The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Is there any chance of Sunrise and City Girl coming via Criterion or should I go ahead and import?

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Is there any chance of Sunrise and City Girl coming via Criterion or should I go ahead and import?

Even if Criterion does release them some day, there isn't much they could do to improve the releases, so it is safe to import them. There are occasionally sales where you can get them cheap directly from the company, which is what I did. I think they came out to about $13 each, if memory serves.

[Blu-Velvet]

Here's my list of some favorite Criterion releases, in chronological order, limited to Blu-ray only...

THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE
THE GOLD RUSH
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
DESIGN FOR LIVING
THE LADY VANISHES
THE FOUR FEATHERS
STAGECOACH
David Lean / Noel Coward set, esp. THIS HAPPY BREED and IN WHICH WE SERVE
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
THE SEVENTH SEAL
BLACK ORPHEUS
YOJIMBO / SANJURO
CHARADE
8 1/2
WALKABOUT
America Lost & Found: BBS Collection, esp. THE LAST PICTURE SHOW and FIVE EASY PIECES
PARIS, TEXAS
WINGS OF DESIRE
MYSTERY TRAIN
CRONOS
TOPSY-TURVY
EVERLASTING MOMENTS

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Even if Criterion does release them some day, there isn't much they could do to improve the releases, so it is safe to import them. There are occasionally sales where you can get them cheap directly from the company, which is what I did. I think they came out to about $13 each, if memory serves.

And they are region free, correct?

I'd like to buy them both right now, but it appears that it ends up being ~$53

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by iScottie

And they are region free, correct?

I'd like to buy them both right now, but it appears that it ends up being ~$53

Yes, Eureka's SUNRISE and CITY GIRL are both region-free and are both must-owns. I prefer CITY GIRL overall, but SUNRISE is a more influential key work of cinema (as well as the film that shared the very first "Best Picture" Oscar with WINGS before they combined them into one award).

Several, but not all, of Eureka's Masters of Cinema titles are region-free. Another excellent region-free Blu-ray in their collection is TOKYO SONATA (2008) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

[brandon_260]

Just watched Pina. Absolutely gorgeous film. Its 103 minutes just flew by, feeling like it was under an hour. The dance sequences throughout are completely mesmerizing, due mostly in part to the eccentric choreography and commitment from the players. I really enjoyed the performance pieces that took place outside of the theater, those moments added more depth to the film, especially when the film takes advantage of the juxtaposition between the beauty of the dance and some less than desirable locations (the big one being the industrial looking street).

Next Criterion on the docket will be Crumb. Not sure if it'll be that or Magnolia that I watch next though.

On a less pleasant not, amazon.ca decided to skip out on their Criterion pre-order pricing (27.99, 20.49 for bare bones releases). Guess I won't be picking those up until a flash sale or until B&N's next sale.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Is there any chance of Sunrise and City Girl coming via Criterion or should I go ahead and import?

Go with the imports. Sunrise's transfer is incredible.

[Scottie]

Do you guys mind suggesting some films that I should own that I already don't or do not have on my wish list yet? I prefer if they would be Region A or Region Free.

I would really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

Yes, Eureka's SUNRISE and CITY GIRL are both region-free and are both must-owns. I prefer CITY GIRL overall, but SUNRISE is a more influential key work of cinema (as well as the film that shared the very first "Best Picture" Oscar with WINGS before they combined them into one award).

Several, but not all, of Eureka's Masters of Cinema titles are region-free. Another excellent region-free Blu-ray in their collection is TOKYO SONATA (2008) by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Thank you for the other suggestion. I think I'm only going to go with these two for now, though

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Go with the imports. Sunrise's transfer is incredible.

Will do!

[Sukuri]

Originally Posted by Noetic Hatter

Thanks for the Heads-up on the Frys.com sale. Here's the banner from their homepage:



Looks like it's Buy One get One at Half Price, good through March 18.

So I took a gander at this. I dunno if there is some code you're suppose to enter or if all the titles I've picked aren't eligible, but nothing went half off.

