The Criterion Collection

[ccg1978]

Willie Nelson stars in Thief, nuff said

[jw007]

Originally Posted by SilentxStatik24

I saw it for the neon feeling of LA alone, it isn't the greatest film ever but it definitely has style. It can't match Mann's style in his filmography but it is definitely one moody picture.

I heard this is an ultra violent film but I intend to see this now. Good call.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Gate

Barry Lyndon is a really good movie and I admit to only seeing it once but I consider the first three to be among the greatest films ever made so once you get to the fourth, it's kind of a letdown.

I dunno. It's not up to 2001 or ACO, but I think it's better than Strangelove

If we're just counting 4 films, you wouldn't need A Short Film About Killing/Love.

I'm not sure that we are counting only four films. It just happens that the original "streak" remark was made about a list of four, and ones that followed also included four. I think it's difficult even for the best directors to have four spectacular (not just good, or even really good) films in a row, although any number of directors have managed to do three in a row. That Kieslowski has six makes his achievement all the more striking.

[chris_sc77]

Hate to be so negative again but nothing for me this month yet once again. Thief is great and I recommend it for anyone who does not have it on DVD but I will be keeping my DVD and dont think I will upgrade.
I would have got Its a mad mad world put the price is ****ing disgusting so no thanks.
Nothing else interests me in the slightest.

[octagon]

Speaking of MGM and 80s heist movies, I wonder how The Pope of Greenwich Village has aged. It's been a while since I've caught any of it and even longer since I've watched it from start to finish.

I have a feeling it hasn't aged well. Then again...

[jw007]

Originally Posted by SimBelm

The soundtrack for Claire Denis' latest Bastards has just been released and it has some excellent dark synth tracks.

[Show spoiler]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7i_...F5GB-6iuj5TimJ

I just listened to this...not bad but slightly abstract and not enough layers in there. Still good though. Thnx.

[SammyJankis]

A lot of people - well, my Twitter feed - seem to be really jazzed about The Long Day Closes. I haven't seen it, but it sounds like something right up my alley.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by Dan8700

Just one of the greatest arthouse films ever...

Now I can't wait for the fabulous Terence Davies Trilogy in HD, though!
Great month.

Never heard of it. And noone is talking about it.

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by jw007

I heard this is an ultra violent film but I intend to see this now. Good call.

It's almost too over the top and I didn't find it overtly disturbing; I actually found it quite silly at times. I am extremely squeamish so if I can handle it, anyone can.

Anyways, the rest of the releases look exceptional but Thief truly made my day. This announcement and my preorder of the UK Halloween Steel-Book in the same day?!? I can't handle this!!!!

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Grethiwha

Throne of Blood! I'll take it!
Now hopefully it won't be another whole year and change before the next Kurosawa release.

The Hidden Fortress .

[jlk5844]

Would a release of Garden State be out of place in the collection?

[SimBelm]

Originally Posted by SilentxStatik24

That sounds amazing, Thanks for posting this!

Yeah it definitely wouldn't hurt to have more soundtracks like that about!

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I pray that I won't have to wait for the BluRay release to see it.

Ditto, I'd love to see just one of her films in the cinema. I'm a bit miffed at Artificial Eye for not releasing it until Spring next year over here, almost a year after they acquired it.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

A lot of people - well, my Twitter feed - seem to be really jazzed about The Long Day Closes. I haven't seen it, but it sounds like something right up my alley.

I'm not even at the point where I can pay lip service to the rest of the titles. I will investigate them in time but I'm too jazzed over ToB/Thief/Rififi to do anything but go through the motions right now.

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I don't think this is going to be a popular opinion, but for my money, the opening sequence to Drive is just about the most intense and perhaps the coolest (a la the coolness oozing from Thief) 7 minutes of cinema in a long time. We all spend a lot of time talking about classic films here, but not much beats

[Show spoiler]the sound of the police helicopter exiting the scene through my left rear speakers or the sound of Gosling's engine racing coming out of a dead stop at the traffic light. the accompanying score gets my heart racing even though I've seen that opening probably 10 times. ..and then it's all capped off with the Kavinsky song "Nightcall"... oh, "and the Clippers win the game!"

absolute perfection.. I don't care who or from where he borrowed from

Definitely, one amazing opening sequence.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by octagon

1) Manhunter/Thief/Collateral
4) The Insider
5) Ali

Massive high five for not including Miami Vice or Public Enemies.

[Roy Batty]

Originally Posted by jw007

Man, that is one kickass movie poster for Thief! Wish Criterion used that instead.

As much as I like Criterion work on their cover art (and it's pretty clear that aspect of every release is not an afterthought for them, but something they put a lot of care into, looking for the right artist and the right design), quite often I wish they had used the original poster instead.

(I'm glad they kept one of the several classic promotional art pieces by Jack Davis for IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD)

Maybe they could borrow a leaf from Shout Factory and provide reversible covers with the original poster inside.

[AgentOrange]

Mad, Mad World is 5 discs, 2 blu-ray and 3 DVD. It's sure to be some kind of oddball/cardboard packaging.

That's the type of release where the dual-format is sure to annoy on the packaging front. Not up to the mind bending stupdity level of Zatiochi (9BD and 18!!! DVD's) - but annoying to have all that waste nonetheless.

Wish that they would at least consider separate SKU in certain instances - and only force dual format on the standard "1 disc" releases.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Massive high five for not including Miami Vice or Public Enemies.

Public Enemies (and Heat, actually) tried a little too hard for my liking but Miami Vice is very entertaining. I'm not going to wax poetic about wind-kissed hair or anything but it was a pretty fun ride.

It would probably take the sixth spot on a top ten.

[ravenus]

I'm definitely in for Throne of Blood. I held off on getting the DVD because I kept hoping for an HD release, so this is awesome news for me.
Quite happy with Arrow's amazing release of Rififi, can't see how this will improve upon that one.
So I suspect a lot of the MGM BD's of IAMMW are going to go up on ebay. I think I'll just snag one of those, this release looks rather too overblown for me.
In the Late Ray set, I like Ghare Bhaire (Home & The World) tremendously but don't care for the other 2 films, which I thought were quite weak, so I'll skip that too.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by SilentxStatik24

I saw it for the neon feeling of LA alone, it isn't the greatest film ever but it definitely has style. It can't match Mann's style in his filmography but it is definitely one moody picture.

Originally Posted by jw007

I heard this is an ultra violent film but I intend to see this now. Good call.

No, it is the greatest film ever. just kidding , but IMO, it might be my favorite film in the last 10 years. I feel it's better than anything Tarantino has done outside of Pulp Fiction.

as far as it being ultra-violent.. I have heard people complain about Refn's films for that reason. my grandma was watching Criminal Minds and the story was about a killer who was convincing young girls to go back to his apartment, drugging them, and then slowly draining their blood so he could use it as paint in an attempt to become some kind of avant garde famous painter.

point is.. haven't we all been so desensitized to violence as depicted on film and tv anyway? and Criminal Minds is on TV! I find Tarantino's depiction of violence far more objectionable, but again.. my opinion. playing it for laughs doesn't diffuse it from what it is - just violence.

anyway, back to Drive.. love it! see it! violence no more disturbing than anything else