The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion

[ando]

20 feature films by the late filmmaker are currently streaming on the channel. Guess this will be my personal April retrospective. A few weeks back I saw my first Shinoda film, Demon Pond, at the instigation of a bunch of CC enthusiasts and was mightily impressed. Pale Flower is next in my queue. The NYTimes (at the time of its release) gave it a passing review, comparing it to Godard's Breathless as a "pale imitation", but Roger Ebert thought a bit more of it. Shinoda’s another fine talent that I can’t believe I’ve neglected to appreciate til now. Glad to see him finely represented in the channel. R.I.P.

[knives]

About Dry Grasses is expiring from the Criterion Channel at the end of April. I never expected any of the Janus Contemporaries titles to ever rotate off streaming; I wonder if Janus got the rights to it under certain conditions.

There’s actually an insane number of Janus logoed titles going off like all the Tavernier films. I wonder what this is about?

[dwk]

I think they may not have the streaming rights to some of the StudioCanal licenses (which could explain why most of the Tavernier films are expiring)

I have no idea about About Dry Grasses. I know other Janus/Sideshow releases have had exclusive streaming deals to MAX (Flow and Drive My Car, though Car] eventually did a brief run on the Channel) but I can't imagine that MAX would want an exclusive deal for Grasses.

[knives]

That sucks especially since I don’t see Criterion releasing most of these on disc.

[dwk]

To celebrate the 6th anniversary, they are doing a week of free nightly live streams.

[ando]

To celebrate the 6th anniversary, they are doing a week of free nightly live streams.

They're under more pressure to get new subscriptions than I thought (6th year anniversaries are for 1st graders). Guess the prime-time teen fare didn't cut it.

[dwk]

May 2025

[beamish14]

Jem Cohen’s Fugazi film Instrument merits an eyebrow raise

[ando]

Looking forward to the Jem Cohen promo though I'd love to see his latest (2024 NYFF premiere) Little, Big, and Far which will have an LA showing on Wednesday. Since Grasshopper Film has distribution rights perhaps they'll stream it on PROJECTR. (Surprised CC couldn't finagle a streaming premiere given the promo.)

[_shadow_]

I was excited to see Michael Mann's "The Keep" added to the Channel under his director collection - having not wanted to splurge on either of the 4K disc releases without seeing it first.

However, what is currently streaming is not the new 4K master, but a vey poorly compressed iteration of what is presumably the master used for the laserdisc back in the 1990s. There are so many artifacts and so much banding it's difficult to see what's happening in several scenes.

It's an incredibly sub-par way to see the film, and I'm not sure why we do not have the proper level of quality now that it is available and receiving distribution on physical media from multipe entities.

[Roger Ryan]

I was excited to see Michael Mann's "The Keep" added to the Channel under his director collection - having not wanted to splurge on either of the 4K disc releases without seeing it first.

However, what is currently streaming is not the new 4K master, but a vey poorly compressed iteration of what is presumably the master used for the laserdisc back in the 1990s. There are so many artifacts and so much banding it's difficult to see what's happening in several scenes.

It's an incredibly sub-par way to see the film, and I'm not sure why we do not have the proper level of quality now that it is available and receiving distribution on physical media from multipe entities.

I started The Keep over the weekend and had to tolerate the poor picture quality but returning to watch the second half last night I was pleasantly surprised that the Channel had substituted a much better transfer! No idea if the updated version represents the new 4K master but it's now at least in HD (you can tell it's a different transfer not only by the clarity but by the fact that a notable line which appeared in the middle of the frame during the opening credits on Sunday was gone when I re-watched the beginning of the film last night).

This is now the third or fourth time I noticed Criterion has uploaded an improved transfer or corrected an audio problem within a few days of introducing a film. Not certain if this is due to customers drawing Criterion's attention to the matter (in this case, did Michael Mann complain?!) but it's heartening to see the company has some respect for quality control.

[dwk]

I suspect that they put up so much every month that they can't really QC everything they get from the licensors, but they do seem to act when something is pointed out to them.

[knives]

Now if only they were to present a proper cut of Italian for Begininners.

[dwk]

June 2025 lineup

[Matt]

June 2025 lineup

Wow, both the theatrical and TV series versions of the Winterbottom-Brydon-Coogan The Trip! I'm coincidentally halfway through a rewatch of the four series. I'd love for them to do a fifth.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Do you prefer the theatrical version or the TV version?

[Matt]

I've never watched the theatrical versions, actually. They probably don't excise much of importance from the TV versions, but I want every Michael Caine impression I can get.

[Lowry_Sam]

Too bad their not doing the tv version of Ripley, it's the only version I havent seen.

[Balthazar]

June 2025 lineup

Wow, both the theatrical and TV series versions of the Winterbottom-Brydon-Coogan The Trip! I'm coincidentally halfway through a rewatch of the four series. I'd love for them to do a fifth.

In somewhat unusual fashion, a forthcoming fifth series was seemingly confirmed the other month.

[Matt]

Huh. I wonder where they'll be this time. I did think the last paragraph was pretty funny:

Coogan previously escaped a lengthy driving ban, on another occasion in 2019, after successfully arguing that a new series featuring his much-loved character Alan Partridge could not be filmed on public transport.

Partidge was carless in the first series, no? Dependent on Lynn to drive him everywhere. And it would be extremely in-character for him to be consigned to public transportation because of speeding tickets or drunk driving.

[beamish14]

Huh. I wonder where they'll be this time. I did think the last paragraph was pretty funny:

Coogan previously escaped a lengthy driving ban, on another occasion in 2019, after successfully arguing that a new series featuring his much-loved character Alan Partridge could not be filmed on public transport.

Partidge was carless in the first series, no? Dependent on Lynn to drive him everywhere. And it would be extremely in-character for him to be consigned to public transportation because of speeding tickets or drunk driving.

Considering where the last one ended, I’d venture somewhere in North Africa. China would be great

I love the feature edits of the first two series. I saw them both theatrically, and people seemed to be utterly confused by the premise and references to the pair’s previous work.

Speaking of Winterbottom, it’s beyond frustrating how I Want You and Wonderland still don’t have HD releases

[Boosmahn]

Did About Dry Grasses ever actually leave the Channel? It's still listed.

[Lowry_Sam]

It's not clear what "leaving the channel" means any more. Titles that were supposedly leaving in May are now also leaving in June: Belle Epoque, Bananas, Shutter Island, Little Murders & others like Showgirls & Night Moves seem to be leaving every other month.

[dwk]

I didn't have any of those (Belle Epoque, Bananas, Shutter Island or Little Murders) show as leaving in May. But I've had this happen before, where I'd see a post on twitter (before it became x the nazi app and I quit) saying a title was leaving and I'd go to the leaving soon section and not see the title listed as leaving.

[Lowry_Sam]

For some titles it may have been the previous month. I've also seen titles "leave" one month, only to be in the "new" to the channel the next month.