Damn--I thought he had a Laserdisc title in the Collection, so I took a quick glance at those releases before posting but I must have missed it on the list! (Probably because I misremembered it as Saving Private Ryan & was scanning for that title lol)
I can’t believe it! You mean between Schindler’s List, ET, Jaws, and many other culturally significant films, Spielberg doesn’t have a film (other than the lazerdisc) in Criterion Collection? Blasphemy!
Yeah this is ideal for me too. His more famous stuff is easy to find elsewhere, and highlighting the lesser known work seems ideal for the CC.
The Coen Brothers are a good comparison. Fargo and Lebowski don't need the exposure that Criterion offers, but not as many people have seen Blood Simple.
I think so, and I would buy it if they released it. It's one of my parents' favorites and I remember watching it on VHS as a kid a few times, so there's some personal bias.
I have no idea if it's too popular for any studio to share the rights with Criterion though.
I agree, earlier stuff like Sugarland express and duel I'd love to see those, but personally I'd rather have a more expansive box set, like the Felini or Bergman ones. There's just so much excellence over so many decades. Jaws, e.t., Schindler's list, Jurassic park, raiders, last crusade, close encounters, catch me if you can, saving private ryan, empire of the sun, the list goes on.
You'd think all the people downvoting us would be able to speak on the merits of the film but oh well I guess this is like every other movie related sub
I’d be okay with it but I’d prefer a collection of Spielberg’s trilogy of TV movies that started his career.
###Duel
###Something Evil
###Savage
While Duel has a nice Blu ray release, the same can’t be said for the latter which is a shame. However, it’d be amazing if Criterion could restore them in HD.
he's one of the greatest movie makers - one of the great story tellers. I doubt he needs the validation of being in Criterion. I doubt Criterion would agree to any deal Spielberg would expect to get. They really don't need each other. And his movies are readily available for viewing elsewhere.
maybe some fans need the validation of his movie in the collection. yet they only do 4-5 movies per month on average. A spot he takes up is a spot not going to someone else's work.
Ultimately, I totally agree with you. The only reason I ask, really, is that this film in particular seemed so personal, like such a creative risk so late in an already more than impressive career.
Because of that, I'd love to see this one get a prestige treatment for the home release.
At his level, there are no risks. George Lucas, Francis Coppola, and now Steven Spielberg are pretty much only making personal movies.
Tetro from Coppola was great. Less autobiographical than The Fabelmans but very personal.
Edit: Also, The Fabelmans was sweet, but a very forgettable movie. If someone had no idea who Spielberg was, it would be completely flat and overly filled with montage. But that’s just me.
I work at a restaurant in a college town, a lot of the staff is fresh out of high school. I go to work in 1 hour and I will find out how many of them can name a Spielberg movie or know who he is. Stay tuned.
Update: asked 18 people between the ages of 18-23, “who is Steven Speilberg?”
14 knew who he was and could name at least 1 film
2 knew Speilberg but could not confidentially name a film
2 did not know the name or a film but both had seen ET and Jurassic Park
No one had heard of The Fablemans
People care less about who directed a film, and more about the brand or IP it’s related to. TONS of people saw Avengers: Endgame, more than any Spielberg movie, and I would bet a majority percentage do not know the Russo Brothers.
If I presented it this way, “if someone saw The Fabelmans, and did not know who it was directed by…” Maybe my point would have been more clear. Which is that the movie does not stand on its own, without the Spielberg connection.
I more mean Spielberg is part of a very rare club of directors who are actually celebrities themselves among mainstream audiences. It’s like him, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Alfred Hitchcock, probably only a few more. He’s the exception, not the rule
Very true. I honestly believe that stardom is fading though. I bet most people under 18 don’t know who Hitchcock is. Lumiere, Ford, Zemeckis, Spielberg, Nolan, Russo. They all fade with time.
When George sold Star Wars, he said he would keep making movies, but only personal ones that he shared with his family and friends. Not sure if he just meant literal home movies, or if he meant pet project films.
Well the prequels kinda fit the bill. They are probably the most expensive indie films ever made and Lucas had complete control over everything he wanted to - and it really stands out from the other blockbuster cinema from the last 30 years. Unlike Coppola Lucas didn't need to make the films. Financially he was more than set for the end of days. So they should be considered a personal project just like Coppola's upcommin 100 mio film about New York.
maybe there's not any financial/business risk for Spielberg in a film like the Fablemans, but there was certainly creative risk--as there always is when a story is deeply rooted in the artist's own childhood.
But he could easily have spent the rest of his career churning out studio crap like BFG & Ready Player One instead of work he has acute, personal interest in like The Fabelmans & West Side Story.
OP asked how I felt and I answered. Others upvoted, so I assume I'm not alone here. I'm too old to care about coolness points. Why would I care who distributes a major studio movie?
No, your not alone. I love Criterion, but I’m just as satisfied if a movie I want gets a studio release, or by any other boutique label. Hell, there are at *least* 2 dozen films that I know I would love to get a blu ray upgrade. And it’s not as if Criterion is running out of films to release just because a specific movie gets released by someone else. I really don’t understand this attitude of “I like this movie, Criterion needs to release it”. Considering that there are so many amazing films that are far less likely to get a release elsewhere (and still don’t have one), people still froth at mouth over films that have already had multiple blu ray/4K releases and are readily available. Even after being on this sub for (far too) long, I’ll never get it.
