Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[anthonyls]

Great interview from Nick.

[docc]

Very absorbing NR interview, I was particularly excited when he mentioned that Woody Allen's 'Zelig' was on the roster

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

He makes some pretty risible, nonsensical, and/or erroneous claims/stereotypes about Criterion and the films they release in Part 2. Wow.

Not at all, made sense to me. You may have to point out examples.

Great interview and it shed some light on the commentaries that I personally love. I found it surprising that people wouldn't step up to do commentaries esp on The Fortune. and U-Turn was a title I have wanted to bad on BLU so I was thrilled that it finally got a release and that Oliver Stone was able to discuss the film, and shockingly hearing how he felt about the film. I always thought it was a dark twisted masterpiece. Great editing, cinematography, cast. Uturn is a great movie. It should be SOLD OUT IMO.

I wonder if he was able to speak directly to Barbara Streisand! People tend to give her a hard time but I love her commentaries and love her work ethic very intriguing personality, I don't know much of her music but I find her fascinating and love her films. That shot at the end of Yentl is so incredible today they could only do that with CGI and it would never look as flawless as what they captured on film.

[RalphoR]

Very interesting interview with Nick. With his extensive ties to Warner I wish he could get his hands on some of their movies, perhaps the Paramount movies? Would love to see Dragonslayer, Prophecy, and the like released by TT.

About the re-release.....didn't someone say that TT poo-pooed Mysterious Island (even though it would be the logical choice )?

[tallrichard]

I doubt it will be Christine since it comes out in Sept from Sony...

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Not at all, made sense to me. You may have to point out examples.

Great interview and it shed some light on the commentaries that I personally love. I found it surprising that people wouldn't step up to do commentaries esp on The Fortune. and U-Turn was a title I have wanted to bad on BLU so I was thrilled that it finally got a release and that Oliver Stone was able to discuss the film, and shockingly hearing how he felt about the film. I always thought it was a dark twisted masterpiece. Great editing, cinematography, cast. Uturn is a great movie. It should be SOLD OUT IMO.

I wonder if he was able to speak directly to Barbara Streisand! People tend to give her a hard time but I love her commentaries and love her work ethic very intriguing personality, I don't know much of her music but I find her fascinating and love her films. That shot at the end of Yentl is so incredible today they could only do that with CGI and it would never look as flawless as what they captured on film.

I thought U-Turn was great too. For some reason I missed it upon its initial release - I think I was fatigued of those post-Tarantino crime flicks at the time. I'm glad I did though because I was able to watch it with more enthusiasm than I probably would have at the time and thoroughly enjoyed it. A very entertaining film for those with a dark and twisted sense of humour.

Originally Posted by tallrichard

I doubt it will be Christine since it comes out in Sept from Sony...

I think it's pretty much been established that Christine is not being re-released by TT. The point is that Christine was originally one of the planned four re-release titles. With that, Fright Night and JTTCOTE, there is still one re-release that hasn't been announced. THAT's what people are speculating about.

[grking]

Originally Posted by docc

Very absorbing NR interview, I was particularly excited when he mentioned that Woody Allen's 'Zelig' was on the roster

I was excited to see STARDUST MEMORIES on his list! Bummed that INTERIORS and MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY were not. Those are the 2 I really want. My DVDs need an upgrade badly.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by grking

I was excited to see STARDUST MEMORIES on his list! Bummed that INTERIORS and MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY were not. Those are the 2 I really want. My DVDs need an upgrade badly.

Keep in mind Nick mentioned they had 13 Woody Allen films. The ones listed in the interview were (bolded titles have already been released by TT):

LOVE AND DEATH (1975)
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985)
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980)
ZELIG (1983)
SEPTEMBER (1987)
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY (1982)
SHADOWS AND FOG (1991)

In addition to those seven they're released three others:

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Radio Days (1987)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Which means there are three additional titles which haven't been mentioned or released.

[mja345]

I wonder if "The Front" would be counted in those 13, even though Allen didn't write or direct it. The other two I would logically think would be with TT are "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid To Ask)" and "Alice". "Bananas", hopefully, could be another one. Maybe an outside shot at "Take the Money and Run". I'd guess "Alice", "Bananas" and "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex" are the remaining three, assuming "The Front" isn't counted among the 13.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by rdodolak

Keep in mind Nick mentioned they had 13 Woody Allen films. The ones listed in the interview were (bolded titles have already been released by TT):

LOVE AND DEATH (1975)
THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (1985)
STARDUST MEMORIES (1980)
ZELIG (1983)
SEPTEMBER (1987)
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S SEX COMEDY (1982)
SHADOWS AND FOG (1991)

In addition to those seven they're released three others:

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Radio Days (1987)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Which means there are three additional titles which haven't been mentioned or released.

Of the unreleased Orion Woody Allen pictures, the ones I most want are Stardust Memories and Shadows and Fog. I'm still on the fence about Zelig. It's clever, but it's kind of a one joke movie.

[Fat Phil]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

He makes some pretty risible, nonsensical, and/or erroneous claims/stereotypes about Criterion and the films they release in Part 2. Wow.

I think it was an honest answer. Simply saying that although Criterion's business model is to release 'important' movies they sometimes have to make concessions and release some titles that could not necessarily be classed as 'important' but will make money for the company.

He says - "That is a concession to reality. The films might not be all that good but they might sell well. Any company that wants to stay in business and wants to keep growing and evolving in some way has got to keep refining what it's doing and reinvest in itself."

