The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by UNCMT9

How would one describe this movie? It was voted #1 on a list of Criterions to pick up at the B&N sale. Is it worth a blind buy?

It's definitely an experience.

You need to watch it with an open mind and not expect to understand it going in.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Barnes & Noble 40% off sale, eh?

I'm liking the idea of taking a break from purchases to enjoy going through my set of The Twilight Zone, since that box set pretty much ate up my Blu-ray budget for the month. I might stop by a store soon, though.

That 40% off sale has the potential to make your wallet cry

[Beta Man]

Looks like Half.com has some "Band of Outsiders" BDs for $14 shipped, if anyone is in need.


EDIT:

"Used, Like New"

sorry, should point that out.

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Excellent movie. A few other notable Anthony Mann westerns: The Naked Spur, Man from Laramie & Man of the West.

Plus Bend of the River and The Far Country

The Naked Spur is one of my most wanted blu-ray releases

[Scottie]

Medium Cool has arrived

As much as I want to dig immediately into this, I have a date with some Aliens

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Medium Cool has arrived

As much as I want to dig immediately into this, I have a date with some Aliens

I prefer the first film, Ridley Scott's Alien, but Aliens is still pretty awesome. I own the first two films on stand-alone Blu-rays, because they are the only two Alien films that matter, in my opinion.

The Blu-rays for both films are outstanding, with Ridley Scott's Alien looking the best.
Aliens has been given one of the oddest transfer treatments of any film that I've seen in the Blu-ray format, because the grain has been removed entirely, but no DNR scrubbing is evident. It's an awesome-looking Blu-ray, but part of me would like to have seen the original grain look of the film preserved. This is nitpicking, though, and the movie looks better than I've ever see it before (and, since I'm old, I remember seeing it at the theater on the weekend of release).

My favorite character in Aliens, by far, is Hudson, played by Bill Paxton. He is certainly one of the most quotable characters in cinema history.

Let us know your thoughts.

And, since this is a blatant derailment from Criterion topics, I should mention that I'm intrigued to see Medium Cool. I'm not really feeling the need to rush out and buy anything right now, but this one is a possibility for a Memorial Day Weekend purchase.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by buffetfroid

Plus Bend of the River and The Far Country

The Naked Spur is one of my most wanted blu-ray releases

I will make it an effort to see those too.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by buffetfroid

Plus Bend of the River and The Far Country

The Naked Spur is one of my most wanted blu-ray releases

Bend of the River is a hidden gem. Arthur Kennedy is a thief two times over. He steals the goods and the film. Great performance. He's another one of those terrific actors who kinda slip under the radar. I could same the same about Millard Mitchell who teams up with Stewart in Winchester '73 and The Naked Spur. Gotta love the supporting actors in that era.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I really love Kim Novak. I don't even think she's a good actress, so maybe it's more of a nostalgia thing, but I've always really liked her roles. They rarely disappointed me.

Speaking of Jimmy Stewart and Novak if anyone missed it I highly recommend Twilight Time's Bell, Book and Candle. Also stars Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lanchester. Its sad a film like this can't sell out its 3000 copy run. Very delightful film.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

[Show spoiler]I prefer the first film, Ridley Scott's Alien, but Aliens is still pretty awesome. I own the first two films on stand-alone Blu-rays, because they are the only two Alien films that matter, in my opinion.

The Blu-rays for both films are outstanding, with Ridley Scott's Alien looking the best.
Aliens has been given one of the oddest transfer treatments of any film that I've seen in the Blu-ray format, because the grain has been removed entirely, but no DNR scrubbing is evident. It's an awesome-looking Blu-ray, but part of me would like to have seen the original grain look of the film preserved. This is nitpicking, though, and the movie looks better than I've ever see it before (and, since I'm old, I remember seeing it at the theater on the weekend of release).

My favorite character in Aliens, by far, is Hudson, played by Bill Paxton. He is certainly one of the most quotable characters in cinema history.

Let us know your thoughts.

And, since this is a blatant derailment from Criterion topics, I should mention that I'm intrigued to see Medium Cool. I'm not really feeling the need to rush out and buy anything right now, but this one is a possibility for a Memorial Day Weekend purchase.

I watched Alien yesterday and I found it enjoyable. It was the first time that I saw this film despite owning the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set for years and now the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set for months. It was definitely creepy, not because of the actual alien, but because of such scenes as the birthing scene. Today I watched Aliens and I enjoyed it a lot more than Alien. It had a fantastic buildup for the first bit and it was very suspenseful. The latter portion was made up of survival and action / adventure. It was a very solid film. The only thing I didn't really like about it was how the Queen Alien was somehow intelligent and knew how to ride an elevator. I still don't understand how these people were colonized on the planet for twenty years and didn't even notice the gigantic spaceship just chilling there until right before Ripley and the crew went there. I still have 3 and 4 to watch, which I'll probably get through tomorrow (as both are short). Wasn't the first film released on a Criterion Laserdisc back in the day?

