Filmbo's Chick Magnet

Rene Clair's The Italian Straw Hat to R1 DVD!!

2010-02-12T17:31:00.003-06:00

THANK YOU FLICKER ALLEY!

Also to feature Clair's The Eiffel Tower (1928) and Ferdinand Zecca’s Fun After The Wedding (1907)!!!

E1 & Visconti

2010-01-26T20:09:00.003-06:00

As predicted, E1 (former Koch Lorber) has snapped up the U.S. rights to Luchino Visconti's first three features: Ossessione, La Terra Trema, and Bellissima.

Also in store for E1 are De Sica's Shoe-Shine and a 50th Anniversary Blu-ray of Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

Eric Rohmer Dies

2010-01-11T23:43:00.002-06:00

Heaven is a fresh cup of coffee on a Sunday morning while watching a film by Eric Rohmer.

Heaven exists; Rohmer is there right now. Drink your coffee, it's getting cold!

Another Top 10

2010-01-08T15:14:00.011-06:00

Occasional FCM contributor Eric Dienstfrey has sent us his top ten list of the decade, and like most lists from Eric it comes with certain rules: There can be no two films by the same director and there must be at least one sequel. In addition, if a film saw a world premiere in 1999 but did not get an official release until 2000 it was not included in the pool of films.

Eric writes:

Torrenting, Kino/Criterion/MoC/BFI/etc DVD labels, Netflix, college, five years of free time after college, and online cinephile communities all contributed to my growing interest in cinema during the 00s. I assume others my age were impacted by these events the same way, specifically in terms of which new films we chose to watch and whether or not we saw their merit. However, while the new found abilities to understand film history first hand might have been a boon on appreciating contemporary cinema, the above list also forces you to write any top ten list with humility as there are still hundreds of films from the decade I still need to see, or perhaps even re-evaluate.

With that in mind...

Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Michel Gondry)

The Five Obstructions (2003, Lars von Trier)

In the City of Sylvia (2007, José Luis Guerín)

Millennium Mambo (2000, Hou Hsiao-hsien)

Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch)

The Piano Teacher (2001, Michael Haneke)

Regular Lovers (2005, Philippe Garrel)

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000, Béla Tarr)

Yi yi (2000, Edward Yang)

I could have just as easily swapped out Millennium Mambo for Flight of the Red Balloon or The Boss of it All for The Five Obstructions, or even School of Rock for Before Sunset, and perhaps on another rainy day I would have done so.

And because a list of only ten films is boring (and in this case perhaps a bit pretentious) I'm including 40 more, most of which appear to come from the later half of the decade.

24 Hour Party People (2002, Michael Winterbottom)
25th Hour (2002, Spike Lee)
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005, Judd Apatow)
Adventureland (2009, Greg Mottola)
A.I. (2001, Steven Spielberg)
Anchorman (2004, Adam McKay)
Bad Santa (2003, Terry Zwigoff)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007, Sidney Lumet)
Bug (2006, William Friedkin)
Cloverfield (2008, Matt Reeves)
Dan in Real Life (2007, Peter Hedges)
District 9 (2009, Neill Blomkamp)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, Julian Schnabel)
Fat Girl (2001, Catherine Breillat)
The Fountain (2006, Darren Aronofsky)
Gerry (2002, Gus Van Sant)
Grizzly Man (2005, Werner Herzog)
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008, Mike Leigh)
The Hurt Locker (2008, Kathryn Bigelow)
I'm Not There (2007, Todd Haynes)
The Incredibles (2004, Pixar / Brad Bird)
Inglourious Basterds (2009, Quentin Tarantino)
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005, Shane Black)
Let the Right One In (2008, Tomas Alfredson)
Marie Antoinette (2006, Sofia Coppola)
Mutual Appreciation (2005, Andrew Bujalski)
The Namesake (2006, Mira Nair)
Notre Musique (2004, Jean-Luc Godard)
Once (2006, John Carney)
Rachel Getting Married (2008, Jonathan Demme)
Redacted (2007, Brian De Palma)
Role Models (2008, David Wain)
The Shape of Things (2003, Neil LaBute)
Snow Angels (2007, David Gordon Green)
The Squid and the Whale (2005, Noah Baumbach)
The Story of Marie and Julien (2003, Jacques Rivette)
Summer Hours (2008, Olivier Assayas)
There Will Be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson)
United 93 (2006, Paul Greengrass)
Vicki Cristina Barcelona (2008, Woody Allen)

Thanks, Eric!

QUICK DVD News

2010-01-07T22:03:00.005-06:00

Red Desert and My Life to Live will both see DVD and BD releases in 2010 from Criterion.

We are very much still alive here at FCM but some massive internal workings are keeping things slow for the time being.

Rialto's Upcoming Releases

2009-12-11T20:35:00.003-06:00

Recent updates include Melville's Un Flic, Godard's Breathless and his Les Petit soldat and Les Carabiniers.

What to make of this in terms of DVD releases?
Un Flic already has a DVD from Lionsgate, and I doubt it would get a new Criterion release after the Rialto run. Breathless on the other hand is tricky. It's a StudioCanal title, and those in Criterion's library have slowly become out of print (look at Contempt, Ran, and The Third Man). It's unclear what StudioCanal titles are now owned by Lionsgate (perhaps Criterion keeps them until given expiration dates) but it is very possible that the Criterion Breathless will go out of print at some point... leaving Lionsgate to NOT release it.

As for the two lesser Godard titles? Hopefully this means a restored DVD release from either studio is near, but don't get your hopes up.

A Culture of Record or a Record of Culture

2009-12-09T16:35:00.003-06:00

I knew there was a reason I never cared for Obama...

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

2009-12-05T21:57:00.002-06:00

Breaking News: Masters of Cinema to release Douglas Sirk's There's Always Tomorrow!

A New Rivette Book!

2009-12-05T13:49:00.002-06:00

In February of next year, Manchester University Press is releasing a new career overview for Jacques Rivette, perhaps the first full-length overview in English.

While worth your time to read, the narrative constructed by Douglas Morrey and Alison Smith will most likely be a safe one, against which academics and other scholars will argue in the years to come. The hope is that someday Mary Wiles will see her 2002 dissertation on Rivette published, and perhaps after the Morrey and Smith book makes the rounds, the chances of this happening will be even greater.

MGM's Doing DVD-Rs

2009-11-28T12:35:00.000-06:00

And their first wave includes Sidney Lumet's 1966 melodrama The Group.

Watch the Peter Bogdanovich intro to the film on the amazon.com page.

It's Judy-Lurkey Time!

2009-11-26T01:08:00.002-06:00

Before there was auto-tune there was The Judy Garland Show, where Streisand and Garland could convert millions to homosexuality and a teenage Liza would knock it out of the park.

And Judy liked to show that no matter how detrimental drug abuse can be, it didn't begin to dilute her sense of humor.

Is there no one running a marathon of her show today? What a waste of a TV schedule.

Download Ken Russell's Dance of the Seven Veils

2009-11-22T10:47:00.004-06:00

Yes, THE episode of Omnibus that the Strauss estate has banned indefinitely is now yours to watch. What's the line that's now spreading across the listserves these days? Ah yes, "Download it and give those poor lawyers something to do during these tough economic times."

Need I say anymore?

http://rapidshare.com/files/310441601/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441480/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441533/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441587/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441497/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441589/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441792/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441813/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/310441557/Omnibus.Dance.of.the.Seven.Veils.1970-SMz.part09.rar

Watch That Lady in Ermine on Hulu

2009-11-21T12:23:00.005-06:00

Allowing this Lubitsch/Preminger production to stream online is just another example of how Fox has been wonderfully receptive with offering some of their classic titles on Hulu.

Not a Bad Looking Cover for the IFC/MPI Frontier of Dawn

2009-11-20T09:35:00.003-06:00

Life in a Taiwanese Town?

2009-11-16T00:11:00.002-06:00

I love Hou Hsiao-hsien more and more each day.

Download Chabrol's Docteur Popaul

2009-11-11T00:06:00.002-06:00

An absolute gift to the sub-genre of dark and poor-taste comedies, Claude Chabrol's 1972 excursion from the thriller tells the story Dr. Simay, a lothario with a proclivity to brown baggers (aka butter faces), that is until Christine (played my Mia Farrow) proves to be a bigger challenge to is ontology than expected. Fans of Chabrol will still get the murders, the commentary on bourgeois values, and the full-frontal nudity, but in Docteur Popaul you'll also get some serious laughs. (And one hell of an orchestral score!)

