Dark Horse Updated... and Upgraded?

So here's something I didn't see coming... Dark Horse is being released on blu-ray in the US.  Again.  As you'll recall, it already came out here fourteen years ago.  Virgil films already released the blu in 2012, and you can still get it for $14 from Amazon.  But on June 23, it's coming out again from Brainstorm Media, and you'll be able to get it for $27 on Amazon.  Or you can get the limited edition direct from Vinegar Syndrome for $37 (though it's currently on sale for $29).  Is it worth springing for a pricier updated version, or even replacing the 2012 disc with the 2026 disc?  What's the actual difference?

Let's have a look!

2012 Virgil BD top; 2026 Brainstorm BD bottom.

So for starters, this is not a new scan, which makes sense, as this movie was shot on digital, not film.  So we're not talking about restoring the film and creating a whole new master here.  And it was finished in 2k, so we're not likely to see this on UHD unless someone's prepared to go back to the original 4k footage.  So this is basically the exact same picture quality, both matted to 1.85:1 with identical framing, they're both just under 22GBs with equivalent encodes.  And both have the same 5.1 audio mix in DTS-HD.  I do have to point out though, that there is one difference: the newer version is a shade darker.  I don't know if this was at Solondz's request, a decision by an employee at Brainstorm or unintentional, and I can't say one or the other strikes me as particularly preferable, but it is slightly darker.  In short, this new release does not signal a visual upgrade.  An update, but not an upgrade.

But that's just in terms of the presentation of the film itself.  There is more to the story.  First, you might recall me mentioning that the old disc lacked subtitle options.  Well, Brainstorm has added optional English subs to their disc, so if you're hearing impaired or just just struggling to make out a particular line of dialogue, that's a step forward.

And the Virgil disc was completely bereft of special features, not even the trailer.  Well, the Brainstorm does include the trailer, and the real highlight: a brand new, on camera interview with Todd Solondz!  It's thirteen minutes long and absolutely the reason I double-dipped.  I wouldn't call this a special edition or anything; the only additional bonus content is a 12-page booklet by film critic A.S. Hamrah.

Oh, and the limited (to 1000 copies) edition?  The only difference is the addition of the curiously childlike illustrated slipcover, pictured at the top of this post.  I was initially a bit puzzled, but I looked into it and the artist is a comic book artist, so I think they're making an association with the famous Daniel Clowes artwork for Happiness.  Anyway, the regular, non-slipcover artwork is the classic pink shirt and necklace.

So now you're fully informed to make your own decisions.  I would anticipate hardcore fans opting to upgrade for the interview, but most others being happy sticking with their current discs, or even picking up the old edition instead of the new to save some money.  But the new disc is unquestionably a superior edition, so that's nice.

Palindromes DVD/ Blu-ray/ UHD Comparison

It's here!  Palindromes is now available in 4k on BD and UHD from Radiance Films.  This is their first UHD release, by the way.  And since its announcement, as we covered in our last post, there have been a couple changes.  Radiance later shared some changes to the specs, specifically that their UHD would not include Dolby Vision or any HDR (because MoMA didn't restore the film with HDR in the first place), but it would have a 5.1 mix rather than stereo and another special feature: an interview with actor Alexander Brickle, who played the little boy Peter Paul.

I've got the limited edition 4k UHD/ BD combo pack right here (you could also purchase just the 1080p BD version by itself), so let's fire it up and check it out!  And while we're at it, let's see how it compares to the original 2005 DVD from Wellspring Media, DVDExotica-style (click the screenshots to see them in full resolution):

2005 Wellspring DVD top; 2025 Radiance BD middle; 2025 Radiance UHD bottom.

Wellspring presented the film at 1.79:1, essentially full 16x9 with a very slight, single letterbox bar along the top.  Radiance corrects this to the exact aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which basically restores a very little bit of extra information along the sides.  To its credit, the original DVD was anamorphic, free of interlacing and generally looks pretty similar to the new 4k scan.  The colors are slightly darker and more natural, but if you weren't doing a direct comparison like this, you probably wouldn't notice the distinction.  But if you zoom in close to Mark's face, for example, the DVD clearly has a more washed tone.  And the boost in clarity is considerably more obvious.  The film always had a bit of a low-fi look with chunky grain, but there's more detail and nuance to discern in the new scan.  And the DVD just barely hints at the natural film grain structure that's not made obvious on Radiance's discs.

