The Criterion Collection

[Jutty]

Originally Posted by jcez28

I was born on Halloween and I like it. I'll put in a word with the big guy see if he'll do a trade the criterion for your soul

Thanks for the words of reassurance,,managed to get one from amazon for 19.00,,,so i can keep my soul for somthing else now

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by KRW1

It's not a war movie at all. It's a movie about war movies.

It's not even about that; it's about as much about war movies as Django Unchained was about spaghetti westerns.
Ie., it started out as a movie tribute, but then, Quentin got sort of.....distracted by cool minority-revenge fantasies.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm about to watch Last Year at Marienbad on Blu-ray for the first time (I've seen it several times on DVD.). It's a rainy afternoon here, so nothing else to do.

And two hours later, rain will seem a lot more interesting.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by octagon

I caught The Last Metro on TCM sometime last year and that will probably hold me for a while. The solid section of my wishlist is already pretty lengthy and the yeah, maybe section isn't far behind.

Speaking of books, are you a Patricia Highsmith (as usual I had to backspace and correct Hightower, I don't know why I do that) fan? I put her on my gohastings watch list after seeing several of her titles listed in the back of Vintage Crime/Black Lizard editions of various Chandler/Hammett books and finally started digging into them after watching Purple Noon a couple weeks ago.

I've read several shorts, A Suspension of Mercy and Ripley Under Ground and so far so good. She adds a darker, almost bitter edge to the traditional (read staid) English style of mystery novels that's pretty interesting (and had to be very interesting when they were written).

I'll definitely be going back for more.

That's how I got interested in the film as well. my wishlist is sitting at about 15 right now.

I do enjoy Highsmith, although I've only read the first Ripley novel. I'll probably read Strangers on a Train once I finish Elmer Gantry and Jennifer Worth's midwife trilogy, as I've become a huge fan of Call the Midwife.

[MacEachaidh]

Putting my hand up as another Highsmith fan.

She also wrote the short story that became Hitchcock's The Birds.

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by James78

No she didn't! That was Daphne du Maurier.

Oh bugger, you're right.

[MacEachaidh]

Not horrible at all, mate. You were quite right.

I must admit, other than hunting down the short story when I was a kid and was freaked by Hitchcock's film, I've never really gotten into du Maurier. (To be honest, I doubt I've ever tried very hard. I have a bad habit of sticking to authors I already know.)

Just watching CC's A Night to Remember at the moment. Amazing film, beautiful transfer.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by octagon

I keep hoping that the National Weather Service is kidding and it won't really be snowing for the Sox opener tomorrow.

They're probably not though.

I hear ya, as I'll be just north of you at a baseball opener myself. I don't think I've ever worn a winter jacket to a baseball game before ... today might (scratch that, make that *will*) be the first. It's 25 degrees as of this post. Brrr. No April Fool's joke either.

To steer this somewhat On Topic for this forum/thread, I managed to watch another Criterion this past week ... The Night of the Hunter. I need to tone down my expectations, because again after reading so many glowing reviews, it didn't quite go where I thought it would (emotionally, I guess). I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil anything for others. I still need to go through the supplements ... and that almost always is a treat (to me).

On a side note, I tried watching the The Red Shoes with the audio-commentary, as I very much want to get through the entire disc before too much time goes by (since my first viewing). What I saw I enjoyed ... but unfortunately I dozed off for a half hour or so during it. There's a LOT of info being given out in that commentary.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Page14

To steer this somewhat On Topic for this forum/thread, I managed to watch another Criterion this past week ... The Night of the Hunter. I need to tone down my expectations, because again after reading so many glowing reviews, it didn't quite go where I thought it would (emotionally, I guess). I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil anything for others. I still need to go through the supplements ... and that almost always is a treat (to me).

On a side note, I tried watching the The Red Shoes with the audio-commentary, as I very much want to get through the entire disc before too much time goes by (since my first viewing). What I saw I enjoyed ... but unfortunately I dozed off for a half hour or so during it. There's a LOT of info being given out in that commentary.

