The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

Wow what's with all the Badlands hate? It's actually my favorite Malick.

I love Badlands, and it alternates with The Thin Red Line as my favorite Malick film. I love 'em all, though. Sort of like how I love all of the spare ribs on a barbecue slab.

[shortmartin]

Badlands is my favorite Malick too (haven't seen Wonder), indeed one of my all-time favorite American movies. But I'm a sucker for road movies and genre is part of why I prefer it to Malick's other films.

[mallomar]

Originally Posted by dizzy4111

Alright, I've decided to limit myself to 6 blu rays during this sale. Naked Lunch and Marketa Lazarova are the only two I'm 100% certain on picking up.

I need help choosing 4 from these 8 choices. All will be blind purchases:

[Show spoiler]The Wages of Fear
Rushmore
On the Waterfront
Blow Out
The Thin Red Line
Wings of Desire
Eating Raoul
House

What would you guys suggest?

I'd vote for the first four: Wages, Rushmore, Waterfront, Blow Out. First thoughts are best thoughts in that list.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

haha, you're funny! and my typing is sorry!

Thing Red Line would be one of those mash-ups, where it combines The Thing with Thin Red Line . . . no that wouldn't be good. Anyways, both versions of The Thing need to be spined.

I'm psyched about Pacific Rim.

That would be an interesting movie: a poetic take on intergalactic violence replete with whispery alien voice over. It'll be like the antithesis to Pacific Rim

As for the '51 Thing, I wasn't too big a fan. I love B-movies, but that one was a bit too 'B'.

Speaking of Carpenter, I would love to have a CC release of Assault on Precinct 14 if for no other reason but to get more gradation in the shadows. The blocky blacks kind of robbed from Image's solid transfer. Does any body reccomend the Carpenter Commentary track on that one?

[Seamus McFly]

I've decided to get six.

Definites:
M
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Monsieur Verdoux
The Killing

Possibles:
The Wages of Fear
On the Waterfront
The Seventh Seal
The Thin Red Line

Which two of those four should I get?

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

Wow what's with all the Badlands hate? It's actually my favorite Malick. Haven't seen New World or To the Wonder yet thou.

I'm about one viewing away from hailing The New World my favorite Malick! That one gets better and better with repeat viewings, especially when you try to figure out all of his formal decisions (ellipses, contrapuntal narration).

The BluRay is pretty damn impressive too! Although, I wouldn't mind it if CC gives us a release aswell one day

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by thomas94

I've decided to get six.

Definites:
M
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Monsieur Verdoux
The Killing

Possibles:
The Wages of Fear
On the Waterfront
The Seventh Seal
The Thin Red Line

Which two of those four should I get?

Thin Red Line and On the Waterfront are the most rewatchable for me.

Considering your avatar, you may have quite a time with the very Hitchcockian Wages of Fear

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by thomas94

I've decided to get six.

Definites:
M
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Monsieur Verdoux
The Killing

Possibles:
The Wages of Fear
On the Waterfront
The Seventh Seal
The Thin Red Line

Which two of those four should I get?

TTRL and OTW! I'd also recommend getting TWOF also. Get 3

[RipleyLV426]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Love Malick, but Videodrome is more rewatchable for me. (Are you a Debby Harry/Blondie fan by any chance?)

No, I never followed her work. It is the rewatchability that I'm concerned about with any Malick film, especially since I've never seen Badlands before. Oh, well, I have until 2AM Central time to decide (I think that's when the sale begins on the B&N site)

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

I'm psyched about Pacific Rim.

I love Del Toro, and I'm a HUGE Evangelion fan (which seems to be a bit of an influence) but Pacific Rim looks dreadful to me. I hope I'm wrong.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

I'm going to have to rewatch To The Wonder once it hit's blu, b/c unfortunately since it didn't come to a theater near me, I had to watch it through Xfinity onDemand. Even after purchasing the HD version, the visual was so cloudy and blurred. I was pissed, which then took me out of the mood and shut it off halfway through. It's more poetic than Tree of Life, thats for sure. Got to be in the right frame of mind next time around.

A friend of mine described it as "a sister film to The Tree of Life,'' so chances are I'll like it to some degree.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

Wow what's with all the Badlands hate? It's actually my favorite Malick. Haven't seen New World or To the Wonder yet thou.

I'm not hating on Badlands at all. I like it quite a bit; it's just when I place it in the context of Malick's filmography, it comes out at the bottom.

[Visco.]

What'd you guys think of Martha Marcy May Marlene? I just ordered it for $10.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Visco.

What'd you guys think of Martha Marcy May Marlene? I just ordered it for $10.

Knowing you, you're gonna love it! Try not to do so much research ahead of your viewing, let it surprise you.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Speaking of Carpenter, I would love to have a CC release of Assault on Precinct 14 if for no other reason but to get more gradation in the shadows. The blocky blacks kind of robbed from Image's solid transfer. Does any body reccomend the Carpenter Commentary track on that one?

If you're region free, the German transfer is better than Image's and yes, I can recommend the commentary. Not quite as good as his Bridges/Russell tracks but his best solo track by a mile.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Speaking of Carpenter, I would love to have a CC release of Assault on Precinct 14 if for no other reason but to get more gradation in the shadows. The blocky blacks kind of robbed from Image's solid transfer. Does any body reccomend the Carpenter Commentary track on that one?

It's all good. Carpenter goes into a lot about the background of the film, and he is somewhat self-critical of this early effort.

I've been a huge fan of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 since childhood, and I love the current Blu-ray release. I'm not holding my breath for an upgrade, but that would be one of my fantasy Criterion titles.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by Visco.

What'd you guys think of Martha Marcy May Marlene? I just ordered it for $10.

If you're like me, and you enjoy slow burning & quietly ambiguous psychological drama's that definitely feel smaller scale and outside the world of Hollywood, you'll probably love it. I thought it was terrific.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Visco.

What'd you guys think of Martha Marcy May Marlene? I just ordered it for $10.

I rented this movie a while back, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I see the Blu-ray on the used shelves around here all the time, and am always tempted to pull the trigger.

It's a low-key, but insidious and unnerving film.

[onetet]

I love Badlands and Days of Heaven, and have liked each and every Malick film to one degree or another until To the Wonder.

Unfortunately, cinematography aside, I can't say anything else nice about To The Wonder. In characters, plotting, dialogue, editing, and (especially) voice-over, it felt like an SNL spoof of a Malick film to me. I kept a respectful silence since I was watching it in the theater, but I was fighting hard to suppress laughs throughout.

[Abdrewes]

Thanks Owl & Deepbreaths. I will definitely give it a listen one of these days. Especially curious to learn about the struggles of the production process. It was a super low budget film if memory serves.