The Criterion Collection

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

I don't get Harold Lloyd, either. I love Charlie Chaplin and can appreciate Buster Keaton, and I've liked a ton of non-comedy silent movies, but Safety Last just leaves me cold. I can appreciate the impressiveness of the stunts but I just don't find it funny or involving.

I can certainly understand people not enjoying him. I think we are more interested in him than Keaton, to be honest. Neither can touch Chaplin though.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Well we loved Safety Last, so The Freshman is very much on the table.

Similarly we loved A Man Escaped, so we are interested in Pickpocket.

I'm not ruling out Insomnia or PaHR, I think my wife will. Which is not to say we'll never get them, I just think they will be her bottom two picks of the 15. Because we haven't kept up to date with Criterion releases for a little while, we have quite a lot fo great stuff to choose from.

If you liked Safety Last! then I do not see any reason why you will not like The Freshman. In fact, I think I like The Freshman more.

Also, I really enjoy A Man Escaped, but Pickpocket had a completely different effect on me. In fact, I think Bresson's best film is Au Hasard Balthazar. I would love to see it hit Blu-ray.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

If you liked Safety Last! then I do not see any reason why you will not like The Freshman. In fact, I think I like The Freshman more.

Also, I really enjoy A Man Escaped, but Pickpocket had a completely different effect on me. In fact, I think Bresson's best film is Au Hasard Balthazar. I would love to see it hit Blu-ray.

Thanks for your input anyway! Of course I am excited about all of the films on that list, but it's interesting to hear other people's takes on them. Pickpocket is the one I have wavered on the most, I'll admit. I do remember a lot of people feeling the same way you do when it came out.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by oildude

Good lord, I cannot remember the last time I read something I disagreed with more. How can anyone hate Harold Lloyd? He's funny as hell, and probably my favorite silent comedian....and I absolutely love Buster and Charlie. Harold is the "everyman" of silent comedy.

I understand to each their own, and opinions vary, but there are times when your diss on certain films to others are incredible head scratchers.

I can see someone not liking particular style of comedy (Although, hate is probably a hyperbole).

Now if people are expressing a hatred of the Marx Brothers then society will begin to crumble.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I can see someone not liking particular style of comedy (Although, hate is probably a hyperbole).

Now if people are expressing a hatred of the Marx Brothers then society will begin to crumble.

Maybe hate was the wrong word. I do not know the guy, but as a performer, I dislike him.

[The Great Owl]

I'm waiting until payday at the end of this week to dip my hand back into the Criterion well for the Barnes & Noble sale. L'Avventura is the one that I'm most eagerly awaiting, but It Happened One Night, My Darling Clementine, and La Dolce Vita are going to be great purchases as well.

I had the day off of work today, but I excused myself from participating in the Criterion festivities just yet. I spent the entire day reading the new Stephen King novel, Revival. I think that it's his best book in over 15 years or so, and I'll go so far as to say that it's one of his horror masterpieces.

[nondiatonic]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

[...] I'm not ruling out Insomnia or PaHR, I think my wife will. Which is not to say we'll never get them, I just think they will be her bottom two picks of the 15. Because we haven't kept up to date with Criterion releases for a little while, we have quite a lot fo great stuff to choose from.

Picnic at Hanging Rock receives universal praise here, but it did nothing for me. Watched it last month hoping to delve into the supposed haunting atmosphere. Unfortunately, I found myself fidgeting through most of it hoping anything at all would connect with me. Alas, I was still waiting once the credits rolled.

Of course, as I said, I very well may be the only person who feels that way.

On a side note, the cinematography and costume design are great.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Well we loved Safety Last, so The Freshman is very much on the table.

Similarly we loved A Man Escaped, so we are interested in Pickpocket.

I'm not ruling out Insomnia or PaHR, I think my wife will. Which is not to say we'll never get them, I just think they will be her bottom two picks of the 15. Because we haven't kept up to date with Criterion releases for a little while, we have quite a lot fo great stuff to choose from.

If you've already enjoyed something from Bresson, you should not pass on Pickpocket. In my opinion, it is his masterpiece.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by nondiatonic

Picnic at Hanging Rock receives universal praise here, but it did nothing for me. Watched it last month hoping to delve into the supposed haunting atmosphere. Unfortunately, I found myself fidgeting through most of it hoping anything at all would connect with me. Alas, I was still waiting once the credits rolled.

Of course, as I said, I very well may be the only person who feels that way.

On a side note, the cinematography and costume design are great.

I agree on all fronts.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by nondiatonic

Picnic at Hanging Rock receives universal praise here, but it did nothing for me. Watched it last month hoping to delve into the supposed haunting atmosphere. Unfortunately, I found myself fidgeting through most of it hoping anything at all would connect with me. Alas, I was still waiting once the credits rolled.

Of course, as I said, I very well may be the only person who feels that way.

On a side note, the cinematography and costume design are great.

Yes, it's not a film for everyone, that's why I would never suggest this as a blind buy.

[GentleGiant]

Originally Posted by oildude

Good lord, I cannot remember the last time I read something I disagreed with more. How can anyone hate Harold Lloyd? He's funny as hell, and probably my favorite silent comedian....and I absolutely love Buster and Charlie. Harold is the "everyman" of silent comedy.

I understand to each their own, and opinions vary, but there are times when your diss on certain films and not recommending them to others is an incredible head scratcher.