I really would like to do a triple feature of Julia's Eyes, Medium Cool, and Side Effects tonight. Two out of the three will be watched.

Originally Posted by Banned User

Speaking of Jimmy Stewart and Novak if anyone missed it I highly recommend Twilight Time's Bell, Book and Candle. Also stars Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lanchester. Its sad a film like this can't sell out its 3000 copy run. Very delightful film.

I just ordered that on Friday along with Experiment In Terror and Hard Times. Can't wait to get it in!

[KrugerIndustrial]

Just ordered a couple of Criterion's from B&N:

-Revanche
-Vivre sa vie

Can't wait to revisit Revanche. I remember enjoying it thoroughly. Godard is a blind buy.

Also, a bonus:

They Live

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I watched Alien yesterday and I found it enjoyable. It was the first time that I saw this film despite owning the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set for years and now the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set for months. It was definitely creepy, not because of the actual alien, but because of such scenes as the birthing scene. Today I watched Aliens and I enjoyed it a lot more than Alien. It had a fantastic buildup for the first bit and it was very suspenseful. The latter portion was made up of survival and action / adventure. It was a very solid film. The only thing I didn't really like about it was how the Queen Alien was somehow intelligent and knew how to ride an elevator. I still don't understand how these people were colonized on the planet for twenty years and didn't even notice the gigantic spaceship just chilling there until right before Ripley and the crew went there. I still have 3 and 4 to watch, which I'll probably get through tomorrow (as both are short). Wasn't the first film released on a Criterion Laserdisc back in the day?

I checked, but I did not see a Criterion Laserdisc edition. I may be wrong, though. Or Wikipedia may be wrong, I should say.

Ridley Scott's Alien was the first R-rated film that I had ever seen. I watched it on HBO way back in 1982 when I was ten years old, and the experience left a lifelong dent in my psyche in a good way, in that I was not outright scared, but simply marveling at how it was possible for so many cool things to happen in a movie. I had a toy edition of the adult incarnation of the Alien that I had been given for Christmas a couple years before, but that was the only thing that I knew about the movie going into it, and my first viewing of Alien was entirely spoiler-free. Most people these days do not have the opportunity to watch Alien without any awareness whatsoever about the events in the film.

Most people seem to prefer James Cameron's Aliens, but Ridley Scott's Alien will always be the greatest movie by far in my eyes. It's such a tightly effective horror film in its original 1979 theatrical version (My advice is to avoid the subsequent Director's Cut, which underplays the luxuriously insidious pacing of the original theatrical version.).

I think that James Cameron's Aliens is an amazing film, but I am also irritated by the events in the film. Ridley Scott's Alien gave us the horrifying visage of this lone Alien that has acid for blood and is seemingly invulnerable to the extent that it kills off an entire crew that is unable to fight it. I've always hated the fact that James Cameron's Aliens features a sequence early in the film with hundreds of such Aliens being effortlessly blown to pieces by pulse rifles. This sequence in Aliens cheapens the immense horror of the first film, and I've never been able to get past that.
Aliens is a great film on its own terms, but it also set an unfortunate precedent where every subsequent sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien has made that initial classic film just a little bit weaker.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I checked, but I did not see a Criterion Laserdisc edition. I may be wrong, though. Or Wikipedia may be wrong, I should say.

Ridley Scott's Alien was the first R-rated film that I had ever seen. I watched it on HBO way back in 1982 when I was ten years old, and the experience left a lifelong dent in my psyche in a good way, in that I was not outright scared, but simply marveling at how it was possible for so many cool things to happen in a movie. I had a toy edition of the adult incarnation of the Alien that I had been given for Christmas a couple years before, but that was the only thing that I knew about the movie going into it, and my first viewing of Alien was entirely spoiler-free. Most people these days do not have the opportunity to watch Alien without any awareness whatsoever about the events in the film.

Most people seem to prefer James Cameron's Aliens, but Ridley Scott's Alien will always be the greatest movie by far in my eyes. It's such a tightly effective horror film in its original 1979 theatrical version (My advice is to avoid the subsequent Director's Cut, which underplays the luxuriously insidious pacing of the original theatrical version.).

