The Criterion Collection

[Namuhana]

Is there any chance of getting Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together into the Collection? I've watched most of it today and I would love to see Criterion release a Blu-ray. As far as I can tell, the Kino release is OOP.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

[Show spoiler]I finally got around to watching StudioCanal's 4k restoration of The Third Man tonight. What a marvelous job they did. The picture quality is absolutely stunning, and the dialogue is crisp and clear. The zither used for the majority of the film's score, while a tad jarring at first, ends up adding to the unique charm of The Third Man; it's never overpowering, even when mixed with dialogue. At certain points, the score is barely perceptible, but it adds to the mood of the shot well in every situation. If any of you guys have been holding off buying the film, trying to get a copy of the now OOP Criterion issue, trust me, you will be very pleased with the import. Even if you're a completionist, and have to have the Criterion blu, buy this and enjoy it in the mean time. Amazon UK is selling it for only £9.99, or about $14.44 USD, so with international air mail, you should get it for less than a $20.

And what a film! The high regard so many hold for it is absolutely deserved. First off, the cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen. Robert Krasker is to be commended for his brilliant work. Old Vienna at night, still showing the scars of World War II, becomes, itself, a character in the movie. The winding stairways, the beautiful architecture, even the below-ground sewer system all have a grand style. There is something dramatic about black and white photography that color film will never replicate, and The Third Man is one of the best uses of black and white film that you will ever see. Krasker's masterful use of light and shadow really adds to heighten the suspense of the film. The nameless faces of British soldiers, and inhabitants of the city, seem to peer out from every window, nook and cranny. He also wonderfully captures Alida Valli's face on several occasions. This is a master class on how you shoot women. He employs just a touch of soft light filter; her beauty is rendered in a way very reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa in Casablanca. Valli was another knockout from Italy, and she's quite good as Anna Schmidt. Of all the people in the film, you come to empathize for her.

Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, and Joeseph Cotten were all magnificent. And Wilfrid-Hyde White is, as always, charming and delightful. Cotten is fast becoming one of my favorite actors of the period. He was so good in Citizen Kane and Niagara. I'm about to watch Gaslight, and I expect another command performance. I only wish that he and Welles had more screen time together in The Third Man. Their little cat and mouse game is riveting, and any time you get two actors of their unmistakable talents together, you don't want the scene to end.

He's also wonderful in Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. One of my other favorite Cotten films is Portrait of Jennie which I would love to see on Blu-Ray. My first introduction to Joseph Cotten was a weird one-A Bufferin commercial! This was back in the '60s and it stuck with me because of his last name also being something you found when you opened a bottle of Bufferin.

[monorail91]

Watched The Player for the first time last night and still thinking it over... Loved all the stuff at the studios, but

[Show spoiler]couldn't get into his relationship with June

. But liked it better than McCabe and Mrs. Miller which bored me to no end.

[Pequod]

I have a question – do y'all think Criterion is aware of just how sought-after The Third Man on Blu-ray is? If so, why don't they just reprint it? I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes, seeing as it goes for the price of ~8 new Blu-rays on eBay with some regularity.

[Wernski]

How long do Criterion hints (the cartoons) usually take until fruition? I remember there was one with a bunch of movies including almost certainly Noah Baumbach's Squid and the Whale (a squid is fighting a whale just like the shot in the movie). I don't remember how long ago that was, but it wasn't recent, and I keep expecting it to be announced each month. Is there a typical turn around time between hints and discs?

[Jef Costello]

Originally Posted by Pequod

I have a question – do y'all think Criterion is aware of just how sought-after The Third Man on Blu-ray is? If so, why don't they just reprint it? I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes, seeing as it goes for the price of ~8 new Blu-rays on eBay with some regularity.

I'm certain thay they would love to reprint The Third Man but sadly they don't have the rights for it already along with a slew of Studio Canal titles.

[theater dreamer]

Wow, Amazon Prime has really gone to the dogs. You used to be able to get a price credit on movies within a week of purchase. Now I'm told that was never policy, and the exceptions they allowed are no longer in place. Yet when I ask this Qudsia, or whatever their name is, specifics on when this "non-policy" changed, they gave me the run around. That was one of the main reasons I re-upped my Prime membership.

I had to laugh, at the end, I got the copy and paste "is there anything else I can help you with tonight?"

You didn't help me at all. Just gave me the run around on a $3 credit.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Wow, Amazon Prime has really gone to the dogs. You used to be able to get a price credit on movies within a week of purchase. Now I'm told that was never policy, and the exceptions they allowed are no longer in place. Yet when I ask this Qudsia, or whatever their name is, specifics on when this "non-policy" changed, they gave me the run around. That was one of the main reasons I re-upped my Prime membership.

I had to laugh, at the end, I got the copy and paste "is there anything else I can help you with tonight?"

You didn't help me at all. Just gave me the run around on a $3 credit.

While they always used to do it as if it were policy when you sent them a message about it, I saw the news recently that they are no longer doing it, I guess they never made it into a real policy written somewhere in their help pages so that they could change it without too much bad press.

