The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Yep. And A Safe Place is in no way, shape, or form a "first tier" film. I used it as an extreme example. You honestly can't compare Citizen Kane to A Safe Place. Both have Orson Welles, but that's about it. Even if I did like it, the style of both films are completely different. I think A Safe Place is the worst film to be added to the Criterion collection ever.

I readily admit I'm like that with film adaptations of books, although I've made exceptions for some.

Agreed. A SAFE PLACE is absolutely dreadful and that's being nice.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Agreed. A SAFE PLACE is absolutely dreadful and that's being nice.

I tried watching it twice. Maybe on the third time I'll find something valuable out of it. Or it will just be a good excuse to get really drunk.

[Show spoiler]You Tiny Furniture hates must not have watched A Safe Place if you think it's the worst thing Criterion's released. A Safe Place makes Tiny Furniture look like Citizen Kane, or The Godfather!

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by rkish

The Japanese "card game" you are referring to is called "Hanafuda" and it is indeed a "matching game". Believe it or not...my 12 year old had "money" that he accrued in Nintendo bucks and bought a boxed set of the cards...which are actually small tiles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanafuda

It's actually a fun game...there is even an iPad/iPod app that you can download (it might even be free) and you can play between two Apple devices.

I let my son watch the very beginning of the film, to let him watch them play the game...but no more than that!

From my understanding 'Hanafuda' simply means 'Flower Cards'. They were created in 1633+ in response to a ban on European cards generally used for gambling. While gambling was illegal cards were not and the flower cards came about in response. They were popular and used both for general card games and gambling. The cards can be grouped in sets of 4. Each group of which depicts a month of the year. The actual games are named something different and there are many games and variations that use these cards. Koi-Koi seems to be the more traditional game and is only played with two players and each player gets 8 cards with 8 faceup on the table so that is definitely not the one used in the movie.

Here's a good site that depicts the cards and sets
http://www.sloperama.com/hanafuda/koikoi.htm


The best I could find was a reference at the criterionorg forum to Oichokabu being the game in the movie.
But from the description I found of the game it doesn't really match. Oichokabu is basically blackjack 9 ( not 21 ) You basically lose the 1st digit when adding cards. ( example 12 = 2, 15 = 5 etc ). Whats interesting is the worst hand you can get is a 8 + 9 + 3 which is 20 and in oichokabu that is a zero. 8 = Yattsu or Ya, 9 = Ku, 3 = sa or san. Its phonetic pronunciation is yakuzu and seems to be the origin of the word from what I can gather. Even in Koi-Koi a matching set or special combo is called a Yaku.

I don't think either of the games mentioned are the ones played in the movie and have so far been unable to find a variation that fits. Its seems to me in the movie they play two different games. I am not sure what the game is where the dealer hides one card as depicted in the movie.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I tried watching it twice. Maybe on the third time I'll find something valuable out of it. Or it will just be a good excuse to get really drunk.

[Show spoiler]You Tiny Furniture hates must not have watched A Safe Place if you think it's the worst thing Criterion's released. A Safe Place makes Tiny Furniture look like Citizen Kane, or The Godfather!

Well, it does double as a soporific.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Well, it does double as a soporific.

Not for me, it makes me want to use the heavy-duty vacuum (dirt devil full-blown bagless upright vs. the teeny bissel electric broom I normally use for light vacuuming) in my apartment for some odd reason, thus giving me more energy. The film causes me to become quite ADD like too.

I think the heavy drinking would make it seem more interesting, because when you're drunk, the stupidest things become so fascinating.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Not for me, it makes me want to use the heavy-duty vacuum (dirt devil full-blown bagless upright vs. the teeny bissel electric broom I normally use for light vacuuming) in my apartment for some odd reason, thus giving me more energy. The film causes me to become quite ADD like too.

I think the heavy drinking would make it seem more interesting, because when you're drunk, the stupidest things become so fascinating.

I'm sure there a bunch of film symbolism geeks out there that find it to be incredible. Ya know, the same kind who sit on the floor with wine and cheese and mispronounce allegorical and didacticism.

[Guitar Joe]

I watched my first Melville last night, Le Cercle Rouge, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was more straightforward than I expected, but maybe that is because most of the recent French movies I've seen were more of the artsy-fartsy variety.