Wellspring gave us a choice of stereo or 5.1 mixes, which Radiance boils down to just the 5.1.  But that's fine, since the stereo sounds like little more than a basic mix-down anyway.  And Radiance bumps their track up to a lossless DTS-HD.  Radiance also adds optional English subtitles, which Wellspring had cheaped out on.

For extras, Wellspring had nothing but a non-anamorphic trailer.  Radiance restores it to proper HD, and adds several more important features.  Most notably is a new on-camera interview with Todd Solondz, conducted via webcam by Heather Strong, who did the visual essay on Radiance's previous BD of Welcome To the Dollhouse in 2023.  Palindromes gets a visual essay, too, this time by critic Lillian Crawford, and then there's that aforementioned interview with Brickle, which is audio-only and plays over clips of the film.  That's it for on-disc stuff, but if you go for the limited (to 3000 copies) edition, it also comes with a 40-page full-color booklet, one of Radiance's signature obi strips and reversible artwork.  It's absolutely the definitive way to own Palindromes on home video!

Palindromes Coming to 4k Ultra HD

Since the Museum of Modern Art announced they were restoring Palindromes in 4k in November, I've just been waiting to see who was going to be first to release it.  Turns out it's Radiance Films, who previously gave us the 2023 Welcome To the Dollhouse special edition.  This means that now, apart from Fear, Anxiety & Depression (please, please, please, somebody get on this!), and his shorts, all of Todd Solondz's films are available to own in HD.  And after Happiness, it's his second available in full 4k.

So Radiance is releasing this in separate BD and UHD editions on June 24th.  They've already clarified that this 4k scan comes from the original negative and the restoration has been approved by Solondz.  It will be a Dolby Vision/ HDR presentation with a stereo mix in uncompressed PCM audio.  We can expect a brand new on-camera interview with Solondz, a video essay by a critic, the trailer and optional English subtitles.  The initial limited editions will consist of runs of 3,000 (3000 of the BD set and 3000 of the UHD/ BD combo-pack) that will include reversible artwork, a booklet and one of Radiance's signature obi strips.  A regular, non-limited should follow around the end of the year.

Happiness Is Happiness On 4k

If you've read The New Yorker recently, you know things are not looking great for Solondz's upcoming Love Child shoot.  Very disheartening.  But one can't be too depressed in the summer when he just got the high def debuts of Storytelling and Happiness.  Because this week, Criterion has given us the first anamorphic release of Happiness is three versions: a full-on UHD/ BD combo-pack, just the BD by itself, and a DVD edition.  So let's compare the very best against what was previously available.

1999 Trimark DVD top; 2024 Criterion BD mid; 2024 Criterion UHD bottom.

Quick Note: UHD shots appear darker in this blog because they're made for devices displaying higher nits.  If you click through to the full-sized, uncompressed graphic on an HDR device (like an imac); it'll display correctly.  Otherwise, just take it on faith that the colors look better than they appear here.  But their increased resolution will still be clear.

Critically, the Trimark DVD (and the Lions Gate reissue and all other DVD releases around the world) are non-anamorphic, meaning they weren't made for widescreen TVs.  I left the negative space around the first set of shots to show what they'd look like on any modern set.  So getting a 16x9 anamorphically enhanced picture alone is a major, sorely needed upgrade.  A smaller, but still welcome improvement, is that the aspect ratio has been corrected from 1.83:1 to 1.85:1.  A small tweak, and it actually tightens the framing rather than revealing more picture, but it's always nice to get the original composition exactly right.

The color correction is a bigger gain; with Criterion's new image looking more natural and no longer overcast by inappropriate hues (skin tones are a bit red in that first shot, and everything's a bit green in the second DVD screen grab).  And of course, the jump to HD is substantial.  Fine detail looks out of focus on the DVD, with unwelcome compression noise replaced by authentic film grain.  It's even better on the triple-layer UHD, but I have to say, it's a surprisingly strong encode on the 1080p BD, too, so it holds its own even against the higher generation disc.

