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[Ridley327]

I guess the sale is still going, but I'm not sure I want to add anything on top of what I've already nabbed on Blu:

-Time Bandits
-The Fisher King
-Odd Man Out
-Harakiri
-The Sword of Doom
-High and Low
-Yojimbo/Sanjuro two-pack
-The Samurai Trilogy
-Dazed & Confused
-The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Not a bad haul, if I do say so myself.

 

[Fjordson]

Two straight Harakiri purchases

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

Ended up getting Vivre Sa Vie, Every Man for Himself, and The Qatsi Trilogy. I've never any of them. Very excited.

I'd go as far as saying this is my favourite film.
I hope you enjoy it

 

[JTripper]

So apparently the sale is extended until 8/8, so I'm gonna wait a week to see if I get any more 20% off coupons, with which I plan to finish off this summer's sale with the Three Colors Trilogy Set and The Last Metro on blu-ray.

So far my summer sale blu-ray haul has been:

Complete Monterey Pop
Slacker
Dazed and Confused
Fellini Satyricon
8 1/2
The Wages of Fear
The Soft Skin

 

[omgkitty]

New from BFI

 

[berzeli]

New from BFI

They have also announced:

Plus; Pasolini Collection (not 100% sure on what it will include), Rocco and His Brothers, Abel Ferrera's Pasolini, and The Wages of Fear. But no covers for any of those yet.

A bit weird with the overlap between BFI and Masters of Cinema (Nosferatu and Birth of a Nation)

 

[Chance Hale]

Ferrara did a film about Passolini with William Dafoe? I'm shocked I hadn't heard about this.

Might import the BFI releases of Nosferatu and Birth of Nation as the Kino blu-rays I have are rather barebones. Interested to see how they compare to the already released MoC editions.

And it does seem odd given Masters of Cinema always does great work. Isn't like Criterion putting out Black Stallion in a grand edition even though Fox already had a terrible blu-ray out.

 

[berzeli]

Okay so the official BFI announcement is up, I thought I would just sneak it in my previous post but it also had some surprises that didn't leak beforehand in addition to the Pasolini boxset info;
The Pasolini boxset contains: Medea, Theorem, Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom and his Trilogy of Life (Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and Arabian Nights)
Now for the (in my opinion the only noteworthy) surprises;
Ousmane Sembène’s Black Girl / Borom Sarret, which may or may not be on blu-ray, i am still probably going to pick them up (been wanting to see Black Girl for years).



Also yikes at how badly Criterion seem to have messed up Dressed to Kill.

 

[Chance Hale]

Hopefully it's just some sort of production error. Criterion has had plenty of cases with odd new color schemes(often via the director/cinematographer's request) but I don't think they've ever stretched an image in such a way before. The DVD beaver comparison shows how odd it looks at times.

 

[inm8num2]

Consensus seems to be Don't Look Back.

 

[mattiewheels]

Possibly completely off-topic, but does anyone have that Mondo bluray for the old film Possession? Is it the best version you'll find?

 

[Steamlord]

I don't have it (yet), but based on reviews it seems to be the definitive edition, yes.

I really need to get on that, it's one of my favorite films.

 

[unity of the void]

Possibly completely off-topic, but does anyone have that Mondo bluray for the old film Possession? Is it the best version you'll find?

I've been unable to find a good version of Possession. So I'd like to know also!

 

[Ridley327]

Hopefully it's just some sort of production error. Criterion has had plenty of cases with odd new color schemes(often via the director/cinematographer's request) but I don't think they've ever stretched an image in such a way before. The DVD beaver comparison shows how odd it looks at times.

I had read that Criterion is aware of the issue and will be making a statement once they have all the information available. I can buy De Palma signing off on the new color scheme and framing (not the first time it's happened), but the squashing and its inconsistency surely must be an error that they didn't catch before discs were pressed.

 

[Steamlord]

Yeah, they're good about that sort of thing. They replaced the defective Eraserhead disc really quickly.

 

[Ridley327]

It looks like Sony is getting into the whole premium release thing that Warner Bros. is fond of by introducing the Supreme Cinema Series, kicking off right near Halloween with (appropriately enough) Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's a new 4K transfer and a Dolby Atmos audio track, but it also has some new special features (including the old Criterion laserdisc commentary!) and a booklet, all in a clear case.

The box art, though...

Woof.

I wonder what Criterion got in the trade, though!

