Notícias

Keith Enright and Mark Hurne return to the podcast and we get into a big Criterion news week. Keith had the scoop regarding the Starz Godzilla deal, and we talk about the Olympic trailer, the Barnes & Noble sale, and the newsletter clue. We also talk about Alex Cox’s Sid & Nancy and the latest curated content on FilmStruck.

Episode Notes

8:30 – New Releases, Criterion News

20:00 – Barnes & Noble Sale

23:45 – Keith’s Trip to Criterion

33:00 – Godzilla

43:00 – Sid & Nancy

55:45 – Short Takes (The Lure, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jigoku, Forbidden Games, Les Visiteurs du Soir)

1:05:30 – FilmStruck

Episode Links Criterion Completion – Hour 9 Olympic Set Trailer Criterion Close-Up 19 – A Conversation with Alex Cox Ryan’s 6-year old prediction about Godzilla Episode Credits Aaron West: Twitter | Website | Letterboxd Keith Enright: Twitter | Website Mark Hurne: Twitter | Letterboxd Criterion Now: Facebook Group Criterion Cast: Facebook | Twitter

Music for the show is...

Two films by Marcel Carné are playing on Mubi in the United States as part of the series Marcel Carné, Arletty, Jean Gabin: Le jour se lève (1939), from June 7 - July 7, and Air of Paris (1954), from June 8 - July 8, 2017.Marcel Carné’s 1937 film Drôle de drame (Bizarre, Bizarre) feels anomalous when placed next to his classic dramas. Unlike the sincere emotion, heartbreak, and despair which characterize his poetic realist works, Drôle de drame is a lighthearted and rather frivolous comedy of manners. The film depicts a series of absurd events caused by a need to maintain appearances, following meek botanist Irwin Molyneux (Michel Simon) as he lives a double life, writing crime novels in secret. When his cousin, the bishop Bedford (Louis Jouvet), accuses Molyneux of having killed his wife, the married couple go into hiding rather than rectify the mistake. Molyneux emerges with his novelist persona in order...

'Emmanuelle' movies producer Alain Siritzky dead at 72 (photo: Sylvia Kristel in 'Emmanuelle' 1974) Emmanuelle franchise producer Alain Siritzky died after what has been described as "a short illness" on Saturday, October 11, 2014, at a Paris hospital. Siritzky, whose credits include dozens of Emmanuelle movies and direct-to-video efforts, several of which starring Sylvia Kristel in the title role, was 72. Ironically, Alain Siritzky didn't produce the original, epoch-making 1974 Emmanuelle. He became involved in that Yves Rousset-Rouard production via his Parafrance Films, which distributed Emmanuelle in France. 'Emmanuelle': 1974 movie sensation A couple of years after the release of Deep Throat and The Devil in Miss Jones (not to mention Boys in the Sand and Eyes of a Stranger), and the year after Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider sparked a furor by having simulated sex in Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris, the 1974 French release Emmanuelle still managed to become a worldwide cause célèbre.

Curtis Bernhardt followed the route of his fellow directors Fritz Lang and Robert Siodmak: Germany, France, America, but unlike them he never went back to film in Germany at the end of his career. I looked at his Marlene Dietrich vehicle here. Now let's consider one from his French period.

Carrefour (Crossroads) is an amnesia thriller. Je t'aime amnesia thrillers. They're particularly interesting since the kind of movie amnesia where you forget who you are appears not to exist in real life: if you lost your identity, you would have lost so many other brain functions it's doubtful you would be abe to talk about it. The device remains popular not just because it's so useful for crazy plots, but because questions of identity fascinate us.

(Speaking of crazy plots: French novelist Sebastien Japrisot, whose name itself was an anagram, wrote one of the best, the twice-filmed A Trap For Cinderella.

It has been a busy week for me, not necessarily in terms of movie watching, but just in general. I have spent the last week-and-a-half moving into a new place and if you were wondering why I didn't post anything after noon on Friday, it's because I spent the rest of Friday and all of Saturday moving, but things should be back to normal 'round these parts now and I'll try and post a few additional items to make up for news lost... First, however, let's share our viewing habits over the last seven days. For me it was Pain & Gain in theaters and I already wrote all about seeing Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise, which you can read right here. The last item I watched this week was the fourth episode of "Hannibal", which I understand isn't exactly doing all that well in the ratings, which is a bit worrisome for me,...

In France, during the Nazi occupation of World War II, filmmakers faced the challenge of creating entertainment that might still carry with it the French perspective of the enemy occupation while still making it past Nazi censors who enforced considerably harsher penalties than the MPAA (like death, for example). This posed a challenge for filmmakers like Marcel Carné who desired to comment on the deplorable situation through his work without being penalized for political messaging. His solution: Les Visiteurs du Soir (or The Devil’s Envoys), a story set in the time of kings and traveling minstrels imbued with heavy themes of an evil working from within to destroy youth, love, and order. The classic film receives the Criterion Collection Blu-ray restoration treatment here, but it’s worth noting that the print from which it’s derived is not without its share of quality issues, but the bewitching beauty of Arletty,...