Download note: the file has dual audio tracks, so be sure to watch this in VLC if you can. And as always, once the DVD of the film is announced, I'll remove these links from my site. Enjoy!

http://rapidshare.com/files/304411929/Docteur_Popaul.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304443931/Docteur_Popaul.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304467959/Docteur_Popaul.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304494240/Docteur_Popaul.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304522823/Docteur_Popaul.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304552294/Docteur_Popaul.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304582416/Docteur_Popaul.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304614163/Docteur_Popaul.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304646752/Docteur_Popaul.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304850617/Docteur_Popaul.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304880391/Docteur_Popaul.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304913831/Docteur_Popaul.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304949648/Docteur_Popaul.part13.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/304987834/Docteur_Popaul.part14.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/305026659/Docteur_Popaul.part15.rar

Joe's 2009 DVD Premiere Summary

2009-11-07T12:16:00.000-06:00

I highly suggest you all take a look at Joe Bowman's complete overview of the North American cinephilic DVD premieres in 2009.

Outstanding job, Joe!

It's Bow Wow Wow!

2009-11-05T18:14:00.001-06:00

Earlier this year I asked you where I heard this song before (Flickhead confirmed was "No Hay Problema" by Art Blakey).

The answer? Bow Wow Wow's Aphrodisiac!

Ten points to me for getting the answer on my own!

Lionsgate's Response to The Dead DVD

2009-11-05T17:07:00.001-06:00

Lionsgate will be replacing your copy of The Dead. The press release follows:

It has come to our attention that due to a technical malfunction, the initial DVD shipment of John Huston's THE DEAD contained an incomplete version of the film. We deeply apologize to all our consumers for this unfortunate error and want to offer them an opportunity to replace their current copies with the complete version as soon as it is available to ship the week of November 23rd. We regret this inconvenience, as Lionsgate is committed to providing our consumers the highest quality home entertainment experience.

All consumers who purchased a copy and wish to receive the new complete version should do one of the following:

• Email lionsgatecs@orderassistance.com with mailing address and a scan/attachment of the purchase receipt

• Fax (310) 222-5562 with mailing address and copy of purchase receipt

• Snail Mail purchase receipt along with mailing address to: Lionsgate "The Dead" Recall, 20102 S Vermont Ave, Torrance, CA 90502-1361

Please call (800) 650-7099 with any additional questions.

When the new DVD will be available in stores is still a mystery. I'm a little curious about the last line's "the highest quality" as they have had major issues in the past, including a smooshed image in Diva, mono soundtracks on the Godard films, and mis-labeled Bunuel dvds. Still, I welcome what I hope will be a new policy.

Universal/TCM Archive: Remember the Night on DVD

2009-10-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

Now Universal jumps on the MOD bandwagon.

Remember the Night (1940)
DVD Availability: Nov. 22
TCM Telecasts: Dec. 6 and Dec. 24
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99

This heart-warming holiday romance – penned by Preston Sturges – marked the first of four on-screen pairings of Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck and came four years before their iconic work in Double Indemnity. MacMurray plays a prosecutor who finds himself falling in love with a shoplifter (Stanwyck) during a court recess at Christmas time. The atmospheric film co-stars Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson and Sterling Holloway and was directed by Mitchell Leisen.

Remember the Night is rarely seen and received a brief home-video release on VHS. It is being now remastered and brought back to life so it can take its rightful place as a signature holiday classic. Special features on the DVD will include an introduction by Robert Osborne; still galleries, including behind-the-scenes photos; never-before-seen interview segments on the work of director Mitchell Leisen from the TCM Archives; and the original movie trailer, trivia, biographies and more.

Warner Archive: Lang's Rancho Notorious

2009-10-22T22:12:00.002-05:00

I really hate Warners.

Godard's A Married Woman on Blu Ray

2009-10-22T22:00:00.004-05:00

Though I'm still waiting for Numero Blu.

Everybody Had a Wet Dream

2009-10-15T19:26:00.004-05:00

Robert Rossellini's War Trilogy

Rome Open City (1945)
Paisan (1946)
Germany Year Zero (1948)

Chantal Akerman in the Seventies

La Chambre (1972)
Hotel Monterey (1972)
Je, tu, il, elle (1974)
News From Home (1976)
Les Rendez-vous d'Anna (1978)

The Hell is Warner Up To?

2009-10-11T16:57:00.003-05:00

Over the past year Warner has been pulling many of their titles out of print, as one might expect a company to do over time. However, some of these titles (Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not To Be or Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent) are hardly throwaway titles, and have led people to believe that that are choosing to not renew their licenses with companies and that many of these titles might eventually become Criterion releases in the near future.

Yet today I came across a new development (via .org): Warner is pulling more than 300 more titles from print this week. Some are throwaways, but many are pretty important films to the common cinephile. I've attached the full list below, and I'd like you all to peruse this list to see if any of you are as curious to the state of Warner Home Video as I am. Is Warner in serious financial trouble? Are titles like Richard Lester's Petulia or Otto Preminger's Angel Face now destined for the Warner Archive?

Actually, is anyone happy with the accessibility and/or price of the Warner Archive?

After The Thin Man
All Mine To Give
Angel Face
Anna Christie
Anna Karenina (1935)
Annie Oakley (1935)
Another Thin Man
Around The Bend
Arrangement (1969)
Arthur 2: On The Rocks
Avenger (2006)
Avengers (1998/ Snapper Case)
Baby Doll
Barkleys Of Broadway
Batman (2004): The Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons
Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 1 - 4 (Box Set/ DigiPak)
Batman: The Animated Series: The Legend Begins / Tales Of The Dark Knight
Best Foot Forward
Betsy
Beyond The Poseidon Adventure
Big Bounce (1969)
Big Bully (Snapper Case)
Big Cube
Big Stampede
Big Street
Big Tease
Billy Rose's Jumbo
Black Legion
Blume In Love
Bogus
Boiling Point (1993)
Bonfire Of The Vanities (Snapper Case)
Born To Be Wild (1995)
Born To Kill (1947)
Breaking Up (Special Edition)
Bride Came C.O.D.
Brother Orchid
Caged
Carefree
Carpool
Chain Of Command (1994)
Chain Of Fools
Challenge Of The SuperFriends: The 1st Season
Challenge Of The SuperFriends: The 2nd Season
Chamber Of Horrors (1966) / The Brides Of Fu Manchu (Horror Double Feature)
Charlotte Gray (Special Edition)
Chasers
China Seas
Cimarron (1960)
City For Conquest
City Hall
Clash By Night
Colossus Of Rhodes
Criminal (2004)
Critic's Choice
Crossfire
Crusade: The Complete Series (Rental Ready)
Curse Of Frankenstein / Taste The Blood Of Dracula
Damned Don't Cry
Dance, Girl, Dance
Dancing Lady
Date With Judy
Dead Bang
Deal Of The Century
Delta Force 3: The Killing Game
Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol
Diabolique (1996)
Dillinger (1945)
Dive Bomber
Double Dynamite
Du Barry Was A Lady
Duck Season
Dukes Of Hazzard: The Beginning (R-Rated Version/ Pan & Scan)
Each Dawn I Die
East Side, West Side
Eros (Warner Brothers)
Everybody's All American
Extreme Measures
Fair Game (1995/ Snapper Case)
Father's Day
Fine Madness
First Deadly Sin
Flipper (1963)
Flying Down To Rio
Follow The Fleet
Forced Vengeance
Forever, Darling
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends: Complete Seasons 1 & 2
Freejack
Fury (1936)
G-Men
Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
Ginger & Fred
Going In Style
Good Guys And The Bad Guys
Goodbye Lover
Gossip
Guilty By Suspicion
Hallelujah (1929)
Happy Feet (Widescreen) / Amazing Panda Adventure
Haunted Gold
He Knows You're Alone
Helen Of Troy (1956)
Hero At Large
Higher And Higher
His Majesty O'Keefe
Holiday Affair (1949)
Home Fries
House On Haunted Hill (1959/ Warner Brothers)
House On Haunted Hill (1959/ Warner Brothers) / House On Haunted Hill (1999/ Special Edition) (Double Feature)
Humoresque
I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
I Walked With A Zombie / Body Snatcher
I'll Be There
I'll See You In My Dreams
Imaginary Crimes
In Crowd (Special Edition)
Incognito (1997)
Introducing The Dwights
Isle Of The Dead / Bedlam
It (1966) / The Shuttered Room (Horror Double Feature)
It Happened In Brooklyn
It Happened On 5th Avenue
It Lives Again / It's Alive III: Island Of The Alive
Jamboree
Jane Doe (2001)
Kansas City Bomber
Kissing Bandit
Lady Killer (1933)
Last Days Of Pompeii (1935)
Last Voyage
Late Show
Law And Jake Wade
Les Girls
Liberty Heights (Snapper Case)
Lost And Found (1999)
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Lovesick (1983)
Lucky Me
Lullaby Of Broadway
Macao
Mad City (Special Edition/ Snapper Case)
Man From Monterey
Man With The Golden Arm (Warner Brothers)
Marked Woman
Marriage On The Rocks
Martin Scorsese Presents: Val Lewton
Mata Hari (1931)
Mayor Of Hell
Morning After
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
Mr. Wonderful
Mrs. Soffel
My Reputation
Narrow Margin (1952)
Night In Casablanca
Night Of The Lepus
Ninth Configuration (Special Edition)
Nip/Tuck: The Complete 1st Season (Rental Ready)
Of Unknown Origin
Oh God! You Devil!
Oliver Twist (1974)
One Tree Hill: The Complete 1st Season (Rental Ready)
Palmetto
Passenger 57 / Boiling Point (1993) (2-Pack)
Pat And Mike
Pete Kelly's Blues
Petulia
Plan B
Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow
Possessed (1947)
Power (1986)
Presenting Lily Mars
Private Parts (1972)
Queen Christina
Ride Him, Cowboy
Roberta
Rollover
Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone (1961)
Romeo And Juliet (1936)
San Quentin
Scarecrow (1973)
Shadow Of The Thin Man
Shaft (1971/ Special Edition) / Shaft's Big Score
Shaft In Africa
Shaft's Big Score
Shoot The Moon
Silent Fall (Snapper Case)
Skyjacked
Slight Case Of Murder (1938)
Smart Money (1931)
Some Came Running (Warner Brothers)
Someone's Watching Me!
Somewhere In Sonora
Song Of The Thin Man
South Sea Woman
St. Ives (1976)
Stage Fright
Star
Steelyard Blues
Step Lively
Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle
Straight Time
Stranger Is Watching
Stratton Story
Superman: The Animated Series, Vol. 2 (Rental Ready)
Swarm (Special Edition)
Tarzan And The Lost City
Tarzan, The Ape Man (1981) / 10 (2-Pack)
Telegraph Trail
Tender Trap
That's Entertainment! #2
That's Entertainment! #3
There Was A Crooked Man...
They Drive By Night
Thin Man Goes Home
Three Stooges (Sony Pictures): Meet The Baron / The Gold Raiders
To Please A Lady / Jeopardy (Double Feature)
Tom And Jerry: The Magic Ring / Tom And Jerry Tales, Vol. 1
Torrid Zone
Treasure Island (1973/ Warner Brothers)
Trial By Jury (Snapper Case)
Triggermen
Trog
Up The Academy
Up The Down Staircase
Viva Knievel!
Wacky Races: The Complete Series (DigiPak)
We Don't Live Here Anymore
Welcome To Collinwood
West Wing: The Complete 5th Season (Rental Ready)
Who's That Knocking At My Door?
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Wife Vs. Secretary
Wonder Woman: The Complete 1st Season
X-Men Evolution: Enemies Unveiled
X-Men Evolution: Mystique's Revenge
X-Men: Evolution: X Marks The Spot
Young Man With A Horn (Warner Brothers)
Zebra In The Kitchen
Zero Effect
Zero Hour!

