Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[therewillbeblus]

I'm curious to see what films that were released this year are going to get a Criterion release. I can easily see May December getting a release since Todd Haynes already has multiple releases in the collection and it's probably the biggest film Netflix has this year in terms of critical and awards success.

I hope not if it’d be a JC title. We’d have a better chance at rich extras with a studio release

[Matt]

Janus Contemporaries is just for the films they’ve released theatrically with Sideshow. If Criterion releases a Netflix film, it will surely be in the main line. Those that they have released have a fair amount of extras.

[HitchcockLang]

I went to see John Waters this past weekend. I asked him if we would see "Desperate Living" from Criterion in 2024. He said that Criterion is pushing him to do "Hairspray" (!), but he keeps telling them that the fans want DL instead.

So he did an informal poll. He asked, "Who wants 'Hairspray'?" I swear to you, NO ONE made a sound. Not a clap, not a "whoo!", not even a throat clearing. So then he asked, "Who wants 'Desperate Living'?" And the roar from the crowd blew the roof off the place. He made this funny "I know, right?" expression in response. He ended with, "I guess we'll see".

I mean, in an either/or situation, I would also pick Desperate Living (mostly because I already have a blu-ray of Hairspray) but is both an option? Because I'd really love a fully loaded Criterion edition of Hairspray all said and done.

[GiggityGoo]

I went to see John Waters this past weekend. I asked him if we would see "Desperate Living" from Criterion in 2024. He said that Criterion is pushing him to do "Hairspray" (!), but he keeps telling them that the fans want DL instead.

So he did an informal poll. He asked, "Who wants 'Hairspray'?" I swear to you, NO ONE made a sound. Not a clap, not a "whoo!", not even a throat clearing. So then he asked, "Who wants 'Desperate Living'?" And the roar from the crowd blew the roof off the place. He made this funny "I know, right?" expression in response. He ended with, "I guess we'll see".

I mean, in an either/or situation, I would also pick Desperate Living (mostly because I already have a blu-ray of Hairspray) but is both an option? Because I'd really love a fully loaded Criterion edition of Hairspray all said and done.

Oh, I agree. I'd love stacked Criterion editions of ALL his films. But "Desperate Living" is at the top of my list. Having that remastered on BD would complete my collection of what I consider to be "Golden Era Waters". (Unless the music rights are eventually worked out for "Mondo Trasho", which would be awesome.)

[HitchcockLang]

It almost seems like Criterion is more interested in Divine than Waters if they're pushing for Hairspray over Desperate Living. Hairspray would put every Waters/Divine collab in the collection (minus Mondo Trasho and shorts of course).

[CSM126]

It almost seems like Criterion is more interested in Divine than Waters if they're pushing for Hairspray over Desperate Living. Hairspray would put every Waters/Divine collab in the collection (minus Mondo Trasho and shorts of course).

I would assume the Divine movies are fairly popular and thus sell well. I want DL too, but I can’t blame them for prioritizing a very popular film with a built-in guarantee of good sales. If anything, if they expect DL to underperform they might see a Hairspray disc as subsidizing it.

Or Hairspray might already have a usable master. I doubt anyone has prepped DL for 4K recently.

[domino harvey]

Hairspray is a movie even non-Waters fans have heard of. I think y’all are overthinking this, it’s just a popular movie that would sell well (and I imagine the answer would be different if Waters hadn’t just shamed the audience to not vote for it)

[Drucker]

I've never seen DL, but love Hairspray and would be excitedly purchasing it, as I think my wife is only familiar with the Travolta remake.

[yoloswegmaster]

To Die For, Saint Omer, All the Beauty and Bloodshed, The Runner, and The Devil and Daniel Webster are being released in March

[FrauBlucher]

A low key month but I’m thrilled with The Devil and Daniel Webster. Hopefully it falls on or before the flash sale.

[Finch]

Super excited for the DW Blu-Ray if a little disappointed that they didn't give the film a UHD when the source for the BD is a 4k restoration. I remember liking To Die For a lot.