By Allen Gardner

Prometheus (20th Century Fox) Ridley Scott’s quasi-prequel to his 1979 classic “Alien” has an intergalactic exploratory team (Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba) arriving on a uncharted planet, where they discover what appears to be a dormant alien spacecraft and what might be the first discovery of intelligent life outside of Earth. Of course, everything goes straight to hell before you can scream “Don’t touch that egg!” Sumptuous visuals and strong performances from the cast (not to mention a nearly-perfect first half) can’t compensate for gaping plot and logic holes that nearly sink the proceedings in the film’s protracted second half. It feels as though some very crucial footage wound up on the cutting room floor. Perhaps, as with “Alien” and “Aliens” we’ll see a “Director’s Cut” of “Prometheus” arriving on DVD within the next year. In the meantime,...

Known for creating some of the most important films in French history, and during Nazi Occupation, no less, Criterion issues two of Marcel Carne’s most widely acclaimed masterpieces, his crowning achievement, Children of Paradise (1945), which, if you haven’t seen, you need to, and a noteworthy work that directly precedes it, Les Visiteurs du Soir (1942), which has long since been popularly interpreted as an allegory of the hostile occupation. While this interpretation is hardly surprising and seems rather fitting, Carne’s film is much more universal than that, instead conveying the unbreakable spirit of pure love. Presented like the dark, harsh fairy tale it is, Carne managed to create a sumptuously poetic, luxurious film about how love does not indeed conquer all, but can perhaps endure.

Pages flipped by a dark gloved hand inform us that our tale is set in the Middle Ages, May of 1485. Two of the devil’s envoys,...

Chicago – Marcel Carne is one of the most important filmmakers in European history and two of his most timeless efforts, “Children of Paradise” and “Les Visiteurs du Soir,” are two of the most recent films inducted into the most important collection of Blu-rays in the history of the form — The Criterion Collection. “Children” had been a Criterion release before (it’s spine #141) but “Visiteurs” (#626) is new to the collection. Both are gloriously restored version of French classics.

“Children” is the superior of the two, a film that has often been voted the best French film of the last century. It’s often compared to “Gone with the Wind” in its epic scope (it’s 190 minutes long) or at least that’s how it was sold in some markets — “The French Gone with the Wind!” The film is actually much more ambitious thematically than the American epic as wonderfully detailed in...

By Raymond Benson

Children of Paradise has been called the greatest movie ever made in France, their equivalent to Gone With the Wind. Originally released in 1945 and directed by Marcel Carné, the three-hour historical epic is big in scope and ideas, and yet it is simplistic in its story about four men in love with the same woman. The excellent Criterion Collection label released the picture on DVD several years ago, but now they have given it the deluxe treatment with Pathé’s 2011 restoration and uncompressed monaural soundtrack in new Blu-ray and DVD editions. It looks and sounds amazing.

The story of the film’s production is just as fascinating as the picture itself. Made in Vichy France during the Nazi Occupation, Carné and his collaborator/writer Jacques Prévert had to work in secrecy, for the Nazis acted as “studio executives” and approved everything being made. The production designer and music composer were Jews,...

In advance of the upcoming October 11 release of Prometheus on Blu-ray and DVD, Amazon released the film on HD today for $14.99. You can order it amazon asin="B009AJDDQU" text="right here" if you just can't wait. It's also available on CinemaNow, Google Play, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox Live and YouTube. Otherwise, go ahead and preorder the amazon asin="B005LAIHXQ" text="DVD" or amazon asin="B005LAIHY0" text="Blu-ray". Now let's see what else is arriving this week in physical media... Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures The week's top pick is clearly the Indiana Jones Blu-ray collection, which I did have the time to watch the first three films and they all look and sound great. The only complaint I actually have has to do with the supplemental material, which is all pretty good, but none of it is "new". Based on the material they have they could have...

Moviefone's New Release Pick of the Week "The Cabin in the Woods" What's It About? Joss Whedon does for slasher movies what he did for vampires with "Buffy." If we told you anything more, we'd ruin the experience. See It Because: If you're a horror movie fan you're used to being served the dumbest, most illogical garbage and just accepting it. "Cabin" is actually one of the most clever, unique and entertaining horror movies in years (years!) with a funny cast, totally off-the-wall premise and secret twists that we can't tell you anything about. Zombie Lovers: Watch a Special Behind-the-Scenes Look at "Cabin in the Woods" - (Also Available on Redbox DVD & Blu-ray | Amazon Instant Video | Netflix) Moviefone's Blu-ray Release Pick of the Week "Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures" What's It About? The complete "Indy" series is brought to Blu-ray for the first time with hi-def restorations and a museum's worth of behind-the-scenes special features.

