The Criterion Collection

[Zacherywolf7]

Originally Posted by SHMACKDOJO

I just watched Hunger. Honestly, there's not much of a story here. It's well directed, but the structure (or lack thereof) bugged me. I really enjoyed the first half, but at only 96 minutes, about a fifth of that running time is a dialogue between Michael Fassbender and a priest awkwardly sandwiched in the middle of the movie.

It's an interesting conversation, but director Steve McQueen (tee hee) holds one shot for the majority of it. I suppose it's interesting that he wanted to let the performances shine, but it wasn't visually interesting enough to really hold my attention. I ended up listening to most of it while my eyes wandered.

There's only about half an hour of movie left after that scene, and only one significant thing happens. Slowly. 2.5/5

Looks like these types of movies arent for you.
Everything you mentioned bad about it was what was so great.

[ccfixx]

I wanna blow my effin' brains out after reading through all these pointless ratings lists. Why is it that people in all forums like to create lists? For the love of Beelzebub and Saló, WHY?

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

I wanna blow my effin' brains out after reading through all these pointless ratings lists. Why is it that people in all forums like to create lists? For the love of Beelzebub and Saló, WHY?

Well, atleast you said it first, so we don't have 3 pages of backlash from my post. Though, wtf is with .5s? It's bad enough putting numbers on freedom in artform, and matching them up against another film that has no comparisons. Then someone goes and can't decide on a whole number, so they put half? You either love it or you don't. There isn't a science to it. And this word gets thrown around ALOT, but I don't think you can get more "pretentious" than .5s.

[Matt24734]

saw a few other people do this, rating all the Criterion Blu-Ray's they've seen:

Seven Samurai: 9.
The 400 Blows: 10.
The Seventh Seal: 9.
Shock Corridor: 8.5.
M: 9.5.
The Wages of Fear: 10.
The Red Shoes: 8.5.
The Third Man: 10.
Black Narcissus: 7.5.
Videordome: 8.5.
Army of Shadows: 8.
Breathless: 8.
Days of Heaven: 10. (the hate on here is absurd, if you find the narration annoying, you must as well avoid all of Malick's film, there's narration in all of them, but you're missing out, I think he's the only filmmaker who I give each one of his films a 10)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 9.
Last Year at Marienbad: 10.
Repulsion: 9.
Bigger Than Life: 9.
Stagecoach: 8.
The Thin Red Line: 10.
Paths of Glory: 10.
The Magician: 7.5
The Night of the Hunter: 10.
Five Easy Pieces: 10.
Sweet Smell of Success: 10.
Blow Out: 9.

I literally have not disliked a single one of their Blu-Ray releases I've seen, though there are some in their DVD Collection that I don't care for.

[Matt24734]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

I wanna blow my effin' brains out after reading through all these pointless ratings lists. Why is it that people in all forums like to create lists? For the love of Beelzebub and Saló, WHY?

I don't get why this makes you so frustrated.

[blg]

I'm starting to wonder what's up with the delay for Amazon pre-orders on the October releases.

I know there's a lot of love for Terrence Malick movies here. I've watched all except Badlands and to me they are like watching an oil painting. Yes the cinematography is beautiful, but the story is always lacking, at least for me.

The episodic nature of Days of Heaven and lack of dialogue was annoying. I did like The Thin Red Line, but there were a couple of scenes which were identical to The New World, namely the village scenes at the beginning. Also, speaking of the New World, it was mostly "whisper, whisper, whisper," shot of a beautiful tree, repeat.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by blg

shot of a beautiful tree, repeat.

Malick.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

All this talk about 8 1/2 has made me think something about it. I own the Criterion but I still don't watch it because I has been told to wait and see more and more Fellini before going ahead. I am kinda of a friend with a film critic who lives here in Mexico and in one conversation we had, he told me to wait and see more Fellini. I have been following his advice but I am still not sure when will that "right" time come . I am just trying to say; do you need to watch his previous films to fully appreciate it?

8 1/2 was actually the first Fellini film that I watched. Though I can see where one would say watch more Fellini to get used to his style, the fact is that this is the first Fellini film chronologically in his ouevre that is this Fellini-esque; that is, a meta-explosive mix of self-reflective surrealism. La Dolce Vita directly preceded this film and though it had elements of surrealism it is pretty straightforward.