Both releases offer the original stereo track with optional English subtitles, but the audio is bumped up to lossless DTS-HD on Criterion's discs.  Trimark did also include Spanish and French subtitles, which Criterion drops, though, if anybody out there cares about that.  And of course, all previous Happiness releases were barebones, apart from the trailer and a handful of bonus trailers.  Criterion now offers an all new, 40+ interview with Solondz himself.  And there's a nice, roughly 15 minute talk with star Dylan Baker.  The trailer's still here, and Criterion's release also includes a fold-out booklet with an essay by Bruce Wagner (Writer of Maps To the Stars and Scenes From the Class Struggle In Beverly Hills).  So obviously I recommend this, in a "why haven't you already run out and got this" kind of way.  Enjoy it, because it may be a longer wait for Love Child than we though.

Storytelling DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison

It's here!  So let's do another DVDExotica-style comparison of the brand new Storytelling blu-ray from Shout Factory, and the previous DVD edition from New Line Cinema, which up 'till this week, had still been the best version available.  At least it was anamorphic, which is more than you can say for the old Happiness DVD, which will also be getting its HD upgrade soon enough.

2002 New Line DVD top; 2024 Shout Factory BD bottom.

Wow!  It looks like somebody just turned the lights on.  Shout Factory has just given this film a new 2k restoration, but that color correction is definitely the first thing you notice.  There's a world of difference.  New Line's DVD is also slightly window-boxed to 1.82:1, which Shout corrects to a properly letterboxed 1.85:1.  This new scan actually reveals a little more info around all four edges, but especially the left and right.  The jump to high def definitely clarifies new detail - I can finally read "30 DAY ORGANIZER" on the calendar behind the actors in the first set of shots, and film grain may be a little soft now, but the DVD couldn't even begin to process it; so it's a series of big leaps forward in terms of PQ.

2002 New Line DVD.

The one thing I guess we lost, technically, was the optional fullscreen version the DVD threw in.  It has slight curiosity value, I guess, for opening up the mattes and revealing a lot more of the top and bottom of the picture.  But it also cuts off the sides, and of course, is completely improperly framed and spoils the intended compositions.  Honestly, as consumers, we're better off without these confusing the marketplace.

Both discs offer the Dolby 2.0 stereo track and a 5.1 remix, which I believe was created for the DVD.  Shout's edition bumps up both tracks to lossless DTS-HD.  And both discs off optional English subtitles.

The only extras the DVD are the trailer and the infamous "red box" censored scene.  The DVD also gave you the option, if you were so perversely inclined, to watch the film with the scene censored, in both full and widescreen.  So yes, the DVD had four transfers crammed onto one disc.

The blu-ray has the trailer and the red box scene, too, but only presents the film uncut.  And honestly, that's just as well.  The blu also goes the highly appreciated extra distance of conducting new, on-camera interviews with the cinematographer Frederick Elmes and the composer Nathaon Larson.  So I don't know if that quite qualifies it as a full-on special edition, but it's considerably more value added to a new BD that was already a major upgrade.  This is an absolute must-have for any serious Solondz fan.

Happiness Coming In 4k from Criterion!

Holy cow - it's finally happening!  Criterion is releasing Happiness on BD and UHD on September 24th.  Yes, we're jumping all the way from a tragically non-anamorphic DVD to 4k Ultra HD.  Extras-wise, I wouldn't exactly call it over-loaded, but it's got new interviews with Solondz (by Charlotte Wells, director of Aftersun) and Dylan Baker, plus a booklet and all.

But just being able to fire up Happiness and watch it without feeling like you're watching an illicit Youtube upload from 2006 is going to be revolutionary.  And getting this right on the heels of Storytelling's blu-ray debut?  It's gonna be a hot Solondz summer, baby!

Storytelling Blu-ray This Summer!

