698 King of the Hill

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

698 King of the Hill

#1 Post by Matt » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:01 pm

King of the Hill

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For his first Hollywood studio production, Steven Soderbergh (whose independent debut, sex, lies, and videotape, had won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival a few years earlier) crafted this small jewel of a growing-up story. Set in St. Louis during the Depression, King of the Hill follows the daily struggles of a resourceful and imaginative adolescent (Jesse Bradford) who, after his tubercular mother is sent to a sanatorium, must survive on his own in a run-down hotel during his salesman father’s long business trips. This evocative period piece, faithfully adapted from the memoir by the novelist A. E. Hotchner, is among the ever versatile Soderbergh’s most touching and surprising films.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

- New high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh and supervising sound editor and rerecording mixer Larry Blake, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- New interviews with Soderbergh and A. E. Hotchner, author of the memoir on which the film is based
- Against Tyranny, a new video essay by ::kogonada in which he explores Soderbergh’s unique approach to character subjectivity
- The Underneath (1995), Soderbergh’s follow-up feature to King of the Hill, with an interview with the director
- Trailers
- One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter Tonguette, a 1993 interview with Soderbergh, and an excerpt from Hotchner’s 1972 memoir

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#2 Post by matrixschmatrix » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:06 pm

On the one hand, Soderbergh is one of the best directors at doing commentaries, and it's always a disappointment when a release of one of his movies doesn't have one. On the other hand, The Underneath has to rank with the best special features ever, so it seems churlish to complain.

Gonna do it anyway, though. Man, I want commentaries on these.

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JamesF
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:36 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#3 Post by JamesF » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:07 pm

If The Underneath is in HD, definite purchase for me.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#4 Post by knives » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:08 pm

The site suggests yes.
One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats

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domino harvey
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#5 Post by domino harvey » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:09 pm

The Underneath is better than King of the Hill but Soderbergh doesn't like it so I imagine he asked Criterion to do this rather than have sister spine releases. Looks like Soderbergh's widescreen defense video essay thing from Universal's the Underneath DVD isn't carried over

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domino harvey
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#6 Post by domino harvey » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:12 pm

Also, who or what is ::kogonada?

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med
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:58 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#7 Post by med » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:13 pm


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The Narrator Returns
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#8 Post by The Narrator Returns » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:15 pm

This is like several Christmases rolled up into one (I know you couldn't possibly guess that for me). I don't even care that Underneath isn't getting its own release, because I'll just be happy to own an anamorphic copy.
Last edited by The Narrator Returns on Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.

albucat
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#9 Post by albucat » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:19 pm

The Underneath may be my favorite Soderbergh flick, and King of the Hill is a decent enough special feature to make for an excellent edition despite the otherwise meager supplements. No I'm not confused.


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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#11 Post by colinr0380 » Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:34 pm

I'd have much preferred to see The Underneath paired up with the film it is remaking, Robert Siodmak's Criss Cross (which is very similar to Siodmak's/Lancaster's version of The Killers in many ways), but to see both King of the Hill and The Underneath get Blu releases is still great news.

Interesting to see that this ::kogonada has done video essays on Hirokazu Kore'eda - I'd expect there to be some comparisons between Nobody Knows and King of the Hill because of that.
Last edited by colinr0380 on Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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domino harvey
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#12 Post by domino harvey » Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:36 pm

I suggested in another thread that Criss Cross might be 699 for that reason!

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The Narrator Returns
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#13 Post by The Narrator Returns » Fri Nov 15, 2013 7:39 pm

domino harvey wrote:I suggested in another thread that Criss Cross might be 699 for that reason!
I can see that, but I think it's less likely because The Underneath wasn't actually given a full release. Of course, I'm speaking as me, and if Kafka doesn't get that spine number, I will riot.

atcolomb
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 3:49 pm
Location: Round Lake, Illinois USA

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#14 Post by atcolomb » Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:46 pm

Very happy to see this released on blu-ray. The laserdisc release was ok and the only way to watch it here in the states besides seeing it on video tape. The region 2 PAL dvd disc from Universal has a very good anamorphic image but no extras and i had to use my all region player to watch it so this will be a easy purchase for me when this comes out.

LavaLamp
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:59 am

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#15 Post by LavaLamp » Fri Nov 15, 2013 10:51 pm

Excellent - I've been waiting for KOTH to be released for years as well. I saw this for the first time this year, and feel it's one of the most underrated films of the '90's.

Also quite pleased that The Underneath is finally getting a good release - the non-anamorphic DVD that came out in the late '90's was sub-par when it was released, and is completely unacceptable these days.

