2012 MoC Release Summary

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swo17
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
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2012 MoC Release Summary

#1 Post by swo17 » Tue Jul 17, 2012 12:07 pm

New BD/Dual format releases
22 The Insect Woman / Nishi-Ginza Station
26 Two-Lane Blacktop
27 Repo Man
30 Lifeboat
31 Accatone
32 Island of Lost Souls
33 The Gospel According to Matthew
34 Cleopatra
35 Ruggles of Red Gap
38 Let's Wash Our Brains: RoGoPaG
39 Oedipus Rex
40 Gate of Hell
41 Floating Weeds
42 Rumble Fish
44 Double Indemnity
45 The Lost Weekend
46 Die Nibelungen
50 The Passion of Joan of Arc

New DVD releases
109 Hawks and Sparrows
110 Pigsty
119 Park Row
121 Trouble in Paradise

Dual format upgrades
28 Le Silence de la mer
29 Punishment Park
36 Ugetsu monogatari / Oyū-sama
37 Sanshō dayū / Gion bayashi
43 Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse

Standalone DVD releases
114 Cleopatra
115 Let's Wash Our Brains: RoGoPaG
116 Oedipus Rex
117 Gate of Hell
118 Floating Weeds
120 Die Nibelungen
125 The Passion of Joan of Arc

Dual format repackagings
02 Mad Detective
03 Tokyo Sonata
04 Une femme mariée
06 La Planète sauvage
07 Soul Power
11 Vengeance Is Mine
12 The World
13 The Burmese Harp
14 Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#2 Post by RossyG » Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:48 pm

A fabulous year for MoC. I've bought/pre-ordered fifteen of the dual formats, three of the upgrades and two of the DVDs.

Oh, my aching wallet! :)

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swo17
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
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Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#3 Post by swo17 » Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:27 pm

I've now seen all of this year's releases so...

Best Release
1. The Passion of Joan of Arc
2. The Gospel According to Matthew
3. Die Nibelungen
4. Ruggles of Red Gap
5. The Lost Weekend

Best DVD-only Release
Park Row

Best Blu-ray Upgrade
Ugetsu

Best Rediscovery
Gate of Hell (If I weren't trying to cut the sugar out of my diet, I'd be tempted to eat every last frame of this new transfer.)

Most Disappointing
Missed opportunity to include more of Pasolini's shorts on the various releases this year. There are some great ones out there too, particularly La terra vista dalla luna (which would have been a perfect supplement to Hawks and Sparrows), La sequenza del fiore di carta, and Appunti per un film sull'India. I have no idea which rights are available, but I'd love to see some sort of Complete Pasolini Shorts collection somewhere down the line.

Best Bonus Film
Sopralluoghi in Palestina (The Gospel According to Matthew)

Best Non-Bonus Film Supplement
The Repo Code (Repo Man)

Best Cover
Accattone

Best Packaging
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Steelbook)

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#4 Post by RossyG » Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:23 am

Too many great Blu-rays to choose a best release from. I was thrilled to see the amount of Pasolini and silent films that appeared in HD.

Best Blu-ray Upgrade

Again, too difficult to choose from. Punishment Park, Silence and Mabuse were all greatly appreciated.

Best Discovery

Two-Lane Blacktop, with the two Laughtons mentioned in despatches.

Most Disappointing

The fact that two of the Pasolinis were DVD-only. I'm guessing that's because the materials weren't deemed HD-worthy, although I believe it was never confirmed. Shame, as I had hopes that one day soon I'd own all his films on BD. Agree that the lack of extras was a pity, as well.

Best Bonus Film

The Billy Wilder documentary with Sopralluoghi in Palestina a close second.

Best Supplement

The passion of Joan of Arc book. Not booklet... book! :o

Best Cover

RoGoPaG

Best Packaging

The Passion of Joan of Arc (regular version)
Last edited by RossyG on Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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bigP
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:59 am
Location: Reading, UK

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#5 Post by bigP » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:01 pm

Another great year for MOC, particularly with the Pasolini's, the Imamura release, the essential Wilders and Joan of Arc, which I'll be tearing open with my teeth on Christmas day. The 5 already announced titles look like the standard will be just as strong next year. Looking forward to see what's in the next batch of announcements. Anyway...

Best Release
1. Insect Woman / Nishi-Ginza Station
2. Accatone
3. Cleopatra
4. Two-Lane Blacktop
5. The Lost Weekend

Best Blu-ray Upgrade
Punishment Park

Best Discovery
Cleopatra. I fell in love with everything about this film.

Most Disappointing
More just a disappointment that some films are not possible to be granted a terrific Blu release. Aside from the Pasolini's, the Lubitsch and the Fuller; no release of Imamura's Intentions of Murder or The Pornographers on BD is fairly heart-breaking, but obviously this disappointment is aimed far and away from MOC.

Best Bonus Film
Billy, How Did You Do It? (though this was a pretty tough category with a handful of superb bonus films to choose from this year).

