The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Originally Posted by DenOfEarth

Rosemary's Baby is a big improvement over the Paramount DVD...

Very much so. The DVD wasn't really bad but there was a lot of room for improvement.

And I'm going to give Paramount the bulk of the kudos here. They did a really nice job with Chinatown too so while Criterion probably did some tweaking and cleaning I'm guessing they didn't have to do a lot.

[The Great Owl]

Speaking of desired Blu-ray upgrades, I would love to see a high definition transfer of this particular Criterion DVD...



Classe Tous Risques, directed by Claude Sautet, is an amazing 1960 French film that will appeal to fans of Melville. Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo are both outstanding in their roles, and this film cements my opinion of Lino Ventura as one of the toughest-looking actors in cinema history.

Classe Tous Risques reminds me a lot of another Criterion release, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, with its story about an elder criminal looking back on his life while continuing to maintain an intimidating countenance.

I might have to shake the dust off my Criterion DVD copy pretty soon. I love Classe Tous Risques, but I haven't revisited it in a couple of years.

[octagon]

Oh, one other thing about Martin Sheen/Badlands.

When he was running around in the woods and wading in the river I was actually a little taken aback when Satisfaction didn't come blaring out of my speakers.

And when he put the white hat on for the first time he looked so much like Charlie it was very distracting. In fact, it was almost disorienting.

It's funny how sometimes things nobody has any control over can so completely take you out of a film for a few moments.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

Oh, one other thing about Martin Sheen/Badlands.

When he was running around in the woods and wading in the river I was actually a little taken aback when Satisfaction didn't come blaring out of my speakers.

And when he put the white hat on for the first time he looked so much like Charlie it was very distracting. In fact, it was almost disorienting.

It's funny how sometimes things nobody has any control over can so completely take you out of a film for a few moments.

Thanks for your review of Badlands!

Did you ever see the 1986 movie, Wisdom, starring Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore? It's a fun popcorn spin on the Badlands/Bonnie and Clyde stories, and it's probably no coincidence that Martin Sheen's son is in the role.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I agree. In my mind, Peeping Tom was the more forward thinking film, especially in regards to what it has to say about Cinema and cinephilia especially. Truly sick stuff

Another one in the same vein as Peeping Tom is David Holzman's Diary.

Thanks for the recommendation. Peeping Tom is one of my favorite films that Criterion has released, and I really wish they still had the rights to it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Watched The Music Room and Blow Out of the weekend.

Due to our three month old baby, we have to watch all movies in a couple of sittings, which is unfortunate, but better than no movies :P

Anyway, I think it hurt our viewing of The Music Room a little bit, but luckily we had time to watch the interview with Satyajit Ray biographer Andrew Robinson when we finished, and it actually cemented how great the film was for us. Sort of compressed the film and reminded us of the early half.

Much more interested in the two upcoming Ray films now.

Blow Out was just incredible fun. And I couldn't believe the transfer. Probably the best 80s transfer I've seen on Blu Ray so far. Pretty much better than I thought it could look.

Yes, I love both of those films!

The Music Room is such a devastating experience. When all the pieces come together in the second half and the Dance scene arrived, I was utterly transfixed on the screen.

Blow Out is a personal favorite, and alongside Femme Fatale, Brian DePalma's finest film (in my eyes). The last time I saw it, I took down over two pages (front and back) of notes, mostly of what DePalma was doing visually. I hope to shape them into a review of sorts eventually.

The one flaw is James Caan's over the top performance (which is nonetheless enjoyable).

Have you seen The Conversation and Blow Up? Those two are very similar, especially how they deal with evidence (both aural and visual).

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Thanks for the recommendation. Peeping Tom is one of my favorite films that Criterion has released, and I really wish they still had the rights to it.

Kino's BluRay release is excellent. It also contains three additional films by Jim McBride.

