I understand that but there are others who probably feel that in their opinion there are more "important" (whatever that is) films that Criterion should focus on or pay more attention to. I'm sure Anderson's films are good money makers for them but when films by Kurosawa, Ozu and others get the Eclipse treatment and all of Anderson's films get the full Criterion treatment you're going to piss off some people. I'm not an Anderson hater, I actually like some of his films but IMO they're not all good.

I like him too, but as the Criterion mission states: "Over the years, as we moved from laserdisc to DVD, Blu-ray disc, and online streaming, we’ve seen a lot of things change, but one thing has remained constant: our commitment to publishing the defining moments of cinema for a wider and wider audience."

One Wes Anderson film pretty much encapsulates his entire filmography. There's plenty of other films and directors they can highlight.

I sort of get that argument, but at this point it's one release every 2 or 3 years. It's not like Ozu's Dragnet Girl got bumped to Eclipse because Criterion had to release Moonrise Kingdom instead.

Again, it's just marketing. Besides, you could easily make the argument that the cash (and brand awareness) Anderson brings to Criterion goes a long way towards helping them to publish "the defining moments of cinema for a wider and wider audience."

Sure, but they don't have it in their contracts like Anderson does.

That was more to do with Bay and David Fincher's rivalry they had going. CC gave Fincher's Se7en CC treatment and Bay wanted one for The Rock, too. Then CC gave one to The Game and Bay wanted one for Armageddon, as well. Sure, it was petty, but that's why CC released some of those. I'm sure they sold well. I think the Armageddon LD CC was the last LD CC produced.

Aren't all of the commentaries that Criterion produces for inclusion on their discs (as opposed to licensing) spliced together anyway?

I see where people are coming from regarding their complaints about Anderson's flicks, but Criterion is a business. A for-profit business at that. Without the higher profile titles from Anderson, Bay, and Fincher, there wouldn't be as much money to go towards other "more deserving" films (which I think is kind of a silly concept, but it's not my concern)

Exactly. They're a North American distributor of a wide array of films that they have paid to license. There's a serious cost/benefit analysis to be done with every title they release, and I don't think they take it lightly.

On a related note, I'm still crossing my fingers for an eventual Kurosawa Blu-ray set that includes all the films from the previous AK100 set that was DVD only. I'd pay a stupid amount of money for that.

I've enjoyed almost all of Wes's films to some degree, although I didn't care for Moonrise Kingdom. But if putting out titles by Wes and others that don't really need the Criterion treatment (i.e Dr Strangelove) helps keep them in business, then I'm all for it.

Might be waiting a long ass time for that. They still haven't released Madadayo as an individual title - only available as part of that set. Not to mention the Eclipse titles would probably need a restoration if they're going to be on BD.

I struggled for a while but since the cool Best Buy Steelbook is still available for $14.99 and has what looks like better extra features, I just ordered that one instead of the Criterion. As much as I enjoy Kubrick in general and this film in particular, I still think the Sony disc sounds more interesting than the Criterion one (and I love Steelbooks). Hope I don't regret that choice.

A touch of Zen and Carnival of Souls for me at the next Criterion sale.Keep them coming.


A little off topic.
But at Criterion.com "My collection" has gone from over 300+ tittles down to just"Chungking Express".
My wish list looks about the same.I sent CC A email,but have not heard back yet.

And it looks like it only happened to my list.

Yeah, I just bought the BB steelbook recently, not expecting a Criterion version; I liked both the features (which were carried over from previous versions) and the design. We'll see....

Along the same lines, reading about the upcoming "Carnival of Souls" BD (and what's not being carried over) made me dig out my Criterion "COS" DVD. It actually looks pretty good (since its a '60s low-low-budget film) and they may really have to sell me on this upgrade.

If you like extras, you're probably going to want the Criterion Dr. Strangelove. The only reason to hold on to the Sony Dr. Strangelove disc is for the pop-up trivia track and the interview with Robert McNamara. Everything else is going to be on the Criterion plus more.

Hmmm.... I didn't see them listed, but now I do note that Criterion lists "Four short documentaries, about the making of the film, the sociopolitical climate of the period, the work of actor Peter Sellers, and the artistry of Kubrick". I guess that must be them. I don't know now.....

I can hang onto the Best Buy version for a while, have a month to return it. Ugh, not sure if I should wait for the CC version or keep the Steelbook.

Looks like it may be Cat People

If so, I presume Val Lewton and not Paul Schrader.

Hopefully a "Cat People/Curse of the Cat People" or "Cat People (1942)/(1982)" double feature.

How do you get on the mailing list for the newsletter? I have an account at the official site, but I've never received an email.

It's not an actual dead tree newsletter is it?

I think you have to sign up for it on their site.

I think you have to go into your account and check the box that you want to receive it.

Edit: I don't think you even need to log in or have an account. There is a place on their homepage to enter your email address and hit subscribe.

yeah it's one of the rumoured WB titles that they got. And strictly speaking, it should be Jacques Torneur and not Paul schrader

It's good to see the WB titles trickling out. Hopefully The Devils is one of them.

If it was really just a pop-up trivia track then yeah. But it's not:

Given all else is equal, if making a choice between the digibook packaging and that feature vs. the listed new features on the Criterion disc, it's an easy call for the digibook. I'll just have to live with the fact that the digibook doesn't have a spine number.

After seeing the final details on the Criterion I picked myself up the digibook version.

Tourneur directed, but an argument can be made that Lewton (the producer) was the actual auteur behind the movie.