The Non-Criterion Boutique Label Battle Royale: There Can Only Be (202)1

[therewillbeblus]

Curious if it would be possible to extend nominations by a week, considering some late-2021 releases were shipped after the new year to people? I just received LE editions of Arrebato and Her Smell, so I won’t be able to listen to commentaries/extras by Monday. If not, no worries.

I’ll safely nominate Arrebato for best new release, however- looks absolutely stunning

[swo17]

Actually, what do people generally think would be a good timeline for this awards thread? I can't be the only one feeling a time crunch and only having barely just received some of last year's late releases in the mail. At the same time, the longer it takes, the more ridiculous it looks to be finally coming out with awards for last year. What's the sweet spot? For instance, how would people feel about January and February being for nominations and March for voting?

[therewillbeblus]

I'm good with whatever- an increased timeline does mean I'll have time to parse through more extras, however if it's stretched too long I might not be as motivated to prioritize them- depending on when the 70s project starts, or whichever project(s) are next, based on whatever is happening in the List Projects thread right now...

Anyways, I carved out some time earlier than expected, based on the one-week timeline, and I'm very glad I did, as Her Smell's *new* commentary with Alex Ross Perry and Elizabeth Moss is one of the best I've had to pleasure of listening to:

It's light and amusing, Perry and Moss engaging with each other on a breezy, informal level (they each take a bathroom break, and their banter reflexively equating it to Moss' absence and re-entrance into the film, or Perry's self-deprecating awareness into the pacing changes, is very cute), going down memory lane about the production, helping one another fill in blind spots, and it's very interesting to hear them get into the depth of their collaboration. The commentary is quite informative and casually playful; two friends just reminiscing while giving the layman listener an indication of why they made creative decisions they did.

I particularly loved the economical choices they shed light on that feel far more collaborative and spontaneously-economical than your typical auteurist-vehicle of storyboarding. In the same spirit, it's heartening to hear them both acknowledge that each was more confident in their respective abilities, and anxious about pulling off, respective acts of the film- and that intimate faith in their partners' confidence in skillsets helped them stick to the plan. Further highlights include the detailing of incessant theatrical blocking due to Becky's constant movement that everyone orbits around; the intentional shifts in camera style/positioning and what it means for the psychology of the character and to sober the audience to these shifts; Moss' insights into her process of craft- especially how her style of acting responds to cinematography in particular (she also considers this her favorite performance of her own, and points out specific changes she implemented to her methods to respond appropriately to the role, what was easier, harder, etc.); and Perry and Moss' mutual gushing over Eric Stoltz' craft and what they refer to as "Stoltzisms," which are essentially good faith dad-jokish provocative jabs Stoltz would nonchalantly deliver around the set.

I'm also very interested in revisiting the film post-commentary, given how both Perry and Moss view the film to be heavily comedic, where they report most of the jokes fell flat due to audiences' low threshold to the material, and inability to hold cues for raw discomfort with bouts of humor. Perry mentioning the positive feedback from people in sober communities at the end is a nice touch as well. Occasionally Perry gets a bit pretentious (surprise, surprise..) condescending to unnamed actors who beat Moss for awards season around this film and Mad Men, and viewers (from "boomers" to plebs) for not "getting" the film grammar in Her Smell, as well as complimenting his film's lighting as revolutionary for indie cinema (he does have a cool note about one seance shot that used broken glass in water!)- but otherwise it's all around an electric yet low-key, comfortable, and fun track. Usually commentary tracks feel like a chore for me, and I geared myself up to be a bit exhausted on a Sunday afternoon listening to this, but instead it was like hanging out with two laid-back people on a couch, and had a very calming effect. Highly recommended.

So I'm nominating the commentary for Best Commentary, but I'll also nominate both music videos (Akergirls "Can't Wait"; Something She "Breathe") for Best Other On-Disc Extra

[therewillbeblus]

In addition to BEST OVERALL RELEASE, I'll also nominate Arrebato for Best Commentary and Best Cover



I assume we're using the standard covers and not the slipcase ones for VG-sublabel films? Either way, I like both, just curious

[swo17]

Each cover can be separately nominated. Or if you nominate it for best packaging it's understood to be for the whole thing

[therewillbeblus]

That’s fair, though I can’t in good faith nominate the slipcover/cover designs for packaging when Her Smell’s packaging exists, since I’d never vote for it over that. However, both cover designs far exceed any of Her Smell’s, so in this case the categories feels very different now in terms of my subjective voting purposes

[swo17]

I'll second the Her Smell commentary

[Yakushima]

I would like to nominate "Almost Famous" 4K (Columbia Pictures) for best upgrade, and "Bootleg Cut" from this edition - for best extra.

[brundlefly]

BEST OVERALL RELEASE

I'll second the Ken Jacobs Collection 1, Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy, and The Bitter Stems.

And nominate Climate of the Hunter (Dark Star).

