Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.3

[AquaNarc]

Seems Brighter Summer Day wasn't quite ready for release yet.

Is there something concrete that makes you think A Brighter Summer Day is on the verge of being announced as opposed to just in the works?

[matrixschmatrix]

Wow, still no Chaplin. I really hope the rest are going to come out in a spurt- otherwise it's going to take years to get them all.

Sweet Smell of Success, Senso, and Double Life of Veronique are definites for me. I haven't been sold on too many of their newer releases, and Still Walking looks like it has pretty weak features.

[Highway 61]

Criterion must be making a killing on the Blu-ray upgrades. I rarely double dip, but with the Criterion upgrades, I almost never hesitate. I haven't watched The Double Life of Veronique in two years, and it's a film that I can never quite enjoy as much I hope to, yet I'm sure to pre-order from Amazon as soon as I can. Sure I could wait for the B&N sale, but I want to see that transfer now.

[knives]

Still Walking looks like it has pretty weak features.

When the next sale comes in the spring it's a must get. Kore-eda may be the best director in Japan today and this is one of his very best films.

[Jeff]

To me, February is the best month in a looooooooong time. I can't imagine not getting each of those releases right away.

[kinjitsu]

To me, February is the best month in a looooooooong time. I can't imagine not getting each of those releases right away.

I'm just relieved that this doesn't happen every month.

[matrixschmatrix]

Still Walking looks like it has pretty weak features.

When the next sale comes in the spring it's a must get. Kore-eda may be the best director in Japan today and this is one of his very best films.

Hmm, maybe I'll have to rent it. It's definitely one of the more interesting of the new releases to me.

[AfterTheRain]

Senso and Sweet Smell of Success are definites for me. Since my birthday is in February, they would be great birthday presents.

[Michael Kerpan]

Kore-eda may be the best director in Japan today and this is one of his very best films.

My only objection is to the "may be". ;~}

Among "younger" directors, Koreeda is definitely my favorite.

[knives]

For live action he also easily has my favorite vote, but if Japan is the greatest in one thing it's animation. I don't think I could choose between him and Takahata or Shinkai.

[HistoryProf]

I like the balanced release slate--2 classics, 2 new films, and 2 Blu-ray upgrades. Hard for anyone to complain, even if you don't care for a couple of the titles. Still, I suspect we'll find a way...

agreed. it's almost an embarrassment of riches for little ole February. Four new films and two upgrades? how can you not be happy about that? and we get Basil Dearden in January, so no reason to expect another eclipse so quickly anyway. An outstanding month.

I've held Veronique in my hands at least a dozen times in the least year during the B&N sales, but just knew it had to be in the queue in some form or another for a blu-ray. Here's hoping the similar is true for Rules of the Game, Exterminating Angel, and many others.

[mteller]

I'm guessing I'm the only one around here who has both seen Senso and didn't like it, but I'm glad it makes you guys happy. I'm just thrilled about SSoS. Wishing I hadn't bought that import Blu-Ray of Veronique, but them's the breaks. Looking forward to revisiting Still Walking (as a rental, not a purchase) and seeing Fish Tank for the first time. I hated Amarcord, but maybe I'll give it a second chance. Probably not, but maybe.

[Jun-Dai]

I didn't particularly care for Senso either, mteller. Or at least, as far as Visconti goes, it sure as hell ain't no Leopard or La terra trema. Kind of an interesting film, and it's a bit of a visual treat, but not really my cup of tea. At least it was better than the short story, though

Still, I think this month counts as one of CC's bigger ones as far as dishing out high-profile releases is concerned.

[HistoryProf]

Can i ask in general question to our learned members? What is the licensing situation with films like Once Were Warriors and Ten Canoes from down under? I know Criterion obviously has licensed Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and the Jane Campion films, but is there otherwise difficulty in licensing from Australia and New Zealand? Films like Angel Baby (1995), Broken English (1996), and others are some that I recall extremely fondly, but have never been released on DVD in the US. There just isn't much that comes from AUS/NZ here while there are plenty of candidates worthy of a spine # - or even eclipse. Obviously, you can see I'm most interested in the films that address issues with the Maori and Aborigine populations - Once Were Warriors being among the best.

I just get frustrated reading about films from down under and not being able to see them here and think they deserve a bit more space in the collection.

[CSM126]

It has nothing to do with what country the films come from and everything to do with which company(/ies), if any, holds the rights to the films in regards to distribution in North America, and then it depends on whether or not said entity is willing to license the film/s to a company like Criterion.

[Cinephrenic]

Someone save The Piano from neglect.

[Feego]

Someone save The Piano from neglect.

Doesn't Lionsgate hold the U.S. rights to The Piano? I doubt Criterion would be able to release it. That said, I recently ordered the 2-disc British edition, which I hear may be the best edition available.

[Duncan Hopper]

I know Criterion obviously has licensed Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and the Jane Campion films

Not wishing to nitpick, but as I understand it, Walkabout is a British film which was shot in Australia, so would not suffer from any such potential licencing issues.

[John Edmond]

HistoryProf, are you aware that Ten Canoes is getting a blu-ray release in Australia on the first of January 2011? Going by Madman's release info it seems fairly stacked. It includes the 11 and 18 canoes projects, which are definitely a cut above the average supplement.

I'll make sure to note its transfer quality and region coding (if any) in the Australian release section whenever I can have a look at it.

