The Criterion Collection

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Yeah, Jubal and Stagecoach got my wife and I starting to watch Westerns. Great stuff!

I love Stagecoach as well. It was one of my first Criterion purchases. Bucking Broadway is also fun, and is a nice bonus feature that makes the release even more valuable.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I love Stagecoach as well. It was one of my first Criterion purchases. Bucking Broadway is also fun, and is a nice bonus feature that makes the release even more valuable.

Favorite Criterion Western: Heaven's Gate

Favorite All-Time Western: The Searchers

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Jubal is great. I think you will enjoy it. Actually, Jubal has left me wanting to watch more Westerns, so last night I ordered Shane. Can't wait to watch it after it arrives.

Shane is also in my stack of un-watched Blu-rays. In addition to that, I've also got a handful of still-unwatched Olive Films westerns, namely Pursued, Rio Grande, Johnny Guitar, Ramrod, and Blowing Wild. I also need to watch my Blu-ray of The Misfits.

I got into the western vibe again after watching Gunfight at the O.K. Corral last week. I'm enjoying going through these, but I'm spacing them apart somewhat.

My favorite Western? That's a tough call.
It's tough to choose between Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Favorite All-Time Western: The Seachers

If I put together a list of my favorite westerns this would be at or near the very top.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

If I put together a list of my favorite westerns this would be at or near the very top.

Sorry, I typed it incorrectly, but you knew what film I was talking about. It's amazing that it was largely ignored when it was theatrically released.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished watching How the West Was Won for the first time, choosing the "SmileBox" Blu-ray disc for this first viewing. My mind is blown.

This also reminded me that I have a still-unwatched western on Criterion Blu-ray. I bought Jubal at the tail end of the last Barnes & Noble sale, but have not yet made my way around to checking it out. I need to move this one up in my stack.

I'm thankful to live close to Seattle which has one of only 3 cinerama theaters that is capable of showing cinerama films in the original 3 strip format and managed to catch How The West Was Won last september, it was a great experience!
I'm on a Western kick right now (now that I've seen all the noir I was interested in seeing), Jubal is definitely a good one and you won't be disappointed.
I'm trying to decide what to watch now cause theres too many I need to see

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Shane is also in my stack of un-watched Blu-rays. In addition to that, I've also got a handful of still-unwatched Olive Films westerns, namely Pursued, Rio Grande, Johnny Guitar, Ramrod, and Blowing Wild. I also need to watch my Blu-ray of The Misfits.

I got into the western vibe again after watching Gunfight at the O.K. Corral last week. I'm enjoying going through these, but I'm spacing them apart somewhat.

My favorite Western? That's a tough call.
It's tough to choose between Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Owl, You need to see Johnny Guitar. It's beautifully off-beat. Where else are you going to see Sterling Hayden make out with Joan Crawford?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

I'm on a Western kick right now (now that I've seen all the noir I was interested in seeing), Jubal is definitely a good one and you won't be disappointed.
I'm trying to decide what to watch now cause theres too many I need to see.

I'm still going through a lot of unwatched film noir DVDs that I bought over the past three months, but I'm spacing them apart somewhat now after going through a big noir streak a couple months ago. I never get tired of these movies, because noir is my favorite genre.

Last weekend, I watched the new Universal Blu-rays of Double Indemnity and Touch of Evil. I felt as though I had died and gone to heaven. This past week, I've also enjoyed watching the latest batch of Olive Films noirs on Blu-ray. I'll probably watch the last one, Cry Danger, tomorrow night.

Of course, the Criterion Blu-ray upgrade of Ace in the Hole will be landing on my shelf soon.

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Owl, You need to see Johnny Guitar. It's beautifully off-beat. Where else are you going to see Sterling Hayden make out with Joan Crawford?

