The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

We watched Sherlock, Jr. in my film class today. It was my first introduction to Buster Keaton and I absolutely loved it. Incredibly fun film!

I can't wait to dig into the Kino set now.

I watched the first set in The Buster Keaton Collection a couple of weeks ago. (The first set has the early Keaton short films and the feature-length film, Saphead.) I had a lot of fun with the short films, and was laughing the whole time.

Saphead was an early starring role from Buster Keaton, but it supposedly stands apart from his own works, which I'll be diving into with the other three sets in the collection soon.

[aes3728]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I watched the first set in The Buster Keaton Collection a couple of weeks ago. (The first set has the early Keaton short films and the feature-length film, Saphead.) I had a lot of fun with the short films, and was laughing the whole time.

Saphead was an early starring role from Buster Keaton, but it supposedly stands apart from his own works, which I'll be diving into with the other three sets in the collection soon.

But not soon enough

[LetsGetATaco]

Didn't see this posted by I follow Criterion Corner on Twitter and they retweeted critic Aaron Hillis who said "Terry Gilliam accidentally spilled the beans publicly in our Apple Store chat last night: THE FISHER KING will be a 2015 @Criterion release."

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by aes3728

But not soon enough

Yeah, I'm taking breaks between the Keaton sets in the Collection box. I've got some 1970s disaster films just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber that I want to watch this weekend, but I'll probably resume the Keaton films after that.

[Ninty64X]

Originally Posted by iScottie

We watched Sherlock, Jr. in my film class today. It was my first introduction to Buster Keaton and I absolutely loved it. Incredibly fun film!

I can't wait to dig into the Kino set now.

Once you're done going through the Kino set I highly recommend you check out the TCM Archives collection. Free and Easy is awful (that was when MGM took away a ton of Buster's creative freedom), but The Cameraman is easily one of his best and Spite Marriage, while being a mixed bag, still has a lot of good moments. Plus there's a great documentary about Buster's time at MGM.

[Scottie]

There are many films in The Criterion Collection that are rarely talked about, but none so more than Kes.

Kes is the second coming-of-age film that I have watched in the past two days (the other being My Life as a Dog, which I didn't particularly care for mostly due to the characters) and I took to it almost immediately.

At its core, the film is about a poor, bullied boy growing up in working class London who finds refuge in his newly found hawk, who he trains and names Kes. I do not want to give away too much, but I will say this - it's an incredibly emotional film in the sense of having an outlet for escaping from the hardships of everyday life and finding pleasure in such a tranquil pastime.

The acting is excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the story is very relatable. I hope more people get to see this film.

Originally Posted by Ninty64X

Once you're done going through the Kino set I highly recommend you check out the TCM Archives collection. Free and Easy is awful (that was when MGM took away a ton of Buster's creative freedom), but The Cameraman is easily one of his best and Spite Marriage, while being a mixed bag, still has a lot of good moments. Plus there's a great documentary about Buster's time at MGM.

A theater in my town that closed down in the 80s was recently reopened this past year. To make a long story short, they played The Cameraman a few weeks ago and I unfortunately missed out due to not seeing it advertised.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by iScottie

There are many films in The Criterion Collection that are rarely talked about, but none so more than Kes.

Kes is the second coming-of-age film that I have watched in the past two days (the other being My Life as a Dog, which I didn't particularly care for mostly due to the characters) and I took to it almost

I'm kind of surprised that many British films from Criterion on blu aren't talked about enough or at least on the pages I have the time to read. If.... Is another example. That film is, IMO, excellent.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

I'm kind of surprised that many British films from Criterion on blu aren't talked about enough or at least on the pages I have the time to read. If.... Is another example. That film is, IMO, excellent.

I was incredibly underwhelmed by If..., but I admire it for what it represents. It's sad that some of the things explored in the 1960s are now popular trends in the world (i.e. school shootings )

I haven't seen the film in a while, but if I recall correctly, there is a neat little surreal sequence in a restaurant about midway through it. It managed to stick with me because it was rather haunting.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by iScottie

There are many films in The Criterion Collection that are rarely talked about, but none so more than Kes.

Kes is the second coming-of-age film that I have watched in the past two days (the other being My Life as a Dog, which I didn't particularly care for mostly due to the characters) and I took to it almost immediately.

At its core, the film is about a poor, bullied boy growing up in working class London who finds refuge in his newly found hawk, who he trains and names Kes. I do not want to give away too much, but I will say this - it's an incredibly emotional film in the sense of having an outlet for escaping from the hardships of everyday life and finding pleasure in such a tranquil pastime.

The acting is excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the story is very relatable. I hope more people get to see this film.

My reaction was just the opposite-didn't care for Kes and loved My Life As a Dog, mainly because of it's eccentric characters.
I just found Kes to be too depressing although Ratcatcher certainly has it beat in that category.

[The Great Owl]

Kes is one of those Criterion titles that intrigues me, but not quite enough for me to pull the trigger just yet. I always pause when I see it while I'm flipping through the Criterion titles at Barnes & Noble, but there's always a bigger better deal.

