Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[FrauBlucher]

Happy for the Network release. It will look the best it’s been by far. And looking forward to the Paddy Chayefsky doc.

And finally for TMWWT which seemed to be confirmed so so long ago. Add another so to that.

Odd release for Woman Under the Influence without an upgrade. Could the box be going out of print? Between the BFI and Criterion editions of this which is a better version?

[Zot!]

Certainly the most disappointing lineup announced in the past few months (if not the whole year), that's all I have to bring to the table.

I was all excited to rip into the new covers....and then, just the two....and they weren't even bad enough to get worked up about.

[FrauBlucher]

Are there any Criterion supplements, whether a doc or interview, about the French new wave that is not specific to one director but an overview of the whole movement?

[domino harvey]

Garden State is featured in the Criterion Channel promo email… are they about to change everyone’s life?

[CSM126]

Garden State is featured in the Criterion Channel promo email… are they about to change everyone’s life?

They thought Norman Mailer was as bad as it could get for Criterion. We’ll show them.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

Garden State is featured in the Criterion Channel promo email… are they about to change everyone’s life?

Garden State, Rachel Getting Married, Hard Boiled, The Social Network, and Possession all showed up on mine for the channel.

[WrathOfAguirre]

And I remember when
You walked out of Garden State
You had taste, you had taste
You had no time to waste

[jt938]

A Criterion of Rachel Getting Married would be excellent, Criterion hasn't done anything Demme in a while unfortunately.

[hearthesilence]

Man, what happened with the Shins? They were supposed to be superstars, and then they just evaporated. (I actually liked those first three albums, particularly the second, but haven't played them in years.)

Rachel Getting Married was very polarizing but if I had to pick one latter day Demme film to put into "the Collection," it's that one. Otherwise, aside from new 4K restorations and upgrades, someone really, really needs to put out Citizens Band and return Melvin and Howard back into print - for my money, those are still his greatest films. If I could wish for anything or had dictatorial influence over anything Paramount would do (hah), I'd reconstruct Demme's cut of Swing Shift and put that out on 4K.

[domino harvey]

Man, what happened with the Shins? They were supposed to be superstars, and then they just evaporated. (I actually liked those first three albums, particularly the second, but haven't played them in years.)

I saw them open for Preston School of Industry… I don’t think even Sub Pop expected them to blow up like they did. All I remember about them these days is this movie (not their fault), one of the members assaulting his gf from America’s Next Top Model, and that “Australia” is still an all-timer opening track (I indeed cannot even recall another song from that album)

[therewillbeblus]

Rachel Getting Married was very polarizing but if I had to pick one latter day Demme film to put into "the Collection," it's that one.

It's one of my very favorite Demmes. The depiction of a person struggling in early recovery, coupled with the idiosyncratic family dynamics, is appropriately framed in a humanistic light with realistic flaws and unique strengths

[domino harvey]

I didn’t know it had a contentious reputation. I haven’t seen it but I recall it being extremely well received

[therewillbeblus]

It was well-received critically, but seems largely forgotten amongst the public. I imagine a lot of people were put off by Hathaway's character and struggled to find a way in to connect with the picture

[hearthesilence]

It definitely had enough critical support to place in the year end polls, but it definitely had its naysayers too. The best place to see this would have been Dave Kehr and Glenn Kenny's blogs (which were at their height of activity when the film came out) and both are now defunct. A shame, they were great blogs that attracted a lot of critics who conversed freely in the comments section, and Rachel Getting Married was definitely one that was polarizing. (Kenny liked it though.) I think the debate kind of reflected already polarized attitudes about Demme's career post-The Silence of the Lambs.

Kent Jones in particular was very harsh - he didn't wait until Lambs to get off the train, he dismissed Something Wild, saying "I never believed in it." (He said Demme lost his way when his films became self-consciously the avatar for downtown arts culture, or something like that.) Anyway, IIRC he hated Rachel Getting Married - I remember him absolutely hating Bill Irwin and the dishwasher scene - but he added that Demme was now making good documentaries, particularly Heart of Gold which I went to see on his suggestion. (And he was right, it's really good! I'm a big Neil Young fan but I wasn't sure if it was a film I wanted to see even though I thought the album Prairie Wind was pretty good.)

Per Metacritic though, Richard Schickel of Time hated Rachel Getting Married too, and Anthony Lane of the New Yorker, Mick LaSalle of the SF Chronicle and Ella Taylor of the Village Voice all praised the acting but didn't like the movie itself. All the other reviews listed on there trend towards a positive impression with a lot of mildly positive to gushing reviews.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Rachel Getting Married was very polarizing but if I had to pick one latter day Demme film to put into "the Collection," it's that one.