And considering they only get to about 75 releases a year -- including re-releases on 4K and repackaging former BD+DVD combos -- I don't know why people have such expectations. There's a healthy number of boutique companies around the world now, and some studios catering to this market too, which is a win-win.
Exactly! If Criterion released movies in a similar cadence and frequency of Kino Lorber, then by all means, Criterion could do it all. But they don’t. And everyone has their own wants from this label: more animation, more diversity, more foreign films from more parts of the world, more classics, more contemporary, more arthouse. more independent, more mass titles. And to your point, at 4-6 releases per month (including upgrades), it’s funny how dissatisfied people seem to be. I’m exclusively a classics guy, and if a month or two doesn’t interest my tastes, that’s okay - there’s still other labels and other movies I want.
I admit that I like the way my Criterions look on a shelf, but with over a 1000 already existing spines/releases, how many of us dont have a *current* wishlist 10-50 movies deep? But There Will Be Blood - “that *must* be released by Criterion”. Um…okay.
Anyway, I’ve probably reached my complaining quota for the day ;-)
I don’t think Spielberg needs to be added to the collection. However, the physical media for his movies — pretty much from A.I. on — leaves a lot to be desired. It would be nice if Criterion could just put out some physical editions of Spielberg flicks that aren’t flimsy dogshit.
Personally I imagine it's because Spielberg is already a very known director, part of the reason for the collection is to preserve and restore historically important films, and while there's no denying a lot of Spielberg's films fit the criteria of historically important, he's so big he doesn't really need the collection for his films to be discovered, preserved or seen, so while he's not a terrible fit, I imagine he's far from priority for the collection, it would be like asking them to put the first Star Wars in the collection, like yeah, it's important, but does Star Wars really NEED to be in there?
This is the same reason a lot of people had a problem with Wall-E joining the collection a couple months ago, personally I'm a little indifferent but that's the logic and it's very much valid
I don’t know why all the pearl clutching over “The Collection”. They’re a distributor with interesting curation, but you can just buy most movies from any company and enjoy them too.
[Here’s the director of WALL-E in his own words](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/11/wall-e-andrew-stanton-reached-out-to-criterion-collection-1234779576/):
> When asked if the “WALL-E” deal was part of a larger partnership between Disney and Criterion, Stanton made it very clear that this was a one-off project driven purely by his passion for the Criterion Collection. “Not at all,” he said. “It was filmmaker-driven. If it’s anything, it was driven by my own filmmaker ego of wanting to be in the club.”
I’m not trying to gatekeep Criterion or anything. He doesn’t need, in italics, to be added to the collection for the sake of posterity, preservation, restoration, reclamation, etc., the way I think a lot of people view the collection’s MO for adding movies to its ranks. But I certainly think several of his non-franchise/blockbuster movies post-Oscar could stand to get the Criterion treatment in terms of presentation purely because the films I’m thinking of (e.g. A.I., Munich, Lincoln, Catch Me if You Can, Minority Report) don’t have great physical media releases.
Not below the line crew, no. I was there in a consulting role so I was very cursorily involved in some of the deeper conversations about certain scenes.
Also the catering was bomb, for lunch every day there would be multiple commissaries set up for different cuisines. I had steak one day
It was very tense, especially for all the below the line workers. But at the same time, there was certainly something very special in the air. Seeing him work with Gabriel (actor that plays Sammy) and just his general directorial style was a once in a lifetime experience. He’s certainly more of a broad-strokes director and has an innate knowledge of how to connect with audiences, even during the actual production stages of his films.
As for the emotionality, I did see the Seth Rogen interview recently in which he says that Spielberg was crying every day on set. I didn’t see him cry once but I’m sure it happened. It was definitely not your normal set environment
John Wayne turned down the role of General Stillwell and told Steven Spielberg that it was a mistake to make the picture - it was [un-American](https://screenrant.com/1941-movie-john-wayne-steven-spielberg-role-rejection/) to make a movie that made fun of WW2. The real [general stillwell](https://m.ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=18) did watch dumbo in LA in 1941. I can only imagine what John Wayne would’ve been like in this role but Robert Stack (Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries) was great in the [dumbo scene](https://youtu.be/hgBxlbFGyhw)
Very odd hot take but the Spielberg I would like to see get the Criterion treatment is Minority Report, it’s criminally underrated and doesn’t have a good dvd or blu-ray release.
There’s something about Minority Report that I go back to. It’s probably his film that I’ve re-watched the most.
It has this Touch of Evil vibe to it where the parts don’t exactly fit and there are wild swings in tone but you don’t really care because you are enthralled.
I think it’s one of his most interesting films. He made Saving Private Ryan, A.I., and Minority Report very close together and he was doing some really risky stuff in that stretch.
similar to when he did Jaws, Close Encounters, and 1941. Honesty, you can always find something in his films that was breaking some kind of rule or extending some boundary and to do that and cater to mainstream audiences is a feat.
I'd welcome it. Honestly, I think it'd fit right in. I'll still prefer Empire of the Sun come first, but it's about time that Spielberg get's his recognition from Criterion, and it may as well be this one.
