The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I know that all art is subjective, but am I the only one who thinks Silence of the Lambs was just OK? I'll probably get it because it's one of wife's favorite films, but I just don't get the excitement over it. Maybe I need to see it again.

You're not alone. I saw it years ago and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. I'd like to see it again, though. to see if anything changes.

[malakaheso]

I don't care about what's 'objectively good', but my taste in film has definitely become more extreme (re:eccentric) with age. I'm less interested in middle of the road awards type films. I'd rather watch Domino over most of that stuff, which I recently revisited and was kind of blown away by.

I love Nebraska though, which is very middle of the road, but it's a great example of that kind of American film making.

Killing Me Softly is good but I was a little disappointed.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by WrathOfHan

Nah, it's not an age thing. I'm a teenager and see this stuff happen way too often at the theater. At the beginning of the month, I had the worst theater experience in my life. I saw Wind River in an audience of about 40 other seniors, and they WOULD NOT SHUT UP. t to the staff to "report me" because I told them to be quiet.

Interesting. When I was in my teens I often preferred to see films that appealed to an older crowd because you wouldn't get noisy teens. When I saw Red (1994) at the age of 16, we (i.e my friend and I) were by far the youngest people there by decades and the cinema was dead quiet. Same thing happened when I saw The Crossing Guard, The English Patient, The People Vs Larry Flynt, The Thin Red Line etc etc. I could go on.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Interesting. When I was in my teens I often preferred to see films that appealed to an older crowd because you wouldn't get noisy teens. When I saw Red (1994) at the age of 16, we (i.e my friend and I) were by far the youngest people there by decades and the cinema was dead quiet. Same thing happened when I saw The Crossing Guard, The English Patient, The People Vs Larry Flynt, The Thin Red Line etc etc. I could go on.

When I was about 9, my dad started to take me to basically everything he wanted to see in theaters. In a span from ages 9-11, I remember going to "Trainspotting", "Hurlyburly", "Deconstructing Harry", "Fear and Loathing", "LA Confidential", "The People vs. Larry Flynt", "Pi", "Jackie Brown", "The Game", "Henry Fool", "Zero Effect", and a bunch of others. There were all these people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who would look at my dad like, "Why's he bringing his kid to this?" I remember after watching "Pi", some guy joked with my dad, "Great movie to take your kid to" and they had a laugh about it.

My mom didn't really care what my dad took me to, but oddly enough, the only time I remember her getting upset was when we went to this really bad Andy Garcia film called "The Man From Elysian Fields". It was a pretty tame movie, but it's basic premise is Andy Garcia moonlighting as a gigolo. I remember her saying to my dad, "Jesus, John, you and Mark went to a film about a male prostitute?" The weird thing is I was like 13 or 14 at the time and he had taken me to "Fear and Loathing" when I was 10, but she didn't really care about that one.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I know that all art is subjective, but am I the only one who thinks Silence of the Lambs was just OK? I'll probably get it because it's one of wife's favorite films, but I just don't get the excitement over it. Maybe I need to see it again.

I never understood the hype either, although I'm now keen to revisit it.

[CreepyThinMan]

I really hope that Criterion is going to release a 50th anniversary edition of Night of the Living Dead. Any word on that since there was a 4k restoration a while back?

[mja345]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

No, you're not. Just "ok" is exactly how I describe it. Hate to open this can of worms, but every time I watch it I'm thinking "Manhunter is so much better." Great chemistry between Hopkins and Foster, but other than that I am very neutral on SOTL.

Like you said, all subjective. And I am glad it is getting a much needed remaster for its fans' enjoyment.

Brian Cox is more menacing as Lecter in "Manhunter". It's a very subdued performance, but evokes actual serial killers far more than Hopkins' performance. Hopkins' Lecter is way over the top and almost feels comedic at times. It almost feels like an over the top Nic Cage performance because it's so daft. Jodie Foster's great in it, but there's a very good case to be made that "Manhunter" is a better film.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by mja345

Brian Cox is more menacing as Lecter in "Manhunter". It's a very subdued performance, but evokes actual serial killers far more than Hopkins' performance. Hopkins' Lecter is way over the top and almost feels comedic at times. It almost feels like an over the top Nic Cage performance because it's so daft. Jodie Foster's great in it, but there's a very good case to be made that "Manhunter" is a better film.

What you just said is considered to be the equivalent to a homicide for cinephiles.

[xHank_Hillx]

Hello! Hope it's okay to have my first post here. I just joined and wanted to say hi to all. I've been lurking this thread since the first post and have been collecting Criterions for 15 years. Cheers!

