Movies You May Have Missed: 7/1/08
Norah Jones in Wong Kar-Wai’s My Blueberry Nights
Finally appearing on Tuesday where it belongs, here’s this week’s look at movies you may have missed that are now available on DVD.
The big news in some quarters is of course confirmation that The Godfather Trilogy is coming to Blu-ray on September 23, newly restored and with some new gewgaws. Is it enough to get me to replace the standard definition set I paid too much money for 5 or 6 years ago? No, but I’ll probably rent it.
Of more pressing interest is today’s DVD release of Wong Kar-Wai’s beautiful My Blueberry Nights, one of the most underrated movies in recent memory and one of my favorites of the year so far. I practically begged people to see this movie. Some of you did and some of you hated it anyway. That’s fine, but now’s the time for the rest of you to give it a shot. It’s on DVD now. What do you have to lose?
I missed City of Men, another tale set in Rio de Janeiro’s downtrodden favelas from the producers of City of God, when it played in theaters, but I meant to have a look. Daniel sung its praises over at Getafilm and now’s my chance to catch up. Yours too.
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Related Posts: - Review: My Blueberry Nights (2008) ****
- Reviewing the Reviewers: My Blueberry Nights
- The Watercooler: 4/7/08
- Movies You May Have Missed: 7/29/08
- Movies You May Have Missed Update: Shotgun Stories
I shared your love of MBN, but I could not share Danny’s love for City of Men….oh well.
Ditto on both points Nick. And I agree with Craig on his “buying aversion” to THE GODFATHER TRILOGY on blu-ray. In fact I have resited blu-ray entirely to this point. In wonder how many LIC people own blu-ray players?
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS is an excellent quality DVD, and after seeing this film a second time, I altered my opinion drastically in the affirmative.
Two Criterions street today: MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS, which was previously released on a bare-bones Warner DVD, (which of course has been eclipsed by this new package with numerous valuable extras) and PATRIOTISM, which was directed by Yoshima. I have not seen this film yet.
Perhaps the biggest release today is the 3 disc boxed package of Peter Weir’s PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, (Second Sight-Region 2) which presents for the first time ever on DVD, the fully restored film, as well as some superb extra features. Criterion’s present version is NOT the restored one. My. set is on its way to me, and I should have it by week’s end.
Finally, from Japan on Region 5 is the second massive four film box set of the films of Japanese master Shimizu, (who was a contemporary of Ozu) and the essential film of this batch is the one that many consider his masterpiece, CHILDREN OF THE WIND. I watched it last night and likd it, though perhaps not quite as much as I thought I would. But this is quite a set in a number of ways, fully matching the first.
Well, Nicky babe…
It was you, Danny, Craig and myself who adored MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS as bloggers on the net - and that was pretty much the extent of that.
Though I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I just want to be frank about something.
I feel genuinely bad for everyone who either didn’t take the time to seek out this fabulous little gem or viewed it and didn’t appreciate it.
It’s just intoxicating in its loveliness: the gorgeous cinematography, the evocative music (both the score and the great original songs), the heightened mood. Contrary to what you may heard, there are some very fine performances in this - especially from RACHEL WEISZ and DAVID STRATHAIRN. NORAH JONES is solid in her film debut and has wonderful chemistry with a laid back JUDE LAW.
This is just like the most haunting beautiful dream. Or the last Coca Cola in the desert.
It’s an exquisite experience to be savoured. Shame so many people missed out on this or simply didn’t give it a chance.
I’m picking it up on the weekend.
Looking forward to having it in my hot little hands…
Miranda, I do remember indeed how you three embracwed it immediately. I did not see the light until I re-viewed it. I dare say this film will one day receive a glowing re-appraisal.
I liked MBN, but I liked it more as a mood than as a coherent, complete film, and I wasn’t as adoring of it as the Craig, Miranda, Danny and Nick did. But maybe I just need to see it again. I DO think that Craig and Miranda’s reviews put me in the exact right state to absorb it, my expectations neither too high nor too low.
As for City of Men, to my great shame I must admit I haven’t even seen its predecessor. It’s a gap I look forward to filling soon.
Sam, I do recall (as you also stated most eloquently today) that you did change your mind about MBN after you had seen it again.
I think you’re absolutely right. I feel strongly that MBN’s reputation will grow over time. People will continue to discover it in retrospectives and at minifestivals. Then (if they were of a certain age, of course) they’ll kick themselves for having missed it. But i’m sure - over the decades - that there will be many cinephiles that will be brought to their knees by this film’s tremendous and highly evident charms. Every generation will have young people that will find it and it will seem incredibly fresh and new to them.
