Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[beamish14]

Haynes will be at the Hammer Museum tomorrow night, so I’m sure he’ll confirm something

[ryannichols7]

According to a Reddit user who went to a screening with one of the producers in attendance, Criterion will be releasing Todd Haynes' 'Velvet Goldmine'.

well that settles one extremely quickly. fantastic!

[senseabove]

Apparently the Velvet Goldmine screening was of a new restoration that is already completed (though the page for the screening doesn't mention that at all)? It's listed as available for rental on Apple TV starting 6/28, but the part that plays as a teaser looks to my eyes like the scan used on the US BD.

If anyone's at the Hammer event, I'd love for someone to ask about the two different cuts of Velvet Goldmine. I've never seen any discussion of why a different cut exists: Did Miramax just want it under 2 hours for the US market? Did Haynes tweak the cut after the Cannes premier?

[ryannichols7]

I'm guessing the Weinsteins chopped it up, as they loved to do. but would be curious what Haynes would say and what's reflected.

I wonder if the film is still popular enough to get a 4K release. it was obviously a big deal at the time and a little while after (obviously the soundtrack played a huge part in it) but I'm not sure if it's one Criterion would bump up to the format - here's hoping they do, I think there are less popular movies on the format (Devil in a Blue Dress and Le Cercle Rouge both have less watches on letterboxd than this does) and it would probably be a knockout.

one step closer to seeing Trainspotting return in 4K. another Film4 movie starring McGregor, there was no real need for it to come back in the Blu-ray era, but I sincerely doubt paramount will do their own UHD.

[senseabove]

I've had the luck to see it on 35mm three times, and every screening has been very well-attended. Admittedly, the ratio of folks for whom the movie was an awakening is probably notably higher where I live than anywhere else in the country. And a movie as visually spectacular as this... lord I hope they see the appeal of a UHD for it.

Feeding my VG addiction by perusing recently logged LB reviews for any other tidbits, and this one says Haynes said Criterion is releasing The Velvet Underground dog and is interested in releasing Velvet Goldmine. So VG might need an asterisk on the rumor list.

It also mentions Haynes said Weinstein wanted him to recut the films he made under him, so... did someone asked about the VG cuts?

[swo17]

Criterion is releasing The Velvet Underground dog

Obviously the right move, but I'm still kinda stunned this sort of barbarism is only ending in 2022

[senseabove]

Fingers crossed it doesn't turn out like "The Gift"!

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

If anyone's at the Hammer event, I'd love for someone to ask about the two different cuts of Velvet Goldmine. I've never seen any discussion of why a different cut exists: Did Miramax just want it under 2 hours for the US market? Did Haynes tweak the cut after the Cannes premier?

Miramax didn't think the film was testing well enough and suggested about fifteen minutes of cuts. Then it turned out they'd already had one of their own post-production people do a recut and sprung it on Haynes during a meeting, which reduced him to tears. Eventually Haynes cut a couple of minutes as a sort of goodwill gesture, but Miramax dumped the film anyway.

[senseabove]

Fascinating. Was that from the Q&A last night, or has he talked about this somewhere else that I missed?

Interesting that the Tribeca screening runtime is listed as the shorter time, then; you'd think he'd go back to the Cannes cut for a new restoration supervised by him.

[yoloswegmaster]

According to a Reddit user who went to a screening with one of the producers in attendance, Criterion will be releasing Todd Haynes' 'Velvet Goldmine'.

The same user is now saying that this is now with Sony Pictures Classic.

[FrauBlucher]

As I'm a huge Velvet Underground fan I am not surprised that Criterion is releasing the doc. It seems like their thing. For me, the doc was disappointing but nonetheless I'd love to see what extras they come up with. BTW... This looks like the first Apple and Criterion deal

[therewillbeblus]

You’re thinking of the other Haynes Velvet movie

[FrauBlucher]

Haynes apparently confirmed the doc but not Velvet Goldmine

[therewillbeblus]

Oh my bad, I must’ve missed the news about the doc. That’s confusing. Will the real Haynes Velvet Criterion please stand up?

[swo17]

[_shadow_]

Haynes clarified at the UCLA event that it's the "Underground" Criterion will definitely be releasing, though he joked about a "Velvet" boxed set. And he noted it was with Sony now...

He seemed ambivalent about the longer version of Velvet Goldmine - having seen the domestic recently screened theatrically, he mused that he did miss the extra breathing room that Miramax had him cut out...

[ryannichols7]

if Goldmine is SPC now there's no way that's not a title Criterion will want to release. I'm surprised that's not the bigger priority...like yes the VU doc is cool and a deal with apple is interesting, but Goldmine needs a rescue!

[swo17]

Seriously!



Can someone please put this bit out of its misery?

[therewillbeblus]

if Goldmine is SPC now there's no way that's not a title Criterion will want to release. I'm surprised that's not the bigger priority...like yes the VU doc is cool and a deal with apple is interesting, but Goldmine needs a rescue!

I don't even like Velvet Goldmine and liked the Velvet Underground doc okay, but 100% would rather see a release of the former because it needs it, has its die-hard fans who deserve to be happy, and would have great extras. As a huge fan of the VU band, I welcome a Criterion release if they stack it with features

[knives]

Might be an excuse for Warhol and Mekas films as extras.

[dustybooks]

I only mildly liked the VU documentary -- as a hardcore fan of the band -- but I welcome a release if it stacks features, preferably focusing more on the band than on Warhol though that could be handy as well. (One of my criticisms of the Haynes film was how much it focused on the first half of the band's history at the expense of the second, which I should have expected from Haynes, but still.) If it's closer to what they put together for Rolling Thunder Revue, I'm somewhat less interested, so it will really depend.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Fascinating. Was that from the Q&A last night, or has he talked about this somewhere else that I missed?

It's from Peter Biskind's book Down and Dirty Pictures. He interviewed Haynes for it but I think the source for that particular anecdote was Christine Vachon.

[yoloswegmaster]

Alan K. Rode confirmed on HTF that a 'Arsenic and Old Lace' blu-ray is in the works. He doesn't mention if it's coming from WAC or Criterion but I wouldn't be surprised if it were to come from the latter.

[ryannichols7]

Alan K. Rode confirmed on HTF that a 'Arsenic and Old Lace' blu-ray is in the works. He doesn't mention if it's coming from WAC or Criterion but I wouldn't be surprised if it were to come from the latter.

god, finally! it's an old laserdisc title and definitely had a newsletter clue ages ago, should certainly come from Criterion. I'm guessing they put it off in order to do a new 4K restoration for it, so hopefully will be worth the wait. would love to see it make the jump from DVD straight to UHD...

[swo17]

I'd forgotten about this newsletter clue, which someone eventually decided meant "Brilliant Car-rear"