The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Maybe Criterion would pick this up and re-release it?

edit: By the way, any predictions for Saturday?
Or it will be moved to Monday?
November is supposed to be the best month in a year, or December?

it will be on Monday... never on the weekend.

I'm not good at predicting... don't know who it was but there is a prediction that seems to be a pretty strong likelihood on the last page or so here. Apu has to be coming soon.

[keldons]

I don't know if this is news, but Janus Films tweeted about the full version of Until the End of the World by Wim Wenders hitting theatres again with a new 4k restoration, which would indicate a Criterion release.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

it will be on Monday... never on the weekend.

I'm not good at predicting... don't know who it was but there is a prediction that seems to be a pretty strong likelihood on the last page or so here. Apu has to be coming soon.

Ι hope the Bluray that fits the raincoat + ? clue gets announced, so that it puts an end to my curiosity, whether it is Missing or Young and Innocent.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by keldons

I don't know if this is news, but Janus Films tweeted about the full version of Until the End of the World by Wim Sender's hitting theatres again with a new 4k restoration, which would indicate a Criterion release.

Oh neat. I rented that a while ago and was always wondering if a Criterion release would be possible.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I remember hearing of MYST back in the day, but never did play it. Same with RIVEN, although I might have found a copy of that, I'll have to check. Both looked like gorgeous games; I wonder if they're still available somewhere and can still work on a modern PC...

If you do want to get into Bioshock, Infinite is the one I'd recommend the most. It's a stand-alone story in which you play an ex-Pinkerton agent entering a utopic city in the clouds. The first few minutes has you, the player, disrupt the city's peace and cause all-out havoc (inadvertently). The first game is great too, but has more of a horror/survival type of gameplay to it.

Yes, Riven is the sequel to that and I also played that but not as much as Myst which I unlocked thoroughly. I loved the whole non-violent gameplay which resonated with me. I've read that a tv mini-series may finally come out soon based on this game. In years past, old tv shows were pitched including a feature film but they never materialized. I doubt an actual television series will ever capture the mystery and adventure of that game though, which was a true mystery back then right before the internet caught on (1993 was the year the World Wide Web was launched, but still, the chat message boards and newsgroups were very new still at the time). Today with information overload, we know everything there is to know well before a launch of the actual product, be it a film or video game.

You should definitely seek out the Myst/Riven games. There are emulators out there that you could run on your PC (I have a Mac) where you might be able to load the games.

[WonderWeasel]

With all of the talk about 2001 the other day, I figured you guys might enjoy this:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/arts/g...ick/index.html

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, Riven is the sequel to that and I also played that but not as much as Myst which I unlocked thoroughly. I loved the whole non-violent gameplay which resonated with me. I've read that a tv mini-series may finally come out soon based on this game. In years past, old tv shows were pitched including a feature film but they never materialized. I doubt an actual television series will ever capture the mystery and adventure of that game though, which was a true mystery back then right before the internet caught on (1993 was the year the World Wide Web was launched, but still, the chat message boards and newsgroups were very new still at the time). Today with information overload, we know everything there is to know well before a launch of the actual product, be it a film or video game.

You should definitely seek out the Myst/Riven games. There are emulators out there that you could run on your PC (I have a Mac) where you might be able to load the games.

I was wondering if I should warn you about the violence in Bioshock. It is pretty gnarly.

It does remind me of Ether One though, which is a newer puzzling game. Sadly, information overload probably did less justice to it, since I found it easy to look up a guide and follow it.

Yep, I'll check out MYST when I get home.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

With all of the talk about 2001 the other day, I figured you guys might enjoy this:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/arts/g...ick/index.html

I love the concept art they had.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by 14728

I haven't seen JGL in any recent films (aside from The Night Before, which doesn't count). What's he been doing?

The most recent thing I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt in was Lincoln, playing the small (but key) supporting role of Abraham Lincoln's son. I thought he was very effective in it. I have a copy of the film he appeared in subsequently, Don Jon, but haven't watched it yet.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jmclick

The most recent thing I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt in was Lincoln, playing the small (but key) supporting role of Abraham Lincoln's son. I thought he was very effective in it. I have a copy of the film he appeared in subsequently, Don Jon, but haven't watched it yet.

oh, man.. if you didn't like Brick, wait til you see the abomination that is Don Jon

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

oh, man.. if you didn't like Brick, wait til you see the abomination that is Don Jon

Don Jon was atrocious. I did like Brick as previously posted, as well as Looper, but Mysterious Skin was JGL at his best.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Don Jon was atrocious. I did like Brick as previously posted, as well as Looper, but Mysterious Skin was JGL at his best.

haven't seen Mysterious Skin. The Lookout was pretty darn good entertainment, too. not exactly high art, but worth a look. that and 500 Days are my two favorite films that he's been in.

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by jw007

You should definitely seek out the Myst/Riven games. There are emulators out there that you could run on your PC (I have a Mac) where you might be able to load the games.

I collect PC/retro video games, and I still have my original copies of Myst and Riven, as well as the strategy guide for the former. If anyone wants a copy, I can burn one and send it free of charge through my job's mail.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Don Jon was atrocious. I did like Brick as previously posted, as well as Looper, but Mysterious Skin was JGL at his best.

Don Jon was not very good but...



Scarlett Johansson reduces me to my base instincts.

