Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

[swo17]

Wages of Fear on Blu-ray? Didn't they already announce that?

[tugboat5555]

Sorceror on Blu-Ray? Oh god please be true.

[domino harvey]

Not a good omen for Criterion's new year if this is what they choose to "tease" us with

[HerrSchreck]

Hmmm.. a pot belly in profile with three wacky party hats on top of it.

Duh. That was the most blatant hint in their short history. Henri-Georges woulda scoffed.

EDIT:

Not a good omen for Criterion's new year if this is what they choose to "tease" us with.

Quite frigging true. After the year that's gone by, they tease us with a third edition of a film with an already outstanding deluxe special edition "retreatment"?

[domino harvey]

Gotta love that the most suspenseful film in the collection is being given the least-suspenseful clue ever

[swo17]

Can anyone guess my clue?

[Zazou dans le Metro]

Well it beat me.
I was thinking of the Three Amigos...... Sombreros? Bandoleros??
Sort of Constructivist artwork.

OK it was just me then.

No I got it now.. Mounties...Mounties in Bondage. Isn't that Kuchar? or a Maddin short?

[Tom Hagen]

Forget the clue, I am disappointed that the contest was so easy. When two films in the collection are already about U.S. presidents, finding a third is easy. (And, for the record, thanks Oliver Stone!)

[HerrSchreck]

“I’ve always thought that I had a lot in common with Jean-Pierre Melville. He is a silent tiger, a desperate romantic . . . He is a master.” —John Woo

Anyone else catch this?

Next weeks quote from Kevin Smith:

"I always thought I had a lot in common with Orson Welles. He is a film wizard, a visual poet. He is a genius-- just like me."

[souvenir]

Forget the clue, I am disappointed that the contest was so easy. When two films in the collection are already about U.S. presidents, finding a third is easy. (And, for the record, thanks Oliver Stone!)

There are a few other actors who played fictional presidents, as well. I can think of three off the top of my head.

[Narshty]

Nice to see the Obama nod in the newsletter. Not that their political leanings weren't rather obvious with the release of Missing, Mister Freedom, Walker and Salo in election year.

[mmacklem]

I came up with five, but I'm sure I'm missing some obvious ones. Did anyone do better?

[zedz]

And I guess the newsletter lends further support to the 1991: The Year Punk Broke rumour.

I'm disappointed that nobody's come up with a completely screwy but much more interesting alternative interpretation of the clue this time around.

[Antoine Doinel]

And I guess the newsletter lends further support to the 1991: The Year Punk Broke rumour.

That would be pretty cool, but I would imagine clearing the music rights for that film would be a monumental task.

[Via_Chicago]

“I’ve always thought that I had a lot in common with Jean-Pierre Melville. He is a silent tiger, a desperate romantic . . . He is a master.” —John Woo

Anyone else catch this?

Next weeks quote from Kevin Smith:

"I always thought I had a lot in common with Orson Welles. He is a film wizard, a visual poet. He is a genius-- just like me."

That's great. Woo has always thought of himself as the heir apparent to Melville. Melville would have approved - if only to have actually had himself a real disciple (see this interview). In reality though, Woo is merely a pale imitator - a mediocre stylist with little of Melville's restraint or command over his themes.

[HerrSchreck]

Yea I've caught the ongoing tributes by Woo to Melville, but I've seen little in terms of mise en scene to associate the two of them with each other-- aside from maybe this fixation on this idea of a non-cinematic, real world masculinity. I E bring the sensibility of (what they imagine to be) a real career criminal, a genuine contract killer living on the fringes, etc, into the generally sterile world of film with it's plastic screen criminals. In reality an advertisement to more or less degree for the amount of Street Cool residing in the filmmaker himself.

But whereas Melville registers as a real master and innovator of film grammar, who can say more with a moment of silence than most filmmakers can across a decade of filmmaking, Woo's most beloved films are the precise opposite... gymnastic events with a "more is more" sensibility, hoping to cram more action into a minute of film than most action directors do across a decade of filmmaking.

Outside of that, I just think it's hokey and risky to say "I remind myself of (Insert Brilliant Artist For the Ages), who is a master."

[lacritfan]

It’s rather obvious isn’t it?

Blu-ray of Clerks.

[ianungstad]

And I guess the newsletter lends further support to the 1991: The Year Punk Broke rumour.

That would be pretty cool, but I would imagine clearing the music rights for that film would be a monumental task.

Here is an email response I got from director David Markley about 1991:The Year that Punk Broke being on Criterion. It seems to be in the early stages for DVD development. I would love to see this documentary on the label, so hope things run smoothly with Universal. :

thanks for the message and the interest in the film. yes, I agree about Criterion being a great match, but so far there is nothing official as far as a release goes, but there is an interest there. it's far too early to say anything more, and I don't like to count chickens before the eggs hatch. I would guess this would take a little time to become a reality if all goes well with everyone involved, so keep your fingers crossed. I am naturally excited about this possibility and will keep fans posted via the 1991 TYPB myspace

[milk114]

Its UHF!

Why does the middle tower have a halo of sorts? It seems to me to be an abstract Golgatha scene.

[kaujot]

Its UHF!

That, uh, actually was my initial split-second first thought.

[fiddlesticks]

Perhaps three RKO films?

[TheRanchHand]

Good points. I was thinking a little soon to be announcing a BluRay of High And Low.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Why does the middle tower have a halo of sorts? It seems to me to be an abstract Golgatha scene.

Actually, if it was Golgotha then that halo you see would be the sign nailed over Christ's head. Good eye tho because it does look like an abstract crucifixion. Calling Harlan Ellison...

[Magic Hate Ball]

Its UHF!

That, uh, actually was my initial split-second first thought.

Mine was "Koyaanisqatsi with a hat!"

[MyNameCriterionForum]

Clearly you're all wrong: Those towers are built over the great pyramids of Egypt as you can plainly see; said pyramids were built by slaves ("low wages") and the towers - long since destroyed by history - were used to communicate with our extraterrestrial overlords ("high definition").

The movie is Chariots of the Gods