The Criterion Collection

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

A Safe Place should have been relegated to a bonus feature on one of the discs. Giving it a spine is ludicrous.

Well, they did put it on a single disc with Drive, He Said, a movie I liked A LOT better.. So you can count it as a bonus feature in a way.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Well, they did put it on a single disc with Drive, He Said, a movie I liked A LOT better.. So you can count it as a bonus feature in a way.

Drive, He Said isn't much better, imo. Criterion probably had to accept both films as part of the licensing deal.

[Polaroid]

Did Last Year at Marienbad bluray get a second printing/repackage?

I have two copies of the bluray digipak and one is a lot skinnier/thinner than the other, they are both genuine and not fake, just very odd one is slightly skinnier lol.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I saw While We're Young this past weekend. It certainly doesn't feel as effortless as Frances Ha, or really any of Baumbach's past films, but it still works on many levels and is very funny. It also becomes very plot oriented as one point, which I found so strange for Baumbach.

I too caught While We're Young over the weekend. Frances Ha was my #1 of 2013, so this besting that was always going to be unlikely, but I'm pleased to report that I loved it almost as much. I liked the way plot took over (it almost becomes a conspiracy thriller at one point), with this film in many ways acting as a response to some of Baumbach's critics. With the plot comes a genuine sense of profundity too, with the film acting as a really engaging treaty on cinematic and personal fidelity.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

What is everyone thoughts/opinions/criticisms on Insignificance? Its the last Roeg criterion I need and as much as Ive been wanting to see it Ive also been putting it off.

I mean Monroe & Einstein in a hotel room for 1 hr 40 min? That seems absolutely dreadful.

It isn't exactly dreadful by any means. The performances are (and I'm using this word very deliberately) interesting, and a few of the scenes are captivating (The Actress crawling around on her hands and knees explaining the theory of relativity to The Scientist, for example). But on the whole, the film seemed very static to me, devoid of action. If I ever watch it again, it will be because I'm in the mood for a character-driven chamber piece.

I originally bought my copy as a blind buy because I had read that the film contains Theresa Russell's greatest performance. To tell the truth, I thought she was much more effective in Black Widow and I even enjoyed her supporting role in the trashy Wild Things more than I did her work in this film.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

What is everyone thoughts/opinions/criticisms on Insignificance? Its the last Roeg criterion I need and as much as Ive been wanting to see it Ive also been putting it off.

I mean Monroe & Einstein in a hotel room for 1 hr 40 min? That seems absolutely dreadful.

I really enjoyed the film when I watched it for the first time last year. I think it's philosophical discussions merit some praise as they are pretty effective, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Literally the worst movie I have ever seen. I couldn't watch this in one go, I forced myself to watch it in 3 separate 30 minute sessions just so I could say I watched the entire BBS collection. To think that it has both Jack Nicholson and Orson Welles in it, lol. The only moment of the film that drew any reaction out of me was a weak chuckle when Orson Welles tried to make an elephant in the zoo disappear by concentrating and then turning around to see that the elephant was still there.

Amazing that it has a 4K mastered blu ray release with so many other masterpieces lacking a release, but this is of course because they had to complete the BBS library.

BTW, I disagree with you that it's so bad that it's hilarious. If only it was that. Then it would've been entertaining at least in some way. But in the end, it's just so plain bad that it's atrocious.

To think I've "seen" it twice now.

Whenever I play it, I find myself suffocating and forced to do something else when I watch it. Still, I can't help laughing every time Orson Welles shows up with that silver ball or rubber rainbow or when the Fred character is just randomly rocking on a wooden rocking horse while Tuesday Weld's character moans about something.

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Drive, He Said isn't much better, imo. Criterion probably had to accept both films as part of the licensing deal.

Honestly, the only two films I genuinely like in the entire box set are The Last Picture Show and Easy Rider. Five Easy Pieces is good, but I've posted my criticisms on the film before.

