The Criterion Collection

[monorail91]

Zzzzz May announcements...

When are we getting Mulholland Drive!??

[captveg]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Zzzzz May announcements...

When are we getting Mulholland Drive!??

October 2015....

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by captveg

October 2015....

I was joking

[captveg]

*shakes fist* internet tone interpretation!!!

[Polaroid]

Omg so in UK Tarkovskys coming completely to bluray! and when I checked Artificial Eyes website they have this on some of the titles, like Mirror:

COMING SOON TO CINEMAS

OMG. I had a fangasm. I WILL be seeing them all on big screen fi this is true info! Just hope it snot limited to certain cinema's, be greta if they included Picturehouse Cinema's.

[pro-bassoonist]

The Emigrants Blu-ray REVIEW



Brilliant simplicity and sincerity. The work of a true master

Pro-B

[Gerby]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

I hope you guys aren't seriously asking anyone to pick between Babs and Gloria...

Personally I would pick Ella Raines over Barbara Stanwyck & Gloria Graham or Rita Hayworth.

[WonderWeasel]

To be able to justify purchasing all of the outstanding releases over the next few months, I have to put a significant dent in my unwatched pile. I made a decent step in that direction last night by finishing off The Apu Trilogy and part of the Jean Vigo release.

First off, I cannot reiterate enough how much I enjoyed the films of The Apu Trilogy. I am typically very hesitant about blind buying such an expensive set, but several glowing reviews in the forum tipped the scales for them to be my first entries into Ray's filmography.

The films are chapters of a tragedy, containing loss and sorrow in Job-like proportions, with short-lived joy occasionally finding a fissure to momentarily poke its head through. Near the end of Apur Sansar (the final film of the trilogy), our sweet, curious protagonist has devolved into an emotionally numb, hopeless shell of a man with a 100-yard stare, only to be temporarily rescued by the prospect

[Show spoiler]of a relationship with the son he has refused to be involved with in any way out of resentment over his wife's death during childbirth (although after rethinking this, it may not be resentment as much as it is fear of loving and becoming attached to someone after being crushed so many times.)

I think it's safe to assume Mr. Ray went into directing these films with a mantra along the lines of "There is no joy without suffering, and the exchange rate is terrible." Do not, however, let that deter you from seeing the films, as they are as beautiful as they are sad. If you're the emotional type, just space 'em out and you'll be fine

After that, I re-watched L'Atalante for the first time in several years. I had forgotten how good Michel Simon was in it. Did anyone mention him in the discussion about character actors? He was great in this as well as Port of Shadows (which is yet another reason I should go region free). You can tick off three of the boxes on the character actor checklist for him: great thespian skills, the face of a bulldog, and an eccentric personality (he owned pet monkeys and an exceptionally large collection of erotica lol).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Gerby

Personally I would pick Ella Raines over Barbara Stanwyck & Gloria Graham or Rita Hayworth.

Claire Trevor was a great film noir actress as well, and she was sometimes the perfect cold-as-ice femme fatale.

As much as I love Gilda, I think that The Lady from Shanghai is a better film noir with regard to the genre conventions. Hayworth is so good in both movies, though.

[Saucerful]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

As much as I love Gilda, I think that The Lady from Shanghai is a better film noir with regard to the genre conventions. Hayworth is so good in both movies, though.

Agreed that Shanghai is probably more "noir" but I preferred Gilda overall. The hall of mirrors scene is pretty epic though... hard to believe that was done in the 40s. I did enjoy them both.

I've been on a bit of a film noir kick over the last several months, using mostly suggestions from various posts of yours, Owl. Thanks for that!

[Al_The_Strange]

I just got my copy of The Kid last night. Once I saw it was only an hour long, I decided to pop it in while I had time. It is a blind-buy for me — I started collecting Chaplin's movies once I saw The Gold Rush in a film class, and I found most of his movies agreeable.

The Kid is pretty funny. The physical gags are ingeniously well-staged, as always. But I realized pretty fast that there's a lot more to the movie — once I understood what the plot was going to be, I found it pretty touching right away, and the pathos successfully carries the movie all the way to its happy ending. This might be the one Chaplin movie I found myself caring about the most, because it has genuinely great characters and a great narrative.

I was also surprised as to how dark the humor can be. Those opening parts where

[Show spoiler]Chaplin's trying to ditch the baby

is pretty messed up. Also, the details of each scene (like the guy's tattered clothes, the crummy apartment he lives in, the city itself) paints a very desperate and bleak picture of poverty.

It's pretty bittersweet, but I like it that way. This might be the Chaplin movie I found myself caring about the most and was ultimately more pleased by its story than any of the others I've seen. Glad to have it in my collection, I think it might be my favorite of his so far.

The Blu-Ray looks great. For a movie 90+ years old, it looks very clean and sharp. Scratches and dirt didn't really bother me much. Some noisy scenes. One scene looked very very soft (might be a source issue). Otherwise, the PQ makes it a no-brainer. No complaints about sound. Didn't check out the extras, but the disc appears to be quite loaded.

[soarinsteven]

IN A LONELY PLACE. Their most exciting announcement since Mulholland Drive.

[ShellOilJunior]

So when does the drum beat for Grand Budapest Hotel begin?

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

So when does the drum beat for Grand Budapest Hotel begin?

I'm waiting for it. I would definitely double-dip that film.

[CPinheiro]

Ettore Scola, Jacques Rivette and now Zulawski???

[pro-bassoonist]

Terrible news.

At least Kino Lorber acquired Cosmos so we are almost certainly going to see a Blu-ray release in the United States.

Pro-B

[Ausjdm]

In a lonely place sounds great why have I never seen this?..

I own easy rider criterion already

How good is The Player?

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

How good is The Player?

Prime Altman, if you ask me. It's up there with McCabe and Mrs. Miller, MASH, California Split, The Long Goodbye (and Nashville, but I'm that one guy who doesn't care for it).

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by John Klein

I'm waiting for it. I would definitely double-dip that film.

I wouldn't mind some Saoirse Ronan in the collection.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I wouldn't mind some Saoirse Ronan in the collection.

Atonement