The Criterion Collection

[bluesilo]

Since we're picking our three favorites in the collection my three would have to be:

The Double Life of Veronique
In the Mood for Love
Seven Samurai

There's so many good films though it's tough trying to get it down to a number as small as that.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by wcrouse

They are very different. The first time I watched In the Mood for Love, I did so without realizing the title was ironic, not literal. The film is more about the price paid over infidelity (and for that matter, fidelity, now that I think of it), rather than romance and love. There's little of the whimsy found in 'Express', or the beat of pop culture in 'Angels'. Haven't see Happy Together yet, but In the Mood for Love is by far the most somber and thoughtful of Wong Kar-Wai's films I've watched. I have to say the more I see by this director the higher he rises in my estimation. Whatever the theme, he seems in complete control.

You may think otherwise once you see Happy Together. The main problem i had with In the mood for love (which is spellbinding nonetheless) is that I felt I had seen much of it prior in Happy Together. The superlative visual style/ narrative fuzziness intrigued the hell out of me when I saw Happy Together and kept me thinking for days. So, much of the effect In the Mood could have had was dulled by already having seen Happy Together.

The in the mood Blu ray is still a must have. I didn't think it was as mediocre a technical presentation as the review found.

[paul000]

Originally Posted by se7endeadly

If only the same could be said for...

Yourself?
That's what I was thinking too!
It's funny that instead of discussing anything with substance, the only people who responded to me did so by saying nothing! How fitting. Your username too. That's a bit hilarious! Thank you.

[easyblu]

My top 3:
Late Spring
Seven Samurai
The Double Life of Veronique

[*DrStrangelove*]

Just popped in to give my list.

Blu ray:

World on a Wire
Vivre sa Vie
Belle de Jour


DVD:

The Cranes are Flying
The Bad Sleep Well
The Marriage of Maria Braun (or the BRD Trilogy)

[se7endeadly]

Originally Posted by paul000

Yourself?
That's what I was thinking too!
It's funny that instead of discussing anything with substance, the only people who responded to me did so by saying nothing! How fitting. Your username too. That's a bit hilarious! Thank you.

Don't worry, paul000, I was just teasing. Thus the . Not currently delirious enough to seriously debate your blanket armchair criticisms of a successful film director. I'm glad you so enjoy my username on the blu-ray.com forum. I invested a lot of my personal creative energies in the selection of it, so it means a great deal to me that you enjoy it.

It's killing me seeing these sales since I'm utterly broke from gift shopping for others. Nonetheless, like a crack addict, I couldn't resist Rashomon and In The Mood For Love.

Purple Noon looks interesting, but I have not seen it, and I don't know what to do with Children of Paradise. I want it, bad, but the reviews...

[surfdude12]

Top 3 Criterions:

1. Playtime - blew me away. watched it for the first time 2 years ago. love the theme of how the industrial age has poisioned human interaction. more true today than ever. they could do a sequel with friends sitting in a living room and each staring at their Iphones.

2. Last Year at Marienbad - love the incredible cinematography and imagery , that puts you right there. I love how I keep taking the challenge to try and solve and unsolvable riddle. The woman's beauty, the mystery of not knowing what I'm seeing is real or imagined, the gorgeous landscape of the grounds....I may have to put it on tonight after writing this (always a sign you love a film)

3. Revanche - silent, quiet piece with character interactions I've never seen in a film. Once the chess pieces are set, the viewer fastens their seat belt for character development unlike many I've seen. Quiet, non-verbal dialogue is the power here. Who needs verbal dialogue when 90% of communication is non-verbal?

[Archedamian]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Top 3 Criterions:

1. Playtime - blew me away. watched it for the first time 2 years ago. love the theme of how the industrial age has poisioned human interaction. more true today than ever. they could do a sequel with friends sitting in a living room and each staring at their Iphones.

2. Last Year at Marienbad - love the incredible cinematography and imagery , that puts you right there. I love how I keep taking the challenge to try and solve and unsolvable riddle. The woman's beauty, the mystery of not knowing what I'm seeing is real or imagined, the gorgeous landscape of the grounds....I may have to put it on tonight after writing this (always a sign you love a film)

3. Revanche - silent, quiet piece with character interactions I've never seen in a film. Once the chess pieces are set, the viewer fastens their seat belt for character development unlike many I've seen. Quiet, non-verbal dialogue is the power here. Who needs verbal dialogue when 90% of communication is non-verbal?

I just loved Playtime as well. My favorite three would be Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and M.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Top 3 Criterions:

1. Playtime - blew me away. watched it for the first time 2 years ago. love the theme of how the industrial age has poisioned human interaction. more true today than ever. they could do a sequel with friends sitting in a living room and each staring at their Iphones.

2. Last Year at Marienbad - love the incredible cinematography and imagery , that puts you right there. I love how I keep taking the challenge to try and solve and unsolvable riddle. The woman's beauty, the mystery of not knowing what I'm seeing is real or imagined, the gorgeous landscape of the grounds....I may have to put it on tonight after writing this (always a sign you love a film)

3. Revanche - silent, quiet piece with character interactions I've never seen in a film. Once the chess pieces are set, the viewer fastens their seat belt for character development unlike many I've seen. Quiet, non-verbal dialogue is the power here. Who needs verbal dialogue when 90% of communication is non-verbal?

Love them all for much the same reasons surfdude12. But I'm always surprised by how few discussions or buy lists here include Revanche. Nice to see some well-deserved appreciation for one of the more undervalued titles in the collection.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Top 3 Criterions:

1. Playtime - blew me away. watched it for the first time 2 years ago. love the theme of how the industrial age has poisioned human interaction. more true today than ever. they could do a sequel with friends sitting in a living room and each staring at their Iphones.