Here's Ignatiy Voshnevetsky's brief reccomendation on Ebert Presents:
http://www.ebertpresents.com/movies/...ary/videos/219

[DenOfEarth]

I say Godzilla is one of the best transfers on a classic sci-fi/horror/monster film i've ever seen in my life even to a 50's movie, they finally managed to improved over the previous crappy blu-ray from Sony Wonder (which i'm glad i didn't bought but rented at Hastings) and i had the DVD previously but sold it. I'm happy it had both cuts included and extras abound.

Repo Man also did a fantastic banged up job with the picture and sound with quality extras too as it was unexpected. I always liked Repo Man since i was a kid and this was better looking than my Anchor Bay DVD.

Videodrome and Brazil never looked so good on high def especially Naked Lunch.

Now these 3 Peter Jackson movies (Meet The Feebles, Bad taste and Dead Alive) desperately needs the criterion blu-ray special edition treatment as they are beginning for blu-ray special editions with 2 that were never on blu-ray.



All need this company's magic plus with audio commentaries, documentaries including the original "Good Taste Gone Bad" from Anchor Bay's DVD, trailers, deleted scenes, Dead Alive complete with both US and Director's Cuts, outtakes reels and all that. Plus all 3 need high definition quality picture and sound to please videophiles and audiophiles like myself! Lionsgate's blu-ray to Dead Alive sucked badly with too much grain, soft appearance and washed out coloring like the DVD as it offered nothing new. Please Criterion save Dead Alive and give it a better blu-ray worth owning.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Blow Out is a personal favorite, and alongside Femme Fatale, Brian DePalma's finest film (in my eyes). The last time I saw it, I took down over two pages (front and back) of notes, mostly of what DePalma was doing visually. I hope to shape them into a review of sorts eventually.

The one flaw is James Caan's over the top performance (which is nonetheless enjoyable).

Have you seen The Conversation and Blow Up? Those two are very similar, especially how they deal with evidence (both aural and visual).

I haven't seen any of the above. My wife has seen Blow Up and mentioned it when we were watching the Blow Up. Gonna hunt it down.

Also, she has put in a request for me to buy Peeping Tom, which is a movie she loved.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I haven't seen any of the above. My wife has seen Blow Up and mentioned it when we were watching the Blow Up. Gonna hunt it down.

Also, she has put in a request for me to buy Peeping Tom, which is a movie she loved.

The Conversation is great, and can be picked up pretty cheap. As for Blow Up, I didn't really care for it, but I will be the first to admit I wasn't in the right mood for it and I need to revisit it.

[DenOfEarth]

Now that Dead Alive poster would make good artwork for a Criterion Special Edition blu-ray and DVD.

I think it's time Criterion should do some animation for once. Such as the 1988 adult animated sci-fi fantasy from France known as "LightYears aka Gandahar".



It could use a DVD and even better, blu-ray release from Criterion as this movie does have a cult following even by fans of animation and international animation like myself as it would be better than any bootleg DVD fans held on for years. This movie is one of the most requested movies for DVD ever and Criterion could talk to Miramax and the French studio who did this movie to have Rene Laloux's 1988 masterpiece hit high definition and make it look sharper than ever.

It could have both English dub and original French language in subtitles, excellent picture quality and extras like documentaries, commentary by animation historian and producers, trailers (US and French), still gallery and interviews.

Animation fans would die to have this one in their blu-ray collection.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Kino's BluRay release is excellent. It also contains three additional films by Jim McBride.

Here's Ignatiy Voshnevetsky's brief reccomendation on Ebert Presents:
http://www.ebertpresents.com/movies/...ary/videos/219

Cool. I just checked and the library here has it, so I will probably try to watch it in the next couple of weeks. The fact that films like this is one are available of the best parts of having access to a university library.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

Lately, I've been on a Jean Pierre-Melville spree. Many of you are in the same boat, I'm certain, as several of his Criterion titles recently went OOP. When these things happen, we're forced to buy, but delighted to watch...

