Second Run General Chitchat

Discuss releases by Second Run and the films on them.
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jbeall
Joined: Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:22 am
Location: Atlanta-ish

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#276 Post by jbeall » Wed Sep 09, 2015 10:06 am

Oh, what the heck. Looks fun, so I'll play, too:

1. Marketa Lazarova - Sure, Criterion's release surpassed this, but for several years SR's release was the only way to see this incredible film.
2. Larks on a String - profoundly funny and poignant. I especially love Menzel's running joke of visually "castrating" all the Communist propaganda banners.
3. Third Part of the Night - Surreal, paranoid; feels like being trapped in a dystopian fever-dream
4. Valley of the Bees - more narrative accessible Vlacil, but still gorgeous images
5. The Sun in a Net
6. Confidence - wonderfully atmospheric, sustaining the tension between intimacy and claustrophobia
7. Red Psalm
8. Romeo, Juliet, and Darkness
9. Szindbad -
10. Morgiana - I actually prefer this one to The Cremator. It just has a certain nasty panache that appeals to me.

A bit heavy on the Eastern European stuff, though SR is pretty much the only company releasing these masterpieces to a wider audience. I have many more (Ikarie XB-1, for example) sitting in my kevyip.

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Stephen
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:11 pm
Location: Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#277 Post by Stephen » Thu Sep 10, 2015 2:58 am

As much as I love & enjoy the releases from Criterion, Arrow, Eureka et al, I still believe that Second Run is the magnificent DVD publisher in the world. Not only have they introduced me to so many masterful filmmakers and artists that I would otherwise never ever have heard of or hoped to see, but the sheer simplicity of title contextualisation and value they pack into each release is quite extraordinary given the price on release. I blind buy every edition & am dutifully working through their films in a mostly catalogue order, hence the propensity towards elderly titles in my list of favourites seen so far.

1 The Ear
2 Love
3 The Valley of the Bees
4 A Long Weekend in Pest & Buda
5 Valerie & Her Week of Wonders
6 The Cremator
7 Intimate Lighting
8 Three Films by Marc Isaacs
9 David Holzman's Diary
10 Mother Joan of the Angels

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#278 Post by Bikey » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:47 am

"I can't think another label that has so expanded my conception of what movies are (and can be) and, what's more, they've done it in some style... Second Run remind me of John Peel's dictum: don't give 'em what they want, he maintained: give 'em what they don't know they want. Amen to that."
We're touched by this wonderful appreciation of Second Run by James Oliver at MovieMail

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#279 Post by Bikey » Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:06 am

Today's The Observer features actor Ben Whishaw in their 'On my radar' section - the star of SPECTRE and THE LOBSTER includes (to our surprise and delight) Second Run DVD amongst his choice of cultural highlights!

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#280 Post by RossyG » Sun Nov 08, 2015 12:07 pm

When you've got Q on your side, you can't go far wrong.

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antnield
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
Location: Cheltenham, England

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#281 Post by antnield » Fri Dec 18, 2015 1:26 pm

Radio Prague interview with Second Run founder Mehelli Modi. (Audio and transcription.)

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#282 Post by Bikey » Fri Jan 01, 2016 7:42 am

DVD Beaver announce their 'Top 10 Best DVDs and Blu-rays of 2015' - and we are literally blown away to find that FIVE (5!!) of the 'Top 10 DVDs' are Second Run releases!!

The full DVD Beaver 'Top 10 Best DVDs of 2015':
#1: Eclipse Series 44: Julien Duvivier in the Thirties (Criterion)
#2: Spring in a Small Town (BFI)
#3: POLISH CINEMA CLASSICS VOL.III
#4: FRUIT OF PARADISE
#5: PICTURES OF THE OLD WORLD
#6: ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN
#7: The House of Mystery (Flicker Alley)
#8: Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Volume 9 (Warner)
#9: DRAGON'S RETURN
#10: British Noir: Five Film Collection (Kino)

Not too shabby when you think we only actually released NINE titles in the whole of 2015...!!

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#283 Post by RossyG » Mon Jan 04, 2016 2:28 pm

You're literally blown away? :wink:

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Gregory
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:07 pm

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#284 Post by Gregory » Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:35 pm

I am figurative laughing out loud at #2. I mean, I bought it and I realize they had to work with what they were given by the China Film Archive, though supplements about the film and Fei Mu would have been a good addition. Second-best DVD of 2015?

I'd agree with Gary of course that Second Run had a great year.

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swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#285 Post by swo17 » Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:46 pm

Nothing against those excellent Second Run releases, but it surely helps not to be competing against any DVDs that had simultaneous BD editions.

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
Location: Stretford, Manchester

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#286 Post by TMDaines » Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:28 am

I do love the Beaver end of year list for all the wrong reasons. One ballot says that we are lucky to be alive in an era where Le Silence de la mer gets the Criterion treatment: it's only been waiting for you for three years if you would be so willing to peak your head outside of your own borders. It's still a surprise how many supposed enthusiasts, who visit a site like DVDBeaver, are region locked.

