The Criterion Collection

[PowellPressburger]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I wish that Criterion would release every single film on my request list in one single month, and then start off with a clean slate of fresh surprises each month after that.

I just wish we could get more than 1-2 Blu Upgrades a month.. I mean latley they just aren't upgrading much at all. I say 4 upgrades a month and 4 new titles a month. I'd be thrilled. :-)

[Wooden Lens]

If I was them I'd be hesitant too.

With all of these outside companies (Gaumont, Studio Canal, etc.) doing new restoration work on many of these titles that they've had in their collections it's probably safer for them to wait for a definitive restoration instead of getting stuck with something that's less than great (Children of Paradise (objectively) be damned)!

[Snicket]

Announcement day is always so exciting!

I have no guesses or predictions, I just want some great films!

[Nailwraps]

I'm hopin' Scanners!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Snicket

Announcement day is always so exciting!

I have no guesses or predictions, I just want some great films!

Hope this month is as good as last month

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I haven't seen any of his films yet, but as soon as I finish House of Cards and The Last of Us, I'll be sitting down to watch a lot of my films, especially Criterion.

I have Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, In The Mood For Love, and (now) My Blueberry Nights.

How are As Tears Go By and Ashes of Time?

I recently watched/rewatched most of his films. As a big fan, I'm gonna write up a brief report.

As Tears Go By is probably the most conventional of his movies. Basically a typically cliched Hong Kong gangster movie done in the vein of Mean Streets. Not bad but fairly mediocre. Starring Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung.

Days of Being Wild was his breakthrough and like most of his films deals with themes of longing, desire, and heartbreak. This one is set in 1960s Hong Kong and follows a group of young lovers. One of his best in my opinion. This was his first teaming with Christopher Doyle, with whom he'd develop his visual style. With a cast of HK's biggest stars including Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Jackie Cheung, and an appearance by Tony Leung who would later become Wong Kar-wai's favorite leading man (and quite understandably at that).

Chungking Express follows suit and is also rather great. It's split into two stories, each following a different police officer and his heartbreaks and longings. Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro & Brigitte Lin and Tony Leung & Faye Wong.

Ashes of Time grafts those same thematic tropes onto a wuxia film. I liked it and found it moving, but it feels somewhat disjointed compared to his better films. The martial arts scenes are shot in Wong's/Doyle's typically impressionistic style so it may not be a satisfying wuxia film in that regard. Another one to feature an all-star cast including Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Jackie Cheung, with appearances by Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau.

Fallen Angels is pretty to look at but this one feels rather hollow. It's essentially a retread of Chungking Express with unlikeable characters and an uninteresting story. Starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Michelle Reis.

Happy Together is a return to form and another one of his finest, focusing on on a moving if unconventional love story between two men in Argentina. Starring Tony Leung, Leslie Cheung, and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

In the Mood for Love, in my opinion, is his finest film. In no small part due to the story's focus and the terrific performances by its leads Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. It's a beautiful film that takes Wong's themes of longing and heartbreak to new heights. This one is set in 1960s Hong Kong and is a loose sequel to Days of Being Wild with the leads reprising their roles.

2046 is great as well. It's a loose sequel to In the Mood for Love, following Tony Leung's character and how that film's events have changed him. It also includes some sci-fi elements. Supporting cast includes Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Carina Lau (reprising her character from Days of Being Wild), Faye Wong, with an appearance by Maggie Cheung.

My Blueberry Nights is Wong's first English language film. Personally, I liked it but it once again retreads those same themes found throughout Wong's films and doesn't really add anything new. Starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, David Straithern, and Rachel Weisz.

The Grandmaster is fine, but unfocused. Ultimately, it's neither a satisfying biopic of its subject, Ip Man (Tony Leung), nor a satisfying love story. Zhang Ziyi is rather strong in it though.

I would recommend watching the Days of Being Wild/In the Mood for Love/2046 cycle in order and also Chungking Express and Happy Together. If you like them all, seek out the others. I'd probably rank 'em thusly:

1. In the Mood for love
2. Happy Together
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Chungking Express
5. 2046
6. Ashes of Time Redux
7. The Grandmaster
8. My Blueberry Nights
9. As Tears Go By
10. Fallen Angels

[Abdrewes]

^^^
2 descriptions for Fallen Angels?

[bdmartin134]

Non Criterion related, just Scorsese's new trailer if anyone's interested.
Happy Announcement Day

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A&feature=player_embedded

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

^^^
2 descriptions for Fallen Angels?

For some reason, I often confuse the titles of As Tears Go By and Fallen Angels.

[santasangria]

Wolf of Wall St looks amazing

[dirtylemons]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

Non Criterion related, just Scorsese's new trailer if anyone's interested.
Happy Announcement Day

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?...layer_embedded

Personally, that trailer would worry me if it was almost anyone other than Scorsese directing.

