The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jayembee

It's been a while, but it might be time to (re-)do my space flight marathon: the three bolded films above plus the HBO mini-series (and my favorite American TV mini-series of all time) From the Earth to the Moon. All in chronological order, of course, so Apollo 13 right before the FtEttM episode about that mission.

Then again, maybe I should wait until the end of February, so I can add Gravity to the mix.

When We Left Earth is also an excellent documentary about NASA. I wish there was a comparable one (on Blu) about the Russian space program.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Agreed to all! :-) I've got all her films in one form or another... though my 3 favorites are Misfits, Some Like it Hot, and of course Seven Year Itch. I know it's everyone's, but I really do love her in that film.... the last scene as she is waving bye... just gets me.

I love The Misfits. Even w/o knowing the behind-the-scenes story this is a sad film; knowing it makes it maybe the saddest film I've ever seen.

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

...with the current B&N 40% off blu-ray sale, my B&N membership and 4 30% off coupons, I was able to buy the following titles for $8.08 each:

Sunset Boulevard
Strangers on a Train
Shane
and
The Best Years of Our Lives

Another happy day!

Is the sale online & site wide (ie Criterions)? & are there any online coupons (for any item)?

Thanks

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

With respect to the 1990s film with the most F-bombs, I think that Glengarry Glen Ross is a clear winner.

I would've guessed The Big Lebowski, but perhaps you're right.

[TheMollusc]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Damn i didn't even know they made a Filth book adaption this yr!? Have y'all seen any on there?

I saw Filth earlier in the year and it was enjoyable if a bit disjointed I felt. I haven't read Irvine Welsh's book I should add. McAvoy really gives a great performance in it!

It's definitely worth seeing.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My only real problem with Tomorrow Never Dies is that the story does not go anywhere after the first five minutes. Usually, with the Bond films, we gradually find out that a villain has some grandiose plan, and it's fun to watch Bond start out with a small investigation and move up from there. With this particular film, we know everything after the first scene. I mean, it's not like we watch Bond films for the storylines anyway, but still...

I dunno. I think the story is just fine, if a bit derivative, but as baheidstu pointed out, Pryce is (surprisingly) the weak link. Well, Teri Hatcher, too, but she's not in it that much.

In addition to Yeoh being my favorite Bond Girl (well, perhaps a close second behind Diana Rigg), and the outstanding stunt work, I think the pre-credits sequence is the most exciting and well-directed PCS of all the Bond films.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?!?!"

"His job."

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

So I know I'll get crap for this, but as much as I love Casino Royale, and think it's best Bond film out there (and Skyfall a close second)... my favorite is still Live and Let Die . It was my first Bond film, and thus Roger Moore my first Bond. That being said.... Daniel Craig could be the best Bond to date, Connery fans will hate me I know, but he really has it all.

Sorry, LoMo, but other than Jane Seymour -- and one of my favorite Bond theme songs -- LALD doesn't do much for me. When it came to Blu-ray, I decided I was not going to get them all. The only Moore entry that I've bought on BD is For Your Eyes Only.

But I agree with you on Craig. Connery fans can suck it. I mean, Connery was a hard act to follow, but in retrospect I prefer Craig, Brosnan, and Dalton (in that order) more than Connery.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My favorite Roger Moore Bond film, however, is For Your Eyes Only. I like how this movie takes the most low-key approach of any of the Moore Bond films and eschews the gadgets or over-the-top story elements. It has a lot more in common with the 1970s espionage flicks (Marathon Man, etc.) than one would think.

As I said earlier, it's the only Moore entry that I want on BD. Lynn Holly Johnson is even worse than Denise Richards was in TWINE. But I really liked the (relatively) less campy approach. And Carole Bouquet is probably my third favorite Bond Girl (after Rigg and Yeoh).

It's too bad that Monica Vitti was never a Bond girl.

Oh, I can imagine the warfare between Bond fans and Blaise fans.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Jane Seymour is so amazing in Live and Let Die. I love that film as well.

My favorite Roger Moore Bond film, however, is For Your Eyes Only. I like how this movie takes the most low-key approach of any of the Moore Bond films and eschews the gadgets or over-the-top story elements. It has a lot more in common with the 1970s espionage flicks (Marathon Man, etc.) than one would think.
Bond girl Carole Bouquet is also a Criterion girl, because she starred in Luis Buñuel's That Obscure Object of Desire.

It's too bad that Monica Vitti was never a Bond girl.

