The Criterion Collection

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by DrBabylon

Scarecrow would be awesome, I think thats such an underseen gem of a movie. Even more than that though, I'd like to see the directors earlier film Puzzle of a Downfall Child. I feel like both of these deserve a place in the collection, and they are unavailable on Blu. I also need new things to complain about now that McCabe is coming

DrBabylon,

Carlotta have a very nice release of this film in France. There is room for improvement, but I like the existing transfer a lot.



Pro-B

[Arawn]

Wait - portrait means puzzle?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Arawn

Wait - portrait means puzzle?

No, according to google portrait is portrait

But, it has happened to me before, if you complete the title in the translation, google changes the word 'portrait' for 'puzzle', but if you complete it with some other word it is kept as 'portrait', seems like the algorithm matches it with a movie title that has been translated before so it gives that result instead.

[MeMynonsense]

Saw Day for Night recently and LOVED IT!
Truffaut’s endearing homage to filmmaking takes us on a fascinating journey through a procession of memorable vignettes, highlighting the complexities and uncertainties inherent to the medium and does a terrific job in encapsulating the director’s never-ending battle with the universe in realising his vision.
It features an embarrassment of extraordinary performances but the real star of the show, is cinema itself.

“The most beloved film ever made about filmmaking” - You can say that again!
(It's only logical that Godard despised it)

[SammyJankis]

It appears that Sunset Song is only getting a DVD release from Magnolia. Criterion release now seems more likely.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by MeMynonsense

Saw Day for Night recently and LOVED IT!
Truffaut’s endearing homage to filmmaking takes us on a fascinating journey through a procession of memorable vignettes, highlighting the complexities and uncertainties inherent to the medium and does a terrific job in encapsulating the director’s never-ending battle with the universe in realising his vision.
It features an embarrassment of extraordinary performances but the real star of the show, is cinema itself.

“The most beloved film ever made about filmmaking” - You can say that again!
(It's only logical that Godard despised it)

Personally I thought it was so much better than Contempt. Of course Truffaut's mood vs. Godard's was so much different it may be unfair to compare the two.

[tisdivine]

Quick BN sale question-

I'm starting to kind of create a sale list but I cannot remember how they do pre-orders. Im wanting to pick up Carnival of Souls, Night and Fog, Touch of Zen and possibily Muriel. Are the pre-orders up when the sale starts online or do I have to go to the store each week b/c shipping would not be free on 1-2 blus.

I have a fairly large list of older titles I'd like to pick up and wouldn't want to hold them all until the end of the month. Yeah I know first world problems are absolutely terrible lol

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Personally I thought it was so much better than Contempt. Of course Truffaut's mood vs. Godard's was so much different it may be unfair to compare the two.

Their letter-writing feud is the stuff of legend.

[Namuhana]

I just asked on the B&N Employee Facebook page about the sale dates and can confirm that the sale will take place from July 5th to August 1st!

[SkyAntoine]

I spent the better part of this week in DC for meetings, but watched several Criterions on the road and a couple before I left. This was a solid run of excellent films (hence all 8's). Several were almost there as 9/10's, but fell just short for me on a first viewing.

World on a Wire - Like Solaris this was a slow, thought-provoking burn that was a struggle and enjoyment all at the same time. IOW your standard Fassbinder except with some science. I'm a big Matrix fan so this was somewhat nostalgic, yet new. I want to re-watch to see what I get out of it the 2nd time around. 8/10

The Uninvited - This film really blew me away for being so dark and haunting for 1944. However, it teetered at times in feeling very 40's-ish and a timeless ghost story. I would have loved to see this film tone down the humor in some scenes to maintain the eeriness. Cinematography was gorgeous within the house in the night scenes. This will be in the annual rotation for October at our house. 8/10

Patriotism - Very short and very re-watchable. A truly beautiful film illustrating the full spectrum of emotion as well as any other movie. I look forward to seeing Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters soon as I know little about Yukio Mishima except his tragic death. I can see this film gaining my appreciation more and more in time. 8/10

