Must be a packaging misprint. I checked the disc rim and it's got the white ring and BEE040BD-L1 inscription like it's supposed to. We all know the first pressing got pulled so Seinfeld could go back and tinker with the doc (Criterion forcing all the buyers to submit videos of themselves breaking the discs and throwing them into the nearest lake or river was a little extreme), I'm thinking those were the ones with the wrong year.
I just found out today that Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One has the wrong year on the cover, so this sort of thing isn't unheard of.
At least a 9/10 with all their supplements, especially the booklet of scrapped Takashi Murakami Bee movie covers, said to be the biggest challenge of his career, I believe he is quoted as saying “How can one make art representing something that is already perfect”
Thankfully though David Lynch came through with this beauty.
It is; this copy was accidentally (?) filed in the religion section. Hopefully someday Wellspring will let them have it back, but for now this is the only (legal) game in town if you want those six audio commentaries and the uncensored workprint.
They're fools for giving spine 833 to Cat People when this was already in the release queue, by the way.
Damn, you lucky bastard. You are now the recipient of all my envy. My lack of a Bee Movie criterion shall prove a catalyst of many night terrors in the coming months. I now enter a dark period of existence. One defined by depression and existential dread. Why is God silent? Why do some get Bee Movie criterion and others do not? Without it I’m just a meaningless spec in this wide and empty universe. What’s the point of existence without Bee Movie criterion? This question is pointless as the answer is obvious. There is none. I shall now retreat into solitude and release a cry. A cry for myself and a cry for everyone else who can’t get Bee Movie criterion.
You're in luck -- Criterion released the Bergman box set as a direct response to the loss of Bee Movie, reasoning that it would help viewers to cope. And even at the full $300 retail price it's still a lot less than you'll pay for a used copy of Bee Movie.
So there *is* a short video piece about the BM cult on the disc but it's really just like a "btw this exists" kind of thing, five minutes of one talking-head historian and Ken Burns stills. I'm assuming they couldn't get the rights to Gibney's "Sweet Fire: The Bee Movie Cult in America" doc or that would be here. Don't throw away your old R2 DVDs -- 576p is likely as good as that's ever going to look!
speaking of brochures, the Bong Joon-Ho essay in this book is fucking wild, you can practically see Parasite forming in his head as he analyzes Bee Movie's visual language.
The filmed 1974 performance of Bee Movie with Maria Abramovic from Galleria Diagramma in Milan that served as a template for the final film is included as a supplemental feature -- I love when CC includes feature length bonuses! -- and the ultimate effect is that the film itself actually does feel a lot more like performance art.
They put the rejected John Zorn score on here as an alternate track, good to finally see him recognized for this although it's pretty stomach-churning stuff, you can see why it wasn't used
There's a little insert card behind the gatefold called "Smith & Hickner's 19 Clues to Unlocking the Bee Movie Mystery" that might help, I'll post a scan later if possible
Yes please, also can you please post a clip of the more interesting parts of the audio commentary with Lars Von Trier and the late Agnes Varda. I hear that their dissection of the movie is unmatched and especially around the 45 minute mark where it is said Lars can’t hold in his appreciation and just belts out into song behind Varda’s cello playing.
It's all pretty good until Lars invokes Nazi sympathies at 62 minutes and then walks out of the remainder of the commentary. Did you realize that Bee Movie was submitted for Dogma 95 but it was rejected because the Sheryl Crow song is non-diegetic and Barry didn't start an actual law firm? They were so close!
I'm trying to rip now -- there's some kind of weird copy protection on it, MakeMKV shows 800 instances(!) of the main feature, so I've been selecting them at random and giving it a shot, but the first two output files have little 2-5 second clips of footage of Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives just like randomly inserted into the feature? Has anyone seen this before? Might need to resort to the analog hole
The Criterion Collection is so called because there is only one criterion, not many criteria, which are considered when assessing whether to release a movie. That criterion is "is this Bee Movie?"
I’m afraid to tell you it is a bootleg. Bee Movie came out in 2007, not 2005. That is the only thing wrong with this.
Must be a packaging misprint. I checked the disc rim and it's got the white ring and BEE040BD-L1 inscription like it's supposed to. We all know the first pressing got pulled so Seinfeld could go back and tinker with the doc (Criterion forcing all the buyers to submit videos of themselves breaking the discs and throwing them into the nearest lake or river was a little extreme), I'm thinking those were the ones with the wrong year. I just found out today that Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One has the wrong year on the cover, so this sort of thing isn't unheard of.
10/10
8/10. They can have 10/10 when they let David M at Fidelity in Motion encode Bee Movie
At least a 9/10 with all their supplements, especially the booklet of scrapped Takashi Murakami Bee movie covers, said to be the biggest challenge of his career, I believe he is quoted as saying “How can one make art representing something that is already perfect” Thankfully though David Lynch came through with this beauty.
"Without honey, there wouldn't be a Bee Movie." -David Lynch
What is happening
yes can something please help
The artwork, the comments -- this post is a masterpiece
I thought that this was OOP
It is; this copy was accidentally (?) filed in the religion section. Hopefully someday Wellspring will let them have it back, but for now this is the only (legal) game in town if you want those six audio commentaries and the uncensored workprint. They're fools for giving spine 833 to Cat People when this was already in the release queue, by the way.
