The Criterion Collection

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Talking about regret...Overlord. What a boring...just plain dull film. Half stock/documentary footage (and not very interesting clips at all) and the other half is a "story" about a young man who joins the British forces during WW2.

The extensive use of documentary footage just does not blend into the movie, both aspects never merge into one cohesive story. Even the tale about the young man is atrocious, who can care when there's no development at all? Just this one dull guy doing something then ten minutes of random WW2 reel.

Terrible movie...1h 23min of my life that I will never get back, never mind the $22 I paid for this thing . Yeah, just stick some random footage into a story and it will make a movie.

Interesting. I just posted about this movie a few days ago. I actually thought the editing of both the archival footage and studio footage was pretty good. But I agree that this isn't exactly a very compelling story. The acting also isn't so good either (a lot of "under-acting" occurs). I still was amazed at the panjandrum wheel and some of those amazing shots of real 35mm war footage.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I watched Amarcord on Hulu Plus last night and I'd forgotten how absurdly funny (and sad) it was. Once again I've got the Niño Rota score stuck in my head. This always happens when I see one of his Fellini films, it becomes ingrained in the brain! Thanks to this viewing this has gone on the list for the upcoming sale. I only have the ancient Criterion dvd with no extras and it will be my first Fellini on Blu (not that there's much to choose from....hint, HINT!! Criterion). Great film.

Amarcord is my second favorite Fellini film right behind La Dolce Vita.

I agree with everything you said. It is both a rather funny, yet depressing film. It touches on a lot of difficult issues, such as communism, but the way Fellini pulls it off is what makes the movie.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

This insightful article was probably posted before but if it wasn't:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwir...le-just-say-no

Ahem. What do you think about that?

Pro-streaming propaganda

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by iScottie

For what it's worth, it made me cry.

It's a really hard-hitting film that practically forces you to reflect upon your life.

Those are some of the most meaningful films.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Amarcord is my second favorite Fellini film right behind La Dolce Vita.

I would say my two favorites would be Juliet of the Spirits and La Strada both of which would be great upgrades to blu-ray IMO.

I'm hoping to get both Amarcord and The Great Beauty in the upcoming sale. I think they would make an interesting double feature.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I would say my two favorites would be Juliet of the Spirits and La Strada both of which would be great upgrades to blu-ray IMO.

I'm hoping to get both Amarcord and The Great Beauty in the upcoming sale. I think they would make an interesting double feature.

The two Fellini films you listed are great. By the way, if you haven't seen The Great Beauty yet, you are in for a treat. It's the best film of 2013 by a long shot and it's very similar to Fellini's style.

Going back to your two favorite Fellini films, I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of La Strada as everybody else is. The entire film left me really cold and reserved. A lot of this has to do with me feeling as if the character of Gelsomina was treated way too cruelly. Maybe that was the point, though. I'm not sure.

[Danchez]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The two Fellini films you listed are great. By the way, if you haven't seen The Great Beauty yet, you are in for a treat. It's the best film of 2013 by a long shot and it's very similar to Fellini's style.

I absolutely loved The Great Beauty and picked up Amarcord last year during the B&N sale, so I guess I know what I'm watching tonight.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Danchez

I absolutely loved The Great Beauty and picked up Amarcord last year during the B&N sale, so I guess I know what I'm watching tonight.

You really can't go wrong with either of them.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I watched Amarcord on Hulu Plus last night and I'd forgotten how absurdly funny (and sad) it was. Once again I've got the Niño Rota score stuck in my head. This always happens when I see one of his Fellini films, it becomes ingrained in the brain! Thanks to this viewing this has gone on the list for the upcoming sale. I only have the ancient Criterion dvd with no extras and it will be my first Fellini on Blu (not that there's much to choose from....hint, HINT!! Criterion). Great film.

You have a great taste in films if you like Fellini.

Amarcord is a semi-autobiographical film (which you can say about any of his masterpieces). Fellini was the master of imagery and whimsical scenes. There are two genres that he tackled: neo-realism and surreal-like.

His neo-realist masterpieces are La Strada and Nights of Cabiria starring his wife. 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita fall in his later surrealistic films (a transition to his more late whimsical films). I also hope criterion will release some more films by Fellini.

You also have a great taste in music (that's a given if you like Fellini's films), Giovanni "Nino" Rota is a musical genius.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The two Fellini films you listed are great. By the way, if you haven't seen The Great Beauty yet, you are in for a treat. It's the best film of 2013 by a long shot and it's very similar to Fellini's style.

Going back to your two favorite Fellini films, I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of La Strada as everybody else is. The entire film left me really cold and reserved. A lot of this has to do with me feeling as if the character of Gelsomina was treated way too cruelly. Maybe that was the point, though. I'm not sure.

