The Criterion Collection

[hudson4k]

Originally Posted by Scholer

In terms of style, the closest is The New World, as Tree of Life’s cinematic vocabulary essentially evolved from Malick and Chivo’s earlier collaboration on that film. But any Malick film is very recognisable as a Malick film, and all the films easily fit together on the whole as a body of work.

But really, if I had to choose one film to introduce someone to Malick it would be The Thin Red Line. For any of his other films, if someone fails to “get” them at first, I’m not bothered as to some extent one really does need to just surrender to his singular vision. But for The Thin Red Line, the complete mastery of form is so evident that it’s just hard for me to fathom how anyone cannot appreciate it at least at the surface level.

Originally Posted by jw007

My personal favorite Malick films are The Thin Red Line, The New World, and The Tree of Life. That is the "Malick trilogy" for me at least and his finest work of all time, in my humble opinion.

Start with TTRL and progress from there. After you watch TNW, go back and watch his 2 early films: Badlands and Days of Heaven. The latter is also an amazing piece of cinema. Finally, if you still are enjoying his work, watch his remaining films he made after TTOL.

I'm going to have trouble deciding behind Thin Red Line and The New World. Might just end up getting both after reading these posts. Thank you!

[Scholer]

Originally Posted by hudson4k

I'm going to have trouble deciding behind Thin Red Line and The New World. Might just end up getting both after reading these posts. Thank you!

If you do get both, you will not be disappointed. Trust us, haha...

[Gorgon]

So, I see Amz.com is having a pretty cool Crit sale right now.

Not to be outdone of course, Amz.ca (Canada) figured, hey we'll have one too!
But of course at double the price of the American offers and hey! let's RAISE the price on some of ours, because that's always a key selling feature!

Yeah, don't see me buying anything from there until their maybe, possibly, rumoured, hinted at, Black Friday sale....

[hudson4k]

Originally Posted by Scholer

If you do get both, you will not be disappointed. Trust us, haha...

Thank you for the help! I decided to get both but not immediately. Since The New World is the bigger discount of the 2 (Thin Red Line went from $25 on Amazon to $20 compared to The New World going from $35 to $25), I'm getting that one first and then I'll get Thin Red Line before the end of the year (maybe I'll put it on a Christmas list).

[NeoNical]

I'll probably won't be getting Salo for a long time but I remember seeing the cover on Blu-ray every time I go to a Barnes and Noble store and this is way before I cared about Blu-rays and Criterions. It's pretty funny now that I'm into Criterion that this is now extremely rare but back in the day it was common as hell.

I spent some of my Christmas money so I won't be able to buy much but I'm planning to get maybe the Tati or Demy set if I can find it at the store, I don't really like to order online. Those who are going to B&N physically like me: Don't forget to wear gloves for safety purposes! Also a few other films like Jeanne Dielman and maybe 400 Blows but I'm debating whether or not I want to get depressed again, 400 Blows is hard for me to rewatch without having to feel depressed for days

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by Gorgon

So, I see Amz.com is having a pretty cool Crit sale right now.

Not to be outdone of course, Amz.ca (Canada) figured, hey we'll have one too!
But of course at double the price of the American offers and hey! let's RAISE the price on some of ours, because that's always a key selling feature!

Yeah, don't see me buying anything from there until their maybe, possibly, rumoured, hinted at, Black Friday sale....

You could try these guys from Toronto. They are the Canadian distributor for Criterion. Free shipping at $120 or $150 (can't remember what the threshold is).
https://www.unobstructedview.com/cri...sale-november/

[Gorgon]

^^ I don't think you're gonna be too distraught missing "Salo" for yet a while.
Honestly, I found it a snooze fest compared to DeSade's original story.
Acting was amateurish, shot composition was amateurish, script dialogue was at least hilarious.
I don't honestly think Passolini is as great as his ardent fans acclaim.

[bergman864]

Between Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Target (B2G1) it's a great time to collect Criterion titles. I ordered Fantastic Mr. Fox from Target to get a few other Wishlist titles out of the way.

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

I've recently for the first time started expanding my movie palette and dipping into Criterion films.

I'm going to regret asking because I've already spend a ton of money on blind buys this month but anyone have any they would like to recommend? I like horror, thrillers, art house, surreal or just movies that make you feel something or think.

[…]

Any more I that I should be on the look out for based on my tastes?

The Eclipse set “When Horror Came to Shochiku” has some really fun genre stuff! The X from Outer Space and The Living Skeleton are two standouts.

[traths]

Any chance Criterion will release David Lynch's Inland Empire? I know Studio Canal has the rights to it in France but I'm not sure who has the rights to it in the US. I would love to have that film in my collection.

[KingOfBunnies]

Only got two releases on amazon, but might buy the Police Story set. Not sure on that yet.

[Gorgon]

^^ Thanks very much for the link JasonMichael, reviewed the site and they have some very nice deals indeed.
I think I'll try a small order with them as a trial.
Thanks again

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by Gorgon

^^ Thanks very much for the link JasonMichael, reviewed the site and they have some very nice deals indeed.
I think I'll try a small order with them as a trial.
Thanks again

I have ordered from them a few times. They ship a little slowly, but you will get the product. Packaging is pretty good.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Scholer

If you do get both, you will not be disappointed. Trust us, haha...

I second that.

In fact, not only will you be NOT disappointed but your life will change forever, after watching these movies. Guaranteed.

[Psychosmeg]

Ordered the following titles -

Complete Agnes Varda
Essential Fellini
Come and See
House
Hedwig and The Angry Itch

[latehong]

Originally Posted by dcx4610

I've recently for the first time started expanding my movie palette and dipping into Criterion films.

