The Criterion Collection

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by jw007

I can see how this all ties together now though. Watching it in sequence was fantastic and I'm so glad I had this experience. After seeing the final episode in Season 1, I finally realized just how crazy this show is/was. And the suspense was held very nicely from episode to episode. I don't mind that the story went off different tangents in Season 2. It helped build up the characters and give the viewers more of a familiarity with them. 30 episodes was just perfect in fact. Lynch really delivered and it prob. was the best thing he ever made.

What I didn't like in Season 2 were the aimless subplots (Ben thinks he's a Civil War general, James goes on the road and gets involved with femme fatale)...they almost work as soap opera parody, but ultimately, they do little to advance the story or the characters. It all just feels like filler. Also, I didn't like the way they make Earle into a campy villain, when he had potential to be much more menacing. Though even during the lull, there's some fantastic stuff. Whenever Duchovny shows up, all is well.

Overall, it's one of my favorite series of all time, and I love Fire Walk With Me, as well. Many fans hated it, but I think it's pretty vital as a companion to the series, and ties up several things that would have been addressed in Season 3 had the show not been cancelled. And the shooting script (which includes a LOT that didn't make it to the final film) is even more interesting.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Dragun

Wasn't Dancer in the Dark shot on SD video? A Blu-Ray would certainly have lossless audio and better compression than the DVD, so it might be worth an upgrade.

Yah but then again, Breaking was transferred to VHS and enlarged to create grainy imagery, yet the Criterion release is stunning.

Im pretty sure the colours would pop on BLuray for Dancer, and yeah the sound could be brilliant

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My biggest reason for buying this Blu-ray set was to have the original theatrical version of Superman II, which is still my favorite superhero movie of all time.
The Richard Donner Cut is pretty cool, and I'll be revisiting it as well, but the original theatrical Superman II owns it.

I also like having both versions, theatrical and expanded, of Superman: The Movie. The Superman: The Movie discs include the above extras that you've mentioned.

Superman III and Superman IV are definitely nowhere in the same league as the first two, but the 1980s kid in me still loves owning them, and I chuckle every time I see them.

I don't hate Superman Returns outright, but it's my least favorite of the bunch, and I'd never own it if not for its inclusion on this complete set. The bottom line is that Christopher Reeve can be replaced as Superman, but Gene Hackman can never be replaced as Lex Luthor.

Merging this somewhat with Criterion topics, I love that Glenn Ford, who played the murderous Ben Wade in 3:10 to Yuma, also played Clark Kent's father in Superman: The Movie. It's also great that another classic western/classic film noir figure, Phyllis Thaxter, played Clark Kent's mother. I'd like to think that Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter had a blast appearing together in those Superman scenes.

If you've never seen it you should check out Season 1 of The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves and Phyllis Coates as the best Lois Lane of them all. Season 1 was a combination noir/superhero themed show aimed more at adult viewers than kids. That would all change the next season when the sponsor wanted a more child-friendly show and the villains started to morph from menacing to comical. Worse was the fact that Coates was replaced by Noel Neill whos Lois was definitely more passive.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

My first deliver from Deep Discount has just arrived.

Posted 18 April
Delivered to Quebec 30 April

8 business days ain't too shabby for me.

Let's have a look inside and see how they look

Mine was posted the same day and only two two days longer to get to Perth, Australia! Amazing! I haven't ordered from them in a few years because they were getting so slow. Looks like I might have to add them back into the rotation!

I got:

HIDDEN FORTRESS
PERSONA
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
THRONE OF BLOOD
JULES & JIM

And, not Criterion:

THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON
THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR
CLOAK & DAGGER
THE STRANGER
THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

Every one of them a blind buy.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Coen

Watched Dancer In The Dark last night and was completely blown away. Just an amazing film. I can't stop thinking about it - unreal performance by Bjork. The only other LVT film I've seen was Dogville, which I liked a lot. I know that Criterion has Antichrist and Breaking The Waves on BD, which leads me to my question. Which other LVT films would you recommend for someone who has a bit of a weak stomach and cannot handle things like blood, needles, bodily functions, etc?

Dancer In The Dark is a good film. I wasn't a big fan initially, but after reading up on it, I'm now a mini-fan. I have the Japan Blu-ray so I'm going to give it another whirl in the near future.

Breaking The Waves is probably my favorite by him. It's a story about dedication, self sacrifice, and martyrdom and it's brilliantly filmed. Criterion's release of it is awesome!

Melancholia is probably his next accessible one. As a whole it's not very sci-fiish, nor is it graphic. It is a rather interesting look at two somewhat estranged sisters who find their way back to one another amidst this pending disaster (I haven't seen it in so long, but I think I'm right on the assessment).

Antichrist is the one you want to avoid if you're not big on graphic. It's pretty brutal and surreal at times, but if you tell yourself that it's just a film, you should be fine. I really like it. It's very haunting.