Night of the Hunter was our first Criterion blind-buy, and my wife and I were both incredibly impressed.


Watched The Red Shoes last night and we both thoroughly enjoyed that too. It wasn't the Criterion Blu-Ray though, as I wanted to try before I buy, so would like to pick that up at some point soon.

[Guitar Joe]

Originally Posted by Page14

I hear ya, as I'll be just north of you at a baseball opener myself. I don't think I've ever worn a winter jacket to a baseball game before ... today might (scratch that, make that *will*) be the first. It's 25 degrees as of this post. Brrr. No April Fool's joke either.

Go to a Giants home game in July, and you will.

[starman15317]

I hope Criterion makes an April Fools announcement today

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

I think this is the first time I totally disagree with you, Great Owl.

Inglorious Bastards to me is one of the worst war movies I have seen. I would put this at the bottom of his filmography.

The whole idea of an organized tactical american (or western allied forces) WWII soldiers having the same moral values as the Nazis is dumbest film idea ever. I would like to believe that the western allied forces were different than the fascists, at least ethically. Massacring/torturing the fascists or leaving them in poverty (like Treaty of Versailles did before WWII) would not helped the outcome.

The red army helped greatly in the defeat of the nazis, but there are many accounts of horrendous acts against the German civilians.

I will remember this film as the looney tunes of all war movies which seems to be written by 13 year old with no sensibilities.

Originally Posted by MasturB

Great Owl never said anything about it being a great war movie, he just said it was one of his favorite Tarantino films.

Bingo.

Inglourious Basterds is a great Quentin Tarantino movie, in my book. I do not think of it as a "war movie" in the strictest sense, because the movie is a more of a comic book adventure that turns its back on history and logic altogether. I agree with Fellini912's points about the film, but I still consider it a success in Tarantino terms.

Inglourious Basterds is no Army of Shadows (my favorite war movie, incidentally), but it's still a wildly entertaining rollercoaster ride through the amusement park of Tarantino's mind using WWII as a backdrop. The fact that the movie mixes the spaghetti western with a mock Ennio Morricone score with a WWII adventure force of superheroes, so to speak, may not lend it any credibility as a war movie, but it sure is fun.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Bingo.

Inglourious Basterds is a great Quentin Tarantino movie, in my book. I do not think of it as a "war movie" in the strictest sense, because the movie is a more of a comic book adventure that turns its back on history and logic altogether. I agree with Fellini912's points about the film, but I still consider it a success in Tarantino terms.

Inglourious Basterds is no Army of Shadows (my favorite war movie, incidentally), but it's still a wildly entertaining rollercoaster ride through the amusement park of Tarantino's mind using WWII as a backdrop. The fact that the movie mixes the spaghetti western with a mock Ennio Morricone score with a WWII adventure force of superheroes, so to speak, may not lend it any credibility as a war movie, but it sure is fun.

1st off, what does Tarantino have to do with the criterion collection? Absolutely nothing, so why don't we move the discussion to the Basterds thread.

I don't agree with Fellini. I think the genius of Basters IS its cartoon quality. We get little context for the war, so it's fascinating how he transforms Nazi's into buffoons and war strategy into abrupt, nonsensical violence.

Honestly, does anybody have a problem with Classic Hollywood & Lubitsch's Nazis? No, but, they operate on much the same level.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

1st off, what does Tarantino have to do with the criterion collection? Absolutely nothing, so why don't we move the discussion to the Basterds thread.

http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-Criter.../dp/B002JN3VE8

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

1st off, what does Tarantino have to do with the criterion collection? Absolutely nothing, so why don't we move the discussion to the Basterds thread.

In my initial post, I brought up a couple of Criterion-worthy references that appear in Inglourious Basterds. (Le Corbeau, Jean-Pierre Melville, etc.) No harm in discussing films that were apparently heavily influenced by titles in the Criterion queue.

I see your point, though, because we've been going back in forth about the Tarantino movie.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In my initial post, I brought up a couple of Criterion-worthy references that appear in Inglourious Basterds. (Le Corbeau, Jean-Pierre Melville, etc.) No harm in discussing films that were apparently heavily influenced by titles in the Criterion queue.