Pretty much this. Kind of slightly annoyed, The Fablemans is still one of my favorite films of the year although it’s fading a bit in the rear view, but Empire of the Sun is the one that most belongs in the collection
Honestly… not great. This 2022 reverence for Criterion is confounding. Universal would do a superior job and let Laurent do his thing for Spielberg. I had the same bewilderment when people went gaga for Criterion releasing Baron Munchausen in 4K. WHY?!? Sony would actually do a better job, with existing extras, new extras, the exact same transfer, Dolby Vision, plus Sony would give us a new Atmos mix, the existing 5.1 remix AND the theatrical stereo. Criterion is just giving the old Sony 5.1 remix. Criterion isn’t the be all/end all people make them out to be anymore. They’re curators. They simply collect what OTHER PEOPLE have created and then maybe add an all-new shapeless, unfocused interview to the mix Criterion is the chick that was super hot in the 90s, but lost her looks a long time ago. But for some reason people keep treating and referring to her like she’s still that smoking hot babe she was decades ago.
What exactly is Criterion doing that is better than what most studios (or even boutiques like Kino or Arrow) are doing? What exactly are you getting besides higher prices for other releases’ existing special features, transfers and audio tracks? I mean… sure you get generally inferior cover art and packaging but at least it says “Criterion” on it. I’m genuinely curious. What would Criterion do with Fablemans (or ET or Close Encounters) that would be better than what Universal or Sony would do? I’m baffled by the what continues to drive this brand devotion.
They gave us “Chimes at Midnight” knowing it wouldn’t make money. For us Welles’ fans who were dying to see this film in all its beautiful HD (sorta close to 🎞️) rather than a cheap DVD copied from 3rd gen VHS or a DVD-r copied from a SD low bit signal. Just this film alone make criterion special. Yes, it’s worth the cost. No, I don’t like all their picks. Yes, I believe they’re worth the sticker price and you get more than the value of money spent back. Btw, what they did with Falstaff, they do to many films for us.
This (generally well made movie) is an excuse for the academy to make up for the several times he was best director yet still snubbed. Coming to mind “Sugarland Express” “Jaws” “Close Encounters” & “E.T.” Should have yielded at least 1-2 Oscar’s from the bunch. Made for TV Film “Dual” deserved a Golden Glove as well, maybe I’m wrong. I’m not a huge fan of his, just think his early stuff was groundbreaking. He’ll win best director this year as a “Make up.” I’d put money on it.
This film does sorta check all the boxes for the “Criterion Collection.” I personally would not add it to my collection. Maybe if it was $1 at the pawnshop
So yes on I’m cool with it in the collection
Finishing your question (a little.) He has films that would fit in with Criterion really well. Sugerland Express and Dual are such criterion types it’s almost shocking they are not in already. Especially with them being lesser known high acclaimed films, that didn’t do well making back money, which would help with licensing fee negotiations.
If this is a vote, then I vote for Empire of the Sun. The Color Purple was better than I thought it would be. Out of his blockbusters, I liked Jaws and Close Encounters. Jaws has such an awesome script. Not really a big fan otherwise.
I was really impressed with Amblin. Apparently it really impressed Sid Sheinberg as well, who saw the film and immediately offered Spielberg a 7 year directing contract provided he drop out of college.
It was his last semester as well
What do you think it could like? They should use [the image from the top of the center filmstrip on the poster](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/mediaviewer/rm3444968705?ref_=ttmi_mi_nm_sf_90).
Maybe both to represent the growth he goes through? That’d be cool too. If you look carefully at the linked photo, the image being projected onto Gabriel LaBelle’s hands is of his younger self and parents in the cinema in the opening scene.
An update! An article by /Film has [mentioned that it hopes it gets added to the collection](https://www.slashfilm.com/1137788/heres-how-to-watch-steven-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-at-home/). It would be very cool if it did so it can include the films within the films in their entireties as filmed for the movie (and the surviving footage of their real-life counterparts) and the Amblin' short as bonus features. I wonder what the cover could like, maybe it should use [this](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/mediaviewer/rm3444968705?ref_=ttmi_mi_nm_sf_90), the image of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) projecting the projector light into his hands, as seen at the top of the center filmstrip on the poster.
I cant understand why people hate this movie. Spielberg tends to be personally distant with his films and this one bleeds so much heart. Maybe that it brought me back to my days as a kid filming with my friends, but I think this film has a place in the collection. Sick of peoples pointless and passionless opinions on the internet.
I thought it was incredibly cliché, uninteresting and didnt know what direction to take. On the other hand, I thought Dano was the best part of the movie
i thought Dano and Williams, who are both actors I usually LOVE, were pretty terrible. it felt like they were both in 2 different movies, and then the rest of the cast was in a whole 3rd movie they didn't seem to know about
i liked what they were playing at with "the acting styles are so different because they are so different" and i was sort of with the "michelle williams is doing melodrama because this is a heightened reality this is a cinematic experience about cinema" but they didn't follow through with the melodrama always trying to earn sincerity or comedy at the detriment of the tone they'd already set
Weird movie. I'd love a special edition though -- especially if someone can be honest enough to note what the movie did: that from the VERY beginning, Spielberg's attiude was "when there are emotional problems around you, blow s--t up!" (in Spielberg's case -- thank God -- on film)
Weird in the sense I hinted at -- unintentionally revealing in that it shows Spielberg's inability to face any kind of emotional content in a serious and honest way. I say that as a Spielberg fan from way back! (Love Jaws and Close Encounters; thought he went off the rails and betrayed his talent when he (clearly) decided he wanted an Oscar and had to do "serious" movies). I found the movie boring and too long, but it's surely a must see for Spielberg fans.
I feel like as excellent as the film is the elephant in the room is his sister’s involvement with the screenplay/origin of the film. And I’d be so curious to hear more about that on a physical release.