 

[BenHargrove]

A Criterion community on NeoGAF? How did I miss this??

I had my first Criterion pick ups from the past B&N sale: The Innocents, My Darling Clementine, On The Waterfront, and Seven Samurai. I already owned The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, but those were gifted to me. I feel like it was a bad idea purchasing my first Criterion films because I don't think there's a way to stop myself now.

 

[Ridley327]

Here's the official response on the Dressed to Kill squashing issue:

Hello there,

I hope this email finds you well.

In the course of preparing the master for Criterion’s new release of
Dressed to Kill, director Brian De Palma asked if there was anything
that could be done to correct what he felt was a distortion in the
image that caused everyone to appear slightly wide or squat. A modest
anamorphic compression was applied, and De Palma was satisfied. On
reviewing the final product, we feel the adjustment doesn’t accurately
reflect the look of the film, and we are reauthoring discs without the
squeeze and will make them available to all purchasers of our release
of Dressed to Kill free of charge. Simply write to Jon Mulvaney
(mulvaney@criterion.com) with your name, address, and some proof of
purchase, such as a receipt, and we will send you a corrected copy. We
regret the inconvenience, but we hope that in the end all of our
customers will end up with a copy of Dressed to Kill that accurately
reflects the film as well as the director’s intentions.

All the best,
Jon Mulvaney

Good on them responding quickly on this matter, but I would personally hold off on purchasing it until we have confirmation about the corrected discs being on the market, similar to what happened with the Eraserhead error last year.

EDIT: Slight update on the way they phrased it:

In our haste to respond to customer concerns about the anamorphic compression on our release of Dressed to Kill, we posted incorrectly that the change had been made at the behest of the director. Brian De Palma did ask for a change to the geometry of the scan, but it was to address the distortion he saw in the image, not to apply it. Unfortunately, that change was never carried over in the final product, and the resulting discs are wrong. Therefore, we are reauthoring discs without the squeeze and will make them available to all purchasers of our release of Dressed to Kill free of charge. Simply e-mail Jon Mulvaney (mulvaney@criterion.com) with your name, address, and some proof of purchase, such as a receipt, and we will send you a corrected copy. We regret the inconvenience, but we hope that in the end all of our customers will end up with a copy of Dressed to Kill that accurately reflects the film as well as the director’s intentions.

 

[omgkitty]

 

[Ridley327]

Apparently, Eureka is going to lose the rights to the Imamura films some time after the release of that box set, so if you wanted any of the ones that Criterion hasn't put out on Blu yet, now would be the time.

 

[Chance Hale]

Update:

8/6/15: Good news, everyone. The Dressed to Kill street date is moving to September 8. Thanks to the concerns of our customers and the efforts of reviewers at websites like DVDBeaver.com, who helped point out the problems with the release early, we were able to make the fix before the bulk of orders had shipped. We will, of course, replace any faulty copies that may find their way into circulation, but we are working to ensure that all customers, including those who have placed preorders, and all major retailers will have corrected product in time for the new street date. To be certain that you have the correct version, look for the words “Second printing” on the back of the package and on the disc.

 

[Akahige]

It looks like Sony is getting into the whole premium release thing that Warner Bros. is fond of by introducing the Supreme Cinema Series, kicking off right near Halloween with (appropriately enough) Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's a new 4K transfer and a Dolby Atmos audio track, but it also has some new special features (including the old Criterion laserdisc commentary!) and a booklet, all in a clear case.

The box art, though...


Woof.

I wonder what Criterion got in the trade, though!

New transfer sounds good to me, but holy moly that cover is hideous.

 

[Ridley327]

Update:

Excellent news, especially for the lucky scalpers that manage to get their hands on the first printing copies.

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

I never saw this theatrically so its hard for me to categorically state this Criterion transfer is not accurate.

...but strangely, at times, the Criterion ratio looks more 'right' to me.

The more I look at it though - the more the Criterion appears correct to me.

Wow this sure is embarrassing now Criterion have admitted the disc is faulty.

 

[berzeli]

Wow this sure is embarrassing now Criterion have admitted the disc is faulty.

Gary being objectively wrong about the picture quality? Why, this comes as such a shock that I'm unsure what to say. How can this infallible bastion of accuracy... you know wwhat I'll just stop it with the sarcasm. Tooze has shown in the past (and continues to show) that his site is great (and I do mean great) for quick comparisons but should not be relied upon for accuracy for either opinions or caps.