BEST COMMENTARY

Nominating Imogen Sara Smith on The Bitter Stems. Fluidly organized and insightful as usual, plus enough research to add context about relevant Argentinean history and film culture. Extra points for the predictable snarky freelancer joke.

BEST BOOKLET

Seconding All the Haunts Be Ours. Quality varies, but I like the oblique approach and am always up for a William Friedkin anecdote.

BEST OTHER ON-DISC EXTRA

I think both Yakushima and swo bulk-nom'd the various extras in the All the Haunts Be Ours box, so I'll third those.

Nominating kikikrazed's "The Two Worlds of Wolfwalkers" from the Cartoon Saloon box... though that's a reworked version of a previously posted video essay from YouTube (spoilers!), don't know if that disqualifies it.

BEST LATE DISCOVERY

Don't know if I can second Review and Wolf House as late discoveries if they weren't new to me. But if I can, I do.

Nominating Brendan Steere's The VelociPastor (Wild Eye). Unapologetically. She's fine.

[swo17]

BEST LATE DISCOVERY

Don't know if I can second Review and Wolf House as late discoveries if they weren't new to me. But if I can, I do.

Yes, you can second these

BEST OTHER ON-DISC EXTRA

I think both Yakushima and swo bulk-nom'd the various extras in the All the Haunts Be Ours box, so I'll third those.

I think bulk nominations make sense for a curation of numerous short films, but that other on-disc extras should stand on their own. For the record, Yakushima nominated an alternate cut of one film for best bonus film, and then another short film "and pretty much everything else in this set" for on-disc extra, whereas I bulk nominated all of the shorts for Best Bonus Film(s). Actually, I think it probably makes the most sense to have two separate categories for Best Bonus Film and Best Collection of Short Films.* I also think it makes the most sense for alternate cuts presented as extras to be eligible for the Best Bonus Film category. I've split these two categories out in the first post, but everyone can feel free to make new nominations and seconds to meet these new definitions. This includes nominating individual films from collections for the Best Bonus Film category. I'll start:

BEST BONUS FILM

Nominate: János vitéz (Son of the White Mare, Arbelos)
Nominate: Southland Tales: The Cannes Cut (Arrow)
Seconded: Crying Blue Sky (All the Haunts Be Ours, Severin) - a notable improvement on the primary version of the film

BEST COLLECTION OF SHORT FILMS

Nominate: The Best of British Transport Films Vol. 2 (BFI)
Nominate: Ken Jacobs Collection (Kino)
Nominate: Short Sharp Shocks Vol. 2 (BFI)
Nominate: Tex Avery Screwball Classics Vol. 3 (Warner Archive)



* And yes, this means that List is retroactively the best individual bonus film of 2020

[therewillbeblus]

Actually, what do people generally think would be a good timeline for this awards thread? I can't be the only one feeling a time crunch and only having barely just received some of last year's late releases in the mail. At the same time, the longer it takes, the more ridiculous it looks to be finally coming out with awards for last year. What's the sweet spot? For instance, how would people feel about January and February being for nominations and March for voting?

I like this, though my Out of the Blue BFI release won't arrive til early March, and there are a plethora of extras included I'd like to make my way through for nominations. Still, I agree that putting it off further and further is kinda ridiculous.

Does anyone who has the BFI and made their way through the extras have any recs/nominations for the short films, etc.? I could always search back channels et al. to second nominations in the meantime while I wait for my copy to arrive. It would be cool to garner some more nominations for other categories.

[swo17]

I kind of want to say that we set an initial deadline for nominations at the end of February, but then if we get closer to that point and there are situations like what you describe we can extend another week or two. (Or should it just be set at like March 15 to begin with?) Voting can still have a hard deadline of the end of March, because after the first quarter is where I think we'd start to enter the realm of ridiculousness. But if extensions to the nomination period eat into the time for voting I don't think that's a big deal, because the majority of what's eligible is already known and summarized in the first post, and you don't have to wait for voting to officially start to be exploring those recommendations.

I specifically requested the BFI release be my reward for supporting the Out of the Blue Kickstarter, but I'm zoned for the Severin and might end up "stuck" with that edition

[therewillbeblus]

I like the idea of March 15 as a deadline for closing the vote, then two weeks of voting (March 29 or 31 or whatever) to close out the quarter. Seems in step with Oscar timelines, kinda sorta

I specifically requested the BFI release be my reward for supporting the Out of the Blue Kickstarter, but I'm zoned for the Severin and might end up "stuck" with that edition

I hope you get your first pick! But that's obnoxious in general that you would need to wait longer than the rest of us to get a copy of a film you contributed to a kickstarter for. Perhaps this is a naive question, but... is this typical?

[MichaelB]

What sometimes happens is that promises are made that end up conflicting with subsequent distribution deals, and priority is usually given to the latter as the sums involved are a fair bit greater. It's why crowdfunding is always a gamble, although I'm still an enthusiastic crowdfunder myself - indeed, I invested in one only the other day (possibly NSFW).

