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10-29-2004, 08:03 PM
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#1 of 33 
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2001
Local Time: 05:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 3,081
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10-29-2004, 09:51 PM
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#2 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Jun 1999
Local Time: 05:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 3,349
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Looks like January will be easy on the wallet, as none of those titles interest me.
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10-29-2004, 10:07 PM
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#3 of 33
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Matt Czyz
Member
Location: Knoxville, TN
Join Date: Jun 2003
Local Time: 05:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 899
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All right! "Box Art Coming Soon"! I love that movie!
Actually, I've never even heard of any of these 5 films, so I won't be picking up any of them. I'm almost more interested in Criterion's cover art these days then the movies themselves. Keep up the good work, Criterion cover design guys!
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10-29-2004, 10:47 PM
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#4 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Local Time: 09:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 534
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I've been waiting for more Suzuki titles since being exposed to him through the HVE releases in January. The guy is a crazy genius, blending film noir, Kurosawa, French New Wave and traditional forms of theater (Japanese & others) in his films.
His various filmmaking styles (depending on the era) are quite different, with these two latest releases coming from the point just before he gave up on Nikkatsu's more standard studio style with the outrageous "Tokyo Drifter" and "Branded to Kill". However, don't let that convince you that his earlier work isn't worth checking out. For more traditional filmmaking of it's time, he was still terrific at it and would occassionally splash experimental moments of genius in odd places.
Here's an excerpt from the Donald Ritchie book on Japanese Cinema in regards to "Elegy to Violence" aka "Fighting Elegy":
Seijun Suzuki's "Elegy to Violence" - The hero is a typical, close-cropped, humorless, pent-up schoolboy of the sort still seen in manga. His girlfriend is far too pure to do anything, but he hates himself for masturbating; a life of violence seems the only answer.
A film quote: "I DO NOT MASTURBATE.... I FIGHT!"
My only serious disappointment is the lack of supplements announced. None of the HVE or the Media Blasters "Pistol Opera" have anything about the man. He has also influenced contemporary American filmmakers. Not a lot of people know who he is because there simply isn't enough out there in the English-speaking film world to bring him the credit he deserves.... yet.
The first two Criterion releases ("Branded" and "Drifter") have good interviews, but I would hope they could afford to track down more material from Japan, create some scholar commentaries (Ritchie perhaps?) and maybe more about his world famous surrealist trilogy (maybe even a release!). I hope that Criterion delivers better supplments if/when they release "Story of a Prostitute" and/or "Gate of Flesh".
Btw, very excited about seeing Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" too.
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10-30-2004, 04:14 AM
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#5 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Nov 1998
Local Time: 04:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 12,185
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Well one thing I've come to appreciate with releases by Kino and Criterion is that while I may not want to buy everything they put out, I often find that I do want to be able to rent the films at some point. So DVD releases by highly regarded foreign directors or any films considered to have some artistic merit or influence are fully welcomed by me.
Maybe Criterion doesn't sell as many as they'd like on those titles, but I hope they realize that they are getting some sales just to places like Netflix who are looking to meet the demands of renters like me.
I mean if the titles aren't available for viewing then they can't very well build up a following of newly converted fans. It's like the chicken and the egg, no fans = no money for a release, but no release = no new fans.
Just think of films like Shawshank Redemption that blew up on video if someone had taken the attitude of "well, no point in putting it out since it didn't do well at the theater".
I'm glad Criterion doesn't just wait for "sure things" when it comes to putting films out. Just being released by them rouses my curiousity. So a couple more titles hit the Netflix queue.  |
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10-30-2004, 08:32 AM
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#7 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Jul 1998
Local Time: 05:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 857
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Touchez pas au Grisbi ! Can't wait to add this Gabin classic to my collection. I hope La Bete Humaine and Le Jour Se Leve are in the pipeline.
I am pretty excited about Kagemusha too. I will skip the rest.
-D
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10-30-2004, 10:21 AM
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#8 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2000
Local Time: 04:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 8,464
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Kagemusha is a buy for me. I'll probably end up renting the Gabin film along with the Suzuki films through my library or Netflix.
The Collection (Blu-Ray High Definition/DVD)
Pre-orders - BLU-RAY: Akira, The Dark Knight, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Death Proof, Dr No, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia With Love, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Incredible Hulk, JFK, La Femme Nikita, Live and Let Die, Planet of the Apes (Evolution Collection), Planet Terror, Poltergeist, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Third Man, Thunderball, WALL E DVD: Budd Boetticher Collection, Popeye the Sailor Vol #3, Warner Gangster Collection Vol #4
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10-30-2004, 01:53 PM
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#9 of 33
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Local Time: 11:13 AM
Local Date: 10-12-2008
Posts: 765
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I'll certainly consider the French ones.
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