Best Non-Bonus Film Supplement
On The Road Again: Two-Lane Blacktop Revisited though I also enjoyed Somewhere Near Salinas, a 28-minute interview by Monte Hellman with singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson

Best Cover
Lifeboat

Best Packaging
The Passion of Joan of Arc

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Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#6 Post by Finch » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:52 pm

Best Release
1. Gospel According to St Matthew
2. Island of Lost Souls
3. Die Niebelungen
4. Passion of Joan of Arc
5. Gate of Hell

Best Blu-ray Upgrade
Ugetsu

Best DVD only:
Park Row

Best Discovery
Gate Of Hell (curious to see Cleopatra)

Most Disappointing
the giant text obscuring the leads' faces on the Trouble In Paradise cover. blurgh!

Best Bonus Film
n/a

Best Non-Bonus Film Supplement
the features on Charles Laughton

Best Cover
Gate Of Hell

Best Packaging
Passion of Joan Of Arc
Last edited by Finch on Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#7 Post by tenia » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:18 pm

Best Release
1.The Passion of Joan of Arc
2.Die Nibelungen
3.The Lost Weekend
4.Cleopatra
5.Repo Man

Best DVD-only Release
Park Row

Best Blu-ray Upgrade
Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse

Best Rediscovery
Cleopatra

Most Disappointing
The lack of extras on most of the Pasolini related releases, and the not-really-good PQ on Rumble Fish

Best Bonus Film
N/A

Best Non-Bonus Film Supplement
Billy, How Did You Do It?

Best Cover
Repo Man Steelbook

Best Packaging
The Passion of Joan of Arc Steelbook

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
Location: Stretford, Manchester

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#8 Post by TMDaines » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:29 pm

Best Release:
1) Accattone
2) Double Indemnity
3) Lost Weekend
4) The Gospel According to Matthew
5) Lifeboat

Best DVD-only Release: Park Row

Most Disappointing: The level of on-disk extras on MoC releases feels like it has fallen off since halfway through the year. The first six months or so were packed with loaded discs. The first two Pasolinis are real releases of the year but the later ones were anything but. Four Pasolinis without a single on-disk extra; I don't get it. I thought Die Nibelungen was going to be a flagmark release after waiting so long for it but it wasn't in the end. I'm waiting six months to see if the Germans will do a M/Metropolis level Blu-ray with that one. Joan too is lacking any kind of academic, critical or historical on-disk analysis, even though it does come with two scores and a bastard cut.

Best Cover: Lifeboat... but there's at least five or six I could have put forward.

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TMDaines
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Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#9 Post by TMDaines » Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:58 pm

MoC asking for feedback on what was their best release of 2012, but you can only pick from their ten best selling releases: Facebook. Interestingly no Pasolinis are there, which makes me think the first couple did worse than expected and hence why the later releases were all barebones and only two of them were on Blu-ray. No Lost Weekend either, or any Japanese films though that probably isn't so surprising. Mabuse does make an appearance though.
Last edited by TMDaines on Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#10 Post by matrixschmatrix » Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:00 pm

Yeah, they specified that those are the top 10 best sellers- no Gate of Hell or Floating Weeds, either.

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TMDaines
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Location: Stretford, Manchester

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#11 Post by TMDaines » Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:15 pm

There's a best of the rest poll too and there is no Accattone there either! I'm hoping that the second poll is just ten other releases and not the 11th to 20th best selling.

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#12 Post by matrixschmatrix » Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:26 pm

Yeah, that is worrying- Accatone isn't the best film they've put out this year by a long shot, but it is one of the best release packages, and one of the only new commentaries they've got on anything.

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TMDaines
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Location: Stretford, Manchester

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#13 Post by TMDaines » Fri Dec 21, 2012 5:49 pm

I really like the film but can understand criticism of it, however the package is an absolute knockout. It has not one but two films that featured on the "One Hundred film and one country" list from a while back!

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#14 Post by knives » Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:07 pm

For those without Facespace what are the top ten?

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swo17
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Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#15 Post by swo17 » Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:10 pm

In no particular order:

Two-Lane Blacktop
Repo Man
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Lifeboat
Island of Lost Souls
Die Nibelungen
Double Indemnity
Rumble Fish
Cleopatra
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#16 Post by knives » Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:12 pm

Thanks, that seems predictable. English language films probably always do better in English language markets.

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med
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:58 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#17 Post by med » Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:25 pm

Unless I imagined it, I swore peerpee had said Two-Lane Blacktop hadn't been selling very well.

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#18 Post by RossyG » Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:07 am

med wrote:Unless I imagined it, I swore peerpee had said Two-Lane Blacktop hadn't been selling very well.
I remember him saying that too. Maybe it had a late surge. I got my mate to buy a copy; perhaps that helped. :D
TMDaines wrote:Interestingly no Pasolinis are there, which makes me think the first couple did worse than expected and hence why the later releases were all barebones and only two of them were on Blu-ray.
I'm pretty sure all the formats and extras were announced before any of them had been released.

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
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Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#19 Post by TMDaines » Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:51 am

RossyG wrote:
TMDaines wrote:Interestingly no Pasolinis are there, which makes me think the first couple did worse than expected and hence why the later releases were all barebones and only two of them were on Blu-ray.
I'm pretty sure all the formats and extras were announced before any of them had been released.
Nope. Accattone and Gospel were out for a month before the next batch were announced. Even then MoC often announce a title first and only announce the extras and the contents of the booklet later on.

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RossyG
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 5:50 pm

Re: 2012 MoC Release Summary

#20 Post by RossyG » Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:17 am

Ah. My mistake.

Shame they seemingly haven't done so well.

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