The Criterion Collection

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by mja345

Tarantino's a talented dude, but he's come of age in a time when there haven't been many other singular filmmakers to really foster a sense of competition. So, I think Tarantino has really fallen in love with his own work and hasn't attempted to stretch his boundaries the way many filmmakers of the past have as their careers progress. "The Hateful Eight" was the first film where I palpably detected a sense of Tarantino falling in love with his own dialogue because there was nothing to distract from the Tarantino-ness of the film. It's essentially structured like a play, so the dialogue is much more at the forefront. Most people I know love "The Hateful Eight", so I'm very much in the minority. It just didn't work for me.

Tarantino is one of the few filmmakers whose producer enables him rather than reigns him in. That same producer chops everyone else's projects to bits (including trying to make The Lord of the Rings into one film)...if he even releases them at all, but I digress.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by mja345

Tarantino's a talented dude, but he's come of age in a time when there haven't been many other singular filmmakers to really foster a sense of competition. So, I think Tarantino has really fallen in love with his own work and hasn't attempted to stretch his boundaries the way many filmmakers of the past have as their careers progress. "The Hateful Eight" was the first film where I palpably detected a sense of Tarantino falling in love with his own dialogue because there was nothing to distract from the Tarantino-ness of the film. It's essentially structured like a play, so the dialogue is much more at the forefront. Most people I know love "The Hateful Eight", so I'm very much in the minority. It just didn't work for me.

Yes. He fell in the love with the idea of making QT films and left his early ambition at the door. He was probably overpromoted in the mid 90s before critics and academics realized he was just an open minded genre geek rather than a more 'worldly' cinephile who was bringing different influences into mainstream genres. Just compare QT's best of lists from the last 6-7 years to the ones he put out in the mid 90s and you'll get a clear indication of how much his taste has narrowed over the years. His movies have followed a similar path.

For years the real problem with QT was that he had nothing to say about life outside of the world of film. He has tried to rectify that of late, but how seriously are we meant to take The Hateful Eight as a legitimate social critique? I did enjoy it though and consider it his best work since Jackie Brown. It benefits greatly from its restricted setting

Another thing that separates QT from previous generations of directors, esp New Hollywood ones, is that he never experienced an extended down period. Grindhouse failed at the box office, but he quickly rebounded. He never had a wilderness period like Scorsese or Coppola where he wasn't in demand.

[20th Century Boy]

Wait. If it's true that CC has the rights to Wong Kar wai's entire catalog then that means Ashes of Time and The Grandmaster, correct? So we could possibly get the original cut of The Grandmaster via CC?

Man I wish they could get the rights to some Zhang Yimou films. Not his new ones. Yeech.

[malakaheso]

I sometimes get the impression that early Yimou films have kind of been semi-forgotten, but that could mainly be due to the lack of availability and/or care shown to them after the 90s.

I'd love to see Raise The Red Lantern and Shanghai Triad on blu.

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by yhzmr

Bigger Than Life was pretty edgy stuff for its day. The customary Hollywood ending nearly ruined it for me though.

Well, edgy for its day doesn't automatically mean worthwhile today. I see how it was that, and there are aspects of its depiction of addiction and mental illness that, having lived with someone dealing with both those, I can say are still resonant and powerful and make it a movie worth seeing. But like I said, I think that's mostly because of Mason's performance, as well as Ray's direction of the father/son relationship, and

[Show spoiler]the Hollywood ending, which is thankfully abbreviated but yes, feels very tacked on,

is the counter-balance to what's good about it and exemplary of what hobbles the first third. Even at the end, I thought Rush's character was written accurately, for example, but her acting was purely and uninspiringly of its era, unlike Mason's. And I say that as someone with a liking for "pre-method" acting styles, if you will.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by llj

I agree about In a Lonely Place being number 1.

Rebel Without a Cause is iconic, but it's not among my favorites of his.

I really like Bigger Than Life, and it's in the top 7, but I don't think it's Ray's best. Maybe if you don't know much of his work it would "seem" the best.


I have Johnny Guitar in my top 5 Ray. I also kinda dig Party Girl.

A number of people over the years have said James Dean did quite a bit of the directing on Rebel.

[mja345]

I absolutely love "Bigger Than Life". Mason really lets it go in that film. It completely subverts the particular time period in which it was made. There are plenty of films from the past that won't subvert the current time period we live in, but that doesn't change how effective they were at the time.

