The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

wow! I'm on a roll here: this film is just bad, bad, bad... it plays like a student film by someone who got a hold of some camera equipment and od'd on Alfred Hitchcock films. keep it.

Okay, that's just crazy talk. I mean, I'm not going to laud Dressed to Kill as some indispensable classic but it's not bad, it's very competently made and one could make a case for its (or at least DePalma's) place in the evolution from Hitchcock to guys like Dario Argento to 80s US slashers.

And speaking of Hitchcock, why do we laud directors for being influential but dismiss as hacks and rip-off artists those directors they influenced?

That seems kind of silly to me sometimes.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I bought the DVD of In a Lonely Place last year, and I also bought the region free Blu-rays of Gilda, Le Samourai, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Don't worry, boys and girls. I'm on this.

I broke down on Liberty Valance a couple weeks ago too. I'm not quite ready to give up Gilda getting a whacky C but I'm getting close.

[ChromeJob]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

How long ago did you get CHARADE from Costco?

Last year sometime. The usual $19.99 price.

I counted it up, I've bought several of the Costco Criterions, was getting all the old Hitchcock because my daughter was interested, but then gave me her 11 yo "meh" when I had them on the coffee table. Pfft. Took some back.

I'm currently plowing through a lot of recent releases that my library has: THE SOFT SKIN, RIDE THE PINK HORSE, et al. Going to preview AN AUTUMN AFTERNOON before buying, I saw 99.9% of Ozus during a series at USC when I was attending there, don't remember this one (it was 30 years ago).

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

Maybe I'll just take advantage of the Summer B&N sale. Do you get a discount if you're a new member? Course I already know what I aim to buy first.

Short answer: new members get full benefits but unless you go to a brick-and-mortar B&N even as a member you probably won't do a lot better than $19.99 each.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by DfndroftheFaith

I don't know if anyone can confirm, but it looks like Kino's releases of Fallen Angels and Happy Together may have recently gone OOP.

Thanks for the head's up. I just purchased a brand-new bundle on half.com for $34 and some change.

[CriterionBlues]

Just got this from Amazon on my The Third Man pre-order. Expectations weren't high, but I think now that it was just a listing mistake on their part.

We're sorry to inform you that there is a delay in shipping your order. The new delivery date is indicated below. If you still want to receive this item, please let us know. We apologize for the delay.

New estimated delivery date:
Not yet available. We'll e-mail you as soon as we have a delivery date.

[Scottie]

I just finished watching The Rose.

I went into the film with low expectations. From what I read in the plot line, nothing really interested me. Furthermore, the film is apparently based on Janis Joplin, who I haven't listened to much or at all.

Anyway, I was really surprised by the film and found it to be enjoyable. It dragged on a bit at times, but the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Furthermore, Bette Midler gives one of a hell of a performance.

While I won't be purchasing the Blu-ray, I can only imagine that the restoration will be stellar.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Just got this from Amazon on my The Third Man pre-order. Expectations weren't high, but I think now that it was just a listing mistake on their part.

We're sorry to inform you that there is a delay in shipping your order. The new delivery date is indicated below. If you still want to receive this item, please let us know. We apologize for the delay.

New estimated delivery date:
Not yet available. We'll e-mail you as soon as we have a delivery date.

I received the same notice followed by a cancellation email.

[leopardskinpillbox]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

You get a pass for your SN. I was fortunate to see Dylan back in November. Great show.

Thanks! Speaking of Dylan, how about a Criterion of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. Probably the only good fiction film Dylan appeared in and with a stunningly brilliant soundtrack.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by DfndroftheFaith

I don't know if anyone can confirm, but it looks like Kino's releases of Fallen Angels and Happy Together may have recently gone OOP.

I usually check Michael's Movie Mayhem when I want to see if a given title is in print. According to MMM, both titles are discontinued.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I received the same notice followed by a cancellation email.

It didn't cancel mine. It just asked if I still wanted to keep the order active, which I did. Thinking there is less than 5% chance it gets fulfilled.

[ianungstad]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I usually check Michael's Movie Mayhem when I want to see if a given title is in print. According to MMM, both titles are discontinued.

Kino is letting the rights to all their Wong Kar Wai, Kieslowski and Haneke lapse.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Just got this from Amazon on my The Third Man pre-order. Expectations weren't high, but I think now that it was just a listing mistake on their part.