I haven't seen any other ones by him. Sorry!

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Mine was posted the same day and only two two days longer to get to Perth, Australia! Amazing! I haven't ordered from them in a few years because they were getting so slow. Looks like I might have to add them back into the rotation!

I got:

HIDDEN FORTRESS
PERSONA
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
THRONE OF BLOOD
JULES & JIM

And, not Criterion:

THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON
THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR
CLOAK & DAGGER
THE STRANGER
THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

Every one of them a blind buy.

Wow, that is quick all the way to Oz

I have only seen 2 of those films - Persona and The Ghost & Mrs Muir, both worth the money.

I signed up to their emails so hopefully more coupons / discounts will be heading my way. When I use then with an already discounted Criterion they match B&N.

[demonknight]

It begins... Review Time.

The Royal Tenenbaums- 4/5
Wow. I went into this thinking I would either like it or hate it. I loved it. As of yesterday, it is my second favorite Anderson film, behind Life Aquatic.

Sid and Nancy- 2.5/5
I really thought I would love this one and... Gary Oldman was really good in it. Webb was so goddamn annoying in it that it often ruined my enjoyment of the film though. The first act was fantastic. That was it. That said, Cox's direction was beautiful.

[brandon_260]

With all the Von Trier talk today, I decided this was the best time to watch my copy of Breaking The Waves. It's truly a work of bittersweet beauty, as I've come to expect from LVT. There's not much more that can be said about Emily Watson's performance. It really is a landmark screen debut and absolutely anchors the whole film.

This is also one of the best looking LVT films, I think. The muted color palette works incredibly for the film, and the way that it allows certain things to burst with color (the red skirt, Watson's lip stick) is lovely. I especially love this shot:

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Mine was posted the same day and only two two days longer to get to Perth, Australia! Amazing! I haven't ordered from them in a few years because they were getting so slow. Looks like I might have to add them back into the rotation!

I got:

HIDDEN FORTRESS
PERSONA
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
THRONE OF BLOOD
JULES & JIM

And, not Criterion:

THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON
THE GHOST & MRS. MUIR
CLOAK & DAGGER
THE STRANGER
THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS

Every one of them a blind buy.

So you got your order in 10 days from the US to Australia? That's 3 days faster than my last orders coming from just a few hundred miles away in the next state.

That's really disheartening. (But awesome for you!)

[RojD]

Originally Posted by Coen

How sci-fi is Melancholia? It's one of my least favorite genres.

My read of the film is that Melancholia isn't sci-fi at all. Starting with the title, I take the whole movie as a poetic description of depression, clinical depression. It sounds like a cliche to say that depression makes you feel like the world is coming to an end, but you by god feel it in this film. And we all know where serious depression can lead. Watching the way people deal with Justine at the wedding made me squirm in recognition of the way I've often thought of/dealt with people I know who are depressed.

More than anything else I've read or heard, Melancholia helped me understand depression. The movie is technically brilliant, but I most liked the way it moved me and showed me something I hadn't realized before. In my (old school) book, that's what I look for in great art. An I think this is a great film.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I don't hate Superman Returns outright, but it's my least favorite of the bunch, and I'd never own it if not for its inclusion on this complete set. The bottom line is that Christopher Reeve can be replaced as Superman, but Gene Hackman can never be replaced as Lex Luthor.

I can't agree with that. I thought Kevin Spacey was one of the positive things about Returns. He played it just right: as the psychotic that Hackman's Luthor would've become after spending years in jail as someone's bïtch.

Even Smallville, for all its faults, had two terrific Luthors: Michael Rosenbaum as the younger Lex, and especially John Glover as his father Lionel, who was more in line with what you'd expect Lex to be.

The biggest problem I have with Returns is that structurally, it seems like a pale remake of the first Reeve movie.

[Meek12345]

TCMs Friday Night Spotlight for this month will focus on Australian cinema. Picnic at Hanging Rock, An Angel at My Table, and other Criterion titles will be shown throughout the month. Here's a link to the website:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/articl...an-Cinema.html

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

TCMs Friday Night Spotlight for this month will focus on Australian cinema. Picnic at Hanging Rock, An Angel at My Table, and other Criterion titles will be shown throughout the month. Here's a link to the website:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/articl...an-Cinema.html

Thanks for the link.

I've had The Last Wave and The Cars That Ate Paris set to record for a few days, but it's nice to see what's forthcoming!

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

TCMs Friday Night Spotlight for this month will focus on Australian cinema. Picnic at Hanging Rock, An Angel at My Table, and other Criterion titles will be shown throughout the month. Here's a link to the website:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/articl...an-Cinema.html

That film list represents many of the Australian films I have been begging for on Blu-ray for years. The Australian New Wave was one of the greatest periods in the history of film. I devoured Australian movies from this period when they began showing up on cable TV in the 1980s and later on VHS and DVD. Sadly Australian cinema is a gaping hole on Blu-ray, and I wish Criterion would make a big move to fill it. At least we get Picnic at Hanging Rock next month.