I'm told there are also plenty of New Line Home Video titles (including Roman Polanski's Bitter Moon and Robert Altman's Kansas City) that are also going out of print this week as well.

MoC in NTSC: Murnau's Sunrise

2009-10-10T16:11:00.006-05:00

If you haven't picked it up yet, that Masters of Cinema Sunrise DVD and Blu-ray are stellar! They come with the reconstruction of 4 Devils and for those who are region locked, the DVD is Region 0 and NTSC.

Look for their release of City Girl soon, hopefully within the next year.

A Short Criticism of Media Coverage & Double Standards

2009-10-06T16:36:00.007-05:00

Not everything CNN publishes is positive of Obama, obviously. But I can absolutely understand the conservatives' criticism of CNN when they decide to run a fact-check piece on whether an SNL characterization of Obama was accurate or fair. Do I even need to ask whether or not CNN fact-checked Will Ferrell's impersonations of Bush? Amy Poehler's of Clinton?

Whether or not CNN is giving special treatment to Obama's presidency, whether or not they are over-protective of the president's image, or whether or not they are molly-coddling him are all irrelevant. On a purely visceral level, can anyone watch this news piece without cringing?

Maybe I'm wrong. If CNN ever ran a fact-check piece on SNL's impersonations of Bush, please post it in the comments.

Is this Criterion DVD Cover of Che For Real?

2009-10-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: Not even close.

(via)

Criterion Responds to 2009 Criticism

2009-10-03T23:25:00.004-05:00

In an unprecedented manner, Peter Becker of Criterion responds to criticism via an email (via .org):

My name is Peter Becker. I'm the president of Criterion. Thanks for taking the time to write in.

You're right to call the Criterion schedule a juggling act, and juggling this year's schedule has been more challenging than any since laserdisc days. I understand some of the frustration you're feeling about the balance of new and classic titles, especially in the later 2009 Blu-ray schedule. Making the Criterion schedule is always a series of impossible compromises, and in the end, some people, some years, are going to end up unhappy. Clearly this was not a good year for you. I'm sorry about that. I know it may not solve anything, but I thought you might appreciate a quick look at some of the factors that came into play with this year's schedule.

For what it's worth, we've spent much more time on classic film this year than our announced schedule shows. The single most time consuming and expensive mastering project in the history of the company was Kobayashi's THE HUMAN CONDITION -- that is, until we started work on Rossellini's War Trilogy, which is still not finished. We had originally hoped to have the Rossellini set ready for October release, then November, then December. Ironically the easiest of the masters, the 2007 restoration of ROME, OPEN CITY, is the one that is giving us the most trouble. PAISAN, which has never been available in a watchable video version, has taken us three straight months of digital restoration, an amount of time and an expense that will probably never come back, but the film will finally, for the first time, look good -- still damaged, but with a beautiful black and white image that will be a revelation to anyone who has ever seen the old tapes and 16 mm prints that are still in circulation. Our tech director is about to make his third trip to Italy on this project, just to try to straighten out the last master, next week.

You also mention STAGECOACH. We never announced it for December, but it's true that we had hoped to release it then. Again mastering turned out to be more complicated than we anticipated. The original negative of the film is lost, and we have been evaluating a number of different elements. We are now working closely with UCLA's restoration team to evaluate all available elements and create a new HD master, starting from scratch. The bad news is that it's taking a long time. The good news is that in the time we've been working on the master, we've had the opportunity to unearth some interesting supplemental materials, so the edition will be all the better for it. That said, it's frustrating that it didn't come out -- the cover's been on the wall of our office for weeks now, and we're looking forward to making it a part of the collection.

Those two big classics that we've been hard at work on were never announced, which helped to give disporportionate weight to the contemporary releases of this fall/winter. I can understand why you would think we were stepping back from classics in favor of more contemporary films, but in fact, the opposite has been true. Our Blu-ray schedule has been heavily weighted toward international classics with THE SEVENTH SEAL, PLAYTIME, WAGES OF FEAR, THE THIRD MAN, REPULSION, 400 BLOWS, THE LAST METRO, IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES, LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD. And when you throw in our DVD schedule with Z, JEANNE DIELMAN, 2 OR 3 THINGS..., HUMAN CONDITION, MY DINNNER WITH ANDRE, the Imamura box, Painlevé, etc., I don't think we pulled any punches or spared any expense where classics were concerned.

Integrating Blu-ray production into our workflow has been challenging in its own right. Adding an existing DVD upgrade is about equivalent to adding a new DVD production to the schedule, at least where our technical team is concerned, and that is where our capacity is most constrained. New Blu-rays released day and date with the DVD editions are marginally more efficient, and many of our customers are avidly urging us not to release DVD-only editions anymore, but each simultaneous release we do is one more DVD catalog classic we aren't revisiting that month. Right now we're struggling to bring our Blu-ray capacity up from one to two a month to three or four. As our capacity increases, it will be easier to keep a balance, but in the meantime it's an inexact science.

The other title that you say you were expecting, but which we didn't officially announce for December, is CHE. It's coming, and as you can imagine there's a wealth of great content getting developed. We wanted to be ready for December, but Steven Soderbergh needed time to reconstruct some deleted scenes, and we were also able, in what we think is going to be a controversial coup, to persuade Che biographer Jon Lee Anderson to do commentaries on both films, but he also needed more time to prepare. In short, it became clear that if we delayed the release a month we would be able to make a much better set. That's a trade we will always make, even if it means we don't get the benefit of sales in the holiday season, and we think that's the kind of decision our collectors would want us to make.