Keaton, Chaplin, Lloyd - damn, these guys were GREAT, each in his own way. It's actually fascinating how those old silent comedies they made are still kicking a** after all these years!

What got me interested in Harold Lloyd back at the time when I didn't know much about him was this scene of two guys hiding in their coats that I came across on the Internet. I thought, "What the heck is that? I need to see that film!"

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

cool! I will keep my eye out for that book. my wife is Indian (born there,) so when I watched PP with her, she gave me some insight into a few things I was not aware of. for a while, I did not know which Ray film (of the CC titles) to see, but now (even before you mentioned it) Charulata has really piqued my interest so I'll try to get my hands on that before the others, although I might just buy all 3 at once.

I'm actually flying to India on Saturday! My son and wife are already there. We'll be visiting with family in and around Delhi.

You should definitely buy all 3, my introduction to Ray was with The Music Room, i enjoyed it so much that i blind bought Charulata and The Big City and now The Big City is probably my favorite of him, it is one of those films that encompass so many things about life from different perspectives in a very restrained and balanced way, a masterpiece in my opinion, now i can't wait for the Apu Trilogy since i haven't seen any of those.

As for films in India and female directors (Mira Nair), i really liked Monsoon Wedding, i love the music and while i found it odd how it sometimes feels like a soap opera, in the end it won me over with all the joy it exudes. Wish Criterion could get their hands on Salaam Bombay since it hasn't been released anywhere else.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I'm getting ten titles. This is my shortlist:

F for Fake
The Shooting/Ride in the Whirlwind
La dolce vita
The Freshman
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
My Darling Clementine
The Innocents
The Rules of the Game
Judex
The Seventh Seal
Pickpocket
Insomnia
City Lights
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Charade

Waiting on my wife's input before I put the order in, though I am leaning towards the first ten titles.

Well, my wife surprised me and told me to get 14 of the 15. The only one she passed on was Insomnia. I am pretty darn happy about that!

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

Would love them to release Bastards with more extras

I only gave Bastards 3/5 after first viewing it, but it's remained in my mind. I like Vincent Lindon, but another familiar French face from the same generation who just gets on my nerves is Charles Berling.

Anyhow, using a corn cob as essentially a dildo must be painful.

[FaceInTheLeaves]

Originally Posted by nondiatonic

Picnic at Hanging Rock receives universal praise here, but it did nothing for me. Watched it last month hoping to delve into the supposed haunting atmosphere. Unfortunately, I found myself fidgeting through most of it hoping anything at all would connect with me. Alas, I was still waiting once the credits rolled.

Of course, as I said, I very well may be the only person who feels that way.

On a side note, the cinematography and costume design are great.

Universal praise always carries with it a weight of expectation. Oscar winners nearly always leave me feeling swindled for exactly that reason. I first saw Picnic At Hanging Rock in my teens. Looking back it was a luxury to be able to watch a film with no expectations about how I was supposed to respond.

Picnic At Hanging Rock, Eraserhead and The Innocents are three of my favourite Criterion releases. They all have a similar (evasive) narrative structure. You never quite trust what you're seeing. It's as if the protagonists are all going quietly mad.

I love the woozy atmosphere of Picnic At Hanging Rock. Try watching it again on a sweltering summers afternoon.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I'm not much of a "haul" photo guy, but i do like seeing how people display their collections. Since I got to B&N today and completed things (at least for now), I thought I would share...

Nice collection! I see that there are no pre-wacky C titles - any reason for that (other than them likely to being DVD only)?

Originally Posted by pedromvu

You should definitely buy all 3, my introduction to Ray was with The Music Room...

Ever since watching Mark Cousins' The Story of Cinema I've been interested in picking up some Ray - might go with The Music Room this sale.

Originally Posted by pedromvu

As for films in India and female directors (Mira Nair), i really liked Monsoon Wedding, i love the music and while i found it odd how it sometimes feels like a soap opera, in the end it won me over with all the joy it exudes. Wish Criterion could get their hands on Salaam Bombay since it hasn't been released anywhere else.

I saw MW at the cinema when it came out and to this day it remains memorable for its striking use of colour and music (both loud) - definitely a film to watch on the big screen! How do people find it at home?

[BAMJoe]

Is the World Cinema Project worth getting?

[BAMJoe]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I'm not much of a "haul" photo guy, but i do like seeing how people display their collections. Since I got to B&N today and completed things (at least for now), I thought I would share. If that doesn't interest you, feel free to skip this post!

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

[Show spoiler]

As you can see I don't order by Spine#, I'm an alphabetical guy and i try to keep like cases together for the most part.

If anyone else wants to share as well, I'm always curious to see how other do it!

What are the black and gray discs in the second picture in the top left?

[The Great Owl]

I prefer Buster Keaton to Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chapman, because I like how Keaton's stone-faced expressions enhance the comedy of the situations instead of focusing on reaction.

That said, I'm hard-pressed to imagine anyone having an outright dislike for any of these three filmmakers. Harold Lloyd strikes me as a comedian with an instantly relatable persona, and the movies that I've seen crack me up.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by BAMJoe

What are the black and gray discs in the second picture in the top left?

You can see in the photo that those discs are the "3 Reasons" discs that Criterion issued, which is called 99 Reasons. I believe they were promotional discs that Criterion sent out with orders, but I could be mistaken. You can find them on eBay.