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#287 Post by Bikey » Wed Jan 13, 2016 7:27 am

Sight & Sound Magazine's annual poll of the 'Best DVDs and Blu-rays of 2015' is out, and delighted that it features FIVE Second Run titles amongst the pollsters - including two shout outs for FRUIT OF PARADISE. The other titles selected being ALL MY GOOD COUNTRYMEN, TRANSPORT FROM PARADISE, DRAGON'S RETURN and PICTURES OF THE OLD WORLD.

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#288 Post by Bikey » Sun Jan 17, 2016 12:18 pm

Slarek at CineOutsider chooses his favourite discs of 2015 - Second Run releases DRAGON'S RETURN, FRUIT OF PARADISE and WAR & PEACE amongst them.

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#289 Post by Drucker » Sun Jan 17, 2016 12:26 pm

TMDaines wrote:I do love the Beaver end of year list for all the wrong reasons. One ballot says that we are lucky to be alive in an era where Le Silence de la mer gets the Criterion treatment: it's only been waiting for you for three years if you would be so willing to peak your head outside of your own borders. It's still a surprise how many supposed enthusiasts, who visit a site like DVDBeaver, are region locked.
Of course, isn't the MOC Le Silence de la Mer region-free? So even that wasn't an obstacle to stop people from enjoying it.

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Bikey
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:09 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#290 Post by Bikey » Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:45 am

New Second Run titles available to pre-order now at 'Special Early-Bird' prices at the Arrow Video webstore - including our Věra Chytilová double-bill SOMETHING DIFFERENT + A BAGFUL OF FLEAS, Pedro Costa's HORSE MONEY and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON.

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ermylaw
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:58 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#291 Post by ermylaw » Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:44 am

I'm really excited about the upcoming blu-ray releases and have them on pre-order.

I do wish the cases were to be clear instead of blue, though. In my opinion, clear cases make releases more artful and give the appearance of being of higher quality.

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perkizitore
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
Location: OOP is the only answer

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#292 Post by perkizitore » Tue Feb 02, 2016 11:46 am

Bikey wrote:New Second Run titles available to pre-order now at 'Special Early-Bird' prices at the Arrow Video webstore - including our Věra Chytilová double-bill SOMETHING DIFFERENT + A BAGFUL OF FLEAS, Pedro Costa's HORSE MONEY and Apichatpong Weerasethakul's MYSTERIOUS OBJECT AT NOON.
How long will these early bird prices last?

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L.A.
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 7:33 am
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#293 Post by L.A. » Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:02 pm

Until Feb. 16th.

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perkizitore
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:29 pm
Location: OOP is the only answer

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#294 Post by perkizitore » Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:13 pm

They added the end date after I enquired, but that's too soon for such a small discount. I will be pre-ordering to show my support, but I was hoping that the early bird prices would last until the next Arrow sale, so I could save money on shipping.

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MichaelB
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:20 pm
Location: Worthing
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Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#295 Post by MichaelB » Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:39 pm

Robert Riley, the man behind the vast majority of Second Run's covers, is up for a Talent Award in the Illustration section - which is open to public vote.

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rapta
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 5:04 pm
Location: Hants, UK

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#296 Post by rapta » Tue Feb 02, 2016 2:35 pm

ermylaw wrote:I'm really excited about the upcoming blu-ray releases and have them on pre-order.

I do wish the cases were to be clear instead of blue, though. In my opinion, clear cases make releases more artful and give the appearance of being of higher quality.
I agree about the cases. We'll have to wait and see...they might have already thought about this. Clear cases would certainly look better on the shelf next to their DVD titles (i.e. consistency), but it's not a deal-breaker for me.

I think I might just pre-order Mysterious Object at Noon from the Arrow Store. After all, I have some points left over from the last two sales which would knock this down to just over a tenner...not bad for the WCP-restored debut of one of my favourite contemporary directors! Tropical Malady was the first Second Run DVD I ever bought (after catching Uncle Boonmee at the cinema).

kristophers
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2014 10:50 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#297 Post by kristophers » Tue Feb 02, 2016 3:48 pm

Will Arrow have the whole collection available for purchase in their store or just the new ones from here on out?

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effigy105
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#298 Post by effigy105 » Tue Feb 02, 2016 7:35 pm

kristophers wrote:Will Arrow have the whole collection available for purchase in their store or just the new ones from here on out?
I'm curious about this too. I've been meaning to stock up on many Second Run titles, so if I could buy them all out the Arrow store that would be incredibly convenient. As a further wish, while I have no idea if Arrow's store sales even would include Second Run titles, if they did, and Arrow offered the bundling options they've employed before, that would be amazing.

Bürgermeister
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:05 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#299 Post by Bürgermeister » Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:17 am

I love Second Run, but I have a very low opinion of Arrow for various reasons.
So I'm very mixed about this deal with Arrow. Something doesn't seem right about it.

:|

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Alphonse Tram
Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2014 11:32 am

Re: Second Run General Chitchat

#300 Post by Alphonse Tram » Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:38 am

Do you care to share why you have such a low opinion of Arrow? For me, they are currently the most exciting company releasing bluray. Especially with the Borowczyk, Rivette and Japanese sets.

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