[swo17]

OK, I'll go ahead and throw twbb a bone and second Arrebato for Best Release. I'll also nominate the Primetime Panic box for the same category

[swo17]

Seconding Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Deep Red for Best Upgrade. Also, as a reminder, if you think anything belongs on the ballot that is not currently listed in the first post, there is basically just one more week for nominations and seconds. Then voting will run another two weeks after that

[swo17]

Nomination for Best Release:

Infinite Football (Anti-Worlds)

[swo17]

Voting is now open and runs until the end of the month. See instructions in the first post. Please note that you are welcome to vote for as many titles as you want in each category, as long as you vote for at least the minimum number required. And you don't necessarily have to vote in every category either

[therewillbeblus]

Well I muffed it and never dug into my BFI Out of the Blue extras despite fasttracking my package in order to go through the supplements.. apologies if anyone nominated something there waiting to be second’d

[Finch]

BEST OVERALL RELEASE (vote for 10+)

The Bitter Stems (Flicker Alley)
Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy (GKIDS)
Columbia Noir #2-4 (Indicator)
Duel to the Death (Eureka)
Encounter of the Spooky Kind (Eureka)
Irezumi (Arrow)
Lake Mungo (Second Sight)
Out of the Blue (BFI)
Raw (Second Sight)
Twentieth Century (Indicator)

BEST UPGRADE (vote for 5+)

Fury (Warner Archive)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Kino)
Mad Love (Warner Archive)
The Naked Spur (Warner Archive)
A Night at the Opera (Warner Archive)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Disney)

BEST BOXSET (vote for 5+)

Cartoon Saloon's Irish Folklore Trilogy (GKIDS)
Cinema of Discovery: Julien Duvivier in the 1920s (Flicker Alley)
Cinematic Vengeance! 8 Kung Fu Classics from Director Joseph Kuo (Eureka)
Columbia Noir #2-4 (Indicator)
Shawscope Vol 1 (Arrow)

BEST ARBELOS RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Son of the White Mare

BEST ARROW RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Irezumi

BEST EUREKA RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Duel to the Death

BEST INDICATOR RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Columbia Noir #2-4

BEST KINO RELEASE (vote for 1+)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

BEST SECOND RUN RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Beauty and the Beast

BEST LABEL (vote for 1+)

Eureka

BEST ALTERNATIVE TO A CRITERION RELEASE (vote for 1+)

Naked (BFI)

(Who nominated Kino's Silence of the Lambs disc? )

[swo17]

That last category is the only one for which there is no nomination process. The intent is to try to recall all possible alternatives

[Maltic]

Best Overall Release
01 Irezumi (Arrow)
02 Encounter of the Spooky Kind (Eureka)
03 Francisca (Grasshopper)
04 Shawscope Vol. 1 (Arrow)
05 Columbia Noir #2-4 (Indicator)
06 Twentieth Century (Indicator)
07 Giants & Toys (Arrow)
08 The Hands of Orlac (Masters of Cinema)
09 Viy (Masters of Cinema)
10 Jazz on a Summer's Day (Kino)

Best Upgrade
01 The Naked Spur (Warner Archive)
02 Fury (Warner Archive)
03 The Howling (StudioCanal)
04 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Kino)
05 The Plainsman (Kino)

Best Arrow Release
Irezumi

Best Eureka Release
Encounter of the Spooky Kind

Best Indicator Release
Columbia Noir #2-4

Best Kino Release
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Kino)

Best Label
Eureka

Best Commentary
01 Irene González-López (Giants & Toys, Arrow)
02 Michael Brooke (Viy, Masters of Cinema)
03 Stephen Jones & Kim Newman (The Hands of Orlac, Eureka)

Best Bonus Film
India: Matri Bhumi (The River, BFI)

Best Other On-Disc Extra
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Joe Dante (Explorers, Shout)

Best Cover
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up (Second Run)

Best Late Discovery
The Revenge of Frankenstein (Indicator, 2019)

Best Alternative to a Criterion Release
01 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (Masters of Cinema)
02 Days of Heaven (Imprint)
03 The Bank Dick (Kino)

[therewillbeblus]

I had no idea Irezumi was so well-liked, considering it seems to be the Arrow Masumura least-discussed on the forum. I doubt I'll have time to purchase the disc in time for the voting deadline, but hopefully someone lends an appreciation in its thread to motivate others to check it out, aside from high-ranking votes here!

[Maltic]

I'm not the most prolific reviewer and it's been a while already since I watched the film, so I can't promise a write-up.

But it's basically an ideal release, for me:

*great film
*underseen film, which was hard to come by
*fine presentation/restoration
*the extras (commentary, video essay, interview for context)

I was happy with the Blind Beast and Giants & Toys releases too, but I wasn't as fond of the films themselves, and the presentations had some issues.

[Maltic]

Btw swo, you left out Jazz on a Summer's Day (Kino) from overall releases