[BLUgrass]

Originally Posted by oildude

That film list represents many of the Australian films I have been begging for on Blu-ray for years. The Australian New Wave was one of the greatest periods in the history of film. I devoured Australian movies from this period when they began showing up on cable TV in the 1980s and later on VHS and DVD. Sadly Australian cinema is a gaping hole on Blu-ray, and I wish Criterion would make a big move to fill it. At least we get Picnic at Hanging Rock next month.

I have recently started getting into some Australian cinema. I love what I've seen. Might anyone recommend maybe a top 10 list of Australian films available on US blu ray? Dunno if they would make it onto the list, but I already have Sweetie and Rogue.

[RandyK]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

TCMs Friday Night Spotlight for this month will focus on Australian cinema. Picnic at Hanging Rock, An Angel at My Table, and other Criterion titles will be shown throughout the month. Here's a link to the website:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/articl...an-Cinema.html

Thanks for the link. Going to DVR Picnic at Hanging Rock.

[Tin Drum]

Wow. All of those are great films. Good to see my favorite director, Weir, being represented. But his inclusion was a no brainer

Gosh, I want the rest of his films especially The Year of a Living Dangerously on blu so bad.

[Meek12345]

I wish I had posted that TCM Spotlight link sooner because some members may have missed the chance to see Breaker Morant and Gallipoli tonight. Well, I'm glad I could help a little bit anyways.

Out of all of the Spotlight films listed I have only seen 4 (Gallipoli, Picnic at HR, Walkabout, and The Year of Living Dangerously). All four films greatly increased my interest in Australian Cinema.

I have only seen one film by Jane Campion (The Piano), so I'm looking forward to catching Sweetie and An Angel at My Table later this month. Hopefully, Criterion will be upgrading existing titles and adding more Australian films to their collection soon.

[oildude]

I recall reading somewhere a while back a rumor that Criterion might re-release the Australian New Wave classic Breaker Morant on Blu-ray (I believe they released it on laser disc). The Image Blu-ray, which I have (thankfully) is apparently out of print.

Director Bruce Beresford's powerful courtroom drama is one of the finest examples of Australian cinema, and stands right alongside 12 Angry Men, Paths of Glory, Anatomy of a Murder (all from Criterion), and a few others at the top of the genre. I would encourage every film fan to seek it out if they have never seen it. Breaker Morant is unique among courtroom dramas because it takes place in a military court/tribunal set during the Boer War (1899-1902), where the stakes are high as three Australian officers of an elite anti-guerilla cavalry force are placed on trial for murder and other crimes during the waning days of the conflict, a messy colonial war that the British want ended as cleanly and quickly as possible. The film touches on themes of the brutality of fighting irregular Boer commandos on the veldt, subduing a hostile population of mainly women and children whose men are all off in commandos, and the British Empire's attempts to confederate all of South Africa amid hopes for reconciliation. Along with a scathing indictment of a military command system that is willing to sacrifice a few Australian soldiers to the expediency of higher politics, there is a tremendous human element as each character is developed effectively on screen. It is Beresford's masterpiece and hopefully the rumor will come true and it will re-enter the Criterion Collection. A film this good should not be out of print.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Have you seen the film Fire Walk with Me yet?

Yes, a long, long time ago I did. It will be the next thing I watch now. Already getting Twin Peaks withdrawal, 1 day after I finished the series. Lol.

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

What I didn't like in Season 2 were the aimless subplots (Ben thinks he's a Civil War general, James goes on the road and gets involved with femme fatale)...they almost work as soap opera parody, but ultimately, they do little to advance the story or the characters. It all just feels like filler. Also, I didn't like the way they make Earle into a campy villain, when he had potential to be much more menacing. Though even during the lull, there's some fantastic stuff. Whenever Duchovny shows up, all is well.

Overall, it's one of my favorite series of all time, and I love Fire Walk With Me, as well. Many fans hated it, but I think it's pretty vital as a companion to the series, and ties up several things that would have been addressed in Season 3 had the show not been cancelled. And the shooting script (which includes a LOT that didn't make it to the final film) is even more interesting.

It's true, it does feel like a soap opera at times. But the comedy/campy humor only heightens the terror and horror in the show. Duchovny was funny but I really couldn't stand Billy Zane. How that guy became famous I have no idea but there's no redeeming quality in that guy's acting. I think its okay they stretched that season 2 with all that filler because it kept the viewer tuning in to another episode. I'm just glad any of these episodes were made. I'm going to have to find a Twin Peaks thread on this forum somewhere because I feel so guilty I'm just posting about this in the Criterion thread.