Not that it matters though, they want 80 bucks to ship 4 films. (lolololololol!!!)

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Just watched Pina. Absolutely gorgeous film. Its 103 minutes just flew by, feeling like it was under an hour. The dance sequences throughout are completely mesmerizing, due mostly in part to the eccentric choreography and commitment from the players. I really enjoyed the performance pieces that took place outside of the theater, those moments added more depth to the film, especially when the film takes advantage of the juxtaposition between the beauty of the dance and some less than desirable locations (the big one being the industrial looking street).

I really want to see this... I don't want to wait that long, so I'm contemplating watching it on netflix, despite my usually preferring to wait for blu-ray quality. Nice to see that pretty much every reaction I've seen on this thread has been a positive one.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Sukuri

So I took a gander at this. I dunno if there is some code you're suppose to enter or if all the titles I've picked aren't eligible, but nothing went half off.

Not that it matters though, they want 80 bucks to ship 4 films. (lolololololol!!!)

Yeah, the prices aren't very good. The selection is limited, plus some of the releases are marked as in-store only...so it's pretty ridiculous.

[*PREACHER*]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just watched Lonesome.

What an absolutely fantastic film. I can't believe how fun of a film that was and how sophisticated it was for its time.

It's so nice to see how life was back then - from the work, the area, the costs, etc.

I can't recommend it highly enough. I had only seen one other silent film before this one, Modern Times, but I actually enjoyed this one a lot better.

Ahh!

I thoroughly enjoyed Lonesome as well, trust me you'll love Sunrise and City Girl too...even my wife, whom is not a fan of silents actually enjoyed them both. Might I recommend another silent...The Phantom Carriage...worth a peak!

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by *PREACHER*

I thoroughly enjoyed Lonesome as well, trust me you'll love Sunrise and City Girl too...even my wife, whom is not a fan of silents actually enjoyed them both. Might I recommend another silent...The Phantom Carriage...worth a peak!

I too like Lonesome, but would rate The Phantom Carriage much higher as well--that's probably my favorite of the silent titles they've released. (and of course I'd recommend Sunrise as well)

[octagon]

People on Sunday

Carry on.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by octagon

People on Sunday

Carry on.

Yes! Lonesome and People on Sunday were among my top 5 CC of 2012 and 2011 respectively.

[octagon]

I had Lonesome in my hands (did I just write a country song?) at least twice last November and went with something else each time.

I'll definitely be addressing that in the coming months though.

I'm getting close to breaking down on City Girl too.

I've known since high school that silent films were more than twirling canes, dropped frames and 'meanwhile back at the ranch' intertitles but I only recently started really appreciating them.

[Abdrewes]

A silent set everybody should own is The Buster Keaton Kino one. Snagging it for 135$ was a great deal.
I can't wait to finally see some of them in HD having only seen them on DVD and TCM HD.

[octagon]

I freaking love Buster Keaton. Dry, understated wit is hard enough to pull off under the best of circumstances. Doing it without saying a word is absolutely amazing to me.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just watched Lonesome.

What an absolutely fantastic film. I can't believe how fun of a film that was and how sophisticated it was for its time.

It's so nice to see how life was back then - from the work, the area, the costs, etc.

I can't recommend it highly enough. I had only seen one other silent film before this one, Modern Times, but I actually enjoyed this one a lot better.

Ahh!

In that case, People on Sunday should be on your list to watch if you already have it, and on your must buy list if you don't. One of the highlights of the Criterion Collection, in my opinion.

[mrjohnnyb]

I just finished watching Francesco Rosi's The Moment of Truth, which I purchased as a "blind buy." I am so thankful that I did. Rosi filmed real bullfights, and his use of a 300 mm lens gives the illusion of the audience sitting in the ring. At first, I thought that I might detest the on-screen violence, but Rosi really gives you an understanding of this cultural bloodsport. His filming agenda of not using a script and creating the story as he filmed reminded me of Jean Vigo's L'Atalante. Filled with big chunks of "cinema verite," this film comes highly recommended.