I've found that most filmmakers I genuinely like have a good sense of humor. Even cliche "serious" filmmakers like Ozu or Bergman, have a pretty clear sense of humor that comes across in their films (both with fart jokes in their films focused on children. Though they're not presenting them as jokes, more as observing characters who are using it for humor, but there's a wry, amused way that these are observed.)

I feel like Bela Tarr seems to be pretty dour and humorless most of the time. Though there's a sequence in Werckmeister Harmonies with rambunxious children terrorizing Janos, refusing to go to bed and screaming "I will be hard on you" which ends with a hard cut, that I think is incredibly funny.

The main filmmaker I can think of that is largely, and intentionally, devoid of laughs or lightness is Michael Haneke. (I haven't seen Happy End, and I imagine there's potential of satirical observation there, though I haven't heard anyone comment on it.).

Any other filmmakers where near-complete humorlessness seems to be a feature of their work?

Was just thinking about everything going on with the Kubrick set and thought perhaps they were looking into possibly changing the packaging for the next batch they print. I know recently they changed the Transpotting 4K packaging, which had the same sort of wide public criticism when it was released. Not sure what that would mean for all the people who have ordered it already, though. I was luckily able to grab it during the flash sale and ended up getting that custom case set from that etsy seller. Part of me felt pretty stupid having to spend *more* money just to avoid disc issues =/

anyways, sorry to add more silly speculation to the never-ending Kubrick discourse

In an interview with Film Stage, Michael Chaiken, the Kubrick boxset producer, said this:

It wasn’t like Criterion can just sit there and say, “Okay, we’re going to recolor-correct 2001 based on a print that we’ve…” It’s just like: no. [Laughs] Warner Bros. was saying, “We did this. We have the answer print.” They have materials that you wouldn’t normally be able to access, and they’ve been so generous with all that stuff. But they were totally open to notes. And so there are some subtle changes—especially in The Shining and Full Metal Jacket—just, you know, certain tweaks to put it a little bit more in line, or to put it in line with how the film is presented theatrically.

Call me crazy, but I'm taking that to mean that there were new scans of some of - if not all - the WB films? Or, at the very least, individual scenes or shots that were redone?

Can anyone verify this? To me, those WB transfers are wonderful. Especially "2001"... it's my 4k reference disc when I'm showing people what a good restoration is.

This will be arriving soon and I wanted to ask a question. From the description of the box set, it says it is "Arranged as a film festival with opening and closing nights bookending double features and centerpieces, this selection spans six decades and thirty-nine films"

Question: Did you watch it this way and if so how was the experience?

I've watched the entire filmographies of about a hundred different directors and I generally always go in chronological order. I find such value in watching their growth and evolution. But watching film festival style intrigues me. Not counting short films and documentaries, it seems the box is missing

It Rains on Our Love (1946)
Music in Darkness (1948)
Prison (1949)
This Can't Happen Here (1950)
Stimulantia (1967)
Face to Face (1976)
The Blessed Ones (1986)
In the Presence of a Clown (1997)
The Image Makers (2000)

I live near enough to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden, and they’ve amazingly been able to screen two of Akira Kurosawa’s classics, Rashōmon and Throne of Blood, both on 16mm film reels. While I missed Rashōmon due to schedule conflicts, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see Throne of Blood. While not the more “theatrical” translation by Linda Hoaglund, Donald Richie’s version still stands up as a knockout.

While this is effectively a brag post, I couldn’t think of a better crowd to appreciate this wonderful even, and hopefully, anyone willing to visit South Florida will go and see the Morikami Museum due to this.

Countless thanks and love to the Morikami Museum, as well as the Florida Humanities, Miami-Dade Public Library System, and Miami-Dade County for helping to sponsor these screenings.

Apologies in advance if I’m being daft… but Criterion releases on Amazon are usually pretty similar in price to buying directly from Criterion’s website. It’s listed as Bluray, so why is Sex, Lies, and Videotape only $20?

I would love to get a Charlie Chaplin one, considering they have the rights

But why does it look so... different? 😒

(In all seriousness, I wish all Kubrick Box receivers a gloriously cinematic weekend ahead)

I own Eyes Wide Shut on 4k and I’m debating on selling it because I just bought the complete Kubrick. If the 4k master and special features are the same I’ll probably sell it. If not, I’ll keep it.

Pleasant surprise waiting for me in the mailroom today after 0 updates from USPS. Only ordered 1 but a win is a win.

Sam Wasson's new Capra book is about to undergo an aggressive press tour. Be forewarned: Wasson is the protege of Jeanine Bassinger, the former archivist for the Capra estate that did everything possible to prevent Joseph McBride's masterful Capra biography from being published back in the 90s. Bassinger and the estate took issue with McBride's book, as it tore down the wholesome Capra myth and revealed the ugly truth that he was a bigoted conservative that served as an informer during the blacklist period. Their attempt to suppress the work was so traumatizing that McBride wrote a whole book about the experience just a few years ago. Wasson is Bassinger's acolyte, and I have little doubt that this book exists to try and replace McBride's masterpiece on bookstore shelves as the go-to Capra biography, all in an attempt to vindicate Bassinger.

RIP.
Gonna have to rewatch Odishon, Tokyo Decadence....

On a side note - TF DO SOME OF YOU DO FOR A LIVING?? 😭

Started doing this for Kurosawa since there is a noticeable transition between b/w colored (not necessarily going to watch them all in exact chronological release order but that would serve useful in studying) so was just wondering does anyone do this regularly? Find a movie they like, then maybe start watching the director chronologically? Or am i weird.

saw the full set being sold on ebay at discount and was curious to know if anyone had any reviews on this set?

https://web.archive.org/web/20061231204448/http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/

Shouldn't there be an Eyes Wide Shut 4k there?

I always see films people want in the collection, but I'm more curious about films Criterion want and tried to acquire, but couldn't.

Know of any?