The Criterion Collection

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by mja345

"Downhill Racer" is a great film, one that I grew to appreciate more with a rewatch. Three sports films I recommend that have a bit of the same vibe are the classic "North Dallas Forty" and two recent films, "The Program" about Lance Armstrong directed by Stephen Frears and featuring an incredible performance by Ben Foster and "Borg vs. McEnroe", about the rivalry between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. Like "Downhill Racer", all of these films cut through the bullshit a lot of sports films tend to wade in and use sports as a vehicle to make pointed observations on a more macro level. "Downhill Racer" surprised me in how uncompromising it is in refusing to bend to cliche.

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll be checking out Borg vs McEnroe first. I somehow missed seeing this title as being announced, so this is a new one to me. I watched McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice (an HBO documentary about the rivalry) about a week ago; that's also quite well done. It's interesting to hear their recollections, and watch their friendship really grow after Borg retired. Those two really got me into tennis when I was a kid, and then Andre Agassi made me a tennis nut.

North Dallas Forty looks up my alley, as well. Maybe I'll get it and watch it with Slap Shot, which I have never seen (I know, I know).

[Cooper67]

Criterion seems to like releasing Cary Grant movies in January.

Holiday Jan 7, 2020
Notorious Jan 15, 2019
His Girl Friday Jan 10, 2017

Maybe tomorrow Bringing up Baby or Arsenic and old lace will get announced or even The talk of the Town.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll be checking out Borg vs McEnroe first. I somehow missed seeing this title as being announced, so this is a new one to me. I watched McEnroe/Borg: Fire & Ice (an HBO documentary about the rivalry) about a week ago; that's also quite well done. It's interesting to hear their recollections, and watch their friendship really grow after Borg retired. Those two really got me into tennis when I was a kid, and then Andre Agassi made me a tennis nut.

North Dallas Forty looks up my alley, as well. Maybe I'll get it and watch it with Slap Shot, which I have never seen (I know, I know).

You're in for a treat with "Slap Shot" brother. I absolutely love the film. It's one of my favorite eras of Newman performances, when he was starting to take saltier, older roles. Stuff like "The Verdict", "Absence of Malice", "The Color of Money", "Fort Apache, the Bronx" and "Slap Shot". One of the best stretches from one of America's best actors.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by mja345

You're in for a treat with "Slap Shot" brother. I absolutely love the film. It's one of my favorite eras of Newman performances, when he was starting to take saltier, older roles. Stuff like "The Verdict", "Absence of Malice", "The Color of Money", "Fort Apache, the Bronx" and "Slap Shot". One of the best stretches from one of America's best actors.

Slap Shot is one of those movies that's great for watching on a cold winter evening and it feels like you're hanging out with a bunch of old friends, so many great moments and great lines and you're right about salty, I'm sure more than a few people have been shocked by all the f-bombs Newman throws around in the film.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by mja345

You're in for a treat with "Slap Shot" brother. I absolutely love the film. It's one of my favorite eras of Newman performances, when he was starting to take saltier, older roles. Stuff like "The Verdict", "Absence of Malice", "The Color of Money", "Fort Apache, the Bronx" and "Slap Shot". One of the best stretches from one of America's best actors.

The Verdict is magnificent, as is Absence of Malice, and I love The Color of Money, though I just can’t bring myself to buy such a piss poor release, even as a huge Scorsese fan. I would love to see Criterion get the rights to it, and do it justice. Given Marty’s relationship with Criterion, that seems like a bit of a no brainer, to me.

Also, I’m going to watch Slap Shot tomorrow then. Now, I’m jazzed to see it given your high praise for it.

I have a bunch of older Newman films on the DVR-I saw Somebody Up There Likes Me about three weeks ago (his first starring role, opposite Pier Angeli), and The Long, Hot Summer, The Young Philidelphian, Sweet Bird of Youth and Hud are next up.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Newman film I didn’t like. He would be on my Mt. Rushmore of great American actors. He had “it” from the very beginning; some of that same intensity that James Dean exhibited.

[mja345]

Completely agree with your sentiments, theater dreamer. Newman was the man, just an amazing actor. Recently watched him in "Hud", one of his best performances and one of the great examinations of malignant narcissism ever put to screen. The Australian release leaves a lot to be desired, so let's hope Paramount gives it a better release stateside at some point. Kino is also releasing "The Secret War of Harry Frigg", a Newman film I've always wanted to check out.

I rewatched "The Color of Money" a year or so ago. It's of course a fantastic film and one that gets better each time. Probably my favorite combination of opening credits/final line, with Robbie Robertson's awesome theme music.

[Mike0284]

Just got this email from B&N

Dear Barnes & Noble Customer,

It is with the greatest regret we inform you that we were made aware on October 10, 2020 that Barnes & Noble had been the victim of a cybersecurity attack, which resulted in unauthorized and unlawful access to certain Barnes & Noble corporate systems.

We write now out of the greatest caution to let you know how this may have exposed some of the information we hold of your personal details.

Firstly, to reassure you, there has been no compromise of payment card or other such financial data. These are encrypted and tokenized and not accessible. The systems impacted, however, did contain your email address and, if supplied by you, your billing and shipping address and telephone number. We currently have no evidence of the exposure of any of this data, but we cannot at this stage rule out the possibility. We give below answers to some frequently asked questions.

We take the security of our IT systems extremely seriously and regret sincerely that this incident has occurred. We know also that it is concerning and inconvenient to receive notices such as this. We greatly appreciate your understanding and thank you for being a Barnes & Noble customer.

Barnes & Noble
FAQ

1. Have my payment details been exposed?
No, your payment details have not been exposed. Barnes & Noble uses technology that encrypts all credit cards and at no time is there any unencrypted payment information in any Barnes & Noble system.

