Criterion News and Discussion

[w/o horse]

Feb standard def releases (+2 Cassavetes reissues)



SPECIAL FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- A Mexican Buñuel (1995), 50-minute documentary by Emilio Maillé
- New interview with actress Silvia Pinal
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Michael Wood and a reprinted interview with Buñuel



SPECIAL FEATURES

- SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- The Last Script: Remembering Luis Buñuel, a 2008 documentary featuring Jean-Claude Carrière and Jean Luis Buñuel
- New interviews with filmmaker Arturo Ripstein and actress Silvia Pinal
- Theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Marsha Kinder and a reprinted interview with Buñuel



SPECIAL FEATURES

- New high-definition digital transfer—restoration by the BFI National Archive, funded by the David Lean Foundation and StudioCanal
- Audio commentary featuring film scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini, co-authors of David Lean and His Films
- The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton, a 1978 BBC documentary about the actor's life and career, featuring interviews with his friends and colleagues
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A new essay by critic Armond White

[Bethie]

mmm bunuel. love.

[MacGuffin]

Criterion's first wave of Blu-ray Disc titles, including Bottle Rocket, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Third Man and Chunking Express, has been delayed until 12/16. The Last Emperor will now follow on 1/6/09.

[tpfkabi]

i've been wanting those Godard Criterion posters for since forever but thought they were too pricey.now they're not even listed, much less sold out.

[cinemanarchist]

i've been wanting those Godard Criterion posters for since forever but thought they were too pricey.now they're not even listed, much less sold out.

Yeah, I tried going after them the second day of the sale and they were sold out already. Now pretty much everything is gone. I wanted me some Six Moral Tales...damnit.

[last days of gerry the elephant]

i've been wanting those Godard Criterion posters for since forever but thought they were too pricey.now they're not even listed, much less sold out.

They're so worth it even at the $25 price tag. SO worth it.

[tpfkabi]

i've been wanting those Godard Criterion posters for since forever but thought they were too pricey.now they're not even listed, much less sold out.

They're so worth it even at the $25 price tag. SO worth it.

Did Criterion print them up themselves or is there another place to get them?

[last days of gerry the elephant]

I think they're Criterion's. Which brings up this next question, when the hell are they releasing My Life To Live? Better come on Blu-ray.

[cinemanarchist]

Everyone seen the new redesigned website? Very impressive and that intro film is pretty remarkable as well. They link to a film lovers networking site www.theauteurs.com and since I think it is at least partly run by Criterion I'm mentioning it in this thread. You can watch Criterion films from the site and discuss them with others. My name over there is Hulot313 and if anyone else joins why not go ahead and post your name so we can be friends on multiple film sites! 

*Update* Okay now I'm not sure if that site is run at all by Criterion and if someone finds out for sure one way or the other I'll be more than happy to start a new thread.

[MacGuffin]

From The Digital Bits:

Chungking Express
1994 (2008) - Miramax (Criterion)
Released on Blu-ray Disc on December 16th, 2008

Film Rating: A
Video (1-20): 19.5
Audio (1-20): 18
Extras: B-

Okay... first things's first. Chungking Express is quite possibly director Wong Kar-wai's best film. Set in Hong Kong on the verge of the Chinese government takeover from the British, this evocative, neo-noirish tale presents not one but two unique love stories in dream-like fashion, each interesting and emotionally affecting in its way.

Our own Rob Hale reviewed this film when it was released on DVD back in 2003, so I'll let his review speak for itself. Suffice it to say that I love and appreciate Chunking Express now every bit as much as Rob did then. It's just a wonderful and unexpectedly captivating little film. What you guys really want to know is: Is this first Blu-ray Disc release from The Criterion Collection worth the wait? The answer, I'm delighted to say, is absolutely!

