The Criterion Collection

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

Adding some of my favourites for your consideration:

The Leopard
High and Low
The Thin Red Line
Paris, Texas
Picnic at Hanging Rock

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

Does your public library have Criterion DVDs/BDs? If so, that's a great way to check out Criterion titles before you buy. There is also the Criterion Channel. For about $10 a month you have unlimited access to most of their collection.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by regeyer

Does your public library have Criterion DVDs/BDs? If so, that's a great way to check out Criterion titles before you buy. There is also the Criterion Channel. For about $10 a month you have unlimited access to most of their collection.

That's a good idea. Many libraries (and Universities) are connected to Kanopy, which allows you to stream movies, including many Criterion titles for free with just your library card. I kept meaning to set this up myself, and now I looked it up, and the New York Public Library dropped Kanopy 2 months ago, argh.

Here's the link to Kanopy, and their selection:

http://www.kanopy.com/browser-update...onomy/term/649

[a priori]

Originally Posted by belcherman

It's hard to say without knowing your tastes, but you can't go wrong with any of the Hitchcocks. The Sweet Smell of Success is my personal favorite.

The Sweet Smell of Success was my top 'pleasant surprise blind-buy' of the recent Barnes & Noble Sale. Never has sleaze been so fun to watch and a long past milieu captured so palpably. (Plus, one of the most delicious character names in cinema: J.J. Hunsecker.)

[cgpublic]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Yes, I understood that. I just didn't care for the imagery Roeg used to convey it. I suppose I was expecting something more stylized (if that's the right word), and that less resembled a horror film. But again, this is a personal view only.

This is not the first time I've read a similar opinion about the ending of Don't Look Now. Directorial decisions made by Polanski for Repulsion echo the same criticism. You are not alone, so take any comments otherwise with a grain of salt.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And the director really wasn't doing himself any favors by spreading that nonsense that Criterion wasn't interested, simply because they didn't get involved with die-hard fan's revival festival. If the director wanted Criterion to release the film, then he should have gotten in touch with them directly, or get the word out like Deakins is doing now.

As I posted over in the Ford thread, I recall hearing/reading there was a conflict between WB and Dominik, the former extremely unhappy with the marketability of the film, never mind the cut, after several concerns were communicated during filming and post-production.

It doesn't take much to derail the appreciation/support of a director in Hollywood, especially when one lacks box office success. But, wow, the first time I screened Chopper, then Ford, I thought, this fellow has some career ahead of him.

One Hollywood film in the past 12 years, and just recently, a few episodes of Mindhunter.

Shame.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And the director really wasn't doing himself any favors by spreading that nonsense that Criterion wasn't interested, simply because they didn't get involved with die-hard fan's revival festival. If the director wanted Criterion to release the film, then he should have gotten in touch with them directly, or get the word out like Deakins is doing now.

And furthermore "Assassination..." is with Warner. It's entirely possible that when this super fan approached Criterion (I wonder how he contacted them? Mulvaney??) they might not have had a deal in place with Warner Bros. yet, or it was still very early. So who knows if Criterion could have even released the film if they wanted to, at that time.

I'd also say he's out-of-date if he's thinking Criterion is the only place that would/should release it. If it's true Criterion isn't interested (and he might know something he didn't say), it seems like a film that would be right up Arrow's alley.

[Steelheadz]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Adding some of my favourites for your consideration:

The Leopard
High and Low
The Thin Red Line
Paris, Texas
Picnic at Hanging Rock

Thanks. I just bought "The thin red line" a week ago. I heard it was a great movie.

[HenryHill]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

There are some terrific recommendations in this thread. I'd also suggest that you check out some of the more obscure titles that few people have seen:

Fantastic Planet (70s French sci-fi animation)
The Last Wave (Early Peter Weir, 70s Australian supernatural thriller)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg body horror)
The Brood (ditto)
Scanners (ditto^2)
Fellini's Satyricon (a visually stunning adaptation of an ancient Roman novel)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (glam trans rock musical)
True Stories (surreal Talking Heads movie)
Koyaanisqatsi (a wordless documentary about humanity's despoliation of the earth accompanied by a Phillip Glass score )

[jjhunsecker]

Originally Posted by a priori

The Sweet Smell of Success was my top 'pleasant surprise blind-buy' of the recent Barnes & Noble Sale. Never has sleaze been so fun to watch and a long past milieu captured so palpably. (Plus, one of the most delicious character names in cinema: J.J. Hunsecker.)