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by dirtylemons

Personally, that trailer would worry me if it was almost anyone other than Scorsese directing.

Wall Streetfellas.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by Rizor

I recently watched/rewatched most of his films. As a big fan, I'm gonna write up a brief report.

[Show spoiler]
As Tears Go By is probably the most conventional of his movies. Basically a typically cliched Hong Kong gangster movie done in the vein of Mean Streets. Not bad but fairly mediocre. Starring Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung.

Days of Being Wild was his breakthrough and like most of his films deals with themes of longing, desire, and heartbreak. This one is set in 1960s Hong Kong and follows a group of young lovers. One of his best in my opinion. This was his first teaming with Christopher Doyle, with whom he'd develop his visual style. With a cast of HK's biggest stars including Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Jackie Cheung, and an appearance by Tony Leung who would later become Wong Kar-wai's favorite leading man (and quite understandably at that).

Chungking Express follows suit and is also rather great. It's split into two stories, each following a different police officer and his heartbreaks and longings. Starring Takeshi Kaneshiro & Brigitte Lin and Tony Leung & Faye Wong.

Ashes of Time grafts those same thematic tropes onto a wuxia film. I liked it and found it moving, but it feels somewhat disjointed compared to his better films. The martial arts scenes are shot in Wong's/Doyle's typically impressionistic style so it may not be a satisfying wuxia film in that regard. Another one to feature an all-star cast including Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Jackie Cheung, with appearances by Maggie Cheung and Carina Lau.

Fallen Angels is pretty to look at but this one feels rather hollow. It's essentially a retread of Chungking Express with unlikeable characters and an uninteresting story. Starring Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Michelle Reis.

Happy Together is a return to form and another one of his finest, focusing on on a moving if unconventional love story between two men in Argentina. Starring Tony Leung, Leslie Cheung, and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

In the Mood for Love, in my opinion, is his finest film. In no small part due to the story's focus and the terrific performances by its leads Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. It's a beautiful film that takes Wong's themes of longing and heartbreak to new heights. This one is set in 1960s Hong Kong and is a loose sequel to Days of Being Wild with the leads reprising their roles.

2046 is great as well. It's a loose sequel to In the Mood for Love, following Tony Leung's character and how that film's events have changed him. It also includes some sci-fi elements. Supporting cast includes Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Carina Lau (reprising her character from Days of Being Wild), Faye Wong, with an appearance by Maggie Cheung.

My Blueberry Nights is Wong's first English language film. Personally, I liked it but it once again retreads those same themes found throughout Wong's films and doesn't really add anything new. Starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, David Straithern, and Rachel Weisz.

The Grandmaster is fine, but unfocused. Ultimately, it's neither a satisfying biopic of its subject, Ip Man (Tony Leung), nor a satisfying love story. Zhang Ziyi is rather strong in it though.

I would recommend watching the Days of Being Wild/In the Mood for Love/2046 cycle in order and also Chungking Express and Happy Together. If you like them all, seek out the others. I'd probably rank 'em thusly:

1. In the Mood for love
2. Happy Together
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Chungking Express
5. 2046
6. Ashes of Time Redux
7. The Grandmaster
8. My Blueberry Nights
9. As Tears Go By
10. Fallen Angels

Haha, Fallen Angels is my favorite of Wong's films, followed closely by Chungking Express. It dispenses with (some of) the humor of Chungking, but I find it to be an even denser exercise in style, perfectly capturing a distinct 'millennial' outlook with its hyper-linked narrative approach, dispassionate protagonists and chic, sleek urban cinematography.

It's also a great 'portrait-of-a-city' film. The editing and *especially* the cinematography is phenomenal.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

Non Criterion related, just Scorsese's new trailer if anyone's interested.
Happy Announcement Day

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?...layer_embedded

Can't wait till Im on a wifi connection to check the trailer out!

[SlickDamian]

I'd love to see an upgrade of Altman's Short Cuts, and a new spine for Glengarry Glen Ross announced today.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I'd love to see an upgrade of Altman's Short Cuts, and a new spine for Glengarry Glen Ross announced today.

Glengarry Glen Ross would be amazing!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

Glengarry Glen Ross would be amazing!

Some of the richest dialogue in a film.

[zoodermin]

Can't wait for the announcements today!

On another note, I just saw Brazil for the first time (I bought the Blu back in Dec. but just now I have some time to catch up with some Criterions) and I like it very much. The visuals are amazing and the story is clever, and full of intelligent humor and allegories. Really good film.

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by klauswhereareyou

Wall Streetfellas.

Exactly my thought. It looks a better fit than most of his recent output. He's best with NY-centric films, I think. Outside of that, he starts to over-rely on his knowledge of other films.

[thomasomalley]

Some of the announcements have been revealed from phantom pages popping up on Criterion's website...

[Show spoiler]Stromboli
Europa '51
Voyage to Italy (we're getting the Rossellini/Bergman boxset)