The Criterion Collection

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Badlands will be a definite purchase for me. Haven't seen any of the others, but The Blob, and A Man Escaped definitely sound worth the blind buys. I'll definitely be looking into all of them though.

Of the handful of Bresson films I've seen, A Man Escaped is squarely in the middle. That said, if I were to recommend one of his films to someone curious but not accustomed to art house films (which makes no sense since I'd never recommend Bresson as a gateway filmmaker) I'd start with A Man Escaped. It has a clear narrative that gets pretty well-resolved after a solid, tense escalation of tension that in many ways adheres to tropes of prison films. The characters are, while still pretty typically of Bresson, stoic but more relatable if only through genre associations. No, it won't get confused with populist fare like Shawshank, but its easier to dip a toe here than to bellyflop into, say, the tale of a girl and her donkey.

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by octagon

People with even more time on their hands than us (than we?) will try various combinations of urls to try to stumble across individual release pages at the Criterion site before they are 'live'.

Finding that many using that method seems a little unlikely but who knows.

Mulvaney's evil, goateed doppelgänger?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by octagon

People with even more time on their hands than us (than we?) will try various combinations of urls to try to stumble across individual release pages at the Criterion site before they are 'live'.

Finding that many using that method seems a little unlikely but who knows.

Especially because the only one we knew was really coming was Badlands.

[Beta Man]

Wish Ministry of Fear was a "Full" release.... otherwise saving some up, and doing a Fritz-Box would have been nice.

[Monty70]

I love the cover art for The Life and Death of Col. Blimp.

[zoodermin]

Great month!! I’ll definitely pick up Monsieur Verdoux, Badlands and Colonel Blimp. I’ll be getting the others eventually. As usual, Criterion does not disappoint with their announcements!!

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by octagon

Badlands, Ministry of Fear and The Blob are definites and I'll probably have a fairly easy time talking myself into the Chaplin and Bresson.

Blimp is the only one I'm really 'meh' toward and that's only based on watching the first fifteen or so minutes on TCM so who knows.

Blimp gets much more interesting once you get passed the opening bookend. Those first twenty or so minutes really taxed me, but it was well worth it. Glad to see they've gone 180 on the Essential art house cover. Call me crazy but it always creeped me out and initially looked like a blood-soaked version of Martin Sheen rising out of Apocalyptic mud.

I will definitely be checking out Badlands, with an eye towards buying it. But now that its announced I'm relieved that it frees up a spot for new wacky predictions Badlands proves may be tenable.

[RiFiFi1955]

I'm Happy!

[SpiderBaby]

After thinking back at how many releases I bought in 2012 and 2011, I literally don't know why I keep waiting for announcement day. 2011 had 3 releases that I praised and wanted (Vigo, People on Sunday, and The Music Room). I think it's time for me to just be surprised when there is 1 or 2 releases announced a year that I think is great and not be let down every month in hopes that they changed from the previous month. I believe I have bought more Facets dvd releases over the past year then Criterion releases the past 2.

[runnersdialzero]

For those of you who are not into Chaplin, Monsieur Verdoux is probably unlike anything he ever did.

First off, it's a full talkie. The second one he ever did.

It's really dark. Especially for the 40s.
I think it's almost Hitchcock-esque.

And he does not play The Little Tramp.

Anyways, give it a chance when it comes out.

[Brad1963]

Count me in for Chaplin, Colonel Blimp, A Man Escaped, and Ministry of Fear.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by chris_sc77

Only thing of interest to me is Badlands if it has lots of supplements. Cover art is among the weakest in Criterion History though,...No thanks to the rest of the titles.

You much not know much Criterion history....

All worse.

[silverlakephil]

The Colonel Blimp restoration is wonderful, easily a top ten of 2012. If Criterion uses the same transfer, then fans of Powell & Pressburger will be pleased. I hope A Matter of Life and Death gets a similar treatment someday..

[octagon]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

Blimp gets much more interesting once you get passed the opening bookend. Those first twenty or so minutes really taxed me, but it was well worth it. Glad to see they've gone 180 on the Essential art house cover. Call me crazy but it always creeped me out and initially looked like a blood-soaked version of Martin Sheen rising out of Apocalyptic mud.

Given all the raves I'm certainly willing to keep an open mind. I'm sure it will pop back up again on TCM before too long.

