New Project

 Back in January 2009 when I started my long trek of watching and writing in my Criterion Reflections blog about every feature film in the Criterion Collection in order of its original chronological release, I gave brief consideration to the idea of including the titles released by their subsidiary Eclipse line of DVD box sets. I even began purchasing the sets, starting with the earliest films released in that series - Silent Ozu, Raymond Bernard, Lubitsch Musicals. But after  compiling the list of films that I'd be reviewing, I realized that adding Eclipse movies to what was already a very long and cumbersome project created a number of obstacles - logistic, financial and otherwise. Some of the Eclipse titles were relatively minor works, and the lack of special features, deluxe books and other goodies made them a bit less intriguing. I wondered if I would really have as much to say about the individual films - plus I was really eager to get into the great masterpieces that Criterion had released under its main imprint and didn't want to bog myself down any further if I had a choice in the matter. So I decided to make my Criterion Reflections blog strictly Criterion-only. It's a choice I don't regret, and I'm pleased to have diligently stuck with it so far. Today I just posted the 137th distinct film essay in the series, on Orson Welles' Mr. Arkadin. And there's no let-up in sight on my end - I'm still enjoying the work and determined to see it all the way through.

Well, there may be some "let up" after all, in terms of frequency of posting to Criterion Reflections, anyway. Just recently, in a late-night chat session with Ryan Gallagher of CriterionCast.com, I agreed to take on a new assignment exclusive to that website. I'm going to be "the Eclipse guy" (that's my informal way of putting it, not an official title or anything like that!) My task will be to provide one weekly review of a particular film among the 87 (so far) that have been released, or are scheduled for later this year, as part of the Eclipse series. Ryan had asked me earlier in the week, after seeing this new CR Side Trips blog, if I'd be interested in collaborating with CriterionCast. I'd already done so earlier this year, via a guest appearance on their podcast to discuss a favorite movie of mine, Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning, and I am a fairly frequent commenter on their website. I also exchange tweets, Facebook comments and even the occasional Google Buzz with Ryan, Rudie, Travis and the other guys affiliated with that site. So I was intrigued... receptive... and also quite honored to receive the request. I gave it some thought for a few days and finally decided to commit. I like the idea of increasing my exposure and involvement in the film blogging scene and from what I can tell, CriterionCast approaches these films with a sensibility and perspective very compatible with my own. They add value to my viewing, and my hope is that by joining up with them more formally, I can add value to the site and to those readers who regularly visit there to enhance their enjoyment of the great classic and contemporary films at our disposal.

So why Eclipse? Hadn't I already ruled out including those films in my blogging endeavors? Sure, and that won't change as far as Criterion Reflections is concerned. But a few things have changed, including a greater access to the DVDs that won't require me to purchase whole sets (which is how I watch all my Criterion films.) I also like the freedom that this column will give me to explore Eclipse films however my interests lead me. I may go with a topical connection, as will be the case with my first column on Wooden Crosses, a French war movie from 1930 that fits nicely with tomorrow's observation (in the USA) of Memorial Day. Or I may choose a title because of its congruence with my current point in the Criterion Reflections timeline. I plan to review Kurosawa's I Live In Fear in the next few weeks as it coincides with other 1955 films I'm currently watching. Or I may just pick a film because I'm curious about it and simply feel like making it my movie-of-the-week purely on a whim. One other angle would be helping to promote new releases, should Criterion decide to send me advance screening copies (hint, hint!)

I also like the idea of giving some sustained attention to individual films in the Eclipse line. Generally, when I've seen these sets reviewed, the writer tends to focus on the whole bunch of them as a single piece of product. Reviews of each film tend to be a paragraph or two, mainly just quick summaries. That's all quite reasonable, since they're being sold as a package and most potential customers probably want some idea of what they're going to get with their purchase. But that approach can lead us to overlook the fact that these were all "new releases" at one time, meant to stand on their own and deserving that level of consideration. So I intend to lend my support and whatever insights I can muster to each movie as a distinct unit, one per week, for the next couple of years I suppose, until I run out of Eclipse titles to review or a decision is made to just drop the whole thing. :o)

Meanwhile, this blog will serve (as it is right now) to be my place to drop thoughts on films that don't fit either of my two main formats. Since I'm committed to regularly updating two long-term series now, I can't say with any certainty how often I'll post here. But I invite you to follow along however it suits you, if you're interested in what I have to say on the subject of cinema!