1149 Take Out

[yoloswegmaster]

Take Out



The American dream has rarely seemed so far away as in the raw, vérité Take Out, by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou, an immersion in the life of an undocumented Chinese immigrant struggling to get by on the margins of post-9/11 New York City. Facing violent retaliation from a loan shark, restaurant deliveryman Ming Ding (Charles Jang) has until nightfall to pay back the money he owes, and he encounters both crushing setbacks and moments of unexpected humanity as he races against time to earn enough in tips over the course of a frantic day. From this simple setup, Baker and Tsou fashion a kind of neorealist survival thriller of the everyday, shedding compassionate light on the too often overlooked lives and labor that keep New York running.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by directors Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack
• Audio commentary featuring Baker, Tsou, and actor Charles Jang
• New interviews with Baker, Tsou, Jang, and actors Wang-Thye Lee and Jeng-Hua Yu
• Program about the making of the film
• Deleted scenes
• Screen test
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by filmmaker and author J. J. Murphy

[knives]

In the latest DGA podcast episode between Sean Baker and Lizzie Borden, Sean Baker announced that his first three films ('Four Letter Words', 'Take Out', 'Prince of Broadway') have been restored and will be released next year on a “nice, prestigious label” that Borden had recently worked with. I'm assuming that he is referring to Criterion as the last Lizzie Borden title that was released on blu to my knowledge was Criterion's 'Working Girls'. This was also semi-verified by a redditor who listened to the latest podcast episode of 'The Movies That Made Me' with Mark Duplass, as he mentions that Criterion is going to release 'Prince of Broadway'.

Take Out is really great. Good to get the opportunity to see the other two films.

[yoloswegmaster]

In the latest DGA podcast episode between Sean Baker and Lizzie Borden, Sean Baker announced that his first three films ('Four Letter Words', 'Take Out', 'Prince of Broadway') have been restored and will be released next year on a “nice, prestigious label” that Borden had recently worked with. I'm assuming that he is referring to Criterion as the last Lizzie Borden title that was released on blu to my knowledge was Criterion's 'Working Girls'. This was also semi-verified by a redditor who listened to the latest podcast episode of 'The Movies That Made Me' with Mark Duplass, as he mentions that Criterion is going to release 'Prince of Broadway'.

Just found this article from 2 days ago where Sean Baker outright says that Criterion will be releasing them:

Sean Baker: Oh, cool, man. Thank you! It's great to see you again. Those early films are being restored by the way.

Interviewer: That’s what I’ve heard!

Baker: By Criterion next year.

[guyetgenevieve]

In the latest DGA podcast episode between Sean Baker and Lizzie Borden, Sean Baker announced that his first three films ('Four Letter Words', 'Take Out', 'Prince of Broadway') have been restored and will be released next year on a “nice, prestigious label” that Borden had recently worked with. I'm assuming that he is referring to Criterion as the last Lizzie Borden title that was released on blu to my knowledge was Criterion's 'Working Girls'. This was also semi-verified by a redditor who listened to the latest podcast episode of 'The Movies That Made Me' with Mark Duplass, as he mentions that Criterion is going to release 'Prince of Broadway'.

I’m a bit surprised by this as he’d more-or-less disowned Four Letter Words when he was doing press for The Florida Project. Take Out and Prince of Broadway were also shot on video if I remember correctly. The only one of the three that I’ve seen is Prince of Broadway, and it’s pretty good! I’d love if they released these alongside a 4K release of The Florida Project.

[domino harvey]

No Greg the Bunny, no sale

[swo17]

Take Out coming Sep 13

[aox]

Take Out sounds really intriguing. I wish it was up on the channel. I have enjoyed the last three of Baker's movies and have seen none of his early work.

[yoloswegmaster]

I'm surprised they didn't include the other 2 early Sean Baker titles and make a Early Films of Sean Baker boxset. I'm also surprised that this got a 4K restoration when this was apparently shot on DV (this info is from iMDB, so it could be wrong).

[knives]

This is a really good film that I think I wrote up in the Baker thread. There’s very little English dialogue with a focus on experience.

[Roger Ryan]

... I'm also surprised that this got a 4K restoration when this was apparently shot on DV (this info is from iMDB, so it could be wrong).

Both the trailer and the screenshots currently on the Criterion site look like a DV source transferred to film.