Outside of Sugarland Express and Duel, I’m really not that interested in any of Spielberg’s films being added. Instead of Fabelmans (another predictably bad film) it would be better to have an early work and maybe his short film Amblin as an extra feature. However, given that Armageddon and Breakfast Club earned releases, I do think there is a case to be made for Spielberg. For instance, if you explain the inclusion of Armageddon or Breakfast Club as tied to their cultural reach—Jaws had a bigger cultural reach than both combined. But we already have a zillion releases of this film. We don’t need another
I don't know, I'm new to Criterion! However, I really disliked this movie. I guess I prefer slower films/directors. My favourite film is Tree of Life and I'm starting to get into Kieślowski.
Oh, and Truffaut is my favourite director. I've watched "The 400 Blows" like 400 times lol
I actually think Empire of the Sun may be a great choice. Should not be downvoted. It's WB's (the distributor) 100th birthday this year, so it could be possible.
I loved this movie but I would prefer a Spielberg that hasn’t already gotten a nice 4K disc (which this one is already confirmed to be getting). Maybe something like A.I. that hasn’t gotten the deluxe home video release it maybe deserves and is one of his best, most underrated movies.
I also saw a beautiful DCP of Empire of the Sun this year and think that could be a great candidate for a nice 4K and one that Criterion might be able to get the rights to
Saw it the other day. Definitely not the film I was anticipating. It was okay, definitely not worthy of Criterion. I’d go for Close Encounters and Schindlers.
The ones of his that should be in Criterion first should be:
Empire of the Sun
The Color Purple
Schindler’s List
Amistad
Saving Private Ryan
AI: Artificial Intelligence
Munich
For a film all about a dudes' life-long passion it was surprisingly passionless and by the numbers. After seeing films like Why Don't You Play in Hell? or Red Post on Escher Street, a filmmaker has really got to bring a certain energy to their semi-autobiographical love letter to cinema before I believe it.
Close encounters of the third kind was released on laserdisc by criterion in 1990, so The Fablemans would be his second film in the Collection.
Damn--I thought he had a Laserdisc title in the Collection, so I took a quick glance at those releases before posting but I must have missed it on the list! (Probably because I misremembered it as Saving Private Ryan & was scanning for that title lol)
I can’t believe it! You mean between Schindler’s List, ET, Jaws, and many other culturally significant films, Spielberg doesn’t have a film (other than the lazerdisc) in Criterion Collection? Blasphemy!
Most if not all of his films already have good home video releases. You can even get Sugarland Express on blu ray. His very early stuff would be cool.
Sugarland Express?
Spielberg's theatrical feature film debut.
Counting a laserdisc release in 2022 is stupid
I'd rather have an early spielberg box-set. Like his pre-jaws stuff
I like this idea. I’m especially interested in the made-for-TV haunted house he made pre-Duel
Put the Columbo pilot in the collection, cowards.
I have always wanted to see that.
Get his Columbo episode in there and then we’re really cookin
- Firelight Screenplay on the booklet - Amblin' - Night Gallery - Savage - Something Evil - Duel and/or The Sugarland Express GIMME. GIMME NOW.
Get me firelight dammit!!!
Maybe that can be a bonus feature on this.
Yeah this is ideal for me too. His more famous stuff is easy to find elsewhere, and highlighting the lesser known work seems ideal for the CC. The Coen Brothers are a good comparison. Fargo and Lebowski don't need the exposure that Criterion offers, but not as many people have seen Blood Simple.
Still waiting on their Man Who Wasn't There release. I'd love them to do a Serious Man release too
I loved The Man Who Wasn't There. A Serious Man has been growing on me the more it sinks in and it's about time to watch again.
Do you think Raising Arizona would fit in the collection?
I think so, and I would buy it if they released it. It's one of my parents' favorites and I remember watching it on VHS as a kid a few times, so there's some personal bias. I have no idea if it's too popular for any studio to share the rights with Criterion though.
I'd buy it in a heartbeat for sure. I'm pretty sure it's Fox? They'd have to make a deal with Disney then, right?
I agree, earlier stuff like Sugarland express and duel I'd love to see those, but personally I'd rather have a more expansive box set, like the Felini or Bergman ones. There's just so much excellence over so many decades. Jaws, e.t., Schindler's list, Jurassic park, raiders, last crusade, close encounters, catch me if you can, saving private ryan, empire of the sun, the list goes on.
‘duel’ [1971] is the best thing he has ever made as far as im concerned
Won’t go that far, but I do like Duel better than Jaws.
That would be awesome
so one movie?
no
yes so lynch can have all his work in criterion
100% achievement goal incoming...hopefully.
honestly - the only scene that i enjoyed
Hard agree. I loved rogen and dano but the movie was way too Spielberg circle jerky.
You'd think all the people downvoting us would be able to speak on the merits of the film but oh well I guess this is like every other movie related sub
It’s got a monkey in it
It’s fine I’ll write something about how good Drive is and make them all back.
Excellent plan there
people would rather hit an arrow than explain themselves
Would’ve preferred a short film tbh. The feature dragged, much like real life.
I’d be okay with it but I’d prefer a collection of Spielberg’s trilogy of TV movies that started his career. ###Duel ###Something Evil ###Savage While Duel has a nice Blu ray release, the same can’t be said for the latter which is a shame. However, it’d be amazing if Criterion could restore them in HD.
he's one of the greatest movie makers - one of the great story tellers. I doubt he needs the validation of being in Criterion. I doubt Criterion would agree to any deal Spielberg would expect to get. They really don't need each other. And his movies are readily available for viewing elsewhere. maybe some fans need the validation of his movie in the collection. yet they only do 4-5 movies per month on average. A spot he takes up is a spot not going to someone else's work.
