The Criterion Collection

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Yeah, my eyes started tearing up as soon as I saw IronWaffle's new avatar. The Pavlov Effect, indeed.

It has been a good two years since I watched it, but it's heavily on my mind lately. It even came up when I was talking with another writer two weeks ago. I really want to see it again soon, but keep finding excuses not to watch it.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

(iphone) At first I thought it was the baby from Eraserhead or an angry anthropomorphized whistle.

Great choices, any thoughts on the lot?

First off, having (by your encouragement) finally gotten around to Mulholland Drive and having (by rkish's encouragement) gotten around to Hulu+, I've added Eraserhead to my queue. Long overdue.

The War Room was an interesting flashback. That was the first election I paid attention to. I'm a fan of Pennebaker and fly-on-the-wall, but I found it disengaging in this case. Probably has more to do with my years of being a newshound, but much of what's covered seems quaint. It did remind me it's time to re-watch Bob Roberts, though, so that's a very good thing.

The Vanishing was the only of these titles that wasn't quite what I expected. Once I settled into its rhythms I found it engaging. To appreciate the third act I had to roll back my mind to when this came out for the suspense and shock to be noticeable. If I watch it again it will be for character (I liked some of the performances an awful lot) and to pay more attention to how the three year time jump was handled.

Hidden Fortress was entertaining, but there were times I didn't feel it earned its long runtime. Yojimbo, on the other hand was a brisk and thoroughly fun watch. Rarely did my attention waver and when it did that was because I caught flourishes that have been paid homage to in the decades since. I am also curious what others make of the score, which felt more "contemporary" than I expected from this kind of film from the era. It didn't bother me; in fact, it amused me in a good way quite a bit. I could see myself buying this (or the set) eventually. In the meantime, I plan on checking the DVDs out from the library to hear the commentaries. I'll stream Sanjuro in a few days.

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by rkish

It took three viewings of "The Red Shoes" before I really appreciated it.

Originally Posted by Page14

I can see where a film like The Red Shoes can grow on a person. I'll be sure to watch it again ... I'm not sure when, but eventually.

That's weird. The Red Shoes always struck me as a movie that pretty much anyone with an interest outside Michael Bay would enjoy immediately. As long as you come 'round eventually, that's what really matters.

Originally Posted by dirtylemons

For me, it has more to do with the fact that in almost seven years, only two David Lynch films have been released in the States. Personally, I think the German and Australian 'Eraserhead' releases are great (though I'd still love to see the film receive the Criterion treatment), but every other Lynch film could do with considerable improvement, in my opinion (I've yet to get the Japanese release of 'The Straight Story', however).

+1 to this. The more David Lynch films available in the US on Blu-ray, the better.

[The Great Owl]

I just watched my Blu-ray of Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear.

First of all, I have seen this movie quite a few times via my old DVD copy, but I did not realize until recently that the main star, Yves Montand, also plays one of my all-time favorite characters, Jansen, in Melville's Le Cercle Rouge. I'm a big dumb animal for not noticing that before. Of course, the detail of the Blu-ray presentation shows the facial features so much better, and I knew it right off the bat this time around. Also, Montand's character in Le Cercle Rouge is more refined and cool, whereas he comes across as a slightly more rugged twin of Humphrey Bogart of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre in The Wages of Fear.



This 1953 French movie tells the story of four down-on-their-luck men hired to transport two trucks full of nitroglycerine across 300 miles of remote South American terrain so that the explosive can be used to put out an oil well fire. Knowing that the nitroglycerine can be set off by a mere bump in the road or by the sunlit heat of the day, these workers encounter both external and internal hazards as they get their minds around the enormity of the task on this apparent suicide mission.

The Wages of Fear may be an old-style black-and-white film, but it moves forward with more intensity and insane edge-of-your-seat suspense than the majority of newer action films today, and it's easy to spot its influence on movies like Speed (Keanu Reeves) and countless others. It's worth your while. I cannot imagine anybody disliking this movie, unless you just absolutely cannot stand reading subtitles. If you want to see a classic movie that will really freak you out, give this one a go. It's a nail-biting action movie where Clouzot's borderline-misanthropic twists might throw a casual viewer off, but a great time can be had on this roller coaster.

