The Criterion Collection

[JediFonger]

i haven't seen it so i dunno. what kinds of mis-steps?

Originally Posted by Pyoko

Well, I can heartily recommend it, and from your description I think you will like it. The actors are all great and they've really managed to capture a natural and believable family dynamic.

Personally I was very surprised. I had a vague idea of what it was about and thought "Oh, it's one of those meandering family dramas" but I was genuinely moved by it, and it made me feel very nostalgic, emotional and a bit melancholic. It's not perfect, there are a few missteps, but overall I thought it was excellent.

However I will say that it is fairly easy to get into and has a very calm atmosphere, so if you're the type that feels there's no point to a movie unless everything's obfuscated by ambiguity and randomness, or is about odd, alien or tough subjects that are uncomfortable, boring or otherwise hard to watch, it might not be for you.

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

i haven't seen it so i dunno. what kinds of mis-steps?

Perhaps not really a spoiler, but I deliberately didn't mention it in order to not affect anyone's expectations:

[Show spoiler]I didn't find the ending to be wholly satisfactory. I thought it deserved better, and the way they ended it felt a bit cheap, obvious and cliched.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Any insight into Amazon's pricing? Sweet Smell of Success was at $24.99 for, what, 48 hours? And now it's back "up" to $25.99, but still down from the earlier $27.99 price. What's with the fluctuations?

Usually I'd say they are price matching some retailer that I'm not aware of.... but when they do this stuff for pre-orders, I think perhaps they have a certain "Unit" amount goal they want to hit, and they do that to help get there, but really.... I have no idea.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by giedrys

Would it be ok to say that is this thread is mostly about deals, packaging and who recently ordered what, but there are not a lot of opinions on particular film or A&V quality. Why is that?

I wouldn't say there aren't a lot of opinions about the various films (though the manner in which they get scattered in a megathread does tend to make that information a lot less useful) but a dearth of PQ/AQ discussion isn't all that hard to understand - what's there to say?

It would be like discussing the weather in Bermuda - It's nice today - Sure is, it was nice yesterday too, any idea what tomorrow is going to be like? - I just saw a forecast, it's supposed to be nice

[JediFonger]

thanks for the insight. i don't watch any of the other Japanese directors outside of Kurosawa... perhaps i need to start exploring

Originally Posted by Pyoko

Perhaps not really a spoiler, but I deliberately didn't mention it in order to not affect anyone's expectations:

[Show spoiler]I didn't find the ending to be wholly satisfactory. I thought it deserved better, and the way they ended it felt a bit cheap, obvious and cliched.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

I don't watch any of the other Japanese directors outside of Kurosawa...

That's unfortunate.

Originally Posted by JediFonger

perhaps i need to start exploring

Most definitely. Stay away from Kurosawa for a while.

CC

[ccfixx]

Time Out London's new list of 100 Best British Films.

There are quite a few films on that list that are in the Criterion Collection, obviously.

CC

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Time Out London's new list of 100 Best British Films.

There are quite a few films on that list that are in the Criterion Collection, obviously.

CC

I was looking at this earlier today, and it reminded me how much I would love to see Criterion announce Roeg's Don't Look Now. It is such a strangely wonderful film. My wife bought me a DVD copy a few years back and I went into it not really knowing much about it. Boy was I pleasantly surprised.

Speaking of films by directors currently in the collection that I would like to see...after seeing how great a job they did with Bigger Than Life, I would be ecstatic if they announced In A Lonely Place, which is one of my favorite films of all time, and is, in my opinion, one of Bogart's best performances. The book is pretty great too, for those who haven't read it and might be interested in some noir/pulp.

[SlickDamian]

Still Walking looks like a really good film, I think that I'm going to have to get it.

I watched The 400 Blows for the first time just a couple of hours ago. What a striking film.

[Beta Man]

The "Mug" discussion thread would probably have to be closed in fear of the servers not being able to handle the traffic:

http://www.criterion.com/shop/mugs

[octagon]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

...I would be ecstatic if they announced In A Lonely Place,...

Absolutely agree. It's a very good film and in an odd, almost left-handed-compliment sort of way, it's also something of a case study in how subtle the differences between really good and great can be.

Many of the similarities to The Maltese Falcon are obvious, some of them are less so but in no case can you really point to any of the various components of one or the other and say 'oh, see, that's clearly better' and yet (imo, at least) The Maltese Falcon does have some indefinable something that sets it above In a Lonely Place.

