation Army. (Not one that would ever be on my list but for $3 I figured I've give it a chance) Inside the case and behind the booklet there was a checklist. It says 2002-2003 on the front and folds out to reveal spine numbers 1-178. I was wondering do anyone of you know how long they included the checklist for? What #they stopped at? I just found it interesting, too bad they stopped including them at some point...

I think they ended the DVD catalogs in 2006 or so -- around the time the line logo was replaced by the wacky C.

[Scottie]

I'm indefinitely returning the original OP to the thread.

I don't have enough time right now to get through all of the entries, and I don't want to hinder anyone from seeing the entire catalog available on Blu-ray.

There are 563 database entries (562 linked because Dressed to Kill has two entries, one for each print) with a release date in the database, the other 213 are rumored/confirmed releases and those in bundles.

When the thread gets the makeover it deserves, I'll let you guys know.

[AaronJ]

Thanks Scottie!

[ZeTi]

Originally Posted by BleedOrange11

Looks like The Mission and Vengeance are available on FilmStruck.

https://www.filmstruck.com/us/watch/bundle/1520000606

Can't wait for a Johnnie To film by Criterion! The Mission desperately needs a Blu-ray.

This is just amazing. Hopefully we'll get THE MISSION on Blu-Ray.

[ShellOilJunior]

A newsletter clue will be arriving later today.

Any hopes or predictions?

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Any hopes or predictions?

Anything Kurosawa(Stray Dog or The Bad Sleep Well), Dragon Inn, Chungking Express, or Le deuxième souffle as suggested above. Any one of those would make my day. Wooden Crosses would also be a nice addition, yeah I know it has a French region free release with English subtitles but the extras don't have any subtitles

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Any hopes or predictions?

Hope: The Devils

Prediction: not The Devils

[bsend]

Hopes:
The Devils
Walker upgrade
Douglas Sirk upgrades

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

A newsletter clue will be arriving later today.

Any hopes or predictions?

Is this one of those drawrings they do? If so, I predict a picture of Tokyo getting crushed by Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla.

That and nothing else whatsoever. How trippy would it be if they left nothing to our imaginations?

[ShellOilJunior]

My prediction:

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

My prediction:

I was just about to post that I pictured a leopard.