 

[berzeli]

Double post I know, but MoC just announced two titles for October:

Also worth mentioning, BFI won't release Rocco and his Brothers since someone (either at BFI or more likely rights-holders TF1) forgot that Eureka has the UK distribution rights. No word on whether Rocco will be released on blu-ray by them yet though.
edit: Yeah, Eureka have now heavily hinted that they will release Rocco. Crisis averted!

 

[omgkitty]

I might be picking this up for Meshes of the Afternoon alone.

Link

The 1920s

Manhatta (1920-21) by Charles Sheeler, Paul Strand
2K digital restoration from 35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 16fps, 11:41 minutes; new music by Donald Sosin

Ballet Mechanique (1923-24) by Fernand Léger, Dudley Murphy
2K digital restoration from 35mm 1.33:1 black & white with color tints silent 20fps, 15:53 minutes; music by George Antheil from original 1924-25 score adapted and arranged by Paul D. Lehrman and remixed by Gustavo Matamoros

Anémic cinéma (filmed 1924-25, released 1926) by Rrose Sélavy a.k.a. Marcel Duchamp
35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 20fps, 6:40 minutes; new music by Gustavo Matamoros

The Life and Death of 9413–A Hollywood Extra (1927) by Robert Florey, Slavko Vorkapich
35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 20fps, 13:20 minutes; new music by Donald Sosin

Skyscraper Symphony (1929) by Robert Florey
35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 24fps, 8:53 minutes; new music by Donald Sosin

The 1930s

Mechanical Principles (1930) by Ralph Steiner
35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 20fps, 10:18 minutes; new music by Eric Beheim

A Bronx Morning (1931) by Jay Leyda
35mm 1.33:1 black & white silent 20fps, 14:05 minutes; new music by Donald Sosin

Lot in Sodom (1930-32, released 1933) by J.S. Watson, Jr., Melville Webber, Alec Wilder, Remsen Wood, Bernard O’Brien.
35mm 1:20:1 black & white sound, 25:53 minutes; music by Louis Siegel

Poem 8 (1932-33) by Emlen Etting
16mm 1.37:1 black & white silent 18fps, 19:40 minutes; new music by Rodney Sauer

An Optical Poem (1937, MGM release 1938) by Oskar Fischinger
35mm 1.33:1 color sound, 7:02 minutes; music Hungarian Rhapsody, No. 2 by Franz Liszt

Thimble Theater (c. 1938, unfinished until 1968) by Joseph Cornell
16mm 1.37:1 black & white with color tint silent 18fps, 6:07 minutes; completed by Lawrence Jordan; new music:
vintage circus organ

The 1940s

Tarantella (1940) by Mary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth, animation Norman McLaren
35mm 1.37:1 color sound, 4:24 minutes; music by Edwin Gerschefski

The Pursuit of Happiness (1940) by Rudy Burckhardt
16mm 1.37:1 black & white intentionally silent 16fps, 8:09 minutes

1941 (1941) by Francis Lee
35mm from 16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 4 minutes; music by Igor Stravinsky

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) by Maya Deren, A. Hackenschmied
16mm 1.37:1 black & white intentionally silent, 13:46 minutes

Meditation on Violence (1948) by Maya Deren
35mm enlarged from 16mm with 2K digital insert from 16mm 1.37:1 black & white sound, 12:27 minutes; music a mix of Chinese classical flute and drums recorded in Haiti by Maya Deren

In the Street (filmed 1945-46, released 1948, 1952) by Helen Levitt, Janice Loeb, James Agee.
16mm 1.37:1 black & white silent 18fps, 16:50 minutes; music by Arthur Kleiner

The 1950s

Four in the Afternoon (1950-51) by James Broughton
16mm 1.37:1 black & white sound, 14 minutes; music by William O. Smith

Abstronic (1952) by Mary Ellen Bute, Ted Nemeth
35mm 1.37:1 color sound, 5:45 minutes; music Hoe Down by Aaron Copland, Ranch House Party by Don Gillis

Eaux d’artifice (1953) by Kenneth Anger
16mm 1.37:1 black & white tinted color sound, 12:57 minutes; music “Winter” movement of The Four Seasons by
Antonio Vivaldi

Bells of Atlantis (1952-53) by Ian Hugo, Anaïs Nin, Len Lye
16mm 1.37.1 color sound, 9:27 minutes; electronic music Louis & Bebe Barron.

