Criterion Collection Discussion

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

yeah...

39 Steps @ $26.59 (becomes "Free" )
The Gold Rush @ $27.99
Shallow Grave @ $27.99

You've gotta get the "better priced" titles, because once you throw a $39.99 title into the mix, you really negate the savings vs. Amazon, Criterion directly, etc.

Also, it doesn't really make sense to use the Buy 2 Get the 3rd Free sale to buy the bigger, more expensive box sets, like David Lean Directs Noel Coward ($99.99), Three Colors ($79.99), America Lost and Found ($124.99) or The Samurai Trilogy (on preorder at a 14% discount for $59.84 with a release date that occurs before the end of this sale). You wouldn't save as much money as you would by just waiting for Amazon or another outlet to mark down its price substantially (even if only temporarily). Under this deal I wouldn't save much for the Eclipse Series sets I'd been eyeing, either.

I just bought—from Amazon—the David Lean Directs Noel Coward box for $57.69. That's $52.99 plus sales tax. I'd originally planned to wait for B&N's 50% off sale, but since that's not truly a sure bet (until it actually happens ) and the Amazon price was almost as low, I decided to just act. (B&N, like Amazon, also charges me sales tax.)

In the next few days I may buy a couple more of the lower-priced titles from Amazon. Maybe I'll even buy three of the lowest priced titles at B&N.

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by Brad1107

So if I love Anderson's films, i'm a hipster? What if I also love the more obscure movies that the 'nerds' love? Where do I sit then?

Originally Posted by greekak229

Incorrect. I'm a hipster and I absolutely loathe Wes Anderson films.

So far the math checks out.

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

It takes around two months for each order to arrive .

I wonder why it takes so long from the US to Mexico. I've ordered from Amazon UK for shipping to the US and that usually takes around a week or so.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Change of subject, but what are some of the lesser talked about releases people enjoy? People tend to focus on stuff that's really well known, such as seven samurai or the game, yet there are a lot of titles people don't seem to talk about or overlook. Some of mine are:

Senso
Letter Never Sent
The Organiser
Three Outlaw Samurai

Bigger Than Life
Antichrist
Mystery Train
Still Walking

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I got my criterions! 400 Blows came in the old Skool case, I'm not complaining as it doesn't seem to slip out like others said. What's with the paper insert stuck on the back of Darjeeling though? It's kinda weird, and I'm wondering if it's a normal thing with this release.

That's normal for The Darjeeling Limited, Bohemian. It's a little different from the others in the Collection. Just carefully peel it off to reveal the graphics underneath. It's similar to the slips often used on the backs of blu-ray book and steelbook packaging. I think Criterion used that slip just to make it easier for consumers to read the promotional details on the back.

[ShellOilJunior]

So the sale is *allegedly* 7-10 to 8-1.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Change of subject, but what are some of the lesser talked about releases people enjoy? People tend to focus on stuff that's really well known, such as seven samurai or the game, yet there are a lot of titles people don't seem to talk about or overlook. Some of mine are:

Senso
Letter Never Sent
The Organiser
Three Outlaw Samurai

Too many of my "favorites" are not on Blu-ray so I would not expect people to talk about them very much

In The Mood For Love
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Les Vancances De Monsieur Hulot

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

So the sale is *allegedly* 7-10 to 8-1.

Suppose to yes, still no confirmation that a sale there will be

[SammyJankis]

Not a confirmation or anything, but a friend of mine that works at Barnes and Noble said it's almost certain that there will be a sale. He should be getting a confirmation sheet any day now.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Actually Fincher is not as mainstream as you think. His films have struggled at the box office. Only two of his films have made a substantial profit: Seven & The Social Network. Curious Case didnt make much, Zodiac & GWTDT both are in the red, we all know Fight Club bombed at the box office. Transformers 3 has made more money than all of Fincchers films combined.

Benjamin Button pulled $127 mil domestic and $333 mil total worldwide. Now sure in what world that's considered struggling (even on a $150 mil budget + ads).