I think MBN would make a great midnight movie.
Thank you for the compliment, Hedwig. Always fab to get notice from you. Especially since you’re a highly successful blogger in your own right.
I don’t know. Maybe if you saw MBN again it would work its considerable spell on you.
Who knows?
“City of God” was amazing, and I guess it was my fault thinking “City of Men” could have been just as amazing.
I will certainly buy MBN whenever it is released in SA, I think it will be soon enough.
To answer your question, Sam, I have a PS3 primarily for watching Blu-rays. I wasn’t going to get sucked in either, but then I got this great price on the PS3 last Fall and I was itching to own the Kubrick reissues in Hi-def rather than DVD. I haven’t regretted it owning it, but the studio support for Blu-ray has been lackluster so far.
I’m mulling owning the Godfather films. On the one hand, these are classics and the existing DVDs aren’t perfect but like many of you, I already invested in the DVD box set and I have issues with buying a reissue just for the sake of owning the reissue. It does meet all my criteria for buying rather than renting though, so I will likely let it come out and see what kind of pre-Christmas sale pricing I can find for it.
I rarely buy anything when it releases anymore. I usually rent it and wait for the price to drop 30-50% in the first year.
I neglected to mention in my previous post on this thread that Masters-of-Cinema (the rolls royce DVD company of Region 2 and a near-match to Criterion in quality releases of the masterpieces of world cinema) has announced a September release of Marcel L’Herbier’s 1929 silent masterwork L’ARGENT. Silent film buffs are ecstatic about this restored ,first-ever DVD release, and are doubly thrilled that MOC, with their lavish extras, packaging and booklets are bringing this most essential French classic to the public. With the recent release of Gance’s LA ROUE and the September release of his J’ACCUSE (both by Flicker Alley) important gaps in the silent movie heritage have been gleefully filled.
Joel: The difference between you and me is that I am an impatient sucker, who suffers from chronic OCD. That is wise to wait!
It appears that studio support for blu-ray has picked up,especially with specialty companies like Criterion and MOC entering the fold, but I agree that rampant investment in these expensive titles is foolhardy. That said, most of the films we are all interested in, the silents, foreign and independent films and classics do not gain in any way by the format’s well-known “manipulation.”
Are you happy with the PC arrangement, Joel, for the most part?
No Sam, sorry, a Playstation 3 game console, not a media PC. I like the Playstation 3 for what it is and my only major complaints are that it runs very hot and doesn’t have great support from game producers. I don’t play a lot of video games, so that latter isn’t that big of a deal but when the temperature is over 80 in the Summer, running the PS3 means the room is going to get very hot. Rest of the time I don’t notice much.
I use Netflix for most of my DVD/Blu-ray viewing and while they’re far from perfect, that manages to cover about 90% of my rental needs.
I get the OCD issue…but the amount of space and pocket change I have for owning vs renting are my deciding factors.
I never got around to seeing “City of Men,” namely because I never saw “City of God” and didn’t want to see the one without having seen the other.
As for “My Blueberry Nights,” I wouldn’t count myself among its fans. I respected parts of it (namely David Strathairn), but overall I found it bland and unmemorable.
I’m one of those who, each day on my way to the gym, looked at the theater marquee announcing “My Blueberry Nights” with a bit of skepticism, but since then those who liked it have me convinced to give it a try.
Sam — I missed Picnic at Hanging Rock over the years. Maybe it’s like Lost in Translation and got lost in translation. Actually PAHR sounds to me a little like L’Avventura in that it lacked an obvious resolution.
I really liked City of Men, but not having seen City of God there’s no way for me to compare the two.
Right now I have a stiffy for WALL*E, next on my list.
Sam thanks for filling in the gaps on my DVD coverage. I’m still debating whether or not to cover catalogue titles. Right now I’m just trying to focus on new releases, but I totally dig you chiming in. As a buyer, you’re on the front lines so I value your info. For the record Dave Kehr has a great Mishima write up in the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/movies/homevideo/01dvds.html
As for Blu-ray, I have it via the same route as Joel. Until recently I hadn’t bought any DVDs for it, just rented and a few gifts. But Tower had the 5-disc Blade Runner Extrav-orgasma for mad cheap and I had to get it so I tossed in Bonnie and Clyde, No Country For Old Men and Assassination of Jesse James. If the Zodiac SE comes to Blu-ray, I’ll buy that one as well.
I have to say, even on my relatively small TV, Blu-ray looks yummy, though the jump from standard DVD to upscaled standard DVD was more eye-popping than from upscaled to Blu-ray.
I’m also a little troubled by scattered reports of blu-rays of old movies having their grain significantly reduced.