I think that James Cameron's Aliens is an amazing film, but I am also irritated by the events in the film. Ridley Scott's Alien gave us the horrifying visage of this lone Alien that has acid for blood and is seemingly invulnerable to the extent that it kills off an entire crew that is unable to fight it. I've always hated the fact that James Cameron's Aliens features a sequence early in the film with hundreds of such Aliens being effortlessly blown to pieces by pulse rifles. This sequence in Aliens cheapens the immense horror of the first film, and I've never been able to get past that.
Aliens is a great film on its own terms, but it also set an unfortunate precedent where every subsequent sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien has made that initial classic film just a little bit weaker.

I completely agree with you, Owl. It's the what you don't see that makes it scary.

[Abdrewes]

Agreed on Alien. A great atmospheric horror film retains its effectiveness longer than a nonstop action fest.

To turn it back to CC, what about a release of 1492? That's the only film I haven't seen by Ridley Scott and I'm pretty curious to see it, especially considering it was a box office bomb.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

Just ordered a couple of Criterion's from B&N:

-Revanche
-Vivre sa vie

Can't wait to revisit Revanche. I remember enjoying it thoroughly. Godard is a blind buy.

I was thinking of letting this sale pass me by while I continue to enjoy The Twilight Zone set, but I may just have to go out and upgrade my old Revanche DVD. You got me thinking about it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I was thinking of letting this sale pass me by while I continue to enjoy The Twilight Zone set, but I may just have to go out and upgrade my old Revanche DVD. You got me thinking about it.

The B&N sale is only about 6 or 7 weeks away, so it's the right move to wait.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

The B&N sale is only about 6 or 7 weeks away, so it's the right move to wait.

That's what I'm thinking. I'll play it by ear this weekend to see how much disposable cash I have on hand, but June will be here soon.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

[Show spoiler]I checked, but I did not see a Criterion Laserdisc edition. I may be wrong, though. Or Wikipedia may be wrong, I should say.

Ridley Scott's Alien was the first R-rated film that I had ever seen. I watched it on HBO way back in 1982 when I was ten years old, and the experience left a lifelong dent in my psyche in a good way, in that I was not outright scared, but simply marveling at how it was possible for so many cool things to happen in a movie. I had a toy edition of the adult incarnation of the Alien that I had been given for Christmas a couple years before, but that was the only thing that I knew about the movie going into it, and my first viewing of Alien was entirely spoiler-free. Most people these days do not have the opportunity to watch Alien without any awareness whatsoever about the events in the film.

Most people seem to prefer James Cameron's Aliens, but Ridley Scott's Alien will always be the greatest movie by far in my eyes. It's such a tightly effective horror film in its original 1979 theatrical version (My advice is to avoid the subsequent Director's Cut, which underplays the luxuriously insidious pacing of the original theatrical version.).

I think that James Cameron's Aliens is an amazing film, but I am also irritated by the events in the film. Ridley Scott's Alien gave us the horrifying visage of this lone Alien that has acid for blood and is seemingly invulnerable to the extent that it kills off an entire crew that is unable to fight it. I've always hated the fact that James Cameron's Aliens features a sequence early in the film with hundreds of such Aliens being effortlessly blown to pieces by pulse rifles. This sequence in Aliens cheapens the immense horror of the first film, and I've never been able to get past that.
Aliens is a great film on its own terms, but it also set an unfortunate precedent where every subsequent sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien has made that initial classic film just a little bit weaker.

I was fortunate enough to not be spoiled by Alien. I wasn't expecting what transpired. I did watch both the Director's Cut (Alien) and Special Edition (Aliens) instead of the Theatrical edition.

The first thing I noticed when watching Aliens was, "since when can these things die?"

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

The B&N sale is only about 6 or 7 weeks away, so it's the right move to wait.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

That's what I'm thinking. I'll play it by ear this weekend to see how much disposable cash I have on hand, but June will be here soon.

That is certainly true if you reside in the US. I only ordered 2 Criterion's, so the extra $6 I'd save doesn't really make the 6 or 7 week wait worth it to me.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I was thinking of letting this sale pass me by while I continue to enjoy The Twilight Zone set, but I may just have to go out and upgrade my old Revanche DVD. You got me thinking about it.

Sorry.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I was fortunate enough to not be spoiled by Alien. I wasn't expecting what transpired. I did watch both the Director's Cut (Alien) and Special Edition (Aliens) instead of the Theatrical edition.

The 1979 Theatrical Version of Ridley Scott's Alien is the ultimate version to see.
By contrast, the Director's Cut of James Cameron's Aliens is the ultimate version to see of that film.

Carrying this back to Criterion somewhat, I was thinking back to when I rented the throwaway science fiction film, In Time, last year, and enjoyed the look of Amanda Seyfried's character. I never could put my finger on why, but I realized it today...

[HyperRealist]

Is the Arrow version of Blow Out better than the Criterion?