The Criterion Collection

[darkness2918]

I like the cover to these also:

Eyes without a Face
Kagemusha
Le Samourai
Army of Shadows

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Great post & I can't argue with any of it at all. As for hearing from Pro-B himself, he wasn't the Reviewer, but honestly, that is Not why I wrote what I did. I hardly ever notice the Reviewer; my main thing was how these Criterion releases never seem to get anything less than 5/5 Marks (I'm sure there are some, but they are surely in the minority, no?).

Thx for your reply

There are very few that get negative ratings like Children of Paradise and The Earrings of Madame de..., and some like Stagecoach that get a positive one, but that have too much limitations to get anything near a perfect score.

I am under the impression that Pro-B is the reviewer Svet Atanasov, but I might be wrong

Also he writes almost all Criterion releases reviews, so while that shows some consistency, his judging rules might not necessarily be the same for other reviewers.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Reddington

[Show spoiler]

That was a great cover. There have been a lot of great covers but yeah, that one stood out.

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

So, a 1.0 LPCM track has shootouts that are incredible, & Separation, Depth, & Dynamics are substantially praised.

I'm no Expert at all, but a 1.0 track gets written up like it's the latest Action/Sci-Fi/Adventure film from 2015 with AMAZING Audio? Huh?

Not exactly. Some reviewers will take content into account when rating PQ/AQ but that's not the only way to do it. PQ/AQ ratings can also be based primarily on whether the disc accurately reproduces the original elements whether those elements are eye/ear candy or not.

A high rating for an audio track doesn't have to mean the track is demo material. It can simply mean it's an excellent reproduction of the original audio.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by octagon

Not exactly. Some reviewers will take content into account when rating PQ/AQ but that's not the only way to do it. PQ/AQ ratings can also be based primarily on whether the disc accurately reproduces the original elements whether those elements are eye/ear candy or not.

A high rating for an audio track doesn't have to mean the track is demo material. It can simply mean it's an excellent reproduction of the original audio.

Thanks for another good reply, & again, one that I can't argue with at all

As for the PQ/AQ part (above, 1st paragraph), while making sense, how would Any reviewer know about them accurately reproducing anything? I really think that one would have to hear/see the movie in a theater or on DVD, or Initial blu-ray release, & comparing them (tho I'm sure there are other ways to go here).

As for the High rating(s), you are right: I wasn't talking it up as Demo worthy, but just how does one go about discerning how Great a 1.0 track (for example, in my orig post) can Really Be, other than it Not having audible pops, hissing, crackling, etc.? I assume you have to listen to these thru ALL Channels but then, how would you hear the Separation, Depth, & Dynamics the reviewer noted in his review for "Breaker Morant" ?? You can't hear all these subtle nuances listening to it in THX Cinema Mode, even DD 5.1 as it's only presented in 1.0, right?

I'm just trying to understand "how" some of these Very Limited tracks get such High marks. Or maybe I'm just looking into something which doesn't have an easy answer...

[joie]

Originally Posted by octagon

[...] PQ/AQ ratings can also be based primarily on whether the disc accurately reproduces the original elements whether those elements are eye/ear candy or not.

A high rating for an audio track doesn't have to mean the track is demo material. It can simply mean it's an excellent reproduction of the original audio.

Therein lies the spin.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

As for the PQ/AQ part (above, 1st paragraph), while making sense, how would Any reviewer know about them accurately reproducing anything?

Yeah, that is - and likely will always be - a point of contention. The farther you go back, the less reliable your reference points become. Negatives fade. Prints fade. Memories fade.

No matter how educated the guesses are, there's always some guesswork in saying 'this is how it was X number of years ago'.

We see this a lot now with regard to color timing. People will swear up and down they remember exactly how movies were timed thirty or forty years ago and of course none of them - including the people working on them - remember exactly what a given film looked like after all that time has passed. Previous home video releases, release prints, revival prints...these are all imperfect references so there's always going to be some debate about whether this disc or that accurately reflects the original look of the film.

