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John Cope wrote: Also, why cut this at all?

The decision to cut the film has very little to do with the producer or Ruiz for that matter. It has everything to do with the selection committee at the Berlinale which de facto made it clear that Klimt will not be run at its original 130+ form, for a number of reasons. So, the consequent 97min. version was done in a matter of days in order to meet the deadline and of course please the committee members.

Unfortunately, it is also the 97 min. version which was sold as the "final" cut to distributors after the show (hence the reason why there is a notable gap in the video department between the R1 and UK versions). I talked a bit about the issue in my review.

Anybody seen Daratt? It was part of the New Crowned Hope series, and also Sight & Sound's film of the month on release. Sounds interesting - better give it a rental.

Oh, and speaking of New Crowned Hope, if anyone could tell me how on earth to order the English subtitled Malba DVD of Paraguayan Hammock I'd be extremely grateful!

No word on Daratt, then.

DVD Times review of Leigh's Bleak Moments.

Incidentally, I watched Soda's disc of Téchiné's Strayed last night, and the picture quality was gorgeous. Anything shot by Agnès Godard demands a damn good transfer, and this did not disappoint - highly recommended.

foggy eyes wrote:Anybody seen Daratt?

Yes, and it's superb. Sparse, elegant, building to an extremely powerful (almost mythic) climax. A must-see. I had seen Haroun's Abouna beforehand, which was very good, but this goes to a new level.

I haven't seen all of the New Crowned Hope series (Paraguayan Hammock and the South African short have eluded me), but it seems to be extremely strong. Syndromes and a Century and Daratt are masterpieces; Half Moon is Ghobadi's best film and I Don't Want to Sleep Alone among Tsai's best (short of the top rank for me only because he's been so consistently great). Only Opera Jawa disappointed me: didn't have the visual zing I expected and there wasn't enough engaging content to make up for it.

zedz wrote:Yes, and it's superb. Sparse, elegant, building to an extremely powerful (almost mythic) climax. A must-see. I had seen Haroun's Abouna beforehand, which was very good, but this goes to a new level.

Thanks, zedz - it's rocketed to the top of my rental list.

Yes, Syndromes is sublime, the Tsai great (back on firmer territory than The Wayward Cloud), and Opera Jawa slightly underwhelming (somehow it managed to feel rather bloated and curiously flat at the same time). I had the opportunity to see Half Moon last night, but opted for something else - now beginning to regret that decision somewhat! Hopefully someone will put it out on DVD soon.

foggy eyes wrote:I had the opportunity to see Half Moon last night, but opted for something else - now beginning to regret that decision somewhat! Hopefully someone will put it out on DVD soon.

Half Moon is very (very very) similar to Ghobadi's Marooned in Iraq in conception - it's almost a remake in that regard - but it steadily gets further and further away from any of the earlier films, with masterfully orchestrated and thoroughly disorienting shifts in tone taking the narrative further and further away from neo-realism (where we might have thought we were solidly grounded) and into the mystical, metaphysical and Beckettian absurdist. And yet it retains a sense that the absurdity and mounting existential dread are completely grounded in local reality. The diminishing returns I was seeing with Ghobadi's previous films are brilliantly, unexpectedly reversed with this one (particularly unexpected as this starts out as an apparent retread).

I've been trying to find a review of Soda's edition of After Life, but it seems as if there isn't any. I've been holding off buying the R2JP for several years now for some reason and was about to order it when I found this one. Since buying the Soda will save me about 10 bucks I'm very curious if anyone here could comment on it.

Ornette, After Life has a good transfer - not dazzling, but nothing to complain about. Unfortunately I don't have the disc to hand so can't post screen captures, but I doubt you'll be disappointed with it.

Oh, and thanks for the info on Half Moon, zedz - it sounds very promising. I can hardly remember a thing about Turtles Can Fly (probably not a good sign).

foggy eyes wrote:I can hardly remember a thing about Turtles Can Fly (probably not a good sign).

Actually, it is an absolutely stunning film. There are two scenes in particular that are beyond description (the little boy deactivating the mine...). With this in mind I would recommend that you opt for the Canadian disc as it features a more elaborate sound mix (5.1) as opposed to the US one (2.0).

Pro-B

Ornette wrote:I've been trying to find a review of Soda's edition of After Life, but it seems as if there isn't any. I've been holding off buying the R2JP for several years now for some reason and was about to order it when I found this one. Since buying the Soda will save me about 10 bucks I'm very curious if anyone here could comment on it.

I have made some screenshots, look here.

sir karl wrote:

Ornette wrote:I've been trying to find a review of Soda's edition of After Life, but it seems as if there isn't any. I've been holding off buying the R2JP for several years now for some reason and was about to order it when I found this one. Since buying the Soda will save me about 10 bucks I'm very curious if anyone here could comment on it.

I have made some screenshots, look here.

added some R2J comparisons right after the R2UK ones.