Here's some good news - Storytelling is getting restored in HD and released on blu-ray this summer!  Specifically, it's scheduled to come out on July 9th from Shout Factory.  It's getting a new 2k scan from the interpositive with uncompressed 5.1 and 2.0 audio tracks and optional English subtitles.

Will it have extras?  Yes!  There will be brand-new on-camera interviews with the cinematographer Frederick Elmes and the composer Nathaon Larson, as well as the censored "red box" scene and theatrical trailer.  So we can finally toss our DVDs and make room for a new, high def version of Storytelling!

The Final Iteration Of Love Child?

Apparently Rachel Weisz & Colin Farrell are as out as Penélope Cruz & Edgar Ramírez before them, but Love Child is still coming.  According to FilmStage.com, Elizabeth Olsen is now set to star in the picture, with no word yet on her male co-star.  The brief description of the plot reads the same as it did in 2017, though they quite possibly just took it from there.  According to a casting ad in Backstage, it's coming from Volition Media and is due to start filming in "March or April 2024 in NYC."  Not to jinx it, but that sounds pretty settled!  🤞

Welcome To the Dollhouse - The Special Edition!

Well, it only took, what?  24 years since the original barebones DVD release of Todd Solondz's ground-breaking depiction of modern adolescence, Welcome To the Dollhouse (27 if you want to go all the way back to the laserdisc)?  But we've finally got a proper special edition!  Sony at least gave us a feature-less blu-ray in 2018 to tide us over.  But you can throw all of that crap out, now, because a new UK outfit called Radiance Films - sort of the next iteration of the sadly shuttered Arrow Academy line striking out on their own - have given this film the care and respect it's always deserved.  The official release date is March 6th.

2023 Radiance Films blu-ray.

So I've taken screenshots that match my earlier comparison of the DVD and previous blu-ray, so you can go ahead and compare them directly.  The film is still framed at 1.85:1, the color-timing's the same, and is clearly using the same master, which we now know from Radiance's booklet, is taken from the interpositive.  But these are not identical.  Radiance's new edition features a much better encode.  Casual viewers might not notice the difference, but flipping back and forth between the old and new screen shots, you can watch the film grain appear and disappear.  This new edition really does have a stronger capture and genuinely filmic look.

Importantly, too, in the audio department, Radiance restores the original stereo track (in lossless PCM), as opposed to the US blu-ray, which replaced it with a 5.1 remix.  All three discs also offer optional English subtitles.

But now let's get into The Special Features Club (sorry)!  First and foremost, we get all new on-camera interviews with Solondz and Heather Matarazzo.  There's also a Criterion-style visual essay, which tracks the Dawn Wiener character through this, Palindromes and Wiener-Dog, and a fun audio commentary by the hosts of the This Ends At Prom podcast.  The trailer is here, too, restored to widescreen for the first time.  Also included is a full-color, 48-page booklet, with credits, Solondz's director's notes, three critical essays, extracts from a Solondz interview and critical reviews, and technical notes.  This limited edition features reversible artwork, an obi strip, and if you order direct from Radiance, a Welcome To the Dollhouse bookmark.

The limited edition is restricted to just 2000 copies, and is still available as of this writing.  Though after that sells out, there will very likely be a standard edition with all of the same contents except the obi, bookmark and booklet.  This release is region B, so make sure you can play region B blu-rays before ordering.  If you can't, though, this fantastic disc may be reason enough to get yourself a region free player!

Love Child Is Back On Track!

It's been over four years since we heard about Todd Solondz's upcoming feature, Love Child.  Obviously, the pandemic derailed everybody's film projects, but the fact that it was originally intended for a 2018 release date made it seem like this particular film was stalling long before that.  So it was great news to wake up to a Love Child news story today across the trades.  Apparently the film is complete and ready to start making the semi-public rounds, debuting at Cannes' upcoming "Virtual Market" later this month.  This article from Indiewire seems to have the most details.