Best Buy still gives you 15 days if nothing has changed recently, although not sure if it works for online purchases.

[polsk_aus90]

Hi all, I was wondering if anybody had an idea if the DVDs of Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" and Schrader's "Mishima" were likely to see an upgrade anytime soon?

[seeldoger47]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Watched The Player for the first time last night and still thinking it over... Loved all the stuff at the studios, but

[Show spoiler]couldn't get into his relationship with June

. But liked it better than McCabe and Mrs. Miller which bored me to no end.

What did you dislike about it?

[filmmusic]

Since there are some lovers here of Asian cinema, has anyone seen this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111786/reference

In The Heat Of The Sun - YouTube

it looks interesting.

[Scottie]

StudioCanal doesn't even care about the U.S. market, releasing a couple of films several years ago and essentially dropping off from the face of the world.

I don't know why Criterion doesn't work out a deal with them for the rights again.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by Wernski

How long do Criterion hints (the cartoons) usually take until fruition? I remember there was one with a bunch of movies including almost certainly Noah Baumbach's Squid and the Whale (a squid is fighting a whale just like the shot in the movie). I don't remember how long ago that was, but it wasn't recent, and I keep expecting it to be announced each month. Is there a typical turn around time between hints and discs?

Newsletter hints usually are announced 2-3 months after. Squid and the Whale was a New Years drawing, and those have no timeline, and in some cases take years. Here is to hopeing its soon though!

[Mr Kite]

Why is it Criterion never reply to messages???

[colbyw]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

While they always used to do it as if it were policy when you sent them a message about it, I saw the news recently that they are no longer doing it, I guess they never made it into a real policy written somewhere in their help pages so that they could change it without too much bad press.

Best Buy still gives you 15 days if nothing has changed recently, although not sure if it works for online purchases.

To price match bestbuy.com you need to call 1-888-BESTBUY within the return policy period. Return period is 15, 30, or 45 days depending on what tier of Reward Zone (My Best Buy) you are. It's a pain, but if you fall in that 45 days grace period, you can get a lot of money back

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by tele1962

Why is it Criterion never reply to messages???

It depends on the message (Mulvaney and his macho head games).

If your email concerns an order or a replacement the easiest way to get their attention is via PayPal. I needed a replacement case a few months ago and instead of emailing them I sent them the money through PayPal and they processed it the next day.

[Mr Kite]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

It depends on the message (Mulvaney and his macho head games).

If your email concerns an order or a replacement the easiest way to get their attention is via PayPal. I needed a replacement case a few months ago and instead of emailing them I sent them the money through PayPal and they processed it the next day.

I asked them on FB about the colour timing on Fantastic Planet.

[profholt82]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

I spent the better part of this week in DC for meetings, but watched several Criterions on the road and a couple before I left. This was a solid run of excellent films (hence all 8's). Several were almost there as 9/10's, but fell just short for me on a first viewing.

World on a Wire - Like Solaris this was a slow, thought-provoking burn that was a struggle and enjoyment all at the same time. IOW your standard Fassbinder except with some science. I'm a big Matrix fan so this was somewhat nostalgic, yet new. I want to re-watch to see what I get out of it the 2nd time around. 8/10

The Uninvited - This film really blew me away for being so dark and haunting for 1944. However, it teetered at times in feeling very 40's-ish and a timeless ghost story. I would have loved to see this film tone down the humor in some scenes to maintain the eeriness. Cinematography was gorgeous within the house in the night scenes. This will be in the annual rotation for October at our house. 8/10

Patriotism - Very short and very re-watchable. A truly beautiful film illustrating the full spectrum of emotion as well as any other movie. I look forward to seeing Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters soon as I know little about Yukio Mishima except his tragic death. I can see this film gaining my appreciation more and more in time. 8/10

Louie Bluie - What a character. Was looking for a short Hulu watch at the airport and ran across this gem. I need to rewatch and have my notepad ready to jot down all of Louie's one liners and stories. I knew nothing about this going in, but was so glad I watched it. Fun, fun documentary. 8/10

Stray Dog - I consider High & Low to be a masterpiece for Kurosawa, but it is obvious this film made 14 years earlier was the precursor to perfecting his police drama. Mifune was just a babe and fascinating to watch playing a non-crazy, sword wielding samurai. The flow of the film felt a bit off with a few scenes dragging things to a crawl, but the action was engrossing. 8/10

I love 'Louie Bluie' as well; one of my favorite documentaries. Louie was such a great character. I've enjoyed every Terry Zwigoff film I've seen, but his two docs in particular (Louie Bluie and Crumb) are excellent.

[filmmusic]

Some films definitely live up to the expectations you have from their reputation.
I watched Dog Day Afternoon yesterday and I was amazed!!!

It would be great if this got a new scan and came into the collection.
The transfer is too old now (9 year old or more)

[ShellOilJunior]

It's that time again. Thanks to Namuhana for the sale date confirmation.