#861
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'Uncut Gems' (2019) - Pre-order available from Criterion direct for Blu-Ray $31.96 or 2 Disc DVD $23.96 Release date: October 26 "This jolt of pure cinematic adrenaline affirmed directors Josh and Benny Safdie as heirs to the gritty, heightened realism of Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes. Adam Sandler delivers an almost maniacally embodied performance as Howard Ratner, a fast-talking New York jeweler in relentless pursuit of the next big score. When he comes into possession of a rare opal, it seems Howard’s ship has finally come in—as long as he can stay one step ahead of a wife (Idina Menzel) who hates him, a mistress (Julia Fox) who can’t quit him, and a frenzy of loan sharks and hit men closing in on him. Wrapping a vivid look at the old-school Jewish world of Manhattan’s Diamond District within a kinetic thriller, Uncut Gems gives us one of the great characters in modern cinema: a tragic hero of competing compulsions on a shoot-the-moon quest to transcend his destiny." Special Features:
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
#862
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'Devi' (1960) - Pre-order available from Criterion direct for Blu-Ray $31.96 or DVD $23.96 Release date: October 26 "Master filmmaker Satyajit Ray explores the conflict between fanaticism and free will in Devi (The Goddess), issuing a subversively modern challenge to religious orthodoxy and patriarchal power structures. In the waning days of mid-nineteenth-century India’s feudal system, after his son Soumitra Chatterjee) leaves for Kolkata to complete his studies, a wealthy rural landowner (Chhabi Biswas) is seized by the notion that his beloved daughter-in-law (a hauntingly sad-eyed Sharmila Tagore) is the reincarnation of the goddess Kali—a delusion that proves devastating to the young woman and those around her. The opulently stylized compositions and the chiaroscuro lighting by cinematographer Subrata Mitra heighten the entrancing expressionistic intensity of this domestic tragedy, making for an experience that is both sublime and shattering." Special Features:
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
#863
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Soon on Criterion UK.....
__________________ Teddy, I'm a Scotch drinker - you know that. I just have the occasional brandy when I'm not drinking. |
#864
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4K is coming to Criterion! "We’re thrilled to announce Criterion’s first 4K Ultra HD releases, a six-film slate that includes 'Citizen Kane', 'Menace II Society', 'The Piano', 'Mulholland Dr.', 'The Red Shoes', and 'A Hard Day’s Night'. The first of these editions and their special features will be detailed in our November 2021 announcement next week, with others to follow in subsequent months."
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
#865
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This is good news, and some great films to start off with (Although Citizen Kane is not an enjoyable film, I can see why it's got a reputation but it's boring)... I dread to think the cost. Hopefully these will make their way to the UK but I doubt it, 2 are Studio Canal and one is ITV neither of which tend to license out.
__________________ Triumphant sight on a northern sky |
#866
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Quote:
I haven't yet bought a 4K Ultra HD release of a black-and-white film – I am likely to buy Parasite and It's a Wonderful Life in the next month or two – so I don't know whether this is one to upgrade, especially as Criterion releases are generally very expensive. I have three different releases in my collection (one DVD, two Blu-ray including the 75th Anniversary), so I'm in no rushed to upgrade – perhaps in a few years when it's in the 2 for £25 offer.
__________________ |
#867
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'Citizen Kane' special features and cover
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
#868
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Good that actually including the Blu in with the 4k.
