Tag Archives: The Criterion Collection

The 1984 film Paris Texas gets Criterion 4K in December

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The 1984 film “Paris, Texas” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on December 3rd via The Criterion Collection. The film, directed by Wim Wenders, starred Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell, Nastassja Kinski, Bernhard Wicki, Aurore Clément, and Hunter Carson.

The movie has received a new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders. The tech specs included a 2160p video presentation in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon and directly via Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • Audio commentary featuring Wenders
  • Archival interviews with Wenders; cinematographer Robby Müller; composer Ry Cooder; actors Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Hopper, Peter Falk, and Hanns Zischler; novelist Patricia Highsmith; and filmmaker Samuel Fuller
  • Interviews with filmmakers Allison Anders and Claire Denis
  • Deleted scenes and Super 8 home movies
  • Gallery of Wenders’ location-scouting photos
  • Behind-the-scenes photos by Robin Holland
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Nick Roddick; interviews with Stanton, writer Sam Shepard, and actors Nastassja Kinski and Dean Stockwell; and excerpts from Wenders’ book of photos Written in the West
  • Cover by Neil Kellerhouse

No Country for Old Men gets Criterion 4K and Blu-ray

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The 2007 film “No Country for Old Men” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on December 10th via The Criterion Collection. The film, co-directed & co-written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, starred Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, and Stephen Root. It’s certainly worth noting that this film is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes and it won a total of 4 Academy Awards (“Oscars”) including “Best Motion Picture of the Year” and “Best Achievement in Directing.”

The movie has received a new 4K digital master, supervised and approved by director of photography Roger Deakins. The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. UPDATE: You can now preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray on Amazon. You can also preorder both versions directly via the Criterion website. The following bonus materials will be included with these releases.

  • NEW conversation between filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and author Megan Abbott
  • NEW conversation between Deakins and associate producer David Diliberto, also featuring Abbott
  • Archival interviews with actors Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kelly Macdonald
  • Behind-the-scenes documentary by Brolin
  • Three documentaries about the making of the film featuring on-set footage and interviews with members of the cast and crew
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Francine Prose and a 2007 piece on the film by author Larry McMurtry
  • New illustration by Juan Esteban R.

The 2017 film The Shape of Water on 4K in November

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The 2017 film “The Shape of Water” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 26th via The Criterion Collection. The Academy Award-winning 2018 Best Picture of the Year, directed & co-written by Guillermo del Toro, starred Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Doug Jones. Aside from winning four Academy Awards, the film is still “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s most certainly worth noting that this film has already received a 4K UHD Blu-ray release back in 2018, yet this will feature a different visual presentation.

The movie has received a 4K digital master, supervised by director Guillermo del Toro. The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 form of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart. You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon. You can also order the 4K UHD Blu-ray directly via Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with this release are listed below.

  • New conversation between del Toro and filmmaker David Lowery
  • A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times, a documentary highlighting the film’s production design, performances, special effects, and score
  • Anatomy of a Scene: Prologue and Anatomy of a Scene: The Dance, both featuring on-set footage and interviews with del Toro
  • Shaping the Waves, an interview with illustrator James Jean
  • Masterclass from 2017 on the film’s technical aspects, featuring del Toro, director of photography Dan Laustsen, visual-effects supervisor and co–creature designer Shane Mahan, visual-effects supervisor Dennis Berardi, costume designer Luis Sequeira, and production designer Paul D. Austerberry
  • Trailers
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and English descriptive audio
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Carlos Aguilar
  • New cover by Greg Ruth

1973 film Paper Moon on Criterion 4K and Blu-ray

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The 1973 film “Paper Moon” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on November 26th via The Criterion Collection. The film, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starred Ryan O’Neal, Tatum O’Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman, P.J. Johnson, and Jessie Lee Fulton.

The movie has received a new 4K digital restoration. The tech specs for the release include a 2160p Black & White video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and LPCM Uncompressed Mono sound. The 4K release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon or any other retailers but stay tuned for an update. The 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray are also available to preorder directly via Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the releases are listed below.

  • Audio commentary featuring director Peter Bogdanovich
  • Introduction to the film by Bogdanovich
  • New video essay by Bogdanovich biographer Peter Tonguette
  • Three-part making-of documentary featuring Bogdanovich, production designer Polly Platt, associate producer Frank Marshall, and cinematographer László Kovács
  • Archival interview with Platt
  • Excerpts from a 1973 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson featuring Bogdanovich and actors Ryan and Tatum O’Neal
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris
  • New cover by Raphael Geroni

The 1932 film Scarface gets a 4K and Blu-ray via Criterion

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The 1932 film “Scarface” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on November 12th via The Criterion Collection. The film, co-directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson, starred Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft, and Boris Karloff.

The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p Black & White video presentation in the 1.35:1 aspect ratio with SDR (standard dynamic range) and Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1.35:1 aspect ratio and Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. The 4K release will come as a “combo pack’ with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon. It’s certainly worth noting that you can also preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray directly from Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the releases are listed below.

  • Alternate ending, from the censored version of the film
  • New conversation between author Megan Abbott and actor Bill Hader
  • New interview with film scholar Lea Jacobs on director Howard Hawks’s innovative use of sound and editing
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith
  • New cover by Mark Chiarello

The 1954 film Godzilla on 4K via Criterion in November

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The 1954 film “Godzilla” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 5th via The Criterion Collection. The movie, originally titled “Gojira” in Japan, was directed by Ishirô Honda.