2. Could a transaction be made without my authorization?
No, no financial information was accessible. It is always encrypted and tokenized.

3. Was my email compromised?
No. Your email was not compromised as a result of this attack. However, it is possible that your email address was exposed and, as a result, you may receive unsolicited emails.

4. Was any personal information exposed due to the attack?
While we do not know if any personal information was exposed as a result of the attack, we do retain in the impacted systems your billing and shipping addresses, your email address and your telephone number if you have supplied these.

5. Do you retain any other information in the impacted systems?
Yes, we also retain your transaction history, meaning purchase information related to the books and other products that you have bought from us.

[chocolat]

november sale officially off. Just kidding.

[randian]

I changed my password as a precaution when I received the B&N email, but I haven’t been receiving any spam or other indications that my information was actually compromised.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by mja345

Completely agree with your sentiments, theater dreamer. Newman was the man, just an amazing actor. Recently watched him in "Hud", one of his best performances and one of the great examinations of malignant narcissism ever put to screen. The Australian release leaves a lot to be desired, so let's hope Paramount gives it a better release stateside at some point. Kino is also releasing "The Secret War of Harry Frigg", a Newman film I've always wanted to check out.

I rewatched "The Color of Money" a year or so ago. It's of course a fantastic film and one that gets better each time. Probably my favorite combination of opening credits/final line, with Robbie Robertson's awesome theme music.

It’s a rare treat to be able to revisit an iconic character like “Fast Eddie” Felson a few decades after the fact, and it allowed Newman the chance to build upon one of his most celebrated roles.

Newman had this...undefinable quality to him. It wasn’t just star power, or magnetism, and it went well beyond sheer talent. When I watch him in The Color of Money, I get a sense for how hard the last twenty-five years have been. He’s no longer the hustler in practice, but it’s never completely left him. It’s never left Felson, and it’s never left Newman. It’s as if Newman put that character on the back burner to simmer until he could breathe life into him again on screen. Felson reemerges a quarter century later a fully realized character, and I don’t know how, exactly, he’s able to convey that.

I got that same sense watching Daniel Day-Lewis in Spielberg’s Lincoln. I know that DDL does extensive character research before principal photography begins. I know, too, that he stays in character until the film has completed. Lewis touched upon that in his final Academy Award acceptance speech, referencing all the strange men his wife has lived with.

But this goes beyond method acting. It’s this heightened sense of reality that the great performers can somehow imbibe, and then release. In Lewis, I felt Lincoln’s utter exhaustion, and the soul crushing weight of all the Union (and Confederate) dead. Newman, less dramatically, yet no less convincingly, brings the weight of Felson’s past with him. And at the end of The Color of Money, in that one brief moment, Felson liberates himself from that past, and finds his youth again. And with it, this glint of bravado.

That can’t be taught. Few actors can go to that place.

[traths]

Originally Posted by Cooper67

Criterion seems to like releasing Cary Grant movies in January.

Holiday Jan 7, 2020
Notorious Jan 15, 2019
His Girl Friday Jan 10, 2017

Maybe tomorrow Bringing up Baby or Arsenic and old lace will get announced or even The talk of the Town.

I sure hope so.

[BluCollector13]

Originally Posted by randian

I changed my password as a precaution when I received the B&N email, but I haven’t been receiving any spam or other indications that my information was actually compromised.

I did the same. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

That said, for the love of God, may they please announce "Voyage of Time" tomorrow. Or "The Devils".

[Bradsdadg]

Janus Films posted a pic from Lolita on Twitter today. I wonder if that is an upcoming announcement...?

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by Bradsdadg

Janus Films posted a pic from Lolita on Twitter today. I wonder if that is an upcoming announcement...?

Well, that would make sense seeing as I just recently picked up the Warner disc

[Bn43]

I wonder if Lolita is liked enough to join Kubrick's other 4K releases. He has had such good representation on the new format. The one I want most now, though, is Barry Lyndon. Lolita was my least favorite, but I kind of wanna rewatch it.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by mja345

You're in for a treat with "Slap Shot" brother. I absolutely love the film. It's one of my favorite eras of Newman performances, when he was starting to take saltier, older roles. Stuff like "The Verdict", "Absence of Malice", "The Color of Money", "Fort Apache, the Bronx" and "Slap Shot". One of the best stretches from one of America's best actors.

Newman was once quoted as saying that the character he played in SLAPSHOT was the closest he's ever come to playing himself in a film. If that's true, what a cool guy he must have been to hang out with.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I can honestly say I’ve never seen a Newman film I didn’t like. He would be on my Mt. Rushmore of great American actors. He had “it” from the very beginning; some of that same intensity that James Dean exhibited.

Yep. I was in grade school in the 60's and I idolized no one as much as Newman and McQueen in those days. I was nine years old and already trying to be as cool as they were. I even remember telling my math teacher, Miss Linsky, that "what we have here is a failure to communicate." That did not go over well.

[bonehica]

My personal favorite later year Newman role is from Nobody's Fool. Absolutely adore that film. And, sadly, not on blu

[xxnomad]

Originally Posted by bonehica

My personal favorite later year Newman role is from Nobody's Fool. Absolutely adore that film. And, sadly, not on blu

Say it LOUDER for the people not paying attention. An absolute GEM of a movie and a real empathetic late career performance from my favorite actor of all time. Don't sleep on this one people!

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by bonehica

My personal favorite later year Newman role is from Nobody's Fool. Absolutely adore that film. And, sadly, not on blu

Another Newman/Benton collaboration and one of the last and best kick ass cool characters Newman played was in the terrific and underrated 1998 neo-noir film, TWILIGHT (no, not the one with the puberty challenged vampires). The DVD was crap, so where is the Blu already?