The Criterion Collection

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by KillaCam

Did you happen to use 25% coupon and the member discount? I'm planning to stop by B&N and am wondering what that ended up costing you.

I used membership & 30% off coupon..$47.24+tax, $51 plus change...All $124.99 box set should be the same price...A little more with 25% off coupon...
Paid with a $25 free GC (hotel rewards) and rest with discounted GC...

[mja345]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Haven't seen Spanking the Monkey, strongly disliked Flirting with Disaster, and quite liked Three Kings. I have American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook on the shelf, but haven't gotten to them yet. His new one, Joy looks interesting.

I think "Flirting With Disaster" is awesome, but to each his own. The only film of his I really disliked was "American Hustle", but he's been in a steady decline since "I Heart Huckabees". "Flirting With Disaster" is one of the best comedies in recent memory, a complete no-holds-barred tribute to the screwball comedies of the 30s and 40s with modern sensibilities.

[KilloWertz]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

it is fairly easy now, just add it to your collection with the "want to sell" group, and choose your price, then wait to be notified by PM if someone want's the code.


As for the releases of the year, it is weird no one picked Mulholland Dr. not even Svet who gave it 5 across the board, which is not all that common.

I'm pretty surprised as well, although the other Criterions he put on his list got 5's across the board as well. I can't fault him for including them, but including Dangerous Game or The Skin on his list stands out as head scratchers, especially The Skin. At the end of the day though, oh well. Mulholland Drive is a fantastic release and that's what matters at the end.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Yeah, I don't see that at all.

As for my praise for Odd Man Out on previous pages, I'm thinking it might not be a Ray Jackson film.

I agree about the Late Spring print, but it has that great Wenders documentary on the disc.

Edit after reading bwdowiak's excellent comment above:

That's one problem is that Criterion has not set a precedent to upgrade a title unless from DVD to Blu-Ray. They have never upgraded a restoration, and they have never upgraded an Eclipse title. There have been so many opportunities (Raymond Bernard, Daisies) that I think this is intentional for them. I doubt we see any movement until there's a format change (4K?) or they've made more progress upgrading their DVD catalog.

I didn't turn it off after 30 minutes because I didn't like it.

I turned it off because it was late, I was exhausted and I had to get up early today.

I liked what I've seen so far.

PS...only a True Detective follower would get the James Mason/Yellow King reference.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by mja345

You gotta admit, the Pacino "great ass" line is absolutely hilarious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvTpEoi0tzE

Don't waste my motherFUNKIN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I try to work that line into casual every day conversations whenever I can.

...it's just glorious when it happens.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I have it but I haven't had a chance to watch out yet. Maybe over the holidays?

Of course I never thought the Criterion looked bad, so maybe I'm not the best judge.

I don't see how you can think the Criterion transfer looks good.

There are scenes with so many vertical white lines and white spots and weird flashy light things that it's almost comical.

...makes it very difficult to focus on the scene imo.

[joie]

Could a car crash on the way to a studio? Lynch could have seen "Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio," which was painted by David Hockney in 1980. It is at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Link: http://collections.lacma.org/node/247320

[BoydR12]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

from what I have seen of him, I pretty much agree with your assessment. his films are incredibly generic. I admit to not having seen American Hustle, but the trailers, the Hollywood hype that surrounds all of his films, and works like The Fighter (speaking of generic dime a dozen stories and film-making) placed that one on the CAN miss! list

in general, the X-mas releases used to excite me, but I've barely noticed them in the last few years. I'll see Hateful Eight giving Tarantino the benefit of the doubt, but knowing what I know of his film-making style, it looks dreadfully boring to me. I'll see The Revenant, too, but Iñárritu doesn't excite me any more and Leo DiCaprio's ship has sailed some years ago. He should have stopped working w/ Scorsese as he's really only been suited for a few of those roles.

Just FYI the fighter is about a real fighter, and most of it is actually pretty true to his story. Wahlberg trained for more than 3 years for that part, it's not a generic story at all

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

Just FYI the fighter is about a real fighter, and most of it is actually pretty true to his story. Wahlberg trained for more than 3 years for that part, it's not a generic story at all

It being based on a true story says nothing about it not being generic. I found absolutely nothing memorable or remarkable about any of the characters. In fact, I had forgotten what happens in the film, so I read the Wikipedia plot summary just now. That is - I skimmed through it because it is so terribly unremarkable. Lowlifes find success through boxing?? Who'd ever have thunk it?

