The Criterion Collection

[MovieBuffBeth]

Where is the best place to get replacement Criterion cases? I got home and opened one of my new blu-rays and the case is completely broken down the spine. It was impossible to tell while it was in the shrink-wrap. I live too far from B&N to do an exchange so I guess ordering a replacement case is my best bet.

[theater dreamer]

Casetopia is probably your best bet. I've used them before, and at 85 cents each for the single, I don't know if you can do better, price wise. I'd contact them tomorrow to see when they'll have the case you need back in stock.

Originally Posted by MovieBuffBeth

Where is the best place to get replacement Criterion cases? I got home and opened one of my new blu-rays and the case is completely broken down the spine. It was impossible to tell while it was in the shrink-wrap. I live too far from B&N to do an exchange so I guess ordering a replacement case is my best bet.

[cropduster]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I watched The Breaking Point last night and it did not disappoint. I was expecting to like it based on the story, director and cast, but if anything the whole was even greater than the sum of the parts. If you're looking to get one more title while the sale is on, get this one if you don't already have it.

One thing I think that hasn't been discussed here is the role of the female characters in this film. Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter are both terrific playing opposite types. A PhD thesis could be written (and probably has) on the contrasting female archetypes in 1950s film. Patricia Neal is the "bad" female and is a force of nature. She looks at John Garfield the way Shere Khan looked at Mowgli in The Jungle Book and I half expected her to swallow him whole. Phyllis Thaxter is the "good" female, trying gamely to keep her family from falling apart. It's a completely unglamorous role and Thaxter is heart-breakingly vulnerable in it.

Those are the two poles of the female archetypes -- pull the family apart or hold it together, and in the middle is John Garfield, trying to provide for his family on his terms and losing badly. So you could make a case that this film is really about families and, in that context, the final shot of the film is even more devastating.

I can't wait to watch it again.

You had me at Patricia Neal.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by cropduster

You had me at Patricia Neal.

If you love Patricia Neal, as I do, and haven't seen her in The Breaking Point, be prepared to be blown away. She's such a raw, leonine presence in this film, sexy in a confident, almost masculine way. I don't think she, or anyone else for that matter, has ever come close to such a portrayal. Maybe she was trying to out-Bacall Bacall. If so, I think she succeeded.

[SammyJankis]

Yeah, Patricia Neal was perfect casting. My god, that smile.

Glad to see more love for the film around here. Probably the best film I picked from the haul.

[repulsed]

Originally Posted by belcherman

If you love Patricia Neal, as I do, and haven't seen her in The Breaking Point, be prepared to be blown away. She's such a raw, leonine presence in this film, sexy in a confident, almost masculine way. I don't think she, or anyone else for that matter, has ever come close to such a portrayal. Maybe she was trying to out-Bacall Bacall. If so, I think she succeeded.

You watch your damn mouth [emoji3]

Might pick The Breaking Point tomorrow but I'll likely wait til the next sale. You know, one, then two, then big trouble

[Baron Blood]

Whenever I hear the name Patricia I think of all the great quotes from The Homecoming due to her unique vocal delivery..."...flowers in the dead of winter"


So, I watched Badlands last night and was reminded how great this film is.
It must be something like 30 years since I last saw it.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Baron Blood

Whenever I hear the name Patricia I think of all the great quotes from The Homecoming due to her unique vocal delivery..."...flowers in the dead of winter"

I agree that her sultry voice was her greatest asset, but the films that I mostly remember her by are Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

[hoytereden]

The first film I remember seeing Patricia Neal in was The Fountainhead. I didn't know until many years later that the heat generated onscreen between her and star Gary Cooper wasn't just great acting.
Hud is probably the film of hers I'd most like to see on BD.

[The Great Owl]

Some friends and I were discussing an article listing the top 25 films of the century (2000s) so far, according to Metacritic rating totals.

This compelled me to compile my own top 25 favorite films of the century so far...

Casino Royale (2006)
Under the Skin
Ex Machina
No Country for Old Men
Caché
The Lives of Others
Cold in July
Lost in Translation
Pulse (Kairo)
28 Days Later
Revanche
The American
Ghost World
Martha Marcy May Marlene
The Witch
Green Room
The Grey
Captain America: Winter Soldier
The Proposition
Rescue Dawn
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Oldboy
Baby Driver
Get Out
24 Hour Party People

Honorable mentions:
The Tree of Life
The Counselor
War of the Worlds (2005)

A couple of Criterion titles made the cut, and I expect that a few more of these will be Criterions in the not-too-distant future.

The above-referenced article did compel me to reserve a copy of Boyhood, though, since I still have not seen that movie before.

[mja345]

Man, lists are always hard to make. If I had to list some of my favorites since 2000...

