July 2014 blu-ray titles announced at Criterion.com...including "Scanners" & "The Big Chill"!!!

The following films are being released as blu-ray/DVD's for the month of July by the Criterion Collection:

"Pickpocket"(1959/France)directed by Robert Bresson and starring Martin LaSalle & Marika Green-July 15th

"Scanners"(1981)directed by David Cronenberg and starring Michael Ironside & Stephen Lack-July 15th

"Insomnia"(1997/Norway)directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg and starring Stellan Skarsgard-July 22nd

"The Essential Jacques Demy"(6-film box set/1961-82/France)containing the following: "Lola"(1961), "Bay Of Angels"(1963), "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"(1964), "The Young Girls Of Rochefort"(1967), "Donkey Skin"(1970) and "Un Chambre En Ville"(1982)...all directed by Jacques Demy, of course-July 22nd

"The Big Chill"(1983)directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Glenn Close, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Meg Tilly, Mary Kay Place, Jobeth Williams & Jeff Goldblum-July 29th

Have at it, cinemaphiles...this is quite a group Criterion's releasing!!!

 

I don't think "The Young Girls Of Rochefort" has been available on DVD before (at least in North America) so that Demy boxset is quite exciting. And to see "Umbrellas" on Blu-ray should be quite the treat.

Don't care too much about "The Big Chill", but "Scanners" should be great. The Critereon release of Cronenberg's "Videodrome" was amazing.

 

The artwork for "Scanners" and "The Big Chill" look plain and uninspired for Criterion standards:

 

"The Big Chill" artwork appears to use the same photo which Criterion used for the cover on the laserdisc they released back in the day.

 

I'm WAY pumped about The Big Chill! I rarely pre order anything.. but this is a must for me.

 

All of these titles are now available at both www.criterion.com and at Amazon for pre-order...and are also eligable for Barnes & Noble's 50%-off Criterion July sale!!!

 

Disappointed that 'Scanners' (my clear favorite of the bunch; I've bought it on Betamax, LaserDisc and DVD) has so few bonus features. I already have 'Stereo' on the 'Fast Company' BluRay so, unless Criterion had a better transfer, it's a bit of a wash, bonus-feature-wise. Guess this means there's no chance of Criterion issuing a BluRay of 'Shivers', huh?

Cannot stand 'Big Chill' - a film that, even on its release, just seemed to be an excuse to put together a K-Tel lite version of a soundtrack. Was utterly confounded when Criterion put this out on LaserDisc oh so many years ago, and my confoundation continues unabated with this announcement.

'Insomnia' was fun and I'd like to say it's better than the US remake, but the US remake had Maura Tierney in it, and that was enough to make me happy, so, you know... I'm glad it's out there but I probably won't buy it.

I'm totally in the dark with Demy. 'Umbrellas' is the only one I've ever seen, and it didn't make much of an impression.

No Eclipse DVD sets this month?

Still impatiently waiting for 'Eraserhead', 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', 'Cook, Thief' and (fingers crossed) the Bergman GodBox.

 

To say nothing of the overarching, self-congratulatory smugness of the movie's characters.

Speaking of whom, would a bunch of campus radicals actually have been caught dead at the time listening to poppy AM stuff like Motown, CCR, and Three Dog Night? (I know, I know...the whole point of the movie is that they've grown up, sold out and moved on, but still and all, where's the damn MC5, forcryinoutloud?)

 

I like both!!! That Scanners cover is really scary, another image from the film would've been VERY scary if you know what I mean .

 

The credits are rolling on The Big Chill, and Joy To The World sounds unbelievable in this great 5.1 mix.
The film has never looked, or sounded better.
I wish all " when are they going to give us a Blu ray on this ? " questions, could be answered with a Criterion release.

 

Looks like the Scanners cover got changed:

http://www.criterion.com/films/28043-scanners

 

My friend at Home Theater Forum who has inside info at Criterion says we should be getting "Tootsie"(1982)from their Columbia/Sony licensing agreement in a matter of months, MYKE...with Sidney Pollack's director's commentary from the old laser disc AND a 5.1-channel stereo remix for the soundtrack...

 

Not in July but "coming soon" ... 'My Darling Clementine' - one of my favourite westerns.

http://www.criterion.com/films/28570-my-darling-clementine

 

Indeed. It's a cool cover. I thinks the original was probably just a place holder cover until the film version was approved.

 

Blu-ray.com's 5.0 out of 5.0 review :

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Big-Chill-Blu-ray/101197/#Review

The Big Chill Blu-ray Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, August 3, 2014

Nominated for three Oscar Awards, Lawrence Kasdan's "The Big Chill" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scenes; exclusive new interview with director Lawrence Kasdan; Laurent Bouzereau's documentary film "The Big Chill: A Reunion"; and Q&A session with cast and crew members. The release also arrives with a 22-page illustrated booklet featuring: Lena Dunham's essay "These Are Your Parents" and Harlan Jacobson's "Surviving". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

...

Criterion's new Blu-ray release of Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill, one of the best American films from the early 80s, is a thing of beauty. In fact, I like it so much that even though it is only August, I can guarantee that it will appear on my Top 10 list at the end of the year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

 

Tati

 

Just got done watching the Blu-ray of The Big Chill and watched all the extras. Lawrence Kasdan mentioned filming a flashback scene with all the characters including Alex played by Kevin Costner when they were back at college. His original plan for the movie was to show this at the end of the movie but he ended up cutting it out completely as he said it just didn't work. Has this footage ever surfaced? I thought it would have made a good extra.