To touch briefly on some of the other things you mention: more Eclipse is a goal for us too. Again, this is a capacity issue. Each disc in a set represents multiple passes for our QC department, and when we're working on large-scale projects like Rossellini, HUMAN CONDITION, or the Imamura box, that has a tendency to cramp our capacity to handle multi-disc Eclipse sets at the same time. Still, we're proud of what we've been able to do in Eclipse this year, but we are definitely looking forward to getting more out next year. As for "two-release months," by which I assume we're referring to December, I've already mentioned that we intended to have STAGECOACH and CHE ready for December as well but we delayed them to make them better rather than sooner. That said, when one of the two releases is a 25-disc set, that also factors in. I'm sorry you don't like the Kurosawa box idea, but we felt that his centennial was an important opportunity to draw attention to his monumental body of work, and so far we've had some very positive feedback from people who have not been as diligently collecting his work as you have.

I don't expect anything I've said will change your mind about our slate, but I hope at least you'll know that we have no desire to dismiss your concerns. We do value feedback from our customers, especially longtime supporters like you, and we hope we'll earn your loyalty again in 2010.

All the best,
Peter Becker

Thoughts?

Larry Does Montana

2009-09-26T10:16:00.003-05:00

Okay, who's the better of the two actors: Larry David or Miley Cyrus?

For Those Curious Few...

2009-09-23T06:43:00.004-05:00

In less than a week Jamie Tanner has already raised more than $5,000 for the creation of his new comic book.

In light of my recent business proposal for Criterion to release a Rivette's L'amour fou, given the fan bases for both Criterion and Rivette, you would assume they could raise at least four times as much money in a week... certainly enough to pay for the restoration and creation of the DVD. And that would just be in one week!

Is there anyone at Criterion who's listening?

Another Facebook 'Yes'

2009-09-22T21:06:00.003-05:00

Criterion confirms they will be releasing Godard's Week-End onto DVD.

Think of the Possibilities

2009-09-15T22:42:00.008-05:00

The recent Criterion/Facebook/Rivette story is getting me thinking...

What if Criterion were to announce this on their website:

We would love to begin working on the restoration and release of Jacques Rivette's L'amour fou onto DVD, but we need your help. We would like to raise $10,000 by the end of the year in order to pay for the costs of such an endeavor. Those who donate $20 dollars will receive a free DVD of the film. Those who donate $50 will receive a copy of the DVD as well as a limited edition poster of the film. Those who donate $100 will receive a copy of the DVD autographed by Jacques Rivette....

They haven't, but would you consider donating for the cost? Given the current state of online bootlegging and the growing demand for 'free art' on the 'free internet', the current business model for art house distribution houses to release esoteric films onto DVD poses just too much of a risk. I can't blame Criterion for not releasing L'amour fou. However, are there other, unused business models that could allow for a company to make a profit off of the release of some of these holy grails of cinema?

I ask because author and illustrator Jamie Tanner is testing out such a business model, on a much smaller scale of course.

I am extremely intrigued by the prospects of this model, as I'm guessing it could also be applied to other types of artists as well. Instead of using the selling of the product to pay for your time to create it, sell your time to create it directly and give the product away for free. It's brilliant.

What do you think? Would you like to see more of your favorite artists distribute and pay for their work this way? Would you like to see Criterion try it?

Interests disclosed, Jamie Tanner is my brother-in-law, or Semi-Bro.

Breaking: Criterion Says They Will Release Out 1?

2009-09-15T19:28:00.005-05:00

WHAT JUST HAPPENED ON FACEBOOK?!?

Covering the 2008 primaries in 2007, I saw a similar phenomenon with Ron Paul supporters, though I don't think you needed to officially cover the primary in order to have seen Paul's volume of support find little correlation to his level of support. Still, the event that was the 2008 Presidential Campaign of Ron Paul is nothing to balk at. Similarly, I would hope Criterion sees the shit-ton of support on Facebook for the release of Jacques Rivette's Out 1 on DVD as a serious challenge to their current business model. Maybe they should consider changing it:

The Criterion Collection: Wow, Kristina, look what you started! We're going to try to get this done, but everyone in this thread is going to have to buy about 100 copies for us to break even...

I can't tell if that's sarcasm, so maybe they already are.

Keep going -- One Million Strong for Out 1!

Criterion Ponders Out 1 on Facebook?

2009-09-14T21:10:00.004-05:00

Yesterday on Criterion's Facebook Wall, someone asked if the company planned on releasing Rivette's Out 1. Today, Criterion responded with "Out 1 is definitely not out of the question. Anyone else want to chime in in favor?" Since saying that seven hours ago, forty people have responded with a resounding yes.

Do you want to boot your bootleg with a Criterion edition of Jacques Rivette's masterpiece? Then tell Criterion that you want it released!

One of the Creepiest Moments in Cinema History

2009-09-12T13:10:00.002-05:00

The 'other guy' from Cabin in the Sky, "Takin' a Chance on Love" number:

Godard's King Lear DVD Info

2009-09-09T06:53:00.002-05:00

According to a member of the .org forum, MGM's Italian DVD of Godard's King Lear is (no surprise here) a much better transfer than its previous incarnations on VHS. The Italian subtitles are removable (it also comes with an Italian dubbed option) and while the website claims the disc was Region 2, it looks like the disc is actually Region 0.

The catch? The aspect ratio crops the film to 1.85:1 as opposed to its intended ratio of 1.37:1.

Another One of Those Gifts from God

2009-09-08T17:58:00.001-05:00

There's a reason why this is now everywhere on the internet (via .org).

First Review of Rivette's Around a Small Mountain

2009-09-07T16:07:00.008-05:00

Dan Fainaru writes:

The latest from the French New Wave master, a short by his own standards, teams a desolate Jane Birkin with a mysterious Sergio Castellito - it starts with him fixing her car and ends with his mending her soul. Reworking once again his favorite theme of life versus art and indulging in his affection for long, elegant sequence shots and witty double-entendres, this will delight his fanbase as much as it will annoy his regular critics.

Shot mostly in and around the city of Arras, not far from the location of his La Belle Noiseuse, Around A Small Mountain takes place in a circus as opposed to the theatre, but the space between stage and life is as precisely defined and meaningful as it ever was in his past work. Film festivals will certainly board this and art houses will follow, even though Rivette’s admirers concede that this doesn’t add much to his body of work.

The opening sequence shows Birkin standing helplessly next to her stranded car on a country road, the mountain of the title in background. Castellito sweeps by in his sports roadster, disappears down the road as if ignoring her, then returns, opens her car’s hood, taps left, taps right, and the engine comes back to life. All of this is conveyed in one single shot without a line of dialogue.

Similar visual exercises of equal concise precision follow as the audience learns how Kate (Birkin) has come back to a circus she had left 15 years earlier, after a fight with her late father, but she is still uncertain whether she wants to stay with it. Vittorio (Casteilito) is more mysterious; he is evidently fascinated by his new chance acquaintance and is equally interested in circus life.

Digging into Kate’s past, he finds out that her lover, Antoine, was killed performing a daring act on stage. Her father, who did not like him, kicked his daughter out and told her never to return, only because she insisted on mourning him. Since then, she has retreated into a passive existence. But Vittorio is about to change all that, goading her back to the stage and forcing her to act - for ultimately, in Rivette-land, there is no life without art and vice versa.

Watching the maestro move his camera, throwing in references to still life paintings and mist-shrouded mountains, smoothly mixing theatre and film, is never less than pleasurable. The narrative, on the other hand, seems like an imposition, often solved through Birkin’s uncomfortable monologues revealing her character’s past and emotional troubles. Other characters also fill up the blanks in equally clumsy circumstances. Some scenes seem to be missing, whether planned and not shot, or shot and deleted later, but thanks to the scions of the Lubtchansky family, Irina at the camera and Nicole, the editor, these flaws are not over-worrying.

Another saving grace for the film is Castellito’s Italian charm and insouciance which make his intrusion into other people’s lives not only acceptable but welcome and sometimes delectable.

Awaiting more...

Moore's Capitalism "Made for Idiots"

2009-09-06T15:05:00.001-05:00

Shane Danielsen explains:

Of Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story”, meanwhile, I barely feel qualified to write. Borderline incoherent, grossly-oversimplified, intermittantly powerful almost despite itself, it’s the usual barrage of cheap shots and rapid-fire arguments, with Moore displaying all the nuanced economic and political analysis he bought to Rage Against The Machine’s “Sleep Now In The Fire” video.

