The Criterion Collection

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by ElasticJimbo

I was at Barnes & Noble earlier and saw they had Chungking Express. Picked it up as a blind buy (I've never even seen any Wong-Kar Wai films) since I knew it was OOP and was going for high prices on Amazon, etc. Was this a good choice or not?

It was really an excellent choice.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by Snicket

That's good news for me then, as I hope these new OOP titles stick around for a bit.

Some will, some wont. depends on how many they still have in stock at warehouses, how well the title sold, how many were manufactured, etc. Seems like Leon Morin and Army of Shadows were in print for a shorter time than, say, Chunking Express, so there may be fewer overall copies out there. But I also may be wrong.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by metaridley

Isn't is supposed to be bad if you fall asleep so soon after eating? You're the workout expert here, so you tell me.

I actually haven't been able to fall asleep without listening to music for many, many years. Like, this goes all the way back to high school. Back then, I had to contend with my clunky portable CD player. In college, an iPod Mini. For the last few years, an iPod Nano. Ahhh, now that's the stuff. Much easier to handle in bed! Problem is, wearing headphones every night will ultimately render them useless after about a year, sometimes less. I thrash around in my sleep apparently (one of these days I need to set up a camera with night vision in my room), which makes it worse. Oh, well.

Ahem. Anyway, yes, I saw Nobody Knows on Netflix Instant and if you had told me a film with this subject matter, starring children, and shot in this way, would enthrall me, I'd have laughed right in your face like the hammy villains in my avatar. But I absolutely loved it and subsequently hunted down other Koreeda (or is it Kore-eda? I can't find any consensus) films I could find: I Wish (my favorite), Maborosi, After Life, Hana and Still Walking (the only of his films to receive the Region A Blu-ray treatment, and Criterion to boot).

Hirokazu Koreeda is now my favorite living film director, along with Ridley Scott (who I wish would start making better movies). It would be nice if I could find Distance and Air Doll, which I still haven't been able to see.

Oh, when I said "early dinner" in my post, I meant that I eat early in the late afternoon/evening a long time before I go to sleep. I almost always eat at least four hours before I go to sleep. Going to sleep right after eating will not necessarily hurt anything, but I prefer to eat hours before going to sleep.

Shifting this back in to movie talk, since folks are probably wondering what this tangent is all about, I really ought to check out more films from Hirokazu Koreeda.

I know what you mean about Ridley Scott. Alien and Blade Runner for the win in my world, but I also remember enjoying Someone To Watch Over Me years ago. I liked Prometheus alright, but not enough to run out and buy the Blu-ray. As far as I'm concerned, though, Alien and Blade Runner are enough to qualify him for eternal greatness.

I'm admittedly chapped that Ridley Scott will only be producing Child 44 instead of directing it. Child 44 was an amazing novel, as are the other two books in Tom Rob Smith's trilogy.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I know what you mean about Ridley Scott. I liked Prometheus alright, but not enough to run out and buy the Blu-ray. As far as I'm concerned, though, Alien and Blade Runner are enough to qualify him for eternal greatness.

I really disliked Prometheus, but I bought the blu-ray on sale because of the amazing 4-hour documentary, one of the best I've ever seen on the making of a film. It's just too bad the BTS is better than the actual movie.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

It was really an excellent choice.

Couldn't agree more. The first act/storyline was a little disorienting (I couldn't really figure out what I was watching) but Tony Leung and Faye Wong were instantly and completely captivating.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

As far as I'm concerned, though, Alien and or Blade Runner are enough to qualify him for eternal greatness.

Couldn't agree more

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

Couldn't agree more

Good call. Either movie qualifies him for life.

"The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. "

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by retablo

I really disliked Prometheus, but I bought the blu-ray on sale because of the amazing 4-hour documentary, one of the best I've ever seen on the making of a film. It's just too bad the BTS is better than the actual movie.

I really disliked it but I bought it too, day-one... now I wonder if there's a lot more people who did the same

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by retablo

Seems like Leon Morin and Army of Shadows were in print for a shorter time than, say, Chunking Express, so there may be fewer overall copies out there. But I also may be wrong.

That makes sense. I bought Leon Morin for $26-ish earlier, which is more than I'd wanted to pay...but I won't regret it too much if it shows up for less/is available for months. Didn't want to take the chance.

