The Criterion Collection

[scottpcusa]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Glad to hear that Still Walking is being compared well to Yi Yi. I just blind bought it. ...and I loved Yi Yi!

Both Yi Yi and Still Walking are fantastic films.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by scottpcusa

Both Yi Yi and Still Walking are fantastic films.

I watched about two hours of Yi Yi last night.

For the first hour I was getting kind of worried. I kept thinking to myself, "Okay...um...this is okay...but when does it get like...really good?"

About an 90 minutes in it started to click for me.

Was too tired to finish it, but will do so tonight.

[Ray Jackson]

I'm giving serious consideration to blind buying The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant today.

Loved World on a Wire and want some more Fassbinder.

It's either Bitter Tears or Ali: Fear East the Soul.

I'm less inclined to go with Ali because of the male full frontal, the elderly woman nudity and the fact that I'm not a big Douglass Sirk fan.

Will anyone here attempt to sway me for or against Bitter Tears?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Sans Soleil is unlike any other film I've ever seen in my life.

I don't even know how to describe it?

All I know is it possesses a brilliantly undefinable quality that's unsurpassed in cinema.

But it is definitely not for everybody.

Some people WILL hate it.

...and I understand that.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm giving serious consideration to blind buying The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant today.

Loved World on a Wire and want some more Fassbinder.

It's either Bitter Tears or Ali: Fear East the Soul.

I'm less inclined to go with Ali because of the male full frontal, the elderly woman nudity and the fact that I'm not a big Douglass Sirk fan.

Will anyone here attempt to sway me for or against Bitter Tears?

I liked both, but Ali made a more profound impression to me, actually I wasn't expecting liking it that much since I have previously seen the Sirk version and didn't think it was that great to begin with.

But both of those are nothing like World on a Wire.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

I liked both, but Ali made a more profound impression to me, actually I wasn't expecting liking it that much since I have previously seen the Sirk version and didn't think it was that great to begin with.

But both of those are nothing like World on a Wire.

Did you like Bitter Tears?

...how would you rate it?

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Oh, if you want to know my back story, then read my User Review of John Frankenheimer's Seconds.

(Just to keep this Criterion-related, once again)

Speaking of John Frankenheimer, I watched the Kino Lorber Blu-ray of 52 Pick-Up earlier this week, and I loved it.

Your story is inspirational, Owl. I miss running so much. True story ... about ten years ago I was training with Dr. Peter Snell, who won three Olympic Gold medals in 1960 and 1964. Peter and I are both "toe runners", and he brought in a camera crew to film me running at the training center; the footage was going to be sent to an army trainer for possible inclusion in a documentary. My ego swelled like a balloon, and I started pushing myself harder and harder in the weeks that followed. About a month later, I was showing off on the treadmill, and all of a sudden I heard a loud "snap" and hit the floor in agony. I had broken a small bone in my foot. It was too small to set, and so it didn't heal correctly, effectively ending my running. A terrible lesson in humility, and one I won't ever forget. Now I bicycle instead. And collect Criterions.

Speaking of which, it's a nasty, dreary day in the Ozarks so I drove into northwest Arkansas and picked up two more blu-rays: Breaker Morant and A Room With a View. The customer service rep said they had gotten in four more copies of Room on Friday's truck, and I got the last one left. Very surprising ... she said she thinks it's selling faster than either Mulholland Drive or Moonrise Kingdom! Whodathunkit?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Did you like Bitter Tears?

...how would you rate it?

Out of the four Fassbinder films that I've seen, I'd say The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant is his most accessible, followed by The Merchant of Four Seasons, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and lastly, World on a Wire.

It should be noted that I'm not the biggest Fassbinder fan and I don't have any inclinations to rewatch the aforementioned films, but I do find all of them to be enjoyable and exceptionally well-made.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Out of the four Fassbinder films that I've seen, I'd say The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant is his most accessible, followed by The Merchant of Four Seasons, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and lastly, World on a Wire.

It should be noted that I'm not the biggest Fassbinder fan and I don't have any inclinations to rewatch the aforementioned films, but I do find all of them to be enjoyable and exceptionally well-made.

That's interesting.

