The Criterion Collection

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Thanks for the warning, pre-order as been place

Glad to be of service, as I don't think you'd want to wait for a sale that might not happen a month later. I've preordered it as well based on your schilling of the merits if thr film.

[Mac Norton]

Originally Posted by Banned User

You should pick it up. I'm surprised there has been so little talk about this boxset. One of the best releases of the year. You really can tell David Lean hit the ground running on his first movie as director. Top rate production.

I guess I'm in the minority placing Branded to Kill over Tokyo Drifter.

No, I don't think so. For sometime I had Branded to Kill over Tokyo Drifter. But I found myself being more in tune with the craziness of Tokyo and it went over. Both are excellent and for different reasons. Personally, you really can't go wrong with either.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Glad to be of service, as I don't think you'd want to wait for a sale that might not happen a month later. I've preordered it as well based on your schilling of the merits if thr film.

I do hope you enjoy it and have no regrets. It's something I am always scared of, I sometimes speak too much of movies I enjoy and I think I hype them and then people are left let down by watching them

[Darkcritic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tykxA...ature=youtu.be

Enjoy . It looks wonderful. Can't wait for the next sale. Will pick up the Dardennes, Fejos and Carne .

[Joe Dalek]

Originally Posted by HyperRealist

Region free for $40
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insignia...&skuId=2097354

This thread has the firmware and hack code.
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=190357

I have both the BRDVD3 and BRDVD4 models and can recommend them.

I've only had the BRDVD3 for a few months, but so far, so good.

I've had the BRDVD4 for nearly a year, and no complaints. Currently I have retired it to back-up status, as I prefer it over the BRDVD3 (smaller size and proven reliability). Best Buy did not have the BRDVD4s in stock when I went to purchase a back-up, otherwise I would have bought a second one.

The BRDVD2 model linked above seems to have universally poor reviews, so it may be worth the extra $10 or $20 for a more reliable model.

[paul000]

What films in the Criterion blu ray collection would you guys recommend as blind buys for a David Lynch fan?

[octagon]

+1 BRDVD4

Small, reliable (though I don't exactly beat it up so...), easy to change regions and it handles interlaced content with ease (many players simply won't play 50hz content and many that do will not output it in a form most US tvs can handle).

[Boob-Ray]

Originally Posted by jaredc

Island of Lost Souls was a blind buy and I'm about to watch it!

Nice. I blind-bought that one during the last Criterion sale. Great flick.

I think all my Criterions (20~30) were blind buys except: Fear & Loathing, Crumb and Dazed & Confused.

Lost Souls was definitely one of the better blinds, and they've all been purty dern good.

I just picked up The Gold Rush today. I have no concerns about this one!

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by paul000

What films in the Criterion blu ray collection would you guys recommend as blind buys for a David Lynch fan?

3 Women.

[White Dang]

Originally Posted by paul000

What films in the Criterion blu ray collection would you guys recommend as blind buys for a David Lynch fan?

I would say Kiss Me Deadly, Pale Flower (very moody), and 3 Women.

Also be sure to at least preview Shock Corridor, Videodrome, World on a Wire and Bergman's The Magician and Seventh Seal.

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

I hope they give mainline treatment to the more prominent Mexican films like Ensayo de un Crimen, Los Olvidados, Subida al Cielo, Nazarin (Fun fact: This is one of Tarkovsky's favorite films ), among others. I personally own almost every film he made in his life so the Eclipse route isn't all that attractive to me . They should do it eventually so a new audience can discover his brilliance, though.



You should definitely watch some of his Mexican films. I think there are just a couple of his films available in BD and most of them are from his French period. I can understand why some of these films are hard to get as the company holding the rights is a monopolical careless mess. There are some of his Mexican films available for picking, though. I mention this because some of there are in the Collection (El Angel Exterminador, Simon del Desierto, Viridiana) and Ensayo de un Crimen is in the same condition. Criterion should pick this up as my current DVD isn't all that good .

Thanks for the tips. It's interesting that he had such distinct periods based largely on which countries he worked in.

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by Mac Norton

As a huge fan of both, I can say without a doubt Tokyo Drifter is the better of the two films. The Blu-ray upgrade is nothing short of spectacular. Easily one of the best they have done. And the soundtrack is killer. I have on a number of occasions refereed to myself as "The Drifter" and whistled the theme song. As for Branded, I call my one friend the "#3" in everything. And ask him if he liked boiled rice...he never gets the joke.

For the other member looking for suggestions, BluPix , I can also recommend Pale Flower, which is great Japanese noir. I also recommend this book:

The Yakuza Movie Book: A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films

And a second book, which is a true story of an American getting into the Japanese underground:

Tokyo Vice

I'm still catching up on watching all the blu-rays I blnd-bought but have yet to watch. Pale Flower is one of those. I'll try to give it a higher priority.

Thanks for all the suggestions, especially on the books. I'm sure they'll all be entertaining to me.

There's something about the style and stories of Japanese cinema from that era that really appeals to me—and not just the crime dramas (like Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill) but everything, including the samurai movies (Harakiri), offbeat dramas (Black Sun), the suspense films (Kuroneko) and the war and drama epics (The Human Condition).

