The Criterion Collection

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

You can get it at best buy for 25 if you trade in a dvd. Would be about the same with tax but if you didn't want to wait for it to come. That's what I'm gonna do.

Yeah sounds like I got it for a good price...thanks for the feedback. Only my third Criterion so far! Got Bottle Rocket and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Now if only Criterion would release The Life Aquatic they would get more of money. Oh and The Royal Tenenbaums. Big Wes Anderson fan...

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by retablo

This is the kind of film Criterion should be releasing, IMO...

Well, The Deep End has been on the BLU-RAY - DISTINCT CERTAINTIES list on Criterion forum since August of 09. That's the only reason I haven't purchased the BFI version (I've been patient for the Ozu's as well, time will tell if it was worth it!).

[retablo]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

Well, The Deep End has been on the BLU-RAY - DISTINCT CERTAINTIES list on Criterion forum since August of 09. That's the only reason I haven't purchased the BFI version (I've been patient for the Ozu's as well, time will tell if it was worth it!).

It's a beautiful restoration, with really nice extras (the hour long making-of doc is especially amazing). Criterion usually doesn't produce "making of" docs like that anyway, unless I'm just forgetting some.

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by RedIsNotBlue

Yeah sounds like I got it for a good price...thanks for the feedback. Only my third Criterion so far! Got Bottle Rocket and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Now if only Criterion would release The Life Aquatic they would get more of money. Oh and The Royal Tenenbaums. Big Wes Anderson fan...

Yea I'm a big Wes Anderson fan as well. A lot of people here don't seem to like him thou. My favorites of his is Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited. Can't wait to pick up Rushmore.

[DetroitSquirreL]

Originally Posted by Yankees0222

Does anyone know if they are offering replacement discs for Carlos yet?

I sent them a tweet asking it early last week and haven't received an answer back

[DetroitSquirreL]

Joe D - thanks for the mention of the thread...(its in my signature)

Just to pipe in about a few things on that subject then if you want more info come over to the thread.

The Insignia is no longer sold in stores (except the 3D model, but thats not able to do region free) You can get them off eBay or sometimes off BestBuy.com & they will all be listed as 'refurbished' but that don't really mean they were returns. And 'sometimes' the region free menu will stay up and not need to do the remote hack to open the menu to change regions. I only use mine for region B & C. And you can only find out what firmware is on the box by plugging it in and viewing it...about 90% of the time they have been upgraded past the last region free firmware so you'll have to d/l the last region free firmware and down grade it .

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

and there's a Fassbinder biography by Robert Katz that I've read a couple times (among others).

Oh, I haven't read this one. How is it (considering you have read it a couple times you must like it)?

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Royal Mail = delivery in a week. DHL = delivery in NEVER (as I am currently experiencing).

I live in an apartment so DHL usually fails to deliver the first time. On the other hand, UPS always seems to find a way to get in and deliver via Prime.

I've gotten in the habit of leaving an OK-to-leave in lobby note for the carrier if it's not UPS.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I live in an apartment so DHL usually fails to deliver the first time. On the other hand, UPS always seems to find a way to get in and deliver via Prime.

I've gotten in the habit of leaving an OK-to-leave in lobby note for the carrier if it's not UPS.

I live in an apartment as well, so I usually ship stuff to my parents' house. Yes, they live 60KM away, but at least I know it's going to arrive there, and not get stolen, and the post office isn't in a sketchy area, and I often drive out on weekends, or they come in for grocceries at Costco and drop it off with me.

[Banned User]

As far as the Insignia's and the Momitsu 799 I assume the Momitsu is the better player, but probably older model? Also do all of them play PAL and 50i content?

After Criterion's latest release announcement and then now MoC's I think Criterion really needs to step up their game. I'm glad they announce some more obscure stuff, but personally I'd like to see some more popular, classic titles that haven't seen a Bluray release and less stuff like ( dare I mention it ) Tiny Furniture.

I really didn't want to hassle with a region free player. With the MoC titles and then all the Region B Ealing Studio releases, personal favorites of mine, (while Region A has only one: Ladykillers) I feel I am forced to go that route.

[jcs913]

Interesting review for Tiny Furniture.....

