Why Won't They Release Only What I Want?

[knives]

It can be anywhere from a few months to several years. I believe the hold here is that Nolan has been so busy with the Bat film that the restoration is taking longer than normal. I'm sure that after he's done with that that the process will speed up. Until then you can always pick up Letter Never Sent.

[sickofsickness]

I actually just found this, and had a horrifying thought: (at time of posting, it goes On Demand in just under a month)

Is it possible I misread everything and there WILL NOT be a DVD release, and just Criterion helped them restore the film for television broadcast?

[Perkins Cobb]

Two years is actually pretty good ... the Robert Downey and Jean-Pierre Gorin sets both knocked around for, what, four? I suspect the Koker Trilogy will be a long haul, too.

[Roger Ryan]

I actually just found this, and had a horrifying thought: (at time of posting, it goes On Demand in just under a month)

Is it possible I misread everything and there WILL NOT be a DVD release, and just Criterion helped them restore the film for television broadcast?

Well, the IFC page you linked to says that a DVD is "coming soon" (along with digital download).

EDIT: Oh wait, my misunderstanding...carry on worrying.

[onedimension]

Criterion probably maintains a degree of customer interest by staggering types of releases- I do the Facebook/forum/Criterion.com follow-along every month hoping to see my personal Most Wanted pop up on the schedule, which keeps me aware of other films on the label and sometimes raises my interest in them- but if Criterion released seven or eight of my Most Wanted discs or sets by the end of this year, I would likely lose some enthusiasm for monitoring their release calendar.

[movielocke]

Personally, I have really liked the direction Criterion has taken in the last eighteen to twenty-four months: a healthy mix of classic and contemporary, mainstream and obscure, old and new. Plus lots of Blu-ray and (this is the future anyway) streaming.

Most of the complaints in this thread's weekend discussion seem to be of the variety of "oh nos, they've wasted their time on stupid titles x, y, and z which I really don't like, or which were already released by someone else at some point on some format in some region during the prior 15 years" or of the variety of "whatever, I only buy like two titles a year these days (you know, unlike the 2000s when they happened to be releasing the fucking international arthouse canon on DVD for the first time)." Neither point seems to suggest that the label has fundamentally shifted its approach or has been captured by the Facebook lamestreamers.

My only complaint is the one that swo mentioned: the shift away from heavy supplements and commentary.

I agree with this completely, particularly in Criterion's outstanding recent mix. The last 24 months have been some of the best ever imo.

In particular, worth mentioning again is the important expansion into streaming they've done. They're giving their customers a chance to support the more adventurous titles so many internet voices clamor for. And they in this way have given the film a release and also get to test the waters to see if there is sufficient interest in the film to merit the substantial investment of putting a title to disc.

[SpiderBaby]

I'll prob get crap for this, but whatever it's a forum. As much as I am excited for these type of Eclipse releases (and take it over 90% of what they have released this year), it just either shows me Criterion believes there is more of an audience for Mailer's films than say "Third World" films OR it shows they could release just about anything they want on the "obscure" side as long as it's American and just feel they are more important than the entire Countries they seem to hide/stay away from.

[Jeff]

Pretty good month overall, but something just came to thought that could be a little bit of a downer for me. Does everyone remember the picture that Criterion posted on Facebook months ago, the one that showed a list of titles barely visible that they were working on for 2012? Well, one of those titles that people saw was "Mahler," the Ken Russell film that I've been anxiously awaiting ever since. Since this month saw an Eclipse set of films by Norman Mailer, was there a chance that the word "Mailer" is what everyone saw instead of "Mahler"?

The Mailer Eclipse set we're getting was actually my original guess, though some did think it was Mahler.

...the entire Countries they seem to hide/stay away from.

[SpiderBaby]

Call it what you like, still the truth to this day, still complaining about it. Better than needing a Wes Anderson or Chaplin fix every month and complaining that they don't release them fast enough. Badlands this, The Game that. "This cover art sucks!". "Worst month ever!". Yet I'm beating a dead horse when they still to this day haven't released 1 South American film for example.

