Vinegar Syndrome et al.

[MichaelB]

Most labels will have a broad-brush idea of what their schedule looks like for the next year.

[Glowingwabbit]

Given their lighter release schedule, Second Run and Grasshopper are two I'd 100% do a subscription for if it was available. Mondo Macabro is probably the only other I'd definitely do for the same reason mention with the added bonus of the limited edition factor.

This will be my first VS subscription so it's kind of an experiment for me. A big get for me is the 50% off partner labels (I really like AGFA, Fun City, and Altered Innocence) and the fact that I can sell off stuff I don't like for more or a small loss (plus I don't have to wait for sales)

Criterion doing one seems like it would only appeal to completionists. None of their stuff is LE.so there is no worry of ever missing out and the resell value on stuff you don't want only goes down.

[dwk]

Jared from Mondo Macabro posted on the Blu-ray.com forums claiming that Synapse doesn't have the rights to Thriller and that MM tried to license the film but were priced out. I don't doubt that that was what Vibenius told them, but given Vibenius' history I am hesitant to take it at his word.

[Glowingwabbit]

I hope it's true since Synapse is releasing a 20 year old master whereas VS is promising a new 4K restoration. Also the fact that Synapse sits on films for so long is reason enough for them to lose out on this.

[tenia]

I really don't understand Synapse incredibly sluggish pace of releases. I get they're extremely small and tend to release probably difficult movies to clear in terms of right holdings, but in France, Le chat qui fume with a similar structure and editorial line have released 20 releases including 6 in UHD this year alone, several of them newly restored by them.

[dwk]

Synapse has pretty regular releases via their Impulse pictures line, but those have tended to be DVDs.

[Ribs]

Rebels of the Neon God is now available to order via VS’ site. A special edition of Her Smell is also in this months offering.

[ianthemovie]

Also Arrebato!

[therewillbeblus]

Her Smell and Arrebato? Excellent news! I guess I need to start paying attention to this label

[Glowingwabbit]

Her Smell and Arrebato? Excellent news! I guess I need to start paying attention to this label

These are partner label releases. I think even those who aren't interested in VS titles should at least keep an eye on their partner labels. A lot of great stuff to discover.

[therewillbeblus]

Good point, I like Fun City already

[swo17]

Conveniently, if you order all three of these it puts you just over the $75 free shipping threshold

[Glowingwabbit]

Conveniently, if you order all three of these it puts you just over the $75 free shipping threshold

I didn't even think of that. Thanks.

[therewillbeblus]

Same, incredibly convenient, tho' I'd be taking a risk on Rebels of the Neon God, having seen only two Tsai Ming-liang films- finding Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore, and liking but not loving The Hole.. is this any different, or more like one than the other?

[swo17]

It's less of a comedy than those two. If you're skeptical, Quentin Dupieux's Keep an Eye Out is also an option. All four of these come out at the end of the month!

[Glowingwabbit]

Same, incredibly convenient, tho' I'd be taking a risk on Rebels of the Neon God, having seen only two Tsai Ming-liang films- finding Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore, and liking but not loving The Hole.. is this any different, or more like one than the other?

Probably closer to The Hole. It may interest you more. Although hearing someone call Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore breaks my heart.

[therewillbeblus]

It's less of a comedy than those two. If you're skeptical, Quentin Dupieux's Keep an Eye Out is also an option.

I wasn't crazy about it, but the backhalf of the (initially laugh-less) first act is hysterical and worth seeing just for those 10-15 minutes.

Same, incredibly convenient, tho' I'd be taking a risk on Rebels of the Neon God, having seen only two Tsai Ming-liang films- finding Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore, and liking but not loving The Hole.. is this any different, or more like one than the other?

Probably closer to The Hole. It may interest you more. Although hearing someone call Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore breaks my heart.

I didn't think it was a bad film, but saw it a number of years ago and it didn't click at all. I have no doubt that a revisit would result in enhanced appreciation if I had more exposure to his work and patience to give it some rope. Given my track record of open-minded reversals of judgment, it could even wind up an all-time favorite one day..

[knives]

He’s a good one to watch in order which is a way of saying use Kanopy to check if you are into Rebels.

[ianthemovie]

Same, incredibly convenient, tho' I'd be taking a risk on Rebels of the Neon God, having seen only two Tsai Ming-liang films- finding Goodbye Dragon Inn a bore, and liking but not loving The Hole.. is this any different, or more like one than the other?

It may be slightly closer to The Hole than Dragon Inn but the premise, characters, mise-en-scene, and cast are probably closest to Tsai's The River... though on the whole I found Rebels to be much less accomplished than that film, and is probably his weakest film overall, so I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it unless, say, you have a strong interest in 90s-Taiwanese youth culture. It feels very much like a first film as Tsai is still finding his "voice" as a filmmaker, sometimes to slightly awkward effect. (It's jarring to see him experiment with handheld camera and non-diagetic music, for example.) It also seems to draw crucially on aspects of Chinese mythology in ways that I don't think I fully got.

[senseabove]

Rebels is a little more of a "typical" aimless youth movie and very much a first feature, neither as extended nor as stylized as either of the ones you've seen, and Tsai's tics are there, but he hasn't quite figured out that they're his tics yet. But like knives says, if not strictly necessary, it's very beneficial to watch Tsai's features in order, as even when there isn't explicit continuity of characters or narratives between movies, they all become richer and more complex as you layer them thanks to the ensemble nature of his casting and the echoes and friction between their roles and actions in sequential movies. Even something like GDI, which is entirely independent of the "sequels" in Tsai's career, hits very different when you're aware that two of his repeat actors have reversed their typical roles and so their actions and reactions resonate more strongly. I'd say make a run of his first three features in order, and if none of them sings for you, you can safely give up on Tsai... but... oof, I'm with glowingrabbit... I hope you make that reversal, because Tsai would probably get my vote for greatest living filmmaker, a director pushing the medium in directions that are entirely unique to himself and yet of a marvelous and self-conscious piece with its history.

[Glowingwabbit]

Justin LaLiberty responded on twitter saying that this is a new transfer. (for those who don't know the name, he works for Vinegar Syndrome and specifically deals with the partner labels)

[therewillbeblus]

Hmm, well if anyone can recommend a third title from one of VG's partner labels to qualify for free shipping, I'd be most grateful (I already have the Fun City editions I want)

[criterionsnob]

I loved Sound and Fury (a flat out crazy masterpiece) and The Leather Boys (for the kitchen sink queer drama).

[swo17]

It's Fun City but have you seen I Start Counting? I'm also just noticing Shiva Baby is available, which I didn't even realize had received a physical release

[denti alligator]

How long’s it take them to ship Black Friday pre-orders? Surprised it hasn’t happened yet.