According to a little teaser image (the very same one you see right there) that was included in the latest Criterion newsletter, the acclaimed distributor will be adding Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos to its ranks this fall! Cronos is one of del Toro’s earliest works (marking the beginning of his love affair with Ron Perlman), but it remains a very imaginative, very worthy inclusion to his resumé that also happens to be one of the most interesting takes on the vampire mythos ever put on film. Sadly, despite the director’s burgeoning fame, this particular movie has never been given the proper treatment on DVD (not to mention has been out of print for a good while), and I will gladly trade in my sub-par Lions Gate 10th Anniversary edition for whatever Criterion has in store.
In the world of home video, it really doesn’t get more interesting than Criterion. The company made a name for itself two decades ago when they began releasing definitive versions of what are widely considered to be some of cinema’s more “important” works on Laserdisc (everyone makes mistakes), and they have maintained that stellar reputation through DVD and on into Blu-Ray. It’s always exciting to hear what films are set to enter their already huge catalog, but this has put even more ants in my pants than normal. Now if we could just get that much discussed director’s cut of Mimic, 2009 would be a great year for del Toro fans.
Added 04/02/09: Just discovered that the director’s cut of Mimic actually has a street date! Dimension Films will be releasing the shiny new version on July 8! Looks like that great year for del Toro fans is a reality.
F’n A!!! Now, if they can come out with a Criteron release of City of Lost Children, I’ll be a happy fella.
That would be absolutely kick ass, CoLC has long been one of my favorites (I still remember trekking out to the fabled Key Theater in Georgetown just to see it).
I’d definitely take Delicatessen as well. I still mourn the day that Jeunet and Caro parted ways. They were totally chocolate and peanut butter.