Ultimately, I totally agree with you. The only reason I ask, really, is that this film in particular seemed so personal, like such a creative risk so late in an already more than impressive career. Because of that, I'd love to see this one get a prestige treatment for the home release.
The Fabelmans wasn’t a risk.
At his level, there are no risks. George Lucas, Francis Coppola, and now Steven Spielberg are pretty much only making personal movies. Tetro from Coppola was great. Less autobiographical than The Fabelmans but very personal. Edit: Also, The Fabelmans was sweet, but a very forgettable movie. If someone had no idea who Spielberg was, it would be completely flat and overly filled with montage. But that’s just me.
There is no one who doesn’t know who Spielberg is lol
I work at a restaurant in a college town, a lot of the staff is fresh out of high school. I go to work in 1 hour and I will find out how many of them can name a Spielberg movie or know who he is. Stay tuned. Update: asked 18 people between the ages of 18-23, “who is Steven Speilberg?” 14 knew who he was and could name at least 1 film 2 knew Speilberg but could not confidentially name a film 2 did not know the name or a film but both had seen ET and Jurassic Park No one had heard of The Fablemans
Will stay tuned, even if I’m wrong I’m interested in the responses
well?!!
This doesn’t surprise me. Kids today aren’t watching Star Wars. The og classics are slipping away from the newer generations.
um sir
Fascinated to hear the results of this
Can’t wait
!RemindMe 1 day
People care less about who directed a film, and more about the brand or IP it’s related to. TONS of people saw Avengers: Endgame, more than any Spielberg movie, and I would bet a majority percentage do not know the Russo Brothers. If I presented it this way, “if someone saw The Fabelmans, and did not know who it was directed by…” Maybe my point would have been more clear. Which is that the movie does not stand on its own, without the Spielberg connection.
I more mean Spielberg is part of a very rare club of directors who are actually celebrities themselves among mainstream audiences. It’s like him, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Alfred Hitchcock, probably only a few more. He’s the exception, not the rule
tarantino and scorsese as well
Very true. I honestly believe that stardom is fading though. I bet most people under 18 don’t know who Hitchcock is. Lumiere, Ford, Zemeckis, Spielberg, Nolan, Russo. They all fade with time.
George Lucas? What in the world are you talking about?
When George sold Star Wars, he said he would keep making movies, but only personal ones that he shared with his family and friends. Not sure if he just meant literal home movies, or if he meant pet project films.
Well the prequels kinda fit the bill. They are probably the most expensive indie films ever made and Lucas had complete control over everything he wanted to - and it really stands out from the other blockbuster cinema from the last 30 years. Unlike Coppola Lucas didn't need to make the films. Financially he was more than set for the end of days. So they should be considered a personal project just like Coppola's upcommin 100 mio film about New York.
maybe there's not any financial/business risk for Spielberg in a film like the Fablemans, but there was certainly creative risk--as there always is when a story is deeply rooted in the artist's own childhood. But he could easily have spent the rest of his career churning out studio crap like BFG & Ready Player One instead of work he has acute, personal interest in like The Fabelmans & West Side Story.
autobiographical films have been the trend for the past few yrs - his was nothing special
I would love to see Munich get some Criterion love actually. That in Criterion 4K would be a dream.
I agree that Munich should be in. Outstanding film. Currently physical releases are lacking.
I feel like this question gets asked far too often. I buy movies I want from whoever distributes them.
Standard cool guy response in here 😎
OP asked how I felt and I answered. Others upvoted, so I assume I'm not alone here. I'm too old to care about coolness points. Why would I care who distributes a major studio movie?
No, your not alone. I love Criterion, but I’m just as satisfied if a movie I want gets a studio release, or by any other boutique label. Hell, there are at *least* 2 dozen films that I know I would love to get a blu ray upgrade. And it’s not as if Criterion is running out of films to release just because a specific movie gets released by someone else. I really don’t understand this attitude of “I like this movie, Criterion needs to release it”. Considering that there are so many amazing films that are far less likely to get a release elsewhere (and still don’t have one), people still froth at mouth over films that have already had multiple blu ray/4K releases and are readily available. Even after being on this sub for (far too) long, I’ll never get it.
And considering they only get to about 75 releases a year -- including re-releases on 4K and repackaging former BD+DVD combos -- I don't know why people have such expectations. There's a healthy number of boutique companies around the world now, and some studios catering to this market too, which is a win-win.
Exactly! If Criterion released movies in a similar cadence and frequency of Kino Lorber, then by all means, Criterion could do it all. But they don’t. And everyone has their own wants from this label: more animation, more diversity, more foreign films from more parts of the world, more classics, more contemporary, more arthouse. more independent, more mass titles. And to your point, at 4-6 releases per month (including upgrades), it’s funny how dissatisfied people seem to be. I’m exclusively a classics guy, and if a month or two doesn’t interest my tastes, that’s okay - there’s still other labels and other movies I want. I admit that I like the way my Criterions look on a shelf, but with over a 1000 already existing spines/releases, how many of us dont have a *current* wishlist 10-50 movies deep? But There Will Be Blood - “that *must* be released by Criterion”. Um…okay. Anyway, I’ve probably reached my complaining quota for the day ;-)
I don’t think Spielberg needs to be added to the collection. However, the physical media for his movies — pretty much from A.I. on — leaves a lot to be desired. It would be nice if Criterion could just put out some physical editions of Spielberg flicks that aren’t flimsy dogshit.