As for MBN, I hate to sound like such a Nazi about it, but honestly movies like that are one of the reasons I started blogging. There is so much empty crap that flies through the air that gets a free pass and so much interesting stuff that slips through the cracks, if I can convince two or three people to have a look at something that got unfairly dismissed, and have one of them agree with me…well that’s what gets me up in the morning to do this every day.
Finding others like Miranda who are on the same page helps me feel more sane. I remember sweating bullets over my initial review. I hadn’t read what others were saying, but I knew the buzz had been bad since Cannes and I’m not a guy who likes to go against the grain. At all. I really felt like my ass was going to hang out on this one, and maybe it did, but then other people started cropping up so I knew I wasn’t completely alone. Sam went so far as to give the movie another chance. Miranda and Nick and Daniel liked it. I think Joel was pretty positive on it and Hedwig even if she wasn’t doing backflips.
Yet, there are plenty of people whose opinions I admire who didn’t care for it. And I get it. It’s definitely looser and slighter than Wong Kar-Wai’s other films and if you don’t quickly fall under its spell, I can see where some of the performances might rub the wrong way. But I was intoxicated by it, and I’m not a guy who is easily intoxicated by a movie. I had a lovely buzz the whole time and it made it easy not to nitpick points of character of plot (or lack thereof).
I think the more artsy directors, American or otherwise, tend to be unfairly scrutinized to a greater degree by the critics. They seem to enter the theater with expectations of their own and if the film doesn’t meet those or strays from those, they really tear into the work. Wim Wenders, Wong Kar Wai, and Ang Lee have all been recipients of this sort of critical dog pile in the last two years. Don’t Come Knocking, My Blueberry Nights, and Lust, Caution all got bad reviews coming out of the festivals. Once they had theatrical releases, the ensuing reviews seem to reflect this negativity like an echo chamber even though all three films had significant merits that warranted praise.
None of these are perfect, but I can think of a number of equally imperfect or less impressive films dotting the most vaunted Ten Best Lists.
I respect your courage in posting your review, Craig.
Nick jumped in before I had the chance. As it appears we’re the only two to have seen City of Men, I guess it’s kind of a toss-up. It was nearly as good as City of God, but I tried (and I guess I succeeded in doing so) to view it as an entirely separate entity. They’re not sequels, just to clarify.
In any case, I’ll admit that it was one of the first new movies I saw of ‘08 and it’s faded a bit since then. I still loved it, but would recommend City of God any day of the week to those who haven’t seen either.
And MBN - well keep in mind that it’s the only WKW that I’ve seen, so my opinion is to be taken with a grain of salt. As always.
Craig, thanks a million for those kind and flattering sentences. If the column continues I will more than happy to provide some supplemental information on releases that may not be front line, especially if I will be purchasing them.
Joel: I honestly never knew PS3 had the capability of playing blu-ray, but that just illustrates how useless I am in a technical sense. We still have PS2 for the kids here, and so far have resisted the upgrade, in fear that the eqipment will break from carelessness (similar to what has happened with PS2)
I have a massive DVD collection, but I admit I don’t own a single blu-ray disc of any sort, and won’t make the plunge until I am sure that it won’t be too steep a finantial fall.
I am assuming blu-ray players can negotiate standard DVDs, and that the player can yield blu-ray images on a Pioneer plasma bought four years ago, and once repaired. That are my two main issues.
Pierre: I am not so sure I would say that PAHR is comparable to L’AVENTURA in that sense, but it surely is a deceptively cerebral work. It is so beautiful filmed and crafted that I’m sure you will come away with am affinity for it. For me it is Weir’s best film, even if a good word can be put in for GALLIPOLI, WITNESS and DEAD POETS SOCIETY. The later affection, which I have always taken heat for is mainly the result of my profession. LOL!!!!!
Similarly Pierre, I must say to you that even though I am disappointed by Mathhew Lucas’ indifference to MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, I felt that way the first time I saw it. But I was consigned to the back row of the tunnel-like Angelika (Alison knows how bad that is I’m sure) and I couldn’t quite process the film’s sensory elements.
When Craig states that he is “intoxicated” by the film, he really means it! This is assuredly a film of textures, of fragrence, of fleeting images….you can even taste the pie that the main characters enjoy at several junctures. It is by and large a tone poem. I do agree that it ranks as one of the most unforgettable films we have seen this year, and in this instance I owe Craig completely for that bold, in-your-face passionae and perceptive review, which goaded me to a rare reappraisal and a still rarer drastic reassessment.
All Blu-ray players upscale standard DVD images to hi-def resolution, however how well they handle deinterlacing and other legacy issues with older DVD releases depends on the player and TV combo.
