The Criterion Collection

[Wally Q]

Originally Posted by tama

Looks like they just posted a hint pic on FB. Sayd they'll release the Mar. line up in two weeks. Everyone seems to think Hook? but wasn't that film just released by Sony?

The shot is reminiscent of the scene when Peter's talking to his partner over the phone and Jack's fooling around in the background with his shadow looming behind him. Perhaps it's a film Spielberg was paying homage to?

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by tama

Everyone seems to think Hook? but wasn't that film just released by Sony?

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to guess.

[popeflick]

Originally Posted by The Theory

Anyone see the hint Criterion posted on Facebook?

[Show spoiler]

Dial M seems to be the current answer du jour. A quick internet search though and the set's molding doesn't seem to match this photo, though I know the moment people think it is and certainly looks it.


Actually someone nailed it:

[Show spoiler]

Blithe Spirit The Seance - YouTube

[nathan_393]

Looks like Hidden Fortress to me.

*insert sarcasm tag here*

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by popeflick

Dial M seems to be the current answer du jour. A quick internet search though and the set's molding doesn't seem to match this photo, though I know the moment people think it is and certainly looks it.


Actually someone nailed it:

[Show spoiler]
Blithe Spirit The Seance - YouTube

Seriously? That would be sweet, since I'll be watching my PVR of it tonight.

Derp, I have poor reading comprehension

[SpiderBaby]

I guess that Cow clue was for Lean/Coward.

[obscurelabel]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Why? At best it would look like an upscaled DVD, which is what the DVDs look like. Blu-rays are still more expensive to manufacture than DVDs and anything like what you are suggesting would likely cause some consumer confusion with the mainline titles that have been given a "proper" Blu-ray upgrade. I think it would also degrade the brand a bit. The whole "standard definition on Blu-ray" movement really puzzles me.

It would still be standard def, but you could get all three movies on one disc, and save money on packaging as well. Eclipse would be perfect for this, since anyone buying an Eclipse package would likely be savvy enough to know that it was standard def content on a blu disc. I wish TV sets shot on video would do this now; you could cut the number of discs on a set by a factor of what, six? But as you say it would probably confuse people.

[Wally Q]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I guess that Cow clue was for Lean/Coward.

At least now I know what film Spielberg was referencing in Hook. Man loves him some David Lean.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Wally Q

At least now I know what film Spielberg was referencing in Hook. Man loves him some David Lean.

I'm glad someone does.

[Wally Q]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I'm glad someone does.

Ooh I love me some snark!

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I'm glad someone does.

Hey, now! I love me some David Lean!!! Yeah, that's three exclamation marks! Give me every British movie on blu-ray that Lean made before Hollywood and I'll be content.

Actually, my DVD set from the UK works just as well, too.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by dag

[Show spoiler]I just finished watching White Material, and I must say I was terribly disappointed. The protagonist appears to be

[Show spoiler]the stupidest white woman in the entire continent of Africa

; her son is, frankly,

[Show spoiler]incomprehensible

; and Christopher Lambert (looking

[Show spoiler]extremely worse for wear from his glory days as The Highlander

) doesn't

[Show spoiler]really do a whole heck of a lot

.

I don't mean to trample a film that any posters here enjoy, but I found the characters' behaviour to be inexplicable, and I was entirely unsympathetic to anything that was appearing on screen. Frankly, I found the script very shallow, and the production very poor. Alas, I was really expecting much more.

I thought the production was very good, actually. Visually it had a hot, gritty, claustrophic feel that was pretty effective. Some of the flashing back and forth through time was a little hard to follow at first but other than that I thought it was very well made overall.

As for the inexplicable behavior, the fact that she was so willfully oblivious was kind of the whole point. How many times have you picked up a newspaper (or a history book) and thought (of an individual or a nation) 'wtf were you thinking? How did you not see this coming???'

This film doesn't really answer those kind of questions but it does depict them in a viscerally effective way. In fact, there was almost a (very) slow-burn Hitchcockian 'suspense is when the audience knows there's a bomb on a bus' feel to it at times.

I completely agree about the son character though. I have absolutely no idea what was going on there.