[yoloswegmaster]

Take Beaver

[DeprongMori]

Just noticed Take Out has no DVD release, with only a Blu-ray announced. I’m guessing that this is not the first time, but I don’t know what previous releases those might have been.

Glad to see Criterion moving forward on this. Supporting three formats is a lot of overhead.

(The film sounds excellent. I haven’t seen anything from Sean Baker but this sounds like a great start.)

[CSM126]

Just noticed Take Out has no DVD release, with only a Blu-ray announced. I’m guessing that this is not the first time, but I don’t know what previous releases those might have been.

Glad to see Criterion moving forward on this. Supporting three formats is a lot of overhead.

(The film sounds excellent. I haven’t seen anything from Sean Baker but this sounds like a great start.)

Criterion’s general policy seems to be not to bother with a DVD release if the film has been readily available on that format before, unless the previous release was truly terrible. I’m sure it saves headaches on catalog numbers and overhead cost.

[swo17]

I've actually been keeping track of this because I thought it would help for the year-end forum awards. Usually it's films that have never had a DVD release that are getting one now, but it's not always consistent.

2022 releases on DVD
Time
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Love Affair
Boat People
Adoption
Miracle in Milan
The Girl Can't Help It
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)
'Round Midnight
The Funeral
Mississippi Masala
Farewell Amor
Rouge
The Worst Person in the World
Okja
Drive My Car
Hôtel du Nord
Faya dayi
Exotica
Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project No. 4
Sound of Metal
Arsenic and Old Lace
La Llorona
The Power of the Dog

2022 releases on BD and/or UHD only
The Celebration
The Piano
Miller's Crossing
The Flight of the Phoenix
The Last Waltz
love jones
Mr. Klein
Chan Is Missing
Double Indemnity
Shaft
Pink Flamingos
Raging Bull
Devil in a Blue Dress
Daddy Longlegs
Frownland
Buck and the Preacher
Take Out
Lost Highway
Cure
Eve's Bayou
The Infernal Affairs Trilogy
Malcolm X
WALL•E

(This is all excluding format upgrades and revamped releases)

[cdnchris]

Just noticed Take Out has no DVD release, with only a Blu-ray announced. I’m guessing that this is not the first time, but I don’t know what previous releases those might have been.

Glad to see Criterion moving forward on this. Supporting three formats is a lot of overhead.

(The film sounds excellent. I haven’t seen anything from Sean Baker but this sounds like a great start.)

Kino released it on DVD in 2009. I think the assumption on the move is that the biggest purchasers for their DVDs now may be libraries (no evidence to back that up, though) and that they're not likely to rebuy a title.

[swo17]

When I suggest that my library system buy a new release from Criterion, Arrow, Indicator, etc., if it has a cheaper DVD release they'll usually just buy that instead

[therewillbeblus]

I think you’re right- most people purchasing physical media have upgraded their systems to at least blu-ray by now, if only for (oddly) financial reasons. Blu-Ray discs and players seem to be cheaper than DVDs (outside of boutique labels, as swo points out*) so the incentive is there to acclimate to the formats. Even my parents, who still call everything “DVDs” and can’t see well enough to discern or care about PQ, buy blu rays because of the price. Most serious collectors who invest in these companies’ slates more thoroughly will have upgraded for more obvious reasons. My lib still buys about an equitable amount of DVDs and blu rays of new Criterion titles, but that number used to sway wayyyy in favor of DVDs

I do hope they continue to release DVD though- sometimes I find myself preferring to rent my lib’s DVDs since the blu rays almost all skip or won’t play after being out for a few years. People treat discs terribly, outside of their increasing sensitivity to damage. I worry about getting to a point with Streaming vs Physical Media where those of us holding onto the dated ethos can’t even watch our own stuff because of a scratch or glue mark, and sometimes I can quell my anxiety knowing I can just go re-buy a DVD version of that film later in life if my vision fades and I want to continue abiding by that philosophy

Basically, if DVDs no longer exist, I fear my life will become an unapocalypic version of Time Enough at Last

[DeprongMori]

Finally got around to watching this one — my first from Baker. I thought the film did an excellent job of capturing the world of both the take-out joint and their customers. Then near the end there came a scene which felt so stacked with cliché that it completely tossed away all the verité sense that the rest of the film worked so hard to construct. There’s still much to admire here, but it torqued the whole experience for me and could have been so easily avoided.