The Criterion Collection

[pro-bassoonist]

Hello guys,

Here are the packaging photos for The Manchurian Candidate and Paris Belongs to Us. (More photos in the reviews, linked below).













Pro-B

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I assume you've got the Bergman Sunday night/super early Monday mornings covered then as well?

Also, I see several fabulous Criterion releases are under their Catholic Decency League bannination Thursdays theme too. Last week had two of my personal favourites, Black Narcissus and Design for Living. This Thursday we get M, Breathless, and And God Created Woman.

Hello everyone, I'm back from the dead.

I hope death treated you well!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Great talk about Chaplin, as for the few without mention, it's interesting that one of his first feature films was the straight drama A Woman of Paris, and then at the end he brought back the slapstick humor with A King in New York, and while those films might not be as good as the rest they are still quite good in my opinion and as a whole add up to an incredible final output in full feature films for Chaplin.

Well there is also A Countess from Hong Kong, but that is one I haven't seen and don't think is part of the deal to be released by Criterion.

A Woman of Paris was meant to be a vehicle to launch a career for his most frequent leading lady-Edna Purviance. Unfortunately, with it having Chaplin's name attached to it, people expected a comedy starring Chaplin and the film did not do well. Chaplin did a brief cameo in it but was almost unrecognizable.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

I apologize to Jellyfish Eyes for assuming it was the worst movie in the collection. Sweet Movie just set a new standard with me. Wow...just...wow.

I'm going to watch Jellyfish Eyes now, but for the time being, you are still wrong. A Safe Place is still the WORST Criterion film in the collection.

Also, I'm so glad people no longer hate on Tiny Furniture. Wasn't my favourite film by a long shot, but it certainly isn't anywhere near the utter shite that is A Safe Place.

Bonus factoid: Anyone remember the super highly controversial Young Adult novel Save the Pearls: Revealing Eden that had the internets up in arms because it's one of the worst books ever written and insanely racist? The novel totally is, but the author is the ex-wife of Henry Jaglom, the director of A Safe Place. That just makes A Safe Place a million times worse.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I hope death treated you well!

Indeed it did, I ended up with the Zatoichi box set and a few other goodies. I see Criterion is finally releasing In a Lonely Place, 5 years after I asked for it. Ditto for Bitter Rice.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I'm going to watch Jellyfish Eyes now, but for the time being, you are still wrong. A Safe Place is still the WORST Criterion film in the collection.

Also, I'm so glad people no longer hate on Tiny Furniture. Wasn't my favourite film by a long shot, but it certainly isn't anywhere near the utter shite that is A Safe Place.

Bonus factoid: Anyone remember the super highly controversial Young Adult novel Save the Pearls: Revealing Eden that had the internets up in arms because it's one of the worst books ever written and insanely racist? The novel totally is, but the author is the ex-wife of Henry Jaglom, the director of A Safe Place. That just makes A Safe Place a million times worse.

Most of Jaglom's films suck out loud. His movie "Tracks" with Dennis Hopper is decent, but I've watched a few of his other movies other than "A Safe Place" and they are truly painful.

I don't know that "A Safe Place" is worse than "Jellyfish Eyes". They're both equally awful. Choosing between the two is like choosing between getting punched in the face or kicked in the nuts.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by mja345

Most of Jaglom's films suck out loud. His movie "Tracks" with Dennis Hopper is decent, but I've watched a few of his other movies other than "A Safe Place" and they are truly painful.

I don't know that "A Safe Place" is worse than "Jellyfish Eyes". They're both equally awful. Choosing between the two is like choosing between getting punched in the face or kicked in the nuts.

I think if I were a kid, and/or really into Pokemon, I would like Jellyfish Eyes more. It's not good, but oddly charming. I wouldn't buy it, or watch it again, but I don't outright hate it like I do A Safe Place.


Apparently I'm supposed to love A Safe Place because I'm a girl and Jaglom claims it's a super feminist film. Jaglom is a horrible hack. Anais Nin must have been on some serious drugs if she approved of A Safe Place.

[Scottie]

Jellyfish Eyes was certainly an odd film, but I was never bored or bothered by it. It definitely felt like a Pokémon rip-off, but I found myself entertained for the most part, even if I have no interest in seeing it again.

There are far worse films in the collection, in my opinion, than that one.

