These Films Deserve A Criterion Release

That listing for The Matador could only be more specific to its subject if its listing info was complete; a cursory search clearly indicates that Almodovar's film has no listing here.

Most of Paramount's early DVDs are releases of solid (if dated) quality, but Don't Look Now suffers from a notoriously bad transfer of a good print, an abysmal soundtrack, subtitles transcribed in obvious haste and a horrid scene selection interface. Watch it again, and you might be surprised by how substandard it is!

One reason why I suggested an alternative to Blue Velvet is because it (like most of Lynch's other features) already enjoys a good release, and popular interest is usually but a secondary incentive for Criterion. Also, Lynch's lucrative profit from the Absurda releases of his early, short and online works, as well as Inland Empire and all related projects is an independent filmmaker's dream, and those movies aren't of a quality in which Criterion would take especial interest.

Mike Vraney of Something Weird wanted to acquire the rights to Otto as a means to launch a label specific to more "respectable" transgressive films, but his ambition was never realized. I'd be fascinated to see if Criterion would touch anything LaBruce has done.

I usually watch Don't Look Now atleast twice a a year. Come September or October, I will definitely be re-watching as it's a good fit for this time of year. For granted, it may not be the best copy on dvd but it's almost pristine when I look at what companies are doing with other great films I love. Have you seen the dvd of Curtains? Now that's horrendous. Even so, I would love Criterion to clean up Don't Look Now but I am not sure if that would ever happen.


Come to think of it, Mulholland Drive really needs an upgrade for sure. The actual print didn't look bad but the dvd itself was bare bones. I paid good money for it on the initial release & the dvd didn't even have chapters. If Criterion laid their hands on this, I'm sure the release would be golden. Somehow, this one would sell fairly well as it did have somewhat of a crossover appeal & even an Oscar nod. I won't hold my breath though. But true, most of Lynch's films have decent releases save Mulholland.


Hmm. I hadn't heard of Mike Vraney but that might've been pretty cool. I do enjoy some of the Something Weird catalog even though I think Otto is calibers above much of the stuff they release. Often, LaBruce gets comparisons to Waters or Morrissey but neither of which ever made anything quite as brilliant as Otto. Criterion probably wouldn't touch the vast majority of LaBruce's endeavors but I seem to think Otto would be their best contender.

[...] the dvd didn't even have chapters.

Nor should it have; Universal observed Lynch's stated predilection for home video releases of his films that haven't chapter stops or attendant scene selections. Lynch feels that his films ought be accessed as he assembled them, and I believe that his wishes should be gratified.
Optimum's special edition of Mulholland includes a second disc that contains a "making-of" featurette, interviews and a press conference at Cannes, most of which can be found on YouTube. Whether any of these are available on Universal's relatively new Blu-Ray edition, I'm unaware. To be honest, I think that Universal's Mulholland DVD is excellent, sporting a fine transfer from a pristine print and a great sound mix...but the supplemental materials of its UK equivalent should be officially available, even if only on a website.

LaBruce is underrated if only because he's unknown, but I agree that he's by far the superior of Waters (who's not made a good flick in twenty years) or Morrissey, essentially a limited - though solid - talent serving as Warhol's filmic appendage. You suggested Mondo as a potential distributor for his work, and they'd be amiss to ignore it.