Louie Bluie - What a character. Was looking for a short Hulu watch at the airport and ran across this gem. I need to rewatch and have my notepad ready to jot down all of Louie's one liners and stories. I knew nothing about this going in, but was so glad I watched it. Fun, fun documentary. 8/10

Stray Dog - I consider High & Low to be a masterpiece for Kurosawa, but it is obvious this film made 14 years earlier was the precursor to perfecting his police drama. Mifune was just a babe and fascinating to watch playing a non-crazy, sword wielding samurai. The flow of the film felt a bit off with a few scenes dragging things to a crawl, but the action was engrossing. 8/10

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Their letter-writing feud is the stuff of legend.

This left me intrigued, here it is:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...07/auteur-wars

Silly how they take it all so seriously, but I guess their style is simply too different, I can appreciate movies from both, but I prefer Truffaut approach most of the time, at least I haven't hated any of his movies I've seen.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Snicket

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1UFLj_5s0k

After watching Moonrise Kingdom for the first time a couple of months ago, I became an instant Francoise Hardy fan thanks to the song Le Temps de L'amour in the film. I now have most of her music. I can't believe I have gone this long without discovering her, even though I realize on listening to her work I have heard some of her songs over the years but never knew who sang them. Such an incredible talent. I owe Wes Anderson big for leading me to her.

[mikesncc1701]

Was in a local Movie Stop earlier and since they're all closing, I inquired about the signs they have over certain sections. Well I got this for my home theater room! Since my CC extends to another shelf, I'm gonna have to find one for all of them so I can hang this up. This'll do for now though.

[theater dreamer]

I finally got around to watching StudioCanal's 4k restoration of The Third Man tonight. What a marvelous job they did. The picture quality is absolutely stunning, and the dialogue is crisp and clear. The zither used for the majority of the film's score, while a tad jarring at first, ends up adding to the unique charm of The Third Man; it's never overpowering, even when mixed with dialogue. At certain points, the score is barely perceptible, but it adds to the mood of the shot well in every situation. If any of you guys have been holding off buying the film, trying to get a copy of the now OOP Criterion issue, trust me, you will be very pleased with the import. Even if you're a completionist, and have to have the Criterion blu, buy this and enjoy it in the mean time. Amazon UK is selling it for only £9.99, or about $14.44 USD, so with international air mail, you should get it for less than a $20.

And what a film! The high regard so many hold for it is absolutely deserved. First off, the cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen. Robert Krasker is to be commended for his brilliant work. Old Vienna at night, still showing the scars of World War II, becomes, itself, a character in the movie. The winding stairways, the beautiful architecture, even the below-ground sewer system all have a grand style. There is something dramatic about black and white photography that color film will never replicate, and The Third Man is one of the best uses of black and white film that you will ever see. Krasker's masterful use of light and shadow really adds to heighten the suspense of the film. The nameless faces of British soldiers, and inhabitants of the city, seem to peer out from every window, nook and cranny. He also wonderfully captures Alida Valli's face on several occasions. This is a master class on how you shoot women. He employs just a touch of soft light filter; her beauty is rendered in a way very reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa in Casablanca. Valli was another knockout from Italy, and she's quite good as Anna Schmidt. Of all the people in the film, you come to empathize for her. Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, and Joeseph Cotten were all magnificent. And Wilfrid-Hyde White is, as always, charming and delightful. Cotten is fast becoming one of my favorite actors of the period. He was so good in Citizen Kane and Niagara. I'm about to watch Gaslight, and I expect another command performance. I only wish that he and Welles had more screen time together in The Third Man. Their little cat and mouse game is riveting, and any time you get two actors of their unmistakable talents together, you don't want the scene to end.

