This Savage Art

The entire series is now available for pre-order.

Popularity: 6% [?]

I finally got around to setting up my new Roku. It’s a downloadable delivery device for Netflix members and I have to say, it’s pretty f’in nice. So simple to set-up it’s stupid. If you have an existing qualifying Netflix account you can download content for no additional cost. There is a limit to what is available now [10,000 titles and not the greatest seletion] but for $99 this is a simple and effective way to kick off the digital download revolution. In a year they will probably launch a slicker, more feature heavy version to stay competitive but for now I would say this is the shit. Supposedly Roku recently sold out all their units [?] and are now on backorder. Either way, a very cool little addition to your set-up.

Update: Thank you XBOX [sigh.]

Popularity: 15% [?]

The recently released Blu-ray version of the Dirty Harry box set gets rid of all that ugly, ugly film grain. Bleghh.  Bad film grain, bad.

Popularity: 6% [?]

And The Film’s Aesthetic Dictates How It Should Be Exhibited But There’s No Way In Hell I’m Not Going To Cash In On It Award goes to…J.J. Abrams.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Now that the holidays are here a lot of people are scrambling to get gifts for their family and friends. One gift always undeniably works for the cinephile – a DVD from the Criterion Collection. Looking over the site today I noticed that there is a four disc set of Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor in the works. Nice! As we all know a lot of films are still missing from the catalog. A couple came to mind for me:

• The Landlord – This 1970 Hal Ashby [not the Will Ferrell/Adam McKay wacky short]  satirical gem taking place in pre-gentrified Park Slope, Brooklyn is no where to be found on DVD.
• Angelo My Love – A little seen but excellent film written and directed by Robert Duvall about the rituals of a gypsy community in New York City is also nowhere to be found.

Added:

• Last Year at Marienbad – Alan Resnais’ strange and mysterious classic. How can you go wrong with characters named A, X and M? [screening at the Film Forum in 2008]

Are there any films you would like to see Criterion do a hi-def transfer with all the extras? Which one’s do you think deserve the treatment?

Related: The Criterion Contraption.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Yeah, I bought it. Fuck me. Update: No, fuck you. I returned it. I’ll wait until 2008. Double dip, my ass.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Yesterday Mike Curtis announced he has launched HD For Indies Premium. For $9.95 you get access to a separate site that has Mike’s analysis of NAB 2007. Hardware, software, cameras etc. $10. That is a steal but as you might have guessed some people have an issue with paying. There are arguments that it should be “a ‘gift economy’ wherein people post and read freely.” Another comment was that the original site needs to be proofread. I signed up because if there’s one guy that works his ass of to give indie filmmakers/editors/video gearheads honest analysis of the bleeding edge info on video hardware and software, it’s Mike Curtis.

It is understandable that there is some resistance. He’s been giving it away since 2004. There will be some growing pains but here it is people, plain and simple, if the guy can’t make a living doing this he can’t give us what we want and need. Mike has been doing this out of pocket for 3+ years now. He is testing the gear so we don’t have to. He has cultivated relationships with vendors and manufacturers that give him an inside view. Mike sees the bigger picture in all of this. Why shouldn’t he be paid?

To speed up the process I humbly offer some suggestions for Mike and those who are on the fence about paying for content;

• Keep the original site up but charge $X amount a year for the premium site. This way Mike will have a steady flow of income from the people who want the “full” content. The original site will give tidbits but to get full analysis and downloadable content you will have to sign up. Of course this content must be exclusive. Which brings me to:

• Offer exclusive timely content. It’s the only way people will pay. If they can get it anywhere for free why should they pay? I know the downside is that everything ends up on the internet anyway but I don’t think the people who are signing up for this premium service are looking to fuck Mike over. I think they want him to succeed and give us informed educated opinions on gear that affect our livelihood. That would be the true measure of the internet’s generosity.

• Do away with all those pay-per-click ads. What, is he making $1.12 a month off of that? If he gets ads from manufacturers his reputations goes right out the window. He needs you and you need him.

• Hire some help. The reason the site doesn’t look all nice and pretty and organized is because Mike is slaving over a massive archive of posts and writing up analysis for us at 3:00 in the morning. I would love for him to update his FAQ but I know he just doesn’t have the time. If he has some income he can probably hire someone to proofread and create a fluid, fully functional website so you can see where your yearly fee is going. This probably won’t happen right away but…

• Expand the consultant service. As a premium member you get X amount of online /e-mail consultations for a fee — less than Mike’s phone consultation fee. This is great for indie filmmakers on a budget. They get what they need for their project and Mike gets paid for his hard work.

• It’s a jungle out there. Many forums can give conflicting information. Mike is dealing with manufacturers and people that are using this stuff in the field. Experts can be recruited to be a part of a weekly forum Q&A.

• The premium site is just an entree into other things to be offered. A Mike-made-or-endorsed DVD of how to get the most out of the HVX-200 could save an indie filmmaker a lot of money down the line. Just a thought.

These are just a few suggestions and I’m sure as the service evolves Mike will work out the kinks. I just think, say, $20 a year isn’t all that much to ask to get what Mike is serving up. I wish him luck.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Everyone has a favorite DVD that takes it to the next level and offers up some good commentary and/or extra features. Some that come to mind for me are The Limey, Three Kings, Seven and just about anything from Michael Mann. I just watched Matchstick Men, pretty good film, ended up watching the featurettes that came with it. Ridley Scott is all about process and you can see it from these little PR shorts.

So what’s yours? What is your favorite DVD that has the writer, director, producer etc. waxing poetic and inspirationally about how they do the thing they do? [added] Or a DVD that you learned a great deal from beyond the film itself?

Popularity: 8% [?]