The Criterion Collection

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I love her version of Once Upon a Dream for Maleficiant (appauling film though):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8waJ...ature=youtu.be

I tend to be finicky regarding this piece, as Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Waltz is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. But that version was really nice.

(Side note: Disney's Sleeping Beauty was the first film I remember seeing in a theater. I was 5-6 years old, and I was mesmerized.)

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

As for classics i am not really sure how a movie becomes one, all are classics considered masterpieces? or can they become classics by popularity alone? seems to me a lot of popular movies that aren't masterpieces are called Cult films.

Classics don't have to be masterpieces, but I think they should be generally well-regarded. Certainly above average.

To me, cult movies are typically low-budget affairs that are mostly average or below average in the grand scheme of things, but nevertheless have a...je ne said quoi...that make them either very popular or give them a certain charm that overcomes their weaknesses and make them worth watching. Edgar Ulmer's films, for example.

[ShellOilJunior]

masterpiece
[mas-ter-pees, mah-ster-]

noun
1.a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.
2.anything done with masterly skill:
a masterpiece of improvisation.
3.a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind:
The chef's cake was a masterpiece.
4.a piece made by a person aspiring to the rank of master in a guild or other craft organization as a proof of competence.

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

Not as bad as "pretentious"

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

A director can have a masterpiece, and later do something even better, that doesn't lessen the value of his first, then maybe have one better than his first but not better than his second, etc.

Maybe they shouldn't be called masterpieces but then it would be harder to rank or separate a director's greatest works.

But i agree to some degree, also, who are we to decide what is a masterpiece anyway if the appreciation of films is subjective, should it be determined by the number of reviewers who think so? not to come back to that theme but if so, then Boyhood is Linklater's masterpiece already.

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

Masterpiece
Genius
Sensational
Stunning

These are a few of the words overused frequently in sport (and cinema) too. I find it very lazy on the part of the commentator / author.

[Aladinsane]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Check Fish Tank and Margaret, although the latter is about a lot of other things too and filmed in more traditional style, but it's great.

Thanks for the suggestions. Been planning to check out fish tank, but never heard of margaret. Based on the trailer it looks very generic though, but i could be wrong.

I completely forgot about a really obvious one though, Fat girl.Great film, and really falls into that description.

Keep the suggestions coming.

[Aladinsane]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Morvern Callar

Ratcatcher needs a upgrade and they need to add MC to collection with her new short SWIMMER.

I agree. I love her work. What did you think of We need to talk about kevin?

[DfndroftheFaith]

I think there are far, far more classics than masterpieces. I think being a masterpiece is about artistic achievement. You also have to decide what makes a film a great piece of art, a question with which I often struggle. Because of this, I think the declaration of whether a film is a masterpiece is highly subjective. There are several very highly regarded films that many consider masterpieces which I do not particularly like or to which I do not connect. To me, these are not masterpieces, but they are masterpieces by popular critical opinion.

I might be in the minority, but I think the necessary qualifications to be a classic are solely a) age and b) popularity. I'm not much of a horror fan, but I would not hesitate to say that Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th are classics. Wayne's World is a classic. Dirty Harry is a classic. These films are undeniably part of the public consciou. I think most classics are at least good or very good films, and ones that are not are likely to lose their classic status as time goes on and new generations of audiences find nothing of interest or value in them.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Check Fish Tank and Margaret, although the latter is about a lot of other things too and filmed in more traditional style, but it's great.

Fish Tank is great. Sorry Pedro, I agree with you a lot, but Margaret ranks among the very worst films I've ever seen. I don't mean that as hyperbole. It's a disaster.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Not as bad as "pretentious"

There's a lot of pretentious in this thread

[pro-bassoonist]

Hello everyone,

First, Happy Easter to all of you Hopefully, you all have a great weekend.

Some updates:

1. Below are the packaging shots for the latest batch of titles. (As usual, there are more in the reviews).

2. Our review of The Friends of Eddie Coyle will be up tonight. Hoop Dreams will be up later tomorrow night.

3. Le silence... -- As you could see from the final market version now, this release does come with a booklet. All relevant information is in the review.

Le Silence de la Mer Blu-ray REVIEW







The River Blu-ray REVIEW







Cries and Whispers Blu-ray REVIEW







Hoop Dreams Blu-ray







Pro-B

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

Ironically enough though, doesn't your very narrow definition also devalue the word? Doesn't anybody who's ever made a film have a greatest piece of work?

Originally Posted by DfndroftheFaith

I might be in the minority, but I think the necessary qualifications to be a classic are solely a) age and b) popularity.

I tend to agree but I also think there are classics and then there are classics.

The Blob is a classic in the sense that it is an outstanding example of its kind. With 'its kind' being cheesy 50s monster movies. Casablanca is a classic by the same standard but 'its kind' is film itself. No qualifiers (well, okay, maybe American film but that's whole nother looking glass to fall through)...it's an outstanding example of the art form itself.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Aladinsane

I agree. I love her work. What did you think of We need to talk about kevin?