[RobertLuketic]

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, wow. A great social satire and an immaculate transfer. Great blind buy

[Vinyl]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Patriotism - Very short and very re-watchable. A truly beautiful film illustrating the full spectrum of emotion as well as any other movie. I look forward to seeing Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters soon as I know little about Yukio Mishima except his tragic death. I can see this film gaining my appreciation more and more in time. 8/10

I got this a few years ago from my local game/electronics store and was blown away. I thought the supplements shed light on this film. It was a total under the table affair done by a few people in their spare time, I think over a weekend.

[pedromvu]

Criterion wishlist from my recent watches:

Sonatine: why Criterion doesn't have any Takeshi Kitano? I've only seen this and Zatoichi and both are fantastic.

The Snapper: Very funny, yet heartfelt story with great acting, this is a Stephen Frears I really enjoyed unlike My Beautiful Laundrette.

Muriel’s Wedding: This has already received a lot of praise here, all I will say is, don't see it if you hate Abba

Children of Heaven\Baran: simply amazing, please or any other from Majid Majidi.

The Cranes are Flying upgrade: Why is this not out yet? the Hulu transfer looks pretty good, just needs some specks removed, I was amazed by Letter Never sent cinematography but never made an emotional connection at the same level as this, this and Soy Cuba deserve the best edition possible.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

It appears that Sunset Song is only getting a DVD release from Magnolia. Criterion release now seems more likely.

I saw this in a theater with two friends. They were bored out of their minds and called it pretentious. I was rapt. And what an ending! I was so plugged into what was happening that I understood the end without the exposition, though my friends didn't understand it even with the voice-over. So I guess it wasn't a bad choice on Davies' part after all.

And a beautiful film. I'd really like to see Crit get it.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I finally got around to watching StudioCanal's 4k restoration of The Third Man tonight. What a marvelous job they did. The picture quality is absolutely stunning, and the dialogue is crisp and clear. The zither used for the majority of the film's score, while a tad jarring at first, ends up adding to the unique charm of The Third Man; it's never overpowering, even when mixed with dialogue. At certain points, the score is barely perceptible, but it adds to the mood of the shot well in every situation. If any of you guys have been holding off buying the film, trying to get a copy of the now OOP Criterion issue, trust me, you will be very pleased with the import. Even if you're a completionist, and have to have the Criterion blu, buy this and enjoy it in the mean time. Amazon UK is selling it for only £9.99, or about $14.44 USD, so with international air mail, you should get it for less than a $20.

And what a film! The high regard so many hold for it is absolutely deserved. First off, the cinematography is some of the best I've ever seen. Robert Krasker is to be commended for his brilliant work. Old Vienna at night, still showing the scars of World War II, becomes, itself, a character in the movie. The winding stairways, the beautiful architecture, even the below-ground sewer system all have a grand style. There is something dramatic about black and white photography that color film will never replicate, and The Third Man is one of the best uses of black and white film that you will ever see. Krasker's masterful use of light and shadow really adds to heighten the suspense of the film. The nameless faces of British soldiers, and inhabitants of the city, seem to peer out from every window, nook and cranny. He also wonderfully captures Alida Valli's face on several occasions. This is a master class on how you shoot women. He employs just a touch of soft light filter; her beauty is rendered in a way very reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa in Casablanca. Valli was another knockout from Italy, and she's quite good as Anna Schmidt. Of all the people in the film, you come to empathize for her. Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, and Joeseph Cotten were all magnificent. And Wilfrid-Hyde White is, as always, charming and delightful. Cotten is fast becoming one of my favorite actors of the period. He was so good in Citizen Kane and Niagara. I'm about to watch Gaslight, and I expect another command performance. I only wish that he and Welles had more screen time together in The Third Man. Their little cat and mouse game is riveting, and any time you get two actors of their unmistakable talents together, you don't want the scene to end.

I really need to get round to buying this, although I'll probably wait because it's a great winter film. Good for that post-Christmas season in January/Feb.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

I really need to get round to buying this, although I'll probably wait because it's a great winter film. Good for that post-Christmas season in January/Feb.

Splurge for the fancy edition!