[Jeff]

Someone save The Piano from neglect.

Doesn't Lionsgate hold the U.S. rights to The Piano? I doubt Criterion would be able to release it. That said, I recently ordered the 2-disc British edition, which I hear may be the best edition available.

The Piano is actually a Miramax film that was under license to Lionsgate (due to a previous theatrical distribution deal with Live Entertainment). Those rights have recently expired and gone back to Miramax. The new owners of the Miramax library will likely release it themselves at some point. When Disney owned Miramax, they licensed a few things to Criterion. We'll see if that continues.

HistoryProf, Once Were Warriors is distributed in the U.S. by Fine Line (now part of Warner). Criterion may have missed a window of opportunity on this when they licensed a block of Fine Line titles from Ira Deutchman. They are about to do some work with Warner, so one never knows. Criterion released the Once Were Warriors laserdisc.

Ten Canoes is distributed in the U.S. by Palm Pictures. They've released their own DVD. They haven't licensed to Criterion before, and I can't see them actively pursuing the rights.

Angel Baby is with Lionsgate, and Broken English is with Sony Pictures Classics. I doubt you'd have much luck convincing Criterion to go after them since their own stateside distributors can't be bothered with them. Sony put Broken English out on VHS in the U.S., but obviously didn't move enough copies for them to consider DVD.

This is indeed a situation of films you like being with distributors who don't always play nice with Criterion or being too low-profile to pursue. It's not really anything to do with their country of origin. If you haven't seen Fred Schepisi's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Devil's Playground, those are definitely worth checking out. There's a thread about the DVDs here.

[colinr0380]

There are lots of excellent Australian films (and films from New Zealand!) that deserve a release - I posted a while ago about those films that were mentioned in the documentary George Miller made for the BFI's Century of Cinema series about the national cinema. Many of those should be considered worthwhile candidates if they are not already out (and the rights are not tied up, of course!)

I'd still like to see Jedda and For The Term Of His Natural Life, some time but managed to cross The Odd Angry Shot off my list as the BBC did a very rare screening of the film last weekend. It was very good, sort of The Virgin Soldiers meets M*A*S*H* in Vietnam, with an interesting view of that conflict from a rarely shown perspective.

[MoonlitKnight]

Speaking of neglected Ausralian/New Zealand films, I've long hoped Criterion would pick up John Duigan's "The Year My Voice Broke." Bruce Beresford's "Don's Party," "The Getting of Wisdom," and "The Fringe Dwellers" should also be worth considering.

[HistoryProf]

It has nothing to do with what country the films come from and everything to do with which company(/ies), if any, holds the rights to the films in regards to distribution in North America, and then it depends on whether or not said entity is willing to license the film/s to a company like Criterion.

well that's kind of what I was asking...i.e. whether there are any particular issues with Australian companies licensing - or not - to North America? Sure seems like it...or is it just a general perceived lack of interest?

I just find it odd that when so much from Europe and Asia - and even the Middle East - is available, so little from Australia/NZ is.

HistoryProf, Once Were Warriors is distributed in the U.S. by Fine Line (now part of Warner). Criterion may have missed a window of opportunity on this when they licensed a block of Fine Line titles from Ira Deutchman. They are about to do some work with Warner, so one never knows. Criterion released the Once Were Warriors laserdisc.

Ten Canoes is distributed in the U.S. by Palm Pictures. They've released their own DVD. They haven't licensed to Criterion before, and I can't see them actively pursuing the rights.

Angel Baby is with Lionsgate, and Broken English is with Sony Pictures Classics. I doubt you'd have much luck convincing Criterion to go after them since their own stateside distributors can't be bothered with them. Sony put Broken English out on VHS in the U.S., but obviously didn't move enough copies for them to consider DVD.

This is indeed a situation of films you like being with distributors who don't always play nice with Criterion or being too low-profile to pursue. It's not really anything to do with their country of origin. If you haven't seen Fred Schepisi's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Devil's Playground, those are definitely worth checking out. There's a thread about the DVDs here.

Thanks to all for the replies...and I have indeed seen Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith - an outstanding film. I'll have to check out Devil's Playground. Fringe Dwellers is another I was thinking of in posting this last night...a film I saw years ago on a horrible thrice dubbed vhs copy. There's just a lot of great stuff coming from AUS/NZ but so little makes it here. Rolf De Heer's The Tracker is another i've picked up in it's US release, which of course has the same Gulpilil documentary that's on the Criterion Walkabout blu ray.

Someone posted a suggestion of Once Were Warriors on fb and just re-awakened this frustration in me. I steadfastly believe it's one of the best films of the 90s, and easily the best film on modern indigenous people ever made (no offense Smoke Signals - i still love you for what you are). I am absolutely sure there are dozens more films from the region I haven't seen or even heard of that deserve an audience in the U.S., if not a Spine #.

oh, and bummer about Broken English...I actually rented that at a Blockbuster in Phoenix before DVD hit...sad it never made it to DVD (same for Angel Baby).

[cleon]

The Montreal Gazette is reporting – and Criterion is confirming – that the 1993 political documentary The War Room and its 2008 sequel The Return to the War Room are being prepared for release. The filmmakers – D.A. Pennebaker and his wife Chris Hegedus – say it'll happen in early 2011, Criterion says not before early 2012.

[CSM126]

Weird, I was just wondering about a possible Criterion of The War Room the other day. I guess I'm psychic.