Simply put, this is one of the most deliciously film-like images I've seen on Blu-ray to date. Criterion clearly took their time getting this transfer right, and the color, contrast and image detail all benefit tremendously from their efforts. That's not to say that this looks like... say, Wall-E on Blu-ray... but it's not meant to. You'll see light to moderate grain, for one thing, as you'd expect from an art house film. But the transfer has been so carefully prepared, I actually forgot I was looking at a Blu-ray Disc. The presentation is almost transparent - I felt as if I were watching actual film projection in a theatre. The little nuances and subtleties visible in this image are just really satisfying, right down to the optional English subtitles, which have such a soft, natural-looking quality to the text that you'd almost think they were part of the film image itself. I should note that the image is slightly pillar-boxed, with an aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The audio mix is also well presented, benefiting from a lively and immersive DTS-HD mix of excellent clarity. I have absolutely no complaints - this is a wonderful A/V experience from start to finish.

There isn't a lot in terms of extras, but all of the DVD bonus material is here and it's all good. Included is a thoughtful (and indexed) audio commentary track featuring Asian cinema critic Tony Rayns, the 12-minute Moving Pictures interview with the director and cinematographer (in SD) and the film's theatrical trailer (in full HD). The menus are elegant, as you'd expect from Criterion, and the load icon is the Criterion logo itself. The disc also includes a nice booklet with photos and an essay by critic Amy Taubin, and the packaging is a tasteful Digipack with a simple cardboard slipcase. It features the artwork pictured above with a quality matte finish, and is of similar size to a standard Blu-ray plastic case. Best of all, you get all of this for the SAME price as the DVD version, making the purchase decision delightfully easy to justify.

I'll tell you... this is one of the most pleasing Blu-ray experiences I've had this year. If Chungking Express is an indication of the kind of picture and sound quality we can expect on future Blu-rays from Criterion, then I can't wait to see the next one. BRAVO!

Bill Hunt, Editor

[last days of gerry the elephant]

I actually grew depressed this past week because Criterion decided to delay the first batch of Blu-rays; including Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket... I had them on Pre-order, expedite shipping... and the weekend all free'ed up to watch them back to back with all the features attached. Bastards.

[tpfkabi]

I totally forgot about Bottle Rocket's DVD release today.
Best Buy doesn't even list it for In Store availability though.

I was in Target the other day and very surprised to see two copies of Fear and Loathing Criterion. It's been out so long that I figured they would already stop stocking it. I know with their CD's you'll usually only see the latest release of any artist.

[Stefen]

Everyone seen the new redesigned website? Very impressive and that intro film is pretty remarkable as well. They link to a film lovers networking site www.theauteurs.com and since I think it is at least partly run by Criterion I'm mentioning it in this thread. You can watch Criterion films from the site and discuss them with others. My name over there is Hulot313 and if anyone else joins why not go ahead and post your name so we can be friends on multiple film sites! 

*Update* Okay now I'm not sure if that site is run at all by Criterion and if someone finds out for sure one way or the other I'll be more than happy to start a new thread.

This is a pretty site. I joined under, what else -- Stefen.

I don't like the discussion forums, though. It's difficult to navigate.

[cinemanarchist]

Everyone seen the new redesigned website? Very impressive and that intro film is pretty remarkable as well. They link to a film lovers networking site www.theauteurs.com and since I think it is at least partly run by Criterion I'm mentioning it in this thread. You can watch Criterion films from the site and discuss them with others. My name over there is Hulot313 and if anyone else joins why not go ahead and post your name so we can be friends on multiple film sites! 

*Update* Okay now I'm not sure if that site is run at all by Criterion and if someone finds out for sure one way or the other I'll be more than happy to start a new thread.

This is a pretty site. I joined under, what else -- Stefen.

I don't like the discussion forums, though. It's difficult to navigate.

I can't figure out how to add a friend if they aren't listed as one of the top 50 cinephiles or have posted in the forums...for instance I can't figure out how to add Stefen because I don't know where, if anywhere, he's posted.

[Stefen]

I haven't posted and I probably won't. Here, I can get away with being a cinematic dumbass by cracking jokes, but over there I'd get exposed as a fraud right off the bat, then probably banned when I wise cracked. I'm just going to read and navigate for now.