The Criterion Collection

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'll never forget going to see Pulp Fiction on opening night back in 1994 when I was in college.

Tell me about it. I showed up for the 7ish show but it was sold out. By the time it opened stateside it had already won highest honors at Cannes. I think that had something to do with the attendance. Decided to try again for the 9ish show and went to a nearby bar to pass time until then. A redneck in the bar is going "I hate college students". Went back to the theater ( which was inside a mini-mall type of thing ) to find the line stretching all the way down this long winding corridor and out into the street. Slowly the line moved as they started letting people in. I kept inching forward steadily so this guy told me to cut it out because he thought I was trying to butt in front of him and his female partner. Finally got all the way to the front right as the staff announced that the show was sold out. The remaining people in the line start to disperse. Some guy comes up out of nowhere and says he has extra tickets. I'm like "I'll buy one!!!" I ended up rounding up to X number of dollars instead of messing around with change, so he got $0.50 over the ticket price which I guess is technically scalping. At least I got in.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Fabs

He's not a very good director. His films are basically a mish mash of ripped off themes, references, and ideas from older films.

I love Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds, but I generally agree with your assessment.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Fabs

He's not a very good director. His films are basically a mish mash of ripped off themes, references, and ideas from older films.

Mishmash or mash-up? Taking various cultural elements and creating something original from them. I think they call that art.

BTW, I'm not the biggest Tarantino fan, but I do love his dialogue, at least in his earlier films.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Mishmash or mash-up? Taking various cultural elements and creating something original from them. I think they call that art.

BTW, I'm not the biggest Tarantino fan, but I do love his dialogue, at least in his earlier films.

Exactly. Taking cues from something doesn't negate that it's art. A lot of painters wouldn't be considered artists if taking elements from something else wasn't their base.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Feiereisel

If Thief looks "bad," blu-ray has really spoiled us for choice.

It's bad in comparison to other releases and looks more washed out. That's what my eyeballs noticed immediately when looking at the photos.

[Al_The_Strange]

Thief looks bad on Blu-Ray?

Kill Bill is a bad movie?

Tarantino is a poor director?

[Boris_Karloff]

Originally Posted by Fabs

His films are basically a mish mash of ripped off themes, references, and ideas from older films.

Good artists copy, great artists steal. - Pablo Picasso

I understand your perspective and I think it's a valid point.
However, I look at his films as being collages, he's juxtaposing bits and pieces of older films that inspired him and creating something new. Much in the same way that sampling can be a proper form of art, if done correctly.

It doesn't make him a bad director, just a different kind of director.

[JeffTheMovieGuy]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Jackie Brown is the most Criterionesque Tarantino movie. But seeing as there are 0 Lionsgate/Miramax movies released on blu ray by Criterion, there is pretty much no chance that it will get released.

The only Tarantino that even has a theoretical shot of being released by Criterion is Inglorious Basterds since it's a Universal movie and Universal are the only studio that have released a Tarantino movie that have done business with Criterion.

I guess there is no hope of ever seeing a criterion remaster of this

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by JeffTheMovieGuy

I guess there is no hope of ever seeing a criterion remaster of this

[Show spoiler]

I wouldn't hold your breath as Criterion and Warner Bros. don't have the greatest relationship.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

After that, I'll go with Reservoir Dogs and Death Proof (which I still need to upgrade to Blu-ray someday).

All existing copies of Death Proof should be buried in a pit in New Mexico like that ET Atari game.

[hanshotfirst1138]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

All existing copies of Death Proof should be buried in a pit in New Mexico like that ET Atari game.

I'll give almost anything shot on film a little leeway at this point.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

I'll give almost anything shot on film a little leeway at this point.

Film them burying it. That'll be worth preserving.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by JeffTheMovieGuy

I guess there is no hope of ever seeing a criterion remaster of this

That is so hot.

...could be a better cover design though.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wouldn't hold your breath as Criterion and Warner Bros. don't have the greatest relationship.

They gave Badlands to Criterion not so long ago.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

They gave Badlands to Criterion not so long ago.

Criterion has a relationship with Terence Malick. Warner Brothers, not so much.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Criterion has a relationship with Terence Malick. Warner Brothers, not so much.

But Warner Brothers does own the rights to Badlands, do they not?

[soarinsteven]

Ha, I was totally content with the current release of Inside Llewyn Davis, but the Criterion extras have quickly won me over. Easy double dip come the February flash sale.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

As would I.

The existing Blu-ray of Pulp Fiction looks spectacular, though, and I'm hard-pressed to imagine how it could be improved upon.

I'll never forget going to see Pulp Fiction on opening night back in 1994 when I was in college. I really wanted to see the movie, because I had enjoyed Reservoir Dogs so much, and a friend of mine went along knowing nothing about it. We were both blown away, although I had somewhat of an idea of what to expect because I was familiar with Tarantino's style through the previous film, and we pretty much spent the rest of our time in college quoting it.

Inglourious Basterds is a close second favorite of mine as far as Tarantino's stuff goes. It's like some flashy WWII pulp comic book come to life.

After that, I'll go with Reservoir Dogs and Death Proof (which I still need to upgrade to Blu-ray someday).

I like Tarantino's work a lot, but I've still got "Tarantino hangover" from watching his films so much back in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Holy smokes, Owl. I remember seeing Pulp Fiction in the theater in 1994 also, and it was my very first R-rated film I had ever seen. I was still 15 at the time. It was all the big hype when it came out as you very well remember as well. I knew pretty much next to nothing in terms of films back then, and didn't understand the references being so young, but I too suffered from "Tarantino-burnout" (if such a syndrome is real), because I used to watch so many of his films back in my 20s.

And now... I'm 37 years old and I still have all my Quentin Tarantino films on blu-ray wrapped in cellophane after having purchased them YEARS ago! I still can't figure out a way to want to see his movies again anytime soon. I had seen Pulp Fiction so many times, I basically memorized every damn scene. It was my all time favorite movie up until I was 22 years old or so.

Anyway...here are my 10 favorite Tarantino films (as director/screenwriter/actor).

If anyone else wants to chime in and include their top ones, go ahead!

01. Pulp Fiction
02. Jackie Brown
03. Reservoir Dogs
04. True Romance (as screenwriter)
05. Inglorious Basterds
06. Four Rooms (Short film - Penthouse: "The Man from Hollywood")
07. Kill Bill 1 & 2
08. Natural Born Killers (original story)
09. From Dusk till Dawn (as screenwriter/actor)
10. Death Proof

I still never saw Django Unchained (2012), so I can't include that in my top 10.

Really looking forward to seeing The Hateful Eight due out in December.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

All I know is that I have zero interest in seeing Crimson Peak. The look of that movie in the preview seems wrong...all wrong. Computer-generated effects are just not scary, and computer-generated ghosts/zombies/whatever have no place in serious horror movies. Horror movies need to have some tangibility to them in terms of the look and the cinematography.

I get the Guillermo del Toro could be going for the gothic vibe as opposed to an outright scary vibe, but still... The trailers for this movie do not quicken my pulse at all.

People on IMDB defending the film actually used the argument - "You don't know what ghosts look like"

Yes cause ghosts of real look like poor cgi lol

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

All existing copies of Death Proof should be buried in a pit in New Mexico like that ET Atari game.

No. Death Proof has all of the necessary ingredients for great cinema. Chicks and car chases.

(I've got no use for Planet Terror, but I've always loved Death Proof.)