We're sorry to inform you that there is a delay in shipping your order. The new delivery date is indicated below. If you still want to receive this item, please let us know. We apologize for the delay.

New estimated delivery date:
Not yet available. We'll e-mail you as soon as we have a delivery date.

Well, on the one hand ... darn! On the other hand, I figured this would happen and went ahead and paid too much for a used copy online earlier this week. Looks like I'll be dining on ramen noodles for a few weeks, but what-the-hey, I don't eat a lot when the weather gets warm anyway.

[jmclick]

So, I started to get intrigued two days ago when a couple of people mentioned what it might look like if we got to pick and choose what Criterion would release if we were in control.

I had some down time today, and started making a list, just for fun. I decided I would take the helm this August, and release one title per day. I didn't stop to figure out which films might be impossible to license, but I did make some small effort to keep the mix varied and interesting. Yes, my favorite actors are over-represented, and no, I didn't include any films that are currently considered "lost". I hope my choices interest you; if they don't, please feel free to take control over the September release schedule and let us know what you've got in mind!

[Show spoiler]Aug 01: Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch) – my selfless gift to the group; please hold your applause
Aug 02: Journey's End (1930, James Whale) – only a single complete print remains; why not allow it an audience?
Aug 03: Ossessione (1943, Luchino Visconti) – the sexiest version of James M. Cain's Postman Always Rings Twice
Aug 04: Atlantic City (1980, Louis Malle) – Malle. Lancaster. Sarandon. Magic.
Aug 05: The Lady Eve (1941, Preston Sturges) – Stanwyck at her funniest and "vexiest"; my favorite Sturges (upgrade)
Aug 06: Late Marriage (2001, Dover Koshashvili) – a stunning Israeli film for adults that deserves a much, much wider audience
Aug 07: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969, Sydney Pollack) – tough, gritty, and supremely well-acted
Aug 08: Heaven Can Wait (1943, Ernst Lubitsch) – Ameche's personal favorite was also Lubitsch's last masterwork. (upgrade)
Aug 09: Baby Face (1933, Alfred E. Green) – both versions of the ribald pre-Code shocker on one disc
Aug 10: The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) – now that we've moved on from the "big reveal", this gem of a movie deserves a reappraisal
Aug 11: Ride the High Country (1962, Sam Peckinpah) – poetic and elegiac; one of the greatest Westerns – no, the greatest films – ever made
Aug 12: The Macomber Affair (1947, Zoltan Korda) – Hemingway done right; Bennett proves she, not Crawford, is the screen's "witchiest" Joan
Aug 13: The Dark Corner (1946, Henry Hathaway) – Noir nastiness: "How I detest the dawn. The grass always looks as though it had been left out overnight."
Aug 14: La Vie En Rose (2007, Olivier Dahan) – Marion Cotillard's first Oscar-winning performance. There will be more to come
Aug 15: Julia (1977, Fred Zinnemann) – Lillian Hellman may have invented most of her memoir, but it's still a great story and an outstanding film
Aug 16: Nightmare Alley (1947, Edmund Goulding) – Power just a pretty boy? Hardly. And Goulding is unjustly neglected these days
Aug 17: Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt (1989, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman) – unforgettable Oscar-winning Documentary could make a stone cry
Aug 18: Night and the City (1950, Jules Dassin) – both the American and British versions on my release, each with a different original score (upgrade)
Aug 19: The Last Flight (1931, William Dieterle) – quirky film about the "lost generation" has a small – but fervent – cult following
Aug 20: All I Desire / There's Always Tomorrow (1953/1956, Douglas Sirk) – two subtly subversive 1950's melodramas
Aug 21: The Hours (2002, Stephen Daldry) – with a feature-length commentary by all three Oscar-winning actresses (Streep, Kidman, and Moore)
Aug 22: Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) – vastly underrated; let's include the recently discovered Memory of the Camps included as a bonus
Aug 23: Blood Money (1933, Rowland Brown) – pre-Code perversity: Frances Dee cross-dresses and wants to be hurt – hard, and by someone who knows how
Aug 24: Walk on Water (2004, Eytan Fox) – compelling, provocative mystery-thriller with a commanding and complex performance by Lior Ashkenazi
Aug 25: The Story of Temple Drake (1933, Stephen Roberts) – kinky pre-Code, based on a Faulkner novel; Miriam Hopkins and Jack LaRue are superb
Aug 26: The Alamo (1960, John Wayne) – not really my cup of tea, but the roadshow negative is being allowed to rot by MGM, and should be preserved for history
Aug 27: The Black Cat (1934, Edgar G. Ulmer) – stylish sets, gorgeous cinematography and masterful editing. My favorite 30's horror film.
Aug 28: The Painted Veil (2006, John Curran) – lyrical and haunting, a winner in every department; Watts and Norton are sublime
Aug 29: The Mating Season (1951, Mitchell Leisen) – sparkling comedy with a dazzling performance by the inimitable Thelma Ritter
Aug 30: Pickup on South Street (1953, Samuel Fuller) – Ritter again, this time in a brutal, fascinating Cold War thriller/noir (upgrade)
Aug 31: Carl Th. Dreyer Boxset (1928–1995) – The Passion of Joan of Arc, Vampyr, Day of Wrath, Ordet, Gertrud, Carl Th. Dreyer – My Metier (upgrade)