Evolution (1954) by Jim Davis
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 8:01 minutes.

Gyromorphosis (1954) by Hy Hirsh
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 6:40 minutes; music: Django by John Lewis, played by the Modern Jazz Quartet

Hurry, Hurry! (1957) by Marie Menken
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 4:27 minutes.

N.Y., N.Y. (filmed 1949-57, released 1958) by Francis Thompson
35mm from 16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 15:10 minutes; music by Gene Forrell

The 1960s

9 Variations on a Dance Theme (1966/67) by Hilary Harri
16mm 1.37 black & white sound, 12:39 minutes; music by McNeil Robinson.

Castro Street (The Coming of Consciousness) (1966) by Bruce Baillie
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 9:59 minutes

Film That Rises to the Surface of Clarified Butter (1968) by Owen Land, formerly George Landow
16mm 1.37:1 black & white sound, 8:26 minutes

Excerpt from Walden: Diaries, Notes and Sketches (1969) by Jonas Mekas
16mm 1.37:1; color sound excerpt end of Reel 5 and beginning of Reel 6, 13:05 minutes; music by Frédéric Chopin, Group Image

Our Lady of the Sphere (1969) by Lawrence Jordan
35mm from 16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 9:14 minutes

1970

Love It / Leave It (1970) by Tom Palazzolo
16mm 1.37:1; color sound, 14:07 minutes; music by Ray Whilding White

DL2 (Disintegration Line #2) (1970) by Lawrence Janiak
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 11:46 minutes; music Bumblebees Sip Honey by Peliatan Gamelan

Transport (1970) by Amy Greenfield
16mm 1.37:1 color sound, 5:43 minutes; music by Indiran

Legacy Bonus Films

Curator’s Carte Blanche
Sappho and Jerry, Parts 1-3 (1977-78) by Bruce Posner
35mm 2.55:1 reformatted to 1080 color sound, 5:35 minutes

Ch’an (1983) by Francis Lee
16mm 1.37 black & white sound, 6:08 minutes; music by Christopher Atwood

Seasons… (2002) by Phil Solomon, Stan Brakhage
16mm 1.37:1 color silent, 16:00 minutes

Manhatta (1920-21) by Charles Sheeler, Paul Strand
See first entry – new music composed and performed by Henry Wolfe and Phil Carluzzo.

 

[Infernostew]

I might be picking this up for Meshes of the Afternoon alone.

Oh man! This set looks awesome! Meshes of the Afternoon was one of my favorite short films I saw in college.

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

Gary being objectively wrong about the picture quality? Why, this comes as such a shock that I'm unsure what to say. How can this infallible bastion of accuracy... you know wwhat I'll just stop it with the sarcasm. Tooze has shown in the past (and continues to show) that his site is great (and I do mean great) for quick comparisons but should not be relied upon for accuracy for either opinions or caps.

Haha. This was actually my first visit in a couple of years, it's always strangely reassuring when things are exactly as you remember them.

 

[Steamlord]

Oh man, this is the first time any of Deren's work has been available on Blu, right? I guess I might have to grab this. Although it doesn't look like this version of Meshes includes Teiji Ito's score, which is a bummer because it's great.

I wish we could get a straight up anthology of Maya Deren's entire oeuvre on Blu-ray, like a remastered version of that Mystic Fire release. If any director's work deserves to be seen in the highest quality possible, it's hers.

I also notice a distinct lack of Man Ray in that collection. Couldn't we at least have L'Étoile de mer, if not Les Mystères du Château de Dé as well?

 

[Steamlord]

Wait, Flicker Alley also has a restored Vertov collection? Holy shit. My poor wallet.

 

[JTripper]

Just got the Three Colors Trilogy. Can't wait to watch them. I liked Double Life of Veronique, but felt it was a little more "art-house"y and quieter than I would have liked. Hoping Three Colors are a bit more dramatic.

Also, Criterion hasn't announced a new list of upcoming releases in a while since I last remember. Anyone wanna predict when they'll announce new ones?

I'm hoping we get a Before Trilogy set soon (or at least one of them released on Criterion). I also wanna pick up Inside Llewyn Davis whenever they decide to announce it.

 

[Ridley327]

Just got the Three Colors Trilogy. Can't wait to watch them. I liked Double Life of Veronique, but felt it was a little more "art-house"y and quieter than I would have liked. Hoping Three Colors are a bit more dramatic.

