The Criterion Collection

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by EricJ

(Well, yeah, but she meant the cartoon Scooby...)

The live action Scooby Doos are an abomination, although Matthew Lillard isn't too bad in the neew Scooby Doo cartoon. That show is surprisingly adult and has a lot of fun references to classic film and literature. One episode even had Z-Man from Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in it. So yes, I did mean the cartoons are far more enjoyable than Salo, the live action ones are horrific.

[Harry Caul]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

So yes, I did mean the cartoons are far more enjoyable than Salo, the live action ones are horrific.

I really thought you meant the live action movie. Sorry!!!!!!
Not a big fan of the cartoon but it's o.k.
As a kid I was more into Wally Gator.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Harry Caul

I really thought you meant the live action movie. Sorry!!!!!!
Not a big fan of the cartoon but it's o.k.
As a kid I was more into Wally Gator.

Wally Gator was awesome too. I also enjoyed what Michael Ouweleen & Erik Richter did with the character on Harvey Birdman. I can laugh at HB:AAL because I love the old Hanna Barbera shows so much. Alas, WB is making a live action Wally Gator film similar to Alvin and the Chipmunks. Ugh.

I have yet to see the live action Scoobys. I saw the live action Josie and the *****cats, and was horrified. I also refuse to watch the live action films of Underdog and Yogi Bear. I'm sure there's more, but I've probably chosen to forget about them. I guess I am a film snob afterall, since I don't want to watch live action versions of cartoons I watched to death as a child, and still watch.

[BohemianGraham]

Just for fun, I added up all the Criterion purchases I made since November, including my pre-orders. On average, I paid about 25 bucks a piece for each Criterion film I own. I didn't bother trying to do exchange rates, as 90% were bought from the US site. I took off the import tax on my Amazon orders, as they keep refunding it anyways, but I kept shipping in. I also included the BBS set.

I suppose it's not too bad, but I know some people would have a problem paying so much for a single film, but I don't think it's really that bad. It's better than paying retail price for them all. It might have been cheaper had I known I could order from the US site back in November with the BBS set, and I had waited a week to order a few Criterions that dropped by 5-6 bucks after I placed an order. I'm happy with them, and now just wish for my B&N orders to show up.

I've also come to the conclusion that I need to stop spending so much money on BDs.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I've also come to the conclusion that I need to stop spending so much money on BDs.

Good luck with that! It's a noble goal, but I find it is a very hard one to stick with.

Oh, and I am one of the people who actually likes the live action Josie and the P-cats movie. I have no shame about it.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Good luck with that! It's a noble goal, but I find it is a very hard one to stick with.

Oh, and I am one of the people who actually likes the live action Josie and the P-cats movie. I have no shame about it.

I don't look down on you for it either. I just couldn't get into it. I'm one of those weird people who prefers the Cartoon shows to the actual comic as well. I think that's why I disliked it, it was too much like the comic, with Alex being a jerkwad. I know the cartoons are shameless Scooby Doo imitations, but I still love them. I keep the original series DVD right next to my Harvey Birdman DVDs.

I also prefer the original music by the 'Cats, rather than the stuff from the movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josie_a...ts_%28album%29 The harmonies are pretty fantastic, and the music is so much fun, with great songwriters. I do like the music from the live-action film though.

I think I'm good for BDs until October, there's so much other stuff I have to watch, including cable TV, since I pay for it. I need to check out what's on TCM this month.

[wilky61]

Tried to watch Marienbad last night and only made it about 40 minutes in before deciding I didn't care what in the hell is going on and turning the film off. Not my kind of film, too much of a chore to watch.

Did like Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, though. I thought its story didn't work as well as that in Disney's envisioning but that its special effects/magical atmosphere were seriously impressive for 1946. 7/10, I'll hold onto it and watch it again.

Also traded my copy of The Red Shoes yesterday for a copy of Amarcord, which I am hopeful will become the first Fellini film I've ever enjoyed.

[BohemianGraham]

In addition to Modern Times and The Great Dictator being on last night, here are some other Criterion films coming on TCM this month. I'm only going by BD releases though:

The Last Picture Show - 1:15 AM August 15th - EST
The Sweet Smell of Success - 12:00 PM August 25th - EST
The Leopard - 8:00 PM August 25th - EST (Note, it's the English cut, which is a bonus feature on the BD. Italian version is better)

edit: Holy crap, I just realised that I own all of these.

[Old Geezer]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Tried to watch Marienbad last night and only made it about 40 minutes in before deciding I didn't care what in the hell is going on and turning the film off. Not my kind of film, too much of a chore to watch.

Did like Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, though. I thought its story didn't work as well as that in Disney's envisioning but that its special effects/magical atmosphere were seriously impressive for 1946. 7/10, I'll hold onto it and watch it again.

