24 Hollis Frampton experimental movies from 1966 to 1979 are included on the new Criterion Blu-ray ‘A Hollis Frampton Odyssey.’ All the films in this retrospective set will bring to mind questions about how they were created. Pondering those questions—and the set of filmic limitations and possibilities—are the reason the films exist in the first place.
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A couple of family dramas are new out on Blu-ray and DVD, one an under-seen debut from last year and the other an acclaimed classic from Japan.
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Rather than portray Christ (Willem Dafoe) as a person with a benevolent perma-smile whose divine light shines 24/7 , Martin Scorsese (raised a Roman Catholic) and co-screenwriter Paul Schrader (raised as a Calvinist) dare to capture his humanity.
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It’s a good thing Criterion has restored ‘Letter Never Sent,’ and I have no doubt that its place in history as a visual wonder will be certified after more people see it.
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Two smaller releases are new out on DVD that may appeal to niche audiences. One has a local slant, while the other is a sci-fi story that was ahead of its time.
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Blu-ray is a great format for classic movies, and these two movies have never looked better than their new re-issues.
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With the commercial Blu-ray release of ‘La Jetée’ and Chris Marker’s philosophical documentary ‘Sans Soleil’ by The Criterion Collection, appreciation of this intriguing and mysterious artist may reach a new level.
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Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel opens his 1967 classic Belle de Jour, out now on DVD and Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection, with a flogging.
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Two gritty docudramas make their way to Blu-ray and DVD, but each take a different approach to worthwhile bonus content. This review is of the new Rachel Weisz thriller ‘The Whistleblower,’ and Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ‘Traffic.’
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‘Branded to Kill’ is a hard-edged black-and-white crime movie featuring a rice-sniffing hitman, shot with unsettling camera angles, and unfolding like fever dream. Seijun Suzuki was fired for making this movie, and the new Criterion Blu-ray restores it to its full glory.
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The new Blu-ray Criterion transfer of Seijun Suzuki’s ‘Tokyo Drifter’ is a gorgeous pop-art fever dream.
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‘Design For Living’ is pure cinematic gold, and the Criterion Blu-ray is full of extra material that will help modern audiences appreciate how far ahead of its time this 1933 romantic comedy truly was.
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One of the funniest and most original films of the 1990s makes its way to Blu-ray in a new special edition from The Criterion Collection that features enough extras to keep you busy all month.
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The 1968 Kaneto Shindo horror classic ‘Kuroneko’ is out in a beautiful new transfer from The Criterion Collection. Check out this DVD and Blu-ray review.
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For anyone curious about exploring the origins of the French New Wave, Claude Chabrol’s ‘Les Cousins’ is a dark, pessimistic, and intelligently mounted film, out now on DVD and Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
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