Physical Media Strikes Back With Tim Simons

Oppenheimer 2023

Its 4K sold out and made the trade press; Sean also hosted a live IMAX screening with the cinematographer, editor, and composer.

True Romance 1993

Both own it on DVD and Blu-ray; Sean weighs whether the $55 Arrow 4K is worth a re-buy of a movie he'd just stream anyway.

Waterworld 1995

Sean bought the 4K to prep a planned Kevin Costner episode, granting it 'movie history' value even if it's not good.

Mallrats 1995

The line-item both did the math on and passed: loved it at 17, doesn't watch it now, and the Affleck character 'is comically canceled.'

The Last of the Mohicans 1992

Tim's recent Michael Mann completion buy.

Ferrari 2023

On pre-order: 'it feels fun to hit a pre-order button.'

Cloak & Dagger 1984

A childhood favorite Tim picked up in Arrow's box set.

Showgirls 1995

Tim owns the Arrow box; one of the emotionally-attached titles he'd consider cycling out.

RoboCop 1987

Another Arrow release Tim holds onto for the attachment, not the art.

Slither 2006

Starship Troopers 1997

Inception 2010

First Reformed 2017

Tim found it used at CD Trader in Tarzana for $5.99; a movie that spiked way up for him.

Mean Streets 1973

A $4 pawn-shop find on a family vacation in Maine.

The Way of the Gun 2000

Sean's example of the McQuarrie disc he'd never give away in a listener contest.

Joe 1970

The blind pick that kicked off Tim's viewing project, maybe the best movie he saw this year.

Hardcore 1979

Schrader/George C. Scott; on Tim's list because Tarantino wrote about it in 'Cinema Speculation.'

Rolling Thunder 1977

A borderline-exploitation veteran-revenge movie Sean links, straight-faced, to Con Air.

Con Air 1997

Sean's bit: a disrespected veteran who goes to prison and needs vindication and reunion, 'they're the same movie' as Rolling Thunder.

The Devils 1971

Ken Russell's banned church horror; got the project back on the grimy track, and Tim paused it early to ask if it was the best movie he'd ever seen.

Possession 1981

The Zulawski freakout they watched next; only on Shudder, so Tim wants a disc of it.

The Third Part of the Night 1971

In the Eureka Zulawski box Sean bought on sale.

The Devil 1972

Also in the Zulawski box.

On the Silver Globe 1988

The box's centerpiece: 'one of the craziest science fiction movies ever made.'

Big Night 1996

The 'hit bottom' pick: a great movie, but too tasteful for the grimy run they were on.

Hearts and Minds 1974

Where editor Lindsay Clingman (subject of Tim's through-the-editor project) started.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975

Clingman's next credit after 'Hearts and Minds.'

Ali 2001

Clingman was fired off it by Michael Mann.

Hair 1979

Another Clingman edit Tim worked through.

Don't Look Back 1967

Shot by Richard Pearce, Clingman's collaborator.

Woodstock 1970

Also in Pearce's camera credits.

Miller's Crossing 1990

The Criterion 4K's very green grade is where Sean first noticed color 'corrections' that don't look like the movie he grew up on.

The Raid 2011

The new recolored 4K, cited as part of the transfer controversy.

True Lies 1994

Among the James Cameron 4Ks people are frustrated by.

The Abyss 1989

Looked great on film, disappointing on the 4K disc.

Star Wars 1977

Sean burned the fan 'de-specialized' original-color trilogy to Blu-ray, 'because I'm a fucking psychopath.'

Wings of Desire 1987

Wim Wenders told Sean the negative was 'all wrong' and the restoration is what he always intended. Sean isn't sure he wants to see it.

Blackhat 2015

The Arrow 4K moves a key sequence earlier and plays more coherently; Sean thinks the movie makes no sense, Tim insists he's '100% wrong.'

Miami Vice 2006

Sean loves the theatrical cut for throwing you into the club with no setup; Mann later added earlier scenes.

Sorcerer 1977

Sean saw it four or five times this year, once on a red-shifted print at the New Beverly.

Kingdom of Heaven 2005

The four-hour cut, cited as the model for the coming era of extended editions.

Dude, Where's My Car? 2000

Sean's joke about the inevitable maximalist long cut of everything.

Bros 2022

The 'Apatow expansion' of extra dick jokes as a preview of endless special editions.

The Power of the Dog 2021

Went to Criterion immediately; Sean wonders what its edition looks like in 20 years.

Napoleon 2023

The counterexample: whenever the four-and-a-half-hour cut lands, Sean will happily watch the whole thing.

Maestro 2023

Seeing it in a theater is where Sean started to understand how a score works and matters.

Skinamarink 2023

Terrifying alone on a laptop, silly in a chatty theater: Sean's case that format and setting change the movie.

Apocalypse Now 1979

The lossless-sound argument: don't watch it on TV speakers off a streaming service.

Messiah of Evil 1974

Sean's favorite recent buy: Radiance Films' 4K hardbox of a hard-to-see cult horror movie.

Miami Blues 1990

Bought at Fopp in London, first exposure to the Radiance label.

Thieves Like Us 1974

Radiance's edition of the 'lost' Altman, the stuff Sean's always been looking for.

American Graffiti 1973

Screenwriting credit for Messiah of Evil's Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz.

Howard the Duck 1986

Huyck and Katz's best-known and much-maligned credit.

Women in Love 1969

The one Ken Russell film in the Criterion Collection: Tim eyeing a Russell deep dive.

Mahler 1974

One of Russell's operatic composer biopics; Sean calls it a Tar precursor.

The Boy Friend 1971

A Russell title you can stream right now.

Altered States 1980

Another Russell film in a different genre, same 'Russellian insanity.'

Tár 2022

Invoked via the Mahler-in-the-church gag.

May December 2023

What clicked Todd Haynes into place for Tim: his director-of-the-year deep dive.

Safe 1995

One of the Haynes bookends Tim's already seen.

Far from Heaven 2002

On Kino; part of the Haynes catalog to work through.

The Velvet Underground 2021

Haynes' documentary, the one Apple film that got a physical release.

Killers of the Flower Moon 2023

Sean re-watched it on Apple TV, wants to own it, and notes Apple doesn't press its films, hoping for an eventual Criterion partnership.

Marriage Story 2019

Netflix film licensed to a boutique edition, per Sean.

Okja 2017

Another streamer title available on disc.

Sound of Metal 2019

The Amazon movie that got a Criterion edition.

Time 2020

The documentary Sean thinks is available from Criterion.

The Irishman 2019

The Netflix/Criterion partnership Sean hopes Apple copies.

Spirited Away 2001

A top-five family movie-night moment; the kids requested it again.

My Neighbor Totoro 1988

The Ghibli entry point Sean hasn't bought the Steelbook of yet.

Kiki's Delivery Service 1989

Gets a lot of play at Tim's Papa Movie Night.

The Boy and the Heron 2023

The kids saw it dubbed; landed less cleanly than the linear Spirited Away.

Ponyo 2008

Sean's joke DiCaprio interview subject and part of the Miyazaki thread.

What to Expect When You're Expecting 2012

The premiere Tim cater-waited, where he once glimpsed DiCaprio.