The Criterion Collection

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by retablo

I'd like to see the 5 Cassavetes films on blu... Never got the DVD set, how much work would they need to make them blu worthy? Apparently there are no plans for Rossellini's War Trilogy on blu since the masters weren't in that great of shape... I broke down and got the DVD set. I want to see more Bergman (especially Through a Glass Darkly and Fanny & Alexander), maybe something hip like Brazil, (since I got the excellent Double Life of Veronique disc from Artificial Eye, I don't need that), Children of Paradise, Forbidden Games, more Truffaut, and RAN! lol

The Cassavetes films look great (well 4 of the 5 anyway) so I don't think they need that much work. I was thinking more of Criterion releasing Cassavetes' Love Streams, there was some talk about it last year. But I would love A Woman Under the Influence blu release.

[SpiderBaby]

ChadFL, bentvalve, and retablo, if you all can remind me tomorrow, I will give you all reps. It says I did too much today to give out anymore. So if I forget, remind me and I'll hook you all up.

[Yankees0222]

Originally Posted by NiCK Crush

my Stagecoach shipped!

So did mine! I'm glad I didn't take the expected 2 weeks.

[TravmacDaddy]

Quick question, why is the Criterion Collection so popular? Is it the quality, the movies, you know, what makes them stand out?

I personally don't like many of the movies on the Criterion Collection, so I haven't bought any of them on DVD or Blu-Ray, anyways, any incite would be great, thanks.

[bugsy_pal]

Originally Posted by retablo

I'd like to see the 5 Cassavetes films on blu... Never got the DVD set, how much work would they need to make them blu worthy? Apparently there are no plans for Rossellini's War Trilogy on blu since the masters weren't in that great of shape... I broke down and got the DVD set. I want to see more Bergman (especially Through a Glass Darkly and Fanny & Alexander), maybe something hip like Brazil, (since I got the excellent Double Life of Veronique disc from Artificial Eye, I don't need that), Children of Paradise, Forbidden Games, more Truffaut, and RAN! lol

Agreed - must have more Truffaut on blu, especially Jules et Jim... I wonder what the chances of that are...

[buffetfroid]

While it is hard to compare Criterion releases to quality flicks like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, it seems that Criterion is popular on these forums with some people who simply have a collector's mentality. Kind of like the fixation people have with steelcases. It's less about the film than the spine number or the packaging.

[SonOfArathorn]

Film fans tend to gravitate toward Criterion because of the quality of films they put out. Usually they are landmark films, groundbreaking, classics etc. Not what the average movie buff would pay to see though, usually they don't have robots fighting in forests or men in rubber batsuits growling.
I have yet to purchase one myself, but that's more to do with price than anything else. Days of Heaven and Walkabout will be mine soon.

[aggienader08]

Originally Posted by buffetfroid

While it is hard to compare Criterion releases to quality flicks like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, it seems that Criterion is popular on these forums with some people who simply have a collector's mentality. Kind of like the fixation people have with steelcases. It's less about the film than the spine number or the packaging.

This can be true for many, but not me. I took many film classes in college and watched and thoroughly studied many films in the Criterion Collection and cinema just grew on me. I hated cinema at first, but like beer it's an acquired taste. If you really wanna know, you can ask the guys and gals in this thread:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mo...iscussion.html

Originally Posted by SonOfArathorn

Film fans tend to gravitate toward Criterion because of the quality of films they put out. Usually they are landmark films, groundbreaking, classics etc. Not what the average movie buff would pay to see though, usually they don't have robots fighting in forests or men in rubber batsuits growling.
I have yet to purchase one myself, but that's more to do with price than anything else. Days of Heaven and Walkabout will be mine soon.

Very true!

[also]

I think it is also worth noting that Criterion spends a lot of time and effort putting out a superior product. If you are looking for a film in the best possible presentation, Criterion is the most reliable and consistent company out there.

Not to mention, a lot of these "art" films would be throwaway releases to a lot of studios, not worth the investment of proper restoration. Meanwhile, Criterion continues to release classic and cult films alike, not only preserving them, but preserving them on our bookshelves.

[42041]

Originally Posted by TravmacDaddy

Quick question, why is the Criterion Collection so popular? Is it the quality, the movies, you know, what makes them stand out?

I personally don't like many of the movies on the Criterion Collection, so I haven't bought any of them on DVD or Blu-Ray, anyways, any incite would be great, thanks.

I have no particular allegiance to Criterion since I think their commitment to quality is greatly overstated, but they do put out some interesting/unusual/obscure films that are good viewing when I'm feeling the mainstream movie doldrums. I don't enjoy all of them.

[TravmacDaddy]

Originally Posted by buffetfroid

While it is hard to compare Criterion releases to quality flicks like I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, it seems that Criterion is popular on these forums with some people who simply have a collector's mentality. Kind of like the fixation people have with steelcases. It's less about the film than the spine number or the packaging.