[javi92]

Your list is a little Anglo-centric, but a good starting point for a lot of classic Hollywood stuff that needs to be addressed, whether by Criterion or others.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jmclick

So, I started to get intrigued two days ago when a couple of people mentioned what it might look like if we got to pick and choose what Criterion would release if we were in control.

I had some down time today, and started making a list, just for fun. I decided I would take the helm this August, and release one title per day. I didn't stop to figure out which films might be impossible to license, but I did make some small effort to keep the mix varied and interesting. Yes, my favorite actors are over-represented, and no, I didn't include any films that are currently considered "lost". I hope my choices interest you; if they don't, please feel free to take control over the September release schedule and let us know what you've got in mind!

[Show spoiler]Aug 01: Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch) – my selfless gift to the group; please hold your applause
Aug 02: Journey's End (1930, James Whale) – only a single complete print remains; why not allow it an audience?
Aug 03: Ossessione (1943, Luchino Visconti) – the sexiest version of James M. Cain's Postman Always Rings Twice
Aug 04: Atlantic City (1980, Louis Malle) – Malle. Lancaster. Sarandon. Magic.
Aug 05: The Lady Eve (1941, Preston Sturges) – Stanwyck at her funniest and "vexiest"; my favorite Sturges (upgrade)
Aug 06: Late Marriage (2001, Dover Koshashvili) – a stunning Israeli film for adults that deserves a much, much wider audience
Aug 07: They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969, Sydney Pollack) – tough, gritty, and supremely well-acted
Aug 08: Heaven Can Wait (1943, Ernst Lubitsch) – Ameche's personal favorite was also Lubitsch's last masterwork. (upgrade)
Aug 09: Baby Face (1933, Alfred E. Green) – both versions of the ribald pre-Code shocker on one disc
Aug 10: The Crying Game (1992, Neil Jordan) – now that we've moved on from the "big reveal", this gem of a movie deserves a reappraisal
Aug 11: Ride the High Country (1962, Sam Peckinpah) – poetic and elegiac; one of the greatest Westerns – no, the greatest films – ever made
Aug 12: The Macomber Affair (1947, Zoltan Korda) – Hemingway done right; Bennett proves she, not Crawford, is the screen's "witchiest" Joan
Aug 13: The Dark Corner (1946, Henry Hathaway) – Noir nastiness: "How I detest the dawn. The grass always looks as though it had been left out overnight."
Aug 14: La Vie En Rose (2007, Olivier Dahan) – Marion Cotillard's first Oscar-winning performance. There will be more to come
Aug 15: Julia (1977, Fred Zinnemann) – Lillian Hellman may have invented most of her memoir, but it's still a great story and an outstanding film
Aug 16: Nightmare Alley (1947, Edmund Goulding) – Power just a pretty boy? Hardly. And Goulding is unjustly neglected these days
Aug 17: Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt (1989, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman) – unforgettable Oscar-winning Documentary could make a stone cry
Aug 18: Night and the City (1950, Jules Dassin) – both the American and British versions on my release, each with a different original score (upgrade)
Aug 19: The Last Flight (1931, William Dieterle) – quirky film about the "lost generation" has a small – but fervent – cult following
Aug 20: All I Desire / There's Always Tomorrow (1953/1956, Douglas Sirk) – two subtly subversive 1950's melodramas
Aug 21: The Hours (2002, Stephen Daldry) – with a feature-length commentary by all three Oscar-winning actresses (Streep, Kidman, and Moore)
Aug 22: Lifeboat (1944, Alfred Hitchcock) – vastly underrated; let's include the recently discovered Memory of the Camps included as a bonus
Aug 23: Blood Money (1933, Rowland Brown) – pre-Code perversity: Frances Dee cross-dresses and wants to be hurt – hard, and by someone who knows how
Aug 24: Walk on Water (2004, Eytan Fox) – compelling, provocative mystery-thriller with a commanding and complex performance by Lior Ashkenazi
Aug 25: The Story of Temple Drake (1933, Stephen Roberts) – kinky pre-Code, based on a Faulkner novel; Miriam Hopkins and Jack LaRue are superb
Aug 26: The Alamo (1960, John Wayne) – not really my cup of tea, but the roadshow negative is being allowed to rot by MGM, and should be preserved for history
Aug 27: The Black Cat (1934, Edgar G. Ulmer) – stylish sets, gorgeous cinematography and masterful editing. My favorite 30's horror film.
Aug 28: The Painted Veil (2006, John Curran) – lyrical and haunting, a winner in every department; Watts and Norton are sublime
Aug 29: The Mating Season (1951, Mitchell Leisen) – sparkling comedy with a dazzling performance by the inimitable Thelma Ritter
Aug 30: Pickup on South Street (1953, Samuel Fuller) – Ritter again, this time in a brutal, fascinating Cold War thriller/noir (upgrade)
Aug 31: Carl Th. Dreyer Boxset (1928–1995) – The Passion of Joan of Arc, Vampyr, Day of Wrath, Ordet, Gertrud, Carl Th. Dreyer – My Metier (upgrade)