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Col. Blimp is definitely getting an upgrade. It will probably tour before the blu-ray release. Thelma Schoonmaker has said several times they are working "very hard" on it. It should be a great restoration.

a narrative tour de force. this will be awesome.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

I guess that Cow clue was for Lean/Coward.

And I think that was the single most impressive hint I have seen from them ! I honestly would have never guessed it was such a twisty play of words. Still, great to see Lean is getting some love the next month. Although, I am a little bit disappointed it is not Tarr's Satantango after all .

[William H Pratt]

Anyway, I think it's a moot point. Eclipse is about affordable, tidy, accessible editions of otherwise hard-to-find films, and in that regard they are perfect as-is. It's sad that there are "format snobs" () that overlook a lot of these films because they aren't "restored" or loaded with extras or available on Blu-ray. Many are better looking than some Criterion mainline titles and offer a great value (economically and artistically) compared to a typical Hollywood studio DVD.

I was exceedingly pleased to be able to purchase Criterion's Eclipse version of Basil Dearden's London Underground! It allowed me to own a VERY good copy of the film Sapphire". I NEVER thought I'd ever see a DVD release of this obscure but worthwhile film. This Criterion DVD release is miles better than the DVR recording I had.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by popeflick

Dial M seems to be the current answer du jour. A quick internet search though and the set's molding doesn't seem to match this photo, though I know the moment people think it is and certainly looks it.

Not to mention, Dial M is owned by Warner, and reportedly already in the pipes (including the 3D version).

Actually someone nailed it:

[Show spoiler]
Blithe Spirit The Seance - YouTube

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Seriously? That would be sweet, since I'll be watching my PVR of it tonight.

Last seen at MGM, so....yeah. If it's Lean, it's Criterion.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by William H Pratt

I was exceedingly pleased to be able to purchase Criterion's Eclipse version of Basil Dearden's London Underground! It allowed me to own a VERY good copy of the film Sapphire". I NEVER thought I'd ever see a DVD release of this obscure but worthwhile film. This Criterion DVD release is miles better than the DVR recording I had.

Exactly why Eclipse is what it is. It's not there to piss off Blu-ray fans. It's there to get these films out without Criterion having to take a gamble on losing money restoring them. They are 100 times better than no release at all.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Here's the final poll.

Vote for Criterion Blu-ray release of the year for 2011.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...Zjcmc6MQ#gid=0

I was a little confused as to how I should answer the last question about my least favourite release.
There's a number of releases that don't appeal to me for different reasons.
There's also a couple that I bought and liked, but not as much as some.
I wasn't sure if I should choose from what I bought or select one I didn't get and appealed to me the least.
In the end, I went with least appeal and selected Life During Wartime. I saw Happiness years ago and hated it, so I have no intention of seeing Life During Wartime. Still, maybe that's unfair to be voting against a film I've never seen.
I put Three Colors as my number one release and Army of Shadows as my best-blind buy. However, there's probably at least ten that I blind-bought that I absolutely love. Really tough choice.
Voting in these polls and looking at these lists of releases proves we really don't have much to complain about
Thanks to ShellOilJunior for taking the time!

[dag]

Originally Posted by ikms

I actually watched the SW disc with the wife probably a month before I caught Nobody Knows on NHK.

Originally Posted by stobbart

Still Walking did things with story and how it reveals key plot devices that other films simply do not do. It created the most realistic portrayal of "life" that I have ever seen in a film.

Interesting discussion. I, myself, was tremendously impressed by Still Walking. I found it remarkably true - families are complex, people are filled with contradictions, life is tremendously difficult.

I haven't seen Nobody Knows - in part because, while I have never cried during a movie, certain things involving children, and, I admit, Asian children, affect me profoundly. A couple of years ago, I saw the Korean film A Brand New Life, about a girl who is abandoned at an orphanage. How I wanted to hug that dear child! There's another Korean film (Treeless Mountain), about two little sisters who are abandoned by their mother, that I've avoided because I fear it would leave me an emotional mess!

Asian cinema - I love it!

Getting back to Criterion - I'm sitting here debating what I should rent this Saturday. I'm thinking it'll be another Saturday double bill with Criterion.

[Hawkguy]

With all this talk, it is now necessary for me to see 'Still Walking' as soon as I can...