The Criterion Collection

[soarinsteven]

Excited about the possibility of Nashville being an upcoming title, and I'm down for any and more Altman to make its way on blu. I want to see McCabe & Mrs. Miller the most. It's been too long since I've seen it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

I am much more a fan of mood and atmosphere. Which reminds me, did you see the Lords of Salem?

I did! The ending was sooo Ken Russell-in a good way. I think Zombie is finding his voice.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Thanks!

I just reserved a copy at Barnes & Noble to pick up after work. It'll cost me less than $15, so I can't go wrong.

Wow, I feel good whenever I can convince someone to buy a Criterion.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Oh man, we are officially PTA fanboys, now. Fried Frogs and Milkshakes at my place! We're having a PTA party!

Yeeeehawwwww!

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Is dense really a positive quality for a film? There's layered, interesting, deep, but dense? I think I'd use it to describe a film negatively.

Magnolia is good, but I'm not as wild about it as many others. I think each of Anderson's films since then are better.

Funny, when I read that, I saw "dense" as a positive term, not a negative one. If one were to describe a thick chocolate cake and called it dense, I would say for sure that is a positive and attractive word to use. In any case, yes, Magnolia sure is dense and deep.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Brad1107

What are peoples thoughts on Robert Altmans Pret-a-Porter? I love his films but the reaction to this sounds pretty bad and it's very long. I want to watch it but keep going for other things off the list and it's just taking up space.

Worth a watch?

I haven't seen it since it played theatrically, but I was apparently one of the few who actually liked it. While not on the level of THE PLAYER, NASHVILLE, THREE WOMEN, McCABE & MRS. MILLER, or M*A*S*H, it's still one of my favorite Altman films and very much in the classic Altman style. It's better than, say, DR T & THE WOMEN or COME BACK TO THE FIVE & DIME JIMMY DEAN JIMMY DEAN.

[yhzmr]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

I haven't seen it since it played theatrically, but I was apparently one of the few who actually liked it. While not on the level of THE PLAYER, NASHVILLE, THREE WOMEN, McCABE & MRS. MILLER, or M*A*S*H, it's still one of my favorite Altman films and very much in the classic Altman style. It's better than, say, DR T & THE WOMEN or COME BACK TO THE FIVE & DIME JIMMY DEAN JIMMY DEAN.

Thoughts on the Gingerbread Man? It's been years since I've seen it but it was strangely compelling at the time.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by yhzmr

Thoughts on the Gingerbread Man? It's been years since I've seen it but it was strangely compelling at the time.

Haven't seen that one. It never played locally that I can recall, and I never got around to tracking it down on video.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by KubrickStone

I can't decide which ones to buy next... Can you guys help me and pick 6-7 titles from the list?

Night of the Hunter
High and Low
Kagemusha
Ivan's Childhood
Solaris
Cronos
Secret Sunshine
Insignificance
Wages of Fear
Kiss Me Deadly
Sansho the Bailiff
The Life of Oharu
Ride With the Devil
The Last Metro

I've never seen Secret Sunshine. All of the others are terrific films, and worth a blind buy.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've never seen a Robert Altman movie, and I know absolutely nothing about Nashville, but the IMDB website description appeals to me, as does the casting.

Altman can be all over the map. Sometimes he's brilliant, sometimes you wonder what the guy was smoking, sometimes it's both in the same movie.

There are Altman movies I like better than Nashville (not many, though), but I would venture that Nashville is probably the quintessential Altman film.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Watching TCM last night and seeing Fail-Safe made me think it would be a perfect candidate for Criterion. It could be paired with it's TV remake somewhat along the lines of what they did for 12 Angry Men.

I don't think Sony/Columbia is licensing anything to Criterion these days. That said, that would make a great Criterion release. I think Fail-Safe gets short shrift because people always want to compare it to Dr. Strangelove and find it wanting.

I had hoped better from the remake, but it was a worthy try. It's unfortunate that it wasn't more successful, as Clooney wanted to follow it up with the live broadcast of Raisin in the Sun with Don Cheadle.