[14728]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Don Jon was not very good but...



Scarlett Johansson reduces me to my base instincts.

I didn't here very good things about Don Jon myself, but I remember some people liking. Jeremy Jahns gave it a positive review, if I remember correctly.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

oh, man.. if you didn't like Brick, wait til you see the abomination that is Don Jon

Really? Hmm ... and I see that Gordon-Levitt not only starred in Don Jon, he also wrote and directed it. Is it similar in some ways to Brick?

Among the aspects of Brick that I loathed were the incomprehensible, rushed dialogue; the impossible-to-understand slang; the cutesy "look-at-me! look-at-me!" editing; the artificiality of the adult characters (the Assistant Vice-Principal and the mother of the character known as "The Pin"); the atrocious overacting by the actors who played Dode and Tugger; the gaffes in continuity (for example, a jacket that is muddied in one scene is miraculously clean just moments later); the silly costumes and makeup used on the character of Kara; the grossly exaggerated physical violence; and the disappointing fact that despite all appearances to the contrary, Lukas Haas' character did not turn out to be the illegitimate lovechild of Barnabas Collins and Philip Carey (the crippled protagonist of Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage.)

I thought the main conceit of Brick ... a film noir set in a modern day high school ... was brilliant; I just found the execution to be inept.

[mja345]

I went to "Don Jon" on a date and the girl I went with loved it. I thought it absolutely sucked, but since it was our second date, I didn't want to come off like a cynical a-hole and say how much I thought it sucked. So, during dinner, I had to painfully pretend that I liked "Don Jon".

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Really? Hmm ... and I see that Gordon-Levitt not only starred in Don Jon, he also wrote and directed it. Is it similar in some ways to Brick?

Among the aspects of Brick that I loathed were the incomprehensible, rushed dialogue; the impossible-to-understand slang; the cutesy "look-at-me! look-at-me!" editing; the artificiality of the adult characters (the Assistant Vice-Principal and the mother of the character known as "The Pin"); the atrocious overacting by the actors who played Dode and Tugger; the gaffes in continuity (for example, a jacket that is muddied in one scene is miraculously clean just moments later); the silly costumes and makeup used on the character of Kara; the grossly exaggerated physical violence; and the disappointing fact that despite all appearances to the contrary, Lukas Haas' character did not turn out to be the illegitimate lovechild of Barnabas Collins and Philip Carey (the crippled protagonist of Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage.)

I thought the main conceit of Brick ... a film noir set in a modern day high school ... was brilliant; I just found the execution to be inept.

no, it isn't similar to Brick at all. Don Jon is chock full of cliches, is overly vulgar (if I recall correctly) and just plain isn't funny.

there was one scene in the movie that I felt was executed rather well on JGL's part being the director. other than that... recycle bin for this one.

I don't remember the details of Brick very well to defend it, but yeah, the dialogue is a bit incomprehensible and delivered too fastly at times.. but isn't that in a lot of noirs?

[adamhopelies]

I've just moved house and reassembled the collection, which seems as good a time as any to post a photo of it! Here's my very own Criterion corner.



I've always wanted a Hans Hillmann poster, but they run pretty expensively (tho tbh it's their scarcity which is their biggest problem). I recently managed to acquire this one, promoting Alain Resnais' masterful MURIEL, from a dealer in Germany.



If you've not heard of Hans Hillmann, he's a notable German designer whose work was pretty influential in the 1960s. His work was recently the subject of a major exhibition over here. There's a nice profile of some of his work here.

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/g...n-film-posters

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

no, it isn't similar to Brick at all. Don Jon is chock full of cliches, is overly vulgar (if I recall correctly) and just plain isn't funny.

there was one scene in the movie that I felt was executed rather well on JGL's part being the director. other than that... recycle bin for this one.

I don't remember the details of Brick very well to defend it, but yeah, the dialogue is a bit incomprehensible and delivered too fastly at times.. but isn't that in a lot of noirs?

Oh, well ... if it's overly vulgar, then you're right, I'm probably not going to like Don Jon. Believe me, I'm not a prude by any means, and there are certainly times when a little vulgarity is ... if not necessary, then at least appropriate ... but vulgarity just for the sake of vulgarity is, in my opinion, a sign of lazy and sloppy filmmaking that often represents a lack of creativity on the part of the screenwriter, the director and the actors.

I agree that a lot of films noir feature rapid-fire dialogue, but again, the difference is that in a well-made film, the words are enunciated carefully even when they are spoken quickly. Heaven knows Humphrey Bogart could spit out some of his lines at lightning speed, and he often lisped a little when doing so, but I never had to rewind and listen again to catch what his characters were saying. And he was brilliant enough that I could figure out what his slang words were indicating, often because he was so adept at providing context through a vocal inflection or a facial expression. In Brick, I thought for half of the movie that Lukas Haas' character was named "Depends" (and wondered if his incontinence was a plot point) until someone finally said "The Pin" distinctly enough for me to catch it. I still don't know why he was called "The Pin"; if they explained it, I didn't understand what they were saying.

But enough! I've made my points, and don't want to keep harping on them. Thanks, though, for the warning regarding Don Jon; I'll keep that one in reserve until I'm feeling brave enough to try it out. Hopefully, the always impressive Julianne Moore will at least make it worth a look-see!