The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Visco.

Hey guys, I'm gonna list a bunch of titles and if someone could recommend some of the titles that would be great!

[Show spoiler]Repo Man
Breathless
Wes Anderson films
Che
Gomorrah
Grey's Anatomy
Traffic (great movie)
Solaris
Tokyo Drifter
Paris, Texas
Days of Heaven
Blow Out

I'm trying to narrow it down to 4 titles. I don't wanna blow all my money on this sale since I'm trying to start saving for school.

Carlos.

I know it's not on your list but if you're interested in Che then give Carlos a look. They're similar in scope and subject matter but fairly dissimilar in tone. Che is almost operatic where Carlos isn't at all romanticized or idealized or melodramatic or the like. It doesn't pretend to be a documentary or even consciously strike a docu/verite/whatever tone but it's very even-handed and matter-of-fact in its presentation of events.

Of the stuff actually on your list...

Paris, Texas is mesmerizing. I'm one of the few people here who found the resolution bland and emotionally uninvolving but I absolutely didn't mind being underwhelmed by the ultimate destination because the journey was so rich.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

I was just thinking about my top 20 American films today, having a conversation with my lady about this. While I don't know all of them for sure, here are some thoughts/possibilities . . . in no particular order . . .

Wizard of Oz
On the Waterfront
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Paths of Glory
Ben Hur
Heaven's Gate
Magnolia
Leaving Las Vegas
Pulp Fiction
Jaws
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
My Own Private Idaho
Last Temptation of Christ
The Shining
The Graduate
Apocalypse Now
Vertigo
Fargo
Badlands

Abdrewes, if you have a list handy, what are yours?

Give me a rain check. Lunch break's over so it's back to the pits of Hell

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Give me a rain check. Lunch break's over. Back to the pits of Hell

cool beans, no worries . . . "pits of hell," sounds like you work in one of several Criterion-released Japanese films.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Visco.

I'm trying to narrow it down to 4 titles. I don't wanna blow all my money on this sale since I'm trying to start saving for school.

About two months after buying books, you'll thank your lucky stars for HuluPlus. (Even just to preview purchases.)
Don't make the mistakes those of us in the earlier pre-streaming generations made, when WE were in school.

[UncleBuckWild]

Any opinions on the David Lean Set?... the movies seem interesting.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Any opinions on the David Lean Set?... the movies seem interesting.

While I personally haven't seen it, a lot of people feel it's a good buy for Brief Encounter alone.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by iScottie

While I personally haven't seen it, a lot of people feel it's a good buy for Brief Encounter alone.

Good to know ... will give it a try, it's available individually from UK... and i'm loving that artwork.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Posted my list above. Consider renting Repo Man first, it's no where near as rewatchable as Sid & Nancy (for me). Still a decent film though.

I was lucky to catch Repo Man on a cable channel here (Comcast On Demand actually) and after watching the film, I realized that I probably wouldn't care to watch it more than a couple of times. Sometimes its good to rent or try before you buy so you know for sure this is a Criterion film that you're going to want to watch again.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

While I personally haven't seen it, a lot of people feel it's a good buy for Brief Encounter alone.

I would be one of those people . You should get around to seeing them one day

[Casey]

Originally Posted by jw007

I was lucky to catch Repo Man on a cable channel here (Comcast On Demand actually) and after watching the film, I realized that I probably wouldn't care to watch it more than a couple of times. Sometimes its good to rent or try before you buy so you know for sure this is a Criterion film that you're going to want to watch again.

agreed. i blind bought it, and thought it was ok, but have since traded it.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Any opinions on the David Lean Set?... the movies seem interesting.

The only film in the set I didn't care for was Blithe Spirit. The rest are great, especially This Happy Breed and Brief Encounter. Also, the picture quality on all four films is incredible.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I would be one of those people . You should get around to seeing them one day

I have an insanely large backlog of films to watch.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I have an insanely large backlog of films to watch.

..and now you added the Hulu selection on top of it!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

cool beans, no worries . . . "pits of hell," sounds like you work in one of several Criterion-released Japanese films.

More or less, we are surveying the foundations for a future building at a refinery, we have to wear fire retardant suits, steel toes, safety glasses, gloves, orange vests and ear plugs. Plus, with all the rebar down there, it feels much much hotter. Ahhhh...thankfully some plans are being checked, so a little break

Originally Posted by iScottie

While I personally haven't seen it, a lot of people feel it's a good buy for Brief Encounter alone.

It is worth it for Brief Encounter alone. Lean's greatest non-epic!

Break times over...

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

..and now you added the Hulu selection on top of it!

I'm only going to watch the Hulu films when I'm too lazy to pop in a Blu-ray.

I've just been trying to thin down my regular film collection by watching whatever I haven't seen yet. Should I like it, excellent. If I don't, bye bye.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

The only film in the set I didn't care for was Blithe Spirit. The rest are great, especially This Happy Breed and Brief Encounter. Also, the picture quality on all four films is incredible.

Blithe Spirit is quite fun, but only for so long in the movie. After about halfway through, it tends to be quite tiresome and repetitive.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

The only film in the set I didn't care for was Blithe Spirit. The rest are great, especially This Happy Breed and Brief Encounter. Also, the picture quality on all four films is incredible.

Thanks bro... will look into it... If the price is right during the B&N Sale, will probably get the set or just buy them individually from Europe.

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

..and now you added the Hulu selection on top of it!

Awesome! didn't know Criterions were available @ Hulu ... will sign up right away.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by tenia

Blithe Spirit is quite fun, but only for so long in the movie. After about halfway through, it tends to be quite tiresome and repetitive.

I found Blithe Spirit to be the weaker of the films in the Criterion set. In Which We Serve is fascinating in its structure and extremely well edited with lots of great montage footage and a obvious love for Eisenstein. I don't think any films he made afterwards are as heavy with crosscutting and montage. He was obviously experimenting with style. Kind of like Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood compared to his later films in that regard. There is no doubting how great Brief Encounter is, but personally I found This Happy Breed to be one of the best movies in the set.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Good to know ... will give it a try, it's available individually from UK... and i'm loving that artwork.

This isn't the version to own. Criterion's release is without a shadow of a doubt the superior one.

Originally Posted by Casey

i really want to see Hidden, but when i tried to order from that amazon.uk link it said they wouldn't deliver it to US. it looks like its actually sold through another company.

Hey Casey,

Hmm. This isn't the case. Amazon sells it and it is part of their promo sale. Try this direct link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Blu-r...A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Pro-B

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Thanks bro... will look into it... If the price is right during the B&N Sale, will probably get the set or just buy them individually from Europe.



Awesome! didn't know Criterions were available @ Hulu ... will sign up right away.

Don't buy them individually from Europe. The quality on the Criterion set is un-equaled.