The Criterion Collection

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I watched Amelie (or tried to) ages ago. My feelings about Audrey Tautou are similar to the way I felt about the lead actress in The Cranes Are Flying only magnified like 5 times. "look at me. I'm so cute! oui, oui!" can't stand her.

The role was actually written for Emily Watson, but she turned down as she couldn't speak french and I liked Audrey Tautou, I liked the innocence and cuteness

[Scarface32]

I wish Bicycle Thieves was on Blu-ray, instead of just DVD.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by belcherman

If you want to amuse yourself for a few hours, somebody named Jack has a great blog picking apart what he considers Ebert's worst reviews. The guy is a big Ebert fan, but he's not afraid to call his hero to task if he thinks Roger whiffed on one. Agree with him or not, but he makes an intelligent case for his opinions, as did Roger.

RIP, Roger. You are already missed.

glanced through a few of those and at the master list on the right of the page. I, personally, can exclude a handful because Ebert was right. Gladiator, The Fighter, The Usual Suspects... underwhelming, generic as heck, and unnecessarily confusing, respectively

oh.. and Dead Man, too. I know some people love it. It is pretty awful.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by belcherman

If you want to amuse yourself for a few hours, somebody named Jack has a great blog picking apart what he considers Ebert's worst reviews. The guy is a big Ebert fan, but he's not afraid to call his hero to task if he thinks Roger whiffed on one. Agree with him or not, but he makes an intelligent case for his opinions, as did Roger.

RIP, Roger. You are already missed.

He kind of altered his stance on The Master by putting it alongside the ten best films of that year.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

glanced through a few of those and at the master list on the right of the page. I, personally, can exclude a handful because Ebert was right. Gladiator, The Fighter, The Usual Suspects... underwhelming, generic as heck, and unnecessarily confusing, respectively

oh.. and Dead Man, too. I know some people love it. It is pretty awful.

Yeah, for most of the reviews I side with Roger over Jack, but that's the great thing about opinions, everybody gets one, maybe more. That's also what was great about Siskel and Ebert At the Movies, the give and take. I learned more about the movie when they disagreed than when they agreed. As for the movies you mentioned, I side with Roger on The Fighter and Gladiator, I think Roger was too harsh on The Usual Suspects (it wasn't a masterpiece but it was well-made and entertaining), and I haven't seen Dead Man. The one movie that I think Roger really whiffed on was Raising Arizona, one of the funniest movies of the 80's.

"Her womb was a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase."

What's not to love?

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Loosely along these subject lines, I'd love for Criterion to release Ringu (1998).

My favorite Japanese horror movie is Pulse (Kairu) from 2001, but Ringu is probably a more likely title for Criterion.

I don't see much written about Kuroneko around here. I bought it during the July sale and watched it about a week ago. I loved the atmosphere (which is typical of several Japanese ghost stories I've seen), and the story was very good. There were some amazing shots.

[Scottie]

Good news ladies and gentleman - Ride in the Whirlwind is as good as Monte Hellman's other 1966 western, The Shooting.

In the film, three cowboys (Nicholson, Mitchell, Filer) unknowingly stop for the night at the hideout of a gang of outlaws led by Blind Dick (Stanton) while on their way to Waco, Texas. They are greeted the following morning by a lynching party who mistake them for the criminals. It is now up to the cowboys to find shelter in the middle of nowhere or face their untimely deaths.

In similar style to The Shooting, Ride in the Whirlwind is a western but not in the traditional sense. The set designs certainly resemble such a time period, but the narrative is quite different.

---

I am really surprised by how much I enjoyed these two westerns. This is no doubt going to be a great release by The Criterion Collection, as the restoration can only be an improvement. This year has been great for westerns, especially from this studio. First Red River was released towards the beginning of the year and now My Darling Clementine and The Monte Hellman westerns will be released in the latter portion.

I can't recommend this release enough.

[jlk5844]

I'm going to pretend I am not reading about the dumping on Gladiator.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

I don't see much written about Kuroneko around here. I bought it during the July sale and watched it about a week ago. I loved the atmosphere (which is typical of several Japanese ghost stories I've seen), and the story was very good. There were some amazing shots.