The film is still with Killer Films, but apparently Penélope Cruz & Edgar Ramírez are out, and Rachel Weisz & Colin Farrell are in - the film's imdb page has already been updated to confirm the replacements.  The premise sounds the same as it was described to us in 2017, though I think there's a good chance the characters are no longer named Immaculada and Nacho.  Solondz has been quoted as saying, "This is my first movie with a plot and my first movie taking place in Texas... It’s fun and it’s sexy and it’s shaped by the Hollywood movies that made me want to become a filmmaker."  Can't wait!

After this unexpected good news, one wonders if we'll hear updates on The Quarters and St. Petersburg sometime soon, now, too.

Welcome To the Dollhouse Finally in HD! (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

It's been a long time coming, but we've finally gotten a much-needed upgrade to his middle-school masterpiece Welcome To the Dollhouse.  Sony has just released the film on blu-ray, and it's quite a substantial upgrade over the very old (1999) DVD from Columbia Tri-Star.  Now, early releases in this line of Sony's blus were MOD BDRs, which is to say burnt discs like you can make on your computer as opposed to properly pressed discs, which last longer and don't have the playback issues on some players like BDRs do.  But happily, like Warner Archive, Sony has switched to pressing these blus right, so Welcome To the Dollhouse is a properly pressed disc.

And it looks pretty great - here are a couple comparisons (DVDExotica style...click the screenshots to see them in full size, 100% resolution) between it and the blu.  The original DVD also offered a fullscreen version that really butchered the compositions.  So let's look at all three versions.

1999 DVD (fullscreen) top; 1999 DVD (widescreen) mid; 2018 blu-ray bottom.

Now, I've left the matting on the first set of shots just to make the differences a little clearer.  The fullscreen DVD is framed at an aspect ratio of 1.31:1, and splits the difference between cutting off information along the sides while opening up the mattes to uncover a little more vertical information.  The widescreen DVD is framed at a common but not quite accurate ratio of 1.78:1, with slight matting along the bottom and sides, areas which would've largely been hidden by televisions' overscan area back in the 90s.  Finally, the blu-ray presents the film in its authentic, original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and as you can see, shows even more info along the sides than the previous widescreen DVD.

And of course, the blu is naturally an upgrade over the DVD just by virtue of being high definition over standard definition.  But the DVD really shows its age, with messy, blocky compression, edge enhancement unnatural colors and other flaws that have really been crying out for a new master.  I mean, this close-up highlight speaks for itself.  It's still not quite a cutting edge blu... It's a single layer disc where the film grain appears a little wishy-washy, and fine detail could probably still be a little bit clearer.  But compared to other contemporary blu-ray releases, it would probably rate a solid B, and compared to the old DVD, it's flat-out essential.

Interestingly, the blu-ray replaces the original stereo mix with a 5.1, though I can't say they sound very different.  Of course, the blu-ray bumps the audio up to a lossless DTS-HD track as well.  Both discs also include optional English subtitles, and unfortunately but unsurprisingly, both discs are pretty barebones, only offering the fullscreen theatrical trailer for a special feature.  International fans will be happy to know it's an all-region (ABC) disc.

Now, if we could just get Happiness... that DVD is even more in need of replacing.  It isn't even anamorphic.

Emma and Max, On Stage

Frustratingly, Solondz has three upcoming film projects in the air (though admittedly, two are more like film projects he's contributing portions to), with nary an update as to when any of those might land in our theaters or streaming services.  But if you're in the tri-state area, you'll soon be able to sate your Solondz jones at The Flea Theater in NYC.

Yes, Todd Solondz is both writing and directing an original play entitled Emma and Max, which will run through the month of October in the Sam Theater (Confused?  The Sam Theater is the upstairs theater in the larger Flea Theater building, which houses three theaters in total).  With a cast of five as-yet unannounced Equity actors, the official website describes the play as, "a satire of tragic dimensions" that "explores the illusions and delusions, hopes and despair, of the city’s well-off and worn-down."  Other credits include artistic director Niegel Smith, costume designer Andre Lauger and casting director Ann Goulder.  Tickets are already on sale here.

