Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
FakeBonanza
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:35 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1501 Post by FakeBonanza » Mon Apr 17, 2017 5:37 pm

Criterion must be celebrating Christmas in July by offering up a December slate in midsummer. A truly puzzling month.

User avatar
movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1502 Post by movielocke » Mon Apr 17, 2017 5:43 pm

A box set upgrade is a large endeavor, but I imagine one new release got bumped at the last minute. On the other hand 43 new releases from December to July is a fairly hefty pace

User avatar
dda1996a
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:14 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1503 Post by dda1996a » Mon Apr 17, 2017 5:59 pm

Not when there's a great release overseas that been available for a few years. What the hell happened that all three new releases barely have and extras?

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

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1504 Post by ermylaw » Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:07 pm

I hope Stalker was to be paired with a simultaneous, supplement-heavy release of Andrei Rublev but the latter was pushed at the last minute for some reason. That is what I'll imagine happened.

User avatar
Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1505 Post by Ribs » Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:10 pm

Er, but it is better that Criterion upgrade something rather than nothing. I've not got the BFI release because the Janus tour indicated Criterion would release War in a matter of months instead of years; the idea they could have tethered this into the six-month upgradeless gap with minimal effort is still true, but I don't think it's worth shaming them for finally getting around to it.

(Surely this means Z will be right around the corner, as these two have been my go-to "guess this will be upgraded in the monthly guessing thread" choices?)

This is a totally arbitrary number I for some reason keep track of but after the July releases Criterion will have put out more than 1/4 of the films on the TSPDT 1,000 list on BD.

User avatar
movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1506 Post by movielocke » Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:29 pm

Sure two dozen Americans have imported the bfi release and two dozen thousand have illegally downloaded it, but that should have no impact on criterion upgrading. I'm thrilled to upgrade it as the window boxing especially dimensioned their impact on modern tvs.

User avatar
DarkImbecile
Ask me about my visible cat breasts
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:24 pm
Location: Albuquerque, NM

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1507 Post by DarkImbecile » Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:03 pm

I get why people were hoping for more from a couple of these, but it is one of the rare months in which I'll be buying everything released, so at least the core value of the releases themselves holds up.

User avatar
Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1508 Post by Minkin » Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:24 pm

Here's the speculation round-up:

L'Argent - Janus tour + Filmstruck

War Trilogy - Janus tour of the new restoration of Rome: Open City was quite a few years ago, this has been awhile in the making.

Stalker - New Year Clue, Janus tour, direct confirmation from MOS, Filmstruck, cover art leak. This is probably the least surprise of any title I've seen.

Lost in America - Would be a surprise until we got that cover art leak
=======================================
So, no surprises, and 3/4 were Janus tours. We're again building up the newsletter clues. 275 titles remain to be upgraded to blu (when you count boxsets as a single #).

I remember reading that Tree of Life was supposed to be a July title. I suppose Malick put things on hold.

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1509 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:29 pm

Not a great month in terms of supplements. But the films are exciting with two 2k restorations and a 4k restoration. That should do these films justice.

User avatar
hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1510 Post by hearthesilence » Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:41 pm

First time in a long while where all announced releases are likely purchases for me. (Unless that Rossellini box set doesn't improve on the BFI transfers.)

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

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1511 Post by Drucker » Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:03 pm

The BFI transfers are also from 4k restorations. I think it's just the extras that don't overlap between the sets.

John Shade
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 3:04 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1512 Post by John Shade » Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:49 am

Honestly I was pretty excited when I saw that Bresson, Tarkovsky, and a Rossellini box were coming. I understand some of the gripes about lacking commentaries and features, but still upgrade alone which qualifies a great month for me, but I'm stuck in Region A and have never been an internet download movie type...

User avatar
TwoTecs
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:26 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1513 Post by TwoTecs » Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:01 pm

I remember reading that Tree of Life was supposed to be a July title. I suppose Malick put things on hold.
July was never specifically mentioned by any of the sources. It is supposed to be coming "between mid-summer to autumn 2017" according to Maher.

