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2026 Title Teaser Advent Calendar

MERRY XMAS!!!

For your final hint, next year we plan on releasing a new Radical Japan set!

Finch wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2025 4:11 pm 2026 Title Teaser Advent Calendar

MERRY XMAS!!!

For your final hint, next year we plan on releasing a new Radical Japan set!

Could it truly, finally be Shuji Terayama? I’d be ecstatic with Art Theatre Guild titles

Calvin wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2025 12:15 am

Matt wrote:
POLA X is on the road to being a lost film at this point.

It looks like there's a 4K restoration coming out in Japan soon, somehow

There was a Metrograph screening a few weeks back as part of this strange little program (Did anyone see this? The screening was projected as a DCP which implies it was the restoration, I believe Carax said his films were all given restorations in a recent interview). I wouldn't be surprised if it saw a release somewhere soon.

thesmark88 wrote:

tenia wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2025 10:19 am

andyli wrote:I wonder what material issues prevent A Pot Worth a Million Ryo getting released, since the Japanese blu-ray has been out for what, two years?

(Only seeing this now) It has been restored in 4k, a restoration I saw theatrically 2 years ago. It's not perfect, but it'd be adequate for a BD release and in line with lots of silent movies' restorations.

I was the one who asked him about it on the Discord. His response was "The base materials are clearly challenged so that doesn't help but, without me checking my notes and my memory is hazy, on top of this there's been more digital tinkering than we'd find acceptable I think because the studio has that challenge to overcome and often that's combated by quick (cheaper) digital fixes unfortunately."

I double checked my notes, and it was saying the definition was limited and thar it was riddled with scratches. I don't recall it being worse than this, but it is possible that seeing it theatrically made the filterings less obvious to me that they'd be on video.

ROM

ROMA ORE 11 - Giuseppe De Santis (1952)

A new restoration by Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale featured in Venice Classics 2025...

MAT - Matador

MATADOR - Pedro Almodóvar (1986)

Yes, a new restoration by Video Mercury Films also featured in Venice Classics 2025...

ellipsis7 wrote: Fri Dec 26, 2025 4:52 pm ROM

ROMA ORE 11 - Giuseppe De Santis (1952)

A new restoration by Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale featured in Venice Classics 2025...

I'd be very pleased with this, despite having never heard of it before the hint sheet came out. I would be happy if "ROM" = Romania, but this seems like a good shout. I have (I assume like many) only seen Bitter Rice from this director and am open to more

do think MAT = clearly Matador as our Almodovar title

ryannichols7 wrote: Fri Dec 26, 2025 6:32 pm

ellipsis7 wrote: Fri Dec 26, 2025 4:52 pm ROM

ROMA ORE 11 - Giuseppe De Santis (1952)

A new restoration by Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale featured in Venice Classics 2025...

I'd be very pleased with this, despite having never heard of it before the hint sheet came out. I would be happy if "ROM" = Romania, but this seems like a good shout. I have (I assume like many) only seen Bitter Rice from this director and am open to more

do think MAT = clearly Matador as our Almodovar title

It's quite a significant Neo-Realist film based on an actual incident where dozens of desperate young women responded to an advert for a single typist position & the staircase to the office then disastrously collapsed under their weight as they all queued hopefully awaiting interview... Was a scandal at the time... Script is by Elio Petri...

I wonder if Radiance would ever put out my holy grail, Olmi's Racconti di giovani amori, which includes La Cotta amongst several other shorter segments about youthful romance. It's currently unsubbed on back channels and (besides La Cotta) you can only find the first episode, “Qualcosa” di Niki, on YT with machine-generated English subs

Captain Paranoia wrote: Thu Dec 25, 2025 8:35 pm

Calvin wrote: Wed Dec 24, 2025 12:15 am

Matt wrote:
POLA X is on the road to being a lost film at this point.