[colinr0380]

There seems to be a weird trend emerging for 2024 of highlighting a big film from around 1995 for attention (I know that Lone Star is 1996 but that's close enough!) - what other big 1995/6 films should we be speculating on? Se7en? Dead Presidents? Kansas City? Smoke and Blue In The Face? Strange Days? Nadja? Cyclo? Leaving Las Vegas?

[TechnicolorAcid]

There seems to be a weird trend emerging for 2024 of highlighting a big film from around 1995 for attention (I know that Lone Star is 1996 but that's close enough!) - what other big 1995/6 films should we be speculating on? Se7en? Dead Presidents? Kansas City? Smoke and Blue In The Face? Strange Days? Nadja? Cyclo? Leaving Las Vegas?

Kansas City already has an Arrow Academy release and Se7en will most likely just be an official studio release.

[Saturnome]

Thought for a minute or two that All that money can buy was Hans Richter's Dreams That Money Can Buy, I even read "1941" on the cover as "1947". Oh well !

[beamish14]

Leaving Las Vegas is one I really would like to see. A 4K restoration from the 16mm negative would probably be a complete revelation, and I just saw a very beautiful 35mm print of it

[Randall Maysin Again]

How about The Quick and the Dead?

[Matt]

How about The Quick and the Dead?

This already has a (barebones) 4K UHD from Sony.

[therewillbeblus]

And it looks phenomenal

[dwk]

Lizzie Borden tweeted that Criterion has plans to release Born in Flames on Blu-ray "soon."

[beamish14]

Lizzie Borden tweeted that Criterion has plans to release Born in Flames on Blu-ray "soon."

I can’t imagine the recently restored Regrouping not being a part of this. Kathryn (as “Kathy”) Bigelow appears in both films, too

[Ribs]

Given Milestone said this last year about Soy Cuba & the Charles Burnett titles:

They are both coming out, but the delay is for the same reason, which I'm sorry, I can't share with you. But they are definitely both supposed to be out in this year.

Seems likely that we should be expecting those two out from the same deal?

[What A Disgrace]

If Criterion does Killer of Sheep, then hopefully the same package would also contain his early shorts, My Brother's Wedding and Bless Their Little Hearts (which he scripted). All three are currently only on DVD, and in my opinion a Blu-ray collection of these masterpieces would trump even the joyous occasion that is the I Am Cuba unveiling.

[Drucker]

Just wanted to make a quick observation in the "is Criterion too woke now" files, with this months' announcements, a quick glance at the coming soon section actually kind of seems like the best version of Criterion. Some 90s indie flicks (Van Sant/Savoca, Kassovitz), classic Hollywood (Walsh/Dieterle), some art house faves from America and the world (Akerman, Altman(?), Roehmer, Weir, Tarr, Kalatozov), and then a hodge podge of contemporary art house fair, a commercial entry with Danny Boyle, and the Naderi and Roemer films which is exactly the kind of thing it is nice to see more of.

I myself have drastically dialed back the amount of Criterions I purchased since 2020, but I've slowed down from almost every label, and couldn't help observe how great the coming soon section is at the moment.

[furbicide]

It does seem like they've hit a rare vein of form (and the Eustache set is hopefully not too far away either)! My biggest complaint would be that they're still bringing out things like Picnic at Hanging Rock that are already readily available in extensive new Region 2 Blu-rays – but there's nothing new there of course, and I understand that those who are region 1/A locked may see value in those releases.

[beamish14]

If Criterion does Killer of Sheep, then hopefully the same package would also contain his early shorts, My Brother's Wedding and Bless Their Little Hearts (which he scripted). All three are currently only on DVD, and in my opinion a Blu-ray collection of these masterpieces would trump even the joyous occasion that is the I Am Cuba unveiling.

I still keep hoping that Criterion can release his most expensive (and ironically, most underseen) work, Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation or the Disney-owned Nightjohn