Jane Seymour is definitely one of the reasons I loved that film when I was young... that and the boat chase!

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I love The Misfits. Even w/o knowing the behind-the-scenes story this is a sad film; knowing it makes it maybe the saddest film I've ever seen.

You are right on, the whole film has such a sad undertone... the first time I watched it, I was down for the rest of the day. It's a beautiful movie, and so well made, but it's just so sad.

Originally Posted by jayembee

Sorry, LoMo, but other than Jane Seymour -- and one of my favorite Bond theme songs -- LALD doesn't do much for me. When it came to Blu-ray, I decided I was not going to get them all. The only Moore entry that I've bought on BD is For Your Eyes Only.

But I agree with you on Craig. Connery fans can suck it. I mean, Connery was a hard act to follow, but in retrospect I prefer Craig, Brosnan, and Dalton (in that order) more than Connery.

Yeah, I know I'm in the minority on Moore, but there's just something about his Bond movies. For me it'd be Craig, Moore, Brosnan, Dalton, Connery, and Lazenby.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by jayembee

But I agree with you on Craig. Connery fans can suck it. I mean, Connery was a hard act to follow, but in retrospect I prefer Craig, Brosnan, and Dalton (in that order) more than Connery.

only bond movies i have in my collections and do like to watch again are the ones with craig. brosnan.. cant stand him in any movie. horrible actor and i dont like him.


just watched brian de palmas dressed to kill , liked that one a lot. same for blow out and obsession..
the fury was the one i didnt like that much, it was a well shot movie but the story didnt do that much for me.

hoping for a price drop of "Passion", i like noomi rapace as an actor and de palma for the way he makes his movies. the plot twists are always kinda easy to find out but still very entertaining.

[lordmorpheus72]

So in looking over my Criterion collection, the latest BN sales. The two 50% and current 40%, have really done a number on collection... it's exploded in size. From only a few before August, to now 50, my collection looks like this:

[Show spoiler]
Dsc02037.jpg

Not pictured are my Chasing Amy LD and Pale Flower BD that I had to send back (special ordered it in store and it came in with no shrink wrap, broken case, a price sticker stuck to the front of the case, "music" sticker on the back, and a crinkled booklet ).

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

So in looking over my Criterion collection, the latest BN sales. The two 50% and current 40%, have really done a number on collection... it's exploded in size. From only a few before August, to now 50, my collection looks like this:

[Show spoiler]
Attachment 77047

Not pictured are my Chasing Amy LD and Pale Flower BD that I had to send back (special ordered it in store and it came in with no shrink wrap, broken case, a price sticker stuck to the front of the case, "music" sticker on the back, and a crinkled booklet ).

Nice! I'm in the same boat, I didn't get my first CC release until this year, but really didn't get into the releases until late Summer IIRC.

[Show spoiler]

Not pictured is Fanny and Alexander, it's on top of the "watch" pile on my desk ATM.

[pro-bassoonist]

Final release photos:

Throne of Blood Blu-ray

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

So in looking over my Criterion collection, the latest BN sales. The two 50% and current 40%, have really done a number on collection... it's exploded in size. From only a few before August, to now 50, my collection looks like this:

[Show spoiler]
Attachment 77047

Not pictured are my Chasing Amy LD and Pale Flower BD that I had to send back (special ordered it in store and it came in with no shrink wrap, broken case, a price sticker stuck to the front of the case, "music" sticker on the back, and a crinkled booklet ).

Originally Posted by smoss469

Nice! I'm in the same boat, I didn't get my first CC release until this year, but really didn't get into the releases until late Summer IIRC.

[Show spoiler]

Not pictured is Fanny and Alexander, it's on top of the "watch" pile on my desk ATM.

Always love seeing people's Collection pics!

This was snapped before I picked up The Last Emperor, Pale Flower, or the Zatoichi set:

[Show spoiler]

[Brad1107]

For any Australians in the forum, there is a store called "Title" which is in most major cities (2 in some). They sell records, cds, books about music, art and film and the best part: Criterion DVDs. Now they did only have the DVD versions of the Criterion films (because of region locking issues), but now that the collection has gone dual format, they are obviously offering the blu's too. They also have a large selection of Eclipse sets.

The kicker is the prices. They're all over the place but to give an example, the World Cinema Foundation boxset is $160, or $144 when you subtract the automatic 10% discount you get for being a member (they give you this on your first purchase too).

So the prices are extremely high compared to importing, but I guess the option is there is you wanted a title now or wanted to make sure your digipack was in good shape.