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yeah, that is - and likely will always be - a point of contention. The farther you go back, the less reliable your reference points become. Negatives fade. Prints fade. Memories fade.

No matter how educated the guesses are, there's always some guesswork in saying 'this is how it was X number of years ago'.

We see this a lot now with regard to color timing. People will swear up and down they remember exactly how movies were timed thirty or forty years ago and of course none of them - including the people working on them - remember exactly what a given film looked like after all that time has passed. Previous home video releases, release prints, revival prints...these are all imperfect references so there's always going to be some debate about whether this disc or that accurately reflects the original look of the film.

Damn, Another great reply/post!! - This is so damn Refreshing to see well thought out & smartly written replies to a post, so for that, I Sincerely thank you all my fellow forum members

[CPinheiro]

Thanks for all the replies about the soundtrack topic! I'll check out some of the movies that I havent seen.


Regarding the favorite cover:

[belcherman]

I really like this one:

[octagon]

It's hard to pick a favorite cover but given my avatar it should come as no surprise that this is right up there...



That page has a really cool article about the evolution of the art for that release too.

http://ericskillman.blogspot.com/201...of-sucess.html

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Some other covers I like:

Ballad of Narayama
The Complete Jacques Tati
Cronos
Fellini Satyricon
Foreign Correspondent
The Gold Rush
The Great Dictator
Hearts and Minds
The Ice Storm
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ivan's Childhood
The Lady Vanishes
Lonesome
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Paris, Texas
Rififi
Scanners
Things To Come
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
To Be Or Not To Be
The Vanishing

You like The Vanishing cover eh?

I think it's an interesting concept, but the execution is flawed.

I can't really see the face unless I'm looking at a picture of it on google.

Without the face, the design and the color scheme are a bit ugly imo.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by oildude

There are so many good soundtracks associated with films in the Criterion Collection; however, I don't think any soundtrack list is complete without these (in fact, I cannot think of these films separate from their music scores).

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence - by the great Ryuichi Sakamoto

[Show spoiler]Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (LIVE) - YouTube

Paris, Texas

[Show spoiler]Main Theme - the most gorgeous slide guitar ever by the masterful Ry Cooder

Ry Cooder Paris, Texas - YouTube

Cancion Mixteca - with vocals in Spanish by Harry Dean Stanton (who knew old Harry had such a beautiful voice)

Wim Wenders - Paris Texas - Ry Cooder - Cancion Mixteca. - YouTube

The haunting music to Larisa Shepitko's masterpiece The Ascent

[Show spoiler]Main theme - by Alfred Schnittke (played here over a moving montage video of scenes from the life of the Russian director, who died young in a car crash after making this, her final film)

The Ascent Theme - YouTube

Dazed and Confused

[Show spoiler]One of the most awesome soundtracks ever. Too many great songs and videos online. But here is one:

Rick Derringer- Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo(Dazed And Confused Tribute) - YouTube

Anatomy of a Murder

[Show spoiler]One of the highlights of the film is the score. First rate jazz soundtrack with Duke Ellington. Sample is called Flirtibird.

Duke Ellington - Flirtibird (Anatomy of a Murder) - YouTube

Odd Man Out

[Show spoiler]odd man out - opening score - YouTube

And just about any of the Japanese films in the collection have awesome soundtracks, from wicked cool noirish jazz to traditional instruments and soaring orchestral pieces to trippy psychedelic jazz-rock.

Love the music to Tokyo Drifter, Pale Flower, Harakiri, Seven Samurai, The Hidden Fortress, etc. but one that always sends chills up my spine is the theme to Godzilla.

