The Criterion Collection

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Visco.

I think it's gonna take a while for me to get in the mood to watch 8 1/2 because I've heard it's very Lynch-like? Anyone else agree?

Not at all. It's crazy but actually quite fun, so don't worry about having to work up a mood for it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

I feel like I've brought up the fact that Criterion needs to release this tons of times. I would be elated.


Are you able to watch it in 3D? The only time I've ever used my Dad's 3D TV.

I saw it in 2D, unfortunately. How was the 3D experience? Even without it, I was thoroughly engrossed. One Wonderful setpiece after another. It's one of the rare films that defy explanation because it actively invites you to just feel. To savor the minimalist sets, body movements, the purity of expression.

Ahhhh, so good. (and it wasn't a film I was dying to see either).

Is the Wim Wenders commentary track good?

[oildude]

Pina is brilliant; I loved every moment of it. It helps if you like to watch dance performances, especially modern dance, which I do. What is most striking is that the dance company is comprised of a wide range of ages, with many having been a part of the troupe for decades. No Logan's Run culling of the over 30 crowd here. It is very apparent how much they miss Pina Bausch, their founder and inspiration. Wim Wender's has crafted a work of sheer joy and exuberance that celebrates her life and work through a series of dance set pieces and film clips.

If you are drawn in by the preview video as I was, you will not be disappointed. Ever since a girlfriend dragged me to a ballet eight years ago, this cowboy boot lovin' Texan has admired the magic a talented group of performers can make in their dance slippers.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I saw it in 2D, unfortunately. How was the 3D experience? Even without it, I was thoroughly engrossed. One Wonderful setpiece after another. It's one of the rare films that defy explanation because it actively invites you to just feel. To savor the minimalist sets, body movements, the purity of expression.

Ahhhh, so good. (and it wasn't a film I was dying to see either).

Is the Wim Wenders commentary track good?

The 3D was stunning. I'm sure it would have looked better on the big screen, but I was thankful that I had the chance to see it in 3D, no matter what size screen. I haven't listened to the commentary track.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

The 3D was stunning. I'm sure it would have looked better on the big screen, but I was thankful that I had the chance to see it in 3D, no matter what size screen. I haven't listened to the commentary track.

I feel so terrible for missing it during its brief theatrical stay here (2 weeks on one screen). There were so many sequences that would have popped in 3D (the Chair Tower, the water splashing upon a giant boulder).

Another BluRay I hope to finally see the 3D version of is Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Again, like Pina, the 2D presentation was satisfactory (definitely did not have as great a transfer as Pina's, but I digress), but I felt the depth of those shots would have lend itself well to the format.

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by Visco.

I think it's gonna take a while for me to get in the mood to watch 8 1/2 because I've heard it's very Lynch-like? Anyone else agree?

That's interesting - I guess Lynch and Fellini are both surrealists and, in the case of 8 1/2, the story movies very lucidly much like Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. But 8 1/2 feels more whimsical, typical Fellini, than the creepy tone you get from Lynch.

Just ordered Howard's End from Amazon (blind buy!) but no delivery estimation so I've reserved a copy at my local Barnes & Noble to be safe. Amazon screwed me over on Last Year in Marienbad!

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Just ordered Howard's End from Amazon (blind buy!) but no delivery estimation so I've reserved a copy at my local Barnes & Noble to be safe. Amazon screwed me over on Last Year in Marienbad!

I almost ordered off amazon but I thought of the same thing---so I went with a third party seller. Luckily that was earlier in the day and it was a bit cheaper than they are appearing to be now.

[MTRodaba2468]

I went ahead and got my copy of Howards End ordered as well. Now let's hope that they don't send me a damaged disc, like they initially did with Leon Morin, Priest...

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

I went ahead and got my copy of Howards End ordered as well. Now let's hope that they don't send me a damaged disc, like they initially did with Leon Morin, Priest...

I'm surprised they're still offering it in-stock at such a low price..

[Mansinthe]

maybe not that many people are crazy about OOP criterion releases.

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

I went ahead and got my copy of Howards End ordered as well. Now let's hope that they don't send me a damaged disc, like they initially did with Leon Morin, Priest...

I think B&N gave me a "Like New" one of those, it was sealed but not in the tight packaging Criterion usually does, and no blue sticker.

Originally Posted by mansinthe

maybe not that many people are crazy about OOP criterion releases.

I always find it interesting which ones sell out faster and which ones get left behind (maintaining a fair price) during these waves of going out of print. For instance I bought or rented all the Melville titles that went OOP and by far liked Leon Morin Priest the best, while the others sold out super duper fast. Not that I mind, less trouble for me when I don't have to track down movies I didn't enjoy!

[bugsy_pal]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Another BluRay I hope to finally see the 3D version of is Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Again, like Pina, the 2D presentation was satisfactory (definitely did not have as great a transfer as Pina's, but I digress), but I felt the depth of those shots would have lend itself well to the format.

Yes, Cave of Forgotten Dreams works surprisingly well in 3D. I saw it in the cinema and it was amazing. I think it had such an impact because it was 'real' rather than CGI'd, and also because a lot of the shooting was done in very confined spaces - you felt like the images on the walls were just inches from you, and that you could touch them.