Also, Criterion hasn't announced a new list of upcoming releases in a while since I last remember. Anyone wanna predict when they'll announce new ones?

I'm hoping we get a Before Trilogy set soon (or at least one of them released on Criterion). I also wanna pick up Inside Llewyn Davis whenever they decide to announce it.

We're likely going to get the November announcements next Monday. I believe the Apu Trilogy is a stone-cold lock already for that month.

 

[Rur0ni]

Ah guess I missed the sale. How is Harakiri? I see it's rated highly. I was a big fan of The Sword of Doom.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Ah guess I missed the sale. How is Harakiri? I see it's rated highly. I was a big fan of The Sword of Doom.

Harakiri is absolutely amazing. Beautiful movie too.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Ah guess I missed the sale. How is Harakiri? I see it's rated highly. I was a big fan of The Sword of Doom.

It's fantastic. Watch it bro.

 

[omgkitty]

Two more. How hard would it have been to hire someone who could design a damn blu-ray case? All of these look like they were made in 1993. I also get a feeling these probably won't do well as I could see Sony trying to sell these for a lot more than they should just because they have a 4K transfer on the disc.

Both out Oct 27.

4K Restoration & Dolby Atmos Audio (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible)
Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes available on Blu-ray for the first time:
The Visual Element
The Digital Element
The Star Element
The Alien Element
The Fashion Element
The Diva
Imagining The Fifth Element
The Elements of Style

4K Restoration & Dolby Atmos Audio (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) of both the theatrical and extended international versions of the film
Featurettes:
Cast and Crew Look Back
Jean Reno: The Road to Léon
Natalie Portman: Starting Young
Original Theatrical Trailer

 

[Ridley327]

Leon: The Professional looks like it's basically a Superbit title in all but name, but I've read that the various Blu-rays have all had issues, so this might be there chance to finally put out a definitive edition.

It is funny that the Supreme Cinema Series seems to be Gary Oldman-themed right now. Surely, Air Force One can't be far behind.

 

[codhand]

Flicker Alley consistently killin it. Will get the avante garde collection, already got the Vertov.

 

[Ridley327]

Janus Films has finally revealed the full lineup of Wim Wenders films that they'll be touring as a retrospective:

The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick
Alice in the Cities
Wrong Move
Kings of the Road
The American Friend
The State of Things
Paris, Texas
Tokyo-ga
Wings of Desire
Notebook on Cities and Clothes
Until the End of the World (Director's Cut)
Buena Vista Social Club

I believe Wenders has confirmed multiple times already that they're also being planned for release by Criterion, though it's unknown if they're simply going for a big box with everything in it, or if they're going to cherry pick what they think will have enough demand for individual release and relegate everything else to their own set.

 

[berzeli]

Those Sony covers, yikes.

In further BFI and Eureka Entertainment (Masters of Cinema) fuckery:

This is like watching your parents argue, you love both of them and you just want it to end. These overlapping releases can't really end up benefiting anyone.

 

[berzeli]

Sorry for double-posting yet again, but I totally missed that Arrow released their UK only slate today:

 

[big ander]

people seem psyched about that Rivette collection. I've only seen Duelle and...maybe he's just not for me. Cool that Out 1 will be readily available to any brave souls, though.

 

[Ridley327]

people seem psyched about that Rivette collection. I've only seen Duelle and...maybe he's just not for me. Cool that Out 1 will be readily available to any brave souls, though.

Judging by this comment, I am probably safe to assume that it's a bit of a long one.

 

[omgkitty]

Judging by this comment, I am probably safe to assume that it's a bit of a long one.

13 hours

 

[Ridley327]

13 hours

I'm sure the time just flies by!

To leap off of berzeli's post quick, it sounds like that an announcement for a big, big box set of the Battles Without Honor or Humanity films is inbound soon.

 

[big ander]

13 hours

Even Spectre, the "shorter version" (quotes because I've read it uses alternate footage to the point that it's really an entirely different movie) is 4.5 hours. Take it all together and that set is over 24 hours of Rivette.

 

[swoon]

13 pretty great hours! just think of it as tv show or something.

his more narrative driven films, like celine and julie should come into print so people don't think they hate rivette.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Are you supposed to do that in one sitting or what? Are there intermissions?

 

[swoon]

Are you supposed to do that in one sitting or what? Are there intermissions?

8 or 9 defined segments.