The Criterion Collection

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

Before this thread lights up with discussions of the new releases, and while we're waiting, this is the list I'm selecting from for the upcoming B&N sale. Which 5 would you recommend I pick?

Seconds
Eyes without a Face
Rushmore (just recently watched, loved it)
Bottle Rocket
Brazil
Anatomy of a Murder
Paris, Texas
The Ice Storm
Charade
House
Godzilla
Belle de jeur
Shock Corridor
Kiss Me Deadly
Salo
The Qatsi Trilogy

>>>

Rushmore
Bottle Rocket
Paris, Texas

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

That string of movies is, in my eyes, the most impressive streak in cinematic history.

Better than The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II & Apocalypse Now???

Ehhhhhh

[Judex]

Originally Posted by italy12

Not to confuse you even more after others have already replied with their picks, but here are mine:

Charade - have a soft spot for this film as my wife will ONLY watch older films. This was one of the first films we watched when we started dating and, being a HUGE fan of Hitchcock, loved it!

Anatomy of a Murder - Just for Cary Grant in a different kind of role alone, plus this is a smartly executed, fast-paced courtroom drama.

[Show spoiler]
Seconds - One of the first films (along with Following) I had seen that I thought should get the Criterion treatment back in the 90's when I was able to find a DVD copy.

The Qatsi Trilogy - Amazing set of films. The soundtracks are incredible, with visuals to match! Plus, why get one when you can have three!

And finally, Shock Corridor - I saw this a while back, when I first picked it up on BD, and greatly enjoyed it...as I know you will.

You mean James Stewart?

I need to see Shock Corridor, going to add it to my wishlist for the sale.

[30hertzrumble]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

Before this thread lights up with discussions of the new releases, and while we're waiting, this is the list I'm selecting from for the upcoming B&N sale. Which 5 would you recommend I pick?

Seconds
Eyes without a Face
Rushmore (just recently watched, loved it)
Bottle Rocket
Brazil
Anatomy of a Murder
Paris, Texas
The Ice Storm
Charade
House
Godzilla
Belle de jeur
Shock Corridor
Kiss Me Deadly
Salo
The Qatsi Trilogy

My picks:

Anatomy of a Murder
Belle de jeur
Bottle Rocket
Charade
Brazil

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by italy12

Not to confuse you even more after others have already replied with their picks, but here are mine:

Charade - have a soft spot for this film as my wife will ONLY watch older films. This was one of the first films we watched when we started dating and, being a HUGE fan of Hitchcock, loved it!

Anatomy of a Murder - Just for Cary Grant in a different kind of role alone, plus this is a smartly executed, fast-paced courtroom drama.

Seconds - One of the first films (along with Following) I had seen that I thought should get the Criterion treatment back in the 90's when I was able to find a DVD copy.

The Qatsi Trilogy - Amazing set of films. The soundtracks are incredible, with visuals to match! Plus, why get one when you can have three!

And finally, Shock Corridor - I saw this a while back, when I first picked it up on BD, and greatly enjoyed it...as I know you will.

No, please. Keep the recommendations coming. I'd rather sample from many than only a couple lists. So far Anatomy appears to have the most love, so I'll definitely pick up that one. Been meaning to.

[yhzmr]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In addition to the Hitchcock greats, here are a few 1950s color films that stand out lovingly on Blu-ray...

Niagara (This movie wins the Gold Star when it comes to 1950s color splendor on Blu-ray.)
The Blob
Bigger than Life
The Searchers
The African Queen
The Quiet Man
River of No Return
Forbidden Planet
The Fly

The Marilyn Monroe fans will back me up on my glowing recommendation for Niagara. It's probably one of the top five Blu-ray transfers that I've ever seen.

Nothing beats 3 strip Technicolor when treated right by the studios. Fox spared no expense in promoting their hottest property. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is one of the best color tranfers on blu. Also worth mentioning is the recent release of Shane.

[italy12]

Originally Posted by Judex

You mean James Stewart?

I need to see Shock Corridor, going to add it to my wishlist for the sale.

LOL, yes!! Sorry, I was too busy F5'ing the Criterion page!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

Better than The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II & Apocalypse Now???

Definitely! I'm just not that big a fan of Godfather II, so yes, I'll take five perfect films (in my estimation) over three.

Speaking of Coppola, I would love to see The Cotton Club get released on BluRay. I don't know who exactly owns the rights, but it would fit perfectly within the Criterion Collection.

[14728]

Originally Posted by danmovie

I've seen several posts indicating "Thief" as a blu-ray title for January. Is this referring to "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940)?

This film, along with Powell/Pressburger's A Canterbury Tale, is my most desired Criterion Blu upgrade.

Yes

[Patrick M.]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

Before this thread lights up with discussions of the new releases, and while we're waiting, this is the list I'm selecting from for the upcoming B&N sale. Which 5 would you recommend I pick?

