The Criterion Collection

[BHolst]

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood

Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, should be great on blu-ray. For real film people a single Hitchcock release is a bigger event than Star Wars and Lord of the Rings combined

Hmmm, that's a first, I've never been called "fake film people" before... Or is it "real" in contrast to "virtual"? Maybe "imaginary" or "nonexistent"? It could also be "fictional".

Otoh I've never been called "real film people" either, so it might balance out anyway in the end.

[P@t_Mtl]

Is there such a thing as fake film-people? Just wondering?

[Monty70]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend one of the upcoming Seijun Suzuki films for a blind buy. (I have not seen any of his films) After reading about the films I am leaning towards Branded to Kill, but would certainly take opinions into consideration.

I had the same dilemma with the Chabrol films and was pointed in the right direction by a helpful tip. (Thanks Spiderbaby)


Also...
Screen caps for Harakiri from Blu-ray.com make the Criterion edition look better than I originally thought. (I had only viewed the caps from DVDBeaver previously) At this point I may pick up the Criterion release at the B&N 50% off sale.

[Dan Average]

Branded to Kill is pretty much the consensus choice for Suzuki's best, but I actually prefer Tokyo Drifter. Branded goes in fits and starts for me but Drifter is just a crazy ball of energy. Or maybe it's just the colors, like, whoa, maaan. I've heard it said that Drifter is the less "experimental" of the two, and I suppose that's right, but Suzuki's "less experimental" is almost anyone else's mainstream standard.

Screen caps for Harakiri from Blu-ray.com make the Criterion edition look better than I originally thought. (I had only viewed the caps from DVDBeaver previously)

DVD Beaver's BD caps make everything look softer than it actually is. Dunno what's going on with that. Their DVD captures had the same issue until a disc producer contacted them about the problem and advised a better method.

[SlickDamian]

Revanche and Blow Out don't seem to get much mention in thread. In my opinion they are both amazing films and some of the best blu-rays in the Criterion Collection.

Anybody else have any remarks about other (blu-ray) films in the collection that seem to be under the radar or underappreciated?

[tfunk]

Originally Posted by slickdamian

revanche and blow out don't seem to get much mention in thread. In my opinion they are both amazing films and some of the best blu-rays in the criterion collection.

+1.

[Monty70]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

Revanche and Blow Out don't seem to get much mention in thread. In my opinion they are both amazing films and some of the best blu-rays in the Criterion Collection.

Anybody else have any remarks about other (blu-ray) films in the collection that seem to be under the radar or underappreciated?

Although they are about as different as black and white I'd say Last Year at Marienbad and Kiss Me Deadly. The two films you mentioned are very good, Revanche in particular. From what I have read here most of the discussion is about recently released and upcoming films.

[Hawkguy]

I just watched '3 Women' last night. It looked great and I loved it more than I expected to. Very glad I blind-bought.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Monty70

Although they are about as different as black and white I'd say Last Year at Marienbad and Kiss Me Deadly. The two films you mentioned are very good, Revanche in particular. From what I have read here most of the discussion is about recently released and upcoming films.

I'll throw in my own opinion and say Last Year and Revanche are favorites, although I haven't gotten the release for Kiss Me Deadly, and haven't seen the film itself in the longest time.

[wolffuncut]

beaver´s salo is review is up.. I keep my BFI

[Yankees0222]

Are all the extras from the 2 disc DVD release of Salo on the blu ray? Because the page on here says the blu is only 1 disc

I really wish the price would come down too.... $35 is pricey I'll probably end up getting it anyway though

edit: so according to DVD beaver, it's not even in a digipack.... It's in a clear case. Not sure how I feel about that

[melo4mvp]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I just watched '3 Women' last night. It looked great and I loved it more than I expected to. Very glad I blind-bought.

I did as well. I thought it was excellent. Love films that leave you thinking like this one did.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

Revanche and Blow Out don't seem to get much mention in thread. In my opinion they are both amazing films and some of the best blu-rays in the Criterion Collection.

Anybody else have any remarks about other (blu-ray) films in the collection that seem to be under the radar or underappreciated?

Well, I could list quite a few, but I will start with two:

Still Walking - one of my absolute favorites in the Criterion Collection. It was a blind buy, bought because I had a gift card and this was the only Criterion available at Borders I did not already own. To be honest, reading the description made me think this would be one of those slow paced talkie-films that I have to be in a certain mood to watch.