[pedromvu]

So with Salo, Sweet Movie and maybe Pink Flamingos, what more objective proof does one need that Criterion does release some shit movies every once in a while?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

So with Salo, Sweet Movie and maybe Pink Flamingos, what more objective proof does one need that Criterion does release some shit movies every once in a while?

Ozu's Good Morning is a "shit" movie as well. Recall (very mild GM spoiler)

[Show spoiler]the boy who repeatedly craps his pants.

[llj]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I'm going to watch Jellyfish Eyes now, but for the time being, you are still wrong. A Safe Place is still the WORST Criterion film in the collection.

Also, I'm so glad people no longer hate on Tiny Furniture. Wasn't my favourite film by a long shot, but it certainly isn't anywhere near the utter shite that is A Safe Place.
.

COnsidering how big Lena Dunham got after Tiny Furniture, I'd say that Criterion's early faith in her relevance was later justified. That said, it's a movie that speaks to a completely different audience than the one I am in. My problem with it is basically that: its stringent specificity to a certain audience does not have universal appeal.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Jellyfish Eyes was certainly an odd film, but I was never bored or bothered by it. It definitely felt like a Pokémon rip-off, but I found myself entertained for the most part, even if I have no interest in seeing it again.

There are far worse films in the collection, in my opinion, than that one.

If I'm going to recommend a film from the genre I call "WTF Japan," I'd go with House over Jellyfish Eyes. House honestly has a better plot and is a fun film. Jellyfish Eyes is cute a first, but gets messy and confusing. It's like they gave up part way through. Still, it's better than A Safe Place

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by llj

COnsidering how big Lena Dunham got after Tiny Furniture, I'd say that Criterion's early faith in her relevance was later justified. That said, it's a movie that speaks to a completely different audience than the one I am in. My problem with it is basically that: its stringent specificity to a certain audience does not have universal appeal.

I'm supposedly Dunham's audience, but I didn't like it or Girls. I respect what she does, but it's not my cup of tea. Criterion films appeal to many different audiences. That's why they're great at what they do.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

So with Salo, Sweet Movie and maybe Pink Flamingos, what more objective proof does one need that Criterion does release some shit movies every once in a while?

Pink Flamingos is not shit and has not been released by Criterion.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Pink Flamingos is not shit and has not been released by Criterion.

http://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/07786/...th-Anniversary

[Show spoiler]It was meant as a joke but I guess if you haven't seen both other movies it might be hard to understand

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Pink Flamingos is not shit and has not been released by Criterion.

I think the pun went over your head. Sweet Movie, Salon, and Pink Flamingos are shit films because they involve Coprophilia.

Not nearly as clever now that it's been explained

[Monroville]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I think the pun went over your head. Sweet Movie, Salon, and Pink Flamingos are shit films because they involve Coprophilia.

Not nearly as clever now that it's been explained

I didn't know these films were propaganda for the police force!

[Trace17]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I assume you've got the Bergman Sunday night/super early Monday mornings covered then as well?

Yeah, DVR won't go further than a week ahead so I just generally check the next week's times each Saturday or Sunday.

The other day when I was curiously looking through the next scheduled Sunday night imports I also randomly stumbled on TCM showing a couple of Kiarostami films on May 1 - Taste of Cherry and Close Up. I'll definitely be watching/recording Taste of Cherry (already own/seen Close Up)

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The Gold Rush (1925) is my favorite Chaplin film that I've seen to date.

I was really knocked over by Limelight after seeing it for the first time the other day, though. That film was such a pleasant surprise.

I haven't watched my copy yet, hoping to have the same reaction when I watch.

[SammyJankis]

Just finished viewing Still Walking. I'm just going to accept the fact that Koreeda's ability to emotionally drain me will always be consistent.

The homage to Ozu is at the forefront thematically (passing of time, familial dynamics, etc), but he employs it in a structure that makes these concerns more immediately hard-hitting. That ticking of the one-day clock is always in the background, knowing very well from the film's intentions that this will probably be the last time these people will be around one another. As with every other Koreeda, the most effective moments come from delicate, quiet moments, whether it be a son and a mother walking home from a graveyard, or a little boy voicing his ambitions to his father in the sky.

It may not be as original as Koreeda's very best work, as it tends to wear its Ozu influence too much on its sleeve, but that doesn't really bother me that much. It just confirmed that Koreeda is one of the greatest humanists I've encountered.