The Blu-ray presentation is spot-on with more clarity than I ever imagined with this feature. While I would not exactly call this the king of cerebral cinema that makes intellectual demands on the audience, one does benefit from attention to detail with the character's faces and subtle nuances, so the additional clarity is most welcome. A series of informative supplements about Clouzot's mark on cinema adds to the appeal.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

The Vanishing was the only of these titles that wasn't quite what I expected. Once I settled into its rhythms I found it engaging. To appreciate the third act I had to roll back my mind to when this came out for the suspense and shock to be noticeable. If I watch it again it will be for character (I liked some of the performances an awful lot) and to pay more attention to how the three year time jump was handled.

The Vanishing is one of the movies that lured me into the Criterion net for good many years ago.

I first saw The Vanishing on one of the late-night cable movie channels during my college days in the early 1990s, and was blown away. I bought an old Image Entertainment DVD of this movie and watched it for years, but double-dipped when I spotted the Criterion DVD edition with the cool cover art in a local store about six years back. It goes without saying that I will triple-dip with pleasure if I see this movie available anywhere on Blu-ray. It's one of my top ten Criterion titles.

Lemorne is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. So matter-of-fact and so...chilling.

[Show spoiler]The one scene that gets me every single time is when Saskia is unsure, but decides to get into Lemorne's car after seeing a photo of his children on the dash.

[Scottie]

I think I'll watch Pale Flower and The Wages Of Fear tomorrow.

I haven't watched one Criterion today. Withdrawal!

I've been watching my standard BDs that I haven't seen yet in order to determine if they should stay in my collection or not.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Lemorne is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. So matter-of-fact and so...chilling.

[Show spoiler]The one scene that gets me every single time is when Saskia is unsure, but decides to get into Lemorne's car after seeing a photo of his children on the dash.

[Show spoiler]Playfully rehearsing his chloroform moves with his own daughter is one of those things that crawls into your head and just refuses to crawl back out. At the time I thought 'whoa, okay, that's pretty creepy' but it took a little time for it to really sink in. And now it's one of the first images I flash to whenever somebody mentions the film.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

[Show spoiler]Playfully rehearsing his chloroform moves with his own daughter is one of those things that crawls into your head and just refuses to crawl back out. At the time I thought 'whoa, okay, that's pretty creepy' but it took a little time for it to really sink in. And now it's one of the first images I flash to whenever somebody mentions the film.

Agreed! It's one of those scenes that is so utterly wrong that it comes around full circle and it's almost right again. Crazy stuff, and it's so well-done in the film.

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Lemorne is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. So matter-of-fact and so...chilling.

[Show spoiler]The one scene that gets me every single time is when Saskia is unsure, but decides to get into Lemorne's car after seeing a photo of his children on the dash.

He really is superb. Tapatalk makes spoilering a real pain so I'm going to be generic.

Not only does he get away with some if the best villainous monologuing I can think of, but the way the actor delivers his narration over the wonderfully intercut flashbacks is marvelous. He came across to me as boastful yet introspective, cordial yet menacing, and these traits are playfully set-up as we witness his learning curve and the first rehearsal with his car door.

My only complaint is in some of the pacing, but I'd attribute that more to "user error." I forgot to shut off my expectation switch. You'd think by now I'd know better!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I haven't watched one Criterion today. Withdrawal!

I've been watching my standard BDs that I haven't seen yet in order to determine if they should stay in my collection or not.

I have 62 Blu-rays in my collection that are still unwatched. I've been catching up quite nicely. (I mean, I've already seen all these films before having owned most of them previously on DVD, but I still want to watch the Blu-rays as soon as possible...since that's basically why I bought them in the first place.)

The funny thing is that I've been watching most of the Criterion films and the older films right off the bat, because I love the way that older black-and-white films look on Blu-ray. As such, most of my still-unwatched movies are the big "crowd pleaser" movies from more recent decades (James Bond collection, the five Resident Evil movies, Poltergeist, Heat, etc.)