I'm going to regret asking because I've already spend a ton of money on blind buys this month but anyone have any they would like to recommend? I like horror, thrillers, art house, surreal or just movies that make you feel something or think.

[Show spoiler]
Here is what I have so far:
1984
Eraserhead
Haxan
Night of the Living Dead
Repulsion
Rosemary's Baby

What I have but have yet to watch:
Brood
Fantastic Planet
For All Mankind
Godzilla
House
Ikiru
Last Temptation of Christ, The
Passion of Joan of Arc
Scanners
Seven Samurai
Stalker
Videodrome
War of the Worlds

What I'm considering:
Carnival of Souls
Come and See
The Vanishing

Any more I that I should be on the look out for based on my tastes?

Sounds like the whole Criterion Collection.

Anyway, here are some I'd like to recommend:

[Show spoiler]
- Cat People: Martin Scorsese says this 73-minute American B horror picture is as important as Citizen Kane in American cinema and I agree (though, as with Orson Welles films, I prefer some other Val Lewton horror films to this one and curse Criterion for not releasing the whole 9-films box set but just cherry-picking the most famous one).

- The Cranes Are Flying: This 96-minute Soviet romance in war movie is my go-to recommendation for anyone who is not particularly used to Russian films, arthouse films, or the language of cinema in general.

- The Exterminating Angel: If you're into surrealism, you shouldn't miss the world of Luis Buñuel and this 93-minute Mexican surrealist satire is one of his greatest.

- The Innocents: This 100-minute British gothic horror film is the best cinematic adaptation of Henry James' classic horror novella The Turn of the Screw, which is also the main basis of Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor.

- Pale Flower: This 96-minute Japanese gambling gangster film noir about two strangers who are desperate to do anything to taste the sense of being alive is one of my favorite hidden gems from the collection and a sincere portrayal of existential nihilism without falling into a narcissistic fashion show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOr...ature=youtu.be

- Pierre Etaix: This 8-films collection of still relatively unknown French comic genius is full of laughter and inventive uses of cinematic language (both visual and sound) not unlike Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, Jacques Tati, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgh...ature=youtu.be

- Ride with the Devil: It's surreal that the 148-minute director's cut of this western war film directed by Taiwan-born Ang Lee and starring Tobey Maguire as a Missouri-born pro-Confederacy Bushwacker is probably one of the most complex, historically accurate cinematic depictions of the American Civil War.

- Valerie and Her Week of Wonders: How about a 77-minute, erotic, gothic, nightmarish, surrealist, Czechoslovak version of Alice in Wonderland?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep_i...ature=youtu.be

- World on a Wire: If you're into SF, cyberpunk, Philip K. Dick, Brazil, The Matrix, that sort of things, then you might love this 213-minute two-part German TV movie made from the 70s. Check out the trailer below and you'll know immediately if you want to watch it or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URq7...ature=youtu.be

- Yi Yi: Perhaps the only thing I can speak ill about this 174-minute magnum opus by Taiwanese master Edward Yang is that it's his last picture.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I'm still in the process of opening my DeepDiscount sale Criterion discs, where I had already previously reported half of them were in the loose shrinkwrap and without sticker, well my copy of The Times Of Harvey Milk was such a copy and..... there is even a store alarm strip inside.

[Show spoiler]There you go, clearly this was old store stock. I'm now also convinced all copies without sticker are returned items or old store stock. I won't even waste my time trying to find out if any of the movies I have are "director approved"-stickered releases because if Criterion goes out of their way to obtain such an approvel and create a sticker for it, there's no way they'd ship out copies without said sticker.

Criterion have always included those alarm strips inside their cases when supplying some retailers; this is done during manufacture and in no way is an indication that the item has been opened afterwards. Likewise the blue sticker/no blue sticker and type of wrap are no indication. Doesn't mean you don't ever get rewraps of course - I'm sure some I've had over the years from both Amazon and B&N were.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Criterion have always included those alarm strips inside their cases when supplying some retailers; this is done during manufacture and in no way is an indication that the item has been opened afterwards. Likewise the blue sticker/no blue sticker and type of wrap are no indication. Doesn't mean you don't ever get rewraps of course - I'm sure some I've had over the years from both Amazon and B&N were.

Hm but what you are saying still results in this old stock: I ordered these all from DeepDiscount.

1) Ordered dozens of Criterions from them and this is the first with an alarm inside = DD is not that retailer that asks Criterion to include alarms

2) as it's the first on dozens of Criterions that has the alarm = this is old stock from another store that does get them with the alarm and was returned (and what happened to that release, repackaged, resealed, is up for debate)

Conclusion: it's returned stock.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Criterion have always included those alarm strips inside their cases when supplying some retailers; this is done during manufacture and in no way is an indication that the item has been opened afterwards. Likewise the blue sticker/no blue sticker and type of wrap are no indication. Doesn't mean you don't ever get rewraps of course - I'm sure some I've had over the years from both Amazon and B&N were.

Criterion is a niche label selling mostly to film buffs and collectors who aren't returning product en masse. There are undoubtedly re-wraps, but nothing like the scale that has been implied in many posts over the years. Whenever there's a question raised about the type of wrap used, or a missing sticker, the suggestion it's a re-wrap is often not far behind - even though there's little evidence to support it.

[punisher]

Just picked up THE GUNFIGHTER..looking forward to watching this tonight. Long time fan of this film

https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/862...unfighter.html