The Criterion Collection

[shadedpain4]

Since I *just* imported the German blu of Waking Life, I'll say it's that.

I wonder if they would include it as part of the Before Trilogy set? You'd kind of need it for the set to be complete.

[Polaroid]

How did the guy who made Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly make a film like Boyhood... HUGE step down... Then again he did make School of Rock, says it all lol.

Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly would make a great double feature if they were to do a release.

[captveg]

I like all four of those films....

[Polaroid]

Treated myself! not bought a Criterion in Months, focused on my MoC collection and just didn't have the money!

Finally upgraded:

Che
Three Colors (about time!)

Also added these to my collection:

Senso
Kes
Jean Viggo
John Cassavetes: Five films

Mainly got the Five Films for A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE but sure I will enjoy the rest! Never seen Kes or Senso but they look phenomenal and heard great thing about Kes!

Sadly someone else managed to bag BBS story Bluray, will have to stick with my DVD set for now :P!

Thanks to Carletty

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

How did the guy who made Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly make a film like Boyhood... HUGE step up...

Fixed, lol. But really, look at his filmography. You picked the 2 animated films out of everything he's done (but even Waking Life is more free form like Boyhood, with little story and more emphasis on scenes and ideas, like most of his films). The majority of his work is more like Boyhood.

[ijustblumyself]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

How did the guy who made Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly make a film like Boyhood... HUGE step down... Then again he did make School of Rock, says it all lol.

Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly would make a great double feature if they were to do a release.

Waking Life is great but Boyhood felt like a film from a much more mature, restrained director. I think he's only gotten better.

[pro-bassoonist]

The River Blu-ray REVIEW





Pro-B

[ShellOilJunior]

I think a good case can be made for Tree of Life or Here's Your Life. I give the edge to Tree of Life because Criterion does love using puns in their art clues. Bad-lambs, Caught C's, Broadcast gnus, etc.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

The River Blu-ray REVIEW

Thanks, Pro-B!

I added The River and The Friends of Eddie Coyle to my Amazon pre-order list. It's tough to beat $22.99 for The River.

[Scottie]

The River is one of the most remarkable films that I have ever seen. I'm glad the Blu-ray doesn't disappoint!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by ijustblumyself

Waking Life is great but Boyhood felt like a film from a much more mature, restrained director. I think he's only gotten better.

can you articulate on what it is about Boyhood that you find mature and restrained? I found it incredibly generic. Take away the "he filmed this over the course of 12 years with the same actors" bit and this film flies farther under the radar than something like Me and Orson Welles.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

How did the guy who made Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly make a film like Boyhood... HUGE step down...

How did the guy that made Dazed and Confused, the Before trilogy, Slacker, and School of Rock make Boyhood?

That seems more accurate. Boyhood is similar to The Tree of Life where it feels like the filmmaker had been building towards that moment for his entire career; one that feels like a culmination of everything he has been after.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

How did the guy that made Dazed and Confused, the Before trilogy, Slacker, and School of Rock make Boyhood?

That seems more accurate. Boyhood is similar to The Tree of Life where it feels like the filmmaker had been building towards that moment for his entire career; one that feels like a culmination of everything he has been after.

I can buy that for Malick, but not for Linklater. Boyhood is full of clichés and some laughably poor acting (see

[Show spoiler]Dad’s dinner scene outburst

.) The soundtrack choices do nothing to establish tone for the film; they simply serve as markers to document the passing of time. The only time this movie resembles some of Linklater’s better work is in the last segment of the film when he probably realized that it was time to wrap things up. Even then, some of the philosophical themes and ideas are retreads of the Before trilogy and Waking Life.

I was wrong about The Tree of Life. But for all the times I called it pretentious, I should have probably put a disclaimer out there and that would have been, “I might be wrong.” Like it or not, I think everyone can agree that that film is “challenging,” “ambitious,” etc. I should have accepted the fact that maybe I “didn’t get it.” Boyhood, on the other hand, is so generic. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to return to this film, but that’s just my opinion.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

How did the guy that made Dazed and Confused, the Before trilogy, Slacker, and School of Rock make Boyhood?

That seems more accurate. Boyhood is similar to The Tree of Life where it feels like the filmmaker had been building towards that moment for his entire career; one that feels like a culmination of everything he has been after.