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Poya

What you just said is considered to be the equivalent to a homicide for cinephiles.

Depends on the kind of cinephile. An auteurist type would probably prefer Manhunter.

Hopkins' Lectar really tipped over into camp territory in Hannibal. That film was a joke to me. I'm amazed at the respect it gets.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Depends on the kind of cinephile. An auteurist type would probably prefer Manhunter.

Hopkins' Lectar really tipped over into camp territory in Hannibal. That film was a joke to me. I'm amazed at the respect it gets.

I am pretty sure no one respects Hannibal (the movie)

Re Manhunter, it's stylishly made for sure but I have problems with it overall. Parts of it just don't work for me.

[jbieste]

Originally Posted by jw007

Also, I've found myself enjoying cinema far more at home watching on my home theater without any distractions from other people... such as:.......................
I can avoid ALL OF THESE THINGS while watching a film on my home theater! It's wonderful!

I was fortunate enough to see a preview of Sully with a large group of aviation buffs. While there were some flaws in the film, at the end half the theater stood and applauded.

So every once in awhile there is something unexpected and very enjoyable about seeing a film in a public setting which makes it worthwhile. Doesn't happen anywhere near often enough though.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

What if I told you that you could see unlimited movies at the theaters for only $10 a month?

It's not the price that compels me, its the inconvenience and the 20+ reasons I stated in my list.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by WrathOfHan

Nah, it's not an age thing. I'm a teenager and see this stuff happen way too often at the theater. At the beginning of the month, I had the worst theater experience in my life. I saw Wind River in an audience of about 40 other seniors, and they WOULD NOT SHUT UP. They laughed at things that weren't intended to be humorous, commented and "oohed" at bloody images (it's an R rated detective film; don't expect to not see that), and made tons of rude comments during a really important scene in the third act. The audience significantly impacted my enjoyment of the movie, and I couldn't focus at all towards the end. I've had plenty of other bad experiences this year, including one at Cars 3 where I went to get a refund because the family next to me REFUSED to be quiet after I asked them to. The father even went to the staff to "report me" because I told them to be quiet. Why the hell is it so hard for people to be respectful in the theater? It sucks there aren't any places like Alamo Drafthouse in Central Florida, because as someone who goes to the movies weekly (often multiple times each week), it can get really grating to put up with audiences sometimes.

Good points.

I also believe that "where" one sees a film can be different too...not just in an indie movie theater vs. a major cineplex but also in certain neighborhoods or cities. For instance, in NYC/Manhattan, whenever I go to the IFC Center, the Sunshine Cinema, the Film Forum or the Metrograph, I notice how serious audiences are, how intelligent they are and how they're there to truly appreciate watching a good film. A lot of the people going to theaters like these, who are willing to pay $15 or more for a movie ticket, are not screwing around. Audiences are respectful for the most part in boutique theaters like that and I like that. Maybe that makes me sound "elitist", but I appreciate respectful audiences and that doesn't mean I'm a film snob either. People can either be *******s or not, and I appreciate when people respect others in a theater, esp. when you're paying $15-20 for a movie ticket!

I just like sitting with fellow serious film enthusiasts in movie theaters. It's such a great feeling. We all want to focus on the movie.

[jbieste]

Originally Posted by xHank_Hillx

Hello! Hope it's okay to have my first post here. I just joined and wanted to say hi to all. I've been lurking this thread since the first post and have been collecting Criterions for 15 years. Cheers!

Welcome
I would add to your list Worlds Apart. Only played in a couple film festivals, doesn't have a Blu-ray release but it can be found on DVD. One of my most enjoyable video releases of this year. I wouldn't have seen it but was going through some possible titles for a library and this one really stuck with me. Would love to see Criterion pick this up, an up coming Greek director, Christoforos Papakaliatis.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by JupiterMission

Glad to hear you're getting help, bro. Hopefully that means that someday when Freeway finally comes to blu, we'll all be able to have a nice thread about it. ;^)

I doubt they’d do Freeway. It’s way too obscure and it’s a bit trashy for the Collection. At most, it’s a Shout release, and even that’s pushing it. Besides, it never was a good looking movie to begin with so I doubt a BD release could improve on the DVD.

[theater dreamer]

Interesting. I bought Killing Them Softly a few months back, and it's just sat there in my collection, collecting dust ever since. The only issue with my watching has been that I've absolutely inundated myself with this influx of films over the past two-and-a-half years, or so; I just have too many things I've prioritized ahead of it. However, now I think it jumps up the list.