Nothing if not simplistic, his technique is also in danger of becoming over-familiar: those scenes of him trying (in vain, naturally) to gain entrance to GM’s corporate headquarters, or the Goldman Sachs building, “to make a citizen’s arrest,” are looking mighty tired, these days. But re-voicing footage of Christ from a Biblical epic to praise the glories of capitalism instead of God? Playing on the facile ironies of 1950s public service films? Is this honestly the best he can manage? (Other ironies, meanwhile, appear to escape Moore completely - notably, a Catholic priest expressing concern about capitalism’s use of “propaganda” to spread its message ... which is a little like Don Draper telling you not to smoke.)

And then there’s simple laziness. I happen to admire Wallace Shawn very much - “The Designated Mourner” is, to my mind, one of the finest plays of our time - but he wouldn’t exactly be the first person I turned to, were I looking for an informed commentary on the recent global financial crisis. (Moore hastens, however, to assure us that his buddy Wall did study some economics, way back when in college.)

But then, it’s typical of this filmmaker’s scattergun approach - picking up scraps of narrative only to drop them again moments later, packing the film with statistics that reek of John Pilger-style vagueness. At one point, we’re told that 6,500 minors were “unjustly” imprisoned thanks to the collusion between Luzerne County Court judge Mark Ciavarella and the operators of a private Pennsylvania youth-detention facility. Really? Was that the total number of teenagers convicted by the judge? And if so, how are we to determine which sentences were justified (for, say, murder) and which were not (for, say, writing unflattering things about your deputy headmaster on Myspace)? And what happened to Ciavarella, anyway? Was he bought down? Moore never says. He just offers up the figure, blank and unarguable, and sits back, waiting for our predictable outrage.

And it comes. Of course it does: there’s no shortage of material here to inspire fury for anyone on the Left. (Which, for the record, includes this writer. I am mostly in sympathy with Moore’s politics, though his personal hypocrisy, coupled with his fast-and-loose way with facts, often makes me ashamed to be on the same team as he.) And there are some undeniably affecting moments here: in particular, a successful sit-in by sacked Chicago factory workers, demanding back-payment of their wages from the Bank of America; and the footage of citizens - and African-Americans in particular - weeping with relief and joy when Obama’s election victory was announced in November. No one but the most selfish of souls could help but be moved by these sequences. But they’re all but lost in the disjointed argument Moore advances.

But the film is not made for me - not made, really, for anyone outside the US ... though I imagine it’s gratifying to Moore’s not-considerable ego to hear the cheers of European festival audiences whenever his name appears onscreen. It’s not made for anyone who has read a broadsheet newspaper with any degree of regularity or careful attention (or Harper’s, or The New Yorker, or The Economist); or even watched “The Daily Show”; or who has travelled enough to know something of the world outside the 48 continental States; or read a book that’s not by Dan Brown. It’s made for idiots. Which is to say, unfortunately, the majority of Americans. And that’s not me speaking: Moore admitted as much during his onstage talk with ex-Variety editor Peter Bart, just before the screening, citing the “functional illiteracy” of much of his domestic audience.

Call me old-fashioned, but the Left I believe in accords people the basic respect to address them as equals, not as inferiors. It is a belief apparently not shared by Michael Moore.

Lars von Trier's The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 on DVD?

2009-09-05T21:50:00.005-05:00

Technically only written by Lars von Trier based upon his experiences at film school (von Trier protégé Jacob Thuesen of Riget did the directing), 2007's The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1 is currently the one film von Trier fans should know the most about but instead know the least about.

You can watch the trailer (sans subs) here, and oddly, you can now buy a bootleg of the film (DVD-R so I'm guessing at the term 'bootleg' when I say this) from amazon.com for a little over ten bucks.

Anyone with money to spend feel like letting us know about the disc's/film's quality?

The Whipped Cream August 2009

2009-09-03T22:43:00.004-05:00

Top 5 of the Month

Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds

Michael Lindsay-Hogg's Let it Be

Charlie Chaplin's Monsieur Verdoux

Claude Chabrol's L'oeil du malin

Costa-Gavras's Z

ALL FIRST-TIME SCREENINGS
The Cardinal (1963, Otto Preminger)
The Chinese Feast (1995, Tsui Hark)
District 9 (2009, Neill Blomkamp)
Enemies: A Love Story (1989, Paul Mazursky)
The Familiar Shadow (1958, Maurice Pialat)
Funny People (2009, Judd Apatow)
Gaugin (1950, Alain Resnais)
Les godelureaux (1961, Claude Chabrol)
Graduate First (1979, Maurice Pialat)
In The Loop (2009, Armando Iannucci)
Inglourious Basterds (2009, Quentin Tarantino)
Julie & Julia (2009, Nora Ephron)
The Kiss of Death (1977, Mike Leigh)
Let It Be (1970, Michael Lindsay-Hogg)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947, Charlie Chaplin)
Observe and Report (2009, Jody Hill)
L'oeil du malin (1962, Claude Chabrol)
Outside Providence (1999, Michael Corrente)
The Quiet Man (1952, John Ford)
The Rain People (1969, Francis Ford Coppola)
Les Rendez-vous de Paris (1995, Eric Rohmer)
Say Anything... (1989, Cameron Crowe)
A Star is Born (1954, George Cukor)
Super High Me (2007, Michael Blieden)
Tokyo! (2008, Various)
Vantage Point (2008, Pete Travis)
What Just Happened? (2008, Barry Levinson)
Z (1969, Costa-Gavras)

Will be back in December with more Whipped Cream.

"A moth goes into a pediatrist's office..."

2009-09-02T06:35:00.002-05:00

Criterion's IFC Titles

2009-09-02T00:12:00.004-05:00

Here you go:
Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale
Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah
Steven Soderbergh’s Che
Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien
Christopher Nolan’s Following
Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments
Olivier Assayas’ Summer Hours
Steve McQueen’s Hunger
Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s Still Walking
Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain

Let's hope Criterion's Focus titles will be listed soon enough.

Rivette's Noroît on R1 DVD??

2009-09-01T10:54:00.004-05:00

This just popped up on my radar:

Claiming to be NTSC/Region 1 with English subtitles, It's most likely a bootleg of sorts, but if it's a subbed boot of the unsubbed French disc, I'd say it's worth your time to test buy.

Three More Clips from the New Rivette

2009-08-28T11:35:00.002-05:00

I guess the English title to 36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup will be Around a Small Mountain. Go figure.

Trailer: Rivette's 36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup

2009-08-27T17:07:00.001-05:00

It's finally here:

On the eve of the start of the summer tour, the owner and founder of a small circus dies suddenly. The troupe, in an attempt to save the season, decides to call upon the owners eldest daughter, Kate. Even though she has left the circus over fifteen years ago, she accepts, to everyones surprise, to put her present activities on hold and joins them.

Chance puts an Italian on her path Vittorio. Intrigued by Kates personality and passionate for the life of a circus, he decides to follow them for a little while. Little by little, he will integrate the life of the troupe, so much so that he will cross the line and become part of the show. But above all, he will try to pierce Kates secret: why did she leave the circus in the past, and why did she accept to come back

At the end of the tour each will go his own way. But which way is that?

When National Lampoon was Funny

2009-08-26T17:05:00.002-05:00

More Criterion Rumors Confirmed

2009-08-25T17:38:00.003-05:00

Via The Playlist

Definites:
Karel Reisz's The French Lieutenant's Woman
John Ford's Stagecoach
Josef von Sternberg's Underworld and The Docks of New York
Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil
A 25 film boxset for Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday
10 more IFC titles (including Che, not including Antichrist)

Deals Not Yet Inked:
Charlie Chaplin's films

Strong Guesses by The Playlist:
Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train
Steve McQueen's Hunger
Oliver Assayas's Summer Hours

I'm not that aroused by any of these. Titles owned (and already released) by major studios should continue to be released by major studios at a much cheaper cost that what Criterion will be gauging. IFC should release its own damn films and not take up Criterion's time. And I'm so happy for Kurosawa fans (I'm not one) who already own all of Criterion's Kurosawa DVDs and will not be buying the 25 film boxset.

Still, kudos to The Playlist for the scoop.