I think Army Of Shadows will be the next movie of his that I buy unless Le Samourai gets released before I get around to it.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by GAX279

Excellent-thank you very much! I've got something to read on my lunch hour now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanafuda

My pleasure...I hope you enjoyed it over lunch...

[rkish]

Originally Posted by Banned User

From my understanding 'Hanafuda' simply means 'Flower Cards'. They were created in 1633+ in response to a ban on European cards generally used for gambling. While gambling was illegal cards were not and the flower cards came about in response. They were popular and used both for general card games and gambling. The cards can be grouped in sets of 4. Each group of which depicts a month of the year. The actual games are named something different and there are many games and variations that use these cards. Koi-Koi seems to be the more traditional game and is only played with two players and each player gets 8 cards with 8 faceup on the table so that is definitely not the one used in the movie.

Here's a good site that depicts the cards and sets
http://www.sloperama.com/hanafuda/koikoi.htm


The best I could find was a reference at the criterionorg forum to Oichokabu being the game in the movie.
But from the description I found of the game it doesn't really match. Oichokabu is basically blackjack 9 ( not 21 ) You basically lose the 1st digit when adding cards. ( example 12 = 2, 15 = 5 etc ). Whats interesting is the worst hand you can get is a 8 + 9 + 3 which is 20 and in oichokabu that is a zero. 8 = Yattsu or Ya, 9 = Ku, 3 = sa or san. Its phonetic pronunciation is yakuzu and seems to be the origin of the word from what I can gather. Even in Koi-Koi a matching set or special combo is called a Yaku.

I don't think either of the games mentioned are the ones played in the movie and have so far been unable to find a variation that fits. Its seems to me in the movie they play two different games. I am not sure what the game is where the dealer hides one card as depicted in the movie.

Hey...thanks for all the info on Hanafuda!

My son and I have played Koi-Koi both with his Hanfuda cards and between our iPad and his iPod...pretty cool! A relatively easy game to learn...

[shadedpain4]

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/hanafuda/hanafuda_e.html

Here's a free flash game of hanafuda if anyone wants to try it.

[randibean]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

http://www.gamedesign.jp/flash/hanafuda/hanafuda_e.html

Here's a free flash game of hanafuda if anyone wants to try it.

i not understan this game.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by sc1957

Why can't you take the paper slip from the Blu-ray case and put in a clear case?

The clear cases are thicker than the regular Blu Ray cases. It wouldn't fit.

[SpiderBaby]

Looks like Robert Downey Sr.'s first 4 films is going to the Eclipse in May and with my count, Putney Swope is his 5th film? If not and they add that to the Eclipse, that would be yet another high profile title getting a feature-less release (even though there is a R1 dvd already with a commentary by Mr. Downey.). Hopefully we see Putney announced as a mainline release for May along side this Eclipse. Criterion has been great every month so far this year.

[SpiderBaby]

Oh and Pro-B, what does the inside packaging of Fassbinder's World on a Wire look like (with the review and all, seems you have the disc)? Curious to see it.

[ShellOilJunior]

I know some may find this boring but we're due for a high profile upgrade (eg. Bicycle Thieves).

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I know some may find this boring but we're due for a high profile upgrade (eg. Bicycle Thieves).

I decided not the put the UK edition of Bicycle Thieves in a recent UK order because I keep expecting it to be announced for Criterion.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I was thinking the same thing last night. Although Late Spring is pretty high profile.

I think we will get a big new release in May, like The Gold Rush. But I say that every month.



I've heard it is of questionable quality anyway. The Italian edition was supposed to be pretty nice, but I'd prefer a Criterion upgrade.

That's one of the reasons I've held back on Bicycle Thieves. Since I have a region-free player, I have the luxury of waiting to see comparisons between different regions

[ShellOilJunior]

M. Hulot's Holiday in time for the summer would be great, too.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

M. Hulot's Holiday in time for the summer would be great, too.

No Jacques Tati since Playtime. That being said I wonder if there is much appeal for this movie? For some reason I see them releasing Mon Uncle before Les Vacances De Monsieur Hulot.

[DetroitSquirreL]

Here is a code for B&N thats for Valentines Day sale (can be used now) its a surprise discount after you put stuff in the cart / bag ... I received $8 USD off

4F9JPY6VACU33