I watched The Great Beauty on Hulu and loved it. As I was watching it I kept noticing the Fellini influence and that made it even more enjoyable.

[Show spoiler]Gelsomina is badly treated by Zampano in La Strada but won't/can't leave him even with multiple offers by others to take her in. Why? Is it loyalty, fear, the fact that she was sold to him so she's his property? I don't know but it's something that's seen all the time in domestic violence cases. It's a simple question but there's no simple answer. I don't know what Zampano is feeling at the end. A haunting film.

[jw007]

I just finished watching Steve McQueen's Shame for the first time. I actually liked this film more than Hunger. Wow, Shame puts all other movies on this subject to shame. It's a powerful story on something so common today. The acting was outstanding and I was very moved overall.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by jw007

I just finished watching Steve McQueen's Shame for the first time. I actually liked this film more than Hunger. Wow, Shame puts all other movies on this subject to shame. It's a powerful story on something so common today. The acting was outstanding and I was very moved overall.

Shame is a terrific film! Everything you said is spot on.

[dtyner92]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Just saw Videodrome for the first time today. Wow awesome movie! Great Criterion release great PQ and special features. The movie Felt current and not dated at all. Besides the fly this was the first older Cronenberg film I've seen. Can't wait to see the brood and scanners and rabid now.

Criterion put out Cronenberg's Dead Ringers, a number of years ago on dvd. It has since gone out of print, put if you happen to stumble across it, get it! Any other copy of the film will suffice though.

[dtyner92]

Originally Posted by jw007

I just finished watching Steve McQueen's Shame for the first time. I actually liked this film more than Hunger. Wow, Shame puts all other movies on this subject to shame. It's a powerful story on something so common today. The acting was outstanding and I was very moved overall.

Definitely Michael Fassbender's best performance. Which is really saying something because I think he is a very fine actor. How he didn't win best actor, is beyond me.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

I just finished watching Steve McQueen's Shame for the first time. I actually liked this film more than Hunger. Wow, Shame puts all other movies on this subject to shame. It's a powerful story on something so common today. The acting was outstanding and I was very moved overall.

My only complaint with shame was it felt a bit safe :/

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Trace17

So I know these Criterion releases have a second film on them:

Blow-Out / Murder a la Mod
Close-Up / The Traveler
Certified Copy / The Report

Any others like this?

Scanners :-)

Oooh Scanners has just shipped :Pictures incoming in 3 - 5 days

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I watched Amarcord on Hulu Plus last night and I'd forgotten how absurdly funny (and sad) it was. Once again I've got the Niño Rota score stuck in my head. This always happens when I see one of his Fellini films, it becomes ingrained in the brain! Thanks to this viewing this has gone on the list for the upcoming sale. I only have the ancient Criterion dvd with no extras and it will be my first Fellini on Blu (not that there's much to choose from....hint, HINT!! Criterion). Great film.

"I Want A Woman" !

EPIC line

[lemonski]

I just finished watching Sundays and Cybele. What a fantastic film, I was completely gobsmacked by it. If you liked Rapture, there's no way you're not going to love this, it's WONDERFUL.

What a pain it comes out a month before the November sale.

[GentleGiant]

What do you guys think of Il Sorpasso? I watched this film last night and loved every second of it.

[smoss469]

I've been clearing off the Tivo of TCM recordings and working my way through my stack of movies on my desk, included in those efforts were 2 Criterion Titles.

1) Blow-Up - I hated this movie, every bit of potential that it had to be great was flushed down the drain. In a 2 hour movie, the first hour was spent on the main character, David Hemmings. Somehow Antonioni managed to waste 1 hour of "character development" time and the result was still 1 dimensional character. As a matter of fact, I don't think any characters had any depth to them. The film got a little interesting when it got into the meat of the plot but that's also where it really fell apart.

[Show spoiler]It seemed very lazy to have the plot basically be, "A man you don't know and never know is shot by someone you don't know and never know, the only conflict is with a 1 dimensional women who again you don't know and still don't at the end. It's possible to make a fantastic movie without a true antagonist (See A Man Escaped) but this one failed royally.

Overall a huge disappointment, thankfully I didn't buy this one. I VASTLY preferred the spiritual remake Blow Out in every single way.

2) Classe Tous Risques - I have a decent stockpile of Lino Ventura movies (Greed in the Sun, Army of Shadows or The Great Spy Chase being my favorites). While this movie wasn't as good as those, it was still enjoyable. I really felt for him in the first part of the movie.

[Show spoiler]No friends, no home, no wife, on the run with 2 kids and no actual resources.

As much as I hated Breathless, I really enjoyed the way Jean-Paul Belmondo handled the role of Eric Stark, so cool, calm and collected. I thought the film ended quite abruptly though

[Show spoiler]and I wish the last of his friends, Riton, had gotten his comeuppance as well, but at least he got a few of them!