[mfunk9786]

Plenty of South American films have been released, and you should support the companies that put them out by buying them instead of moaning at/about the companies that didn't.

[SpiderBaby]

Plenty of South American films have been released, and you should support the companies that put them out by buying them instead of moaning at/about the companies that didn't.

As I do (Importing Brazilian dvds for $50+ a dvd, so please don't say I only moan.). As should other people supporting titles that gets put out by other companies, only for them to complain Criterion didn't release it (Do I need to put examples? Where is that Badlands at? Hopefully not long after Fincher's filmography.).

It's funny, I ask for South American, Vietnam, Africian, etc films and I get the "stop moaning", "there is plenty released", "beating a dead horse" stuff like I'm complaining there isn't enough Tarantino being released or something. It's not like I'm asking a company that says they release World Cinema to release World Cinema, Oh wait. I didn't know Criterion revolves around the "bubble" of casual film fan.

[Gregory]

Plenty of South American films have been released, and you should support the companies that put them out by buying them instead of moaning at/about the companies that didn't.

I don't mean to join in the but who has been representing South American cinema in North America with all these releases you have in mind? I know that last year Milestone put out Araya on DVD, and First Run has been doing good things with Guzmán, but I'm not recalling a lot beyond that in the last few years. I can certainly understand disappointment that neither of Criterion's rumored Brazilian titles (Limite and Macunaima) has appeared, especially if Criterion is sitting on the rights.

[SpiderBaby]

Yeah if we are counting just region 1, saying South American films are being represented is wrong. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought he meant all over the world it's being represented (even that is stretching it).

There is more Malle films put out by Criterion than South American films by every dvd company in the U.S., let's put it that way. That isn't plenty.

[knives]

Outside of those two companies if my memory is working well Kino has put out a few titles plus Icarus with Guzman, but beyond that it is a very empty space.

[Gregory]

I mentioned the Guzmán releases already. Kino put out something like 5 South American films in the past decade, all recent works if memory serves, while the vast majority of works from the 20th century languish. Whether or not Criterion can do much about that situation is far from obvious, of course, but it's a little sad, for example, that they haven't ever put out a single Brazilian title.

[knives]

You said First Run though so I thought you meant Gutiérrez Alea. In general they've been fairly good with Cuban cinema.

[SpiderBaby]

Thank you Gregory.

Oh well. As Criterion keeps releasing films from the same three Countries, atleast New Yorker Films has told me they are hoping to release Hour of the Furnaces in early 2013.

[knives]

Sweet. I've been meaning to pick up the present SA release, but I'm willing to wait out for that. Speaking of I really need to pick up their Moses and Aaron.

[SpiderBaby]

Yeah seems like New Yorker Films is coming back to the dvd world nicely. I am rooting for them as for me, the films they have (from all over the world I might add) far outweighs anything else (fancy artwork, etc).

[knives]

I agree and much like Kino in recent years it sounds like they are doing better transferwise than before. The price is what kills it for me, but I try to pick up what I can.

[matrixschmatrix]

Yeah if we are counting just region 1, saying South American films are being represented is wrong. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought he meant all over the world it's being represented (even that is stretching it).

There is more Malle films put out by Criterion than South American films by every dvd company in the U.S., let's put it that way. That isn't plenty.

It's not that your point here is inherently unreasonable, but you started exactly the same argument at release time last month, and it got discussed, and then it died out because we'd addressed the subject. Do you need to bring it up again every time Criterion doesn't release something?

[SpiderBaby]