Frankly, I think Pro-B sums it up in the bold:

Tiny Furniture is an ambitious but very difficult film to like. It seems like it was meant to be a quirky comedy, but I thought that it was incredibly sad, often to the point of being unbearably depressing. The film gets quite a few things right, but I side with those who believe that there is nothing in it that we have not seen before done a lot better. As expected, Criterion's presentation of the film is impressive. RENT IT.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by Banned User

As far as the Insignia's and the Momitsu 799 I assume the Momitsu is the better player, but probably older model? Also do all of them play PAL and 50i content?

After Criterion's latest release announcement and then now MoC's I think Criterion really needs to step up their game. I'm glad they announce some more obscure stuff, but personally I'd like to see some more popular, classic titles that haven't seen a Bluray release and less stuff like ( dare I mention it ) Tiny Furniture.

I really didn't want to hassle with a region free player. With the MoC titles and then all the Region B Ealing Studio releases, personal favorites of mine, (while Region A has only one: Ladykillers) I feel I am forced to go that route.

I think a region-free player is just about a must-have for cinema-lovers, whether uber-cinephile or not, especially when one can be had as cheaply as the models that are available*. There's just too many good films released around the world that a) are not on fast-track to be released and/or b) may not get released in a certain region to just lock yourself into one.

*This is in the North America thread, so I'm going off North America origin assumptions. I realize this may be harder to accomplish in some parts of the world*

[*DrStrangelove*]

What great cinematography in The Cranes are Flying. I really enjoyed it. Add that to my list of hopeful upgrades. What a great film. Gonna check out Letter Never Sent next. Lately I've been on streak of great films I had never really heard of. Started with The Testament of Dr Mabuse then Eyes without a Face then The Cranes are Flying. Enjoyed all of them immensely. Thanks to Hulu I can check all these out.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Interesting review for Tiny Furniture.....

Frankly, I think Pro-B sums it up in the bold:

Tiny Furniture is an ambitious but very difficult film to like. It seems like it was meant to be a quirky comedy, but I thought that it was incredibly sad, often to the point of being unbearably depressing. The film gets quite a few things right, but I side with those who believe that there is nothing in it that we have not seen before done a lot better. As expected, Criterion's presentation of the film is impressive. RENT IT.

Exactly, but Pro-B has actually watched the film, and didn't base his review off of the fact that Dunham doesn't like a certain film, or because he doesn't like the way she looks. His review seems fair, as he gave the film itself a 3/5, or 60%. that's basically the lowest Rotten Tomatoes allows for a fresh rating. There are probably some people who will buy this, and they shouldn't be faulted for that. I'm sure it's something that has been done before, and probably has been done better, yet the film is still winning awards and getting a lot of coverage (both positive and negative).

I probably won't buy it myself, and yes I'm aware that I was one of the more vocal ones against those who were bashing it, but I'm at least going to see it before I pass judgment on it, and can recognise that some people may appreciate it, and understand why Criterion has added it to the collection.

They have a lot of films in their collection I don't like, some I even hate, yet they have a good reason (for Criterion) to have them in the collection. A lot of people seem to have this skewed perception of Criterion, and think that they should only do "classic" films, or films that they like, and seem to feel that when a film they dislike is added, it's "taking the place" of something else. As others have said, MoC are releasing a lot more interesting titles right now. That's good for them, as it is their taste. You don't alwways have to buy the Criterion release, as these other independent companies have releases that are on par, or sometimes greater than Criterion.

Unfortunately, Pro-B's review is just going to be interpretated as validating the negative criticism against Dunham, that has nothing to do with the film itself.

[dag]

I rented a few new Criterions this week:

Belle de Jour was certainly very interesting, and I can understand any controversey involving its subject matter. However, the film's resort to absurdity tried my patience more than once, and the film did seem dated to me. The movie was more of an historical interest to me, and didn't leave me with anything really lasting.

I wanted to watch The Moment of Truth, as I'll be travelling through Spain for a few weeks this spring. Any potential viewers who get upset at the portrayal of cruelty to animals should be warned that quite a number of bulls are killed in this movie. As a film, I must say it really wasn't successful: the character arc was very conventional and also superficially portrayed; the ending was entirely predictable.