I can't recall if the remake was ever released on DVD in the US. I have a UK DVD release of it.

[Brent L.]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Cool avatar.

Thanks. The Big Combo rocks.

I like the idea of someone having two copies of The Double Life of Veronique.

My Blu-ray of The Double Life of Veronique sits alone at home, and occasionally feels an strange sense of forlorn emptiness that it does not understand.

As it should be...

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

august the 5th.

I thought it was over on July 29th. Did they extend the sale another week?

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I thought it was over on July 29th. Did they extend the sale another week?

Yes

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

If Criterion is going to release a Lawrence Kasdan film, I'd love to see Silverado again.

They did a great job when they brought it out on laserdisc. On the CAV edition, the movie takes up the first three sides. When you flip the second disc over for the supplments on Side 4, it starts off with a shot in the saloon set of John Cleese (in costume), who says, "And now for something completely different..." at which point it fades to a screen saying "The Silverado Supplments".

[zoodermin]

So I bought four films in the B&N sale:

The Devil's Backbone
Marketa Lazarova
Wild Strawberries
The Life of Oharu

And I'm thinking of buying Summer Interlude, Summer with Monika and The Magician so I complete my Ingmar BD collection.

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Altman can be all over the map. Sometimes he's brilliant, sometimes you wonder what the guy was smoking, sometimes it's both in the same movie.

There are Altman movies I like better than Nashville (not many, though), but I would venture that Nashville is probably the quintessential Altman film.

Yeah, I don't know what to make of Altman's quality control. I haven't seen Pret a Porte since the theatre, but it certainly threw cold water on my Altman love in the 90s. I remember feeling it was like watching an series of actors embarrass themselves and the director not protecting them by choosing better takes.

As a result, I still haven't gotten around to see a lot of Altman's work. I haven't seen Nashville since I watched the VHS, but I remember feeling a bit ambivalent to it at the time. Based on it's reputation though, it is hard not to at least look forward to a blu.

I have great, great love for the Altman of 3 Women, Shortcuts, The Player, Long Goodbye, or Gosford Park.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Tom Noonan is a great, great actor for that sort of role. He was outstanding in Michael Mann's Manhunter, and that movie is still my favorite adaptation of a Thomas Harris novel.

It's definitely in my top three. Which could taken as a left-handed compliment since there are only three good ones to begin with (and two of those are from the same book).

Originally Posted by jayembee

I don't think Sony/Columbia is licensing anything to Criterion these days.

Just off the top of my head 3:10 to Yuma is a Columbia title. That's relatively recent, no?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

I have great, great love for the Altman of 3 Women, Shortcuts, The Player, Long Goodbye, or Gosford Park.

I really disliked The Player (it's hard to say how much of that was hating Tim Robbins though) and Short Cuts and thought Gosford Park was just...there.

But 3 Women (saw it for the first time after the BD was released) and The Long Goodbye (might have caught parts of it on tv in my teens but never sat down and watched it until relatively recently) have me wanting to give The Player, Short Cuts and Gosford Park another look.

[zoodermin]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

I have great, great love for the Altman of 3 Women, Shortcuts, The Player, Long Goodbye, or Gosford Park.

I love Gosford Park and I'll love a Criterion edition of it!

[starman15317]

I just got done watching Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise. I wasn't sure how much I would like it at first but I enjoyed it a lot. You can see the influence it had on indie directors in the 90s such as Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith (I know, he's not really indie, but still). I know it's not a pretty looking film but a Blu-Ray would be great. I think I'll rent Down By Law next on Netflix.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by octagon

Just off the top of my head 3:10 to Yuma is a Columbia title. That's relatively recent, no?

Doh! Yes, it is. And Jubal as well. I don't expect to see "top-tier" Sony releases from Criterion (like Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Strangelove, Taxi Driver, et alia), but it would be nice if the two Daves' film were an indication that Criterion will be able to license some of the other older Columbia titles.

I'd love to see Criterion take on some classic Columbias like His Girl Friday, Lady from Shanghai, Beat the Devil, Suddenly Last Summer, and a host of others.