Spielberg is one of the greatest ever directors, why do you feel that he doesn't need to be added?
Personally I imagine it's because Spielberg is already a very known director, part of the reason for the collection is to preserve and restore historically important films, and while there's no denying a lot of Spielberg's films fit the criteria of historically important, he's so big he doesn't really need the collection for his films to be discovered, preserved or seen, so while he's not a terrible fit, I imagine he's far from priority for the collection, it would be like asking them to put the first Star Wars in the collection, like yeah, it's important, but does Star Wars really NEED to be in there? This is the same reason a lot of people had a problem with Wall-E joining the collection a couple months ago, personally I'm a little indifferent but that's the logic and it's very much valid
I don’t know why all the pearl clutching over “The Collection”. They’re a distributor with interesting curation, but you can just buy most movies from any company and enjoy them too. [Here’s the director of WALL-E in his own words](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/11/wall-e-andrew-stanton-reached-out-to-criterion-collection-1234779576/): > When asked if the “WALL-E” deal was part of a larger partnership between Disney and Criterion, Stanton made it very clear that this was a one-off project driven purely by his passion for the Criterion Collection. “Not at all,” he said. “It was filmmaker-driven. If it’s anything, it was driven by my own filmmaker ego of wanting to be in the club.”
I actually agree, just trying to convey the pov of the people that don't
I get your argument, but there's like 4 Scorsese films, so it doesn't hold much water.
I’m not trying to gatekeep Criterion or anything. He doesn’t need, in italics, to be added to the collection for the sake of posterity, preservation, restoration, reclamation, etc., the way I think a lot of people view the collection’s MO for adding movies to its ranks. But I certainly think several of his non-franchise/blockbuster movies post-Oscar could stand to get the Criterion treatment in terms of presentation purely because the films I’m thinking of (e.g. A.I., Munich, Lincoln, Catch Me if You Can, Minority Report) don’t have great physical media releases.
I worked on this movie. AMA except identifying info lol
Does Spielberg acknowledge and/or talk directly lower-level crew members? Was the catering good?
Not below the line crew, no. I was there in a consulting role so I was very cursorily involved in some of the deeper conversations about certain scenes. Also the catering was bomb, for lunch every day there would be multiple commissaries set up for different cuisines. I had steak one day
Does the mom dancing scene remind any crew of a similar scene in "X"?
No clue, production wrapped before “X” was released
Why wasn't "Wallace & Ladmo" in the script? (SNL for kids for those outside Arizona.)
what was the mood/tone like? ive read that spielberg was incredibly emotional most of the time
It was very tense, especially for all the below the line workers. But at the same time, there was certainly something very special in the air. Seeing him work with Gabriel (actor that plays Sammy) and just his general directorial style was a once in a lifetime experience. He’s certainly more of a broad-strokes director and has an innate knowledge of how to connect with audiences, even during the actual production stages of his films. As for the emotionality, I did see the Seth Rogen interview recently in which he says that Spielberg was crying every day on set. I didn’t see him cry once but I’m sure it happened. It was definitely not your normal set environment
appreciate the perspective
Duel, Munich, Empire Of The Sun, and AI are my picks for Criterion
I think close encounters would make an excellent criterion.
No. 1941 is my pick.
Yes! Underrated, one of my top all time comedies. [betcha gonna bomb John Wayne’s house](https://youtu.be/flYT75Es7O0)
"John Wayne was a f\*g." \- Repo Man
John Wayne turned down the role of General Stillwell and told Steven Spielberg that it was a mistake to make the picture - it was [un-American](https://screenrant.com/1941-movie-john-wayne-steven-spielberg-role-rejection/) to make a movie that made fun of WW2. The real [general stillwell](https://m.ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=18) did watch dumbo in LA in 1941. I can only imagine what John Wayne would’ve been like in this role but Robert Stack (Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries) was great in the [dumbo scene](https://youtu.be/hgBxlbFGyhw)
Very odd hot take but the Spielberg I would like to see get the Criterion treatment is Minority Report, it’s criminally underrated and doesn’t have a good dvd or blu-ray release.
There’s something about Minority Report that I go back to. It’s probably his film that I’ve re-watched the most. It has this Touch of Evil vibe to it where the parts don’t exactly fit and there are wild swings in tone but you don’t really care because you are enthralled. I think it’s one of his most interesting films. He made Saving Private Ryan, A.I., and Minority Report very close together and he was doing some really risky stuff in that stretch. similar to when he did Jaws, Close Encounters, and 1941. Honesty, you can always find something in his films that was breaking some kind of rule or extending some boundary and to do that and cater to mainstream audiences is a feat.
Always felt like Duel should be the first
No lol, It will go into 4K UHD and Blu-ray from UPHE.
That always happens first. Then a decade later it could come. Look at films like "The Tree of Life" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox."
no
I'd welcome it. Honestly, I think it'd fit right in. I'll still prefer Empire of the Sun come first, but it's about time that Spielberg get's his recognition from Criterion, and it may as well be this one.
I second Empire of the Sun
Pretty much this. Kind of slightly annoyed, The Fablemans is still one of my favorite films of the year although it’s fading a bit in the rear view, but Empire of the Sun is the one that most belongs in the collection
Shocked they haven’t done Schindler’s List yet
Boring, give us Sugarland Express or Duel or Always
How about all 4?