__________________ Teddy, I'm a Scotch drinker - you know that. I just have the occasional brandy when I'm not drinking. |
#869
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'Once Upon a Time in China: The Complete Films' - 6 disc blu-ray pre-order available from Criterion Films direct - $99.96 Release date: November 16 "One of the pinnacles of Hong Kong cinema’s 1990s golden age, the Once Upon a Time in China series set a new standard for martial-arts spectacle and launched action star Jet Li to international fame. It brings to vivid life the colorful world of China in the late nineteenth century, an era of immense cultural and technological change, as Western imperialism clashed with tradition and public order was upended by the threats of foreign espionage and rising nationalism. Against this turbulent backdrop, one man—the real-life martial-arts master, physician, and folk hero Wong Fei-hung—emerges as a noble protector of Chinese values as the country hurtles toward modernity. Conceived by Hong Kong New Wave leader Tsui Hark, this epic cycle is not only a dazzling showcase for some of the most astonishing action set pieces ever committed to film but also a rousing celebration of Chinese identity, history, and culture. Films In This Set: 'Once Upon a Time in China' - 1991 Writer-producer-director Tsui Hark’s sprawling vision of a changing nineteenth-century China begins with this riotously entertaining epic, a blockbuster hit that cemented Jet Li’s status as the greatest martial-arts superstar of his generation. Li displays his stunning, fast-yet-fluid fighting style as the legendary martial-arts teacher and doctor Wong Fei-hung, who, with a band of loyal disciples, battles a host of nefarious forces—foreign and local alike—threatening Chinese sovereignty as British and American imperialists encroach upon the Mainland. Once Upon a Time in China’s breathtaking blend of kung fu, comedy, romance, and melodrama climaxes in a whirlwind guns vs. fists finale that is also a thrilling affirmation of Chinese cultural identity. 'Once Upon a Time in China II' - 1992 Having chronicled the social upheaval wrought by Western influence in the opening chapter of the Once Upon a Time in China series, Tsui Hark turned his attention to the perils of unchecked nationalism in his sensational follow-up, the rare sequel to equal the dizzying highs of the original. Jet Li returns to the role of Wong Fei-hung, who here takes on the diabolical White Lotus Sect, a virulently xenophobic cult whose anti-foreigner sentiments unleash a wave of destructive violence. Fellow martial-arts icon Donnie Yen dazzles in a star-making turn as Wong’s nemesis, who faces off with the hero in a battle royal that showcases the kinetic brilliance of revered Hong Kong action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping. 'Once Upon a Time in China III' - 1993 Jet Li’s third outing as the storied martial-arts hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China films is an exhilarating celebration of Chinese culture peppered with a dash of international espionage. This time around, Wong travels to Beijing, where he finds himself drawn into the intrigue surrounding an epic lion-dance competition, spars with a Russian rival for the affections of his beloved Thirteenth Aunt (Rosamund Kwan), and fights to foil a foreign plot to assassinate the real-life Chinese diplomat Li Hongzhang. The eye-popping lion-dance set pieces—which combine vibrantly colored, fire-breathing pageantry with martial-arts mayhem—rank among the most visually spectacular achievements of the series. 'Once Upon a Time in China IV' - 1993 Though it picks up the narrative thread where the previous installment left off, Once Upon a Time in China IV introduces a new director, action choreographer Yuen Bun, and star, Vincent Zhao, who takes over the role of Wong Fei-hung from Jet Li. Once again, foreign skulduggery and a violent nationalist group—in the form of the fierce women warriors known as the Red Lantern Sect—swirl around a magnificent lion-dance competition, with Wong caught in the fray. Toning down the comedic and romantic elements of the first three films in favor of almost wall-to-wall kung-fu action, the fourth entry is the leanest and meanest of the series, highlighted by a gravity-defying fight atop a field of collapsing, domino-like planks. 'Once Upon a Time in China V' - 1994 Tsui Hark returned to the director’s chair for the rollicking comedic adventure Once Upon a Time in China V, in which the indomitable hero Wong Fei-hung (Vincent Zhao) tangles with a band of ruthless, finger-removing pirates who are exploiting the political chaos created by the invasion of foreigners in order to terrorize the Chinese coast. The fist-and-foot kung-fu set pieces—including a showstopping, gold-hued melee set in a warehouse of pirate treasure—are plentiful, but Tsui ups the ante by introducing acrobatic gunplay to the proceedings, infusing this furiously entertaining crowd-pleaser with a bracing jolt of John Woo–style bullet ballet mayhem." Special features:
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
#870
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'La strada' (1954) - Blu-ray pre-order available from Criterion Films direct - $31.96 Release date: November 2 "With this breakthrough film, Federico Fellini launched both himself and his wife and collaborator Giulietta Masina to international stardom, breaking with the neorealism of his early career in favor of a personal, poetic vision of life as a bittersweet carnival. The infinitely expressive Masina registers both childlike wonder and heartbreaking despair as Gelsomina, loyal companion to the traveling strongman Zampanò (Anthony Quinn, in a toweringly physical performance), whose callousness and brutality gradually wear down her gentle spirit. Winner of the very first Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film, La strada possesses the purity and timeless resonance of a fable and remains one of cinema’s most exquisitely moving visions of humanity struggling to survive in the face of life’s cruelties." Special features:
__________________ People try to put us down Just because we get around Golly, Gee! it's wrong to be so guilty |
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