This was the first time I had ever seen the original Japanese version of Godzilla, and I must say I was actually very impressed! There's no question but that the special effects enjoy a frommage factor today, but it's a very serious film, and packs an emotional wallop. The monster can be interpreted in several ways: most explicitly, the harrowing threat of nuclear destruction; alternatively, could it represent some kind of revenge against Japan for its brutal imperialism throughout the Asia-Pacific region in the 30's and 40's; or, perhaps it is a manifestation of Japan's vulnerability to the devastation inflicted by natural disasters, such as the great Kanto earthquake. I was surprised at the unflinching portrayal of mammoth human casualties and suffering: a mother holds her children and tries to reassure them as they are about to die; children weep at the death of loved ones; terminal exposure to radiation leaves some survivors with no hope; corpses line the floors; huge numbers of people flee in terror. Watching the film, I was struck by the modern parallels of the triple crisis of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster from last March. There are reasons why this film survives in the modern imagination, and it absolutely belongs as a valued addition to Criterion's collection.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by dag

I rented a few new Criterions this week:

Belle de Jour was certainly very interesting, and I can understand any controversey involving its subject matter. However, the film's resort to absurdity tried my patience more than once, and the film did seem dated to me. The movie was more of an historical interest to me, and didn't leave me with anything really lasting.

I wanted to watch The Moment of Truth, as I'll be travelling through Spain for a few weeks this spring. Any potential viewers who get upset at the portrayal of cruelty to animals should be warned that quite a number of bulls are killed in this movie. As a film, I must say it really wasn't successful: the character arc was very conventional and also superficially portrayed; the ending was entirely predictable.

This was the first time I had ever seen the original Japanese version of Godzilla, and I must say I was actually very impressed! There's no question but that the special effects enjoy a frommage factor today, but it's a very serious film, and packs an emotional wallop. The monster can be interpreted in several ways: most explicitly, the harrowing threat of nuclear destruction; alternatively, could it represent some kind of revenge against Japan for its brutal imperialism throughout the Asia-Pacific region in the 30's and 40's; or, perhaps it is a manifestation of Japan's vulnerability to the devastation inflicted by natural disasters, such as the great Kanto earthquake. I was surprised at the unflinching portrayal of mammoth human casualties and suffering: a mother holds her children and tries to reassure them as they are about to die; children weep at the death of loved ones; terminal exposure to radiation leaves some survivors with no hope; corpses line the floors; huge numbers of people flee in terror. Watching the film, I was struck by the modern parallels of the triple crisis of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster from last March. There are reasons why this film survives in the modern imagination, and it absolutely belongs as a valued addition to Criterion's collection.

I think you're the first person to actually say you've watched The Moment of Truth! A lot of people seem to gloss over this release for some reason.

If you hate absurdity in a movie about sex, avoid Candy. It was pretty bad (bad in a kinda good way, like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Ring Starr is a pervy Mexican gardener named Emmanuel in this). The novel was a bit better, but I didn't care much for it either. Belle's got nothing on Candy.

Terry Southern must be an aquired taste that I have yet to aquire. To be honest, The Magic Christian, which is also by him, was much better in film form than it was in novel form.

[keldons]

Originally Posted by joie

One reason to see Tiny Furniture is to learn how to make a film with a digital SLR that can shoot 1080p (or 720p).

Tiny Furniture looks better than Army of Shadows! Interesting, considering the resolution of a digital SLR is a lot less than film.

off the top of my head, 127 Hours and Black Swan have some stuff shot with DSLRs and it looks fantastic.

[DetroitSquirreL]

Originally Posted by Banned User

As far as the Insignia's and the Momitsu 799 I assume the Momitsu is the better player, but probably older model? Also do all of them play PAL and 50i content?

Yes, the Insignia's do (see my thread in my signature about Insignia players & region free)

[DetroitSquirreL]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I think you're the first person to actually say you've watched The Moment of Truth! A lot of people seem to gloss over this release for some reason.

If you hate absurdity in a movie about sex, avoid Candy. It was pretty bad (bad in a kinda good way, like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Ring Starr is a pervy Mexican gardener named Emmanuel in this). The novel was a bit better, but I didn't care much for it either. Belle's got nothing on Candy.

Terry Southern must be an aquired taste that I have yet to aquire. To be honest, The Magic Christian, which is also by him, was much better in film form than it was in novel form.

I've seen 'Candy'... and I'm a HUGE fan of VotD & Russ Meyer stuff, etc.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by DetroitSquirreL

I've seen 'Candy'... and I'm a HUGE fan of VotD & Russ Meyer stuff, etc.

I didn't enjoy it either, but it falls in the same "genre" of films as BtVotD and other Russ Meyer films. Candy is actually a satirical re-writing of Voltaire's Candide, believe it or not.