The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

It was a good thing that I didn’t watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru at my desk during my lunch hour because this movie tore my apart! I was an unapologetic mess. What a beautiful film this is! Since exploring this site and getting many great recommendations from other bluray.com community members, I have seen 15 Criterion films that were new for me. Ikiru is my #1 film out of those 15.

I guess this means that now I will become one of those posters who will be pining for “more Kurosawa!” come the 15th of every month. The contrast levels on the Criterion DVD are pretty good. There is a brightness flickering issue in the scene when Watanabe meets the sake bar owner and there are some other problems that, a bit of googling has informed me, can be attributed to the source material. I would absolutely LOVE to see this movie in all of its glory and it’s now on top of my personal list of most desired upgrades!

[Grethiwha]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

It was a good thing that I didn’t watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru at my desk during my lunch hour because this movie tore my apart! I was an unapologetic mess. What a beautiful film this is! Since exploring this site and getting many great recommendations from other bluray.com community members, I have seen 15 Criterion films that were new for me. Ikiru is my #1 film out of those 15.

I guess this means that now I will become one of those posters who will be pining for “more Kurosawa!” come the 15th of every month.

I salute you. There are few movies I care more deeply for than Ikiru.

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by hustlermane

Honestly, I can't believe in US they don't calculate the tax before listing a price - I remember when I was last there you'd go into a McDonalds which would list something under the "$1 menu" and you'd go to pay with a one dollar note and be rebuffed, because that didn't count tax. That to me is lunacy at best, and deceitful/false marketing at worst. But then again, 4% is very low (it's 10% here).

Well, it's 9.25% in LA, but we are swimming in clean air and bike lanes, so it works out...

[smoss469]

Amazon rules. Ordered Rules of the Game Saturday, it was delivered today.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Amazon rules. Ordered Rules of the Game Saturday, it was delivered today.

+1! I ordered a couple films yesterday afternoon and they just arrived!

(Zatoichi was one of them )

[bwdowiak]

darn! my library let me down. up until now there hasn't been a movie that I have searched for that they have not had. with that said, I'm shocked that they don't have The 400 Blows. I have seen it, but it was probably close to 15 years ago. I see that people here love it. it didn't make that much of an impact on me the first time I saw it, but it was a VHS tape and it was at the time when I was just starting to open my eyes to world cinema and couldn't tell the difference between the French New Wave and A Flock of Seagulls. might have to consider (semi)blind buying it.

[Patrick M.]

Has anyone an opinion on Crumb? I'm hesitating on blind buying this one. Has it replay value?

[The Great Owl]

I decided to squeeze more juice out of the Barnes & Noble sale, so I bought The Uninvited. I'm looking forward to watching it tonight when I get back from the gym. I keep hearing great things about this Gothic-noir-esque film, so I finally decided to five in.

Since the 50% off sale also applies to other "arthouse" films, I was able to order the Kino Blu-ray of Fritz Lang's The Complete Metropolis, which I have been wanting since I first got my Blu-ray player. I was fortunate to see this at a theater when it was first restored, and it is quite amazing.

On a lighter note, the region-free UK edition of the Back to the Future Trilogy was waiting in my mailbox when I got home. The UK edition is not only less expensive, but it also comes in a sturdy Amaray triple case instead of the horrible cardboard foldout package that the domestic edition is sold in. Over the next month, I'll be enjoying about 30 black-and-white film noirs from the 1940s and 1950s, mostly Olive Films titles. I figure that the Back to the Future set will be a good "halftime break" in the middle of the noir marathon.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by Patrick M.

Has anyone an opinion on Crumb? I'm hesitating on blind buying this one. Has it replay value?

One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Buy it. The bluray has an hour of extra footage and 2 commentaries by Zwigoff (one with Roger Ebert). In my opinion its "plot" and the way it unfolds is better than most standard films.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Patrick M.

Has anyone an opinion on Crumb? I'm hesitating on blind buying this one. Has it replay value?

I was just thinking the same thing myself. I've got the DVD and watched it once and put it one the shelf, thinking that I'd watch it again. It's a great watch, Crumb himself is such an interestingly creative and flawed person, and the documentary, in depicting the tragic nature of his life, is engrossing. But now that time has passed I'm thinking about selling it off because I don't think I'll watch it again.