2. Last Year at Marienbad - love the incredible cinematography and imagery , that puts you right there. I love how I keep taking the challenge to try and solve and unsolvable riddle. The woman's beauty, the mystery of not knowing what I'm seeing is real or imagined, the gorgeous landscape of the grounds....I may have to put it on tonight after writing this (always a sign you love a film)

3. Revanche - silent, quiet piece with character interactions I've never seen in a film. Once the chess pieces are set, the viewer fastens their seat belt for character development unlike many I've seen. Quiet, non-verbal dialogue is the power here. Who needs verbal dialogue when 90% of communication is non-verbal?

Just about perfect! Have you seen Red Desert yet? I could imagine someone liking it in the same way as Marienbad.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by se7endeadly

Don't worry, paul000, I was just teasing. Thus the . Not currently delirious enough to seriously debate your blanket armchair criticisms of a successful film director. I'm glad you so enjoy my username on the blu-ray.com forum. I invested a lot of my personal creative energies in the selection of it, so it means a great deal to me that you enjoy it.

It's killing me seeing these sales since I'm utterly broke from gift shopping for others. Nonetheless, like a crack addict, I couldn't resist Rashomon and In The Mood For Love.

Purple Noon looks interesting, but I have not seen it, and I don't know what to do with Children of Paradise. I want it, bad, but the reviews...

Even if it was an Echo Bridge release, it would be a must have.

[BohemianGraham]

Well since all the cool kids are doing it, I'm caving into peer pressure and listing my top 3 Criterion BDs:

Head (no shocker there, as it's my favourite film period)
The Leopard
Yojimbo

Also, John Cassavetes is fantastic. He manages to make me hate Guy Woodhouse even more than Ira Levin did. Of course, Ira Levin still makes the majority of his husband characters seem like total *******s. I'm debating as to whether Guy is worse than Walter Eberhart, or if they're both vile, selfish, scum of equal proportions. I think Walter may have the slight edge over Guy, because

[Show spoiler]he actually kills his wife and replaces her with a robot, whereas Guy only lets Satan rape his. At least Rosemary got to live.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Archedamian

I just loved Playtime as well. My favorite three would be Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and M.

Thanks, I loved Black Narcissus too! It was a close call between that and Revanche for #3. I read somewhere how the film was a metaphor of England's occupation of India (or some colonial power's occupation of some foreign country). So powerful because it even applies to human interactions: you can't change people unless they want to change.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Love them all for much the same reasons surfdude12. But I'm always surprised by how few discussions or buy lists here include Revanche. Nice to see some well-deserved appreciation for one of the more undervalued titles in the collection.

Thanks, yes I love Revanche - I think its the one of the few films I literally watched twice back-to-back after my first viewing. You know a film connects with you well when you do that

What were your top 3?

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Just about perfect! Have you seen Red Desert yet? I could imagine someone liking it in the same way as Marienbad.

Yes, I did see Red Desert, and just read my old review from 2010:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=6113

I liked it, but it didn't resonate with me as much as Playtime or Marienbad.

I just blind bought Solaris. Have never seen it. It seems like it has hints of 2001 and Marienbad, two of my favorites. Should be right up my alley. Did you like it? What were your top 3?

I also got Days of Heaven, and will give it another go, with the perspective you provided along with Higgy23. Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Yes, I did see Red Desert, and just read my old review from 2010:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=6113

I liked it, but it didn't resonate with me as much as Playtime or Marienbad.

I just blind bought Solaris. Have never seen it. It seems like it has hints of 2001 and Marienbad, two of my favorites. Should be right up my alley. Did you like it? What were your top 3?

I also got Days of Heaven, and will give it another go, with the perspective you provided along with Higgy23. Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes!

Loved Solaris. I may be an extreme example, but it resonated so much that I was in tears. A meaningful exploration of the human condition and the mysteries of existence. A great film. Many find it slow, but I find that only gives time to dwell on powerful themes and take them to heart.

My top three were Red Desert, last Year at Marienbad and a tie between Thin Red Line and Solaris (hell it's Sophie's Choice choosing only 3)

No pressure in loving Days of Heaven. I wasn't to taken with Amarcord initially but it hasn't left my mind in the last two years and I feel the necessity to revisit it. The fact that Marienbad, Playtime and Revanche are your top three means you've got great taste.

[jw007]

It's very hard to narrow down my top 3 Criterion films, since I have 30 favorites. I guess I can say that these 3 films are just part of my 30 favorite ones and it doesn't mean they are at the top of my list, but part of my favorites list. Is that fair? Good.

BD:
1. Naked
2. The Thin Red Line
3. Playtime

DVD:
1. Slacker
2. The Last Temptation of Christ
3. Fishing With John

[brandon_260]

Pretty new to the Criterion game, but my three favorites I own are:

La promesse
House
Hunger

Very excited about The Kid with a Bike getting the treatment in February. It would be nice to get the complete Dardenne filmography in the collection.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jw007

It's very hard to narrow down my top 3 Criterion films, since I have 30 favorites. I guess I can say that these 3 films are just part of my 30 favorite ones and it doesn't mean they are at the top of my list, but part of my favorites list. Is that fair? Good.

BD:
1. Naked
2. The Thin Red Line
3. Playtime

DVD:
1. Slacker
2. The Last Temptation of Christ
3. Fishing With John

You do know TLTOC is on BD, right?

[Archedamian]

Pandora's Box is a favorite of mine on DVD. Wondering when this film will ever see a blu ray treatement.