All of the movies in my collection are films that I intend to keep, so I'll probably just start over watching all of them again as soon as I catch up. And again and again and again.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have 62 Blu-rays in my collection that are still unwatched. I've been catching up quite nicely. (I mean, I've already seen all these films before having owned most of them previously on DVD, but I still want to watch the Blu-rays as soon as possible...since that's basically why I bought them in the first place.)

The funny thing is that I've been watching most of the Criterion films and the older films right off the bat, because I love the way that older black-and-white films look on Blu-ray. As such, most of my still-unwatched movies are the big "crowd pleaser" movies (James Bond collection, the five Resident Evil movies, Poltergeist, Heat, etc.)

Have you seen the unwatched Blu-rays before? Most of my films were blind buys.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Have you seen the unwatched Blu-rays before? Most of my films were blind buys.

Yes. So far, pretty much all of my Blu-ray purchases have been upgrades of well-loved favorite films that I previously owned on DVD, VHS, etc.
This is why my collection straddles an uncanny line between highbrow Criterion movies and cheesy sci-fi 1980s flicks from my youth.

There are only a handful of "blind-buys" in my collection so far...
Purple Noon - because it came out on Criterion when I bought my Blu-ray player, and I'm a big fan of the Alain Delon movies/French suspense movies.
Lawrence of Arabia - because I purposely waited until I had a Blu-ray player to watch this movie for the first time.
The Man Who Knew Too Much - I love the other Hitchcock Criterions, and this one was released after I started collecting Blu-rays.
Le Silence De La Mer - because I like all of the other Melville films that I've seen, and I jumped at the chance to grab this Blu-ray.
Les Miserables (1958) - because I'm currently enjoying the Victor Hugo novel, and because this Olive Films release is a Jean Gabin flick.
On the Waterfront - because I've always wanted to see this highly-acclaimed film.

All of the other films in my collection are movies that I loved at the theater and/or movies that I grew up watching over and over again.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Yes. So far, pretty much all of my Blu-ray purchases have been upgrades of well-loved favorite films that I previously owned on DVD, VHS, etc.
This is why my collection straddles an uncanny line between highbrow Criterion movies and cheesy sci-fi 1980s flicks from my youth.

There are only a handful of "blind-buys" in my collection so far...
Purple Noon - because it came out on Criterion when I bought my Blu-ray player, and I'm a big fan of the Alain Delon movies/French suspense movies.
Lawrence of Arabia - because I purposely waited until I had a Blu-ray player to watch this movie for the first time.
The Man Who Knew Too Much - I love the other Hitchcock Criterions, and this one was released after I started collecting Blu-rays.
Le Silence De La Mer - because I like all of the other Melville films that I've seen, and I jumped at the chance to grab this Blu-ray.
Les Miserables (1958) - because I'm currently enjoying the Victor Hugo novel, and because this Olive Films release is a Jean Gabin flick.
On the Waterfront - because I've always wanted to see this highly-acclaimed film.

All of the other films in my collection are movies that I loved at the theater and/or movies that I grew up watching over and over again.

Definitely a good system.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Page14

I can see where a film like The Red Shoes can grow on a person. I'll be sure to watch it again ... I'm not sure when, but eventually.

Originally Posted by metaridley

That's weird. The Red Shoes always struck me as a movie that pretty much anyone with an interest outside Michael Bay would enjoy immediately. As long as you come 'round eventually, that's what really matters.

I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't enjoy the film. I did! ... quite a bit!! But after reading rave after rave ... well, I probably shouldn't have gone into the film with any kind of expectations. That's a reason that I avoid reading reviews before seeing new movies in the theater. I'm usually better off when I see a movie without knowing too much about it ahead of time.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Very excited for next weekend to see Olympia Parts I and II at the Cleveland Cinematheque.

Now that's an upgrade I'd like to see in the collection!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Definitely a good system.

I will make an addendum post to admit that many of my future purchases will be "blind buys", now that most of my essential favorite movies are already in my collection.

My purchases have slowed down, but I'm now in that phase where I can enjoy exploring previously-unseen cinema that intrigues me by way of degrees of separation from well-loved films in my collection.