The impression I've developed from reading various comments and reviews is that Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is his most accessible and Bitter Tears is very slow and difficult to connect with for many people.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Did you like Bitter Tears?

...how would you rate it?

Yes, I would rate both the same, here are my thoughts on it from back when I saw it:

This one lived up to my expectations, but I probably still rank Ali: Fear of the Soul a bit higher, still in terms of themes I thought this was pretty unique, the acting was top notch and the cinematography amazing and with enough variations for such a limited space and considering the whole film occurs in that one room.

Keep in mind Bitter Tears is pretty much all about the dialog, more like a play without much setting changes due to it being all in one room.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Your story is inspirational, Owl. I miss running so much. True story ... about ten years ago I was training with Dr. Peter Snell, who won three Olympic Gold medals in 1960 and 1964. Peter and I are both "toe runners", and he brought in a camera crew to film me running at the training center; the footage was going to be sent to an army trainer for possible inclusion in a documentary. My ego swelled like a balloon, and I started pushing myself harder and harder in the weeks that followed. About a month later, I was showing off on the treadmill, and all of a sudden I heard a loud "snap" and hit the floor in agony. I had broken a small bone in my foot. It was too small to set, and so it didn't heal correctly, effectively ending my running. A terrible lesson in humility, and one I won't ever forget. Now I bicycle instead. And collect Criterions.

I'm out of "Thank you" buttons at the moment, but that's a cool story! I've been through this sort of situation before, although not to the same degree of severity. I suffered a rough IT Band injury in late 2012, and my running suffered for a couple of years after that. It's amazing how one small injury can derail a runner for a long while, and those experiences are definitely humbling. I had a rough go of things for a while after my injury healed, because the runs that used to be easy for me had become difficult again.

Not much Criterion-related to add, except that I'm looking forward to seeing Downhill Racer again next month!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

That's interesting.

The impression I've developed from reading various comments and reviews is that Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is his most accessible and Bitter Tears is very slow and difficult to connect with for many people.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul may very well be his most accessible, but I'm so biased towards All That Heaven Allows that I couldn't fully enjoy the experience.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm giving serious consideration to blind buying The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant today.



Loved World on a Wire and want some more Fassbinder.



It's either Bitter Tears or Ali: Fear East the Soul.



I'm less inclined to go with Ali because of the male full frontal, the elderly woman nudity and the fact that I'm not a big Douglass Sirk fan.



Will anyone here attempt to sway me for or against Bitter Tears?

I still plan on telling you what I think of Bitter Tears when I view. For some reason this was my only BN sale title that shipped without the rest of the order. I should get it Monday.
Watching Code Unknown tonight so I can listen to the second part of the most recent Criterion Close-Up podcast.

[Polaroid]

I wonder how Arrows releases will compare with Criterions in term of picture/video quality. (Fassbinder set)

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I wonder how Arrows releases will compare with Criterions in term of picture/video quality. (Fassbinder set)

I like the region A Arrow Blu-rays that I own. I'm spending today with the new Arrow box set, Edgar Allan Poe's Black Cats: Two Adaptations. I just finished watching the first film, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, and I absolutely loved it. (I recommend this one to everyone who likes the Criterion title, Diabolique.) I'm going through the special features now, and I'll watch Fulci's The Black Cat tonight.

From what I've read of reviews, the transfers of Criterion movies are on par with their Arrow counterparts. Both studios go the full nine yards.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Now I bicycle instead. And collect Criterions.

Low impact, aerobic exercise! Love my bike.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

From what I've read of reviews, the transfers of Criterion movies are on par with their Arrow counterparts. Both studios go the full nine yards.

[jw007]

Just picked up 2 more Criterions at 2 different Barnes & Noble stores using 2 separate 20% off coupons that expired today.

Moonrise Kingdom
Two Days, One Night

[sjconstable]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

That's interesting.

The impression I've developed from reading various comments and reviews is that Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is his most accessible and Bitter Tears is very slow and difficult to connect with for many people.

That is my experience, yes.

[Scottie]

I watched Limelight today.

I don't think it's Chaplin's best film, but it is one little gem with a lot to say on life and happiness. It's also a great reflection on Chaplin's career in the "limelight" of the silent era and the fear and anxieties that he probably possessed as he began to grow older and entered the talkie era.