And be careful not to confuse "mainstream" with being "commercial." He is definitely in the mainstream. His releases are high profile, with lots of press and mostly big name actors. He's on the short list of directors who's name can potentially "sell" a film in certain markets, after the award success of BB and Social Network.

But just because he's mainstream doesn't make all of his films inherently commercial.

[BohemianGraham]

Sad news, Victor Spinetti, famous for several roles in the Beatles films, has passed away.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Sad news, Victor Spinetti, famous for several roles in the Beatles films, has passed away.

Sorry to hear that...I'll always rememeber him for his slowburn roles in "A Hard Days Night" and "Help!".

[stobbart]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Change of subject, but what are some of the lesser talked about releases people enjoy? People tend to focus on stuff that's really well known, such as seven samurai or the game, yet there are a lot of titles people don't seem to talk about or overlook. Some of mine are:

Senso
Letter Never Sent
The Organiser
Three Outlaw Samurai

Oh man, too many.

Port of Shadows
Gate of Flesh
Forbidden Games
Jigoku
La Ronde
Still Walking
Secret Sunshine
The Phantom of Liberty
Coup de Torchon
Loves of A Blonde

and probably my favorite CC title "When A Woman Ascends The Stairs"

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by retablo

Benjamin Button pulled $127 mil domestic and $333 mil total worldwide. Now sure in what world that's considered struggling (even on a $150 mil budget + ads).

And be careful not to confuse "mainstream" with being "commercial." He is definitely in the mainstream. His releases are high profile, with lots of press and mostly big name actors. He's on the short list of directors who's name can potentially "sell" a film in certain markets, after the award success of BB and Social Network.

But just because he's mainstream doesn't make all of his films inherently commercial.

I assume Curious Case didn't make much of a profit because Dragon Tattoo was made for 90 million and made 232 million Ww and still was I the red.

Does anyone know how much they lost on Zodiac when you factor in advertising.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Too many of my "favorites" are not on Blu-ray so I would not expect people to talk about them very much

In The Mood For Love
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Les Vancances De Monsieur Hulot

You can't go wrong with Wong Kar Wai, Peter Weir and Tati. Criterions release of Playtime is a treasure.

[svecaj]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Change of subject, but what are some of the lesser talked about releases people enjoy? People tend to focus on stuff that's really well known, such as seven samurai or the game, yet there are a lot of titles people don't seem to talk about or overlook. Some of mine are:

Senso
Letter Never Sent
The Organiser
Three Outlaw Samurai

3 Women
Still Walking
Sweet Smell of Success
Vivre sa vie
Walkabout
Yi yi

Only on DVD:
The Last Wave
Z
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Le deuxième souffle
Vampyr
Bad Timing
Straw Dogs
Ratcatcher
The Shop on Main Street
Blood for Dracula

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by DarkRyder

I'm a little more than halfway done with my journey through Godard's work. I was curious as to know what other directors people would recommend on this forum?

I was thinking: Scorsese, Fassbender, Welles, Bunuel, Lynch, Coens, PT/W Anderson

Any other thoughts? I was also thinking of some South American directors.

Thanks!

Some of those (Scorsese, Welles, Bunuel, Lynch, the Coens and both Andersons) are among my favorites as well.

