The Criterion Collection

[DasMarcos]

Originally Posted by Page14

I just finished watching Still Walking for the first time. It seemed like a very even-keeled film to me ... no extreme highs or no extreme lows. Pleasant. I'm thinking most people could relate to it in one way or another

[Show spoiler] (... being that it deals with interfamily relationships)

.

Still Walking is one of my favorite Criterion releases and I love watching it on a slow summer day. I remember trying to explain the premise of the film to someone and they scoffed that anyone could enjoy such an experience.

Love the subtle and low-key interactions between the family though, and it really just gets one in the mood to cook, I know it did that for my wife and I. The included recipes on the BD case help for that!

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by rkish

I noticed an audio dropout for about a second or so at the very end if the film, as the credits are fading to black. I wondered if it was my copy or an issue with the transfer.

I have a busy week ahead of me, but I'll be happy to pop my copy in and go to the end credits and confirm at the next opportunity...I'll PM you.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

does anyone know other great documentaries, especially from criterion or on blu ray?

In case these have not been mentioned before...(please check region codes if you are restricted)

The Great White Silence - Fantastic visual account of Scott's journey to the Antarctic and his trek to the South Pole via the lens of Herbert Ponting who accompanied the crew. Meticulously restored by the fine folks at the BFI, with a specially commissioned atmospheric soundtrack and featurettes about the restoration and release.



Microcosmos - not in the strict sense a documentary, but a visuals and music journey exploring the micro-life of a garden. Invertebrate behavior has rarely been captured in a more mesmerising way than here.

[Miho]

Anyone care to dial me in on 3 Women? For some reason this has caught my eye. Sorry for the super vague question ... it's late

[Page14]

Originally Posted by DasMarcos

Still Walking is one of my favorite Criterion releases and I love watching it on a slow summer day. I remember trying to explain the premise of the film to someone and they scoffed that anyone could enjoy such an experience.

Love the subtle and low-key interactions between the family though, and it really just gets one in the mood to cook, I know it did that for my wife and I. The included recipes on the BD case help for that!

Silly me! Here I thought that I had gone through all of the supplements, but I completely forgot to look through the booklet. Leave it to Criterion ... another Criterion touch which helps separate them from other companies.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by rkish

I own it and have watched the 20 FPS version with the piano score. I noticed an audio dropout for about a second or so at the very end if the film, as the credits are fading to black. I wondered if it was my copy or an issue with the transfer. I've contacted MoC about it, but haven't heard back from them yet. I wondered if you noticed this audio issue as well.

Have you checked on the MoC forum or forum for the title (if there is one)?
It might already be a known problem...

[belgavin]

Originally Posted by ravenus

[

I'll second this. Absolutely spellbinding. The moment the first large iceberg comes on screen, accompanied by that score, is almost terrifying.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Another history reader. Thank you for the recommendations.

It is pleasure to know that there are another readers that appreciate Beevor's superb writing. His research and dedication really pays off. As you mentioned (great summary by the way), Stalingrad immerses readers directly in the middle of the war.

I read parts of Max Hastings All Hell Let Loose, magnum opus WW2 book. The two volume world war 2 book I am currently reading is by Henri Michel, a French historian. He goes in detail in the economical aspect of pre World war 2 Europe, but he is short on personal accounts.

Ivan's Childhood is a great movie that really supplements Beevor's Stalingrad (visa versa). Beevor goes in detail how the soviets had child scouts/spies as well as women soldiers. Tarkovsky is a poet with his film making. Anyone who enjoyed Ivan's Childhood should give Beevor's Stalingrad a try.

A couple of Hastings books, Retribution and Armageddon, are fascinating reading about the final year of WWII for Japan and Germany. An excellent reenactment of the final days of Hitler's reich is Downfall which is so eerily authentic looking it feels like you're trapped in the bunker also! No region A release yet but the UK Blu is region-free and well worth getting. A DVD companion to it would be Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary a documentary of Traudl Junge who's recollections of the events were one of the sources for Downfall.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Have you checked on the MoC forum or forum for the title (if there is one)?
It might already be a known problem...

I checked the MoC forum and didn't see any posts about it. I posted there as well. And I PM'ed and emailed customer service. Figure they must be pretty busy, as I haven't heard any update from them yet.

I'll see if the title has it's own thread...haven't tried that yet. Thanks for the suggestion.

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

I have a busy week ahead of me, but I'll be happy to pop my copy in and go to the end credits and confirm at the next opportunity...I'll PM you.

THANKS TJS!

[Ctzalman]

Originally Posted by Miho

Anyone care to dial me in on 3 Women? For some reason this has caught my eye. Sorry for the super vague question ... it's late

get it! altman's best film, in my opinion. its based on a dream he had, and it shows in the film. it has an ethereal, hallucinatory feel to it. it shares similar themes with bergman's persona regarding the nature of personal (and absorbing another's) identity.

Edit: after reflection, I will recant my statement; mccabe and ms miller is my favorite Altman film, with 3 women a close second.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by joie

I don't feel embarrassed. Are you mad about something? Was I right that CriterionCast's offices are in Starbucks? Another thing Criterion could do to improve its image is to get CriterionCast to stop trading on its name.

Why are you even wasting your time responding to that garbage troll? lol

Originally Posted by Miho

Anyone care to dial me in on 3 Women? For some reason this has caught my eye. Sorry for the super vague question ... it's late

It's a fantastic movie, in my opinion.

