Criterion April 2018 titles

#917 - The Awful Truth (Leo McCarey, 1937) - 4/17
#918 - The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov, 1969) - 4/17
#919 - Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995) - 4/24
#920 - The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola, 1999) - 4/24

 

Another month without 'King Lear', huh? Dang it.

Firmly in for 'Virgin Suicides' and 'Dead Man.' Kind of curious about 'Color Of Pomegranates.' (Never seen it) Not really interested in 'Awful Truth.'

There's also an Ingrid Bergman Eclipse DVD set coming in April.

 

...which is the only title I am interested in.

 

.. just bring on The Tree of Life.

 

The Awful Truth, Dead Man & The Virgin Suicides for me, we need a B&N sale this spring so I can catch up on titles I want.

 

Great news on Virgin Suicides!

 

Oh man, I'm all over that like white on rice!

Mmmm.... Ingrid....

 

And I just discovered that 'Virgin Suicides' is going to be reframed at 1.66:1 for the Criterion release. It's not going to stop me from buying it, but it's also not going to stop me from longing for the old-timey LaserDisc-ey days when Criterion used to proudly brag about how all their releases were presented in the original aspect ratio. I thought that was once a point of pride?

 

Hmm, since "the new restored 4K digital transfer is supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman and approved by director Sofia Coppola", could it be a 1.66 ratio was the original intention?

 

Virgin Suicides for me!

 

That's curious. I'd like to hear more about their reasoning for doing this. Sofia's recent The Beguiled was in 1.66, so maybe she prefers that more now. Not sure that really justifies changing a past work, though.

 

I know some directors and DPs prefer 1.85:1 but are there reasons for preferring 1.66:1?

 

The Color of Pomegranates is a must - Parajanov was a genius.

 

Maybe the original aspect ratio (open matte) is 1.66 but they cropped it to 1.85 originally for some reason.

 

Agreed, I have seen the restored re-release in the theater a couple of years ago and the visuals are amazing. The very slow rythm takes a while to get used to though.

 

On paper, the forthcoming Region B Second Sight edition looks to have the Criterion beat. I’ll be picking that one up in the first instance, with one eye on the Criterion reviews.

 

I've been wondering about that as well. Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the Second Sight release once you've digested it.

 

Happy to. The release keeps getting delayed, so, if I forget to get back to you, give me a nudge.

 

Well, just hope it's truly 5x3 and not vertically cropped like the director approved transfer on Shout's Blu of Dead Ringers (capsaholic) or Arrow's Blood and Black Lace.

 

A gorgeous film comprised of a series of poetic tableaux, almost like watching a slideshow of great paintings that move. I've only ever seen the versions online, in which the color is very obviously wrong, so I'm very interested to see a properly mastered version in hi-def.

Has anyone heard about a possible blu-ray release of Pandora's Box by Criterion? I keep waiting and waiting, because I'm sure as soon a I buy the DVD they'll announce a blu-ray.

 

The Second Sight edition of The Colour of Pomegranates was released today in the U.K. I bought it this morning, and watched the Parajanov cut this afternoon. I’m no expert on how this film should look, but the restoration and transfer is very impressive to my eyes. I didn’t notice any damage or artifacts; bitrate is high; colours are rich and stable; fine grain is visible and well-resolved. The edition is beautifully presented in a hard slipcase, with a 100-odd-page perfect-bound book. Not had a chance to explore any of the extras yet, but I’m very happy to own this.

Obviously, the Criterion is yet to be released, so the two cannot be compared at the present time. Not sure I’ll double-dip, to be honest, unless the reviews of the Criterion demand it.

 

I didn't know The Virgin Suicides was a movie held in high regard judging by the number of people saying they are buying it, or are y'all just Criterion junkies

 

yes, money is the new pride...for $39.99 they should put both versions to please the ppl who care about the OAR they are familiar with...and are paying for it.

 

to many it's all about the numbers, man..: )