I think he's talking as much about Twilight Time as he is about Criterion when he says that. It's not enough to simply say "Ok. Which movies do we love?" There has to be a business element in there too.

[mja345]

I think Redman is right that many of these "boutique" labels have to strike a balance between releasing what would be deemed important cinema and then the films that are more well-known to most consumers and/or genre titles with cult followings. But I do disagree that Criterion is releasing stuff now they wouldn't have released years ago. Criterion released "The Rock" and "Armageddon" in the early days of DVD after all. Now, the closest things they have to that would be the Wes Anderson films or the Fincher films. Although, those movies could much more easily be deemed important and are clearly better than "Armageddon".

But TT has to strike the same balance. They're going to be releasing "10 to Midnight" with Bronson, which I will pre-order because I'm a huge Bronson fan. But it's a lurid, sleazy film and they know it. But it will move its 3,000 copies in all likelihood because there are a lot of Bronson fans out there. This is the same label that released "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "A Man for All Seasons". It's the same balancing act that most of these independent labels face.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

<snip>

and U-Turn was a title I have wanted to bad on BLU so I was thrilled that it finally got a release and that Oliver Stone was able to discuss the film, and shockingly hearing how he felt about the film. I always thought it was a dark twisted masterpiece. Great editing, cinematography, cast. Uturn is a great movie. It should be SOLD OUT IMO.

<snip>

EDIT: I feel the same way about Zulu, as you do about U-Turn, in that I don't understand how it hasn't been more popular. One of my all-time faves.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Not at all, made sense to me. You may have to point out examples.

Firstly, he asserts that Criterion 'in the 1980's' (which is relevant, how?) 'weren't even really like film people', when Peter Becker and Jonathan Turell were the second generation (after their fathers William Becker and Saul Turell) that ran (and are still involved with) Janus Films, which is widely acknowledged as THE film distribution company that introduced countless international canon classics to American filmgoers over several decades. To suggest that the owners of the company that almost singlehandedly brought foreign films to the attention of mainstream US audiences over multiple decades are not 'film people' is patently absurd.

Presumably (also) referring to Voyager in his dismissal of the 'small group of IT nerds' who apparently comprised Criterion during this period, conveniently overlooks the fact that Voyager, in addition to publishing all of Criterion's pioneering - in terms of packaging, A/V quality, and, most crucially, extras, including the first ever commentary track, for King Kong) laserdiscs - also released numerous laserdiscs themselves, with subjects ranging from Devo to public service announcements from the 1950s, as well as dozens of CD-ROMs devoted to The Beatles, Japanese culture, Spinal Tap, and everything in-between. But yet, according to Redman, they were 'much more about the gadgetry than they were about the movies'. Presumably by this 'gadgetry' he means extra features/supplements, which Criterion originated, and which, in formative years, TT ignored completely (save the always-crucial isolated scores).

He also sniffs, 'Although I look at a lot of their titles and I think they're not important at all. What they really focus on is esoteric movies that can all come under the generalised banner of 'art.' Sure, unimportant and esoteric works from the acknowledged masters of world cinema like Bergman, Ozu, Renoir and several dozen others besides, not to mention all of the titans of American cinema like Ford, Hawks, Welles, etc. Obviously, Criterion have released their (relative to the breadth and depth of the entire 800 title catalog) small share of questionable and/or unabashedly commercial/genre films, but the vast majority make up, simply put, the very foundation of cinema, and sneeringly putting quotations around the word 'art' as if to suggest that those who produce, buy, and enjoy these films are somehow dishonest about their true taste in film won't change that.

Meanwhile, although there are certainly multiple gems and worthwhile mainstream middle-brow studio films in the TT collection, they are in no position to airily wave off 'a lot of (Criterion's) titles' as 'not important at all' or as bewildering deep-dish 'esoterica' because, what, they don't have Charles Bronson in them? His sweeping generalizations about Criterion's output (and, by extension, those who have eclectic, wide-ranging taste that isn't entirely confined to American studio films released during the 1950's-1980's) are both easily debunked and highly irritating.

Of course, his comments won't stop me from buying and enjoying many of their releases, but his multiple rants about other labels, online forums such as this one, and negative reviews (or even ones that merely point out technical shortcomings), are tiresome indeed.

[docc]

I just watched A Month In The Country for the first time and have to say that this is one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. The cinematography is stunning and really draws you into the story, a slow paced, quiet movie to be sure but totally absorbing, a top notch Blu-ray transfer, and for me another blind buy that worked. Thank you TT

[Member-260138]

Originally Posted by oildude

Next time check back 935 pages

Gotcha..but I swore when I checked the OP there was nothing there. Thanks for the tip though.

[tisdivine]

Wait Wait...tomorrow (Sat) TTs announcing their new titles? Is this offical or are we assuming? Is there a certain time they usually do it or just when they feel like it lol

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

Wait Wait...tomorrow (Sat) TTs announcing their new titles? Is this offical or are we assuming? Is there a certain time they usually do it or just when they feel like it lol

It's official, TT is announcing the Nov/Dec releases tomorrow; one of which we already know (Captain Harlock: Space Pirate).

[dsman71]

December is Frank Sinatras 100th birthday, anyone think TT might have licensed some of his films for December ? (Tony Rome)

[Blu Titan]

A war movie would be welcomed .