Watched the MoC bluray already several times. Good movie indeed !
Just liked onibaba slightly more.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I watched Amelie (or tried to) ages ago. My feelings about Audrey Tautou are similar to the way I felt about the lead actress in The Cranes Are Flying only magnified like 5 times. "look at me. I'm so cute! oui, oui!" can't stand her.

Audrey Tautou is awful.

Tatyana Samoylova is magnificent.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

I don't see much written about Kuroneko around here. I bought it during the July sale and watched it about a week ago. I loved the atmosphere (which is typical of several Japanese ghost stories I've seen), and the story was very good. There were some amazing shots.

Ive been dying to see it and really want to, recently bought bluray but I'm scared to watch - not cause its a ghost film but because parts of the trailer do look a tad cringey lol

Im probably making a big deal of it but yeah I'm just scared I will be disappointed, which si stupid cause I have this feeling a lot and end up loving the film haha!

I will watch soon!!!! - scratch that, I will watch tomorrow !

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Tatyana Samoylova is magnificent.

Yes she is! I only wish the two titles with her from Criterion had some extras. I'd like to know more about her.

[LPMA]

Anyone has any idea why Amazon is raising the prices back on the BB sale titles? Tie Me Up, Love Streams and Mama Tambien have all gone up. Isn't the sale until the 30th?

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by LPMA

Anyone has any idea why Amazon is raising the prices back on the BB sale titles? Tie Me Up, Love Streams and Mama Tambien have all gone up. Isn't the sale until the 30th?

There's a criterion sale thread in the deals section.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by DionJits

Unless you're going to get hung up on the word "facet," I disagree that film criticism is as important as films themselves.

If critics didn't exist, films still would; it films didn't exits, neither would their critics.

Oh man.

I could go on, but like I said, just look at the The French New Wave. Without actual cticicsm, we wouldn't have film at all.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by blu-bry

I don't see much written about Kuroneko around here. I bought it during the July sale and watched it about a week ago. I loved the atmosphere (which is typical of several Japanese ghost stories I've seen), and the story was very good. There were some amazing shots.

Kuroneko is a visually impressive horror film with a solidly creepy storyline. I used to own the Criterion DVD before selling it off last year to make room for my growing Blu-ray collection. It's one of the last of my Criterion DVDs that has not yet been upgraded, and I might get around to that in November when the next big sale hits.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kuroneko is a visually impressive horror film with a solidly creepy storyline. I used to own the Criterion DVD before selling it off last year to make room for my growing Blu-ray collection. It's one of the last of my Criterion DVDs that has not yet been upgraded, and I might get around to that in November when the next big sale hits.

I'll have to check it out on Hulu. I've only seen Kwaidan and Hausu, as far as Japanese horror goes, from Criterion.

[nondiatonic]

The more von Trier I watch, the more I am interested in watching Salo again. I'm also interested in blind buying Trilogy of Life. So, in order to make my blind buying decision a more educated one I watched Mamma Roma on Hulu a few weeks ago.

This one was a little difficult for me. I really loved many of the scenes. There are two gorgeous shots of Mamma Roma walking toward the camera as the camera recedes away from her at her walking pace. Behind Mamma Roma it is pitch black except for the floating points of light of the street lamps. However, I felt like a lot of the metaphors went over my head.

This review does a pretty good job of examining some of the decision choices and peaks my interest in watching the movie again.

What are everyone's thoughts on this one? Still unsure about the Trilogy of Life blind buy.

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kuroneko is a visually impressive horror film with a solidly creepy storyline. I used to own the Criterion DVD before selling it off last year to make room for my growing Blu-ray collection. It's one of the last of my Criterion DVDs that has not yet been upgraded, and I might get around to that in November when the next big sale hits.

The relationship between the farmers and the Samurai in Kuroneko reminded me immediately of that same relationship in Seven Samurai. Very interesting how the same mutual mistrust and even hatred fuel both stories.
Kuroneko also made me want to go back and watch Ugetsu (I have the Criterion DVD). I wouldn't mind an upgrade of that one either.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Oh man.

I could go on, but like I said, just look at the The French New Wave. Without actual cticicsm, we wouldn't have film at all.

I always wondered, when does a New Wave become an Old Wave