Nice list but only 1 movie from the 1970s and 1 movie from the 1990s? Two of my favorite decades for movies! Need some more 70s n' 90s in there!

[coleyhinson]

^agreed

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by jw007

Nice list but only 1 movie from the 1970s and 1 movie from the 1990s? Two of my favorite decades for movies! Need some more 70s n' 90s in there!

Yes, I also look forward to more 90s foreign films in the Criterion collection.

Films like:
Cyrano
Indochine
Raise the Red Lantern
Farewell to my Concubine
Mediterraneo
City of lost Children
Ju Dou
Fresa y chocolate
Rhapsody in August
Ulysses Gaze & Eternity and a Day (well,these 2 are not foreign to me! I can't believe there isn't a single Greek film in the collection. There should be at least one Angelopoulos, or some older ancient Greek tragedy films)

By the way, commenting on jmclick's list, can't believe how The Hours hasn't been released yet in the US!
Here I started a thread about the Japanese release, but I don't know how it is:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...8#post10700188

[Meek12345]

I'm excited about the July announcements:

My Beautiful Laundrette: I have never seen this film before, but Daniel Day-Lewis is one of my favorite actors. So, I will watch it as soon as possible.

Moonrise Kingdom: I think this is a good film, but I don't feel the need to own it. I will see if a second viewing changes my opinion.

Hiroshima, Mon Amour: Haven't seen this one either, but all of the praise it has received on this forum has put it high on my watchlist.

The Killers: Woo hoo! Burt Lancaster is one of my other favorite actors and this was one of my most wanted upgrades. I also look forward to watching the Tarkovsky short and 1964 film on blu later this year.

Here is Your Life: Haven't seen it. Sounds interesting though. Hopefully, it will pop up on Hulu soon.

The Black Stallion: I watched this for the second time (recorded it off of Encore HD) a few hours ago. It was even more enjoyable this time. Roger Ebert sums up how I feel about this better than I can:http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/th...-stallion-1979. I bet at least 9 out of 10 people will enjoy this film. This film should look amazing on blu and Criterions special features look very extensive.

So, July is basically like most months for me. 1 or 2 releases that I will definitely buy with 3 or 4 titles that I want to watch for the first time ASAP.

[SlickDamian]

Being a big Wes Anderson fan, I will definitely pick up Moonrise Kingdom, even though I already have the studio edition. This is a fantastic film.
The Killers looks like a nice release, with both films on the disc. I haven't seen either, but will probably blind buy this (most of my Criterions are blind buys).
Black Beauty is an interesting Criterion release, and I'll probably pick this up as well. Nice month from Criterion.

[Polaroid]

Why can't Bergman... Kubrick... Tarkovsky... Fellini etc all have done this agreement with Criterion that Anderson has haha.

Would have been awesome.