Time will tell how well the PS3 handles wear and tear, but so far I’ve enjoyed the investment and gotten my money’s worth.
Sam, is this region 2 Picnic at Hanging Rock a different cut from the one on Criterion? I understood the Criterion to be the 1998 re-release ‘director’s cut’.
Jeff, this new edition of PICNIC is actually the 1975 original 115 minute version that until now was NEVER released on VHS or DVD anywhere. The Criterion ‘director’s cut’ you refer to is missing 10 minutes at Weir’s insistance.
Fans of the film opposed Weir at the time, and were irate at the cuts, having salivated over years at many individual frames. While Weir originally supported the cuts, because he felt they allowed the film’s pace to quicken, he later regretted this.
This new Second Sight DVD box set offers the original 115 minute cut, the later director’s cut that we have on Criterion and an exclusive two hour extra that includes interviews with all the cast members and craftsmen.
This is one of the few times that a Region 2 release has purportedly trumped a Criterion, hence I double dipped here.
Joel–that is very good news you tell me there about the blu-ray player upscaling the standard DVD release on playback! (to high-def.)
It’s not ‘true’ Hi-def, though - a 720/480 video image by definition doesn’t have the same resolution as a 1920/1080 image. An upconverting DVD player can make it look better, but there’s still a noticeable difference.
Joel, I’ve been thinking a lot about the echo chamber of which you speak. It’s a little bit what I was thinking of in an earlier post on the unreliability of festival reviews. Regardless of whether my estimation is accurate, it often seems like a prevailing sentiment will come out of a festival and a film will have hard time shaking it, with reviews that follow tending to stick to the party line.
It happened to MBN and it happened to Marie-Antoinette. I wonder if my diminished expectations helped me like those films better though.
Sam and Jeff, the notion of director’s cuts is an interesting one to me. I can’t speak for Picnic at Hanging rock, but though I always tend to side with the ‘auteur’, I think there are cases where they don’t always know best.
I haven’t seen it for years, but I think the original cut of Aliens is superior to Cameron’s cut that included additional material with the girl Newt. The original film was a force of nature, but I always felt the pacing in the director’s cut was hampered by the extra stuff.
Interesting difference there Jeff. I am still debating on whether to add a blu-ray component to my system. I may use e bay for a lower price.
I assume, Sam, that you have a Hi-def display to view the source material on? Because otherwise, Blu-ray would be unnecessary for you.
Jeff is right, upscaled standard def (SD) vs hi-def (HD) source are two different animals but for the time-being, upscaling SD DVD is the best (and only) option for viewing the vast majority of DVDs out there. Most LCDs/plasma displays can upscale the image themselves without a upscaling DVD or Blu-ray player in the mix, but the quality of this scaling varies widely between displays (the old adage “you get what you pay for” works well here).
It’s a pain in the ass. The industry has really shot itself in the foot with all this confusing jargon and lack of consistent standards for consumers. Most people have no interest in being gear heads.
Joel: I have a 52 inch Pioneer plasma monitor from 2004. Is this eligible to receive the high-def transmission from a blu-ray player? Some have told me yes, others no. I can’t seem to get a definitive answer. The picture is fantastic, but since 2004 I know upgrades have occured.
What is the primary input? HDMI, DVI, or Component video?
There’s always a way to hook it up, but HDMI offers the most risk-free solution for you.
I also assume your TV is 720 p/1080i and probably looks pretty snazzy.
Oh, true to the quality of that brand it appears that Pioneer was supporting HDMI back in 2003 and their plasmas supporting a 768p image.
Nice TV, Sam. At that screen size, you’d definitely be able to see the difference in resolution between upscaled DVD and Blu-ray (I’m guessing your TV is currently doing the upscaling). But the difference isn’t going to be incredible, just noticable. It will “pop” more visually on all digital source material like a Pixar movie or the Star Wars prequels.
You can check it out, but unless you’ve got a couple hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket you may want to wait and see if Blu-ray players come down in price for Christmas.
The PS3 probably won’t drop in price this year, but you never know. Looks like the Xbox 360 is going to price-drop in a few weeks. That might change Sony’s tune.
Joel, I am dysfunctional when it comes to technical matters, in fact fully clueless. But my wife just told me that we have…………..component video………………..and the TV is 1080i……………Lucille says it says in the top-left cormer of the monitor that it is “HDTV.” Is this good for blu-ray?
marvelous second explanation there Joel!
So the blu-ray player will get full representation on my Pioneer. I will indeed wait a few months though for that hoped-for price reduction.