Fleeting Thoughts on Basterds

2009-08-24T15:58:00.003-05:00

In Quentin Tarantino's latest, the dialog eliminates those forced spurts of trivia like "Royale with Cheese," or the story of the song "Hold Tight" or the very worst one ever: the history of a killer snake. Instead, the conversations work as highly crafted chess-like games of cat and mouse. And when there are spurts of trivia, specifically regarding the cinema of G. W. Pabst, the dialog fits within the context of the plot. (Sorry to those hoping Brad Pitt spews his theory on how Diary of a Lost Girl is a metaphor for big dicks.)

Though while this new type of suspense was a surprise unto itself, Inglourious Basterds lacked those left-field twists that gave his earlier films that extra level of excitement (I'm thinking mainly of Vince shooting Marvin in the backseat of the car -- no suspense, just BAM!) But the maturity in dialog and the less self-indulgent approach to aesthetics was enough to forgive the film of its short comings. This might not be Tarantino's most important work with respect to his career, but it's probably his best.

(picture via Best Week Ever)

Romy & Clouzot's Toronto Reunion

2009-08-23T17:27:00.003-05:00

Via Out 1, here's some footage from Henri-Georges Clouzot's abandoned L'Enfer.

More info from the Toronto International Film Festival website, where a doc on the film will screen:

The French director Henri-Georges Clouzot is renowned for suspenseful classics such as Le Salaire de la peur (in English, The Wages of Fear) and Diabolique. Now this incredible documentary gives us new appreciation for his creativity by bringing to light footage from his unfinished film L'Enfer. In 1964, Clouzot set out to direct the story of a husband, played by Serge Reggiani, who suffers bouts of paranoid jealousy over his new bride, played by the twenty-six-year-old Romy Schneider. Hollywood investors promised Clouzot an unlimited budget, which he spent experimenting with months of camera tests. As an art lover – his previous films included Le Mystère Picasso – Clouzot took inspiration from the kinetic and kaleidoscopic visuals that were emerging in galleries. L'Enfer's images were rumoured to be incredible, but the film was shut down three weeks into production and the footage went unseen for over forty years.

Enter Serge Bromberg, a renowned figure in the world of film restoration. His Paris-based company Lobster Films has played a vital role in restoring works by directors such as George Méliès, Jean Vigo and Marcel Carné. Bromberg learned of the footage for L'Enfer from a chance encounter in an elevator with Clouzot's widow. For this documentary, he and co-director Ruxandra Medrea interviewed members of the original L'Enfer crew to unearth the film's behind-the-scenes story and contextualize Clouzot's lost work.

Watching this film is like paging through a great artist's sketchbook. For all the “making of” movies in the world, few take us as deeply into the creative process as this one. We watch as camera tests evolve into fully realized scenes. Clouzot sought to evoke a powerful eroticism through images as simple as that of Schneider puffing a cigarette (and just wait till you see how she handles a Slinky toy). Clouzot also wanted to visually convey the descent into madness. Without today's digital effects, he relied on the old-fashioned movie tools of cinematography, costuming and makeup. But the stress of his over-reaching ambition brought the production to an end. Thanks to this documentary, we now have a chance to see what we've been missing all these years.

Oh man, go take another look at that slinky on the crotch.

A Torrent of BBYO Memories Overwhelm Me

2009-08-21T15:19:00.002-05:00

The Onion has the scoop:

Chubby Jewish Boy Dreams Of One Day Being Next Apatow Muse

EVANSTON, IL—Sources close to Arthur Meyer reported that the overweight Jewish teen hopes to someday inspire film producer Judd Apatow to create a series of comedic vehicles for him to star in. According to friends and family members, the 14-year-old is working to develop the persona of a foul-mouthed, emotionally stunted young man who seems hopelessly crude and self-indulgent but is ultimately lovable and capable of redemption. "I've been practicing having 'guy moments' with my pals where we call each other gay, but not like in a bad way," said Meyer. "I just want to be a movie star who plays an everyday guy who spends all his time looking at or discussing pornography, and then somehow winds up dating hot chicks." At press time, Apatow had already produced six films slated for a 2010 release with Meyer in the lead role.

Trailer Watch: Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-08-20T17:50:00.005-05:00

No comment.

Godard's King Lear on DVD.. in Italy?

2009-08-20T14:44:00.005-05:00

Or so it seems.

And that's actually not a terrible cover, either.

ZOMG! - The DVD Cover

2009-08-14T18:46:00.001-05:00

And that ties the game: Out 1, Zombies 1

Out 1, Zombies 0

2009-08-12T22:33:00.003-05:00

Anyone else on board with a name change if it means a DVD release?

Lionsgate Resurrects The Dead?????

2009-08-12T13:21:00.006-05:00

I too was shocked when I heard the news that Lionsgate would release a DVD of a film someone actually wanted to watch.

And then it hit me: Lionsgate thinks John Huston's adaptation of James Joyce's short story The Dead is a zombie film. Too bad Jacques Rivette didn't call his film The Dead Nun for it would no doubt already be available on DVD (albeit sporting a tacky cover with the words "HORRORFEST" sprayed across Anna Karina's face, but beggers can't be choosers).

Lionsgate Resurrects The Dead

2009-08-12T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm kinda loving these bad blog titles.

Anyway, Joe's telling us that Lionsgate will finally release John Huston's The Dead onto DVD this November.

Not the Poster for the New Rivette Film

2009-08-11T19:31:00.001-05:00

But a link to the press notes:

Official 36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup Page is Up

2009-08-11T17:54:00.008-05:00

And it looks like the film clocks in at..... 84 minutes???!!!!

Some pics (click on em, they get pretty big):

Viva Jacques Rivette!

Resnais's Latest Gets Distribution!

2009-08-10T14:07:00.004-05:00

Sony Pictures will distribute the latest (and maybe last) Alain Resnais film, Les herbes folles.

Do I speak for everyone when I say "Thank God IFC won't!"

R2: Masters of Cinema's Complete Lang/Mabuse Box

2009-08-09T22:18:00.004-05:00

Via the MoC Twitter page:

Eureka's Masters of Cinema label does absolutely terrific work, do they not? It's a real shame that Criterion is slowly retiring from the game to release more contemporary and mainstream films. With too many films neglected by home video, it would have been nice for two major companies to share in the service. But I guess like Highlander, there can be only one.

Free Candy... Clunk it!

2009-08-09T12:47:00.002-05:00

My apologies in advance for any supporters of the "Cash for Clunkers" government program.

My buddy Rob (of Democracy Is... fame) has put together yet another entertaining political piece for youtube, shot at what I think was my old Safeway in Arlington.

It's been making the rounds among the many libertarian blogs, but I'm guessing you don't need to appreciate libertarian economic theory to find it quite funny... or maybe knowing Rob makes it all the more enjoyable.

Bujalski's "Tribute to Extras"

2009-08-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

It kind of speaks for itself.

Luis Bunuel and Simone Signoret are Badass Muthafuckahs

2009-08-04T22:28:00.002-05:00

See-ee...

Rivette's South Park Connection

2009-08-04T09:37:00.004-05:00

I feel obligated to continually explain that specific vibe I get from most Jacques Rivette films despite my inability to put it into words. In a recent discussion with Erich of The Acidemic Film Blog, I saw an opportunity to explain what it is that gives La Belle noiseuse so much power over my psychology each time I watch it. Yet during this discussion I was merely repeating what I always have said. Was Erich convinced of the film's potency? Perhaps.

But here is another, more fun attempt to once again scratch my compulsion. Below is the "Lets Fighting Love" clip from Season 8's "Good Times with Weapons" episode of South Park

In this clip you get two parallel worlds. The first is that which the elementary school children imagine as they play with weapons. The second is that which the man sees as he drives by in his car.

Many of Jacques Rivette's films present themselves from the same point of view as the elementary school children, mainly films such as Celine and Julie Go Boating and Duelle. In the world of these films, the spectator see the supernatural (alternate reality) as plainly as the nose on Bulle Ogier's face. Then there are other supernaturally-minded Jacques Rivette, though in these particular films, Rivette employs the perspective of the man passing by in his car. Because of this shift in point of view, these films, most notably Paris Belongs to Us and Pont du nord can make the spectator feel more ambiguity as to whether or not the supernatural does exist. Our only link to seeing the supernatural is through those characters who, like the elementary school children, appear to only see this alternate reality.

In La Belle noiseuse, the subject of supernatural powers is the art that Frenhofer paints. We discover that his art was so powerful that he had to abandon his final painting years prior, an event that has left him artistically impotent. By the film's end, Frenhofer's wish to hide the final painting from the world is almost an act of humanitarianism as the act prevents the painting from potentially destroying the lives of other people, namely Nicolas and Marianne.