That was for my Wife, not me, lol.

And as far as their releases, is there any of them I should really look into, maybe checking out or watching, possibly buying. I know my blu ray collection makes me look like I have a poor taste in movies, but I mean anything that stands out to most people who buy Criterion.

And I'm not interested in any of the Wes Anderson ones, I'm not a big fan of his dark humor, except for The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

[LordoftheRings]

Originally Posted by sonofarathorn

not what the average movie buff would pay to see though, usually they don't have robots fighting in forests or men in rubber batsuits growling.

True!

[42041]

Originally Posted by TravmacDaddy

And as far as their releases, is there any of them I should really look into, maybe checking out or watching, possibly buying..

I'm not going recommend you buy anything, but Wages of Fear might be worth viewing, I think it's pretty palatable to people who prefer conventional movies.

[JB3Royce]

Criterion, to me, is for people who truly appreciate cinema/films. It's not for your casual/average movie watcher, as SonOfArathorn said. Some of them require some thinking, and are cerebral. You've to go in with an open-mind, be able to read between the lines, and try to interpret different things. Personally, I find most of the Criterion films to be fantastic.

The 400 Blows, The Seventh Seal, The Third Man, Days of Heaven, Paris, Texas, and Vivre Sa Vie. Those were my favorites.

I would recommend you look around the Criterion Collection thread for more info regarding Criterion films, or just post in the thread and ask for more suggestions there. I'm sure more folks will be glad to help you out in there.

[surfdude12]

Originally Posted by TravmacDaddy

Quick question, why is the Criterion Collection so popular? Is it the quality, the movies, you know, what makes them stand out?

I personally don't like many of the movies on the Criterion Collection, so I haven't bought any of them on DVD or Blu-Ray, anyways, any incite would be great, thanks.

for the same reason that gourmet cooking is so popular: it requires more effort and investment, but in the end is more rewarding. yes, many criterion films require more patience, open-mindedness and attention to grasp, but once you do, the payoff is 100 fold.

[TravmacDaddy]

Originally Posted by JB3Royce

Criterion, to me, is for people who truly appreciate cinema/films. It's not for your casual/average movie watcher, as SonOfArathorn said. Some of them require some thinking, and are cerebral. You've to go in with an open-mind, be able to read between the lines, and try to interpret different things. Personally, I find most of the Criterion films to be fantastic.

The 400 Blows, The Seventh Seal, The Third Man, Days of Heaven, Paris, Texas, and Vivre Sa Vie. Those were my favorites.

I would recommend you look around the Criterion Collection thread for more info regarding Criterion films, or just post in the thread and ask for more suggestions there. I'm sure more folks will be glad to help you out in there.

Paris, Texas looks pretty interesting. I might check that one out.

[wilky61]

Criterion Collection releases the films for the film snobs.

If you must check 'em out (and I don't recommend blind-buying CC films), I would recommend something other than The Seventh Seal/Vivre Sa Vie. Yeah, I would never want to watch either of these films again.

[Alkaline]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Criterion Collection releases the films for the film snobs.

[42041]

I don't know, I think comments like "Criterion, to me, is for people who truly appreciate cinema/films. It's not for your casual/average movie watcher" are pretty snobbish.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by Alkaline

So sayeth the guy who minored in film studies in college.
Just to tell you a little bit more about myself, the only director whom I loathe more than Bergman is Fellini. Ironically, the one film between the two of them that I actually think is brilliant is not in the Criterion Collection (Persona).

Anyway, I've seen like ten CC films that I would ever want to watch again and even fewer that anybody I know would ever want to watch again (e.g., my girlfriend, who is my primary film-watching partner).

And judging at the original poster's Blu-Ray collection, something tells me that it would be quite a jump/shock for him/her to blind-buy, say, The Seventh Seal...

But maybe I'm just a cynical a-hole. I went through my CC phase, but now I don't see the point. Good luck to the original poster.

EDIT: Alas, I'll try to contribute something constructive to the discussion at hand. I think a gentler introduction to the Criterion Collection would be found through its back-catalogue of DVDs, not through the limited selection of BRs that have been released so far.

For the casual filmgoer, I would recommend the likes of:
Rushmore/Royal Tenenbaums (d. Wes Anderson)
Diabolique/Wages of Fear (d. Henri-Georges Clouzot) - Wages is already on Blu, yes?
Charade (d. Stanley Donen) - I believe I saw the Blu is coming later this year?
Band of Outsiders (d. Jean-Luc Godard)
Throne of Blood/Yojimbo (d. Akira Kurosawa) - Yojimbo's on Blu
Do the Right Thing (d. Spike Lee) - Universal has a Blu-Ray release
Sullivan's Travels (d. Preston Sturges)
Jules and Jim (d. Francois Truffaut)
Ace in the Hole (d. Billy Wilder)