2023 Other Label Awards

[swo17]

Nominate for Best Bonus Short:

Escape from America on Benny's Bathtub: "arguably the single wildest, most incendiary and subversive episode of animated children’s TV ever produced, which was banned from broadcast by Danish public TV." Boy, they weren't kidding!

[Maltic]

I'll second that, and the entire release as well

"Banned" is wording it strongly, they just didn't air it at the time, not during "Children's Hour" anyway.

[Maltic]

I made a list throughout the year of commentaries I thought looked interesting. Just whatever I stumbled on. There’s around 80, though my own listening count is still single-digit...

SpoilerShow

KINO
Mikael (Amanda Doxtater and Maxine Savage)
Oh, Doctor! (Adam Nayman)
Poker Faces (Adam Nayman)
There's No Tomorrow (Adrian Martin)
The Lady from Shanghai (Imogen Sara Smith)
Force of Evil (Imogen Sara Smith)
Outrage (Imogen Sara Smith)
Street of Chance (Jason Ney)
The Tattered Dress (Jason Ney)
The Carpetbaggers (Julie Kirgo)
The Asphyx (Stephen Jones and Kim Newman)
Hustle (Alain Silver and James Ursini)
The Last Tycoon (Joe McBride)
The Emerald Forest (Edgar Pablos and Nathaniel Thompson)
The Aviator's Wife (Adrian Martin)
Boyfriends and Girlfriends (Adrian Martin)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (Kristen Yoonsoo Kim)
Made in Hong Kong (Sean Gilman and Ryan Swen)
Millennium Mambo (K. Austin Collins)
Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Phoebe Chen)

ARROW
The Desperate Hours (Daniel Kremer)
Unman, Wittering and Zigo (Sean Hogan and Kim Newman)
The Big Boss (David Desser)
Fist of Fury (Jonathan Clements)
Return of the Street Fighter (Jonathan Clements)
The Executioner (Chris Poggiali and Marc Walkow)
The Warriors (Walter Chau)
Psycho II (Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains)
Psycho III (Michael Brooke and Johnny Mains)
Hellraiser (Stephen Jones and Kim Newman)
Hellraiser II (Stephen Jones and Kim Newman)
Hellraiser III (Stephen Jones and Kim Newman)
Carlito’s Way (Matt Zoller Seitz)
Carlito’s Way (Douglas Keesey)

INDICATOR
The Kiss Before the Mirror (Nora Fiore)
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (Eloise Ross)
Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme)
Death of a Gunfighter (C Courtney Joyner and Henry Parke)
The Big Gundown - Italian theatrical version (Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman)
Black Magic Rites (David Flint and Kim Newman)
Universal Noir #2:
Lady on a Train (Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme)
Time Out of Mind (Adrian Martin)
Singapore (Kelly Goodner and Jim Hemphill)
The Lady Gambles (Pamela Hutchinson)
A Woman's Vengeance (Jason Ney)

EUREKA
Three Ages (David Kalat)
Pandora’s Box (Pamela Hutchinson)
Run Man Run - uncut version (Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman)
The Bullet Train (Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes)
On the Silver Globe (Daniel Bird)
Valley Girl (Maya Montañez Smukler and Maria San Filippo)
From Beijing with Love (Frank Djeng)

RADIANCE
Black God, White Devil (restoration supervisor Lino Meireles)
Messiah of Evil (Kim Newman and Stephen Thrower)
Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (Daniel Bird)
O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (Michael Brooke)
A Moment of Romance (Frank Djeng)

BFI
Dragnet Girl (Tony Rayns)
Record of a Tenement Gentleman (Jasper Sharp)
A Hen in the Wind (Adrian Martin)
Identification Marks: None (Michał Oleszczyk)
Hands Up! (Michał Oleszczyk)

VINEGAR SYNDROME
The War Is Over (Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin)
The War of the Worlds: Next Century (Michael Brooke)
eXistenZ (Jennifer Moorman)
Showgirls (Adam Nayman)

RARO
The Conformist (Bilge Ebiri)
Gang War in Milan (Andrew Nette)
Caliber 9 (Rachel Nisbet)
Murder Obsession (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