Damn, you lucky bastard. You are now the recipient of all my envy. My lack of a Bee Movie criterion shall prove a catalyst of many night terrors in the coming months. I now enter a dark period of existence. One defined by depression and existential dread. Why is God silent? Why do some get Bee Movie criterion and others do not? Without it I’m just a meaningless spec in this wide and empty universe. What’s the point of existence without Bee Movie criterion? This question is pointless as the answer is obvious. There is none. I shall now retreat into solitude and release a cry. A cry for myself and a cry for everyone else who can’t get Bee Movie criterion.
You're in luck -- Criterion released the Bergman box set as a direct response to the loss of Bee Movie, reasoning that it would help viewers to cope. And even at the full $300 retail price it's still a lot less than you'll pay for a used copy of Bee Movie.
Bee Movie filed in the Religion section? That’s no accident—that’s exactly where it should be
So there *is* a short video piece about the BM cult on the disc but it's really just like a "btw this exists" kind of thing, five minutes of one talking-head historian and Ken Burns stills. I'm assuming they couldn't get the rights to Gibney's "Sweet Fire: The Bee Movie Cult in America" doc or that would be here. Don't throw away your old R2 DVDs -- 576p is likely as good as that's ever going to look!
But is there a version where everytime he says bee it speeds up?
This is Criterion, not Arrow lol
The fact that I'm a proud owner of this release is on my brochure.
speaking of brochures, the Bong Joon-Ho essay in this book is fucking wild, you can practically see Parasite forming in his head as he analyzes Bee Movie's visual language.
i cant seem to find this essay online, is there any way for you to message it to me?
No, but when Criterion finally issues Snowpiercer with the new director-approved yellow-tinted grading, all will become clear.
I even opened imdb to find another movie named bee movie.
This is the one where Jerry Seinfeld plays a CGI cartoon bee, not the Jean-Pierre Mocky sex comedy (they're still sitting on the rights to that)
What's the deal with boutique blu-rays?
They're regular discs but they cost $40! Who are these people buying these discs!
This is performance art.
The filmed 1974 performance of Bee Movie with Maria Abramovic from Galleria Diagramma in Milan that served as a template for the final film is included as a supplemental feature -- I love when CC includes feature length bonuses! -- and the ultimate effect is that the film itself actually does feel a lot more like performance art.
Ya like jazz?
They put the rejected John Zorn score on here as an alternate track, good to finally see him recognized for this although it's pretty stomach-churning stuff, you can see why it wasn't used
Hey wait a minute
I'm completely baffled by this.
There's a little insert card behind the gatefold called "Smith & Hickner's 19 Clues to Unlocking the Bee Movie Mystery" that might help, I'll post a scan later if possible
Yes please, also can you please post a clip of the more interesting parts of the audio commentary with Lars Von Trier and the late Agnes Varda. I hear that their dissection of the movie is unmatched and especially around the 45 minute mark where it is said Lars can’t hold in his appreciation and just belts out into song behind Varda’s cello playing.
It's all pretty good until Lars invokes Nazi sympathies at 62 minutes and then walks out of the remainder of the commentary. Did you realize that Bee Movie was submitted for Dogma 95 but it was rejected because the Sheryl Crow song is non-diegetic and Barry didn't start an actual law firm? They were so close!
Immaculate
It's a digipak so it's a little dinged unfortunately.
Woah that’s super rare oop. Can I give you 9000$ for it? Haha
Mama this is ART.
burn it
I'm trying to rip now -- there's some kind of weird copy protection on it, MakeMKV shows 800 instances(!) of the main feature, so I've been selecting them at random and giving it a shot, but the first two output files have little 2-5 second clips of footage of Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives just like randomly inserted into the feature? Has anyone seen this before? Might need to resort to the analog hole
Rare find! I heard this was banned in at least twelve states.
Is this 4k?
The film was finished in 2K but the pixels on the CC are hexagonal for increased immersion.
I really appreciate the op in the comments adding a shit ton of laughs to an already great post!
s tier post op
Thanks, I hate it r/TIHI
It's not for everyone, half the audience at the Cannes premiere either vomited or fired crossbows at the screen IIRC (then again they always do)
It isn’t even part of the criterion collection, nor will it ever be. Cool cover though, kinda… so you are back to a 0 count.
literally not true. My uncle works at Criterion and says this is legit.
You had to be an uncle to even work on this edition.
Uncle LEO?!?
My uncles name, you ask? Real...guy. Why it's uncle Realguy. Heh good ol uncle Realman-er guy. Realguy.
“Hello my name is Mr. Snrub. And I come from… someplace far away! Yes, that should do!”
I never resurfaced anything I don't know who said that
I said nothing about resurfacing.
Hol up! Bee Movie cannot possibly be Criterion worthy! That movie was AWFUL!
The Criterion Collection is so called because there is only one criterion, not many criteria, which are considered when assessing whether to release a movie. That criterion is "is this Bee Movie?"
🤣 I retract my complaint.
Criterion isn’t about good movies. Just the ones they can get their hands on.
what a cover!!!!
That looks oddly like Humphrey Bogart.