I think having a healthy knowledge of films is probably more paramount to enjoying it, as 8 1/2 is on the shortlist of the greatest films about filmmaking ever made--and from the director's perspective, it's probably the best. So yes watching Amarcord or Satyricon will get you in the Fellini mood, but in my estimation such is not imperative to enjoying 8 1/2.

[Tom Hiddleston]

Originally Posted by Matt24734

I don't get why this makes you so frustrated.

+1 And I like to see some people's opinions on here about the films. Sue me.

[keldons]

Originally Posted by blg

Also, speaking of the New World, it was mostly "whisper, whisper, whisper," shot of a beautiful tree, repeat.

And Antonioni is just people looking bored. And von Trier is just women being punished. And Haneke is just bourgeois families and long takes. And Brakhage is just some colors. And Rohmer is just people sitting around talking.

This type of generalizing never gets any less worthy of

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Why is it that people in all forums like to create lists? For the love of Beelzebub and Saló, WHY?

All the juveniles are in protective custody? Pog and 8-track collectors symposium cancelled? Gender-based biblical hermeneutics exposed as a 5th column? The Mysteries of Life, enjoy 'em while they last.

[georgec]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Black and white films play a part in it. Don't want pink cover art on The Seventh Seal just to be colorful on display.

I never implied pink cover art on TSS. I'm not talking about all the films, especially B&W ones where the spine colors make sense. Take Solaris for example - the cover is lush orange and blue, but the spine is black/gray. It would look better, in my opinion, if the spine fit the cover. It adds more diversity to the shelf.

Not a dealbreaker by any means. I'm not complaining - just observing and wondering why this is.

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

SpiderBaby's observation is correct but it's also just good graphic design. Black-on-white and white-on-black are plainly easier to read, especially at a glance while, say, browsing spines at Barnes & Noble. It's not just Criterion. Every WB disc spine I have is white (or light) type on black.

In order to fit all of the information. This is more to do with the smaller Blu-ray format, because paragraphs fit easier than bullet lists.

I can dig this. Yet, looking at my cases I see bullet lists and paragraph lists on back covers where there may or may not be credits, or may or may not be a small image.

Again, I'm just sparking discussion but to be honest I don't see a pattern. It seems random and that's perfectly cool! I like the variation.

[dag]

Thanks to an absolutely fantastic video store downtown, I've been able to do a bit of catch up with some of Criterion's recent releases: The Music Room, Beauty and the Beast, Zazie dans le metro, and Kiss Me Deadly. All interesting films in their own right, and I've enjoyed viewing them.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by blg

I'm starting to wonder what's up with the delay for Amazon pre-orders on the October releases.

I know there's a lot of love for Terrence Malick movies here. I've watched all except Badlands and to me they are like watching an oil painting. Yes the cinematography is beautiful, but the story is always lacking, at least for me.

The episodic nature of Days of Heaven and lack of dialogue was annoying. I did like The Thin Red Line, but there were a couple of scenes which were identical to The New World, namely the village scenes at the beginning. Also, speaking of the New World, it was mostly "whisper, whisper, whisper," shot of a beautiful tree, repeat.

I'm always surprised to read negative reviews of Malick's work on here because I know there are a lot of folks here that appreciate silent film. I say this because the way Malick directs his films could easily have been silents.

Consider Days of Heaven. Is there even a need for words when

[Show spoiler]the farmer dies and the foreman who is pretty much his father has a look of pain and anguish all over his weathered face? The scene is devastating but at the same time beautiful because of the way Malick handles it. Words aren't needed to show us how how he loved him like a son.

To me, Malick wants the viewer to feel his films. Words aren't needed when we see the house in the distance through the fields with Morricone's brilliant score coming in. It gives me chills much in the same way Waltz on the Blue Danube accompanies the docking sequence in 2001 or Lawrence rescuing Gasim in the famous "Nothing is written" scene in Lawrence of Arabia. Pure cinema.

[deakin]

Hello all, new to the forums, I've finally moved on from lurking to participating which i'm liking a whole lot better already. I'm looking for some advice on some titles to pick up before the B&N sale ends. I've already picked up 7 during the sale so far and I'm making myself limit it to four more before it ends. I'm pretty set on three of them: Tokyo Story, Life During Wartime, and Cronos, but I'm having trouble deciding between picking up Leon Morin, Priest (loved Army of Shadows, liked Le Cercle Rouge) and two other options: either upgrading by DVD of Breathless or picking up Zazie Dans La Metro(Loved Black Moon). So if anyone has any suggestions for what I should opt for I'd be much obliged.

