'Forthcoming' Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.2

[mfunk9786]

I haven't been keeping up with rumor developments and the like as much as I should, so pardon me if this is well-worn territory: but is there still hope for a CC release of Badlands?

[domino harvey]

It's a Warner title and we just found out there aren't any more Warner titles in the pipeline, so probably not

[ianungstad]

Mulvaney was playing coy about the Warners deal. From that article, Downhill Race isn't a Warners title.

Linklater's production company has already confirmed Suburbia, Stephen Prince has confirmed Ran, and that Whit Stillman interview that was just posted confirms Barcelona is one of the titles in negotiations.

Mulvaney just didn't want to kiss and tell about the Warner deal, methinks.

[swo17]

Stephen Prince has confirmed Ran

What are the details of this?

[StevenJ0001]

Stephen Prince has confirmed Ran

?????

It's coming back? Blu?

EDIT: swo beat me to it. What he said!

[aox]

I'd prefer Contempt, but whoa... Ran is most welcome. [-o<

[ianungstad]

Brainfart.

I meant Stephen Prince confirmed that he's doing the commentary on Dreams (which is WB)

[swo17]

I will excuse it this once, but no more getting my hopes up today, m'kay?

On to another matter--what sort of prize does Jeff get for figuring out that the clue from a couple months back referred to Stagecoach? That has to have been the toughest clue in recent memory, and I'm pretty sure it took him several hours of archival research plus some serious Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes detective skills to finally crack the case. At the very least, someone should make a movie about him or something.

[Tom Hagen]

Has any Warner title been definitively confirmed ever?

[ianungstad]

Specific titles, no direct confirmations from Criterion but Warners did confirm a Criterion deal at the HTF chat and Kim Hendrickson leaked it during some press junket.

[fiddlesticks]

On to another matter--what sort of prize does Jeff get for figuring out that the clue from a couple months back referred to Stagecoach?

Harumph.

[swo17]

I suppose you are entitled to a finder's fee.

[movielocke]

I think we now have a more solid explanation for why there's been a slow down in classics releases for 2009, preparation for the Kurosawa box. That sort of fills in the gap left by "the economy" argument all on its own. Personnel were allocated to making this large project hit its target release date who could not be working on other projects, meaning I think many other releases got backburnered in order to assure the Kurosawa set made its release. If true we should have a comparative flood of classics releases in 2010.

The counter argument is of course that any of the dvd producers at criterion could be working on any releases, so why continue releasing more contemporary stuff in favor of keeping the classics releases on schedule? to which I would add I think it probably has to do with a finite budget of production hours available at criterion per year. I would guess that classics releases suck up more production hours per release than more contemporary film, though that supposition may be mightily flawed. So in order to keep releasing some minimum level of titles each month, and still make their target date for the Kurosawa set, Criterion may have had to scale back classics and allow more contemporary product through--that would allow them to still release some product every month.

I must say I'm surprised that we're getting a mega Kuro box, I thought the clue was going to me more like: Kurosawa releases almost every month of 2010 with a bluray reissue every two-three months of one of the major titles.

[OliverB]

Glad I held off on upgrading those Kurosawa Samurai titles last year... can't wait to hear more about this set!

I'm just praying it won't be a book style package with pagesof white or transluscent disc sleeves.

[What A Disgrace]

MGM

Pleeeeease, Criterion, get Bound for Glory.

[OliverB]

That would be wonderful!


Then they could do Night of the Hunter (whatever happened to this so-called forthcoming SE??), Kiss Me Deadly, Paths of Glory, The Killing and Killer's Kiss as a double-feature, The Apartment, Midnight Cowboy and a Woody Allen set. They could also do an Eclipse box similar to the Monsters and Madmen of poverty row and b-grade stuff from Bel-Air like Big House, U.S.A., Hell Bound and The Black Sleep!

[kaujot]

The Apartment just recently had a special edition release, and the Midnight Cowboy edition, as I recall, is superb.

[sidehacker]

MGM has always released it in the wrong AR, though.

[Mr. Ned]

I haven't been keeping up with rumor developments and the like as much as I should, so pardon me if this is well-worn territory: but is there still hope for a CC release of Badlands?

There has never really been anything official about a release for it, but given the apparent good relationship started between Malick and CC when they released Days of Heaven it wouldn't surprise me if we saw a release of it in the near future. The current WB release is from 1999 (correct if wrong) and is in need of an appropriate (and well deserved) re-release.

[kaujot]

I believe the rumor started because during the HTF chat, Warners said that the only films they licensed were licensed because the directors specifically asked them to. Due to Malick's relationship with Criterion after Days of Heaven, it is generally assumed that Badlands is one of the films.

[OliverB]

Midnight Cowboy edition, as I recall, is superb.

Interlaced transfer.

And I'd take a CC of The Apartment any day... won't happen though.

[HerrSchreck]

I think we now have a more solid explanation for why there's been a slow down in classics releases for 2009, preparation for the Kurosawa box. That sort of fills in the gap left by "the economy" argument all on its own. Personnel were allocated to making this large project hit its target release date who could not be working on other projects, meaning I think many other releases got backburnered in order to assure the Kurosawa set made its release. If true we should have a comparative flood of classics releases in 2010.

The counter argument is of course that any of the dvd producers at criterion could be working on any releases, so why continue releasing more contemporary stuff in favor of keeping the classics releases on schedule? to which I would add I think it probably has to do with a finite budget of production hours available at criterion per year. I would guess that classics releases suck up more production hours per release than more contemporary film, though that supposition may be mightily flawed. So in order to keep releasing some minimum level of titles each month, and still make their target date for the Kurosawa set, Criterion may have had to scale back classics and allow more contemporary product through--that would allow them to still release some product every month.

I must say I'm surprised that we're getting a mega Kuro box, I thought the clue was going to me more like: Kurosawa releases almost every month of 2010 with a bluray reissue every two-three months of one of the major titles.

I think that's probably wishful thinking. They came out with the Janus Box, which-- like the AK box-- contained a mix of prereleased titles and titles not previously out on CC/Eclipse-- and still maintained the usual throb of titles. And, the reasoning that the extras for classics and that the extras for semi-classics take a different amount of time, so much so that the extras and production for semi-classics represent a sort of "vacation" for production staff is I think a little bit of a stretch. It's pure dollars and cents.

The trend is borne out in other labels-- look at the previous King of the Majors, WB... they're just dumping classics out on barebones DVD-R's because of the situation. It is what it is and CC is not the only ones so-afflicted.

[AfterTheRain]

Tristana and Deep End have been confirmed as future Criterion titles, and further confirmation on Hunger and Mystery Train:

Hi Mychal,

Thank you for your email!

To answer your release questions: We plan on releasing HUNGER and
MYSTERY TRAIN in 2010 and hope to release TRISTANA and DEEP END in the
future.I hope this helps, and feel free to write again should you have
further questions!

Sincerely,

Jon Mulvaney

[fdm]

Just saw this Mulvaney response at blu-ray.com:

"In response to your release question, GIMME SHELTER should be out on Blu-ray this year!".

Not sure whether the exclamation point was from Mulvany or the poster though.

[beamish13]

Wow, that's great news about "Deep End"! Didn't it have some music rights issues that were hindering it from being released on DVD?