I have two orders coming in from Olive Films (Green in the Sun and Taxi for Tobruk) that are both blind buys, because these are French adventure films starring Lino Ventura, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and several others from the Melville Criterion flicks that I love so much, and because these movies looked to be right up my alley as far as my taste is concerned.

I'm also considering pulling the trigger on the Twlight Time release of Rapture in the next couple of weeks, because I'm intrigued by that one.

It'll be fun to delve into some previously-unseen films like these as finances and time allow.

I'm not the type to go out every Tuesday and blind-buy the entire new release section of Best Buy, though. Been there and done that years ago, and I always ended up selling most of those later on. No regrets, but I want to be more discriminating with my Blu-ray purchases.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm not the type to go out every Tuesday and blind-buy the entire new release section of Best Buy, though. Been there and done that years ago, and I always ended up selling most of those later on. No regrets, but I want to be more discriminating with my Blu-ray purchases.

Same. There are always a couple weeks where that does happen to me, but in the past, I would go to F.Y.E. almost every Tuesday and purchase EVERY single new release. It was insane and such a waste of money now that I think about it.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Same. There are always a couple weeks where that does happen to me, but in the past, I would go to F.Y.E. almost every Tuesday and purchase EVERY single new release. It was insane and such a waste of money now that I think about it.

Isn't FYE just about the worst place to do that?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Isn't FYE just about the worst place to do that?

Years ago (I'm saying about 6-8) it wasn't TOO bad, but it's gotten worse.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just watched my Blu-ray of Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear.

First of all, I have seen this movie quite a few times via my old DVD copy, but I did not realize until recently that the main star, Yves Montand, also plays one of my all-time favorite characters, Jansen, in Melville's Le Cercle Rouge. I'm a big dumb animal for not noticing that before. Of course, the detail of the Blu-ray presentation shows the facial features so much better, and I knew it right off the bat this time around. Also, Montand's character in Le Cercle Rouge is more refined and cool, whereas he comes across as a slightly more rugged twin of Humphrey Bogart of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre in The Wages of Fear.



This 1953 French movie tells the story of four down-on-their-luck men hired to transport two trucks full of nitroglycerine across 300 miles of remote South American terrain so that the explosive can be used to put out an oil well fire. Knowing that the nitroglycerine can be set off by a mere bump in the road or by the sunlit heat of the day, these workers encounter both external and internal hazards as they get their minds around the enormity of the task on this apparent suicide mission.

The Wages of Fear may be an old-style black-and-white film, but it moves forward with more intensity and insane edge-of-your-seat suspense than the majority of newer action films today, and it's easy to spot its influence on movies like Speed (Keanu Reeves) and countless others. It's worth your while. I cannot imagine anybody disliking this movie, unless you just absolutely cannot stand reading subtitles. If you want to see a classic movie that will really freak you out, give this one a go. It's a nail-biting action movie where Clouzot's borderline-misanthropic twists might throw a casual viewer off, but a great time can be had on this roller coaster.

The Blu-ray presentation is spot-on with more clarity than I ever imagined with this feature. While I would not exactly call this the king of cerebral cinema that makes intellectual demands on the audience, one does benefit from attention to detail with the character's faces and subtle nuances, so the additional clarity is most welcome. A series of informative supplements about Clouzot's mark on cinema adds to the appeal.

I love this movie. After reading an article saying that criterion will not release Sorcerer (1980s remake of Wages of Fear), I felt pretty disappointed. I hope the future blu ray will do justice to the amazing film score by Tangerine Dream. Phillipe Druillet was the set designer for The Sorcerer, another plus. No shark or jungle stopped Roy Scheider back in the 70s (RIP).

[Show spoiler]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aTrNtrIQVdo

[Antonmassacre1]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

I will definitely be going to Best Buy today to purchase Lawrence of Arabia for the all-time (so far) lowest price of $9.99. This is a film that I feel would be more than worthy of the Criterion treatment, however the reviews of the Sony version are outstanding.

The film received an amazing box with more extras than the majority of Criterion releases, you're just selecting option B.