On a different note, watched Naked last night. Loved it, especially the score. I'll admit aside from being a movie geek I'm a literature geek and have been trying to figure out what stories/novels are out there which deal with the same persona and themes(other than the ones made apparent in the movie itself). There's obviously influences of Camus and Celine, but I know theres a novel out there with the same kind of drifting, solipsistic mentality in the protagonist who can't stay with any normalcy of society and is simply to intelligent for his own good. I've been racking my brains trying to find the best literary parallel but coming up short, so if any other fellow readers out there can enlighten me I'd love to hear it.

Sorry for the long post, I'm new to the whole message board thing and from lurking it seems like this thread seems like the one for me to throw out my ramblings

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by deakin

Hello all, new to the forums, I've finally moved on from lurking to participating which i'm liking a whole lot better already. I'm looking for some advice on some titles to pick up before the B&N sale ends. I've already picked up 7 during the sale so far and I'm making myself limit it to four more before it ends. I'm pretty set on three of them: Tokyo Story, Life During Wartime, and Cronos, but I'm having trouble deciding between picking up Leon Morin, Priest (loved Army of Shadows, liked Le Cercle Rouge) and two other options: either upgrading by DVD of Breathless or picking up Zazie Dans La Metro(Loved Black Moon). So if anyone has any suggestions for what I should opt for I'd be much obliged.

Breathless should be yours I love that blu-ray.

Leon Morin is much different than what Melville is known for but it is really fascinating. The conversations Belmundo and Riva have in the picture are really intimate in a philosophical sense. Belmundo will surprise you. He is excellent in this role.

[Wildcat47]

Originally Posted by deakin

I saw this last week, and while I really enjoyed it, the last 15 minutes or so of Sean Penn on the beaches of the past? the end of time?, whatever, really turned me off it, I was just waiting for it to end at that point. I felt he was trying to hard to go super artsy. In my opinion it should have ended with the last black screen with the light in the middle and the whisper, follow me. Anyone else feel the same way?

I took it as he (Penn) had finally came to some peace in his life. When he steps through the doorway he is putting it all behind him and finds happiness with what life has given him. I could be totally wrong though. Really can't state enough how much I want to see this again, I'm sure I missed so much, as there was more than one serving to take in with this film. Any word on release date for blu? I remember rumors of a 5 or 6 hour cut that may be included, which id love to view as well. I give Tree of Life a 9.53728/10.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

8 1/2 was actually the first Fellini film that I watched. Though I can see where one would say watch more Fellini to get used to his style, the fact is that this is the first Fellini film chronologically in his ouevre that is this Fellini-esque; that is, a meta-explosive mix of self-reflective surrealism. La Dolce Vita directly preceded this film and though it had elements of surrealism it is pretty straightforward.

I think having a healthy knowledge of films is probably more paramount to enjoying it, as 8 1/2 is on the shortlist of the greatest films about filmmaking ever made--and from the director's perspective, it's probably the best. So yes watching Amarcord or Satyricon will get you in the Fellini mood, but in my estimation such is not imperative to enjoying 8 1/2.

Thanks for the response . Yeah, I have been trying to catch up with some of his works. I hadn't seen much Fellini but I consider myself a film-buff in all the extent of the term . I will see more of his films before going into this one thought, I already own a copy so there is no rush at all.

Originally Posted by georgec

I never implied pink cover art on TSS. I'm not talking about all the films, especially B&W ones where the spine colors make sense. Take Solaris for example - the cover is lush orange and blue, but the spine is black/gray. It would look better, in my opinion, if the spine fit the cover. It adds more diversity to the shelf.

Not a dealbreaker by any means. I'm not complaining - just observing and wondering why this.

I sometimes have these same kind of thoughts. There are some films where "more" color is certainly needed. For example, Repulsion's B&W spine is perfect in design and thematic content but other spines like the that of The Thin Red Line should have more color. Seriously, it is hard as hell to read the text of that last title, the font and spine colors are almost the same .

[jtwise]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

You have to order them from their store now.

Thank you!

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by deakin

either upgrading by DVD of Breathless or picking up Zazie Dans La Metro(Loved Black Moon). So if anyone has any suggestions for what I should opt for I'd be much obliged.

Upgrade Breathless or get Zazie. But I say Breathless.