The Criterion Collection

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by italy12

Having about 2 weeks off for Christmas break was refreshing. I got to catch up on some Criterion films that had remained unwatched. One of my faves from last week was watching Tokyo Drifter.

I skimmed through some conversations of the last few weeks and saw a big discussion about him and his works. I must say that I was a little confused at first as to what was going on in the bginning of the film, however, it clicked once I got all the characters and motives straight.

Loved it! Loved the repetition of the theme song, loved the action sequences, loved the locations, the use of colors, etc...

Excited to see Branded to Kill soon!

I also enjoyed Le beau Serge...went into that one without really knowing what to expect, but I loved the story.

Rewatched Red Desert...didn't care for it the first time but it is starting to grow on me after just two viewings. I love the scene in the little shack on the water when they start ripping the walls down.

Saw a bunch more, but...

I got to watch Yojimbo/Sanjuro, The Four Feathers (twice, one on BD, again 3 days later on TCM), Stagecoach, Kiss Me Deadly, and Black Narcissus while on vacation. I did watch a couple others from the collection on TCM that aren't on BD, such as The Drum, and The Thief of Bagdad.

I ordered Branded to Kill from B&N on the 15th, and Tokyo Drifter from Amazon.com on the 26th, but I'm going to get Tokyo Drifter before Branded to Kill. I'm looking forward to them both, because of the love/hate discussions on here. If the batshiat insanity is anything close to Hausu, I'll probably love them. If they surpasse it, even better. I should have Tokyo Drifter, Smiles of a Summer Night, and Cul de Sac waiting for me when I go to visit my parents this weekend.

I still need to watch my PVR of Fanny and Alexander, actually. I forgot to copy it to one of my externals to take home with me over vacation.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I got to watch The Four Feathers (twice, one on BD, again 3 days later on TCM),

How is the Blu-ray? I have the DVD but it's one of those I am sort of wondering if I will make an upgrade.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

TCM's showing a lot of Criterions in the next few days. the Four Feathers is on again this Friday, They're doing a chaplin tribute Saturday, My Life as a Dog comes on Monday morning, and a week from Thursday, going into Friday morning, they're doing a Powell-Pressburger tribute.

They've also got a Jack Cardiff documentary Thursday (7pm central) that looks pretty interesting.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

How is the Blu-ray? I have the DVD but it's one of those I am sort of wondering if I will make an upgrade.

Well, I noticed a little bit of difference in watching the BD from watching the HD version on TCM (not sure if they broadcast in 720p or 1080i on Bell satellite). I never saw it in SD. I though the PQ was really nice. Not as nice as Black Narcissus (which I think it one of their best pre-1950 releases), but a lot nicer than some of the newer, non-Criterions I own.

[jacobsever]

Originally Posted by sskclickgeneral

I just finished watching Rushmore for the first time. I thought it would be kind of boring, but for some reason I decided to blind buy it anyway. I was actually very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I just added Bottle Rocket and Darjeeling Limited to my wish list because of it.

I just watched Rushmore for the first time as well. I loved it. But, don't expect to like the rest of Anderson's films because of Rushmore. I honestly do not like any of his other films, and have seen them all.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by jacobsever

I just watched Rushmore for the first time as well. I loved it. But, don't expect to like the rest of Anderson's films because of Rushmore. I honestly do not like any of his other films, and have seen them all.

Uh, wow....How many did it take to find out?
(I'd never even seen Rushmore, and hated Anderson immediately after "Fantastic Mr. Fox".)

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by italy12

There is an audio issue confirmed with the left surround track. It plays at a much lower volume than the others.

Criterion said they are removing the nudity in part 1, too.

[Show spoiler]

[jacobsever]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Uh, wow....How many did it take to find out?
(I'd never even seen Rushmore, and hated Anderson immediately after "Fantastic Mr. Fox".)

I have always had a little distaste for Anderson. I actually did like Fantastic Mr. Fox, but don't consider it an Anderson film really. It's an adaptation, and not an original screenplay that he usually writes.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Uh, wow....How many did it take to find out?
(I'd never even seen Rushmore, and hated Anderson immediately after "Fantastic Mr. Fox".)

Fantastic Mr. Fox and Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou have been the only Anderson films I've enjoyed. Rushmore and The Royal Tennenbaums have been lacklustre for me.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Fantastic Mr. Fox and Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou have been the only Anderson films I've enjoyed. Rushmore and The Royal Tennenbaums have been lacklustre for me.