User avatar
Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1514 Post by Ribs » Tue May 16, 2017 2:57 pm

With Sid & Nancy on its way back and To Sleep With Anger down the line, any other Samuel Goldwyn films seem like likely fits? (TT's Wild at Heart *did* release more than the 3 years their license usually covers ago...)

User avatar
miless
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:45 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1515 Post by miless » Tue May 16, 2017 5:39 pm

We can hope for Burn!... (although, now that I look into it, that's MGM)

beamish13
Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2007 5:31 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1516 Post by beamish13 » Tue May 16, 2017 5:59 pm

Well, considering that Criterion has released two Bruce Beresford films, perhaps Black Robe?

User avatar
Luke M
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1517 Post by Luke M » Tue May 16, 2017 6:26 pm

Wuthering Heights?

User avatar
Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1518 Post by Minkin » Tue May 16, 2017 7:33 pm

Seems like we always end up finding some new thread to discuss the new announcements in bulk - usually the quarantined, sometimes here, and now the Phantom Page thread. Anyway, here is the speculation round-up:

The Breaking Point - March newsletter clue

Meantime - February newsletter clue + Filmstruck

La Poison - Filmstruck + possibly the new years clue (poison / alcohol bottle)

Hopscotch - Upgrade, not hinted

Sid and Nancy - Upgrade, finally back in print after a long absence, not hinted
==========================================
-We're down to 273 upgrades remaining.
-I'm still not sure about Arsenic and Old Lace, I'll just leave it on the page (moving it to "best other guesses") until the end of the year
-Sid and Nancy back in print is great news. This is the last long OOP rescue since Time Bandits. 56 OOP titles remain. Or, uhh, since Straw Dogs... whoops!
-Whittled down the newsletter clues, leaving only the perennial + FWWM.
-Upgrades are very rarely hinted
-I'm actually surprised Meantime was announced. There was some debate over whether it was To Sleep with Anger - which we now have confirmed - and seemed far more likely to be announced than a random Leigh film from the 80s. Speaking of which, what the hell happened to High Hopes? Someone posted a picture of Leigh grading the film a couple years ago, and still no release?

I actually bought Hopscotch, because someone posted that it was one of the Studio Canal titles to likely go OOP (which it never did - and since then Janus now own the rights). Its a fun enough movie that I'm looking forward to the upgrade, but that mistake along with a couple others (Renoir's Stage and Spectacle set - which was also listed as Studio Canal and probably going OOP) was my main impetus for creating the OOP thread.
Last edited by Minkin on Wed May 17, 2017 2:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Morbii
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:38 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1519 Post by Morbii » Tue May 16, 2017 7:39 pm

Othello is coming on September 26. The intern fucked up and it's in the coming soon list if you click the announcement on the front page.

Anyone else think the newsletter itself was lacking this month, too?

User avatar
Morbii
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:38 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1520 Post by Morbii » Tue May 16, 2017 7:48 pm

Hell, the page is up too. Spine 870.

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

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1521 Post by swo17 » Tue May 16, 2017 7:49 pm

Why shouldn't it be included in the "coming soon" list? It was announced a while ago and then recently delayed.

User avatar
Morbii
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2004 3:38 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1522 Post by Morbii » Tue May 16, 2017 7:50 pm

I just realized that was possible and was typing it in...

User avatar
Minkin
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1523 Post by Minkin » Tue May 16, 2017 7:54 pm

Morbii wrote:Anyone else think the newsletter itself was lacking this month, too?
That's not the newsletter (despite it saying so on the email), they've started sending out emails when they announce new titles. The real Newsletter always has a clue and comes out at the end of the month.

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1524 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue May 16, 2017 10:14 pm

A bit underwhelming this month. But I guess to be expected after the past several months of stellar announcements.

User avatar
tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: Forthcoming: Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#1525 Post by tenia » Wed May 17, 2017 4:03 am

I'm a bit more surprised about how they delayed a bit the announcement and yet ended up with 3 releases having "More !" in the extras.
It's not especially often that Criterion announces titles with an open slate of extras (though I believe it definetly happens more often now than before), but 3 out of 5 announcements (4 if you take out Hopscotch as "just" an upgrade) most certainly is unusual.

Post Reply