IMPRINT
The Long Voyage Home (Alain Silver and James Ursini)
Uptight (Alain Silver and James Ursini)
Carrie (Jason Ney)

SECOND RUN
Walkover (Michael Brooke)
Barrier (Michael Brooke)

88 FILMS
Battle Creek Brawl (Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman)
Double Impact (Sean Hogan and Kim Newman)

SHOUT
Golden Swallow (Gilbert Po)

UMBRELLA
The Man Who Loved Women (Adrian Martin)

FUN CITY
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Adam Nayman)

SECOND SIGHT
It Follows (Joshua Grimm)

VESTRON
Blue Steel (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

FILM MASTERS
The Scarlet Letter (Jason Ney)

[domino harvey]

Are we counting the December Indicator titles that got bumped to January? If so, I nominate Love Me Tonight as best cover

[therewillbeblus]

The M.J.Murphy set wasn't eligible last year but is this year I think because of the same Jan bump

[swo17]

Good question but there's a subtle difference between those two releases: The Murphy set was delayed until January wherever you ordered it, while Love Me Tonight and the other December releases came out direct from Indicator in December but from other retailers in January. When the All the Haunts Be Ours set came out direct in December but from other retailers in January, we honored the December release. Or really, there was enough support for it to make the ballot we were preparing right after the direct release. I guess I'd say here that if any such release has enough support to be both nominated and seconded for 2023, we can count it as a 2023 release. If it doesn't get that support now, we can recognize the wider 2024 release date and call it a 2024 release next year

[therewillbeblus]

That feels like a significant difference - interesting, thanks!

I'll second domino's nomination

[swo17]

Nominate for Best Commentary:

Michael Brooke, O-bi, o-ba: The End of Civilization (Radiance)

[Maltic]

Nominate

BEST OVERALL:
Three Ages (Eureka) SECONDED
Bluebeard's Castle (BFI) SECONDED
The Street Fighter Trilogy (Arrow)
Foolish Wives (Flicker Alley)
Hustle (Kino)
The Aviator's Wife (Kino)
Boyfriends and Girlfriends (Kino)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (Kino)

BEST UPGRADE:
Hell Is for Heroes (Kino)
Wichita (Warner Archive)
Queen Christina (Warner Archive)
Gentleman Jim (Warner Archive)
Rancho Notorious (Warner Archive)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (Warner Archive)
The Fastest Gun Alive (Warner Archive)
Westward the Women (Warner Archive)
King Solomon's Mines (Warner Archive)

BEST LATE DISCOVERY:
Hyenas (Kino, 2019)

[Maltic]

Second The Strawberry Blonde for best upgrade.

[Yakushima]

Nominate

BEST OVERALL:
Three Ages (Eureka)
Bluebeard's Castle (BFI)

I'll second Michael Brooke, O-bi, o-ba: The End of Civilization (Radiance) for Best Commentary and Three Ages (Eureka) & Bluebeard's Castle (BFI) for Best Overall.

[TechnicolorAcid]

If Maltic's are suggestions then I'd like to second Michael Brooke's The War of the Worlds: Next Century for reasons I mentioned in the Economic of Special Features thread, one of my favorites out of the few I've heard. Also seconding Cat City for best overall release, just got my copy and it is a great edition.

[swo17]

If Maltic's are suggestions then I'd like to second Michael Brooke's The War of the Worlds: Next Century for reasons I mentioned in the Economic of Special Features thread, one of my favorites out of the few I've heard.

I'm not counting Maltic's post as nominations given the comment "There’s around 80, though my own listening count is still single-digit." Your mention counts as a nomination though

[Maltic]

Yeah, they're not noms exactly, I just figured some of them would ring a bell with other users. I haven't listened to MichaelB on The War of the Worlds, though I want to (though it's in the wrong box...).

That said, IMO people shouldn't hold back on noms/seconds because they haven't delved super deeply into a particular release etc.

[brundlefly]

The Aviator's Wife (Kino)
Boyfriends and Girlfriends (Kino)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (Kino)
...
Hyenas (Kino, 2019)

Not seconding, but noting, these are Metrograph Pictures releases distributed by Kino (as are, from your commentary list, Made in Hong Kong, Millennium Mambo, and Goodbye, Dragon Inn.)