Drive, He Said, while not a bad movie, is still not very good. It could be a million times worse, though, if Karen Black or Bruce Dern were not in the film. Plus, the Gabriel character is hilarious with his absurd reactions to the draft.

You already know how I feel about A Safe Place. I didn't even mention the funny quick edits of Jack Nicholson licking Tuesday Weld's neck at random points.

Regarding Head, I don't really care for it either, but I have tremendous respect for it because it feels very much influenced by the French New Wave with its self-reflexivity and it's breaking the fourth wall. Plus, it has a nice critique of consumerism and stardom and the soundtrack only helps the film.

I haven't seen The King of Marvin Gardens since the set first came out, but I don't remember liking it. Maybe my opinion will change when I rewatch it.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Did Last Year at Marienbad bluray get a second printing/repackage?

I have two copies of the bluray digipak and one is a lot skinnier/thinner than the other, they are both genuine and not fake, just very odd one is slightly skinnier lol.

Speaking of which, another member was kind and generous enough to trade their copy of Last Year at Marienbad to me, and as they warned me in advance, the packaging is quite beat up. It appears that the plastic disc holder was not centered properly when it was glued to the cardboard of the digipak (another reason I hate digipaks), and that edges were banged up in shipping.

So I'm in the market for replacement packaging. I have empty plastic Criterion blu-ray cases and would love to have an insert; did Criterion only release this in digipak? Otherwise, a better digipak would be fine. PM me if you have one to sell ...

P.S. Polaroid, I still think we should set you up in business as a custom packaging designer ...

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Drive, He Said, while not a bad movie, is still not very good. It could be a million times worse, though, if Karen Black or Bruce Dern were not in the film. Plus, the Gabriel character is hilarious with his absurd reactions to the draft.

I like it mainly because I'm a basketball fan, and I love movies with characters that gradually get more and more insane as the movie progresses (see avatar). And Drive, He Said has both. Gabriel definitely makes the movie for me, has some hilarious moments, mainly the one where he yells to the psychiatrist "Your soul must be so twisted in s**t that it's not to be believed, man! I'd like to puke in your face", as he jumps on the psychiatrist to make himself puke. The scene where he smashes the TV is hilarious as well.

There are many parallels with Kubrick, from a previous post I made:

A scene where a masked intruder invades a home in order to rape a woman. Haven't seen this scenario in many other movies than Drive, He Said and A Clockwork Orange. Also, in order to defend herself from the intruder the woman uses a head bust statue as a defense weapon. And I swear that when he chases the Olive character he tries to rape Gabriel even utters the same "woo-hoo" noise that one of the droogs (Dim, I think) yells when the droogs enter the house in A Clockwork Orange. There's also a scene where Gabriel is asked to put his personal belongings in a paper envelope, which also happens in A Clockwork Orange. I find these parallels interesting considering the fact that both films were being produced at the same time.

There is also a scene in Drive, He Said where the Gabriel character yells at the TV and says "They faked the whole damn moonlanding in Phoenix!" or something similar. And I am sure many are familiar with the stories about Kubrick supposedly being involved in directing the fake moon landing, which many argue he tries to hint in The Shining.

Also, did anyone else notice that both the looks and the sounds of the end credits in Drive, He Said are virtually identical to the end credits in The Shining. The end credits of The Shining first have a song, but then the song ends and a crowd of people can be heard talking, like the end credits of Drive, He Said. I have only seen end credits like this in these two movies.

It's actually my personal favorite movie from the set, along with Five Easy Pieces. But it definitely has many faults.

[The Great Owl]

I just pre-ordered Odd Man Out ($27 and change) and Sullivan's Travels ($22 and change) from Amazon, since those pre-order prices are about as low as I'll see around here until the next big sale rolls around.


Regarding A Safe Place...

A Safe Place is my least favorite Criterion title in my collection, (although it has some solid competition from Eraserhead), but I still have a kinder opinion of the movie than most people here do. In visual terms, A Safe Place is a cool-looking flick in that filmic early-1970s sort of way, and it's an interesting addition to the canons of both Jack Nicholson and Orson Welles. I love the scene in the film where the characters are conversing about phone numbers.