It looks like there's a 4K restoration coming out in Japan soon, somehow

There was a Metrograph screening a few weeks back as part of https://metrograph.com/altdivas/]this s ... le program (Did anyone see this? The screening was projected as a DCP which implies it was the restoration, I believe Carax said his films were all given restorations in a recent interview). I wouldn't be surprised if it saw a release somewhere soon.

Yes, I went and saw it twice, I was so blown away by the film.

I've never seen it in any other format, but the Pola X DCP is... not ideal. Heavy DNR for most of the film, albeit inconsistently applied. Some shots here and there have natural, well-rendered, heavier grain, but most of the movie is completely scrubbed. Those outdoor daytime shots of Depardieu in the forest are so DNR'd that it almost looks like a digitally shot Disney movie, that's how waxy it is. I'm not sure when the restoration was done, though it's clearly based on a good transfer of the film elements. Still, anyone trying to put out a high quality Blu/4K needs to undo the digital grain scrubbing if they want to do it justice. I've never seen it in any other format but Carax's first three films aren't afraid of grain and even if some scenes in Pola X didn't have much grain to begin with, there's no way it's supposed to look so waxy and overly smoothed out.

I'm probably making the DCP restoration sound worse than it actually is; I should clarify that it's closer to the DNR level of the Criterion Salò or the 4K Picnic At Hanging Rock than it is those James Cameron disasters.

domino harvey wrote:I thought he was referring to the notion of Radiance restoring some rarer Devilles for release that was previously shared out. There are def some options out there already with HD masters that would fit Radiance perfectly, but I guess I don’t understand either. I refuse to believe UK audiences knew that much about Mocky and they still put out a whole box set there

I asked a follow up for some clarification:

Q: "I'm aware that this is several days late so do not expect a response to this but, as a follow-up, we have been discussing this over at Criterionforum aka the home of the internet's foremost Michel Deville aficionados.

Essentially, wondering if this applies just to you restoring your own Devilles or if sales aren't up to scratch for any Deville to be viable for licensing? I now appreciate my original wording left some room for misinterpretation.

And, if the latter, curious what factors essentially decide what directors are worth taking a punt on and which seem like too much of a risk? As, on the surface, considering genre, style, actors, Deville doesn't seem more commercially risky than e.g. the likes of the Mocky set, Rozier, or The Ogre of Athens."

A: "Either/or really. Both represent challenges but there are so many variables, based on the licensor and what they will accept in terms of the cost contribution to a restoration or even if it’s restored whether that licensor will do a viable deal for what is a very minority audience project. All the titles you mention aside from Rozier have genre leanings either inherently or in their marketing potential whereas Deville or other mentioned titles have less so and are Arthouse directors which place them in a much smaller niche. Without anything to hang it on such as for Rozier, a campaign by MK2 a few years in the making including big premieres at major festivals."

Appreciate you asking the question. Hard to hear an answer like that though: Deville is currently unknown because no boutique is taking a chance and no boutique will take a chance because Deville is currently unknown. I suspect someone will take a leap of faith someday, my biggest fear is they do what Arrow did with the Chabrol boxes and release precious little of the titles people would want (“Here, we released Lucky Jo” ) and we’re then forever doomed

Calvin wrote: Tue Dec 30, 2025 8:54 pm A: "Either/or really. Both represent challenges but there are so many variables, based on the licensor and what they will accept in terms of the cost contribution to a restoration or even if it’s restored whether that licensor will do a viable deal for what is a very minority audience project. All the titles you mention aside from Rozier have genre leanings either inherently or in their marketing potential whereas Deville or other mentioned titles have less so and are Arthouse directors which place them in a much smaller niche. Without anything to hang it on such as for Rozier, a campaign by MK2 a few years in the making including big premieres at major festivals."

