The Criterion Collection

[PaperThinWalls]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Who has the US rights for that? I doubt it will ever be released in the US unless Criterion get back the rights unfortunately.

StudioCanal/Lionsgate.

[Ray Jackson]

I'm considering Seconds and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul as two final blind buys for this round.

Anyone have any strong feels on either of those two?

...positive or negative?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm considering Seconds and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul as two final blind buys for this round.

Anyone have any strong feels on either of those two?

...positive or negative?

They're alright. Seconds is my favorite of the two.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

They're alright. Seconds is my favorite of the two.

Ali isn't one of your favorite Fassbinders?

How would you rate Seconds?

Good?

Great?

Classic?

[Namuhana]

I just finished watching the Jacques Demy set, and I realized that I haven't seen anything by Agnes Varda. Which of her films would be a good starting point?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by stevieray44

Very good film right there, although I do agree with the others that it was shot very soft. As for it destorying Powell's career, it certainly contributed, but I never believed it was that one single film that destroyed him; consensus was that he also hadn't made any very good films since Tales of Hoffman, 1951.

As for a criterion blu-ray release, I think it would fit in the collection perfectly, but would be such an extensive process, not only to restore visually, but also technically; the film has been cut, censored, neutered, and otherwise messed with so many times, some of the original footage is considered forever lost.

It's already been restored. The UK disc looks great

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Peepi.../10491/#Review

[kuro_sawa]

While Seconds has some absolutely stunning cinematography, great performances and a classic title sequence from Saul Bass, it's a film that has not held up well over the years for me, and at a certain point in the film becomes a chore to sit through after having seen it a few times. I know I'm in the minority there, but I'd recommend Sirk's All That Heaven Allows to pair with Ali since you seem to be on a Fassbinder kick. My 2 cents, anyway. I'd also recommend the Fassbinder eclipse and World on a Wire if you haven't seen them.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It's already been restored. The UK disc looks great

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Peepi.../10491/#Review

One of Pro-b's most questionable reviews. I'm not sure of inherent source problems but the disc really doesn't look great and is most certainly not 5 star material.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

One of Pro-b's most questionable reviews. I'm not sure of inherent source problems but the disc really doesn't look great and is most certainly not 5 star material.

I'll eventually pick it up to see it in motion, but the screenshots look very nice to me. Perhaps not 5 star material as you say though

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm considering Seconds and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul as two final blind buys for this round.

Anyone have any strong feels on either of those two?

...positive or negative?

I enjoyed both of them, and the Criterion transfers are excellent.

Seconds contains what many critics and fans argue is Rock Hudson's best performance; I don't necessarily agree since I think he's very funny in Pillow Talk and quite the iconic figure in Giant ... however, you can't really compare the three films since they're so disparate in terms of genre. Let's just say that Hudson is very effective in Seconds, and that the film itself is an interesting meditation on identity and second chances.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is really a very well-done soap opera with some social commentary mixed in to give it some gravitas. Brigitte Mira is fantastic as the somewhat frumpy middle aged widow who finds love with a younger man from a different country and culture, played by El Hedi ben Salem. El Hedi was director Fassbender's lover in real life; he appeared in many of Fassbender's films and TV projects, and this was probably his most substantial role and his best performance. he died a couple of years after the film was released, either of a heart attack or of suicide (sources disagree, which makes him a bit of an enigma). The supplements on the disc are nothing short of incredible, particularly the 2002 short film (based on an incident in real life) that depicts an actor being mugged on his way to a stage adaptation of Ali, in which Brigitte Mira again plays the role of Emmi, just as she had in the film a quarter of a century earlier. I approached the film and the disc not knowing what to expect and found them both to be compelling, and worth revisiting in the future.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

While Seconds has some absolutely stunning cinematography, great performances and a classic title sequence from Saul Bass, it's a film that has not held up well over the years for me, and at a certain point in the film becomes a chore to sit through after having seen it a few times. I know I'm in the minority there, but I'd recommend Sirk's All That Heaven Allows to pair with Ali since you seem to be on a Fassbinder kick. My 2 cents, anyway. I'd also recommend the Fassbinder eclipse and World on a Wire if you haven't seen them.

I've heard really good things about Seconds, but I'm not a huge fan of The Manchurian Candidate. It's a good movie, but not one that fascinates me.

I've seen All That Heaven Allows (it's good, but I don't feel compelled to watch it again) and I already own World on a Wire and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.