R2JP it is then -- somewhat more expensive, but well worth it, it seems. I was actually just about to order the R2UK, so thanks for steering me away from it.

Ornette wrote:R2JP it is then -- somewhat more expensive, but well worth it, it seems. I was actually just about to order the R2UK, so thanks for steering me away from it.

Yeah, sorry Ornette - the Soda disc looks worse in the above caps than I remember. Glad somebody else stepped in.

Doug Cummings wrote:Somebody at Soda has impeccable taste--coming up, Honour of the Knights (a highly avant garde "love it or hate it" film; most fest audiences have hated it, I love it).

Absolutely adored it.

If the whole 'contemporary contemplative cinema' tag holds, this could prove to be a central text - stupendously minimalist and quite beautiful. I urge anybody who likes this kind of thing to pick it up - can't imagine that Soda will sell more than half a dozen copies.

The transfer is probably a port of the Spanish disc, and looks great. Screen captures over in the appropriate thread.

I wrote:Hopefully someone will put Half Moon out on DVD soon.

Probably the wrong thread, but I can't remember if the film has been mentioned elsewhere. ICA Films are releasing this on DVD in August in the UK, and Strand released it in the US a couple of months ago. Although the former aren't exactly a bastion of quality, their release will probably be better than Strand's (judging by reputation).

As Little Dieter Needs to Fly doesn't appear to have been reviewed elsewhere online, I've posted screen caps here.

Matt wrote:So I see these people are releasing Carné's Hotel du Nord in April. Have these people proven to be trustworthy?

I am only just now getting around to buying this, 2 1/2 years later.

Who Killed Nancy? and La Zona were released last Monday.

Darratt is very dull, with flat mise-en-scene, simplistic characterisation and predictable-yet-unconvincing plotting, however at least it isn't as morally objectionable as Syndromes. You're better off with I Don't Want to Sleep Alone although, as is so frequently the case with Tsai, the film ultimately chokes on it's own desire to be kooky and wry. Haven't yet seen Half Moon, but very much looking forward to it (Ghobadis 1-3 are worth 5000x the lifetime output of any of the the above mentioned).

Couldn't disagree more--Daratt is a lovely film, as attentive to the nuances of bodily interaction and their interior implications as a Dardenne film (appropriate, given that it's cut by their editor, Marie-Hélène Dozo), and a great double feature with Lee Isaac Chung's wonderful Munyurangabo.

I've seen all the New Crowned Hope films, and my favorite was probably Hamaca Paraguaya (which doesn't begin to translate on video) followed closely by Opera Jawa, Syndromes and a Century, and Daratt. It's a rare example of a uniformly strong series. The only one I was so-so on was Half Moon, but it wasn't bad and I probably wouldn't mind giving it another chance if someone wanted to defend it.

Yeah, that's because you are the target audience for these films, played like a fiddle just the like the 14 year old kid in the front row at a screening of The Dark Knight. Saw Half Moon, btw - not Ghobadi's best but still preferable to anything else mentioned here, including the Dardennes and their dull attempts to copy Ken Loach whilst claiming a spurious connection to Bresson.

Could anyone please comment on their Norman McLaren set? It seems to carry all the extras from the region 1 set, but I wonder if includes also the english subtitles.

lubitsch wrote:Could anyone please comment on their Norman McLaren set? It seems to carry all the extras from the region 1 set, but I wonder if includes also the english subtitles.

It's exactly the same box - Soda are just distributing it over here.

In other news, I'm so pleased they've picked up Wiseman's magnificent La Danse - first FW to have theatrical distribution in how long...?

foggy eyes wrote:In other news, I'm so pleased they've picked up Wiseman's magnificent La Danse - first FW to have theatrical distribution in how long...?

Does that mean it might get an actual DVD release eventually?

Cash Flagg wrote:Does that mean it might get an actual DVD release eventually?

I see no reason to believe that it wouldn't, and there'll be a Zipporah release next year too.

foggy eyes wrote:I see no reason to believe that it wouldn't, and there'll be a Zipporah release next year too.

That's what I meant - a Soda release, on actual DVD, would be infinitely preferable to a $30 Zipporah DVD-R. I do own 17 of the Zipporah discs, but cheaper, more durable alternatives are always welcome.

Well, I started working for Soda earlier in the year producing their DVDs/BDs, so I thought it might be time to dust the cobwebs off this thread and announce some recent/upcoming releases. I lurk around here all the time, so if anyone has any questions about our upcoming theatrical/DVD slate, feel free to ask. I'll keep it updated as confirmed specs come in for future discs. Disasters like the Klimt one mentioned on the last page should be well and truly a thing of the past - most discs are sourced from HD materials, and I've done my best to do away with other evils like burnt-on subs.

