So whatcha been watching?

Slowly but surely, I've been catching up on my newest wave of Blu-rays.

First among them was Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, which is probably one of the finest releases Criterion has ever assembled.  In addition to a full plate of extras (most in HD), the film is quite simply one of the best I've seen in a long while.  I first saw Paris, Texas about a decade ago, and I think it's safe to say that I wasn't really "ready" for it.  It might be impatience with the thoughtful pace of it, or more likely, my station in life at the time.  But this time, it hit me right in the gut, and it couldn't be a better presentation of Wim Wenders' arguably best film.

This past week saw the Criterion release of the recent Austrian film Revanche.  I love the way this film presents some obvious conventions, then goes in quite a different direction.  Rather than shocking, the shift instead is graceful and, ultimately I think, hopeful.  In lesser hands, the coincidences would undo the film, but director Gotz Spielmann clearly knows what he's doing.

That brings you up to speed.  Next up:  Studio Canal's recent Blu-ray release of Godard's Contempt and Criterion's just-released Blu-ray of Lola Montes.