[Brad1107]

so is this the first clue in as long as i can remember that we dont have a good answer for?

Sent from my GT-S6010 using Tapatalk 2

[JHas]

I started Marketa Lazarová last night but it was too late in the evening to keep up with it. Didn't get past more than 30 minutes or so, but liked what I saw visually, even if I doubt I will be able to follow the story much better even with an alert mind.

[The Great Owl]

I stayed up late last night to watch...



My previous copy of Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique was the 1999 Criterion DVD edition, so my experience of watching the recent Blu-ray upgrade was quite a revelation. The new transfer has some softness issues that might turn off viewers who are accustomed to the crystal-clear clarity of Blu-ray transfers from other 1950s films, but this Diabolique fan is ecstatic at how much better this film looks in its latest upgrade than it did on the initial DVD release. Considering the apparent limitations of the source material, I think that the Criterion Blu-ray of Diabolique looks great.

I first saw Diabolique about a decade ago, and that initial viewing threw me for a loop. I am accustomed to the notion that works of cinema that were pivotal decades ago may have their effectiveness diminished to present-day viewers simply because these films have been imitated countless times in years subsequent to their initial release. I knew going into Diabolique that it has been hailed as a blueprint for twist-ending storylines, where every scene in the film insidiously functions to lead viewers to an unexpected surprise. At the time of my first viewing of Diabolique, I had grown weary of the 1990s and early 2000s films that featured what the late critic Roger Ebert termed as "Keyzer Soze endings", where the final moments of a film completely redefine the reality of the story as a whole, and I felt that the M. Night Shyamalan movie surprises and the Tyler Durden Fight Club reveals had been run into the ground. Even with all of this in mind, though, I was still taken off guard by the turn of events in this 1955 masterpiece, and my experience was a testament to Henri-Georges Clouzot's talent for constructing a well-paced suspense thriller.

The brilliance of Diabolique is that, unlike most of its plot twist descendants, it holds up well over repeat viewings. The three pivotal characters were played by actors at the top of their game. Paul Meurisse and Simone Signoret would both shine many years later in Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 masterpiece, Army of Shadows, but their work in Diabolique is equally captivating. The lovely Véra Clouzot, who tragically passed away before her time, has the perfect combination of calculated resolve and frail vulnerability, and the images of her terrified character walking through dark hallways in her nightgown are still a direct influence on horror films to this date.

When it comes to Clouzot's works, my preferences are tilted in favor of his 1953 film, The Wages of Fear. Diabolique, however, is a cinematic treasure of the highest order that almost stands shoulder to shoulder with its predecessor, and the outstanding acting capabilities of Paul Meurisse, Simone Signoret, and Véra Clouzot form a house of cards that has never been toppled by repeat viewings or endless imitations.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by JHas

I started Marketa Lazarová last night but it was too late in the evening to keep up with it. Didn't get past more than 30 minutes or so, but liked what I saw visually, even if I doubt I will be able to follow the story much better even with an alert mind.

It took me about 40-45 minutes of Marketa Lazarová to even remotely understand what was going on. The sheer imagery of the scenes up to that point are incredible, though, and it did not take long after that to settle into a groove. It's a damn fine film, and, quite possibly, my choice for best unsung treasure of 2013.

Like the 2012 Criterion release, Letter Never Sent, Marketa Lazarová is a film that I had never heard of before its announcement on the label, but I'm now hard-pressed to imagine how I went so long without seeing it.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by sc1957

If you pretend that this board is a representative sample of movie-watchers, you'll see that Criterion has stumbled on a sure-fire sales technique... offer a film for a while and later let it go out of print. Then watch people buy up all of the remaining stock in a week or two, even if they've never expressed any interest in the film before.

* will not be buying Howard's End.

I've always heard great things about Howard's End, but the film has never really registered on my radar, and I've never had a pressing urge to watch it.

As such, I'm going to let this particular Criterion title pass me by, because there are just too many other titles out there that genuinely attract my interest, and those films have priority.

If Howard's End is the great film that I've always heard that it is, then it will surely be available in some form or fashion in the future if and when I do decide to check it out.

[shadedpain4]

For those of you hoping for a bn overlap in the buy 2 get 3rd free sale and the Criterion 50% off sale, I just noticed that the current sale ends at 11:59pm est on July 8. That seems like it would negate the usual potential overlap.

[whbinder]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I also thought it was IaMMMMW at first, but I agree - it's one planet getting getting progressively madder. (In fact, the first one isn't even mad).

Well, I'm not saying that the clue is IaMMMMW, but to be fair, that movie isn't about four planets either, just one.

[bluesilo]

As with most Ingmar Bergman films I've seen, Wild Strawberries is much deeper than just watching the images unfold on screen. I'm afraid that after only one watch I didn't catch all the subtlety that was involved, but I could understand the story of a man being burdened by the guilt and remorse he felt from his life.

As far as how much I enjoyed it, I'd put it near Fanny and Alexander. It may only because Fanny and Alexander is so much easier to contemplate and understand on a first viewing. I also had this problem with the first time I watch Seventh Seal. I understand its significance and its genius, but perhaps I didn't get everything it was trying to tell me.

In short, I really did enjoy Wild Strawberries, but I believe it will require more viewings to really capture everything that is trying to be said.