I think that Drive, He Said is an awesome film. It's such an offbeat and fascinating look at the college scene during the Vietnam years.

[CMNPlanet]

Regarding Marienbad packaging, when it was first released there were complaints of those original digi-sleeve waves, Marienbad was the worst.

It was on a lighter, uncoated card stock than the other releases and very tight to slide the booklet and disc folder out. It was very easy to damage.

There was, not so much a second printing, but a running change to that version to lighten the stress on the sleeve.

Marienbad was always a poor retail seller when in print, so it was very uncommon to see the keep case pressing in the wild before it went out-of-print.

Criterion's $5 replacement case and insert was just about the only to get the keep case version -- and they stopped selling it long ago.

[ChromeJob]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

Interesting article about what needs to happen to keep us buying blu rays... Hint: everyone be more like Criterion!
https://thedissolve.com/features/exp...elevant-again/

And Twilight Time. Just bought their JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Superb.

[joie]

Insignificance has "Marilyn" giving a very good definition of relativity. Roeg's fame seems to have been granted him by some French critics. Perhaps there will be a reevaluation someday.

Drive, He Said is an interesting basketball movie, but is awfully dated by the Vietnam war material.

[ShellOilJunior]

'The other site' has a review for The River.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Yesterday i finally watched my copy of Satyricon and i am not sure what to think of it, i didn't totally hated it, but i didn't like that much either, certainly not sure why it got so much praise even from Fellini himself saying is one of his most accomplished works.

I thought it would be a much more loose film, this clearly follows a narrative and feels more like a Pasolini film like Medea or Oedipus Rex, just with less explicit sex, and also not as funny as his Trilogy of Life, i am not a fan of those Pasolini films so that may be my problem, but i didn't see what was so Felliniesque on this one, the odd thing is don't even remember noticing Nino Rota score which always adds a lot to the experience of Fellini movies for me, I thought Roma is infinitely better, and has all the things i come to expect from his films.

Will probably watch all the extras and see it once more down the line before deciding what to do with it.

I enjoyed reading your post. This film is definitely one of Fellini's controversial films. The fragmented nature of the film is a direct inspiration from the original source, Petronius' Satyricon. The complete epic poem/prose by Petronius (he was Emperor Nero's court poet) is lost only fragments of the text has survived.

The film has toned down the material from the text. So you might think Fellini is being extra whimsical with the material, but he is just imitating the original text. So what shines for me is the set pieces, the film color and cinematography are excellent.

I think you made a good point comparing him to Pasolini.

[bwdowiak]

I think Frances Ha deserves another look from me. I had so many preconceived ideas about what my opinion of this film would be prior to seeing it that it never really stood a chance. Between the silly looking promotional material to imdb’s unappealing brief description of the film to Peter Bogdanovich and his stupid ubiquitous ascot… Oh, and the fact that I thought Greenberg was dreadful. It is streaming on Netflix for anyone who’d like to see it.

[ShellOilJunior]

The thing with Frances Ha is many of its characters are spoiled and pretentious but that's what the film is deconstructing and/or making fun of, imo.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I think that Drive, He Said is an awesome film. It's such an offbeat and fascinating look at the college scene during the Vietnam years.

It's also a great "snapshot film" of the early 70s. I always like when movies have scenes in a supermarket. I can't believe that people were allowed to smoke in supermarkets once like in the movie. It seems completely surreal now.

Plus the soundtrack is great, Moondog rules:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1EdIPr03ZY

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

The thing with Frances Ha is many of its characters are spoiled and pretentious but that's what the film is deconstructing and/or making fun of, imo.

It's not making fun of it in a nasty way, though. The movie clearly loves Frances's energy even though it is laughing at her a bit and supports her maturation through the picture. It's like a kinder, gentler "Girls" (with a much more focused plot, obviously!). I really liked the movie and think it makes a good companion piece to things like Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky."

[dmarvin]

[MifuneFan]

Malick's The Tree of Life