I have to say that I also am in a major Melville film watching phase right now. I just finished watching Léon Morin, Priest and I was amazed at how simple and honest this film was. It truly is the "curveball" in the Jean-Pierre Melville filmography as there is nothing in the film involving gangsters or crime heists. I dedicated last week to watching Le Doulos and this was a very well acted film. Army of Shadows of course is one I bought a year or two ago on the Criterion edition and now for the very first time I am finally going to watch Le Cercle Rouge, which is the director's finest film by unanimous popular vote.

Thanks for quoting one of my favorite films, Heat, by the way. While studying in university for my "film studies" degree, I wrote a long essay on that film and how it relates to masculinity. Melville and Mann share one thing in common and that is the glorification of crime in masculinity. Though in real life I look down on gangsterism and thug life, I cannot help love films such as Heat, for its moral portrayal of good vs. evil. And even evil can sometimes be masked as good. Though Heat will probably never get a Criterion edition release (the BD of this now is solid and loaded with supplements), one could only wonder just how influential Melville's films was to Michael Mann.

[Spire]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Things to Come Blu-ray Review

I do like the grain better in the Network screencaps, but Ill have to go with Criterion simply because of a non region free player. Either way, watched it on Hulu a while ago, it was a GREAT movie

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Speaking of desired Blu-ray upgrades, I would love to see a high definition transfer of this particular Criterion DVD...



Classe Tous Risques, directed by Claude Sautet, is an amazing 1960 French film that will appeal to fans of Melville. Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo are both outstanding in their roles, and this film cements my opinion of Lino Ventura as one of the toughest-looking actors in cinema history.

Classe Tous Risques reminds me a lot of another Criterion release, Touchez Pas Au Grisbi, with its story about an elder criminal looking back on his life while continuing to maintain an intimidating countenance.

I might have to shake the dust off my Criterion DVD copy pretty soon. I love Classe Tous Risques, but I haven't revisited it in a couple of years.

I completely agree. I own the Criterion DVD too. Ventura and Belmondo are both great as usual. Though I also feel that the first half is stronger. But nevertheless this film is extremely underrated.

And speaking of desired Blu-ray upgrades..how about this?



I love it. Absolutely fantastic film.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

And speaking of desired Blu-ray upgrades..how about this?



I love it. Absolutely fantastic film.

I'm not sure how much more they can do except putting it in a blu case. The quality is spectacular as is. Could it be better? Possibly, but for a dvd release it is great.

Great film, too, with the wonderful Michel Piccoli.

[Sherlock_Jr]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

It's really quite amazing what Hitchcock pulled off in Psycho with the filming techniques at hand. When I was quite young, I asked my mother to name the scariest movie that she had ever seen. She told me that Psycho was the scariest movie that she had ever seen, because there was a scene in the movie where a woman was taking a shower, and someone pulled the shower curtain open and stabbed the woman in the eye. When I saw the movie for myself a few years later, I realized that Marion Crane was never stabbed in the eye, and, in fact, we never actually see the knife blade pierce her skin. Everyone who watches that shower scene perceives something different, though, and we all think that we've seen things that we did not actually see.

There actually IS one shot where the knife appears to pierce her skin (her stomach). But agreed otherwise

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

When I saw the movie for myself a few years later, I realized that Marion Crane was never stabbed in the eye, and, in fact, we never actually see the knife blade pierce her skin. Everyone who watches that shower scene perceives something different, though, and we all think that we've seen things that we did not actually see.

No stabbing in the eye but the eye does have a very unnerving sequence of it's own.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

No stabbing in the eye but the eye does have a very unnerving sequence of it's own.

Yes! It's great when the camera pans out like that.

Last night, I watched The Twilight Zone episode, "Mirror Image", starring Vera Miles. This, of course, got me to thinking about Psycho again.

[Swift1246]

I know Criterion sometimes loses the rights to a lot of films, but does anyone know of an instance where they have gotten than back?

I can't think of any examples. I would love to have The Killer, Hard Boiled, Silence of the Lambs, Ran and a few others that are now lost to other studios.