Others I would recommend include (titles that are underlined have a BD and/or DVD release from Criterion)...
—Vittorio De Sica (esp. Bicycle Theives and Umberto D.)
—Stanley Kubrick (esp. Paths of Glory; Spartacus; Dr Strangelove; 2001: A Space Odyssey; A Clockwork Orange; Barry Lyndon; The Shining; and Full Metal Jacket)
—Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (esp. The Red Shoes)
—David Cronenberg (esp. Videodrome; The Fly; Crash (1996); A History of Violence; and Eastern Promises)
—David Fincher (esp. Fight Club; Se7en; The Game; Zodiac; and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011))
—Peter Weir (esp. The Last Wave; The Truman Show; Master and Commander; and The Way Back)
—Nicholas Roeg (esp. Walkabout and The Man Who Fell to Earth)
—Akira Kurosawa (esp. Stray Dog; Ikiru; Seven Samurai; Rashomon; Kagemusha; Ran; and Dreams)
—Roman Polanski (esp. Knife in the Water; Repulsion; Rosemary's Baby; Chinatown; The Tenant; Tess; The Pianist; The Ghost Writer; and Carnage)
—Bernardo Bertolucci (esp. Before the Revolution; Last Tango in Paris; Luna; The Last Emperor; The Sheltering Sky; and The Dreamers)
—Sidney Lumet (esp. 12 Angry Men; The Pawnbroker; Fail-Safe; Serpico; Dog Day Afternoon; Network; Prince of the City; The Verdict; Daniel; Running on Empty; Family Business; Q & A; Night Falls on Manhattan; Find Me Guilty; and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)
—Masaki Kobayashi (esp. The Human Condition trilogy and Harakiri)
—Nagisa Ôshima (esp. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence)
—Seijun Suzuki (esp. Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill)
—Jean Cocteau (esp. Beauty and the Beast (1946) and Orpheus (1950))
—John Ford (esp. Stagecoach; The Grapes of Wrath; How Green Was My Valley; The Searchers; and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)
—Robert Altman (esp. McCabe & Mrs. Miller; Thieves Like Us; Nashville; 3 Women; The Player; Short Cuts and Gosford Park)
—Nicholas Ray (esp. Rebel without a Cause and Bigger than Life)
—Steven Soderbergh (esp. Sex, Lies and Videotape, Erin Brokovich; Ocean's Eleven (2001); Che; The Informant!; and Contagion)
—Hal Ashby (esp. The Landlord; Harold and Maude; Shampoo; Bound for Glory; Coming Home; and Being There)

...just for starters.

Enjoy.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by Freeza

Solaris

The lack of discussion on this one boggles my mind too. I have always seen it, and this is likely inaccurate, as the Soviet Union's response to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

The lack of discussion on this one boggles my mind too. I have always seen it, and this is likely inaccurate, as the Soviet Union's response to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Actually, I saw it this weekend and posted my thoughts a few pages back . Here are them:

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

Just finished Solaris for the first time and I LOVED it . This is one of those films were I felt speechless at the end, but not because of the obvious reasons. The film left me that way because of how incredibly beautiful and unexplicable it was. I knew before-hand that the film was slow but I really have to disagree here with those who call it slow simply because it takes some time. The whole 3 hours passed me by FAST! It was never boring, dull or uneventful like some people describe it. Really, more than a simple film it is poetry to the senses. One of my favorite CC titles now, we are close to the next sale and so I really recommend everyone to give it a try if not a blind buy.

Also, and this is really as a side-note. The menu is by far the best one I have seen from Criterion. In a word: Beautiful.

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

Something I forgot to mention (Probably because I wrote that minutes after finishing) is how incredible the film is, even when you are not seeing it. I am still thinking about it right now and something I like is just how human and sad the whole story feels. There are so many important scenes but there is one I enjoyed the most. Spoiler tags for those who have not seen the film yet :

[Show spoiler]The Snaut's party scene was heartbreaking for me, and there is a very specific moment of pure power, when Hari starts crying and tells Sartorius and Snaut how Kris was the most human of them. Then she starts explaining he behaves humanly under inhuman circumstances and how they act towards her in such a mechanical and scientific way. This scene was sad in a way few scenes I have seen are. It was the most human moment in the film.

Also, I thought Bach's Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ worked amazingly here. The piece is beautiful and complements the visuals in an almost haunting way.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by stobbart

... and probably my favorite CC title When A Woman Ascends The Stairs

I have been wanting this title for quite some time now . Sadly, I have never seen Naruse (Completely unavailable in my country) but this particular release caught my attention a few months ago. Don't know if it is going to get an upgrade but thanks a lot for remainding me about it . There are so many titles, I can hardly keep the pace.