Hadn't realized they'd announced their other Djibril Diop Mambéty films, "Little Girl Who Sold the Sun" and "Le Franc", as forthcoming on blu as well. Maybe with a little recognition we can encourage them to do a box of those Yvonne Rainer films they curated a while back and are hosting on their site (if Zeitgeist isn't up for it, I guess.)

[Maltic]

Sure, credit where it is due. I guess I tried to keep things simple. Although the Raro (UK/US) titles I didn't file under Radiance, Kino...

Good to know they have more stuff coming.

[ryannichols7]

nominating...

best release:
Twilight (Second Run)
Worlds: Select Films by Ben Rivers (Second Run)
Hands Up!/Identification Marks: None (BFI)
Western Approaches (BFI)
Gregory's Girl (BFI)

Worlds also for "best collection of short films"

best book/booklet:
The Lukas Moodysson Collection (Arrow)
Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest (Arrow)
The End of Civilization: Three Films by Piotr Szulkin (Radiance)

I would like to nominate Morgiana (Second Run) for the best upgrade.

seconding this

I made a list throughout the year of commentaries I thought looked interesting. Just whatever I stumbled on. There’s around 80, though my own listening count is still single-digit...

SpoilerShow

KINO
There's No Tomorrow (Adrian Martin)
The Lady from Shanghai (Imogen Sara Smith)
Force of Evil (Imogen Sara Smith)

ARROW
The Desperate Hours (Daniel Kremer)

INDICATOR
The Kiss Before the Mirror (Nora Fiore)
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (Eloise Ross)
Night Has a Thousand Eyes (Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme)

EUREKA
Three Ages (David Kalat)

BFI
Dragnet Girl (Tony Rayns)
Record of a Tenement Gentleman (Jasper Sharp)
A Hen in the Wind (Adrian Martin)
Identification Marks: None (Michał Oleszczyk)
Hands Up! (Michał Oleszczyk)

SECOND RUN
Walkover (Michael Brooke)
Barrier (Michael Brooke)

edited it down and nominating the ones that remain. will add more in a separate post as I listen

otherwise I think everything I'd nominate has been seconded?

[Finch]

I had Twilight and what I cared to watch of it had terrible encoding. The new Arbelos BD has encoding by David MacKenzie and Arbelos's packaging is almost tempting me to buy the film again and give it another try. I really like Second Run as a label and some of their titles but they need to find a better authoring house because whoever did Twilight has let them down.

[swo17]

nominating...

best release:
Twilight (Second Run)
Worlds: Select Films by Ben Rivers (Second Run)
Hands Up!/Identification Marks: None (BFI)
Western Approaches (BFI)
Gregory's Girl (BFI)

the latter also for "best collection of short films"

Which release specifically are you nominating for Best Collection of Short Films? The two that seem most likely to me are Worlds and Western Approaches

[Maltic]

I second those of ryan's I have listened to:

Michael Brooke, Barrier (Second Run)
Michal Oleszczyk, Hands Up! (BFI)
Nora Fiore, The Kiss Before the Mirror (Indicator)

... and nominate:

Joshua Grimm, It Follows (Second Sight)
James Ursini and Alain Silver, The Long Voyage Home (Imprint)
Stephen Thrower and Kim Newman, Messiah of Evil (Radiance)

[TechnicolorAcid]

Hey Swo17, I noticed that Ride a Pink Horse was released in Arrow’s Film Noir Volume Three so I was wondering if you could put it in the Best Alternative to a Criterion Release? Oh and also Il Sorpasso from Radiance’s Commedia all'italiana.

[Maltic]

Re: other on-disc extra: Has anyone watched Flower's 3-hour video essay on Game of Death? (I haven't, but it seems an obvious choice.)

[swo17]

Hey Swo17, I noticed that Ride a Pink Horse was released in Arrow’s Film Noir Volume Three so I was wondering if you could put it in the Best Alternative to a Criterion Release? Oh and also Il Sorpasso from Radiance’s Commedia all'italiana.

Yes, thanks

[Maltic]

Apropos, Arrow's Bruce Lee box seems superior to Criterion's (unsurprisingly)

[swo17]

Of course, not sure how that escaped me before