I've had it sitting on DVR for months, I'll have to have a look-see.

I assume that the movie is licensed by a different distributor in Canada. Criterion probably doesn't have rights to this title there.

Yeah. I think there's been a tiny number of other titles where this was an issue for Criterion (I think Che may have been one...). I can import it, but it's disappointing.

if anyone is unsure about the Demy set, I would say Bay of Angels and Lola (assuming Criterion do something better than the current french transfer) are also must sees apart from Umbrellas of Cherbourg

well Donkey Skin is one truly bizarre fascinating movie. AND the Young Girls of Rochefort is personally favored over Umbrellas in my mind - this box set to me is a guaranteed purchase.

Scanners!!!!!!!

Also the Demy set.

Glad to see Insomnia coming to BD. LOVE Stellan Skarsgård.

New Criterion Newsletter clue, obviously The Vanishing.
Just thinking about this one last week!



And no, it's not the crappy Kiefer Sutherland version.

Great. I've been hoping this would get an upgrade for some time now...

Oh, cool! I was just telling a friend about the film the other day. Been wanting to revisit it.

Another Criterion DVD that I'll be upgrading.

It's going to be one of the bonus features.

I can't tell if you're being serious or not.

Well, it is by the same the director...

As long as the original is properly restored, whatever. They can include it as an extra, restored or unrestored, doesn't matter .

Having never seen the original but loved the remake because I saw it so much as a kid, I'm excited if this talk about it being an extra is serious. What's the beef with the remake? I know the ending is different than the original, but it's a well acted movie IMO.

Sluizer hates the remake so assuming that he is involved with this release, I don't see him approving the remake as an extra.

It's over acted and insulting just to start things off. If they include it as an extra they should call it the "Love conquers all" version. Just my opinion of course.

There are some movies that, if you changed the ending, it wouldn't really affect things that much. However, in this case, the original ending is so fundamental to understanding the themes of the film that changing it not only affects that one scene, but it affects everything that came before it as well. It's like something out of Altman's The Player.

Yeah, the remake plays like a parody of the original. Just embarrassing.

Glad to see this is coming. Hopefully it will have some special features, unlike the original release!

As for the remake, ugh! No interest in that. It should be the #1 example of how to screw up a great film when remaking it.

Nice that SCANNERS is finally coming out, but I'm rather disappointed Cronenberg didn't record an audio commentary. The bonuses reek of director apathy/disdain.

I guess I won't expect a commentary if THE BROOD gets released.

I've given up on SHIVERS getting reissued.

Bit of Criterion trivia: I'm really glad to see INSOMNIA back in circulation. I love this film and the Biosphere soundtrack.

Are any of Erik Skjoldbjærg's later films worth seeing? (Not including Prozac Nation.)

Chris Nolan's remake of Insomnia = "Sleep conquers all."

OT: As for European directors remaking their own films in Hollywood, which is a worse directorial digression - the American VANISHING or the American NIGHTWATCH? I haven't seen the latter remake.

I didn't realize there was an American version of Nightwatch!

This is a shame, indeed. Cronenberg's commentaries are always very insightful, beyond the technical, superficial stuff. It would have been very interesting to hear his thoughts on Scanners.

The Vanishing is by far the worst of the two. Nightwatch was unnecessary but not bad.

Speaking of The Brood, The Movie Channel has been showing this in HD. Looks really good.