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    Wacky New Years Drawing Hints At The Criterion Collection’s 2015 Line-Up

    Ryan Gallagher
    January 1, 2015

    Wacky_New_Year_2015_header

    The latest wacky new years drawing has been posted, let’s break it down. Feel free to comment below if you want to join in on the fun.

    Here are links to the various drawings from the past few years

    Here we go:

    Wacky_New_Year_2015_original

    And here’s one with some mark-up, to help break it down.

    Wacky_New_Year_2015_CriterionCast

    Now let’s try to dissect it:

    A. Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day also, there are Two Days, One Night

    B. Moonrise Kingdom

    C. Sun = Before Sunrise / Before Sunset? Two Days, One Night

    D. Terrence Malick’s The New World

    E. The Brood

    F. Speedy

    G. Gang = Gangs of New York? (Probably not) Ozu’s Silent Crime Dramas

    H. Barry Lyndon? Napoleon?

    I. Inside Llewyn Davis?

    J. Couple in car = Wenders’ Road films?

    K. A Master Builder

    L. Fisher King / Jellyfish Eyes

    M. Clock = 1, 2, 3?

    N. Maybe N and R are The Passion of Joan of Arc? Dressed To Kill / Lady Snowblood

    O. Bridge = Last Exit To Brooklyn? The Bridge

    P. The Rose? La Vie En Rose?

    Q. Ramin Bahrani’s Man Push Cart? The Merchant Of Four Seasons

    R. Pyre = Passion of Joan of Arc? Lady Snowblood

    S. The Window Frame = A Room With A View

    What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

    Here are the past years’ drawings

    2014 Wacky New Year's
    2014

    2013 Wacky New Year's
    2013

    2012 Wacky New Year's
    2012

    2011 Wacky New Year's
    2011

    2010 Wacky New Year's
    2010
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    Ryan Gallagher

    Ryan is the Editor-In-Chief / Founder of CriterionCast.com, and the host / co-founder / producer of the various podcasts here on the site. You can find his website at RyanGallagher.org, follow him on Twitter (@RyanGallagher), or send him an email: [email protected].

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    37 comments

    • Assuming K is the already-confirmed “A Master Builder.” H, maybe Barry Lyndon?

    • Someone on CriterionForum suggested “Two Days, One Night,” which would fit.

    • Could P actually hint at The Rose (1979) starring Bette Midler? It seems a bit MOR/schlocky for Criterion, but at the same time, it kind of fits alongside All That Jazz, The Big Chill, La Cage aux Folles as representatives of that era.

    • I just love that these drawings must always be called “wacky” after all these years :). Is that the official Criterion trademark for them? :)

    • Personally I think it is a stretch to interpret that clock as “hinting at one, two, three,” since the minute hand is between four and five. I think if they were alluding to that film, they would’ve done something more playful, like have the time be 2:59 (i.e. one t[w]o three).

    • Two suns and one moon certainly seems to me to indicate Two Days, One Night. Speedy is definitely next up for Lloyd. I hope Man Push Cart is correct.

    • I don’t see how I could be anything but Inside Llewyn Davis. Any other movies that prominently feature a bearded, curly-haired man in a coat carrying a cat and a guitar case?

    • L may have 2 clues instead of one (unless the eye has something to do with The Fisher King).
      So, we have a one eye fish, which reminded me of One-Eyed Jacks.
      (Jacks = a kind of fish)

    • My guesses:

      D: And the Ship Sails On
      H: Before the Revolution
      B: While the City Sleeps
      S: (window frame with window lock) A Room with a View

    • At the risk of sounded more obvious, wouldn’t Michael Verhoeven’s The White Rose fit P?

    • Most of these look about right. Two for the Road is an excellent (and delighting) guess.

      One I’m not so sure about – L is definitely The Fisher King, but he’s fishing up an eye, not a fish. The pun is hardly “The Fish-eye-king”, so I suspect the eye on the line is a separate film. What, however, I am not certain.

      Oh, and is there any chance the river is Renoir’s The River? Wasn’t that restored recently?

    • Then again, the hour hand is at one and the minute hand right between four and five – 1:23.

    • Just a quick comment on Item “R.”

      If it really is THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, then I commend Criterion’s timing. The film figures into the novel ZEROVILLE in a major way, and the ZEROVILLE is being adapted for release sometime this year.

      Granted its being directed by James Franco and his directorial effort didn’t get a wide release, but kudos to Criterion for timing.

      But seriously, everyone should go read ZEROVILLE. Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/Zeroville-Novel-Steve-Erickson-ebook/dp/B00CADHJZ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420151933&sr=1-1&keywords=zeroville

    • G looks like Cure (1997).
      H is more likely Napoleon (1927) than Barry Lyndon as Warner just released that again
      I don’t see how I can be anything other than Inside Llewyn Davis

    • I’m keen to know what the ratio of teases to releases has been since Criterion started this tradition. I know that not every release has come in the year it was hinted at, but can anyone break down how much has emerged versus what is still unaccounted for?

      I figure that’s a good pattern to help interpret this year’s teaser.

    • I would say Lost Highway, just looking at the broken bridge, but why a bridge then?

    • I think P is The Terminal Man. Mike Hodges has had a Criterion phantom page for a while now.

    • Zeroville is a great novel, but are you serious about it becoming a film? With Franco directing? That’s severely disappointing on both counts. All that being said, I can’t imagine that all represents Jon of Arc. The woman is wearing heels?

    • L is The Fisher King as already noted, the the hooked eye may simply be a play on The Fisher King with an eye… With An Eye = Withnail and I

    • Given that the director Mark Rydell has had a phantom page on the Criterion site for some time, I’m afraid it’s “The Rose” (1979). Haven’t seen it again since it first came out but I remember it being kind of MOR/schlocky myself. Kind of surprised/disappointed at this one.

    • (Don’t know what happened to my earlier reply, but…)

      The clue is almost certainly for the 1979 Mark Rydell film “The Rose”, as Mark Rydell has had a phantom page on the Criterion site for quite some time. I haven’t seen it again since its original release but I recall it as somewhat MOR/schlocky as well, though entertaining. Not one I’d have picked. I guess it’s a balance between paying the bills and diluting the brand.

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