I thought it was excellent, the adaptation was very good. Yes it lacked some key elements of the book but that is expected and not sure this missing scenes would have changed the film much.

WNTTAK has so many memorable moments, at times it is very creepy. The cast was perfect for me, no one let me down and I had read the book prior to seeing, the middle aged kid was perfect and a really good actor and then Ezra Millar just killed it (pun unintended) and was haunting to watch.

I think I saw it at cinema 5 times in 2 days.... I loved it.

In regards to the main parts of the film

[Show spoiler]I am happy she didn't show the actual killings, it left it to our imagination which for me worked so much better and was more shocking. We saw the moment from the point of view as the people who witnessed it from outside. It was left to us to decide how brutal it really was and how violent.

-

I just realised Rabbits isn't on Eraserhead... was there a reason they excluded these?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I just watched a movie the other night for which I think it is fair to call it a "classic," but I'm pretty certain it is not a masterpiece. That film is John Huston's The Misfits. It is flawed, but also chock full of good to great performances by legendary actors (Gable, Clift, Monroe, Thelma Ritter.) There is a palpable sadness to the proceedings - not just because all 4 of those actors were dead within 10 years of the film's release, but because of the themes of the film. I won't give anything away and don't want to go off on too much of a tangent, this being the CC thread, but this film surprised me. Not a masterpiece by any means, but there is something wonderful about it. Check it out.

The Misfits is a great movie, albeit quite saddening and soul-crushing. I watched it a few months back when I was going through some other Marilyn Monroe Blu-rays, and I was really taken off guard. John Huston always was adept at eliciting hints of quiet resignation from characters in his films, but The Misfits is one work where such traits are brought to the forefront in a way that puts us close to the people without running the bleakness into the ground. I'm not so sure that I would call it a classic either, but I was hugely impressed.


Now...the "cult films becoming classic" discussion and the "Do classics equal masterpieces?" discussion...

It's funny, because I visited my favorite independent Atlanta record store when I was in the neighborhood earlier today, and decided to pick up, at long last, the Shout Factory Blu-ray of A Boy and His Dog. One of my friends who works at the counter spotted my selection and raved about the movie, calling it a classic. For me, this is another one of those "not quite classics, but well-deserving of more recognition" flicks.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Classics don't have to be masterpieces, but I think they should be generally well-regarded. Certainly above average.

To me, cult movies are typically low-budget affairs that are mostly average or below average in the grand scheme of things, but nevertheless have a...je ne said quoi...that make them either very popular or give them a certain charm that overcomes their weaknesses and make them worth watching. Edgar Ulmer's films, for example.

I don't disagree with anything you've said, but I would add that cult movies are sometimes neglected gems awaiting to be rediscovered and/or re-appreciated by a larger audience. I can remember, for example, back in the late 1970's when I would tell people, "No, really. I know you've never heard of it, but it truly is a masterpiece and you would love it if you would just give it a chance. I swear!"

The "it" I was referring to was a little movie directed by Frank Capra that starred Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore, named It's a Wonderful Life. I think it's safe to say that it isn't just a "cult movie" anymore, but it certainly was 40 years ago!

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

I might agree in theory ... but which of us gets to choose which of John Huston's films is his one and only "masterpiece"? And which is John Ford's only "masterpiece"?

I guess we'd also have to agree that Citizen Kane is a masterpiece, but Touch of Evil, by default, is not. I kind of feel funny making the corollary: Detour is a masterpiece (Ulmer's), but Touch of Evil is not.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I might agree in theory ... but which of us gets to choose which of John Huston's films is his one and only "masterpiece"? And which is John Ford's only "masterpiece"?

I guess we'd also have to agree that Citizen Kane is a masterpiece, but Touch of Evil, by default, is not. I kind of feel funny making the corollary: Detour is a masterpiece (Ulmer's), but Touch of Evil is not.

This is not true. Masterpiece does not, or at least not longer, mean an artist's best work. It can mean "a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship." That is the dictionary definition, but also the colloquial meaning. A director can have more than one masterpiece.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Masterpiece is an overused term in cinema. IMO, a director may only have 1 masterpiece. There are no ties. One title is his/her greatest film. Applying the term to more films cheapens its meaning. Kinda like people that use "literally" in every other sentence.

I think there are two ways to use the term, the first definition, and also the third definition.

So you could say "The Tree of Life is Terrence Malick's masterpiece", and "Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line is a masterpiece". The first statement indicates it's his greatest film, while the second statement indicates it's one of the great works of film overall. I don't think the 2nd statement cheapens the first.

(Not meant to start a debate on which film is Malick's masterpiece, I just used those two as examples)

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

This is not true. Masterpiece does not, or at least not longer, mean an artist's best work. It can mean "a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship." That is the dictionary definition, but also the colloquial meaning. A director can have more than one masterpiece.

That was the point I was making, in response to an earlier post.