Even if this the statement that those other directors are more genre heavy was true (which from the four films of his I’ve seen, isn’t true as The Apprentice Heel is a crime film, even if a comedic take on one, and Adorable Liar turns into a spy movie at one part) wouldn’t the star power of his films warrant at least one of his works from getting released. Couldn’t they market Tonight or Never as the film that started Anna Karina’s career or use the popularity of Marina Vlady or Bardot to market Adorable Liar and The Bear and the Doll respectively?

The whole campaign / festival screening point is interesting to me, as I would have thought something like that might actually increase the asking price without translating to any additional sales.

domino harvey wrote: Tue Dec 30, 2025 9:04 pm Appreciate you asking the question. Hard to hear an answer like that though: Deville is currently unknown because no boutique is taking a chance and no boutique will take a chance because Deville is currently unknown.

Same goes for a gazillion other filmmakers; it's just the way things are.

Although Deville isn't entirely unknown in the UK; there was a brief flurry of interest in the mid-1980s, with Péril en la demeure, Le Paltoquet and La Lectrice all being released when relatively new. But I don't recall them having much of a rep life (and I worked full-time in rep booking from 1989-95), and glancing down the rest of his filmography I don't recall any of the later films opening commercially.

ellipsis7 wrote: Fri Dec 26, 2025 4:52 pm ROM

ROMA ORE 11 - Giuseppe De Santis (1952)

A new restoration by Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Cineteca Nazionale featured in Venice Classics 2025...

Venice Classics 2025: The Restoration of Rome 11:00

I’m hoping MAR is Borowczyk’s LA MARGE.

It’s worth noting that the Blu-ray for this is superb, I can’t see Radiance doing a multi-disc version that tops it unless they go 4K. I suppose by packing in more English friendly extras but yeah. The current Blu has great picture quality etc. I’m sure the UK music rights would be expensive to clear.

reaky wrote: Thu Jan 01, 2026 11:08 am I’m hoping MAR is Borowczyk’s LA MARGE.

I assume by "the Blu-ray" you mean the German release?

Anyway, I have no regrets about importing it, and I believe that UK music rights are indeed a significant challenge with this title.

Yes, I think it’s the only one available currently. reaky- it’s listed under the name Emanuela 77 and is a limited edition, at least in its current form.

Boro’s an odd filmmaker, and his work is quite variable in quality, so I wasn’t sure what to expect here. But La Marge is easily one of his top three best of those that are available on Blu-ray. Such a groovy film, beautifully shot and quite surreal in places.

Does the German edition of La Marge have English subtitles by any chance?

even if it does, I would much rather Radiance (or Arrow or Criterion, since we know the latter hold US rights) release it. far more accessible to a wider audience and extras I feel are rather necessary for Borowczyk's films

Aunt Peg wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 7:10 am Does the German edition of La Marge have English subtitles by any chance?

dvdcompare.net says English subs are on the director's cut and producer's cut but not on the German cut. There is also an English dub option on the director's/producer's cuts.

ryannichols7 wrote: Fri Jan 02, 2026 7:24 am even if it does, I would much rather Radiance (or Arrow or Criterion, since we know the latter hold US rights) release it. far more accessible to a wider audience and extras I feel are rather necessary for Borowczyk's films

Arrow would have done it years ago if it had been an option for them, but I seem to recall UK music rights being a then insuperable barrier.

StudioCanal is the UK rightsholder.

I seem to recall the majority of the extras either being in English (the Sylvia Kristel and Noël Simsolo interviews) or with nothing needing translating (Borowczyk's 40-minute film Brief von Paris). Off the top of my head, there was one interview in French with optional German subtitles only, but otherwise I never felt at a linguistic disadvantage.

domino harvey wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 4:50 pm

Peacock wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 4:05 pm Our members here have been incredible at predicting the world noir titles, so I have to ask, what are the guesses this time?

They already released all the titles in Kino’s first French Noir set for these boxes, so I imagine they’ll start pulling from the recently released second volume

Unless I am being dumb, there's no Speaking of Murder // Le rouge est mis (1957) yet.