[Show spoiler]1954 Godzilla Main Theme - YouTube

Doh! I knew when I posted the above I was forgetting a big one. This morning I remembered. Definitely one of the most memorable and well known soundtracks in the entire Criterion Collection. How could I have forgotten a score that after I first heard it has stayed with me since:

Michel Legrand's exquisite music for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

Main Theme (I Will Wait for You) - just listening to it doesn't do this song justice. It has to be experienced in the context of the film. All the online videos I found of it from the film spoilered scenes but here is an orchestral version conducted by Legrand himself that comes close to capturing the rapturous quality of the soundtrack.

Michel Legrand - "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg/Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (Score)" - YouTube

The Demy Boxset put Michel Legrand onto my musical map. In fact, I think Legrand's work for Demy as presented in the boxset represents the finest collection of soundtracks you can find in any film collection, certainly by one composer. The Young Girls of Rochefort, Bay of Angels, etc.... one of the best film experiences I have ever had making my way through them.

[Bates_Motel]

Not sure if Criterion is planning on upgrading one of the days, but the brand new region-free UK disc of The Harder They Come looks fantastic, for anyone interested in importing.

[oildude]

I have yet to see Contempt, but the posts here praising the score, and after listening/watching to Pro-B's clip, have made this a new priority. I love Delerue's music.

Delerue fans should also check out his scoring for Rapture (1965). Another film that cannot be thought of separate from its gorgeous musical score.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You like The Vanishing cover eh?

I think it's an interesting concept, but the execution is flawed.

I can't really see the face unless I'm looking at a picture of it on google.

Without the face, the design and the color scheme are a bit ugly imo.

It's clever and I think it fits the film. Right under your nose but you can't see it.

[easydreamer]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Now that I didn't know. Hmmm...

Oh, I was actually referencing this.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206569

This is the 3-part film that contains An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. I only assume that they took it out of the feature film and released it on its own first because it's so damn good. I hope Janus releases the feature film, though.

[oildude]

The fourteen year old boy inside me votes this as the greatest Criterion cover ever.



OK, the grown up older dude me thinks it's pretty sweet too.

[The Great Owl]

I finally got around to seeing Alex Garland's Ex Machina, and it's my favorite film of 2015 so far. Science fiction, like revenge, is best served cold, and this film plays out with such an icy effectiveness that I have to tip my hat to all involved. I had been hesitant to check out this film, despite my enjoyment of Garland's novel, The Beach, and of his screenplays for 28 Days Later..., Sunshine, and Never Let Me Go, because I was expecting another popular movie with a great buildup and an underwhelmingly cliché conclusion. Ex Machina does not chicken out, though, and I loved every minute of it.

I thought about Solaris and Videodrome while watching Ex Machina.

This got me thinking that it's time for Criterion to release another awesomely eerie sci-fi flick.

I wish that Tarkovsky's Stalker would be picked up as a title.

I also suppose that I should finally get around to watching my still-unwatched Blu-ray of World on a Wire.

[SpiderBaby]

Does anyone use sleeves here to protect your cases? If so, which do you use, and also what kind do you use on thicker packaging, like the digipak sets? Thanks.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I finally got around to seeing Alex Garland's Ex Machina, and it's my favorite film of 2015 so far. Science fiction, like revenge, is best served cold, and this film plays out with such an icy effectiveness that I have to tip my hat to all involved. I had been hesitant to check out this film, despite my enjoyment of Garland's novel, The Beach, and of his screenplays for 28 Days Later..., Sunshine, and Never Let Me Go, because I was expecting another popular movie with a great buildup and an underwhelmingly cliché conclusion. Ex Machina does not chicken out, though, and I loved every minute of it.

I thought about Solaris and Videodrome while watching Ex Machina.

This got me thinking that it's time for Criterion to release another awesomely eerie sci-fi flick.

I wish that Tarkovsky's Stalker would be picked up as a title.

I also suppose that I should finally get around to watching my still-unwatched Blu-ray of World on a Wire.

World on a Wire is fantastic if you like film noir.

...certainly an outside-the-box take on it.