Another New Solondz Film? The Quarters

Yes, in addition to Love Child and St Petersburg: A Category of Feelings, Todd Solondz is reported to be directing on even another film.  Called, The Quarters, this one seems to have a lot more in common with St. Petersburg, in that it's another collaborative film, where Solondz will just be writing and directing one segment, alongside several other filmmakers.  Also like St. Petersburg, this is another one centered around a particular city, in this case Jerusalem's Old City, with the title The Quarters referring to the city's four "quarters:" Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian.

This movie is being filmed in conjunction with the The Jerusalem Film Festival, and the other three directors will be Anna Muylaert, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, and Arsinee Khanjian (Atom Egoyan's wife, who usually acts in his films; this will be her first time directing).  The JFF's official website lists this as set to film in 2018 and be released in 2019.  Fingers crossed, considering St. Petersburg seems to have gone pretty much off the radar, as did the similar French project, À propos de Nice, la suite, which I've been waiting for since 1995.  But let's not be cynical, and instead look forward to seeing all four movies eventually. 

Up Next: Love Child

Every time Solondz mentions his difficulty finding funding, I worry that this is going to be his last film.  But Deadline has just posted a reassuring announcement about a new film, Love Child.  Solondz will be back writing and directing for Killer Films, who previously produced his Happiness, Storytelling and Wiener-Dog.  Penélope Cruz is set to star in the film, along with an actor named Edgar Ramírez.

The plot is described in the Deadline article as, "a dark and hilarious twist on the classic Oedipal theme. Story follows 11-year-old Junior, a delusional aspiring Broadway star with an inappropriate obsession with his mother Immaculada. After orchestrating an accident that nearly kills his abusive father, he encourages Nacho, the handsome man living in the family’s guesthouse, to court his mother and become his new dad. But when the two fall in love, Junior becomes so jealous that he is no longer the subject of his mother’s attention that he hatches a plan to frame Nacho for his father’s murder."  Sounds fun to me; reminds me of the 1972 Robert Klein film, Rivals.  There's already an IMDB page for the film, with a general 2018 release date.

Meanwhile, there's still no news on the Russian Petersburg film, which Solondz presumably wrapped on a couple years ago now.

Blu Wiener-Dog

Okay, I guess it exists!  There was just one week's delay, and now Solondz's latest film, Wiener-Dog, is available on both DVD and blu-ray, as MOD DV-Rs and BD-Rs, direct from Amazon.  The blu is a single-layer disc with no special features or anything, but you are given the option of a 5.1 or Stereo mix.  The back of the case lists Closed Captions, too, but they don't seem to actually be on here.  The UPC symbol is also layered over the description, though; so clearly the artwork was a rush job.  But how does it look?  Pretty good!  Wanna see a couple screenshots?

The picture is slightly letterboxed to 1.85:1 and looks great in HD.  Unfortunately, as a BD-R, however, the playback was completely borked on my PC's blu-ray drive and even my Seiki.  But it worked alright in my Pioneer player.  Again, region free collectors might want to hold out for a properly pressed disc from another region.  Unfortunately, it's looking like Canada and the UK are only getting DVDs, so Germany's the only blu option so far (of course, more regions may still announce releases in the coming months... I'd be surprised if nothing came out in Australia, for instance).  I've been able to find a release date for that one now, though: November 29.  But for now at least, this is what we get.  And aside from BD-R playback drama, this is pretty satisfying.

Of course, you can also watch it streamed from Amazon now, if that's your bag.  Look at all the 1-star reviews it's getting from people expecting a happy family film about a puppy - yikes!  But hey, it's here.  We've finally got Wiener-Dog.  I haven't even had a chance to watch it yet; my copy just arrived an hour ago, but I can't wait.  =) 

Update 8/31/16: I imagine hearing this from the guy who runs toddsolondz.com carries roughly the same degree of integrity as your mother telling you that you're handsome, but I've just watched Wiener-Dog and thought it was great!

Now, I just wonder what's happening with Petersburg Carousel...

Wiener Dog on DVD and Blu-Ray... Next Week?!

It would seem so!  Amazon has pre-orders for Wiener Dog up now on both DVD and blu-ray, with a release date of August 23rd.  And considering Amazon isn't just the seller but the film's own distributor, they should know.