[BoydR12]

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

It being based on a true story says nothing about it not being generic. I found absolutely nothing memorable or remarkable about any of the characters. In fact, I had forgotten what happens in the film, so I read the Wikipedia plot summary just now. That is - I skimmed through it because it is so terribly unremarkable. Lowlifes find success through boxing?? Who'd ever have thunk it?

I'm pretty much a sucker for any boxing film and (very) rarely don't like one. This was that one. Seemed like a boxing version of The Wrestler and those sisters and the mom!

[jw007]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

That or Dennis Dugan... or Brett Ratner... or Joel Schumacher.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

Best post I've read all day.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Don't waste my motherFUNKIN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I try to work that line into casual every day conversations whenever I can.

...it's just glorious when it happens.

Haha, yeah I try to mix in Pacino lines in everyday life as well. It's fun to tell your wife or GF, "You've got a GREAT ASS!" while illustrating its roundness with your hands simultaneously.

Also, next time you disagree with someone at work, drop the Pacino "Glengarry Glen Ross" speech to Kevin Spacey on him, minus the Mitch and Murray specifics.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

Truthfully, it's gotten to the point I can't even watch regular movies. I just come home and watch "Last Year at Marienbad" on a constant loop. I may mix in some Godard, but only his stuff from the 70s and 90s.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

What is wrong with true film fans not liking certain films or directors? I agree that sometimes it's best to not post only negative things, specially if one hates them so much that there is no other way to post than being rude about it.

But I guess sometimes one just cannot resist stating their opinion especially if many people are talking about it.

In my case I've seen several movies of Russel, and while I liked some of them personally I wouldn't like them in the collection as I don't plan to own any of the ones I have seen.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

What is wrong with true film fans not liking certain films or directors? I agree that sometimes it's best to not post only negative things, specially if one hates them so much that there is no other way to post than being rude about it.

But I guess sometimes one just cannot resist stating their opinion especially if many people are talking about it.

In my case I've seen several movies of Russel, and while I liked some of them personally I wouldn't like them in the collection as I don't plan to own any of the ones I have seen.

Yeah, truthfully, I've never picked up on any snobbery in this thread. This is probably one of the most easygoing threads on any board I've seen. Granted, most of the people who post in this thread are serious about film and have strong opinions about it. I love that. Also, another common misconception some have about Criterion collectors is that we're all a bunch of fanboys who will blindly love anything Criterion puts out. I feel like there's plenty of open discussion in this thread about Criterion films and there is never blind love for all things Criterion. Ray, for example, will often ask people for their honest opinions about potential buys and posters give him their honest opinions, negative or positive.

In regards to Boyd's point, I just think it comes down to the fact that the more movies you've seen, the more discerning your taste will be. There are a lot of movies I loved when I was 18 years old that I don't love now that I'm nearing 30. I've seen a lot more in that time. I'm more sensitive to generic, mainstream horseshit than I used to be. And that's not to say all mainstream movies are bad, as there are plenty of very well-known films I love. It's not snobbery, it's just the evolution of someone that watches tons of movies. I don't feel like there's any snobbery in this thread at all, just very good discussion by a lot of posters who are passionate about film. I don't think anyone should apologize for not loving all of the movies that everyone is supposed to love. If that were the case, then there would be no need for criticism or discussion.

[grape_jelly]

I blind-bought both Cries and Whispers and Identification of a Woman the other day. Somethiing tells me I'm in for a real treat with both. Any advice on which to watch first?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

This thread is honestly filled with too many snobs, instead of true fans of film as it should be, I can't stand all the knocking of directors and movies that other people love. I'm not saying this because of the lost love for Russell, I've been observing this from a distance for a while now. As long as we aren't talking about freaking Micheal Bay, the hate should be kept at bay (see what I did there)

I'm not entirely unsympathetic to your overall point but your timing seems pretty questionable. As far as I could see, the responses to 'should Russell be in the collection' were pretty reasonable and measured.

They might not have been all that favorable but that's just how it goes sometimes.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by grape_jelly

I blind-bought both Cries and Whispers and Identification of a Woman the other day. Somethiing tells me I'm in for a real treat with both. Any advice on which to watch first?

Haven't seen IOAW, C&W is a brilliant if emotionally draining experience.