I've heard that Ali is his most conventional/mainstream film and to be honest, that gives me second thoughts about whether it's really my kind of film.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I've heard really good things about Seconds, but I'm not a huge fan of The Manchurian Candidate. It's a good movie, but not one that fascinates me.

I've seen All That Heaven Allows (it's good, but I don't feel compelled to watch it again) and I already own World on a Wire and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.

I've heard that Ali is his most conventional/mainstream film and to be honest, that gives me second thoughts about whether it's really my kind of film.

Fear Eats The Soul and Seconds are both phenomenal. I'd blind buy them both without hesitation.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I enjoyed both of them, and the Criterion transfers are excellent.

Seconds contains what many critics and fans argue is Rock Hudson's best performance; I don't necessarily agree since I think he's very funny in Pillow Talk and quite the iconic figure in Giant ... however, you can't really compare the three films since they're so disparate in terms of genre. Let's just say that Hudson is very effective in Seconds, and that the film itself is an interesting meditation on identity and second chances.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is really a very well-done soap opera with some social commentary mixed in to give it some gravitas. Brigitte Mira is fantastic as the somewhat frumpy middle aged widow who finds love with a younger man from a different country and culture, played by El Hedi ben Salem. El Hedi was director Fassbender's lover in real life; he appeared in many of Fassbender's films and TV projects, and this was probably his most substantial role and his best performance. he died a couple of years after the film was released, either of a heart attack or of suicide (sources disagree, which makes him a bit of an enigma). The supplements on the disc are nothing short of incredible, particularly the 2002 short film (based on an incident in real life) that depicts an actor being mugged on his way to a stage adaptation of Ali, in which Brigitte Mira again plays the role of Emmi, just as she had in the film a quarter of a century earlier. I approached the film and the disc not knowing what to expect and found them both to be compelling, and worth revisiting in the future.

Thanks bro...great review.

Seconds better or worse than Manchurian Candidate?

Where does Ali rank on your favorite Fassbinder films?

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I'll eventually pick it up to see it in motion, but the screenshots look very nice to me. Perhaps not 5 star material as you say though

It's definitely worth picking up, but 5 stars for its PQ is ludicrous. It has flaws that are very noticeable when watching it.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I've heard that Ali is his most conventional/mainstream film and to be honest, that gives me second thoughts about whether it's really my kind of film.

I see what you're saying, though I definitely wouldn't use the word conventional while describing the film. It's still soaked in Fassbinder's style. As far as the Sirk film, I find it incredibly interesting to compare the two guys and also to note the shift in Fassbinder's work.
Have you tried Hulu? I suggest a blind buy of that as well

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

Fear Eats The Soul and Seconds are both phenomenal. I'd blind buy them both without hesitation.

I like you Rich!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Ali isn't one of your favorite Fassbinders?

How would you rate Seconds?

Good?

Great?

Classic?

I wouldn't really consider myself to be a fan of Fassbinder. I enjoy his vision and his films, but I'm not head over heels about any of them.

I'd rate Seconds as great. The ending is uncertainly unforgettable.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wouldn't really consider myself to be a fan of Fassbinder. I enjoy his vision and his films, but I'm not head over heels about any of them.

I'd rate Seconds as great. The ending is uncertainly unforgettable.

thank you...good stuff.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

I just finished watching the Jacques Demy set, and I realized that I haven't seen anything by Agnes Varda. Which of her films would be a good starting point?

Cleo from 5 to 7 or Vagabond would both make for good introductions.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Thanks bro...great review.

Seconds better or worse than Manchurian Candidate?

Where does Ali rank on your favorite Fassbinder films?

Well, personally, I liked The Manchurian Candidate, especially Angela Lansbury's vitriolic Oscar-nominated performance as the Mother From Hell, so I'd have to go with it over Seconds. Interestingly, The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, and Seconds are collectively known in some circles as "Frankenheimer's Paranoia Trilogy." Personally, I think his best film (of those I have seen so far) is the one he made between the first two of that group, The Train. Frankenheimer and Burt Lancaster made a very potent director-star team.

I've only seen a few of Fassbender's films, so I'm not really qualified to judge his overall canon. Of those I have seen, Ali is by far my favorite. My least favorite is his last, Querelle ... a hallucinatory, audacious, bizarre and puerile mess based on Jean Genet's Querelle de Brest, which managed to squander the considerable talents of an interesting cast including Jeanne Moreau, Franco Nero and Brad Davis.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Cleo from 5 to 7 or Vagabond would both make for good introductions.

Thanks! I'll add them to my Hulu queue!