Forthcoming Criterion & Eclipse List Discussion

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#326 Post by **cdnchris** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:38 pm

domino harvey wrote:Figures that the only Cassavetes title I want to keep from the box, Faces, is still unavailable separately.

Odd that they'd only release the two. Are they possibly releasing the others later?

#327 Post by **domino harvey** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:40 pm

cdnchris wrote:
domino harvey wrote:Figures that the only Cassavetes title I want to keep from the box, Faces, is still unavailable separately.
Odd that they'd only release the two. Are they possibly releasing the others later?

For what it's worth, they're the same two titles available individually in R2 as well, so I wonder if there's a larger reason?

denti alligator · #328 Post by **denti alligator** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:09 pm

Do you think the Blu-ray announcement will come this week, too? I speculate, not so randomly, that it will.

#329 Post by **cdnchris** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:19 pm

domino harvey wrote:For what it's worth, they're the same two titles available individually in R2 as well, so I wonder if there's a larger reason?

While I already own the set it would be disappointing to see they lost the rights to the other titles. I'm hoping they're just slowly rolling them out individually. Except I wasn't a fan of that documentary included with the set (I don't even think I watched it the whole way through yet.)

blindside8zao · #330 Post by **blindside8zao** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:21 pm

I know the Cassavetes set is more urgent but I wonder if it will still be possible to get Short Cuts avec novella/collection after this one is released? I still haven't gotten around to picking it up. I think I even gave away my copy of the book because I expected to have the DVD by the next time I wanted to read the stories.

Murdoch · #331 Post by **Murdoch** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:43 pm

Well, for me October is looking very disappointing, I was hoping for the Blu-Rays, but oh well, maybe next month. I would rather see a re-release of Shadows if I had to choose a Cassavetes.

Cinephrenic · #332 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:05 pm

I'm happy with the three titles, but three? When is the last time we had four or five titles?

jbeall · #333 Post by **jbeall** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:07 pm

That's the downside of all these criterion re-releases. Oh well, I guess Eclipse counts as new stuff, and that offsets the lower number of Criterion-tier releases. And as far as I can tell, the Eclipse sets are at least as good in print quality as the earliest Criterion discs.

jaredsap · #334 Post by **jaredsap** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:01 pm

Cinephrenic wrote:I'm happy with the three titles, but three? When is the last time we had four or five titles?

Not since August and September.

kaujot · #335 Post by **kaujot** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:13 pm

jbeall wrote:That's the downside of all these criterion re-releases. Oh well, I guess Eclipse counts as new stuff, and that offsets the lower number of Criterion-tier releases. And as far as I can tell, the Eclipse sets are at least as good in print quality as the earliest Criterion discs.

I wouldn't call them re-releases. There are no new transfers, nor any new extras (Short Cuts loses a MAJOR extra when you take away the book).

jbeall · #336 Post by **jbeall** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:08 am

Yeah, I was kind of ignoring Short Cuts b/c I already have it. I'd actually like to ditch the digipak, but I don't have the $$$ to double-dip. <sigh>

So these aren't new transfers of the Cassavettes films? Why re-release them, then? At any rate, at least that means Netflix will finally pick them up.

HerrSchreck · #337 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:21 am

jbeall wrote:So these aren't new transfers of the Cassavettes films? Why re-release them, then? At any rate, at least that means Netflix will finally pick them up.

Just so the more popular films of the bunch can be bought by those not wanting to spring for the whole box.. a revenue booster, after forcing the box-buy for a good few yrs. Kind of like what they did w Jimi Plays Monterey, after awhile. And the reverse of Great Adaptations, and the Olivier/Shakespeare boxes... they do futz around with the preexisting line sometimes.

Now, about that *cough* Woman In The Dunes...

#338 Post by **Jeff** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:22 am

jbeall wrote:So these aren't new transfers of the Cassavettes films? Why re-release them, then? At any rate, at least that means Netflix will finally pick them up.

I think those two Cassavetes titles are probably the most well-known by mainstream movie buyers. They've given the box a chance to move as many units as they think its going to with the Criterion faithful, and now they're going to try for a impulse buyers looking to experiment with Cassavetes. They unboxed Monterey Pop after a couple of years, and re-released The 400 Blows on it's own after a period of exclusivity in the box too. If I were a betting man, I would say that Claire, Chloe, and Maude will be the next to be unleashed from their box.

The Short Cuts release is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I imagine that they've simply lost the rights to distribute the stories.

geoffcowgill · #339 Post by **geoffcowgill** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:42 am

As Jeff and Shreck have noted, the Cassavettes unboxing is not unprecedented, but coming so soon after the announcement of the Ophuls titles being released, at least initially, only separately, is there reason to assume that Criterion is pointedly moving away from boxed sets, apart from Eclipse of course?