However, unlike the sorcery in Duelle or the undefined powers of the underground society in Paris Belongs to Us, any painting's inherent potency is barely an alternate reality, even if it sometimes hides itself from the human eye. To this degree, Rivette may not be discussing the supernatural at all. Instead Rivette is more likely to be applying his familiar obsessions with the supernatural to La Belle noiseuse in order playfully express the mystique not just of Frenhofer, but of the medium of painting as a whole, a medium made even more mysterious by its potentially dead status within the general art world.

So if all you saw was paint dry in La Belle noiseuse, I highly suggest giving it one more look, but maybe after one of Rivette's more paranoid or fantastic romps is fresh in your mind. I'm almost positive that under this particular spell, you'll see the same film that I see.

Define Excitement

2009-08-03T23:43:00.002-05:00

I will. On the set of Jacques Rivette's latest (via theauteurs):

Health-O

2009-08-02T11:07:00.002-05:00

Followers of Michael Moore (and they are thinning by the minute) might be curious to know what Michael Moore looks like to Republicans. Well, behold what appears to be the best example of the bizarro-conservative Michael Moore:

Under Bush, Moore thrived by uniting the anti-corporation and anti-Republican sentiments. Now, with Democrats controlling both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, will many in Moore's base want to hear the same simplified and faux-populist attacks against the current administration or the likes of Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, or Tim Geithner (maybe I'm wrong to assume honesty in the film)? Or has Moore eaten the shark?

The Whipped Cream July 2009

2009-08-01T10:17:00.002-05:00

Top 5 of the Month

Elia Kazan's A Face in the Crowd

Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses

Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

Maurice Pialat's Police

Edward Yang's Yi Yi

ALL FIRST-TIME SCREENINGS
Adam Resurrected (2008, Paul Schrader)
Alice's Restaurant (1969, Arthur Penn)
Bad Lieutenant (1992, Abel Ferrera)
Bellissima (1951, Luchino Visconti)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956, Fritz Lang)
Brüno (2009, Larry Charles)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008, Scott Derrickson)
The Daytrippers (1996, Greg Mottola)
Doomsday (2008, Neil Marshall)
A Face in the Crowd (1957, Elia Kazan)
From Hell (2001, Albert & Allen Hughes)
Funny Reels (1957, Maurice Pialat)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009, Mark Waters)
Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Hangmen Also Die! (1943, Fritz Lang)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009, David Yates)
House of Bamboo (1955, Sam Fuller)
The Hurt Locker (2008, Kathryn Bigelow)
Identification of a Woman (1982, Michelangelo Antonioni)
In the Realm of the Senses (1976, Nagisa Oshima)
Janine (1961, Maurice Pialat)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1976, Chantal Akerman)
Judex (1963, Georges Franju)
Lookin' to Get Out (1982, Hal Ashby)
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999, Luc Besson)
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009, Shawn Levy)
Nuits Rouges (1974, Georges Franju)
Obsessed (2009, Steve Shill)
Orphan (2009, Jaume Collet-Serra)
Police (1985, Maurice Pialat)
The Proposal (2009, Anne Fletcher)
Public Enemies (2009, Michael Mann)
Screwballs (1983, Rafal Zielinski)
Student Bodies (1981, Mickey Rose)
Von Gogh (1948, Alain Resnais)
Whatever Works (2009, Woody Allen)
Yi Yi (2000, Edward Yang)

Get Ready For Me To Change Your Life

2009-08-01T00:28:00.004-05:00

Or not.

Garry Marshall sums it up best at the end of Soapdish: "It's hypnotic. It's like a truth serum."

New Pic: Rivette & Birkin

2009-07-31T11:15:00.004-05:00

Jacques Rivette and Jane Birkin on the set of Rivette's latest, 36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup (via theauteurs).

"I want my babyback, babyback, babyback-"

2009-07-29T22:58:00.003-05:00

"Relax, America! Antichrist Arrives With Genital Mutilation Fully Intact"

If not, Europe's Artificial Eye announced the uncut DVD slated for November.

Hou: The Bar Has Been Set

2009-07-29T15:58:00.003-05:00

James Udden's latest work, No Man an Island: Hou Hsiao-Hsien and the Aesthetics of Experience, is the first English language text-book fully donated to Hou Hsiao-hsien and it comes at a time when I'm sure many are craving not just a rich study of the director, but also a means to wash away the taste of Richard Brody's latest happening on Godard .

It's a must-buy!

More Lubitsch on DVD

2009-07-28T12:19:00.002-05:00

Universal will release a Claudette Colbert Collection, featuring Ernst Lubitsch's Bluebeard's Eighth Wife. No word yet as to whether or not these films will be available individually, though my gut tells me they wont be.

UPDATE Full specs are now up, and it looks like the disc will also contain Mitchell Leisen's No Time For Love.

This Close!

2009-07-26T23:00:00.003-05:00

Tonight on Entourage the four chodes (one of whom does not have a legal license) found themselves speeding around a racetrack while in cars not built for head on collisions. I thought it was finally going to happen. Le sigh.

Esther Doffs a Penis...

2009-07-26T10:40:00.003-05:00

... but Freudian analysis does not create significant cinematic events out of average material. Sorry bloggers.

With Posters This Good, Why Film It?

2009-07-25T15:01:00.005-05:00

Le Femme de Paul did, however, lead to favorite Masculin Féminin. More on Godard's semi-scrapped project here.

Teaser Watch: Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque

2009-07-24T21:57:00.006-05:00

Jane Birkin* should be thrilled by the casting choice (via Living in Cinema).

Martini Movies, With A Vengeance

2009-07-23T22:49:00.002-05:00

Jacques Demy's Model Shop, easily the best Martini-themed cover from them.

And more proof that the Martini Movie line is absurd as all hell.

Aldrich's ...All The Marbles Comes to DVD

2009-07-23T18:59:00.007-05:00

Just finishing it's run at BAM's "The Late Film" series, Warner Archive will unleash Robert Aldrich's ...All the Marbles onto DVD in a few weeks.

I still haven't seen this, but considering Aldrich's films and their relationship to masculine stereotypes, his film about female wrestlers is a must watch for sure.

Another Judd Apatow Interview

2009-07-23T15:23:00.006-05:00

Excerpts from this.

On the original script for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy:
Basically, it was about anchormen flying to an anchorman convention. Mid-flight, they hit some sort of UPS plane and they crash into a mountain and it becomes like the movie Alive. All the anchormen start dying, they start eating each other. And occasionally, the contents of the UPS plane — which was monkeys and throwing stars — start attacking their base camp. And we sent that around, and it was SO funny, but we couldn't get anyone to make it.

[snip]

On the somewhat disturbing influence of Adam Sandler on his career and writing style:
Adam is very open about certain things. He's the first guy I knew who would talk about masturbating. [...] When I moved in with Adam, he'd be like, "Hey man, let's go to Red Lobster but first I'm gonna go whack off. I'll see you in ten minutes." And then he'd come out and be like, "Okay, let's go." And that threw me. And he had a running thing where he'd would always say, "Let me see the cock. Lemme see. Lemme see what you got." And I was like, "I'm not going to show you my penis." And he was like, "Lemme just see it, let's get it over with." And one day when I was peeing, I saw him standing behind me in the mirror. [Mimes Sandler looking at him quizzically] And then he just goes, "Alright, man, alright."

Below is an uncanny outtake from Sayonara Davey, one of the fake films Sandler's character in Funny People is supposed to have made, though seeing that Apatow's film was at one point pushing three hours, it got cut.

And as Joe knows after seeing my Netflix ratings, I'm kind of a fan of Adam Sandler. Hopefully Funny People is not what industry insiders have been calling it for months: Unfunny People.

Nee How, Onion!

2009-07-22T09:40:00.005-05:00

The Onion spoofs American news outlets who have been bought out by foreign investors... with brilliance (video below).

3 Discs???

2009-07-20T23:34:00.002-05:00

Artificial Eye's upcoming release of Jacques Rivette's La Belle noiseuse looks to be a MUST-BUY as the 4 hour film will be joined by a third disc... possibly his Divertimento?

Can anyone confirm if this is true?

Trailer Watch: Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax

2009-07-20T10:46:00.003-05:00

Beeswax, the latest from Andrew Bujalski will open at NYC's Film Forum on 8/7, and if you like trailers, here's one courtesy of the film's distributor Cinema Guild.

Those familiar with the chick magnet know I'm a huge fan of Bujalski's Mutual Appreciation, but for anyone randomly stumbling across this site and who have not seen or heard of MA, do yourself a favor and rent it, or just blind buy it.

Sometimes Just Pretzels and Beer

2009-07-12T08:45:00.003-05:00

An obnoxious corneal syndrome has limited my computer use, but I will be back shortly... stay tuned.