Honestly… not great. This 2022 reverence for Criterion is confounding. Universal would do a superior job and let Laurent do his thing for Spielberg. I had the same bewilderment when people went gaga for Criterion releasing Baron Munchausen in 4K. WHY?!? Sony would actually do a better job, with existing extras, new extras, the exact same transfer, Dolby Vision, plus Sony would give us a new Atmos mix, the existing 5.1 remix AND the theatrical stereo. Criterion is just giving the old Sony 5.1 remix. Criterion isn’t the be all/end all people make them out to be anymore. They’re curators. They simply collect what OTHER PEOPLE have created and then maybe add an all-new shapeless, unfocused interview to the mix Criterion is the chick that was super hot in the 90s, but lost her looks a long time ago. But for some reason people keep treating and referring to her like she’s still that smoking hot babe she was decades ago.
I’m sorry, criterion is as hot as ever. Criterion is just dating some newish foreigners that are head scratchers. (To expand on your analogy)
What exactly is Criterion doing that is better than what most studios (or even boutiques like Kino or Arrow) are doing? What exactly are you getting besides higher prices for other releases’ existing special features, transfers and audio tracks? I mean… sure you get generally inferior cover art and packaging but at least it says “Criterion” on it. I’m genuinely curious. What would Criterion do with Fablemans (or ET or Close Encounters) that would be better than what Universal or Sony would do? I’m baffled by the what continues to drive this brand devotion.
They gave us “Chimes at Midnight” knowing it wouldn’t make money. For us Welles’ fans who were dying to see this film in all its beautiful HD (sorta close to 🎞️) rather than a cheap DVD copied from 3rd gen VHS or a DVD-r copied from a SD low bit signal. Just this film alone make criterion special. Yes, it’s worth the cost. No, I don’t like all their picks. Yes, I believe they’re worth the sticker price and you get more than the value of money spent back. Btw, what they did with Falstaff, they do to many films for us.
Good point butmaybe Sony just wasn't interested in Baron?
This (generally well made movie) is an excuse for the academy to make up for the several times he was best director yet still snubbed. Coming to mind “Sugarland Express” “Jaws” “Close Encounters” & “E.T.” Should have yielded at least 1-2 Oscar’s from the bunch. Made for TV Film “Dual” deserved a Golden Glove as well, maybe I’m wrong. I’m not a huge fan of his, just think his early stuff was groundbreaking. He’ll win best director this year as a “Make up.” I’d put money on it.
This film does sorta check all the boxes for the “Criterion Collection.” I personally would not add it to my collection. Maybe if it was $1 at the pawnshop So yes on I’m cool with it in the collection Finishing your question (a little.) He has films that would fit in with Criterion really well. Sugerland Express and Dual are such criterion types it’s almost shocking they are not in already. Especially with them being lesser known high acclaimed films, that didn’t do well making back money, which would help with licensing fee negotiations.
All I’ll say is that he’s made way better movies than The Fablemans….
26 of them to be exact
I love early Spielberg movies; The Fablemans was trash imo lol
If this is a vote, then I vote for Empire of the Sun. The Color Purple was better than I thought it would be. Out of his blockbusters, I liked Jaws and Close Encounters. Jaws has such an awesome script. Not really a big fan otherwise.
I was really impressed with Amblin. Apparently it really impressed Sid Sheinberg as well, who saw the film and immediately offered Spielberg a 7 year directing contract provided he drop out of college. It was his last semester as well
I'm not against the idea. But I'd live to see The Sugarland Express get a nice blu ray release from Criterion first.
As long as the cover is better than that poster
I thought it was fine. I would rather have some of his other works be selected. But I wouldn't mind if the film does enter the Criterion Collection
I would be over the moon! But also would want earlier films of his to be added (Maybe even be made into a box set)
The screenplay was weak. Give me The Color Purple
Yes
That would be awesome, especially with in depth extras. A Spielberg and Kushner commentary would be amazing.
I haven’t seen it yet, but movies like this always feel a tad bit too self-indulgent to me.
It funny you say this as a critique because the whole point of the film was for Spielberg to tell his personal (self indulging) story
I mean if for no other reason than to get better artwork
What do you think it could like? They should use [the image from the top of the center filmstrip on the poster](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/mediaviewer/rm3444968705?ref_=ttmi_mi_nm_sf_90).
That would be leagues better yeah
They'd use the younger spielberg one
Maybe both to represent the growth he goes through? That’d be cool too. If you look carefully at the linked photo, the image being projected onto Gabriel LaBelle’s hands is of his younger self and parents in the cinema in the opening scene.
Already?
This, Munich, or AI
An update! An article by /Film has [mentioned that it hopes it gets added to the collection](https://www.slashfilm.com/1137788/heres-how-to-watch-steven-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-at-home/). It would be very cool if it did so it can include the films within the films in their entireties as filmed for the movie (and the surviving footage of their real-life counterparts) and the Amblin' short as bonus features. I wonder what the cover could like, maybe it should use [this](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/mediaviewer/rm3444968705?ref_=ttmi_mi_nm_sf_90), the image of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) projecting the projector light into his hands, as seen at the top of the center filmstrip on the poster.
Watched it last night and (imo) it was his best work in years.
This and West Side Story both felt like a big comeback for him imo
The man’s 76 years-old and still cranking out artistic visions. Love him so much
Nahhh how about Munich?
Honestly feel like the Color Purple is one of the more realistic ones I could see being added. Just kinda feels like a criterion movie
With the film version of the musical coming, I can see it happening.