It's one of my very favorite Demmes. The depiction of a person struggling in early recovery, coupled with the idiosyncratic family dynamics, is appropriately framed in a humanistic light with realistic flaws and unique strengths

Very well put. This is why I loved it but did struggle with Hathaway given some of her other work. In hindsight I see it as a very good step forward for her and now one of my favorite turns in her career. I would love to see Criterion release it and put some welcome attention on Demme's very assured handling of the material.

[diamonds]

I saw it for the first time somewhat recently and was struck by just how far away Demme's vision of a harmonious, post-racial America seemed. (Was 2008 really so long ago?) It's a good film, though I do think it's a case where the direction and the acting are doing a lot to elevate the script. That's interesting that Jones didn't like Bill Irwin; I recall thinking he and particularly Debra Winger were pitch-perfect in the roles of the parents.

Would love nothing more than a release of Melvin and Howard that does justice to one of the great American films.

[A Tempted Christ]

If I could wish for anything or had dictatorial influence over anything Paramount would do (hah), I'd reconstruct Demme's cut of Swing Shift and put that out on 4K.

Unless I missed something regarding the rights, Swing Shift has always been a Warner movie. I think we'll get a WAC release of the theatrical cut down the road, but unless the deleted scenes (which Demme believed were trashed) miraculously turn up, I'm not sure anyone at Warner will go actively looking for them. They didn't do it for 7 Women. At this point, I'll be ok with a stabilized and cleaned-up transfer of the videotape à la The Appointment.

Speaking of Demme films under-represented on home video, Storefront Hitchcock is long overdue for an upgrade.

[PfR73]

A Criterion of Rachel Getting Married would be excellent, Criterion hasn't done anything Demme in a while unfortunately.

Demme's my second favorite director & I love this film, but I don't see any necessity for a Criterion release. The film was shot in HDV and the existing Blu-ray already has a plethora of features. I'd much rather see Criterion put some of the other films already mentioned, and I'll also put in a personal vote for "The Truth About Charlie", which I actually think is great.

Man, what happened with the Shins? They were supposed to be superstars, and then they just evaporated. (I actually liked those first three albums, particularly the second, but haven't played them in years.)

James Mercer fired the rest of the band after the album "Wincing the Night Away" and has put out more material with Broken Bells, his Danger Mouse collaboration, than he has with the new Shins group he later put together. There hasn't been a new Shins album in 8 years.

[jt938]

I feel like Demme has always had a rough home video history, Last Embrace, Silence Of The Lambs, Swimming To Cambodia, Stop Making Sense, and Philadelphia all have great releases. Married To Mob had a telelecine master bd done by Kino then Fun City did a great new master but it had a poor encode and had some sharpening. Something Wild's bd is decent but is in need of a new master. Melvin And Howard's bd was poor. Rachel Getting Married is an old Sony bd that still looks decent but a new release would be nice. After that, there's so much that has yet to get an HD disc release or even a disc at all.

[Lowry_Sam]

Well Criterion passed on the most obvious early career candidates for whatever reason (Stop Making Sense, Swimming To Cambodia), Philadelphia). Since they seem to be dipping their toes into the international television series pool, rescuing/restoring the PBS series Trying Times (Demme directed the inaugural episode), would be my top Demme pick befor Melvin and Howard. The Neil Young documentary should top their late Demme list (I think its also been on the channel).

[Finch]

Wholeheartedly supporting calls for upgrades of Melvin and Howard, Something Wild and Married to the Mob. I always worry that because Something Wild was fairly barebones/lackluster and they only did Lambs as the other film (or was there a third?), Demme just doesn't have big supporters at Criterion HQ. I hope I'm misreading the situation and we at least get an upgrade of SW and Melvin and Howard entering the collection in the next two years.

[jt938]

Criterion also did A Master Builder but it received basically no attention. I agree Something Wild was strangely barebones though the Demme interview was great.

[beamish14]

Criterion also did A Master Builder but it received basically no attention. I agree Something Wild was strangely barebones though the Demme interview was great.

Something Wild really should’ve had a commentary with E. Max Frye. An incredibly frustrating release

[dwk]

New Channel additons tha open with the Criterion and Janus logos:
Mother India
Faithless

[Beloved Aunt]

It was well-received critically, but seems largely forgotten amongst the public. I imagine a lot of people were put off by Hathaway's character and struggled to find a way in to connect with the picture

I never finished RGM so I won't (and can't) mouth off on any other aspect (acting seemed good), but to me (what I saw of) this film is ground zero for obnoxious, somehow-incredibly-trite handheld crunchy granola "Indie! Indie! Indie!" cinematography, to the point where its too grating for me to appreciate any other aspect of the film, and to the point where, such things being unworthy of an aesthete and man of taste like Demme, I wondered if the look of this film was created by him + Declan Quinn maybe, basically to oblige the ill-advised wishes of someone else involved with the project.