Thanks for the recommendation, iScottie. I might make the leap during the November sale.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

My reaction was just the opposite-didn't care for Kes and loved My Life As a Dog, mainly because of it's eccentric characters.
I just found Kes to be too depressing although Ratcatcher certainly has it beat in that category.

My Life as a Dog reminded me a lot of King of the Hill.

The films are definitely charming, they have heart to them, and they have some degrees of relatability, but both grew very redundant for me and I started getting agitated with the characters. I can't help but feel that they both do not know which direction they want to go in first as they progress.

I'm typically not a fan of depressing coming-of-age films, but Kes stood out for me in the sense that life is not perfect. A character like Billy is not going to live happily ever after because he befriends and trains a hawk. He will, however, be able to take a step back from all of the chaos that exists - whether it be from school, work, and family. A temporary lapse in the action is better than nothing, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kes is one of those Criterion titles that intrigues me, but not quite enough for me to pull the trigger just yet. I always pause when I see it while I'm flipping through the Criterion titles at Barnes & Noble, but there's always a bigger better deal.

Thanks for the recommendation, iScottie. I might make the leap during the November sale.

You are welcome, Owl. I hope you like it.

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

I enjoyed If.... and think I saw it either on TCM or IFC. Also because of the British private school system and its hierarchy.
I guess more because I'm willing to see fairly much Malcolm McDowell has been in. No idea why I still haven't seen O Lucky Man!, Royal Flash, and Long Ago, Tomorrow/The Raging Moon. Speaking of Lindsay Anderson, how's This Sporting Life? Always been a fan of Richard Harris and one of my all-time favorite performances from him is a tie between The Molly Maguires and The Wild Geese. Here's hoping Criterion would release The Molly Maguires on Blu-ray. Also another favorite performance from Sean Connery who's also brilliant in The Hill, Murder on the Orient Express (another of my all-time favorites), The Great Train Robbery, and of course ZARDOZ (which is a VERY unintentional comedy).

I have honestly not seen very many Malcolm McDowell films, but there is no denying his tremendous acting ability. I'm not a huge fan of A Clockwork Orange, to be honest, but McDowell murders the role.

The same thing goes for Lindsay Anderson - I have only seen If... and Thursday's Children.

[MifuneFan]

Apparently the version of Scanners that was just added to Hulu Plus doesn't have the Cronenberg color-timing. In my opinion it looks way better. Check out the comparisons I made here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...27#post9746527

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kes is one of those Criterion titles that intrigues me, but not quite enough for me to pull the trigger just yet. I always pause when I see it while I'm flipping through the Criterion titles at Barnes & Noble, but there's always a bigger better deal.

Thanks for the recommendation, iScottie. I might make the leap during the November sale.

You should, it's excellent.

[octagon]

Yeah, Kes really is outstanding.

And it's odd...for as bleak and hard and even oppressive as it can be it's really not depressing. I mean, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's inspiring or uplifting (it's the feel good working poor movie of the year!) but in a weird way it kind of is.

[BTTF_]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yeah, Kes really is outstanding.

And it's odd...for as bleak and hard and even oppressive as it can be it's really not depressing. I mean, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's inspiring or uplifting (it's the feel good working poor movie of the year!) but in a weird way it kind of is.

That ending did not leave me feeling "good." Gorgeous film, but I certainly wasn't ready to party once those credits started rolling.

[Blu-Velvet]

KES, like FISHTANK, is a film I could appreciate without really liking much or wanting to revisit soon, although perhaps after a few years it's time to re-watch both again. I found GEORGE WASHINGTON much more interesting and involving, but I greatly preferred MY LIFE AS A DOG (though I haven't watched it in years) and loved KING OF THE HILL (not to mention STAND BY ME and TREE OF LIFE, for non-Criterion releases covering comparable themes). Have not seen IF... since college film society a few decades ago, but again recall it as being "interesting" rather than entertaining or something I'd like to watch more than once. Probably time to revisit that one, actually.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kes is one of those Criterion titles that intrigues me, but not quite enough for me to pull the trigger just yet. I always pause when I see it while I'm flipping through the Criterion titles at Barnes & Noble, but there's always a bigger better deal.

Thanks for the recommendation, iScottie. I might make the leap during the November sale.

Kes is great, but I actually prefer the TV movie included on the disc, Cathy Come Home. Very hard-hitting and "real".

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

KES, like FISHTANK, is a film I could appreciate without really liking much or wanting to revisit soon, although perhaps after a few years it's time to re-watch both again. I found GEORGE WASHINGTON much more interesting and involving, but I greatly preferred MY LIFE AS A DOG (though I haven't watched it in years) and loved KING OF THE HILL (not to mention STAND BY ME and TREE OF LIFE, for non-Criterion releases covering comparable themes). Have not seen IF... since college film society a few decades ago, but again recall it as being "interesting" rather than entertaining or something I'd like to watch more than once. Probably time to revisit that one, actually.

All of those films you mentioned in that post are amongst my favorites. King of the Hill was a plesesnt surprise. Except I haven't seen My Life As a Dog. Going to have to check that out.

[Mansinthe]

15% B&N coupon. works till sunday.

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[Hard Times Chaney]

So, what was the red sun in refernce to in the clue picture posted early this year, since we're clearly not getting Red Sun this year?