...On the other, just a week away from release, and they just have a poster up as the image rather than a proper cover isn't a promising sign.  The seasoned DVD collector in me tells me to expect delays.  But who knows?  Hopefully not.  And hey, I'm just happy to see that this is getting a physical release at all, and not just going the "streaming exclusive" route.

Excited by this discovery, I searched around and saw that Amazon.ca has an Oct 11th release date, UK has December 5th, and Germany has pre-orders up but no specified date yet. The bad news is that the US release is going to be a BD-R (as in a made-on-demand burned disc as opposed to a pressed, manufactured blu-ray), so it may be worth holding out for one of these foreign releases, as those are coming from Mongrel Media, Spirit Entertainment Limited (never heard of them...) and GmbH, respectively.

The Rare Graduate Film, Babysitter, Now Viewable Online!

It's been hard to find much info on Solondz's graduate film, Babysitter. It was listed on some of his early bios, and Solondz once personally confirmed for me that it exists, but that's about it. The IMDB even removed their listing for it. But any mystery surrounding Babysitter can now be considered solved, as the entire nine-minute short has been uploaded onto Vimeo for Le CiNéMa Club!

It's a surprisingly high quality transfer, and for a student film with no synced sound, it's also surprisingly entertaining. As opposed to Feelings, which comes off as more of an interesting early exercise by the filmmaker, this one's engaging in its own right. You can feel his distinct writer's voice in the work; and it's entertaining enough that it's really worth the watch even if you're not a die-hard Solondz fanatic. Maybe the next time Criterion or another high end label gives one of his films the special edition treatment, they could include this and his other short films as bonus features.

The Wiener-Dog Trailer!

Love & Friendship is getting a pretty wide theatrical release from Amazon this weekend, so hopefully this bodes well for Wiener-Dog, too. If Amazon gets them into roughly the same theaters, this could be Solondz's biggest theatrical opening ever. But we still don't know what there plans are, let alone for home video/ DVD/ blu-ray down the line...  Anyway, some very promising material in this trailer - can't wait to see the film!

In theaters June 24th.

Wiener Dog Bought By Amazon

According to Variety, Amazon has just bought Wiener Dog. This makes sense, since the new head of Amazon Pictures is Ted Hope, who produced past Solondz features Dark Horse, Storytelling and Happiness. Apparently, to secure the film, Amazon has "committed to a significant theatrical release." This would then, or perhaps simultaneously, lead to the film streaming on amazon.com. There's no mention of any physical media, but hopefully somebody in that mix will remember DVD and blu-ray.

This isn't Amazon's only deal coming out of the recent Sundance Film Festival. They'll also be picking up distribution of Whit Stillman's Love and Friendship, his long awaited adaptation of Jane Austen's epistolary novel, starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale and Stephen Fry. So they've got two of my most anticipated films of 2016 on their roster - pretty impressive!

Wiener Dog Is Loose!

Todd Solondz's new film, Wiener Dog, just had its debut screening at Sundance Film Festival. Reviews are flooding in, which pretty much answer all our Wiener Dog questions about what to expect.

Apparently it's essentially an anthology in four parts, connected by a literal wiener dog that appears in all four stories. Yes, one of the four (the second) is a sort of sequel to Welcome To the Dollhouse, with Greta Gerwig as an older Dawn Weiner, who goes on a road trip with Brendan Sexton III's character, now played by Kieran Culkin. The first segment stars Julie Delpy as a mother of a cancer survivor who buys her son the dog. The third stars Danny Devito as a screenwriter forced to make a living teaching filmwriting to students. And finally, the dog winds up with Ellyn Burstyn as a woman who gets an unwelcome visit from her granddaughter.

I've just read ten reviews in a row (Variety, Vulture, Indiewire, The Guardian, Crave, Film Stage, Screen Daily, The Wrap, Gulf News and Madison) and they've all sort of run together in my mind, but they were all positive, ranging from high to mixed praise. and they all seem to agree that tonally, it's in keeping with Solondz's past work, which is always nice to hear as fans.

Now, let's just hope it's not a whole year before it breaks out of the festival circuit and us industry outsiders get to see it.