I see your point, though, because we've been going back in forth about the Tarantino movie.

I had no problem with your initial post, it's just sometimes we get sidetracked with things that have little to do with Criterion. I can tell everybody's itching to say something more exhaustive, so why not move that to the Basterds thread. Oh wait, maybe so people can piss on films they don't like without being called out.

Link to Basterds thread:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...118563&page=42

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

1st off, what does Tarantino have to do with the criterion collection? Absolutely nothing, so why don't we move the discussion to the Basterds thread.

I don't agree with Fellini. I think the genius of Basters IS its cartoon quality. We get little context for the war, so it's fascinating how he transforms Nazi's into buffoons and war strategy into abrupt, nonsensical violence.

Honestly, does anybody have a problem with Classic Hollywood & Lubitsch's Nazis? No, but, they operate on much the same level.

It is also very tasteless. It is very hard to ignore the historical context (although it is a fairy tale of sorts) for someone who has read about WWII, or seen some great WWII films (The Thin Red Line, Ivan's Childhood, Schindler's List, or any documentary).

It is not so much about the structure or filming of the movie, but the ideas behind it (a jewish or american WWII solider with nazis sensibilities; and the idea that nazis were right about their violence, therefore we can use the same unrestrained violence towards them).

Black humor can be good or tasteless. This film is very tasteless.

"Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster...for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you."

[The Great Owl]

I watched Last Year at Marienbad last night. This was one of the early Blu-rays that I purchased, because I loved my old DVD copy, but had postponed watching in the new format. After the announcement about this film going out of print, I figured that I should give the Blu-ray a viewing, both to appreciate the film in high definition and to check for defects, in case I needed to rush out and replace my copy. As it turns out, all is good.

Last Year at Marienbad looks stunning on Blu-ray, and the elaborate settings really open up on screen, from decorated hallways to beautifully landscaped gardens. This is a film that demands to be seen in its original 2.35:1 ratio so that one can absorb the details.

Each time I watch this film, I feel as though I am a little closer to understanding the story, but the truth is that I probably never will understand it entirely. The film throws linear storytelling under the bus to adapt an apparent continuous mental recall sequence. The narrative style gives Last Year at Marienbad an otherworldly feel that could be explained as a ghost story, an homage to Greek tragedy, the imagination of a jealous husband, or the scattered recollections of a traumatized woman.

Last Year at Marienbad is my first mention when people ask me to name the weirdest movie that I have ever seen, but the movie earns this honor not by disturbing visceral special effects. Instead, Last Year at Marienbad is a puzzle of repetition that twists and turns in and out of itself in the same way that one might wander the hallways of a beautiful chateau where random segments of conversation flutter through the air.

[Abdrewes]

Awesome! LastYear at Marienbad is one of the must owns of the collection. Considering my fine arts (specifically, paint and pencils) background, it's no surprise I feel this way. I feel it's as much about the mystery of the central relationship as it is our relation to art.

Jonathan Rosenbaum considers this film one of the very greats, but i have yet to read his essay. Maybe I should do that after I rewatch it

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I had no problem with your initial post, it's just sometimes we get sidetracked with things that have little to do with Criterion. I can tell everybody's itching to say something more exhaustive, so why not move that to the Basterds thread. Oh wait, maybe so people can piss on films they don't like without being called out.

Link to Basterds thread:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...118563&page=42

. I don't see that you are a moderator, first of all. And non-criterion movies and music get talk about also in this forum (being a member for the last year)

As I mentioned Great Owl is a one of the best posters on this forum. His opinion on music and films on this thread is very appreciated.

Anyone can ignore a post. I am glad I do not have to resort to urination to diss a post.

[Abdrewes]

Speaking of Controversial, Is there anybody else that would love to see Verhoeven's Turkish Delight on blu ray. It's been a year since I've seen it and I still can't shake it. In many ways, it's as resonant as a recent best picture nominee that deals with the same subject matter.

It's a shame none of his films have been given the Criterion Blu Ray treatment.