I've seen a lot of Sterling Hayden lately, by way of the film noirs. I also have some unwatched Joan Crawford film noirs on DVD...Mildred Pierce, Possessed, Daisy Kenyon, and Sudden Fear.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

I'm on a Western kick right now (now that I've seen all the noir I was interested in seeing), Jubal is definitely a good one and you won't be disappointed.
I'm trying to decide what to watch now cause theres too many I need to see

I never was a fan growing up but they've been growing on me lately. In the past few weeks I've watched:

The Searchers
Once Upon A Time In The West
3:10 to Yuma
Several of the "Django" movies from Shout!
Unforgiven
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

On the stack:

High Plains Drifter
El Dorado
The Wild Bunch

I also pre-ordered the hopefully amazing CC release of Red River months back when it first went up.

[IndyMLVC]

Quick question:

Someone on another forum had mentioned that the best hope for a Glengarry Glen Ross release was through Criterion. Any idea why? Any possibility of them releasing it?

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm still going through a lot of unwatched film noir DVDs that I bought over the past three months, but I'm spacing them apart somewhat now after going through a big noir streak a couple months ago. I never get tired of these movies, because noir is my favorite genre.

Last weekend, I watched the new Universal Blu-rays of Double Indemnity and Touch of Evil. I felt as though I had died and gone to heaven. This past week, I've also enjoyed watching the latest batch of Olive Films noirs on Blu-ray. I'll probably watch the last one, Cry Danger, tomorrow night.

Of course, the Criterion Blu-ray upgrade of Ace in the Hole will be landing on my shelf soon.



I've seen a lot of Sterling Hayden lately, by way of the film noirs. I also have some unwatched Joan Crawford film noirs on DVD...Mildred Pierce, Possessed, Daisy Kenyon, and Sudden Fear.

I've basically been using IMDB and going off word of mouth for most of them, been working pretty well and theres probably only a couple more I think I wanna watch.
I also grabbed Double Indemnity last week and agree, great release! Gonna pick up Touch Of Evil when I have the cash or just put it on my birthday list as its coming up next month.
And Cry Danger is really good! You won't be disappointed with that one.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I never was a fan growing up but they've been growing on me lately.

I never thought of myself as a fan of Westerns, even though I watched a lot of them growing up. About 20 years ago, I was having a "discussion" with a friend of mine about what it means to be a fan of a given genre. Her view was that in order to consider yourself a fan of a genre, you have to be willing to indulge in the worst examples the genre has to offer.

After giving that some thought, I came to the conclusion that if I was willing to accept that viewpoint, then Westerns would be the genre that would come closest to me being a fan of. Because I'm willing to watch just about any Western, and I can't say that about any other genre, even Science Fiction (which is the genre I thought myself a fan of for most of my life).

[ShellOilJunior]

Looks like Boyhood could be Criterion-bound. It's getting rave reviews everywhere and it's an IFC title from a director they love. I can't imagine CC passing it up.

I like how Linklater works. Last year we heard news Before Midnight was going to be made and suddenly the film was in post-production then finished. Boyhood has been discussed for years but there hasn't been a hype train by any means. Looks to be another gem.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My favorite Western? That's a tough call.
It's tough to choose between Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

My Top 10 Westerns are, without a doubt, these.

01. Giant (1956)
02. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
03. The Searchers (1956)
04. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)
05. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
06. McCabe And Mrs. Miller (1971)
07. A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
08. For A Few Dollars More (1965)
09. High Plains Drifter (1973)
10. High Noon (1952)

I still have my Blu-rays of "How The West Was Won", "Jubal", "Shane", and "Stagecoach / Bucking Broadway" to watch, as well as "Rio Bravo" on my DVR.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Looks like Boyhood could be Criterion-bound. It's getting rave reviews everywhere and it's an IFC title from a director they love. I can't imagine CC passing it up.

I like how Linklater works. Last year we heard news Before Midnight was going to be made and suddenly the film was in post-production then finished. Boyhood has been discussed for years but there hasn't been a hype train by any means. Looks to be another gem.

I cannot wait to see Boyhood and I can't imagine Criterion passing it up.

On a related note, where the heck is the Before Trilogy from them?

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I cannot wait to see Boyhood and I can't imagine Criterion passing it up.

On a related note, where the heck is the Before Trilogy from them?

