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With two Eclipse sets total for the year, I think we need to all accept that Criterion has in fact phased this out (sadly)

Not necessarily. I would assume that the efforts that would usually go towards it went toward Zatoichi. That is one hell of a (surprisingly not that expensive) set.

albucat wrote:Not necessarily. I would assume that the efforts that would usually go towards it went toward Zatoichi. That is one hell of a (surprisingly not that expensive) set.

This - I consider it 5 Eclipse sets in one. It seems obvious to me that the energy that would have normally gone to Eclipse materials went instead to this. Won't be the least bit surprised to see a return to 5 or 6 sets next year. There's just too much to release.

I also thing they are going to be barebones dual-format moving forward.

I would guess that this set was originally going to be Eclipse, and I'm almost positive that the Etaix set was- perhaps the Eclipse branding is going to be phased out in favor of mainline, features-light box sets.

I could totally live with that.

I wonder if the Zatoichi set will be flip disc or there will be multiple films on each disc?

Vegeta84 wrote:I wonder if the Zatoichi set will be flip disc or there will be multiple films on each disc?

The latter. You can tell by the picture that the discs aren't flippers.

So this has come up in like three threads now: if you look closely at the picture, there are three films on one blu ray disc, which would break down to 9 blus and 18 dvds, which makes perfect sense.

edit: never mind. :-p matrix clarified.

well there's 25 films and only 27 discs to that are divided between bluray and dvd, so maybe 10-13 blurays and 14-17 DVDs?

Other than Zatoichi meets Yojimbo, all of the films are 96 minutes or shorter, so I imagine two per disc (12 discs bluray, 12 discs DVD) and one disc of each format for Zatoichi meets Yojimbo. That would bring us to one disc left for the Blind Swordsman Documentary. I'd assume that will be on DVD, and one of the blurays, probably the Zatoichi meets Yojimbo disc, will share with the documentary.

(this is one set where I sort of wish we didn't have the DF, because that's a lot of discs!)

Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

jwd5275 wrote:Frances Ha

So Frances Ha clue really was for Frances Ha. Wasn't buying it as having been for To Be Or Not To Be, the glove just did not fit.

Finch wrote:Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

I'd just as soon they keep them all split. Got enough coasters as it is.

fdm wrote:

Finch wrote:Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

I'd just as soon they keep them all split. Got enough coasters as it is.

DING DING DING DING DING

We'll just make him stand in the corner.

fdm wrote:I'd just as soon they keep them all split. Got enough coasters as it is.

Dual releases is likely the first step on the road to phasing out DVDs.

Finch wrote:Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

I speculated in its own thread that the Zatoichi 'problem' may have been the tipping point for going dual format. When tackling the logistics of this undertaking, I'm sure that at the absolute top of their list was "how do we avoid having to produce two different versions of this thing?" The BBS set was a massive ordeal for them, and they ended up not being able to release DVD and Blu versions together.

Finch wrote:Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

Assuming no price difference in the two versions, why would you prefer that?

The 18 DVDs take up more space (which genuinely is an issue for me). We have a small flat and I already have to stack up discs. Separate BD and DVD sets would have likely meant that a BD only set would have been smaller.

Moe Dickstein wrote:

Finch wrote:Have to agree with movielocke that for bigger sets like the Zatoichi one it'd have been preferable to have DVD and BD sets.

Assuming no price difference in the two versions, why would you prefer that?

I would suspect that separate versions would each be priced lower than the big box is. Not that we'll ever know.

Ben Wheatley's Sightseers is looking more and more likely. IFC premiered it theatrically a week before Frances Ha (5/10), and there's still no word on an MPI release.

Wheatley wrote a "One Scene" article (Friends of Eddie Coyle) for Criterion's website back when Kill List was released, though they regrettably passed on that opportunity.

Beyond the Hills (March) and Like Someone in Love (February) are surely locks at this point.

Everything I've seen from Wheatley has been great. I'm still surprised Criterion passed on Kill List. One of the most interesting genre directors working today.

Am I right in thinking there are four potential Chaplin releases left?

The Kid
The Circus
Shorts
Limelight

Am I missing any?

Doesnt Janus have Woman of Paris and A King in New York?

Yes. They only don't have amongst the none PD titles is that Brando film.

If they hold to the silent-than-sound film rule, that would make Limelight the logical next one, right? Then maybe the First National shorts paired with The Kid?