Seconds
Eyes without a Face
Rushmore (just recently watched, loved it)
Bottle Rocket
Brazil
Anatomy of a Murder
Paris, Texas
The Ice Storm
Charade
House
Godzilla
Belle de jeur
Shock Corridor
Kiss Me Deadly
Salo
The Qatsi Trilogy

.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

Better than The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II & Apocalypse Now???

Ehhhhhh

That's a pretty damn good one. I love Kubrick but I'm not sure he had a four film string quite that spectacular. Lolita (which I really like but...) is a bit of a speedbump early. I like Barry Lyndon a lot too but it keeps Strangelove - 2001 - ACO - BL from being a contender here.

Yeah, that's a hell of a streak.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Really looking forward to checking out L'Avventura, Blow-Up, La Notte, and Red Desert.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

That string of movies is, in my eyes, the most impressive streak in cinematic history.

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

Better than The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II & Apocalypse Now???

Ehhhhhh

Or Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Barry Lyndon?

Or A Short Film About Killing, A Short Film About Love, The Double Life of Veronique, Blue, White, and Red?

[Yami]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Have they gone back into copyright? Here in the US at least, everything up through The Lady Vanishes had been in the Public Domain for the last 20 years or so. That's why they were released and re-released on DVD from several of the P.D. labels (Laserlight, Whirlwind, Passport, et alia) virtually simultaneously.

They went back into copyright on January 1st 1996. ITV just appears to be lax in enforcing its copyrights abroad.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by octagon

Keeping it in the family, Bigger Than Life is absolutely gorgeous. And as an added bonus, Ray did a lot of really interesting noirish things with light and shadows that one doesn't usually see in technicolor (or DeLuxe or whatever it was) films. I haven't seen these yet but The Blob and Gates of Hell were pretty highly praised in the reviews here.

Stepping out, there are a lot of good to very good transfers from that era but Fantastic P...argh...Forbidden Planet and A Star is Born are two real standouts. Ben-hur is pretty spectacular too but the color in Forbidden Planet is really, really good.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In addition to the Hitchcock greats, here are a few 1950s color films that stand out lovingly on Blu-ray...

Niagara (This movie wins the Gold Star when it comes to 1950s color splendor on Blu-ray.)
The Blob
Bigger than Life
The Searchers
The African Queen
The Quiet Man
River of No Return
Forbidden Planet
The Fly

The Marilyn Monroe fans will back me up on my glowing recommendation for Niagara. It's probably one of the top five Blu-ray transfers that I've ever seen.

Thanks, guys! I'm looking forward to see what kind of praise is bestowed upon the the transfers for the 3 James Dean films- especially interested in East of Eden. I read somewhere that there is some kind of problem with WarnerColor transfers, although I don't know much about all of that to recall what I read or comment any further. Here's hoping that it looks great!

[Yami]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Or Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Barry Lyndon?

Or A Short Film About Killing, A Short Film About Love, The Double Life of Veronique, Blue, White, and Red?

Or Tarkovsky's entire filmography?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

Better than The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II & Apocalypse Now???

Ehhhhhh

I didn't realize that Coppola had nothing between Godfather II and Apocalypse Now. Those 4 definitely get my vote!

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Definitely! I'm just not that big a fan of Godfather II [...]

Funny, I'm not a big fan of The Godfather, but I loved The Godfather Part II. Though to be honest, I think among that list of Coppola films The Conversation is the least of the four. I thought it "meh".

[EPlay]

I saw Like Father, Like Son directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu last night at HIFF. So far, only his Still Walking (which I own and will watch soon) has been released on Criterion, but this director deserves a boxset!!!

Kore-eda has a delicate, subtle manner with even the heaviest of subject matter (death, child abandonment) and never teeters into melodrama. After Life, Nobody Knows and I Wish are wonderful films, the last being perhaps his most whimsical child-related tale.

Like Father, Like Son deals with a situation sure to bring a chill to any parent. Unlike Nobody Knows or I Wish, the focus is more on the parents' turmoil, though we empathize with the confusion behind the children's resilience. I have one minor quibble with a plot point, but it's a thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and uplifting work.

*edit* I just remembered my first exposure to Kore-eda was Maborosi. I didn't care for that one back then, but it may need a revisit.

[Mansinthe]

todays criterion movie i watched: Ivans Childhood, really awesome presentation by criterion here. it was a really interessting movie , well made and everything. the actor playing "ivan" did a awesome job for a child actor.
he kinda remindet me of the boy in "night of the hunter". but he (ivan) looked way more searious and mature.

really good movie, but i fear i have to watch it again soon. i must have missed something, compared to solaris it didnt really feel complete to me.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Or Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Barry Lyndon?

Or A Short Film About Killing, A Short Film About Love, The Double Life of Veronique, Blue, White, and Red?

That Kieslowski one is a good one.