So, not really an answer to your question, but just some feedback. It's a great documentary and well worth the watch, if not the kind of thing that you'd return to for repeat viewings. Some viewers might even be disturbed by the documentary - the perverse and tragic aspects of Crumb's life - and would be put off in that regard.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Patrick M.

Has anyone an opinion on Crumb? I'm hesitating on blind buying this one. Has it replay value?

It all depends on if you're a fan of his art and material. If you know nothing about Mr. Crumb, than you're taking a chance here because he is a very controversial and provocative artist with comics that you may find offensive. On the other hand, if you want to see a brilliant documentary film about an incredibly eccentric man, this is easily worth a blind-buy. It's very entertaining.

[Patrick M.]

Thanks for all the feedback! I know next to nothing about Robert Crumb, but I haven't heard a bad thing about this documentary and I don't get offended that easily. And since I'm interested in it for a while now, I'm just gonna blind buy it during the sale.

Will also blind buy The Sweet Smell of Success. I guess I can't go wrong with that one.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by hustlermane

Honestly, I can't believe in US they don't calculate the tax before listing a price - I remember when I was last there you'd go into a McDonalds which would list something under the "$1 menu" and you'd go to pay with a one dollar note and be rebuffed, because that didn't count tax. That to me is lunacy at best, and deceitful/false marketing at worst. But then again, 4% is very low (it's 10% here).

Actually, the tax varies from state to state. That is why I always make my big purchases in the state of Delaware; no sales tax!

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Actually, the tax varies from state to state. That is why I always make my big purchases in the state of Delaware; no sales tax!

Taxes varying from state to state not only include amounts, but what items are even taxed. Here in WV, I have to pay taxes every year on a car I already own.. and the state wonders why there is an epidemic of people registering cars in Kentucky; a state that doesn't require such nonsense!

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Patrick M.

Has anyone an opinion on Crumb? I'm hesitating on blind buying this one. Has it replay value?

I have watched in close to ten times already. The film is an amazing plunge into the rather personal lives of the participating Crumb family members.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Patrick M.

Will also blind buy The Sweet Smell of Success. I guess I can't go wrong with that one.

Sweet Smell of Success is one of the best films in the Criterion Collection, and it also has one of the best picture quality presentations in the Collection. You cannot go wrong with this one at all!

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by Tom Monahan

That 20% coupon says that it doesn't qualify when I tried to place an order with BN tonight for Roberto Rossellini collection. I online chatted and got cutoff by two people. BOTH got timed out because they didn't get back to me soon enough. The second time it time out because they went offline without helping me. I'm going to call those sobs in the morning. The coupon will expire before customer service is open in the morning. I will never purchase from them again if they don't honor the dam coupon.

Tom

I'm not sure what you are upset about. Right on the page for the Rossellini set it says "Note: This item does not qualify for coupons or promotional discounts unless expressly stated."

[jayxrico]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

It was a good thing that I didn’t watch Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru at my desk during my lunch hour because this movie tore my apart! I was an unapologetic mess. What a beautiful film this is! Since exploring this site and getting many great recommendations from other bluray.com community members, I have seen 15 Criterion films that were new for me. Ikiru is my #1 film out of those 15.

I guess this means that now I will become one of those posters who will be pining for “more Kurosawa!” come the 15th of every month. The contrast levels on the Criterion DVD are pretty good. There is a brightness flickering issue in the scene when Watanabe meets the sake bar owner and there are some other problems that, a bit of googling has informed me, can be attributed to the source material. I would absolutely LOVE to see this movie in all of its glory and it’s now on top of my personal list of most desired upgrades!

Can never go wrong with the "25 Films of Akira Kurosawa" set! I didn't and this set is my prized jewel!

[ZeTi]

After watching "L'avventura" i've now completely given up on Antonioni. While i liked "Red Desert" in parts, absolutely hated "Blow Up", i see no point in giving "La Notte" even a try.

Does even a single main-protagonist in one of his movies act remotely comprehensible, everyone around them seem to !? Or am i just that big of a moron and do not get it ?

[RandyK]

Bernardo Bertolucci got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Now would be the perfect time for a Criterion release of The Dreamers.