Anyway, let’s not dwell on the mistakes that I may or may not have made. There are more important matters at hand. It’s the fifteenth, which means it’s time once to journey with me into the future. TO THREE MONTHS FROM NOW!
508-511. Letters From Fontainhas: Three Films By Pedro Costa (1997,2000,2006) — March 30th, DVD
Criterion is so pleased with premiere Portugese auteur Pedro Costa that our introduction to him comes in the form of a delicious three-film box set. Ossos, In Vanda’s Room, and Colossal Youth combine to create for us a type of malformed fairy tale, where our kingdom is the slums of Fontainhas, and our people, its battled and downtrodden youth. The supplements are so plentiful in this set that they’ve been delegated to an entire fourth disc stuffed to overflowing with bonus materials.
052-053. Yojimbo & Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1961 & 1962) — March 23rd, Blu-ray
Happy 100th birthday, Kurosawa! While I had my eyes on a different present for you, I hope you aren’t displeased with the Blu-ray release of two of your finer films, Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Your fans will celebrate with you by enjoying the hi-definition transfer of perhaps your most unforgettable character, Toshiro Mifune’s Sanjuro, as he dabbles in some comedic misadventure and then violently kills Tatsuya Nakadai. Twice. I mean, I know they don’t have any new supplements, so I hope you don’t think I’m re-gifting.
409. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978) — March 23rd, Blu-ray
Follow that link, watch that trailer, and tell me this isn’t one of the best choices for a Blu-ray release in the entire Criterion catalogue. Funny story: The day this came out on DVD, I rented it on my lunch break, decided I couldn’t wait to watch it, so I feigned a sickness to my supervisor and went home a few hours early. With Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick has basically put The Hudson River School to film. Its viewers will hang their jaws ever-so-slightly lower while watching in hi-def.
If you’ll excuse me, I have to take my crystal ball to the magic shop for repairs. Until next mid-month!
I am still stuck in early 2009 and have yet to experience a Blu-ray disc, but I can imagine that Days of Heaven is going to look spectacular. On regular dvd on my regular eyeball-busting 19″ television, it was breathtaking.
I am still stuck in early 2009 and have yet to experience a Blu-ray disc, but I can imagine that Days of Heaven is going to look spectacular. On regular dvd on my regular eyeball-busting 19″ television, it was breathtaking.