To me that's one of the most interesting things about it.

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I watched The 400 Blows for the first time just a couple of hours ago. What a striking film.

I really like the French teacher, always humorously condescending, and a brilliantly realised character. I thought they could have made a whole movie just out of the classroom antics and him scolding pupils.

This is one of my all-time favorite films. And while I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Svet Atanasov's review of the Blu-ray, I must add that, though he could not see a difference between the Criterion release and the Artificial Eye releases, there is, nonetheless, quite a difference between the two. The most striking difference (and the one most worth mentioning here) is that the Criterion transfer exhibits far more grain. And this is a good thing. The Artificial Eye release is almost grain-free and much softer, prompting some on the web to suspect an overabundance of DNR. Whatever the cause, the Criterion release is MUCH more film-like and appears closer to the theatrical experience of the film (which I've seen numerous times projected, including in its initial U.S. release).

I felt that this was worth pointing out for anyone considering which version to buy or whether it is worth repurchasing the film on Criterion if you already own the Artificial Eye. In my opinion, it is. I have now put my AE copy up for sale as it simply cannot compare to Criterion's transfer (despite the fact that AE has a slightly higher bitrate. Go figure). The blacks are also a little deeper/richer in the Criterion transfer.

As for the story itself, I love Atanasov's take on the film and think it is an insightful interpretation. However, I would also add that the film asks some big questions about following our passions in life despite whatever risks may be involved. This is discussed in at least one of the Criterion essays and I think it is also an insightful approach to understanding the film. But like all of the best films, there is more than one interpretation and Veronique seems to be a film tailor-made for those who are particularly open to that.

[greekak229]

My Amarcord had some damaging on the bottom of its packaging, but whatever. I'm looking forward to watching the film sometime soon.

[BasicGreatGuy]

Originally Posted by greekak229

My Amarcord had some damaging on the bottom of its packaging, but whatever. I'm looking forward to watching the film sometime soon.

Why not return it? You didn't pay for a damaged package.

[BasicGreatGuy]

14 days to go until "The Sweet Smell of Success."

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Hal_M

The most striking difference (and the one most worth mentioning here) is that the Criterion transfer exhibits far more grain. And this is a good thing. The Artificial Eye release is almost grain-free and much softer, prompting some on the web to suspect an overabundance of DNR. Whatever the cause, the Criterion release is MUCH more film-like and appears closer to the theatrical experience of the film (which I've seen numerous times projected, including in its initial U.S. release).

Thank you for the kind words

I would like to quickly comment on a couple of things:

1. First, the AE disc has a very fine grain structure, and it clearly shows. Detail is strong and color reproduction is also beautiful.

2. What the Criterion release shows more of is actually light noise, not grain as speculated by some, which is fairly easy to spot. If you look at screencapture #3, bottom, right, you could clearly see it. The noise shifts throughout the entire film. Additionally, if I had to speculate I would say that a fresh 4K scan of the ON would actually produce an image that is in fact much closer to what you see on the Artificial Eye disc - smoother and tighter grain structure (currently you have 2K used for the two transfers), not DNR-ed "smoother" image.

In any event, both transfers are sourced from the same MK2 master, and, in my opinion, both are equally strong.

Pro-B

p.s. For what is worth, various small noise corrections have been performed on both releases.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by BasicGreatGuy

Why not return it? You didn't pay for a damaged package.

It's just a dent on the bottom of it. I'm not really into replacing the packages anyway. I still have my Vivre Sa Vie packaging where the case is basically snapped in half. Although, I did email Criterion or whoever about a case months ago but they never got back to me. Unless the disc is affected, whatevs.

[rock, stone]

Here's the thing, if DNR looked anything like the Artificial Eye release of Double Life, I would kiss DNR on the mouth.

[Arkadin]

just counted all the blu-ray releases through every title announced so far, and counting each of the 2 films in the Monterey release, counting the Brakhage releases as 1 total title, and counting each title in the BBS set, I get a total of 96 films.
did not count any bonus films like the film on the Stagecoach disc or an other bonus type film extra--only main titles.
so once 4 more films are announced obviously, Criterion will reach it's 100th blu-ray release.
(unless I miscounted or left a film out)
pretty amazing accomplishment from where they were 3 years ago I'd say.
they have really upped their game considerably.
wonder which film will get the lucky honor?