I haven't even seen all of his films yet but this seems like an accurate statement to me. Boyhood feels like the kind of film directors dream about one day making. I would think he felt it was one of his best achievements.

[DfndroftheFaith]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I can buy that for Malick, but not for Linklater. Boyhood is full of clichés and some laughably poor acting (see

[Show spoiler]Dad’s dinner scene outburst

.) The soundtrack choices do nothing to establish tone for the film; they simply serve as markers to document the passing of time. The only time this movie resembles some of Linklater’s better work is in the last segment of the film when he probably realized that it was time to wrap things up. Even then, some of the philosophical themes and ideas are retreads of the Before trilogy and Waking Life.

I was wrong about The Tree of Life. But for all the times I called it pretentious, I should have probably put a disclaimer out there and that would have been, “I might be wrong.” Like it or not, I think everyone can agree that that film is “challenging,” “ambitious,” etc. I should have accepted the fact that maybe I “didn’t get it.” Boyhood, on the other hand, is so generic. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to return to this film, but that’s just my opinion.

I had never really thought about the music, but I think you're right. I think it works well now as a nostalgia trip for the audience and effective reference for the passage of time; however, in 30 years it will be meaningless to many viewers and detract from its lasting appeal.

I don't like to make too many judgments about acclaimed films after one viewing. It is not unusual for me to need a second viewing to really understand/process everything. While I did think Boyhood was good enough for me to revisit, I agree that it was not a great film, and maybe not even a particularly good one. To be fair, between Linklater, the twelve years of filming, and all the critical praise, I don't think I'd ever been so excited to see a movie. I was bound to be disappointed.

I think my biggest disappointment with the movie was that the title character didn't do or say anything interesting. A week after seeing the movie, the only parts that stuck out were things said by the parents. As someone who finds children endlessly fascinating (at least before they become teenagers), I just thought Boyhood rarely, if ever, captured the spirit of childhood. It didn't help that the character is abnormally bland, and I thought it painfully obvious that the actor was an inexperienced amateur, especially as he got older.

That being said, I was often interested in what was happening on screen, and I thought the film seemed to go by much more quickly than its running time. Ethan Hawke's transformation was probably my favorite part of the movie. I will definitely see it again, and hopefully I will appreciate it more since I will know what to expect. I'll be interested to see if it has staying power and is more profound than I initially thought.

[ShellOilJunior]

Before Sunset is Linklater's best film, imo.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I can buy that for Malick, but not for Linklater. Boyhood is full of clichés and some laughably poor acting (see

[Show spoiler]Dad’s dinner scene outburst

.) The soundtrack choices do nothing to establish tone for the film; they simply serve as markers to document the passing of time. The only time this movie resembles some of Linklater’s better work is in the last segment of the film when he probably realized that it was time to wrap things up. Even then, some of the philosophical themes and ideas are retreads of the Before trilogy and Waking Life.

It's all a mater of opinion, I suppose. I thought the acting was tremendous. I have seen few films with acting as realistic and moving as what was accomplished with Boyhood. The entire cast was great. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette were amazing.

As for the music? It was brilliant to pick songs from the time period in which the film was taking place. Music helps bring people back to memories of when they first heard a song and the time period in which it first made an impact in their lives. It was a smart unison. The songs are also excellent (but of course that's a matter of musical taste).

What you call cliches I am also guessing is just the sheer number of scenes which focus on the ordinary moments in life. This is one the things that makes Boyhood so profound. If you actually pause and think about the journey these characters take in the film, one can't help but think about how the passage of time affects all of our lives. The big moments. The small moments.

Personally, I found Boyhood to be one of the most significant accomplishments in film in 2014 and I know I am not alone.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

The River Blu-ray REVIEW





Pro-B

Seems there is a mistake with the Around the River supplement, it should be the complete documentary right? it is marked as 3 minutes long.

[Scottie]

Boyhood will have a lasting impression, in my opinion, as it is one of the ultimate coming-of-age films in terms of broken homes, struggles with growing up, and uncertainties about the future.

I understand that not everyone has had the same upbringing, but with each viewing, I find myself grasping on to more and more things. In a lot of ways, I can see a bit of Mason in me and vice versa.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Seems there is a mistake with the Around the River supplement, it should be the complete documentary right? it is marked as 3 minutes long.

I noticed this, too. a lot of interviewees for a 3 min clip! very much looking fwd to this release!