The Criterion Collection

[FilmBufffff]

Originally Posted by Fabs

The sale is online too.

Some of us still like to buy things in person and make sure we get mint packaging. I know we're a dying breed of human but we still exist. I did get a copy btw, and I would've ordered online if I didn't get one. It's the principle of the thing my man.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

... Some good designs on there for Rome Open City, Chimes at Midnight and A Hard Day's Night. I'd rather spend $25 on a good looking poster than on a Blu-ray, honestly...

Funnily enough it was A Hard Day's Night that I got; put it in a quality clip frame for my younger daughter (she loves the Beatles) and it looks great

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by surfdude12

Anyone here seen Shoah? Is it pretty one a "one and done" film that is hard to watch more than once or does it have good replay value?

I can never see myself watching the film again.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by Mister B Gone

Would someone mind to recommend a few Criterion horror titles for me before the sale ends? So far I have Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, The Brood, Videodrome and Scanners in my collection. Not really in to B&W films unless they are legit R rated by modern standards. Is there something I really shouldn't pass on?

I third or fourth or whatever Rosemary's Baby. The Blob isn't R-rated, but it's a favorite of mine since I was a kid (and not B&W). There's also Cronos and The Devil's Backbone, although they're coming out in the new Del Toro set. Antichrist maybe?

[theater dreamer]

Just picked up my 100th Criterion.

After picking up Blow Out and My Dinner With Andre on Saturday, and Cries & Whispers, Repulsion, and The New World today, I am officially done. I snagged the only Blu-ray copy they had of The New World. It was back behind the counter, just waiting for me. I asked on a whim, and Amy made my day.



That is one big stack of movies.

And, I just got a mint replacement box for the Cassavetes set today, so all is right in my world.

[KCota15]

Asked Mulvaney, Boyhood is coming in a "hard plastic case". Not a digipak like the other Linklater films

[Ray Jackson]

Does anyone here have any strong opinions, positive or negative, about The Emigrants/New Land?

I've been thinking about it as a blind buy for several months now, but am having trouble convincing myself to pull the trigger. Especially after my lukewarm reaction to A Brighter Summer Day, which at four hours didn't really do much for me.

...which is probably why I'm attempting to trade it for any of the films listed in my signature below.

Does The Emigrants/New Land feel like a long, slow slog to get through?

What's good about it?

Replay value?

[slm]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Just picked up my 100th Criterion.

And, I just got a mint replacement box for the Cassavetes set today, so all is right in my world.

Congratulations! That's a nice haul! How did you get a mint replacement box? A couple of my box sets arrived in disappointing condition...

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Just picked up my 100th Criterion.

[Show spoiler]After picking up Blow Out and My Dinner With Andre on Saturday, and Cries & Whispers, Repulsion, and The New World today, I am officially done. I snagged the only Blu-ray copy they had of The New World. It was back behind the counter, just waiting for me. I asked on a whim, and Amy made my day.



That is one big stack of movies.

And, I just got a mint replacement box for the Cassavetes set today, so all is right in my world.

Have you seen Sans Soleil before?

I think it's one of the most amazing pieces of pure art ever put on film.

But it's also one of the most divisive.

...chances are very high that you'll either love it or loathe it.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Mister B Gone

Would someone mind to recommend a few Criterion horror titles for me before the sale ends? So far I have Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, The Brood, Videodrome and Scanners in my collection. Not really in to B&W films unless they are legit R rated by modern standards. Is there something I really shouldn't pass on?

Eyes Without a Face is a black-and-white film, but it is surprisingly hard-edged, and most certainly R-rated even by today's standards. It plays out quite conservatively at first, like most of those old black-and-white films, but one scene suddenly throws a curve ball that you'll spend the rest of the movie trying to recover from. It's also one of the most beautiful horror movies ever made, in terms of cinematography.

[bwdowiak]

Just finished Alice in the cities and I have to agree with Ray. For me, it was the film that I was hoping it would be and I am very glad to have blind bought this set.

I can't rank it above Paris Texas, but this film along with the American Friend were more eye opening for me to Wenders' style and his skill set as a director. So much character in every shot. Really enjoyed it!