I can’t wait to rent My Blueberry Nights. I’ve been following the film for a couple of years now, so I’m pretty excited that it is FINALLY coming to video!
No, you’re still a little shy of the holy grail of current technology, Sam, as 1080p resolution is the highest currently available, either in displays or on Blu-ray. Most folks don’t mind the very subtle difference between 1080i and 1080p so no worries. And current broadcast standards for HD content only support up to 1080i anyway.
Don’t run out and buy that new replacement TV just yet and take a few deep breaths before you buy a Blu-ray player.
Like I said, your display’s screen size is in the middle-range of making Blu-ray really shine and even so, the difference will be noticable but not huge. The only Blu-ray we’ve watched that actually impressed my girlfriend so far (in the picture-quality dept) has been Ratatouille. She still thinks standard definition DVD looks pretty great. Plus, the studios have been routinely putting out stellar DVD releases for the past 2-3 years now.
Everything you say here makes perfect semse and thanks so much for imparting your knowledge to me. I will take your advice and wait on the blu-ray player. I will keep the plasma until it breaks down, as the warranty is spent, and we spent almost $800 for a repair to the silver box that controls the actual monitor screen. This was quite a hit—I should have bought a new HD TV then and there. (3 months ago.) Repairs on these big-screen TVs make buying new sets really the only sensible option.
Thanks again, Joel.
Yeah they’re a bummer to fix.
Note that this comment thread has left the entire drowsy and nodding off.
(sound of crickets chirping…a tumbleweed slowly rolls by in the breeze).
Quite true Joel, but my comment here is….let’s see…………#37…………….that is actually a great response—up there with the best—even if you and I submitted half of them ourselves!…………HAHAHAHA!
I like my 1080p and Blu-ray.
I enjoyed My Blueberry Nights much more the second time around, and the more I reflect on it the better it is in my mind. It has that intoxicating (stolen from Craig) quality that makes it unmistakably a Wong film.
k, I do hope that you love MBN.
I couldn’t even predict what your reaction will be. But we’ll see when the time comes.
I’m surprised that you said that you don’t like to go against the grain, Craig.
I couldn’t care less about that. I actually think it’s kind of fun as long as you’re absolutely sincere about it. Who the hell wants to have the same opinions as other people?
NOT ME. I’m kind and polite but I’m definitely not a people pleaser. But I guess most of you have caught on to that by now.
Don’t you think that your views have any validity, Craig? I DO.
Oh, well. Maybe I’ll end up being a good influence on you. EVENTUALLY.
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet…
I guess “Marie Antoinette” was my “My Blueberry Nights.” I loved “Marie Antoinette,” and felt that it was horribly misunderstood.
Joel, you mentioned “Lust, Caution,” which is another film I loved, so I don’t think my dislike of “My Blueberry Nights” stems from any auteuristic expectations. It just didn’t work for me.
Sorry Matthew, I was blindly commenting on the apparent hive mind with which the critical establishment seems to react to certain films and directors.
I meant to be clear though that each of those films has its weaknesses and I wouldn’t hold it against anyone for not liking any of them, but I was disappointed to see that each of those films was more or less quickly disposed of and forgotten by most critics.
It just doesn’t seem fair that to me that The Bourne Supremacy ends up on Ten Best Lists and Lust, Caution is deemed a failure, I suppose. What makes a movie worthy of praise versus just watchable and how does one weigh the balance between the two?
Joel says: “It just doesn’t seem fair that The Bourne Supremacy ends up on Ten Best List and Lust, Caution is deemed a failure..”
Sam says: “Amen.”
sam i gor the region one of ‘blueberry’ i still may do my region 3 cn entertainment version vs the region one miriam collection/weinsten thing….
yeah there sam there’s alot more going on they may be influencing quality aside from the R1 being progessive.
really nope i can’t do this as well as the dvd beaver guy. but i do have things to mention that the dvd beaver never does…..
‘i’ve got tricks up my sleeves/i’ve got scabs on my knees’
i think ‘blueberry’ is the least liked film of wkw by his fans in the states.and it’s the one that may be most accessible to ‘normal’ movie fans. not that they really care or are even gonna notice. ;)
and sam one day i’ll tell you about my ‘fallen angels’ remaster or whatever they call it. ok…
Glim: I envision a critical upsurge in the reputation of BLUEBERRY NIGHTS. Just as the film improves on additional viewings, I think in Kar-Wei’s canon, it will one be lauded for it’s moodiness (and intoxicating—Craig’s term) qualities. I don’t say it is greater than his very best films like IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, 2046 or HAPPY TOGETHER, but it approaches that level when you add it all up.
What do you make of that FALLEN ANGELS remaster, Glim?