Ray's films are hard to rank for me. I enjoy almost all of his work I've seen and it seems like all of it was way ahead of its time. But, in my view, "Bigger Than Life" still feels like it takes far more risks than the vast majority of shit I see today.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

I sometimes get the impression that early Yimou films have kind of been semi-forgotten, but that could mainly be due to the lack of availability and/or care shown to them after the 90s.

I'd love to see Raise The Red Lantern and Shanghai Triad on blu.

Shanghai Triad is available on blu from Hong Kong.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

You've got a year in me, sir, and I can practically smell the leftovers '70s decor that co-existed with my mother's '80s shoulder pads.

Two minor corrections:

At least the copy of Star Wars we rented had the "a boy, a girl and a universe" teaser was after the movie. I know because we laughed at it while lying in the den eating Steak-Umms, Spaghetti-Os or some other typically latchkey kid staple cuisine.

As to records, that's a bridge too far! Everyone knows they've ALWAYS been wood-free. Our late '60s stereo receiver and turntable, on the other hand...

Those old receivers had lots of knobs and those wood cases. I had a Marantz (forgot the model # ) receiver that was really . It had a oscilliscope display and was upgradable with an optional module to have both of the competing formats of quad sound on board. The wood case was also an option. Good times!

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by nitin

Shanghai Triad is available on blu from Hong Kong.

Is the picture any good though? HK blus are hit and miss.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Is the picture any good though? HK blus are hit and miss.

Yeah quite good, there is a review and screenshots on this site.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

With Criterion releasing Warner titles now I just watched a fantastic underrated gem called "Straight Time" starring Dustin Hoffman. It blew me away! It also seems like it might be a good Criterion candidate as well.

[Scottie]

Watched Ugetsu tonight. I don't understand the hype.

[Abdrewes]

i wonder if the new TCM-Criterion relationship will yield the Forbidden Hollywood collection on bluray (it's OOP on DVD). I've seen one of the films, The Divorcee, and it's pretty good and very pre-code in the best way possible.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

i wonder if the new TCM-Criterion relationship will yield the Forbidden Hollywood collection on bluray (it's OOP on DVD). I've seen one of the films, The Divorcee, and it's pretty good and very pre-code in the best way possible.

The Pre-code years are my favorite era of films so I also wish they would get more releases on Blu. Lot of good films, especially Warner Brothers titles, that would be perfect for Criterion.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

The Pre-code years are my favorite era of films so I also wish they would get more releases on Blu. Lot of good films, especially Warner Brothers titles, that would be perfect for Criterion.

Criterion's way behind on this front for sure. A Lubitsch, Von Sternberg, Mamoulian, Busby Berkeley or Mae West set would do wonders in putting them back in the mix however. Or even just The Most Dangerous Game. It's a shame that film still isn't on bluray.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Watched Ugetsu tonight. I don't understand the hype.

Mizo leaves me a bit cold for some reason.

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

I sometimes get the impression that early Yimou films have kind of been semi-forgotten, but that could mainly be due to the lack of availability and/or care shown to them after the 90s.

I'd love to see Raise The Red Lantern and Shanghai Triad on blu.

I know. What a shame, right? Raise the Red Lantern would look glorious. And honestly, I'd really like to see Hero and House of Flying Daggers taken care of too. He's been absolutely awful since then.

[MJD64]

Originally Posted by 20th Century Boy

I know. What a shame, right? Raise the Red Lantern would look glorious. And honestly, I'd really like to see Hero and House of Flying Daggers taken care of too. He's been absolutely awful since then.

House of Flying Daggers was one of those sub-par transfers from Sony that was never remastered (although they certainly fixed The Fifth Element, released around the same time with similar transfer problems, quickly enough) and where they couldn't even be bothered to port over all the extras from the DVD.

Miramax certainly dropped the ball on Hero by offering the English dub track in lossless and leaving the original Chinese track as a lossy alternative.

Would love to see these gorgeous films get the proper releases they both deserve.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Criterion's way behind on this front for sure. A Lubitsch, Von Sternberg, Mamoulian, Busby Berkeley or Mae West set would do wonders in putting them back in the mix however. Or even just The Most Dangerous Game. It's a shame that film still isn't on bluray.

I have been wanting/hoping for a Von Sternberg/Dietrich set for ages! If Criterion don't do it, I hope Arrow Academy can.