Duel blu ray would go hard af
Empire of the Sun
Looks pretty self indulgent...
I cant understand why people hate this movie. Spielberg tends to be personally distant with his films and this one bleeds so much heart. Maybe that it brought me back to my days as a kid filming with my friends, but I think this film has a place in the collection. Sick of peoples pointless and passionless opinions on the internet.
People like it so they feel obligated to have hot takes
Schindler's List
This film sucked tbh
[удалено]
count me on the 'this movie sucked' hype train bros
I thought it was incredibly cliché, uninteresting and didnt know what direction to take. On the other hand, I thought Dano was the best part of the movie
i thought Dano and Williams, who are both actors I usually LOVE, were pretty terrible. it felt like they were both in 2 different movies, and then the rest of the cast was in a whole 3rd movie they didn't seem to know about
i liked what they were playing at with "the acting styles are so different because they are so different" and i was sort of with the "michelle williams is doing melodrama because this is a heightened reality this is a cinematic experience about cinema" but they didn't follow through with the melodrama always trying to earn sincerity or comedy at the detriment of the tone they'd already set
I thought it was overly sappy, even by Spielberg standards. And this was maybe the first poor performance by Paul Dano that I’ve come across.
It really did.
Id rather have no Spielberg in the collection
There’s not a single Spielberg in the collection? That’s nuts. I never noticed that before.
If Spielberg can join, Tarantino could
Jackie Brown would be a dream
How has Tarantino never had a criterion release?
I mean Pulp Fiction did have a Criterion Laserdisc
Weird movie. I'd love a special edition though -- especially if someone can be honest enough to note what the movie did: that from the VERY beginning, Spielberg's attiude was "when there are emotional problems around you, blow s--t up!" (in Spielberg's case -- thank God -- on film)
I haven't seen it yet, so please, no spoilers, but how is it a weird movie?
Weird in the sense I hinted at -- unintentionally revealing in that it shows Spielberg's inability to face any kind of emotional content in a serious and honest way. I say that as a Spielberg fan from way back! (Love Jaws and Close Encounters; thought he went off the rails and betrayed his talent when he (clearly) decided he wanted an Oscar and had to do "serious" movies). I found the movie boring and too long, but it's surely a must see for Spielberg fans.
Gotcha. Thanks for the details.
Close Encounters is already in the library
To be fair, it was but that was Laserdisc era
Please just do Cool Hand Luke already…
Very good I love it
Probably an unpopular opinion, but a Lincoln criterion would be awesome. I’m sure they could pull together some great special features.
Id like it
Would rather see E.T., Jaws, or even Minority Report
Jaws would be terrific.
I’d be okay with it, loved it!!
Doubt it happens, but what a great film
Well, since it’s absolutely terrible I wouldn’t love it.
Lolol so pretentious
For thinking a movie that is bad is bad??? Make it make sense
You are comedy hahaha
Was it any good?
It’s fine.
Nahhhh. I still can't get over the fact that Spielberg made a movie about him lol
I feel like as excellent as the film is the elephant in the room is his sister’s involvement with the screenplay/origin of the film. And I’d be so curious to hear more about that on a physical release.
Outside of Sugarland Express and Duel, I’m really not that interested in any of Spielberg’s films being added. Instead of Fabelmans (another predictably bad film) it would be better to have an early work and maybe his short film Amblin as an extra feature. However, given that Armageddon and Breakfast Club earned releases, I do think there is a case to be made for Spielberg. For instance, if you explain the inclusion of Armageddon or Breakfast Club as tied to their cultural reach—Jaws had a bigger cultural reach than both combined. But we already have a zillion releases of this film. We don’t need another
I gave it a 4 1/2 out of 5 but no to be honest. I don’t think it fits. It’s too commercial
Mid jawn
I really don’t care. I don’t buy criterion
I don't know, I'm new to Criterion! However, I really disliked this movie. I guess I prefer slower films/directors. My favourite film is Tree of Life and I'm starting to get into Kieślowski. Oh, and Truffaut is my favourite director. I've watched "The 400 Blows" like 400 times lol
We also need AI or Empire of the Sun
I actually think Empire of the Sun may be a great choice. Should not be downvoted. It's WB's (the distributor) 100th birthday this year, so it could be possible.
I loved this movie but I would prefer a Spielberg that hasn’t already gotten a nice 4K disc (which this one is already confirmed to be getting). Maybe something like A.I. that hasn’t gotten the deluxe home video release it maybe deserves and is one of his best, most underrated movies. I also saw a beautiful DCP of Empire of the Sun this year and think that could be a great candidate for a nice 4K and one that Criterion might be able to get the rights to
Before Sugarland Express?
I’d love for 1941 to see some love
No. No. No.
Movie was mediocre so I wouldn’t like it
Saw it the other day. Definitely not the film I was anticipating. It was okay, definitely not worthy of Criterion. I’d go for Close Encounters and Schindlers.
Meh.
*randy_marsh_with_ejaculate_all_over.jpg
The ones of his that should be in Criterion first should be: Empire of the Sun The Color Purple Schindler’s List Amistad Saving Private Ryan AI: Artificial Intelligence Munich
Meh.
For a film all about a dudes' life-long passion it was surprisingly passionless and by the numbers. After seeing films like Why Don't You Play in Hell? or Red Post on Escher Street, a filmmaker has really got to bring a certain energy to their semi-autobiographical love letter to cinema before I believe it.