The Whipped Cream June 2009

2009-07-02T09:19:00.003-05:00

Top 5 of the Month

Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People

Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes

Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror

Otto Preminger's Porgy and Bess

Hou Hsiao-hsien's A Summer at Grandpa's

ALL FIRST-TIME SCREENINGS
24 Hour Party People (2002, Michael Winterbottom)
500 Days of Summer (2009, Marc Webb)
Alice or the Last Escapade (1977, Claude Chabrol)
The Anderson Tapes (1971, Sidney Lumet)
Away We Go (2009, Sam Mendes)
Bigger Than Life (1956, Nicholas Ray)
The Blue Gardenia (1953, Fritz Lang)
Casa de Lava (1994, Pedro Costa)
Clash by Night (1952, Fritz Lang)
College Life (2009, Various)
Departures (2008, Yojiro Takita)
Directed by John Ford (2006, Peter Bogdanovich)
Frontier of Dawn (2008, Philippe Garrel)
The Hangover (2009, Todd Phillips)
The Hit (1984, Stephen Frears)
Human Desire (1954, Fritz Lang)
The Human Factor (1979, Otto Preminger)
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!: Season 2 (2009, Ingmar Bergman)
Mickey One (1965, Arthur Penn)
Mirror (1975, Andrei Tarkovsky)
Next (2007, Lee Tamahori)
Night Moves (1975, Arthur Penn)
The Ninth Gate (1999, Roman Polanski)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009, Steve Carr)
Porgy and Bess (1959, Otto Preminger)
Sex and the City (2008, Michael Patrick King)
A Song is Born (1948, Howard Hawks)
A Summer at Grandpa's (1984, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009, Tony Scott)
Up (2009, Pete Docter)
Year One (2009, Harold Ramis)

Cover Art: Warner's De Palma and Preminger

2009-06-27T08:26:00.005-05:00

As promised:

Both Get to Know Your Rabbit and The Moon is Blue are available to pre-order from the Warner Archive today.

Warner and Preminger

2009-06-23T23:21:00.001-05:00

Along with Brian De Palma's Get to Know Your Rabbit, the Warner Archive will also be unveiling Otto Preminger's rare The Moon is Blue. Details forthcoming.

Please think about this for a second...

2009-06-22T16:45:00.002-05:00

Calls for Google to change their logo to the following image have begun (courtesy of the Chodey McChodester):

Seriously, the blood? The dove? (Is it John Woo's birthday or something?) This is an actual petition. The opposition movement and its supporters actually want their cause to associate itself among the likes of Google's playfully animated holiday logos such as Halloween or Valentine's Day. Do the Google animators really mean that much to people? What's next, Starbucks starts brewing a Green Roast?

But let's assume that it does carry a weight of meaning, and that Google accepts Mousavi's plea. The first time Google endorses an international political candidate would make Mousavi, hands down, the greatest politician in the world.

Warner Archive to Conjure De Palma

2009-06-21T22:57:00.001-05:00

Get to know Get to Know Your Rabbit later this summer.

Happy Birthday, Gena Rowlands!

2009-06-18T23:03:00.003-05:00

Here's Jacques Rivette circa 1982. Total badass.

In 2006 my sister cooked the following for me when I moved back to the East Coast and took the bus up to NYC for my birthday.

That summer I was still immersing myself with the films of Eric Rohmer and Michael Haneke, I had yet to discover Jacques Rivette, Bela Tarr, Hou Hsiao-hsien, or Jose-Luis Guerin, and I was the mutha fucking champion over at Aaron Hillis's Cinephiliac (and while we're at it, that blog was still alive). Now, three years later, I fine myself moving back to the midwest.

Sullivan Award Nominee

2009-06-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

As Mousavi supporters protest last weekend's election results, easily the smuggest, most sanctimonious tool on the internet (and yes, one of my co-workers) does not disappoint.

Remember Wayne Gale, anyone?

Death of MSM? Hopefully not.

Yes, Bogdanovich Ruined Directed by John Ford

2009-06-14T10:36:00.003-05:00

Having only seen the 2006 re-edit of Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 documentary Directed by John Ford, I could only see a hint of what the old footage might have looked like: Orson Welles's playful narrations over footage of Ford's memorabilia, Bogdanovich interviewing John Wayne or Henry Fonda as they attempt to explain who John Ford was to them, Bogdanovich interviewing John Ford in the same desert that stood as the set for many of his films.

The original Directed by John Ford was a mystery. Just as we once wanted to know "Who is Rosebud?" Peter Bogdanovich asks "Who is John Ford?", a point emphasized by Bogdanovich's presence during his interviews (maybe a deliberate mise en scene homage to the Welles).

But you can only see traces of the 1971 film within the 2006 re-edit. The mystery and playfulness is gone, even if the original footage remains. What was the murder weapon? Shallow interviews with Walter Hill, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and yes Peter Bogdanovich, who all offer nothing but bumper stickers, exaggerations, and shallow anecdotes. The mystique of the 1971 film is gone.

I love Peter Bogdanovich, but this event warrants another point for the Polly Platt auteur argument.

Hou Hsiao-hsien in DC!

2009-06-13T12:09:00.002-05:00

Attention DC Cinephiles:

On Friday, June 26th The Freer Gallery will host a free screening of Hou Hsiao-hsien's 1984 film, A Summer at Grandpa's. The 7 pm screening is part of Le Festival des 3 Continents, which purportedly was the very first American festival to endorse Hou's work many years ago -- for what it's worth.

"There is no Dana..."

2009-06-10T23:01:00.000-05:00

Easily in their top five.

Shtick and Aww

2009-06-09T21:33:00.001-05:00

Up is a fierce rock in my shoe. On one hand I hated every shameless piece of manipulation Pete Docter (Pixar's new 'it' auteur) threw at me, from the fat kid without friends, to the five minute death montage that rivals the artificial sentimentality of late Puccini. (If the lights weren't so dim in the theater, I'm sure we could all make out ~~Docter's~~ the doctor's hammer at work testing the reflexes on our knees, and now, our tear ducts.) But on the other hand, I can't dismiss it as easily as I toss away the recent works from Fox Searchlight. Maybe the playful score that's reminiscent of Georges Delerue's Jules et Jim or Nino Rota's La Strada or the script's nonstop absurdity is to blame for this ambivalence that did not exist with Garden State or Little Miss Sunshine.

Is anyone else having issues with Pixar's Up?

Betty Blue Back in Theaters

2009-06-09T20:41:00.003-05:00

Say it! L'amour fou!

Cinema Libre is sending Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue (aka 37.2 Degrees in the Morning or 37°2 le matin) back into theaters to help advertise its upcoming DVD release next year. The 185-minute cut is not to be missed, as it's maybe the only Beineix film I was able to sit through without groaning once.

Though for those who are bigger Beineix fans than moi, Cinema Libre will eventually release his entire catalog onto DVD, save for the already available Diva.

Question of the Day

2009-06-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

What will happen first: Al Franken becomes the next Senator from Minnesota, or The Weinstein Company goes under?

Sony's Fuller Box, Full Specs

2009-06-05T22:51:00.001-05:00

According to Movies Unlimited, the following Fuller penned/helmed films will be included inside the upcoming Sam Fuller box set from Sony:

It Happened in Hollywood (1937)
Adventure in Sahara (1938)
Power of the Press (1943)
Shockproof (1949; directed by Douglas Sirk)
Scandal Sheet (1952)
The Crimson Kimono (1959)
Underworld U.S.A. (1961)

Sing it.

Furniture in the Age of Obama

2009-06-04T23:33:00.003-05:00

... or at least advertising.

More on IFC and MPI

2009-06-04T23:19:00.003-05:00

I'm told that despite IFC's new deal with MPI, they will continue IFC's 60-day advance release deal with Blockbuster Video on select titles.

No word yet as to the fate of the five to ten titles that were released onto DVD through Genius, available to rent exclusively at Blockbuster, but were never properly available for sale in North America. If you live in North America and desperately want to own yourself an NTSC copy, you can purchase these titles at amazon.ca for the time being, but I'm guessing these will eventually see a release through MPI as well.

As always, I will let you know of more news as it comes into my inbox. In the meantime, I highly suggest you take the time this Sunday to catch up with I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here as all four episodes thus far will be played back to back on MTV. Half the show is shot live, the other half is taped, but to create suspense they mix things all out of sequence and pretend it's linear. If you stay focused on the visible cuts and bruises of each cast member, you've got yourself your own little Nicolas Roeg film. Enjoy!