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

I will definitely be checking out Badlands, with an eye towards buying it. But now that its announced I'm relieved that it frees up a spot for new wacky predictions Badlands proves may be tenable.

This is kind of funny in a 'tale of two gut reactions' sort of way. I'm not a huge Martin Sheen fan, not a huge Sissy Spacek fan and The Thin Red Line is still the only Malick I've been able to get all the way through buuuuuuut the first ten minutes of Badlands completely sold me on waiting for a BD release.

Why? Couldn't tell ya. It just hooked me.

[Monty70]

Great to see Criterion release another film noir title. Ministry of Fear has been given a new 2K digital restoration along with a Criterion produced interview about the film, all for the lower price point of $29.99.

This will have a place of honor on my shelf along with The Third Man, Kiss Me Deadly, The Killing, and Sweet Smell of Success.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

They haven't even got around to the ones they have had for a while. The ATG ones will either be dumped in a Eclipse set or will take a long time to come out.

What I hope is Criterion picked up more from ATG like Terayama. Now that is a filmmaker I will be more than excited seeing announced.

Imagine a Throw Away your Books, Rally on the Streets release? Or a Pastoral Hide and Seek one? Those would be some heavy players.

Originally Posted by Roninblues

or Koji Wakamatsu films.

How about a big box of South American directors' films?????? It isn't a rumor that they make films down there.

I doubt Criterion will ever do that, the more I think about it the more I lose hope. If they wanted to release a South American film they would have done so already. Their cinema is as vast and diverse as those of Japan, US or Europe.

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

None of these are immediate buys for me...eventual buys, maybe...but not too excited.

Apparently the big announcement was the death of the Eclipse line. Fourth month WITHOUT Eclipse .

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

After thinking back at how many releases I bought in 2012 and 2011, I literally don't know why I keep waiting for announcement day. 2011 had 3 releases that I praised and wanted (Vigo, People on Sunday, and The Music Room). I think it's time for me to just be surprised when there is 1 or 2 releases announced a year that I think is great and not be let down every month in hopes that they changed from the previous month. I believe I have bought more Facets dvd releases over the past year then Criterion releases the past 2.

I normally have at least one title I am interested in but I have come to accept my label to go should be Eureka and their Masters of Cinema series. Same quality, same effort, better customer services (Miles better) and WAY better selection of titles (Bakumatsu Taiyo-Den should be enough to put most cinephiles hearts racing).

Overall, I fail to see where is the BIG coming from. I am only interested in A Man Escaped and maybe Ministry of Fear at the lower price point. The worst thing about these announcements is the complete lack of surprising choices. Everything here has been expected/rumored for months. Not a single risky choice and no Eclipse set to be found. Bad month for me .

[Arkadin]

I went through a lot of effort to acquire the UK dvd of Ministry of Fear, but obviously very excited about the blu.
I can't believe how many UK dvds that I have of films not on dvd in the US that have now come out on bd--Bonjour Tristesse, Wild River, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Viva Zapata, Odd Man Out, Secret Beyond the Door, etc.
just crazy.
very nice month!!

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

Apparently the big announcement was the death of the Eclipse line. Fourth month WITHOUT Eclipse .

I know! Especially since 2012 had some great entries in the line..It's really unfortunate we haven't gotten one announced in way too long .

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by octagon

This is kind of funny in a 'tale of two gut reactions' sort of way. I'm not a huge Martin Sheen fan, not a huge Sissy Spacek fan and The Thin Red Line is still the only Malick I've been able to get all the way through buuuuuuut the first ten minutes of Badlands completely sold me on waiting for a BD release.

I love Days of Heaven and have a love/like relationship with Tree of Life. I own Thin Red Line and therefore NEED to give it a second chance. It just didn't stick to my memory, probably since I'm also not a huge combat film person. Saw it the same weekend as Paths of Glory, which I preferred but largely for the parts not in the trenches.

Why? Couldn't tell ya. It just hooked me.

I think you should really overthink it so you can rip that hook from your cheek and completely ruin your connection to the film.

I'm intrigued by it and would bet I'll love it. Certainly it'll be a library check-out DVD and depending on my budget will eventually be a purchase.

[dlevine]

Wow... Ministry of Fear came out of left field for me. Great movie...glad I caught it on TCM awhile back.
Can't wait for Badlands and Monsieur Verdoux!