[KrugerIndustrial]

I really hope Amazon will lower the prices on Leon Morin and Le Doulos before they're completely out of stock. $34+shipping for a single disc DVD is just too much, OOP or not. Same goes for Leon Morin. Never seen it before but since I'm a huge Melville fan, I should enjoy it.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Good call. Either movie qualifies him for life.

"The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. "

It's funny we're talking about Blade Runner today. I rented Minority Report back when it was first released and thought it was okayish but that was about it. I watched the BD yesterday and kept thinking 'you know, this isn't exactly good but as slicker, blander Blade Runner knock-offs go it's not half-bad either'.

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I really disliked it but I bought it too, day-one... now I wonder if there's a lot more people who did the same

This place really needs a :sheepishlyraiseshand: emoticon - maybe a mix of and

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by octagon

This place really needs a :sheepishlyraiseshand: emoticon - maybe a mix of and

That would be useful. Unfortunately the Fassbender completist in me causes me to own a couple titles that are really not very good.

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

That would be useful. Unfortunately the Fassbender completist in me causes me to own a couple titles that are really not very good.

Fassbender was effing amazing in Prometheus, though. One of the best portrayals of a, well, robot I've seen yet (not that I have a real world example to compare his performance against but you know what I mean).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

That would be useful. Unfortunately the Fassbender completist in me causes me to own a couple titles that are really not very good.

I must say, in all sincerity, that Centurion is one of the most fun popcorn movies in my collection. It's a cool Fassbender role, and Olga Kurylenko is, hands down, the most beautiful murderous mute female Pict wilderness tracker in the entire history of cinema.

Fassbender was great in Prometheus, and the opening sequences of Fassbender watching Lawrence in Arabia were the best moments of the movie.

[Show spoiler]I like how Prometheus was a complete adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness. That monster at the end was a Shoggoth, I swear.

[The Great Owl]

The silver lining of this whole out-of-print announcement today is that more people will be acquainted with the brilliance that is Jean-Pierre Melville sooner than they planned.

I really hope that Le Samourai gets (a good) Blu-ray treatment in the near future.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I must say, in all sincerity, that Centurion is one of the most fun popcorn movies in my collection. It's a cool Fassbender role, and Olga Kurylenko is, hands down, the most beautiful murderous mute female Pict wilderness tracker in the entire history of cinema.

It's not the type of film I watch/like usually. He's obviously the highlight for me but nothing else appealed, and I'm not a fan of that constant artifical-looking violence either. I didn't feel too bad about buying though, since my mother ended up really loving it when she borrowed it from me.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

It's not the type of film I watch/like usually. He's obviously the highlight for me but nothing else appealed, and I'm not a fan of that constant artifical-looking violence either. I didn't feel too bad about buying though, since my mother ended up really loving it when she borrowed it from me.

Centurion is a Neil Marshall film through and through. The movie appeals to that outdoor enthusiast in me, and the story really gets going for me once the survivors of the big attack are being tracked through the forest.

[The Great Owl]

Speaking of Fassbender, I saw that movie, Shame, last year. It was a thought-provoking and well-executed film, but not one that I care ever to watch again. It was sort of painful to watch the first time around as far as subject matter goes. In the category of "Brilliant work of cinema...once."

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by metaridley

Fassbender was effing amazing in Prometheus, though. One of the best portrayals of a, well, robot I've seen yet (not that I have a real world example to compare his performance against but you know what I mean).

Oh yes, he's the only thing I really loved about it. Well, the film did look stunning and I loved that about it too, but still...he looked better

There's no way I could forgive the film's complete lack of common sense though...there's just scene after scene of people behaving with unrealistic stupidity that frustrated me with every viewing.

I could rant and rant...

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Speaking of Fassbender, I saw that movie, Shame, last year. It was a thought-provoking and well-executed film, but not one that I care ever to watch again. It was sort of painful to watch the first time around as far as subject matter goes. In the category of "Brilliant work of cinema...once."

Shame is one of those films thats is always creeping into my mind, like you I have no big desire to go see it again, but it left a huge impression. That last sequence where

[Show spoiler]Fassbender is going from place to place trying to satisfy his sexual urges, but to no avail, was amazing. The look on his face during the threesome told the entire story.

An incredible work no doubt, really looking forward to 12 Years a Slave.

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Oh yes, he's the only thing I really loved about it. Well, the film did look stunning and I loved that about it too, but still...he looked better

There's no way I could forgive the film's complete lack of common sense though...there's just scene after scene of people behaving with unrealistic stupidity that frustrated me with every viewing.

I could rant and rant...

I want a David spinoff.