Criterion News and Discussion

[tpfkabi]

just saw this at Yankee Racers:

From the Criterion Forum:


Not to get people's hopes up or anything, but the latest (6.12.07) New York Times TimesTalks podcast is an hour long interview with Luke and Andrew Wilson. During the audience Q&A section at the end, they are asked about a Bottle Rocket special edition DVD and Luke says "We just heard last week that I think they're going to do one of those Criterion versions of it. I don't know if that's true, but we did hear that." (this is at the 55:10 mark)


URLS:
http://www.criterionforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2562
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/multimedia/podcasts.html

[Ravi]

Berlin Alexanderplatz is the big news. It's a pricey disc, but I'm going to save up all my pennies to buy this. I've only heard amazing things about the film and there is no way I could enjoy the film just renting it off Netflix and seeing it in installments over weeks. This is also a major project for Criterion. They've released numerous important films, but few with such difficulty like Berlin.

November can't come soon enough.

[Gold Trumpet]

Latest rumblings is that Sam Fuller's White Dog will be released in the near future. Some have predicted it will come in 2007, but I think it will come out in the first half of 2008. This title has been thrown around for a while. No surprise, but good news it's coming sooner rather than later. It's also a good release for Criterion because the film has long been unavailable in United States in any quality transfer.

[MacGuffin]

Latest rumblings is that Sam Fuller's White Dog will be released in the near future. Some have predicted it will come in 2007, but I think it will come out in the first half of 2008. This title has been thrown around for a while. No surprise, but good news it's coming sooner rather than later. It's also a good release for Criterion because the film has long been unavailable in United States in any quality transfer.

In 2008 Criterion will release a Samuel Fuller movie that was deemed too controversial to release by its studio and that was allegedly based on the true story of a pet once owned by Breathless star Jean Seberg. Name the film and you'll be entered in a drawing to receive a free Criterion DVD of your choice. Two runners-up will receive Criterion T-shirts.

[edison]

On Thursday, September 6, Criterion will launch its new, redesigned website. Customers will then be able to shop at www.criterion.com for Criterion products, including T-shirts, hats, posters, mugs, and gift certificates. And, for the first time since the days of laserdiscs, Criterion will be selling its library of movies directly online.

We're introducing many new ways to browse through our collection of Criterion and Eclipse films. You'll notice a new category called Explore, in which you'll be able to look deeper into film movements—such as the French new wave—or the works of such favorite Criterion directors as Ingmar Bergman. Plus, we'll offer all of the top ten lists of filmmakers and friends that have appeared over the years in our monthly newsletters, which will now be archived on our main site.

When you shop at Criterion you'll get 20% off all DVDs, free shipping on orders of $50 or more, and a $50 gift certificate for every $500 you spend.

http://store.criterion.com/

In other news, the blog has let loose news that they will be releasing People on Sunday next year.

[edison]

Special Features
- DIRECTOR-APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Monte Hellman
- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Two audio commentaries; one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders, and one by screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and author David Meyer
- Interviews with Hellman, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz
- Rare, never-before-seen screen-test outtakes
- Performance and Image: a look at the restoration of a '55 Chevy from the movie
- Color Me Gone: photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: Rudy Wurlitzer's screenplay, reprinted specially for this release; new essays by Kent Jones, appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article "On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop."


The late Swedish master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman rose to international stardom in the 1950s. Here, together in one box set, are four of his most cherished, unforgettable masterpieces.

[Gold Trumpet]

It's an unfortunate box set for Bergman if it doesn't feature a new transfer for The Seventh Seal. I'm surprised they would take advantage of the legacy of Ingmar Bergman by releasing this box set after his death and not making it appropriate by doing a new transfer for The Seventh Seal. The DVD has been in line for a few years now for a rehaul and Criterion even admitted that but I'm not sure they did what was needed for this box set.

I'll have to check out Two-Lane Blacktop. I don't know it well. I'm just sad the Max Ophuls box set wasn't announced.

[OrHowILearnedTo]

Also disapointed about no Ophuls news.

I'm not a fan of two lane blacktop at all, but I may rent the dvd becuase the commentaries will definately be 10 times more exciting than the film itself (and thats a pretty cool cover).

[SoNowThen]

Anybody here who IS a fan of Blacktop? I've been wanting to check it out for ever, but my current economic situation forces me to blind buy less and less.

[w/o horse]

It's a film with a really unique resonance.  It's a quiet and slow paced film that's not necessarily contemplative or introspective, but like suggestive and foreboding.  I want to say that it's about hippies but there's this diner scene that makes it clear it's not a film about hippies, and I want to say it's about a long race but there's this irreverent attitude towards the race.  It does capture a time and a mood, and somehow it sees into its future, so a real gloom hangs over the film, a real kind of hopelessness and then resilience.

It's a really moody film and I'm a fan.  I'd recommend everyone check it out for themselves to see how they react.

I also went to see Sawdust and Tinsel recently, which is going to be released in November.  It's super fucking good.  It's Bergman still doing story driven films, so there's not a lot to scratch off the surface if that's your kick, but the surface is consistently highly engaging.  It also has a carnival atmosphere which I'm always a sucker for.

[I Don't Believe in Beatles]

[samsong]

The Naked Prey?

[meatwad]

in the bio section on the website for alex cox's film searchers 2.0, it says that his film walker is being restored by criterion for release in 2008. has this been mentioned before?

http://www.searchers2.com/

[Gold Trumpet]

From a post at the Criterion forum:

"I attended a Master Class with Albert Maysles yesterday afternoon and got word that at least three of his films are slated for Criterion release in 2008:

A Visit With Truman Capote (1966)

Meet Marlon Brando (1966)

Muhammed and Larry (1980)"

This could be a Criterion box set, but I believe there is also a good chance it could be an Eclipse release. Maysles is an important filmmaker, but these don't look high priority. Meet Marlon Brando was most rumored to be an extra on One Eyed Jack's if Paramount relinquished their print to Criterion.

One Eyed Jacks is a distinct possibility, but I'll bet this box set money this becomes Eclipse property. For now I have to label it under Criterion.

[SoNowThen]

My pal worked in Albert's office last year and spent all his time helping them archive EVERYTHING, in order to prep a Criterion box.

So I would imagine you're right, GT -- probably Eclipse.

Or maybe something like the Brakhage set, since a lot of these Maysles docs are short.

some videotapes MAY have found their way into my hands... perhaps ALL those docs... by, er, blind luck