Save some shelf space, The Criterion Collection is bringing a terrific mix of fan favorites, classics, and one of the best films ever made!
Is it just me or is it ever since The Criterion Collection finally got on the books with 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray their slate of new releases seems more aggressive and exciting? The July 2022 slate is pretty damn aggressive bringing some great titles to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray covering the full spectrum from one of the best films ever made to human dramas to a modern fairytale to a slick modern noir thriller. On that note, let's get onto the nitty-gritty of this new slate of titles:
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital master, approved by director Martin Scorsese, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD • Master Audio soundtrack
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• New video essays by film critics Geoffrey O’Brien and Sheila O’Malley on Scorsese’s mastery of formal techniques and the film’s triumvirate of characters
• Three audio commentaries, featuring Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker; director of photography Michael Chapman, producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, casting director Cis Corman, music consultant Robbie Robertson, actors Theresa Saldana and John Turturro, and sound-effects supervising editor Frank Warner; and boxer Jake La Motta and screenwriters Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader
• Fight Night, a making-of program featuring Scorsese and key members of the cast and crew
• Three short programs highlighting the longtime collaboration between Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro
• Television interview from 1981 with actor Cathy Moriarty and the real Vikki La Motta
• Interview with Jake La Motta from 1990
• Program from 2004 featuring veteran boxers reminiscing about La Motta
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: Essays by poet Robin Robertson and film critic Glenn Kenny
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• 4K digital master, approved by director Bong Joon Ho, with Dolby Atmos sound on the Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• New conversation between Bong and producer Dooho Choi
• New interviews with actors An Seo Hyun and Byun Heebong
• New interviews with members of the crew about the film’s cinematography, visual effects, and costume and production design
• Short programs including a director’s video diary, featuring Bong; actors Paul Dano, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Steven Yeun; and others
• Teaser, trailer, and web promos
• English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Karen Han
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Carl Franklin, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD • Master Audio soundtrack
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Audio commentary featuring Franklin
• New conversation between Franklin and actor Don Cheadle
• New conversation between Walter Mosley, author of the novel on which the film is based, and novelist and screenwriter Attica Locke
• On-stage conversation between Franklin and film historian Eddie Muller, recorded at the • 2018 Noir City Film Festival in Chicago
• Screen test for Cheadle
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Julian Kimble
SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interview with film historian Melanie Williams
• Interview with director David Lean from 1963
• Audio excerpts of a 1988 interview with cinematographer Jack Hildyard
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Stephanie Zacharek
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Sofia Coppola and supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• Interviews with Coppola, Lachman, actors Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett, novelist Jeffrey Eugenides, and writer and actor Tavi Gevinson
• Making of “The Virgin Suicides,” a 1998 documentary directed by Eleanor Coppola and featuring Sofia Coppola; Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola; actors Dunst, Hartnett, Scott • Glenn, Kathleen Turner, and James Woods; Eugenides; and others
• Lick the Star, a 1998 short film by Sofia Coppola
• Music video for Air’s soundtrack song “Playground Love,” directed by Coppola and her brother Roman Coppola
• Trailers
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by novelist Megan Abbott
Drive My Car - Blu-ray
• New 2K digital master, approved by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interview with Hamaguchi
• Program about the making of the film, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with actors Reika Kirishima, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Masaki Okada, Yoo-rim Park, Dae-Young Jin, and others
• Press conference footage from the film’s premiere at the 2021 Cannes International Film • Festival
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by author Bryan Washington
These aren't up for pre-order yet - but as soon as they are, we'll update our listings ASAP. It really helps this aggressive slate of titles is dropping in time for the standard July Criterion sale at Barns & Nobel - that'll really help save a few bucks! Which ones are you picking up?
- Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)
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Drive My Car - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
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Summertime - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
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Devil in a Blue Dress (Blu-ray)
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Okja - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
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Raging Bull - Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)
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The Virgin Suicides - Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Ultra HD)
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Devil In A Blue Dress - Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Ultra HD)
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Okja - Criterion Collection 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray (Ultra HD)
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Raging Bull - Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Ultra HD)