Mulholland Drive
The Lives of Others
A Prophet
Mesrine 1 & 2
Killer Joe
The Hunt
Killing Them Softly
The Great Beauty
The Master
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
A Serious Man
A History of Violence
Death at a Funeral (the original)
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Certified Copy
Secretary
Y Tu Mama Tambien
In the Mood For Love
Match Point
Oldboy
OJ: Made in America
Paterson
Hard to be a God
Zodiac
Collateral

[pedromvu]

It's been a long time since I read this forum so I don't know if there are any rumors, but I just rewatched 8 1/2 and I was thinking it's weird that it has been so long without Criterion releasing another Fellini or Bergman film, since those are two directors which have tons of films and based on their DVD output seems are almost exclusively released by them (along with Kurosawa these are probably the top 3 directors with more Criterion films)

Also the next Chaplin or even anything by the Archers would be a welcome addition, here's hope for Tuesday

[hoytereden]

We've discussed Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter in The Breaking Point but there is one more female who in just a few years.........

[Show spoiler]image.jpg
Who could has guessed that little Sherry Jackson would become one of the most beautiful androids you'd ever see. Seriously, she was gorgeous!

[ravenus]

The other day I saw Ohayo aka Good Morning. I have enjoyed the Ozu films I've seen prior, especially Late Spring and Autumn Afternoon, and one of the things I've especially liked is how Ozu deflects melodrama with a sense of observational humor. But this more overt comic drama about the conflict between kids and their (rather aged) parents about getting a television set somehow felt less involving, even though it has its cute moments, mainly from the super-adorable actor that plays the kid Isamu. My favorite Ozu films have moments that really touch the heart, but throughout the feature I never felt close to the characters or their POV. Visually of course the film bears the director's trademark - especially love the observational shots of the backyards where clothes are hanging and people are walking by. Even the last shot of the TV in the carton looks like an artistic photograph.

I tried watching the included B&W silent film I was born but..., I switched off after a while on account of not feeling sufficiently drawn by it. Never thought I'd be so underwhelmed by an Ozu release.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by ravenus

The other day I saw Ohayo aka Good Morning. I have enjoyed the Ozu films I've seen prior, especially Late Spring and Autumn Afternoon, and one of the things I've especially liked is how Ozu deflects melodrama with a sense of observational humor. But this more overt comic drama about the conflict between kids and their (rather aged) parents about getting a television set somehow felt less involving, even though it has its cute moments, mainly from the super-adorable actor that plays the kid Isamu. My favorite Ozu films have moments that really touch the heart, but throughout the feature I never felt close to the characters or their POV. Visually of course the film bears the director's trademark - especially love the observational shots of the backyards where clothes are hanging and people are walking by. Even the last shot of the TV in the carton looks like an artistic photograph.

I tried watching the included B&W silent film I was born but..., I switched off after a while on account of not feeling sufficiently drawn by it. Never thought I'd be so underwhelmed by an Ozu release.

It's a shame you feel that way because I think it's a wonderful release. I like "I Was Born, But..." more than the main feature and considers it a masterpiece. One of Ozu's best.

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Some friends and I were discussing an article listing the top 25 films of the century (2000s) so far, according to Metacritic rating totals.

This compelled me to compile my own top 25 favorite films of the century so far...

Oldboy

The real one, correct?

[repulsed]

Originally Posted by 20th Century Boy

The real one, correct?

or just the Elizabeth Olsen parts of the remake[emoji6]



I gotsta rewatch that trilogy. I only rewatched Oldboy last year not Sympathy or Lady

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by repulsed

or just the Elizabeth Olsen parts of the remake[emoji6]



I gotsta rewatch that trilogy. I only rewatched Oldboy last year not Sympathy or Lady

The other two get a bit unfairly overshadowed by Oldboy, but the entire trilogy is the bee's knees. The first one may be my favorite. Song Kang-ho is pure gold.

[cropduster]

I planned on picking up a few more Criterions before the end of the sale and will definitely be blind buying The Breaking Point now after the great write ups and finding out Patricia Neal is in it. My first encounter with Patricia Neal was the film Hud and the sexual tension between her and Paul Newman is hotter than the Texas ranch they live on in the film. She has this natural animal magnetism about her onscreen that intensifies immensely with the sound of her voice. And also the way her eyes could look into a person, seeing through the superficial surface and look straight into the essence of their very being. Criterion's blu-ray of The Breaking Point was released on August 8th, 2017, exactly seven years from the time of her death on August 8th, 2010. Here's to more Patricia Neal on blu-ray in the future, especially Hud, A Face in the Crowd, and The Fountainhead.

[AaronJ]

Yeah, Patricia Neal isn't someone you forget once you've seen her. She had a presence, that's for sure.