That's fair matrixschmatrix. I won't bring it up again, as it's obviously not important to the majority here anyways. But the petty remarks to my opinions (not by you, keep that in mind) on a subject in which you also agree is fair and reasonable is funny to me, when we have a continuation thread on how lame we feel someone's artwork to a cover is. I also (since I started, might as well say something) find it funny the continuing bashing of other site's posters (Blu-ray.com or Facebook being this past day's hot topic on here) because the lack of or bubble they like to live in with tastes in film, yet when I bring up a topic that hasn't been touched on pretty much at all on dvd, it's crickets on here, unless I receive a smart remark (where are all the "film fans" that acts above everyone else in knowledge when I bring up something like South American cinema?). I'm a member of both of those sites (and I could care less about films from Malick or Nolan or whatever most believe they always talk about), so what does that make me? Less knowledgeable about film compared to the majority here? I think not. Yes there are some posters on those sites (what site doesn't have these) where you might bang your head on the keyboard over, but is it fair to dismiss everyone on those sites? "Film lover's" priorities are confusing on here for the most part. There are so many wonderful people here, yet I feel some need to act like there is a ranking system or something on who's opinion is of more importance and make "high five" remarks to people that they THINK can't "hang" or some other petty reason (I have been guilty of this myself on those other sites in the past to those posters and I apologize to them.). But like I said, I will be sure to not bring my opinions about this subject into this thread again. I have strong opinions about what the company that this forum is pretty much about releases (who doesn't), so I might be a little repetitive in those opinions. But I stand strong on them and others do with their own. I feel I put those opinions on what really matters and that is the love of said films and not the constant bashing or remarks on others.

[mfunk9786]

Sounds like you might just be too paranoid to post on a DVD message board.

[SpiderBaby]

my point..............(another point is to go back to page 38 and read the responses to the poster "duck duck")

Hey instead of keep posting smart remarks why not reply back to the questioning of your "plenty" statement that me and Gregory responded about. I am interested in the plenty as I would like to purchase them, instead of going in circles. You can play "high five" with your buds in the other threads with your "but it's not from South America" chuckles later if you want. And I'm sorry if I come across harsh to you as I don't really want to fight anyone over the internet as I don't know you. You most likely are a pretty cool person, and I just always feel bad if I get into it with someone. So sorry.

[cdnchris]

I understand the frustration you feel over the various issues you bring up about both Criterion and talking about certain topics here, which can lead to unconstructive wisecracks. There are people I admittedly want punch in the face at the time (and I say that with all respect, and I still love you guys and gals, most of you anyways.) But as someone who has been around here for over 10 years now (the hell?!) I can understand why certain members get annoyed when certain topics keep coming up.

The complaints about the lack of certain countries or regions has been an issue since the very early days of this forum, and I've seen it brought up over and over again as have many other members and it's a topic that's been covered quite a bit despite what you may think, though granted it was primarily many, many years ago. I remember complaints about the lack of Spanish films, Middle-Eastern films, South African films, Mexican films, and so on and so forth. I agree that it's frustrating they seem to concentrate on certain countries but I think a lot of it still has to do with rights issues and the relationships they have with studios around the world; I'm sure the one reason they release so many Japanese films is because of Janus Films and their relationship with Toho, Nikatsu, and the like, so they have quick and easy access to them. I can imagine negotiating rights with another studio is not an easy task and that may be a big issue with certain films from other areas of the world, especially if another distributor already has them here. They've been releasing a lot of American films lately as well, but hell, if the MGM vault opened up to me I would go after them, too. MGM going tits-up is the best thing to ever happen if it was the only way I could get a sweet edition of Sweet Smell of Success on Blu-ray.

But then in general I guess people get annoyed because someone is always complaining about something and it does get irksome. I remember when people would complain there wasn't enough Ozu, with people especially miffed they release all this Kurosawa "tripe" but still haven't released Tokyo Story, the nerve! Then people complained "ohmigod, could they stop releasing all these Ozu films!?" Oh, and it still astonishes me when people get excited about a Seijun Suzuki film getting released because there was a time where people on this forum were ready to murder because another one of his films was coming out from Criterion. And then there's the "why won't they release what I want". There were complaints they didn't release any silents, and with them rolling out more, I can't wait for the day where people complain they don't release "talkies" anymore.

Cover art is really all we have left to bitch about without ruffling too many feathers, so that's probably why it's always the big thing on release day and has become a sort of tradition. I'm actually disappointed this month because I like them all, even Lonesome's.

And I think many here always pick on Blu-ray.com (a little unfair I think) and Facebook (probably deserved) because I won't let them make fun of another Criterion forum site anymore, so you can blame that on me.