With the exception of the first cover, the new covers are more artfully done and the tab is not fucking obstructing people's faces. (Looking back on the site it looks like that cover was fixed).

Next up: getting rid of the lengthy unskippable intro on their website.

They really need to fire their art director.

not unskippable if you go to www.criterionco.com/asp

jrsl76, I note this only because you indicated your ownership of a R2 title - Eureka has indicated that it will be releaing "Diary of a Lost Girl" in its Masters of Cinema line. Not Criterion, but IMO the next best thing!

I'll be getting all three of these. Unbelievable year for Criterion. I have well over a hundred Criterions, have been collecting them since 1999, and this is IMO their best year ever.

In its last newsletter, Criterion was promoting the "Janus Films: 50 Years/50 Films" celebration that's upcoming this Fall at the 44th New York Film Festival (September 29 – October 15, 2006). This is something we've known about for some time, but for some nutty reason a couple of folks simply couldn't accept the obvious explanation and became convinced that a 50-title boxset was actually coming out.

Criterion is really good at making every movie the release sound like one of the most important films ever made.

The Double Life of Veronique seems like a direct port of the MK2 dvd - nice cover though.

plus a commentary and the new interviews with the cinematographer and composer

I liked The Double Life of Veronique a great deal. I'll be tempted to pick up the Criterion despite already owning the excellent MK2 release.

Plus, i imagine, differences in colour tints etc to MK2?

Does the MK2 release include the documentaries (not the one on Kieslowski, but the ones by Kieslowski)?

There's a Polish release of Kieslowski's documentaries that I was thinking of picking up. I had thought it was supposed to be inclusive of all his docus, but it appears that there are two on Criterion's "Veronique" disc that aren't also included in the Polish set.

Ooh yeah - I might get it in addition to the MK2 one I have - another reason would be that it's NTSC to MK2's PAL.

I love "Pandora's Box"!!!

I strongly agree!

My only issue with them stems from the fact that up to this point they have not released a single Balkan director. Regardless, tapping in the sea of Spanish films out there is a great beginning. These next few months shape out to be amazing!

Ciao,
Pro-B

So with this Criterion release do we now know who held the U.S. rights to THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE?

Also looking forward to FALLEN IDOL as that was one of the first older films I remember seeing and it got me interested in others. Saw it late at night on A&E. They used to run it all the time years ago. Of course it was a grainy popping battered print but it still had me riveted.

:shrug:

I am going to quote myself here (see post 22):
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread....5&page=1&pp=25

And past history between Criterion and Miramax confirms that. The sad thing: it took a third party (Criterion) to figure out and clarify for the other two (Miramax/Paramount) who had the rights. How about that!!

Ciao,
Pro-B

Is anyone put off by the windowboxing Criterion are doing on their titles? Seduced and Abandonded is their first widescreen (non 4:3 AR) title to be so presented.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...abandonded.htm

So this may mean that TDLoV will be windowboxed as well as the other two 4:3 titles.

Damn it, Criterion. Stop doing that. Seriously.

Thanks for the info, Richard. I have been eyeing quite a few of the MOC discs, but haven't picked any up. From what I hear, they are as good, if not better at times, than Criterion with their releases. I thought I had heard rumor about DOLG and will definitely pick that up when it comes out. Maybe they can do Two English Girls by Truffaut one day (or Criterion), just a good release would be nice.

The Italian disc (whose restored print Criterion used) is of SUPERB quality, English friendly, and without the above issue. One of the jewels in my collection (I adore Germi).

Ciao,
Pro-B

The scholarship that goes into MoC's releases is excellent, generally on-par with Criterion, and some of the releases they have in common with Criterion are superior ("Kwaidan" comes to mind). Generally speaking, however, the quality of MoC's transfers are not quite as solid as Criterion's, and not just a few of their releases are non-progressive. They also tend to license existing transfers more often than Criterion, and these are generally the best that exist (very often R2-Japanese transfers) but probably not as good as the fresh transfer that Criterion might give them. But they do so much, so right. For example, rather than releasing poor NTSC-PAL conversions (or vice/versa a la Kino, Facets, New Yorker, etc etc), they'll leave the existing licensed transfer in its native form, either NTSC or PAL. So, some of their releases are NTSC format, even the company is based in the UK (for example, "Kwaidan", "Faust", and the upcoming "Funeral Parade of Roses").

It's a great company.

Excellent!!! I have been holding off ordering the R2 edition for quite some time (amazon.fr never has discount on some of the titles.) I definately go with Criterion now.

I'll only be buying "Pandora's Box". I LUV Louise Brooks!

Two English Girls / Les Deux anglaises et le continent is being released in the UK by Cinema Club on September 25th, under its British title, Anne and Muriel

all sound like interesting releases. will probably pick up at some point.

All 3 will be mine. Thank you Criterion! I just have to catch up on some of their recent releases. Pretty much all of the September and November releases will make it to my collection.