[xxnomad]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Does anyone here have any strong opinions, positive or negative, about The Emigrants/New Land?

I've been thinking about it as a blind buy for several months now, but am having trouble convincing myself to pull the trigger. Especially after my lukewarm reaction to A Brighter Summer Day, which at four hours didn't really do much for me.

...which is probably why I'm attempting to trade it for any of the films listed in my signature below.

Does The Emigrants/New Land feel like a long, slow slog to get through?

What's good about it?

Replay value?

great, great pair of movies. the type of finds that make you grateful for criterion. the entire experience is epic in scope and as a viewing experience. you feel like you've known this family for 50 years. i thought of it as a more engrossing and interesting 'heaven's gate'.

you already have an idea about how slow the movies are, and they are. what's that genre called? realism? think italian neo realism (but of course swedish) with flourishes of terrance malick's new world/days of heaven. and though this is a stretch, add the real naturalistic performances you see in the works of john cassavettes and the handheld camerawork he uses.

if you hate it when the action in a scene is broken up with a camera pan of birds in the sky then this won't be the film for you. there's a lot of stuff like that where the director kind of has a wandering eye. he says as much in the special features.

max von sydow and liv ullman give the performances of their lives. von sydow especially.

finally, these films did it for me because i'm a history buff (similar to how the new world makes me feel). i love that time period of the first 50 years of america. a lot of history occurs in this picture (there's a scene where von sydow tries to enlist in the union army during civil war for example). so there's a lot of that going on. the family evolves as our country evolves.

but again, these are long films mostly in Swedish.

[Darth Marcus]

Picked up The New World and A Touch of Zen this afternoon with my 10% member discount and my last 20% snail mail coupon. The register denied the coupon at first, but the store clerk was nice enough to manually key it in anyway. All in all a good haul this month as I picked up the following:

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Just picked up my 100th Criterion.

After picking up Blow Out and My Dinner With Andre on Saturday, and Cries & Whispers, Repulsion, and The New World today, I am officially done. I snagged the only Blu-ray copy they had of The New World. It was back behind the counter, just waiting for me. I asked on a whim, and Amy made my day.



That is one big stack of movies.

And, I just got a mint replacement box for the Cassavetes set today, so all is right in my world.

Congratulations on reaching the Criterion century mark. At the rate I'm going I'll probably get there in about two years.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Does anyone here have any strong opinions, positive or negative, about The Emigrants/New Land?

I've been thinking about it as a blind buy for several months now, but am having trouble convincing myself to pull the trigger. Especially after my lukewarm reaction to A Brighter Summer Day, which at four hours didn't really do much for me.

...which is probably why I'm attempting to trade it for any of the films listed in my signature below.

Does The Emigrants/New Land feel like a long, slow slog to get through?

What's good about it?

Replay value?

The Emigrants in particular is a very good one, I am not sure I would call it a masterpiece, but it's close, the third act particularly was quite powerful, certainly the best work I've seen by Troell, New Land is also good but dragged quite a bit more in my opinion, not entirely sure it would be safe blind buy material.

Have you seen Everlasting Moments and Here's your Life?

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Or Dziga Vertov's Man with a Movie Camera. Sight & Sound''s latest poll puts it among the 10 best movies ever made (and best documentary ever made). It's out on blu from Flicker Alley (US), Lobster Films (FR) and Masters of Cinema (UK).

Man With a Movie Camera is, to my mind, a masterpiece, one of those films that invites (and rewards) multiple viewings. I've seen several editions of it over the years, but my favorite has to be the one that features the score by the Alloy Orchestra; it's a phenomenal musical experience on its own, and it happens to fit the film perfectly. I owned the Kino DVD, and recently upgraded to the Flicker Alley blu-ray, which I cannot recommend more heartily.

Swinging back into Criterion country, I had planned to spend the evening working out in my garden, but the sudden flash flood we had here in the Ozarks late this afternoon made me rethink my agenda. And so I found myself standing in front of my Criterion bookcase, wondering if a particular title would call out to me. And surprisingly, one did: The War Room, the documentary feature about Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. I say "surprisingly", because I was expecting to be attracted to one of the more recent additions to the Collection.