The best part of the store I think are the film books which are surprisingly cheap. They have quite the range!

[Hintermann]

Received The Last Metro yesterday. I had not realised that it was a digipak and unlike some similar others, the package rather tacky looking and not up to Criterion's high standards. I know that the movie will make-up for it but I would have preferred it to be the traditional Criterion case.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by Hintermann

Received The Last Metro yesterday. I had not realised that it was a digipak and unlike some similar others, the package rather tacky looking and not up to Criterion's high standards. I know that the movie will make-up for it but I would have preferred it to be the traditional Criterion case.

You can buy a replacement case here.
http://www.criterion.com/shop_produc...the-last-metro

Send them an e-mail at orders@criterion.com and say that you'd like to purchase that item, Shipped to the UK. They'll get back to you instructing you to send payment via paypal.

[Hintermann]

Originally Posted by Judex

You can buy a replacement case here.
http://www.criterion.com/shop_produc...the-last-metro

Send them an e-mail at orders@criterion.com and say that you'd like to purchase that item, Shipped to the UK. They'll get back to you instructing you to send payment via paypal.

Thanks for that. I already have 4 unused blank Criterion replacement cases and of course, the digipack has the booklet. Will Criterion send me just the picture sleeve on request?

PS: Can I make my own picture sleeve by careful 'dissection' of the digipak's slipcase I wonder?

[Infernal King]

I missed a Bond conversation in the Criterion thread! Damn it.

Originally Posted by jayembee

The World Is Not Enough suffers considerably from Denise Richards attempting to play a nuclear scientist➊. But the film more than compensates for Richards by having Sophie Marceau and Robert Carlyle play two wickedly terrific villains. And while I don't think that the film is the best of the Brosnans, I think it has Brosnan's best performance as Bond. It's the one in which he really comes off as a stone-cold killer.

Out of the Brosnan Bonds, Tomorrow Never Dies is far and away my favorite. It has its flaws, but Michelle Yeoh counterbalances any problems the film might have. And Die Another Day is the only one I really dislike.

I've found TWINE has only improved with age. Denise Richards sucks but the character was always going to be a walking joke (plenty of Bond Girls are like this) so it's not entirely her fault. Sophie Marceau is one of my favorite Bond villains and the most sympathetic by far. To date she's the only female main Bond baddie (the twist being that Renard is actually her subordinate).

I've made it known time and time again that Tomorrow Never Dies is my favorite Bond film. Something about it really clicks and has ever since I saw it twice theatrically as a kid. Michelle Yeoh is also my favorite Bond Girl and one of the few that actually kicks butt.

Originally Posted by baheidstu

The Brosnan era has never been my favorite in the Bond series but in retrospect I enjoy them more now than I did when they first came out. TND is enjoyable but for me the weakest aspect is Jonathan Pryce as Elliott Carver. He's a great actor but I did not find him imposing, either physically or psychologically, to be a great villain. He came across as too much comic relief for a main villain. Vincent Schiavelli's Kaufman character was annoying in this respect as well.

I know it's unpopular to love hammy acting but when it comes to villains, that's what I prefer. Jonathan Pryce gave a perfect over the top performance in order to demonstrate how incredibly larger than life, theatrical and insane his character was. I guess I like my Bond villains to provide some comic relief (Javier Bardem's Silva in Skyfall was a welcome return to that) although I understand if Pryce went too far in that direction for you.

The late, great character actor Vincent Schiavelli was very charming for a memorable one-scene villain and I think the dark humor had a lot to do with that.

Originally Posted by jayembee

I dunno. I think the story is just fine, if a bit derivative, but as baheidstu pointed out, Pryce is (surprisingly) the weak link. Well, Teri Hatcher, too, but she's not in it that much.

In addition to Yeoh being my favorite Bond Girl (well, perhaps a close second behind Diana Rigg), and the outstanding stunt work, I think the pre-credits sequence is the most exciting and well-directed PCS of all the Bond films.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?!?!"

"His job."

I've loved Teri Hatcher since she was Lois Lane so I can't speak ill of her.

I almost never criticize a Bond film for its plot because that's not what the series is about.

I love how you can actually see all of the spectacular action in TND and agree that it has the best opening credits sequence. Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace are perfect examples of how you don't shoot action sequences.

By the way, I'm currently reading Casino Royale and will watch the 2006 movie again after I'm finished in order to see how closely that adaptation compares. Rarely have I read one of Ian Fleming's Bond novels that wasn't improved in some way by the big screen version.