Category: criterion collection

Criterion Watch: ‘My Dinner With Andre’

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Have you ever had one of those moments when you feel like the planets have aligned and fate has done you a favor? I had one of those moments the other day. It just so happened that a favorite movie of mine, one that has been out of print for years, finally got released on Criterion DVD last Tuesday, which just happened to be my birthday.

Sure, I know that this is all just coincidence and that getting all excited about any one movie seems childish, but telling me that this is just just a movie is like telling Tiger Woods that golf is just a silly game without any real meaning or value. I remember seeing ‘My Dinner With Andre’ years ago at a friends house who had an old VHS copy. I instantly fell in love and have been eagerly awaiting the release of this DVD ever since.

In Louis Malle’s captivating and philosophical My Dinner with André, actor and playwright Wallace Shawn sits down with friend and theater director André Gregory at an Upper West Side restaurant, and the two proceed into an alternately whimsical and despairing confessional on love, death, money, and all the superstition in between. Playing variations on their own New York–honed personas, Shawn and Gregory, who also wrote the screenplay, dive in with introspective, intellectual gusto, and Malle captures it all with a delicate, artful detachment. A fascinating freeze-frame of cosmopolitan culture, My Dinner with André remains a unique work in cinema history. — Criterion

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Not only did Criterion make me one happy birthday boy by releasing this movie with their famous Midas touch approach to restoring and optimizing great films, but it’s also a two-disc set with goodies for me to enjoy. The official DVD release date was June 23, but you may have to put on your walking shoes to find this in stores. I managed to finally locate one copy at a local Borders, and they had to go in back and dig through boxes from that day’s shipment just to find that.

Special Features:

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer.
  • New video interviews with actors André Gregory and Wallace Shawn by filmmaker and friend Noah Baumbach.
  • “My Dinner with Louis,” an episode from the BBC program Arena, in which Shawn interviews director Louis Malle.
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin and the prefaces written by Gregory and Shawn for the published screenplay.

Go to Criterion.com to read more about ‘My Dinner With Andre’ or to purchase the DVD.

Is ‘Cronos’ coming to Criterion DVD?

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Anyone into Guillermo del Toro, or just vampires in general, should be familiar with ‘Cronos’ and if you’re not… it’s probably because the movie is rather difficult to get hold of. That may be about to change.

In 1993, a little-known Spanish filmmaker emerged on the scene by the name of Guillermo del Toro with an incredible little alternative take on the vampire genre in the form of a movie called ‘Cronos’. Since then, del Toro has become one of the biggest, most influential powerhouses in the genre of creepy-cool movies.

The original DVD hit store shelves on October 14, 2003 but is currently out of print. In today’s email newsletter from the Criterion Collection, a teaser cartoon appeared that leads us to believe that this modern classic and rare gem will be getting the coveted Criterion treatment.

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Criterion is know not only for giving films a great transfer on DVD, but also for including as much “extra” features as possible. It’s pretty clear that there ought to be some special features on the Criterion release, seeing as the film did get a 2-disc special edition DVD release on PAL format (also out of print) which had special features included. Exactly “what” will appear on the Criterion edition is yet to be seen.

[source: Twitch]

Criterion brings on ‘The Hit’ (Stephen Frears, 1984)

I am something of a Criterion junkie! Anything I’ve seen and enjoyed that Criterion releases I simply MUST own! With that said, I find that I’m frequently introduced to films I’ had never seen, or in some cases never even heard of, that look pleasing to the palette. I agree, there have been a few “questionable” releases from Criterion (i.e. Armageddon) but, for the most part, they’ve been dead on the money with picking films.

Before you go and start getting all holier than thou, I will address the issue some are likely thinking… Why haven’t they released anything from Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, etc? My best guestimate is related to rights. So, let’s try and not go there… again! What I do appreciate about Criterion is that they tend to focus on movies that are worthy but are not readily available to the public, movies that are out of print or movies that are deserving of a larger audience.

One of the many movies in the works for release in 2009 is a gangster movie from director Stephen Frears called ‘The Hit’ (1984). Now, this got my attention because I not only haven’t seen it, but I haven’t even heard of it. It’s currently not available on Region 1 DVD and never has been (as best as I could find). Frears has a nice touch for telling stories about social outcasts and the less desirable parts of town, a la ‘The Grifters’ or ‘Dirty Pretty Things’. The movie touts an awesome cast with Terrence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Laura del Sol and Jim Broadbent.

Terence Stamp is Willie, a gangster’s henchman turned “supergrass† (informer) trying to live in peaceful hiding in a remote Spanish village. Sun-dappled bliss turns to nerve-racking suspense, however, when two hit men—played by a soulless John Hurt and a youthful, loose-cannon Tim Roth—come a-calling to bring Willie back for execution. This stylish early gem from Stephen Frears boasts terrific performances from a roster of England’s best hard-boiled actors and ravishing photography of its desolate Spanish locations—a splendid backdrop for a rather sordid story. — Criterion

DVD Features Scheduled for this release:

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Mike Molloy.
  • Commentary featuring director Stephen Frears and actors John Hurt and Tim Roth.
  • Parkinson One-to-One: “Terence Stamp,† a 1988 television interview with the actor.
  • Original theatrical trailer.
  • PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Graham Fuller.

The Criterion edition DVD of ‘The Hit’ (1984) is scheduled to hit store shelves on April 29, 2009 with a Suggested Retail Price of $29.95 and the Criterion Store Price will be $23.96

[source: Criterion]