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Cronenfly
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:04 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#16 Post by Cronenfly » Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:49 pm

Never understood why Soderbergh has such disdain for The Underneath. From what I remember of Getting Away With It, it seems like it was more a bad time in his personal/professional life overall and just not where he wanted to be as a filmmaker. Then again, maybe he's just unconsciously internalized the idea of there being B-sides to his canon from this forum and decided to put that idea into practice for this release...

Given the reams of stuff Criterion has taken on from Universal, I'm surprised it's taken so long for these to make it out; methinks maybe the re-do of Kafka (which surely has to be on its way as well) was at least part of the reason for the delay. As for Siodmak/Criss Cross, the fact that Cry of the City remains a no-show and The File on Thelma Jordan went to Olive makes me think it is not in the cards.

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The Narrator Returns
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#17 Post by The Narrator Returns » Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:54 pm

It was probably a precursor to his retirement now, where he just grew completely tired of the studio system and working for it.

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Professor Wagstaff
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:27 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#18 Post by Professor Wagstaff » Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:27 am

Cronenfly wrote:Never understood why Soderbergh has such disdain for The Underneath. From what I remember of Getting Away With It, it seems like it was more a bad time in his personal/professional life overall and just not where he wanted to be as a filmmaker.
I think this happened when he got divorced. I feel like directors have bad relationships to films made when they had marriages ending. David O. Russell talked about this recently with "I Heart Huckabees".

LavaLamp
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:59 am

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#19 Post by LavaLamp » Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:11 am

Cronenfly wrote:Never understood why Soderbergh has such disdain for The Underneath. From what I remember of Getting Away With It, it seems like it was more a bad time in his personal/professional life overall and just not where he wanted to be as a filmmaker. Then again, maybe he's just unconsciously internalized the idea of there being B-sides to his canon from this forum and decided to put that idea into practice for this release...
I really enjoyed The Underneath & it's actually one of my favorite Soderbergh films. I found it very polished & compelling, with flashbacks that are used quite expertly. And, the ending is as brilliant as it is unexpected.
Last edited by LavaLamp on Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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jazzo
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:02 am

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#20 Post by jazzo » Sun Nov 17, 2013 12:29 am

I remember Soderbergh discussing his disdain for The Underneath at the TIFF screening of Schizopolis. He mentioned that Schizopolis, itself, was his own personal film craft antidote to the previous picture, which he felt was too cold and controlled. Not enough life in it. He hadn't, at this point, fdiscovered the experimental/populist balance found in his next film, Out of Sight, so this was his way of excising too much form from his filmmaking system. He said he wanted to enjoy the process more - to get back to having fun while making a movie, or at least the kind of fun they seemed to have while making Cannonball Run. That got a big laugh.

All that being said, I love The Underneath. I'm actually quite touched by a lot of the relationship and family conflicts in the film, and I think it's beautifully crafted. Kafka, too, and King of the Hill, and I can't wait to revisit them once these new editions arrive.

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The Narrator Returns
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#21 Post by The Narrator Returns » Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:30 pm

DVDBeaver

Well, The Underneath is in HD (thank god, the DVD had some of the worst aliasing I've ever seen), and the Soderbergh interview for it is 22 minutes long. Also, there are some previously-unmentioned deleted scenes.

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sir_luke
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:55 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#22 Post by sir_luke » Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:46 pm

Would have liked to see some caps for The Underneath...

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cdnchris
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#23 Post by cdnchris » Fri Feb 14, 2014 2:17 am

The Underneath looks pretty good, not great. Some compression is obvious and it's not as razor crisp as King of the Hill (which looks really good) and could be an older master since there are no notes on the transfer, but I think most will be pleased with it, especially since the other option on disc is the non-anamorphic DVD. Audio is also Dolby Digital 5.1, not DTS-HD. Both films obviously share the same Blu-ray, but each film (and their respective supplements) get their own DVD. I included a few grabs (PNG files) below for The Underneath.

Underneath 1
Underneath 2
Underneath 3

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tenia
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Re: 698 King of the Hill

#24 Post by tenia » Fri Feb 14, 2014 2:37 am

It looks indeed like a dated master, and is treated as an extra (poor bitrate, DD 5.1), but still a neat upgrade from the previous DVD...

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sir_luke
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:55 pm

Re: 698 King of the Hill

#25 Post by sir_luke » Fri Feb 14, 2014 10:41 am

Thanks, Chris! I figured it wouldn't be of the same quality as King of the Hill, but I wanted to have an inkling.

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