This has received a new 4K digital restoration. The tech specs for the 4K release include a Black & White 2160p video presentation in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio in SDR (standard dynamic range) with Japanese Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. This includes English subtitles. HDR (high dynamic range) will not be included in this release. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for preorder at Amazon and direct via Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • High-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary for both movies by film historian David Kalat
  • Interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima and special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
  • Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube
  • Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects, introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and special effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka
  • Interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato
  • The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla
  • Trailers
  • PLUS: An essay by critic J. Hoberman
  • Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz

1995 Gus Vant Sant film To Die for on 4K in March

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The 1995 film “To Die For” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on March 26th via The Criterion Collection.  The movie, directed by Gus Van Sant, starred Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Alison Folland, Dan Hedaya, Illeana Douglas, Wayne Knight, and Kurtwood Smith.

The movie has received a “NEW 4K digital restoration, approved by director Gus Van Sant and director of photography Eric Alan Edwards.”  The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound.  The 4K release will come as a 2-disc “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included.  UPDATED:  You can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon and directly via Criterion‘s website. You also can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at retailer Walmart.  The details about the upcoming release(s) and the included bonus materials are listed below.

  • Audio commentary featuring Van Sant, Edwards, and editor Curtiss Clayton
  • Deleted scenes
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Jessica Kiang

Pixar film WALL·E gets a Criterion 4K in November

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The 2008 Disney / Pixar film “WALL·E” is officially getting a 4K UHD Blu-ray release on November 22nd via The Criterion Collection.  This is the first collaboration between Disney/Pixar and Criterion and is not to be confused with the previously [Disney] released 2020 4K UHD Blu-ray.  This release features a different and new 4K presentation as well as sound mixes, which were all approved by the film’s director.

The film, directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, won an Academy Award for “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” in 2009.  It also featured the visual talent of Fred Ward and the voice talent of Jeff Garlin.

As mentioned, this comes from a new 4K scan of the film which was approved by Andrew Stanton.  Tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ forms of high dynamic range as well as Dolby Atmos and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo sound mixes.

The 3-disc set will come in the form of a “combo pack” with the Blu-ray Disc counterpart [featuring the new transfer of the film] as well as a second Blu-ray for extras.  No digital copy of the film will be included, like with the previous Disney release.  You can now find the Criterion 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon and directly via the Criterion website.  The bonus materials in terms of physical and regular extras included with this release are fully detailed below.

    • Two audio commentaries: one featuring Stanton and the other, character supervisor Bill Wise, coproducer Lindsey Collins, story artist Derek Thompson, and lead animator Angus MacLane
    • NEW programs on Stanton’s cinematic influences and production designer Ralph Eggleston’s color scripts
    • Tour of the Pixar Living Archive with Stanton
    • Behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including segments from early animation reels
    • The Pixar Story (2007), a documentary by Leslie Iwerks
    • More than a dozen documentaries exploring the film’s production and robots
    • Anatomy of a Scene: The Plant, a masterclass with Stanton
    • “WALL•E”: A to Z, a new program featuring Stanton and coscreenwriter Jim Reardon
    • Deleted scenes featuring commentary by Stanton
    • A Story (1987), a student film by Stanton
    • BURN•E (2008), a short film by MacLane
    • Trailers
    • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
    • English descriptive audio
    • PLUS: An essay by author Sam Wasson; selections from Stanton’s sketchbooks, script notes, and drawings; and artwork from the WALL•E team
    • New cover by Jason Raish

Spike Lee film Malcolm X on Criterion 4K and Blu-ray

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The 1992 biopic “Malcolm X” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray via The Criterion Collection on November 22nd.  The film, directed, produced, and co-written by Spike Lee, starred Denzel Washington (in the lead role) as well as Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Al Freeman Jr., Albert Hall, Theresa Randle, Kate Vernon, and the film’s director himself Spike Lee.  It’s most certainly worth noting that this film was nominated for two Academy Awards, including “Best Actor in a Leading Role” for Denzel Washington.

The movie has received a new 4K digital restoration supervised by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson.  The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release include a 2160p video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio with HDR10 and Dolby Vision forms of high dynamic range as well as a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround sound mix.  Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound.  The 4K release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with it including both the film Blu-ray counterpart as well as a Blu-ray bonus disc, in a 3-disc set.  Whereas the Blu-ray release will be a 2-disc set with an extra disc for the bonus materials.

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases of the film available for preorder over at Amazon or directly via Criterion‘s website.  The bonus materials and details about physical extras set to be included are listed below.

  • Audio commentary from 2005 featuring director Spike Lee, Dickerson, editor Barry Alexander Brown, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter
  • New conversation between Lee and journalist and screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper
  • New interviews with actor Delroy Lindo and composer Terence Blanchard
  • Program about the making of the film, featuring Lee, Dickerson, Brown, Blanchard, Carter, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, actor Ossie Davis, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Warner Bros. executive Lucy Fisher, producers Preston Holmes and Jon Kilik, production designer Wynn Thomas, casting director Robi Reed, and Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz
  • Malcolm X (1972), a feature-length documentary produced by Marvin Worth and Arnold Perl and directed by Perl, narrated by actor James Earl Jones
  • Deleted scenes with introductions by Lee
  • Trailer
  • PLUS: An essay by Cooper, excerpts from Lee’s 1992 book By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of “Malcolm X” . . ., and Davis’s eulogy for Malcolm X
  • New cover by Eric Skillman
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