MST3K's Mike Nelson summed it up for me when he complained that Rushmore felt like a movie "where the entire cast had been resurrected at an evil Pet Sematary".
For me, that just captured Anderson's style: Not just "hip mean-spirited", but a sort of alien disconnection with real human activity or dialogue.

If Anderson actually did have an immortal soul like the rest of us, maybe he'd have known how to do a real Dahl adaptation.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by EricJ

MST3K's Mike Nelson summed it up for me when he complained that Rushmore felt like a movie "where the entire cast had been resurrected at an evil Pet Sematary".
For me, that just captured Anderson's style: Not just "hip mean-spirited", but a sort of alien disconnection with real human activity or dialogue.

If Anderson actually did have an immortal soul like the rest of us, maybe he'd have known how to do a real Dahl adaptation.

You mean like Henry Selick,Tim Burton, Mel Stuart, Nicholas Roeg, and Danny DeVito all did?

[oildude]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I watched 'Tiny Furniture' on netflix. Who else here has seen it already?

I have sort-of seen it......we turned it off halfway through. It is not that I hated the movie, but both my girlfriend and I found it to be so uninteresting we decided to watch something else. We also found just about every character to be annoying. And I rarely ever turn off movies; in fact, I cannot remember the last time I turned one off before TF. The trailer pretty much sums it up.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

I would like to say the following to Criterion in regards to Traffic: Screw you for releasing this product at an exaggerated price simply because of the bonus features. I will never buy anything else you put out.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Uh, wow....How many did it take to find out?
(I'd never even seen Rushmore, and hated Anderson immediately after "Fantastic Mr. Fox".)

Are you saying Fantastic Mr. Fox was the first Wes Anderson film you watched, or just the one that finally made you decide to hate him?

If the former:
When did you start watching films? Just seems odd that his 6th (or whatever it was) film was the first one you got around to seeing.

That's like someone saying "I immediately hated James Cameron after watching Avatar" The guy has been around for a little while ya know

Originally Posted by JLTucker

I would like to say the following to Criterion in regards to Traffic: Screw you for releasing this product at an exaggerated price simply because of the bonus features. I will never buy anything else you put out.

There is a full length feature film attached to that supplemental material, and it's at their standard MSRP. I guess I don't see your beef.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

There is a full length feature film attached to that supplemental material, and it's at their standard MSRP. I guess I don't see your beef.

The transfer is near identical to the Universal release. $27.99 cannot be justified in any way. If you want to talk about the practice of double dipping, here's an example.

See, this is not the case in regards to Fear and Loathing. You get bonus features AND a better transfer. The price is still high, but it can be justified far more than what was done with Traffic.

[Banned User]

I'm amazed how many people here play catch up during Xmas break. Many of the reviews recently were from titles released months and months ago.

I can understand some people not liking Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter. They were both blind buys for me. Both films didn't do much for me. I'm hoping I'll appreciate them more the second time through.. Branded to Kill was a lot more enjoyable to me then TD.

That being said I don't understand the comparison to Pale Flower. The more I watch PF the more I feel it is a masterpiece.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by Banned User

I'm amazed how many people here play catch up during Xmas break. Many of the reviews recently were from titles released months and months ago.

I can understand some people not liking Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter. They were both blind buys for me. Both films didn't do much for me. I'm hoping I'll appreciate them more the second time through.. Branded to Kill was a lot more enjoyable to me then TD.

That being said I don't understand the comparison to Pale Flower. The more I watch PF the more I feel it is a masterpiece.

Pale Flower is most certainly a masterpiece. It's definitely the more superior film out of those three, but I still really like Branded to Kill. Haven't seen Tokyo Drifter in quite some time, but I might pick up the BD at some point in the future and give it another go.

[octagon]

Pale Flower is one of those films that makes me want to learn the language so I don't have to even slightly split my attention.

[Wildcat47]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

The transfer is near identical to the Universal release. $27.99 cannot be justified in any way. If you want to talk about the practice of double dipping, here's an example.

See, this is not the case in regards to Fear and Loathing. You get bonus features AND a better transfer. The price is still high, but it can be justified far more than what was done with Traffic.

It should be 39.99. Don't like it simply don't buy it. I don't see your problem either?

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by Wildcat47

It should be 39.99. Don't like it simply don't buy it. I don't see your problem either?

That's an awesome way to not have to argue against my clearly-spelled-out complaint.