As cinephiles are probably quite aware, the Criterion Collection preserves select films deemed historically important or which represent important works by rising and established auteurs of cinema. To provide audiences with the best possible viewing experience of a film, Criterion restores the films to their highest quality and then produces a litany of featurettes to provide audiences with some context for the films in question. Each month, they increase the depth of their library, releasing a select group of titles onto DVD and Blu-ray, often giving the public a chance to purchase films that would otherwise never become available at big box stores. This September, the Criterion Collection releases Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise and Les Visiteurs du Soir, Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul, Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D., and even The Game by David Fincher (The Social Network).

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Chicago – HollywoodChicago.com is launching a series of calendars – starting with the release of a Blu-ray schedule – complete with links to pre-order the titles you just can’t wait to own!

The Hunger Games

Photo credit: Lionsgate

August 7, 2012

“Clue: The Movie”

“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax”

“Full Metal Jacket: 25th Anniversary”

“Grimm: Season One”

“Grosse Pointe Blank: 15th Anniversary Edition”

“High Fidelity”

“Marley”

“The Preacher’s Wife”

“Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion: 15th Anniversary Edition”

“Strike Back: Season One”

August 14, 2012

“Dexter: The Sixth Season”

“Glee: The Complete Third Season”

“Jaws”

“Kill List”

“La Promesse: The Criterion Collection”

“The Raid: Redemption”

“Rosetta: The Criterion Collection”

“The Royal Tenenbaums: The Criterion Collection”

August 18, 2012

“The Hunger Games”

A Separation

Photo credit: Sony

August 21, 2012

“The Aristocats”

“Bernie”

“Chimpanzee”

“The Dictator”

“House: Season Eight”

“Pocahontas”

“The Rescuers”

“A Separation”

“The Tigger Movie”

“Weekend: The Criterion Collection”

August 28, 2012

“Battleship”

“Boardwalk Empire...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 18, 2012

Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95

Studio: Criterion

Jean-Louis Barrault stars in Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise.

Poetic realism reached sublime heights with Marcel Carné’s 1945 romantic drama Children of Paradise, which is widely considered one of the greatest French films of all time.

A classic depiction of 19th century Paris’s theatrical demimonde, Les enfants du paradis follows a mysterious woman (Arletty, The Pearls of the Crown’s) loved by four different men (all based on historical figures): an actor, a criminal, a count, and, most poignantly, a street mime (Jean-Louis Barrault, La ronde).

Directed with sensitivity and dramatic élan (during World War II, no less!) director Carné (Port of Shadows) and screenwriter Jacques Prévert (Le jour se lève) bring to life a world teeming with hucksters and aristocrats, thieves and courtesans, pimps and seers, and, of course, love and sorrow.

Released previously by Criterion in...

Criterion has announced its September Blu-ray line-up. Marcel Carné’s Les visiteurs du soir & Children of Paradise, Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D., Paul Bartel’s Eating Raoul, and David Fincher’s The Game.

Long rumored and wished for, "The Game" is finally getting the special edition treatment the rest of David Fincher's films have, joining the director's "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" in The Criterion Collection. That's right, this September your wallet is going to get a little bit lighter when the refreshed film becomes available from the boutique label.

So, what are you gonna get for the dollars you drop on this? Besides a newly restored transfer, the meaty part of the extras is an audio commentary, previously only available on the Region 2 edition of the DVD, featuring Fincher, Harry Savides, Michael Douglas, screenwriters John Brancato and Michael Ferris, digital animation supervisor Richard “Dr.” Baily, production designer Jeffrey Beecroft, visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug, and visual effects producer Robyn D’Arcy. Damn. There's also an hour's worth of fresh behind-the-scenes footage and film-to-storyboard comparisons for four of the film’s major set pieces,...

Clip joint goes through the looking glass to find film's fairest mirror moments

Mirror, mirror on the wall, is this the most hackneyed Clip joint opening line of them all?

Perhaps so, but there's no doubting the cinematic power of reflection – a tested trope and nifty technical manoeuvre that's been used in many stand-out scenes in movie history.

In an art form to which the visual is crucial, a glance in the mirror can be a window into the soul – an expression of self-doubt, a moment of realisation or perhaps the communication of internalised pain. It can be just plain funny, too. It all depends on who's looking in the glass.

Mirrors have proved a powerful tool in horror films, as well. Don't believe me? Go and stand in front of one and say "Candyman" five times.

Here are a few of my favourite mirror moments. Read, reflect and tell...