I imagine some of the below will be of no interest to you guys (like the Forgiveness Of Blood DVD, assuming you've all bought the Criterion edition), but just in case! We've got some really strong titles coming up in the next year, like Bullhead, Compliance, Everyday (the new Michael Winterbottom film), Sister, The Joy Of Six (a specially-curated British shorts package featuring the directorial debuts of Romola Garai, Matthew Holness and others), and many more.

Before anyone asks - no plans for any future BDs at the moment. That's not saying "never" though!

Two Years At Sea
Release date: Available now (order from Amazon here)
Using 16mm cameras, artist Ben Rivers documents the solitary existence of Jake, a man who lives in isolation in the middle of the forest in a remote part of Scotland. The film follows his unconventional life, capturing moments of profound beauty. Jake is seen in all seasons, surviving frugally, passing the time with strange projects, living the radical dream he had as a younger man, a dream he spent two years working at sea to realise.
Gracefully constructed, Two Years at Sea creates an intimate connection with an individual who would otherwise be a complete outsider to us.
Extras: "Stovies" (deleted scenes); This Land Is My Land, the original short film by Ben Rivers that inspired the feature
Watch the trailer here

Shock Head Soul
Release date: 10th December 2012 (order from Amazon here)
This brilliant study of psychosis, religious freedom and deluded fanaticism is a moving and unique film based on a real story. In 1903, Daniel Paul Schreber published a shocking and celebrated autobiography about 'madness from within'. Up until middle age he was a highly respected judge until one morning he awoke having had a dream that would eventually lead to his long confinement in an asylum.
Shock Head Soul follows Schreber from respectability to madness mixing reconstruction, live-action drama and comments from contemporary pyschiatrists to plot this mesmerising real-life event.
Extras: Interviews with director Simon Pummell and consultant Dr Bart Grob.

Confession Of A Child Of The Century
Release date: 14th January 2013 (order from Amazon here)
Cannes Award Winner Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia) stars opposite Pete Doherty in his film debut in Confession of a Child of the Century.
Doherty plays Octave, a young libertine who witnesses his lover Elise (Lily Cole) being unfaithful. Despair leads to decadence, influenced by his friends to undertake a life of debauchery but it fails to satisfy his thirst for the absolute. He meets a young widow Brigitte who, at first, tries to resist him, unwilling to relive the tortures of passion. They fall in love, but their relationship becomes tempestuous as Octave is quickly overcome by suspicion, in a world where love is fragile and temptation is everywhere.

The Forgiveness Of Blood
Release date: 14th January 2013 (order from Amazon here)
The new film from the director of Maria Full of Grace is a story of family feuds and the honour of a bloodline. Nik is a normal 17-year-old in the last year of high school ready to embark on his first romance and the opening of his own café after graduation. But then a local land dispute results in his father being accused of murder, Nik and the male members of his family are forced under house arrest. Nic’s sister Rudina has to leave school to take over the family business and whilst she flourishes with her new found responsibility, Nik’s resentment at his enforced isolation causes him to try and end the feud even though it may cost him his life.
Watch the trailer here

Keyhole
Release date: 21st January 2013
Guy Maddin's new film Keyhole is a film that spins 1930s gangster plot with Homer's Odyssey and stars Jason Patric and Isabella Rossellini.
A gangster and deadbeat father, Ulysses Pick (Jason Patric) returns home after a long absence. He is toting two teenagers: a drowned girl, Denny, who has mysteriously returned to life; and a bound-and-gagged hostage, who is actually his own teenage son, Manners. Confused, Ulysses doesn't recognise his own son, but he feels with increasing conviction he must make an indoor odyssey from the back door of his home all the way up, one room at a time, to the marriage bedroom where his wife Hyacinth (Isabella Rossellini) awaits, full of cancer, grieving over the deaths of her three children, and wooed by Ulysses arch-rival, Chang (Johnny Chang).
The house is haunted by countless dead relatives. Ulysses eventually reaches his goal and vanquishes his enemy, but the equilibrium of the house has been disturbed. Perhaps this has all been a dream that is dreamt every night by Manners himself or by the ghosts he loves so much.
Extras: Two short films by Guy Maddin (Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair/Glorious); F-Hole: Music Behind Keyhole by Jayson Staczec; trailer.
Watch the trailer here

Barbara
Release date: 28th January 2013
Summer in the GDR, 1980. Barbara, a young doctor, is exiled to a provincial hospital, seemingly punished for attempting to leave East Germany. Confined to a claustrophobic small town and under a constant veil of suspicion, she befriends no one, waiting patiently for the opportunity to resume her mission.
When her new boss appears to confide in Barbara, she is thrown. Hers is a life in which the fear of surveillance is embedded in all personal relationships, and she doesn't know who to trust. Why has he covered for her and one of her patients? Torn between her instinct and her duty, the characteristically hyper-controlled Barbara begins to lose her grip on herself, her obligations and her heart.
Watch the trailer here

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