Rupert Pupkin · #340 Post by **Rupert Pupkin** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:45 am

Sorry but I'm a bit confused there : where's the blue-ray page?

Are Short Cuts, Chinese Bookie and a Woman under Influence (I have bought several years ago the Cassavetes box set) to be released in Blue-Ray in October (and on DVD reissue in October?) ???

There's no changes with extras, and although I understand the idea of making available Cassavetes movies besides the box set (altough, for me the $ price is still very expensive for a "cheap" separated release) and b) I'm quite sure that every Cassavetes fans have the box set since years...

About Short Cuts I don't see the point of a single release... They have removed the digipack box and the book to make it "cheaper"?

Could it be a way for Criterion to sell their DVD SD stock quickly before selling only Blue-Ray titles or before some titles are about to "lost" their licenced?

Too my eyes the Short Cut really deserved a Blue-Ray release, not only for Julianne Moore's bush...

#341 Post by **cdnchris** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:49 am

Rupert Pupkin wrote:Could it be a way for Criterion to sell their DVD SD stock quickly before selling only Blue-Ray titles or before some titles are about to "lost" their licenced?

I think it's more they're unable to include the book anymore.

kaujot · #342 Post by **kaujot** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:50 am

Rupert Pupkin wrote:Could it be a way for Criterion to sell their DVD SD stock quickly before selling only Blue-Ray titles or before some titles are about to "lost" their licenced?

No way is Criterion going Blu only.

#343 Post by **Jeff** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:58 am

Rupert Pupkin wrote:Sorry but I'm a bit confused there : where's the blue-ray page ?

Are Short Cuts, Chinese Bookie and a Woman under Influence (I have bought several years ago the Cassavetes box set) to be released in Blue-Ray in October (and on DVD reissue in October?)

No blu-ray announcements have been made. The Cassavetes and Short Cuts announcements are not for blu-ray.

Rupert Pupkin wrote:About Short Cuts I don't see the point of a single release... They have removed the digipack box and the book to make it "cheaper" ?

They likely lost the rights to the literature.

Rupert Pupkin wrote:Could it be a way for Criterion to sell their DVD SD stock quickly before selling only Blue-Ray titles or before some titles are about to "lost" their licenced ?

They may be trying to maximize sales of Short Cuts before their license expires. I've speculated before that their Fine Line titles are probably not long for this world. Nobody (especially Criterion) will be offering "blu-ray exclusives" for a long, long time.

Rupert Pupkin wrote:Too my eyes the Short Cut really deserved a Blue-Ray release

It is highly unlikely that Criterion's agreement with Ira Deutchman for the Fine Line titles allows them to release blu-ray versions.

Narshty · #344 Post by **Narshty** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 4:33 am

I'd imagine Short Cuts will be gone in the next 12-18 months with the other four New Line titles following suit shortly after. Most licenses only cover five years or thereabouts and now New Line is merely a subdivision of Warner, there'll be no option to renew them.

#345 Post by **Finch** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:13 am

I reckoned they would announce The Human Condition Trilogy and Bottle Rocket so the Costa-Gavra and Melvilles came as a total surprise: Missing I might get at some point, not sure about either Melville yet.

jbeall · #346 Post by **jbeall** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:03 am

HerrSchreck wrote:Just so the more popular films of the bunch can be bought by those not wanting to spring for the whole box.. a revenue booster, after forcing the box-buy for a good few yrs. Kind of like what they did w Jimi Plays Monterey, after awhile. And the reverse of Great Adaptations, and the Olivier/Shakespeare boxes... they do futz around with the preexisting line sometimes.

Now, about that *cough* Woman In The Dunes...

Gotcha--thanks. I'm pretty clueless about the economics of all this. I wouldn't mind them unboxing Day of Wrath.

#347 Post by **swo17** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:03 am

I wouldn't mind them unboxing Day of Wrath.

But Ordet and Gertrud are so good... and, um, I just shelled out $40 for the box.

#348 Post by **mfunk9786** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:13 am

Picked up a pre-owned copy of Short Cuts for 20 bucks. Not risking the new packaging being a bland figure-8 case for the same price that I just paid.

Dr. Mabuse · #349 Post by **Dr. Mabuse** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:14 am

geoffcowgill wrote:As Jeff and Shreck have noted, the Cassavettes unboxing is not unprecedented, but coming so soon after the announcement of the Ophuls titles being released, at least initially, only separately, is there reason to assume that Criterion is pointedly moving away from boxed sets, apart from Eclipse of course?

I can´t find the link, but I´m pretty sure this was mentioned as something Image Entertainment wanted to do when they signed the deal with Criterion. My bet is we´ll see more and more of this

#350 Post by **Matt** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:16 am

Why's everybody talking in this thread? We have threads for Short Cuts and the Cassevetes films.