Totally agree ! One of my all time favorites...as you can probably guess from my member name

[FragnitoM]

Peter Sarsgaard in the closet. Maybe it’s for the channel? Only thing I could think of that may be for an upcoming release is maybe Boys Don’t Cry which is overdue for a good bluray

Probably not even Night Moves... hopefully never Garden State

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Peter Sarsgaard in the closet. Maybe it’s for the channel? Only thing I could think of that may be for an upcoming release is maybe Boys Don’t Cry which is overdue for a good bluray

Probably not even Night Moves... hopefully never Garden State

He is in an IFC film, The Sound of Silence, which will likely end up like Wildlife, never released.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

I'd also say he's out-of-date if he's thinking Criterion is the only place that would/should release it. If it's true Criterion isn't interested (and he might know something he didn't say), it seems like a film that would be right up Arrow's alley.

The landscape has really changed in the past few years. I still love the whacky C but if say Arsenic and Old Lace was announced by Warner Archives instead of Criterion I wouldn't even blink. I'd be delighted.

Even Kino is stepping up their game with the Studio Classics line.

I've had Charley Varrick on my CC wishlists for as long as I've been here but it sounds like I'm going to be pretty happy with the Kino release.

It's funny too. People have been predicting the death of catalog releases for years and just when it started to seem like those people might have been on to something and catalog titles were being throttled back a bit some switch got thrown somewhere and there are new labels and old labels learning new tricks and studios dipping their toes into licensing.

Hell, even Paramount is showing signs of life.

Like I said, I still love CC but they ain't the only game in town anymore. They've got competition and that's a good thing.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

I'm new to Criterion but bought some during the last sale at barnes. I was lucky to score some craigslist titles (seven samurai, the third man) in blu ray. Really liking their quality.

I found out that many criterion blu rays are very rare and pricey. What's the possible next rare waves?

If you are new to the Criterion collection or art house films in general I would stay away from some of the films recommend for the time being and look for more safe titles in terms of traditional story telling. I'm afraid something like 8 1/2 or Picnic at Hanging Rock may turn you off the collection completely. Great films, but not typical of most. Maybe something worth catching on Criterions channel or elsewhere first before buying. I personally like them, but they can be divisive and the collection has quite a few of those.

If you liked Seven Samurai definitely check out Yojimbo

Recommended French Films:
Beauty And The beast
Diabolique
Purple Noon
Rififi
Le Samourai

Recommended Japanese:
High and Low
Harakiri
Rashomon
Throne of Blood

English:
The Innocents
Night of the Hunter
On the Waterfront

Silent Films:
M
The Phantom Carriage


My personal favorite:
Marketa Lazarová

Didn't want to list a ton of films, but just a few you can research and make a decision on. Most listed have more traditional story lines and pacing, except Rashomon, but its inclusion is because its such a great film on many levels.

I always love it when I blind buy a film and it ends up being one of my favorites. Then I watch it over and over through the years. Hopefully you will find some like that. Films you never knew existed that just click with you or send you into exploring more films from the same director, period or region so you can discover more gems.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

As always, narrowing down my list is proving quite the task.

Since I'm getting the Godzilla set next month and then due to having many pre-orders I already have for November and many Kino titles I want to pick up Day 1 I will probably end up sitting out both sales. I mean I won't say I might not pick something up but its likely I'll wait till February since I have so many Criterion titles I need to watch, for example I still have some Bergman films from last years big box I still need to get to. Though I might pick up a few titles over the holidays.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

Since you said you like Seven Samurai I would pick up the Kurosawas. You can't go wrong with anything directed by Hitchcock or John Ford in the catalog. All the Chaplin and Lloyd films are great. Other titles I would recommend:

12 Angry Men
Detour(this is one of the must have film noirs)
Dr. Strangelove
A Face in the Crowd(this film is a must watch in 2019)
In the Heat of the Night
It Happened One Night
The Philadelphia Story
Red River
The Silence of the Lambs
Stagecoach

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

I haven't read all the replies yet, so if this has been mentioned, I apologize. You might consider getting a subscription to the Criterion Channel. They offer a 14 day free trial, so you could check out a lot of the movies that are on blu-ray via streaming.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, I love Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors trilogy. It's one of my very favorite things in the entire collection.

You also can't go wrong with Stanley Kubrick's entrants in the Collection: The Killing, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, and Barry Lyndon.

There are so many different ways to get started. Just enjoy yourself.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Silent Films:
M
The Phantom Carriage

M is not a silent!

[regeyer]

Tonight I'm going to watch my favorite Criterion release.



Okay, so it's not a real Criterion. I still like it.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Peter Sarsgaard in the closet. Maybe it’s for the channel? Only thing I could think of that may be for an upcoming release is maybe Boys Don’t Cry which is overdue for a good bluray

Probably not even Night Moves... hopefully never Garden State

Won't ever happen, but I'd love to see Shattered Glass in the Collection.

[Hellspawn28]

I hope Criterion's first 4K UHD release will be either King Kong (1933) or Wings of Desire.