Also traded my copy of The Red Shoes yesterday for a copy of Amarcord, which I am hopeful will become the first Fellini film I've ever enjoyed.

I would suggest "Nights of Cabiria" to you. I watched it on Netflix and purchased it the next day. I thought it was a moving tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in a not so pretty world; and the leading lady(Fellini's wife) was simply fantastic. Unfortuntely only available on DVD and currently out of print but I didn't mind paying a little more for this movie because I know I'll be watching it again.

[dougotte]

Originally Posted by Dosto

What? Cancelled it for no reason?

They can't get it for some reason. I was suspicious that they just wanted to close out their outstanding Criterion sale orders, so I went to their website and searched for High and Low. It does list it as "unavailable" for whatever reason.

Doug

[Drag0nFly]

Well, B&N now cancelled my order of 'Last Year at Marienbad' stating it cannot be obtained. Has this happened to others?

It's still available for ordering on their site, but with a 2-3 week stock allocation time. Obviously considering I've gotten around 15 other titles from the sale I would be glad if they didn't all arrive at once!

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by deltasun

Anybody know which sets of Criterion BDs first employed the "Resume Playback" feature?

I want to know this too. I missed this the first go. I noticed Pierrot le Fou doesn't have it, but Howard's End does. I'm only going by Spine number though.

[Dustin Putman]

I watched Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast the other day for the first time, and can I just say how utterly impressed I was with it? Gorgeous filmmaking, sumptuous sets, superb make-up, dreamlike cinematography, and a love story with the sort of soulfulness rare to come by in cinema these days. I never expected it to live up to the Disney animated version, which I love, but as different as they are in a lot of ways, I think this earlier version is just about its equal. Another superb job from Criterion!

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by Old Geezer

I would suggest "Nights of Cabiria" to you. I watched it on Netflix and purchased it the next day. I thought it was a moving tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in a not so pretty world; and the leading lady(Fellini's wife) was simply fantastic. Unfortuntely only available on DVD and currently out of print but I didn't mind paying a little more for this movie because I know I'll be watching it again.

Hated it. I can't watch anything with Fellini's wife in it. She's the worst actor I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by Drag0nFly

Well, B&N now cancelled my order of 'Last Year at Marienbad' stating it cannot be obtained. Has this happened to others?

It's still available for ordering on their site, but with a 2-3 week stock allocation time. Obviously considering I've gotten around 15 other titles from the sale I would be glad if they didn't all arrive at once!

I'll sell you my copy if you're interested. Send me a PM.

[Monty70]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Hated it. I can't watch anything with Fellini's wife in it. She's the worst actor I've ever seen.

Do you post positive comments?

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by Monty70

Do you post positive comments?

Sure, about Solaris and Paths of Glory and Days of Heaven and Charade and Wages of Fear and Diabolique and Beauty & the Beast and Sweet Smell of Success and JP Melville movies and so forth.

Lately, though, I am watching a lot of blind buys and disliking them. Not just Criterions either, I watched Nightmare on Elm Street ('84) and Field of Dreams last week and didn't like either one.

[exolstice]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Hated it. I can't watch anything with Fellini's wife in it. She's the worst actor I've ever seen.

La Strada is my favorite Fellini, have you seen it? It's pretty straightforward.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by exolstice

La Strada is my favorite Fellini, have you seen it? It's pretty straightforward.

I started to watch it once but couldn't tolerate the blonde actress's antics and shrieks. :/

[Monty70]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Sure, about Solaris and Paths of Glory and Days of Heaven and Charade and Wages of Fear and Diabolique and Beauty & the Beast and Sweet Smell of Success and JP Melville movies and so forth.

Lately, though, I am watching a lot of blind buys and disliking them.

I see. I really like the films you listed too. I always try to view a film that I did not respond positively to a second time before trading or selling. (thought I seem to like 90% of what Criterion releases) Life During Wartime was not my cup of tea, but I really liked the acting and cinematography. (also admired the filmmaker for treating sensitive issues in a non-PC fashion)

[BohemianGraham]

FYI, B&N's dropped the price on a few CC BDs, despite the sale being over. Some titles are still high, but others are within a dollar or less of Amazon's price. A couple are even cheaper than Amazon (not a marketplace dealer, but actual Amazon).

A few examples:
400 Blows - 36.49 on amazon, 32.21 on B&N
Complete Monterey Pop - 69.95 on amazon, 52.49 on B&N - http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/...12/?pwb=1&pv=y (for those in disbelief)
Seventh Seal - 31.49 on amazon, 32.21 on B&N

I know the sale's over, but Canadians may want to take some of these prices into consideration, since B&N charges less tax and shipping than Amazon US does.