I think the Before trilogy is in Warner Bros.' Neon claws.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by demonknight

I think the Before trilogy is in Warner Bros.' Neon claws.

http://collider.com/slacker-blu-ray-...ard-linklater/

[RojD]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Favorite Criterion Western: Heaven's Gate

Favorite All-Time Western: The Searchers

I have a film bud on the other side of the country, and we do film nights every couple of weeks when we both watch a movie at the same time and then talk about it on the phone. Next up: Westerns. Here's our list (we try to stay with blu and as many Crits as we can sandwich in).

[Show spoiler]25 Go West
30 The Big Trail
39 Stagecoach
48 Red River
48 Fort Apache
50 Rio Grande
50 The Furies
52 High Noon
53 Shane
54 Johnny Guitar
54 Vera Cruz
56 Searchers
56 Jubal
57 3:10 to Yuma
58 The Big Country
59 The Hangman
59 Rio Bravo
60 Magnificent Seven
61 Comancheros
62 How the West Was Won
69 True Grit
69 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
69 Wild Bunch
70 Rio Lobo
72 The Cowboys
80 Heaven’s Gate
92 Unforgiven
07 Assassination Jesse James
07 3:10 to Yuma
10 Meek’s Cutoff
12 Django Unchained

We'll also be reading David Carter's book, The Western. But we hafta finish up a trio of Frank Borzage silents first.

I rewatched The Searchers a few months ago and was awed at its scope. It might be 60 years old, but it's as current as anything at Sundance this year. Not only is race a major issue in the film, but it's not hard to read it today as an exploration of terrorism and the effects of fighting terrorism, the same theme Spielburg addressed a few years ago in what I consider his best film, Munich. In fact, I'm going into the Westerns series with the idea that directors use the genre in different ways to address whatever concerns they want to address. (Just look at the ones that have come out in the last five years or so.)

My list also points out why McCabe & Mrs. Miller should be on blu. I'm ready for Criterion to step up on that one.

[Ausjdm]

Originally Posted by iScottie

My Top 10 Westerns are, without a doubt, these.

01. Giant (1956)
02. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
03. The Searchers (1956)
04. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)
05. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
06. McCabe And Mrs. Miller (1971)
07. A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
08. For A Few Dollars More (1965)
09. High Plains Drifter (1973)
10. High Noon (1952)

I still have my Blu-rays of "How The West Was Won", "Jubal", "Shane", and "Stagecoach / Bucking Broadway" to watch, as well as "Rio Bravo" on my DVR.

Nice list sir, Not a fan of The Wild Bunch or Unforgiven ?

[hoytereden]

Off the top of my head, some favorite Westerns:
Red River-Growing up this was hands down my favorite. Every time it showed up on TV (at an parental ok'd time) I'd watch it.
Shane-Someone once described this film as a pure Western, boiled down to the genres basic elements of good vs evil; right vs wrong. It's a beautiful film to watch and good guys don't get any nobler than Ladd's mystery man or more evil than Jack Palance's hired gun.
Wagonmaster-John Ford's fun western. His supporting players get a film of their own here-Ward Bond, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr, are the stars in what seems to be a blueprint for Bond's later tv series Wagon Train. This has a lot of lol moments and quite a few songs in the film, which I normally don't like, but here they're just so catchy I find myself humming and tapping along.
Hell's Heros-The first sound version of Three Godfathers. If you're only familiar with the Ford version be prepared to be stunned! Without giving too much away it is much grimmer with a far less likable lead than John Wayne is and a much different ending. William Wyler directed and it is a lean film just running under 70 minutes so the emphasis here is on the four main characters. A great film that hardly gets mentioned in discussions about westerns. A 1936 MGM version of the same story is also very much worth seeing.
The Gunfighter-This came out the same year as Winchester '73 (which I also love) and tends to get lost in that film's shadow, I think. It's another oft-told story, this one about the title character who wants to lead a normal life but there's always "one more challenge; someone who thinks he's faster" no matter where he tries to go. Gregory Peck has never been better in a Western and that includes another of his that I really enjoy-Yellow Sky. He gets great support from Millard Mitchell who is also plays Stewart's partner in Winchester.

I could go on and on but the Stewart/Mann films and also the Scott/Boetticher ones are terrific.