Was I ever wrong. It is an incredible film, a low-key family drama brilliant in its ability to capture everyday nuances and interpersonal dynamics we can all relate to. It is one of my most re-watched Criterions. That is what makes the film so brilliant, that it can take a slice of everyday life - the gathering of an extended Japanese family, their interactions over several meals, interwoven with interpersonal tensions, quiet demons, and modern vs. traditional cultural themes - and make such a compelling story out of it for a non-Japanese audience.

The Secret of the Grain - again, one of my favorites, like Still Walking it was a huge surprise for me to discover this little gem. It does an effective job of conveying the lives of first and second generation immigrant North African families in French society. On the surface, it is about an older man who, having become "unprofitable" at a struggling shipyard, is let go after many years of working there and has to find a new meaning for his life so late in the game. Harnessing the support and love of those around him, he is resolved to turn what could have been a personal tragedy into the pursuit of a dream.

But it is deeper than that and contains multiple story threads revealing a range of overt and subtle themes. To me, the main underlying theme concerns the decay of second and third generation immigrant youth told through the family dynamic of the older man, and the consequences that come from this, both for the man and his family and as a micro-look at how, mulitplied on a larger scale, it impacts society as a whole. Intertwined with this theme is another one providing a damning look at the snobbish elitism of French civil servants and the bureaucracy to which the man must subject himself in order to realize his dream for a new start.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by oildude

Still Walking - one of my absolute favorites in the Criterion Collection. It was a blind buy, bought because I had a gift card and this was the only Criterion available at Borders I did not already own. To be honest, reading the description made me think this would be one of those slow paced talkie-films that I have to be in a certain mood to watch.

Was I ever wrong. It is an incredible film, a low-key family drama brilliant in its ability to capture everyday nuances and interpersonal dynamics we can all relate to. It is one of my most re-watched Criterions. That is what makes the film so brilliant, that it can take a slice of everyday life - the gathering of an extended Japanese family, their interactions over several meals, interwoven with interpersonal tensions, quiet demons, and modern vs. traditional cultural themes - and make such a compelling story out of it for a non-Japanese audience.

I keep going back and forth on Still Walking actually. I also have gotten the impression it's one of those 'mood' films and haven't been sure if I should pick it up or not...but your opinion definitely has me a bit more interested in checking this film out.

[ImportFanatic]

Originally Posted by Yankees0222

edit: so according to DVD beaver, it's not even in a digipack.... It's in a clear case. Not sure how I feel about that

The majority of Criterion releases are in clear cases.

[Yankees0222]

Originally Posted by ImportFanatic

The majority of Criterion releases are in clear cases.

But the DVD was a digipack..... Normally if the DVD release is a digipack, so is the blu release

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Yankees0222

Are all the extras from the 2 disk DVD release of Salo on the blu ray? Because the page on here says the blu is only 1 disk

I really wish the price would come down too.... $35 is pricey I'll probably end up getting it anyway though

edit: so according to DVD beaver, it's not even in a digipack.... It's in a clear case. Not sure how I feel about that

Yes, the 2-disc DVD releases and their 1-Disc Blu-ray counterparts always contain the same content.

And, they don't make the digipaks anymore. After only a handful of the earlier releases they began doing the clear cases and now all releases are in clear cases. All the previously released digipaks were re-done in clear cases.

[Yankees0222]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Yes, the 2-disc DVD releases and their 1-Disc Blu-ray counterparts always contain the same content.

And, they don't make the digipaks anymore. After only a handful of the earlier releases they began doing the clear cases and now all releases are in clear cases. All the previously released digipaks were re-done in clear cases.

That's not true. Night of the hunter isn't in a clear case.... I don't think battle of algiers is as well.

Neither is breathless come to think of it..... And you have that one in your collection!

[kazama]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

Revanche and Blow Out don't seem to get much mention in thread. In my opinion they are both amazing films and some of the best blu-rays in the Criterion Collection.

Anybody else have any remarks about other (blu-ray) films in the collection that seem to be under the radar or underappreciated?

Watched Revanche today and I absolutely agree, it's an amazing and compelling film.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Yankees0222

That's not true. Night of the hunter isn't in a clear case.... I don't think battle of algiers is as well.

Neither is breathless come to think of it..... And you have that one in your collection!

Yeah, and it is a digipak, but I thought all three of those were re-released in clear cases! But I can't find any proof of it. I also just got Chungking Express as a digipak too, and that one I'm positive I've seen a re-done clear case for. That is strange. Why were some of the digipaks re-released in clear cases and others weren't??