I absolutely get the Brad Pitt phenomenon as it relates to the overall score. People see his name in a film, and they're expecting his persona from Oceans Eleven, or something from a similar vein. They underestimate him, and expect his fare to be somewhat light. Fair or not, he's always going to be looked at as the pretty boy, and whatever true substance there is beneath the surface is always going to take a back seat. I think he's got much more range than people give him credit for. Early on in his career, those more challenging roles were not as well received, with a film like Fight Club being a rare exception. However, I think that's slowly starting to change. There's a reason why some of today's most compelling directors like David Fincher, Steve McQueen and Terrence Malick keep working with him, and it's not his box office draw. If you look back at his career, he's had a lot of really solid films. My collection is filled with them. I will go on the record as saying that Fury is one of my favorite films within the past three years. I found it riveting; the way the dynamic personalities coalesced within the tank, under the most extreme circumstances imaginable, made for a fascinating character study. And, the action was very well executed, imho. I thought he was magnificent in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and in Moneyball. I'm a baseball nut, and his turn as Billy Beane was pitch-perfect. He was so decidedly over-the-top in Inglourious Basterds, but, again, he was one of my favorite elements of the film. And when you consider the shadow cast by Christoph Waltz' tour de force performance, that Pitt's turn as Lt. Aldo Raine stands out in my memory as much as it does...well, it's a credit to his ability. He can play the larger-than-life Nazi hunter in one film, and then give a wonderfully nuanced performance as Wardaddy Collier in yet another.

Originally Posted by mja345

Yeah, I was a kid getting into film when "The English Patient" came out and I remember people fawning over it. It's a pretty good film when you watch it years removed from the hype. Re: CinemaScore, I liked "Argo" and "The Help" fine. Not great films, but they're fine. But the average filmgoer is always going to favor something that makes him or her feel good. "Killing Them Softly" is an objectively good film. Well-written, well-directed, well-acted. So, an F rating is clearly related the cynicism and bleakness of the film. The fact that Brad Pitt was in it probably attracted a lot of people who the film was never intended for.

My sister-in-law is a nice woman, but not a real intellectually curious person, to put it gently. She'll go see any Ryan Reynolds film and drag my brother along because Reynolds makes her real hot and bothered. The film of Reynolds' she hated most was "Mississippi Grind", while my brother loved it. I think a lot of people like my sister-in-law went to "Killing Them Softly" because of Pitt.

[mja345]

I agree, theater dreamer. I like Brad Pitt a lot, dude's an excellent actor. He's actually made some fairly risky choices in his career. But a lot of women love the guy (I had an ex-GF who loved him, my current GF's guy is Michael Fassbender) and will go see anything he's in, even if it's something they normally wouldn't like. Two of his first starring roles were "Johnny Suede" and "Kalifornia", which are two very non-traditional films. It's harder these days to carve out an interesting career if you're a "handsome actor". It's really true. DiCaprio has done it well, so have Fassbender and Ryan Gosling. Pitt's done a hell of a job of it, all things considered and how much god-awful shit I'm sure he was offered. It's not the 1970s, where you look at the filmographies of guys like Newman and Redford, who women swooned over, and you go, "Man, these guys did it on their own terms and mostly made really interesting films". I give these current leading-man actors a lot of credit for carving out fairly interesting careers in a current environment of cinema where that is a lot more difficult.

[pnaschy]

Originally Posted by WrathOfHan

Nah, it's not an age thing. I'm a teenager and see this stuff happen way too often at the theater. At the beginning of the month, I had the worst theater experience in my life. I saw Wind River in an audience of about 40 other seniors, and they WOULD NOT SHUT UP. They laughed at things that weren't intended to be humorous, commented and "oohed" at bloody images (it's an R rated detective film; don't expect to not see that), and made tons of rude comments during a really important scene in the third act. The audience significantly impacted my enjoyment of the movie, and I couldn't focus at all towards the end. I've had plenty of other bad experiences this year, including one at Cars 3 where I went to get a refund because the family next to me REFUSED to be quiet after I asked them to. The father even went to the staff to "report me" because I told them to be quiet. Why the hell is it so hard for people to be respectful in the theater? It sucks there aren't any places like Alamo Drafthouse in Central Florida, because as someone who goes to the movies weekly (often multiple times each week), it can get really grating to put up with audiences sometimes.

The last time I went to the cinema was in 2001 because of your type of experience. They should have headphone sockets built into the seats so you can drown out all of the noise.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Mads Mikkelsen's Hannibal Lecter > All