Altman based the entire film on a dream that he had, which I think is an extremely interesting concept. The film definitely has its psychological elements to it, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a psychological thriller.

While I can't remember the entire film (meaning that I should definitely rewatch it), the whole technique of role reversals is one of the highlights of the film, for me.

[obscurelabel]

Originally Posted by Miho

Anyone care to dial me in on 3 Women? For some reason this has caught my eye. Sorry for the super vague question ... it's late

Originally Posted by Ctzalman

get it! altman's best film, in my opinion. its based on a dream he had, and it shows in the film. it has an ethereal, hallucinatory feel to it. it shares similar themes with bergman's persona regarding the nature of personal (and absorbing another's) identity.

This is one of my (admittedly hundreds) of favorites. It can definitely be seen as "Altman does Persona" but is just as assuredly Altman's own movie. I love how

[Show spoiler]the subject matter of the film is slightly surreal and dreamlike, but the filming style is as naturalistic as can be - no dream sequences, expressionic/impressionistic shots or editing, etc. Also the knife-edge balancing of Shelly's character between comic and pathetic.

Also -- I could probably go on and on, but it's a treat if you like Altman at all, or Mulholland Drive, or (fill in dreamlike/surreal film/director here). If you only like films with straight-ahead plots with all the threads tied up, this may not be for you.

As a bonus, the commentary by Altman is superb.

[Snicket]

On the subject of docs...

Netflix instant has a great selection, though they are not Criterion, a few I liked:

Exit Through The Gift Shop
How to Survive A Plague
If A Tree Falls

Criterion related I never see anybody talk about the Soderbergh docs Gray's Anatomy, And Everything Is Going Fine.

[Miho]

Thanks guys! I'll pick it up ... I need some variety in my blu rays

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by ravenus

In case these have not been mentioned before...(please check region codes if you are restricted)

The Great White Silence - Fantastic visual account of Scott's journey to the Antarctic and his trek to the South Pole via the lens of Herbert Ponting who accompanied the crew. Meticulously restored by the fine folks at the BFI, with a specially commissioned atmospheric soundtrack and featurettes about the restoration and release.

Genuinely embarrassed to have left this out. One of the best movies I've ever seen. I believe it is region free as well, so there is little reason for CC type movie fetishists not to have it on their shelves.

[Scottie]

On press for THINGS TO COME: http://www.criterion.com/films/27552-things-to-come

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

On press for THINGS TO COME: http://www.criterion.com/films/27552-things-to-come

Nice! This artwork is solid and deserving of a fine science fiction film. Looks as though we're in for a plastic case for this one as well, which is always a good thing.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Snicket

On the subject of docs...

Netflix instant has a great selection, though they are not Criterion, a few I liked:

Including:
Man on Wire
The Thin Blue Line
Hoop Dreams
An Inconvenient Truth
Paper Clips
Client 9: the Rise & Fall of Eliot Spitzer
The 7-Up Series
Once in a Lifetime

(And most of the good stuff from PBS, A&E/History Channel, and ESPN: 30 For 30, but just so long as you know some of the essential features first. )

[Scottie]

I posted my 12 Angry Men review in The Criterion Film Of The Week thread, as it is the film of the week, and I decided to post it here as well.

In Sidney Lumet's 1957 courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men, twelve jurors are given the daunting task of deciding the fate of a young Spanish-American boy accused of murdering his father. The jurors must reach a unanimous decision before the end of the day and each person must be certain beyond a reasonable doubt. Should they find the boy guilty, he will be sentenced to death. Almost all of the film takes place inside the jury room in the courthouse. The jurors are placed into this room on the hottest day of the summer, where none of them actually want to be. Each individual seems to have their own agendas and would like a conclusion to be reached sooner, rather than later. What begins as a somewhat "easy" task, ends up turning into a grueling afternoon full of sweat, rampant emotions, and dissenting opinions. The important thing to take out of this film is that all it takes is one person to make a difference. By Juror #8 (portrayed by Henry Fonda) speaking up and not conforming to the expectations of his peers, the entire jury room was faced with confronting their differing opinions and their own personal troubles along the way.

12 Angry Men is a landmark in cinema history. While many may consider it to be the greatest courtroom drama (and general film) of all time, it was one of the earliest films that shifted the focus from the traditional setting of the courtroom to the jury room. I find it very ironic how we learn so much about each individual's character in such a short period of time, but we never learn something as simple as their names.

12 Angry Men has easily become a favorite film of mine. Not only does it have fantastic acting by each actor involved, but it has wonderful directing as well. With Sidney Lumet's exceptional directing abilities, specifically his keen eye for detail and the ability to capture the raw emotion on each character's face, we see how advanced he was for the time and how his directing styles would come into play in his later movies.

[Sherlock_Jr]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I posted my 12 Angry Men review in The Criterion Film Of The Week thread, as it is the film of the week, and I decided to post it here as well.

One of the most interesting things about Lumet's direction is almost subliminal. In the beginning of the film, he often used high angles as if we are looking down on the people, and showing a lot of the room. As the film progresses, he moves the camera lower and lower, and by the end, he's often times shooting up now at the characters, so we can see the ceiling. This was supposed to give the audience the feeling that, as tensions mounted, the walls were closing in, as well as "up" angles making characters seem more grand and imposing.

It's a neat trick, one that goes largely unnoticed by audiences, yet they feel the tension ramp up and don't exactly know why.