The Criterion Collection

[MifuneFan]

I enjoyed the atmosphere of Don't Look Now. Venice was such a perfect setting, and the city is as much a character as the people in the film. It at times hits some of the same chords as Polanksi's psychological horrors.

I didn't come away from the movie thinking it was brilliant or anything, but I could see why it's considered a classic. I think the first time I saw it, my mind was too heavily focused on the "twist" knowing there was one at the end, so I feel like seeing it a second time would allow me to better pick up on some of the themes of the film.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by dancerslegs

Well but, with this reading,

[Show spoiler]the murderer-at-large subplot is not disposable nor a "distraction", but rather intrinsic to delivering the film's primary theme.

If you didn't care for the mise-en-scene Roeg employed, that is another matter. YMMV.

You seem keen to pin me down on this, and I'm sure your reading of the film is more advanced than mine after just a single viewing.

I still maintain the subplot is irrelevant to the outcome as it plays on the screen, but feel free to PM me with a detailed explanation that will help my understanding. I'm always happy to learn.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Yes, I understood that. I just didn't care for the imagery Roeg used to convey it. I suppose I was expecting something more stylized (if that's the right word), and that less resembled a horror film. But again, this is a personal view only.

I get where you're coming from with Don't Look Now. While I do like it (didn't on my first viewing though) I don't think it's quite the masterpiece it's made out to be. It meanders quite a bit. I recently read a top 50 scariest horror films of all time list and Don't Look Now made number 1! I was pretty baffled by that as well.

[Gacivory]

#ReleaseTheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRob ertFordExtendedCut

The hashtag isn’t as catchy as Release the Snyder cut, but Deakins says Criterion should release the extended Assassination of Jesse James cut!

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/ro...yF5pHcWJ_SilVI

[Hoke Moseley]

How could they turn down Deakins?



... maybe

[hanshotfirst1138]

I wonder why Criterion have never updated Thief of Baghdad to Blu? Rights issues?

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

I wonder why Criterion have never updated Thief of Baghdad to Blu? Rights issues?

If it were rights, wouldn't the DVD be OOP too? What was the state of the Network Blu released in the UK?

[evilive]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

#ReleaseTheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRob ertFordExtendedCut

The hashtag isn’t as catchy as Release the Snyder cut, but Deakins says Criterion should release the extended Assassination of Jesse James cut!

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/ro...yF5pHcWJ_SilVI

Wow, so Criterion passed on Assassination of Jesse James, before?

[theater dreamer]

Are we still thinking the next Flash sale is between the first week of October, and about mid month?

I started buying from them in the Fall of 2015. The sale dates I show:

2015: October 7
2016: October 18
2017: October 17
2018: October 17

Have they held it earlier than the 7th?

As always, narrowing down my list is proving quite the task.

[tama]

Originally Posted by evilive

Wow, so Criterion passed on Assassination of Jesse James, before?

Hey but they'll release shit like Tiny Furniture.

But in all honesty I'd love WB to give it a 2md chance and release a UHD version.

[MifuneFan]

They didn't "pass" on the movie. Some super fan simply tried to get them involved in his little festivals for the film, and they weren't interested, because surprise surprise, that's not how any major company does business or acquire films for licensing.

[MifuneFan]

And the director really wasn't doing himself any favors by spreading that nonsense that Criterion wasn't interested, simply because they didn't get involved with die-hard fan's revival festival. If the director wanted Criterion to release the film, then he should have gotten in touch with them directly, or get the word out like Deakins is doing now.

And furthermore "Assassination..." is with Warner. It's entirely possible that when this super fan approached Criterion (I wonder how he contacted them? Mulvaney??) they might not have had a deal in place with Warner Bros. yet, or it was still very early. So who knows if Criterion could have even released the film if they wanted to, at that time.

Of course people who write these BuzzFeed-esque articles don't put things into any proper context at all, and go with big headlines that say Criterion aren't interested in the movie.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

As always, narrowing down my list is proving quite the task.

This time, I’ve got mine pretty locked down. I’m saving more for November:

[Show spoiler]Bigger Than Life
Forty Guns
Heaven Can Wait
Young Mr. Lincoln

[Egbert Souse]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

I wonder why Criterion have never updated Thief of Baghdad to Blu? Rights issues?

Film elements. It wouldn't surprise me if they're waiting for a new restoration. The British and German Blu-rays don't look bad, but they're soft. Think more like some of the Technicolor Selznick films Kino has released compared to the full 4K restorations like The Red Shoes.

[Steelheadz]

I'm new to Criterion but bought some during the last sale at barnes. I was lucky to score some craigslist titles (seven samurai, the third man) in blu ray. Really liking their quality.

I found out that many criterion blu rays are very rare and pricey. What's the possible next rare waves?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

I'm new to Criterion but bought some during the last sale at barnes. I was lucky to score some craigslist titles (seven samurai, the third man) in blu ray. Really liking their quality.

I found out that many criterion blu rays are very rare and pricey. What's the possible next rare waves?

Some titles have gone OOP, usually with some advanced warning (but not always), but there's really no way to know what current titles they may lose the rights to. My advice is to just buy what you like and/or what sounds interesting to you, rather than going for what might be rare or valuable.

[Steelheadz]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Some titles have gone OOP, usually with some advanced warning (but not always), but there's really no way to know what current titles they may lose the rights to. My advice is to just buy what you like and/or what sounds interesting to you, rather than going for what might be rare or valuable.

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

I’m not sure what you qualify as “great movies” but here’s some of my favorites from the collection:

[Show spoiler]Ace in the Hole
All That Jazz
Badlands
Medium Cool
Midnight Cowboy
Red River
The Silence of the Lambs
Seconds
Some Like It Hot
Wild Strawberries

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

It's hard to say without knowing your tastes, but you can't go wrong with any of the Hitchcocks. The Sweet Smell of Success is my personal favorite.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

Criterion has such an impressive catalog of titles, that it would be hard to narrow it down to a select few. And it really depends on your tastes too, so whatever is recommended, make sure to look it up, read reviews, watch trailers, etc.. to see if it's your thing.

Since you liked Seven Samurai, and with my name being MifuneFan, I of course would have to recommend other films from Kurosawa like the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set, and my personal fav. of his The Hidden Fortress.

And if you are a fan of classic Japanese cinema, or want to get more into it, then you're going to want to watch Ozu. An Autumn Afternoon, Tokyo Story, and Late Spring are all wonderful films.

Criterion has a nice, but not exhaustive selection of silent films from Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd that are all really enjoyable. One of my first Chaplin movies was The Great Dictator, which was great on multiple levels. And for Lloyd, I saw Safety Last! and was kind of blown away by it.


Then there's Ingmar Bergman, and the beast of a box set that Criterion released last year. It's on my personal wishlist, but I'd recommend you start by renting something like The Seventh Seal, and Persona, and see if you like them.

Here's a sampling of other recommendations

8 1/2
Barry Lyndon
A Man Escaped
Rififi
M
Bicycle Thieves
Stagecoach
The Night of the Hunter
A Brighter Summer Day
Night of the Living Dead (very cheap right now on Amazon)
In the Heat of the Night


I'd actually recommend you subscribe to The Criterion Channel if yuo could, and watch movies that way. It's a great way to find out what kind of movies you're into, and may save you from a bad blind-purchase. When Criterion was on Hulu, I watched a great deal of Criterion's films, and it really helped me to fine-tune my BD purchase priorities.