As it turns out, The War Room was a happy choice. I'd never seen the film before, and found it fascinating, not only as a chronicle of a specific campaign that I lived through almost a quarter of a century ago, but also as a glimpse into the way political machines were (and are) run. The film ran 98 minutes, but didn't seem that long, and it's fascinating to note how many of the people that were on Clinton's staff are still involved in national politics today, if only as political journalists and commentators. Criterion's transfer is (predictably) excellent, and the extras are all fascinating on their own. I really enjoyed the film on every level, and definitely anticipate watching it again someday, perhaps sooner rather than later given that the United States is currently in the midst of another election season with obvious ties to the 1992 campaign. If you're standing at Barnes & Noble later this week, contemplating a final purchase for this sale, pick it up and give it a look. It may not be a film with universal appeal, but it's definitely worth your consideration. Personally, I give it my highest recommendation.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

The Emigrants in particular is a very good one, I am not sure I would call it a masterpiece, but it's close, the third act particularly was quite powerful, certainly the best work I've seen by Troell, New Land is also good but dragged quite a bit more in my opinion, not entirely sure it would be safe blind buy material.

Have you seen Everlasting Moments and Here's your Life?

I haven't seen any of Jan Troell's work.

My biggest concern is the overall length of the two films (especially when viewed as one work) and the re-watchability factor. For a film that long, it's not enough to think it's just good imo. It has to be truly special for me to believe that I would ever watch it more than once or twice.

I recently saw The Human Condition, which is 9 1/2 hours over three films, and was blown away by it...I mean BLOWN AWAY. But honestly, how many times do I envision myself revisiting a film that long?

Probably not too many.

But it was worth the money, considering how much I loved it.

Would The Emigrants/New Land meet that standard?

...that's what I'm trying to decide.

[Scottie]

I rented The Emigrants and The New Land in horrendous Amazon VOD quality and I loved both films so much that I purchased the Blu-ray set that very day.

I'm actually itching to re-watch both. Perhaps this weekend.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I haven't seen any of Jan Troell's work.

My biggest concern is the overall length of the two films (especially when viewed as one work) and the re-watchability factor. For a film that long, it's not enough to think it's just good imo. It has to be truly special for me to believe that I would ever watch it more than once or twice.

I recently saw The Human Condition, which is 9 1/2 hours over three films, and was blown away by it...I mean BLOWN AWAY. But honestly, how many times do I envision myself revisiting a film that long?

Probably not too many.

But it was worth the money, considering how much I loved it.

Would The Emigrants/New Land meet that standard?

...that's what I'm trying to decide.

Well that's a lot to ask from a film, especially if you are going by the recommendation of people here, I say it's best to try to find opinion of reviewers that you tend to agree, or to get an idea of what other films are similar to see if you loved those.

While I like long movies, I have yet to watch something longer than 4 hours that has blown me away, I really like Carlos for example but 5 and a half hours is quite a long time to maintain a perfect movie, and I was not a fan of the last third.

As cliched as it may sound my favorite long movie is probably Gone with the Wind, I really like how long movies are a different kind of experience, because this allows to break the typical 3 act structure or at least make it less noticeable, and allows more characters to get the attention they wouldn't get on a shorter film.

The Emigrant\New Land felt to me like two different movies though, but I can see how some may want to watch both in a row.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Just picked up my 100th Criterion.

After picking up Blow Out and My Dinner With Andre on Saturday, and Cries & Whispers, Repulsion, and The New World today, I am officially done. I snagged the only Blu-ray copy they had of The New World. It was back behind the counter, just waiting for me. I asked on a whim, and Amy made my day.

[Show spoiler]

That is one big stack of movies.

And, I just got a mint replacement box for the Cassavetes set today, so all is right in my world.

Hrm. So La Jetee/Sans Soleil comes in a blu-ray case? I ordered it off Amazon long ago and got it in a DVD case, which is annoying. It's actually the blu-ray disc, so it's not like they sent me the wrong product. I figured it was some weird intentional design thing. Guess not??