Van Sant Criterion to be released!

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

A piece of an e-mail from the Frameworks listserv:

>> Question: I am editing a making of piece on My Own Private Idaho for
>> Criterion Collection. Wondering if you might be able to help figure
>> out a
>> reference?

So it looks like at least one of his works. I would not be surprised to see Criterion release other early Van Sant films at the same time.

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Thursday, 4 November 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

apparently, criterion established some sort of deal with new line cinema to release some of their films that they held the rights to (new line figured that their dvd releases wouldn't sell very well so they licensed them to criterion, whose "niche" audience would probably appreciate it more, or something along those lines). short cuts (coming out later this month) and my own private idaho were two of them, and i think mike leigh's naked, jane campion's an angel at my table, and hoop dreams (forget the director) may also get the criterion treatment at some point. though the latter three are pure speculation at the moment, if two of them are already getting a release, i wouldn't be surprised if the others were to follow suit shortly.

― joseph (joseph), Thursday, 4 November 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Naked! And Hoop Dreams!

― Formerly Lee G (Formerly Lee G), Thursday, 4 November 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I am pretty certain Naked was indirectly confirmed by the company which owned the rights. One of the Criterion uber-fanboys called up and found out.

― Girolamo Savonarola, Thursday, 4 November 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

the criterion online board kind of scares me, but is useful for these kinds of hot tips. i guess au hasard balthazar, more jules dassin, a john ford box set, f is for fake, beyond the valley of the dolls, and a bunch more are suspected to be coming soon. i love criterion but can hardly afford to keep up.

― a spectator bird (a spectator bird), Friday, 5 November 2004 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

and speaking of, they better fucking get off their duffs and release beyond the valley of the dolls soon. OR ELSE.

― joseph (joseph), Saturday, 6 November 2004 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

the Criterion board has by far the most pigheaded, control-freak dipshit moderators in the business.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 11 November 2004 06:12 (twenty-one years ago)

two weeks pass...

Check it out:http://www.criterionco.com/asp/coming_soon.asp

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Tout Va Bien"!!!! Good going, Criterion!

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Someone on the Criterion Fan Club claimed that Tout Va Bien will be the most feared and loathed CC title among the blind buyers since Jubilee. Good job. Anything to shake the cinephiliac complacency among that demographic is good news.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

And it includes "Letter To Jane"! I'm almost more interested in that than "Tout" itself. Perhaps this bodes well for future Criterion Godard titles pairing films and their companion works ("Two or Three Things..." & "Made In The USA"/"Chinoise" & "Week-End").

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM about "Letter To Jane"--I love when the special features section of a DVD adds short films by the director or about the subject (I bought the DVD version of Jem Cohen's "Instrument", although I already had the VHS, because it included "Glue Man" and "Little Flags").

I can only hope you're right about TVB being the start of future Godard releases--I'll dance in the streets if they ever release "Weekend", and I'd love to see what they could do with "Numero Deux".

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, i am really psyched about the godard release, but its still so far away!

― todd swiss (eliti), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:04 (twenty-one years ago)

fox lorber's releasing weekend soon. or so i hear.

― joseph (joseph), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:09 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

I watched the "Pvt Idaho" discs this weekend ... Man, what a great job. (Aside from an audio analysis from my two least favorite queer It Boys of the moment, JT Leroy and Jonathan Caouette; but you can skip that.) The stuff from the production team was revealing, such as the low-tech method of making the porn-mag covers talk.

Todd Haynes' interview of Van Sant is 20 minutes longer than the film, and generally worth a complete listen.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 21 March 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

That Tout Va Bien disc--not to mention it's massive booklet--is pretty awesome too.

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Monday, 21 March 2005 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

They had JT Leroy do commentary??? Jesus....

Oh well, it still sounds like a nice set, and I'm sure my girlfriend will be picking it up soon, so I won't even have to buy it!

I'm looking forward to seeing the Haynes interview--I have a growing respect for him as a filmmaker day by day. He seems like he's becoming Criterion's lackey boy though, between this and the enormous "Ali: Fear Eat Soul" interview.

I'm going to have to pick up Tout Va Bien this week. I've never seen it.

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Monday, 21 March 2005 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Of the supplements, Van Sant-Haynes and Caouette-Leroy (not commentary but 2 sillyboys yakkin' on the phone with Gus, a merciful 40 minutes) are audio only. Visuals for a MOPI producer chatting with Rain (?) Phoenix, and the academic talking head has photos & clips.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 21 March 2005 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

40 minutes is merciful? At least they spared us the video--I can only see a badly cross-dressed Leroy draped in his "Fag Hag of the Month" (Winona Rider?) at some hip club on his cell phone. Sorry, I think he's an ok writer; I just can't stand the persona.

I watched "Tout Va Bien" last night--absolutely incredible. Easily one of Godard's more accessible works (I think he does better when he has a collaborator to help balance his ideas) and also one of the funniest--the opening ten minutes with the check signing & "we need stars to get money" and "we need a love story" and suddenly Fonda and Montand appear parodying Godard love scenes of yesteryear is brilliant and hillarious.

The strike sequence was pure Jerry Lewis homage, and well done. The supermarket dolly shot (obviously a tongue-in-cheek ref to "Weekend"'s famous traffic jam) was incredibly powerful nonetheless (and has aged better than the traffic jam as well IMO).

Tonight I watch "Letter To Jane".

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.