Criterion hints at 2018
Chris here. With the new year brings another instalment of our favorite cinematic visual puzzle: the Criterion Collection's animated hints at the films coming to their lineup this year! While the cat's already out of the bag that this year we will see Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides and Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man will get the cineaste luxury treatment, the always charming and coy drawing below provides some brain teasers of what else we might see. The more obvious guesses include Aki Karismäki's The Other Side of Hope and Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine - can you spot any other titles coming soon from Criterion?
Reader Comments (19)
Most exciting one is the graduation happening beyond the hills complete with 9 (4+3+2) hats, suggesting a Mungiu boxed set.
Is the tree Dear Zachary?
Here are four guesses:
Vise with a Red M: Casino.
Pomegranates: The Colour of Pomegranates.
Tree: The Tree of Life.
Worm Knight: Earthworm Jim: The Animated Series? (Yes, I know, that would be a pretty atypical move for Criterion, but unless anyone else has a better guess for what a Worm Knight could be referencing...)
MJS - good eye on the count!
That is a grim illustration for Bowling for Columbine.
I am just excited for The Age of Innocence's March release.
Bergman Eclipse set, Other Side of Hope, Tree of Life, Color of Pomegranates, Bowling for Columbine, Mungiu box set, Virgin Suicides, Scarlet Empress reissue (finally!), Dead Man, Awful Truth, El Sur, some Filmstruck stuff
What about The Towering Inferno?
Happy New Year, Chris!
The dog with the tophat = The Awful Truth.
I mean, the obvious one is The Other Side of Hope.
The bowling ball into the bullet "pins" is Bowling for Columbine.
I figured the M in the vice was The Scarlet Empress.
I've seen guesses that the running bottles of Extra Virgin Olive Oil is supposed to be The Virgin Suicides (which would be AMAZING), and that the dog with the hat is for The Awful Truth. Also that the armored thing is actually an "L", and that it's a reference to Lancelot du Lac, which makes sense.
Sofia Coppola already confirmed The Virgin Suicides is getting Criterion treatment later this year
Fingers crossed for Visconti's 'Sandra (Vaghe Stelle dell'Orsa)' at some point receiving the treatment!
I'm extremely fucking excited for The Virgin Suicides on Criterion and I hope it comes with Lick the Stars as an extra.
I love the Criterion Collection.
Knight worm = Nightcrawler?
The EVOOs = Virgin Suicides
The tree = Most likely Tree of Life, but perhaps The Fountain, Dear Zachary, or (wishful thinking) Another Year
Roger: Ooh. That graphic being Nightcrawler WOULD explain why that graphic's placed in the path of the bowling ball.
I think the knight one is L'amour. (Get it? "L armor"? Ugh, I do too many crosswords to understand bad puns.)
L Knight = El Sur (Erice)
Anna, AR, Dancin' Dan: It's in the path of the bowling ball, so presumably that graphic has to be grappling with themes that compliment Bowling for Columbine. Because of that, I'd say Nightcrawler (so, yes, it IS supposed to be a worm) is the best guess for what that graphic represents.
As much as I like Nightcrawler, I don't think it makes much sense as a Criterion release - They have a deal with IFC, but I don't think IFC has any involvement with Nightcrawler, and Dan Gilroy hasn't exactly been celebrated on the "auteur" level like, say, Wes Anderson. I can't think of a way they would have the rights, and it just doesn't seem to fit with their other releases of recent films.
What about John Carpenter's Halloween?