[jrsl76]

BN Sale To Date:

Blus:
Down By Law
And Everything Is Going Fine
Gray's Anatomy
Summer With Monika
Summer Interlude
Samurai Trilogy
La Haine
Being John Malkovich
Certified Copy

DVDs:
3 Silent Classics By Josef Von Sternberg
Monsters And Madmen
Eclipse Series 11: Larisa Shepitko
Eclipse Series 30: Sabu!
Eclipse Series 31: Three Popular Films By Jean-Pierre Gorin
Eclipse Series 32: Pearls Of The Czech New Wave

I've been watching the Gorin set and it's quite intriguing. I watched Poto And Cabengo a few days ago and am almost done with Routine Pleasures now. He seems to really focus in on perception, reality and memory. Looking forward to My Crassy Life!

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Banned User

You should pick it up. I'm surprised there has been so little talk about this boxset. One of the best releases of the year. You really can tell David Lean hit the ground running on his first movie as director. Top rate production.

I guess I'm in the minority placing Branded to Kill over Tokyo Drifter.

You're not alone. I prefer Branded to Kill.

[rkish]

I haven't read ANY of the posts since early this morning, as Network Man got tied up all day with VLAN and printer configuration issues...all part of my summer projects.

For those that weren't aware...DirecTV now has TCM-HD. VERY psyched!

I'm sure BG will keep me/us informed about films worth mentioning.

[jrsl76]

I haven't gotten around to watching Branded To Kill and Tokyo Drifter since getting the blus. I've watched TD a couple times in the past and BTK once. I definitely preferred TD, but the statement above that someone liked BTK much more on the 2nd viewing is intriguing to me.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by paul000

What films in the Criterion blu ray collection would you guys recommend as blind buys for a David Lynch fan?

Antichrist

Procede with caution because it's not the safest blind buy in the world (some fairly graphic sexual and violent images, for instance) but it doesn't sound like you're necessarily looking for safe.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by rkish

I haven't read ANY of the posts since early this morning, as Network Man got tied up all day with VLAN and printer configuration issues...all part of my summer projects.

For those that weren't aware...DirecTV now has TCM-HD. VERY psyched!

I'm sure BG will keep me/us informed about films worth mentioning.

Alas, I haven't checked out TCM in months as much as I did when I actually had it! I haven't had cable since April, and even if I did, I'm reading outside on my balcony more than ever right now. I'm heading out right now as it's sunny, 26 Celsius, with a nice breeze blowing. I need to slog through Peyton Place tonight. I finished The Glass Key on my lunch hour.

Funny you should mention VLAN and printer config issues. I'm fighting with IT right now over our plotter. It's here in Nova Scotia, but we're on a virtual network that goes to Toronto. Anytime we print something, the plotter goes offline after one sheet, and IT can't be bothered to talk to me about it because it's "not their equipment," and we only began to have the issue once we went on their network.

Sorry for that, let's get back to Criterions.

[Mac Norton]

Originally Posted by BluPix

I'm still catching up on watching all the blu-rays I blnd-bought but have yet to watch. Pale Flower is one of those. I'll try to give it a higher priority.

Thanks for all the suggestions, especially on the books. I'm sure they'll all be entertaining to me.

There's something about the style and stories of Japanese cinema from that era that really appeals to me—and not just the crime dramas (like Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill) but everything, including the samurai movies (Harakiri), offbeat dramas (Black Sun), the suspense films (Kuroneko) and the war and drama epics (The Human Condition).

I would agree with that statement. I think the same could be said for the French as well (Le Circle Rogue and Army of Shadows jump to mind). There is a certain flair to the Japanese, I can't quite articulate it, but it is one of those things you just know.

Your welcome on the suggestions. I have more, but I have to look at my list. I would be more then happy to pass those along to you.

The Yakuza book might be a tough fine...but Tokyo Vice is readily available and totally worth your time. It reads a lot like how David Sedaris talks. It is a fascinating read.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by DarkRyder

The last release I need now to complete my Criterion Oshima collection is In the Realm of the Senses, but I hear a lot of mixed things about this one. What are everyone's thoughts on this one?

Apart from Howards End, I thought this was the weakest Criterion title I own. I wouldn't say it was really bad, but there just wasn't much to hold my interest. But since you're an Oshima fan, the least you could do is try it.

On a different note, I saw Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain yesterday, and I thought it was absolutely incredible. Filled to the brim with interesting ideas, bizarre scenes and beautiful scenery, this one honestly never bored me. When it started, I had a wtf notion (like somebody who would watch an "artsy fartsy movie" for the first time, I reckon), but it really intriged me, and I wanted to continue even more. This just goes to show that you don't really need a plot to keep a movie interesting.

I also saw Rosemary's Baby the other day, and I have to say that it was a bit disappointing. Especially when you compare it with Polanski's Repulsion, which is so much better. On IMDb they go on how most of the supernatural scenes are open to interpretation, which is fine for most, apart from the ending. How can that be interpreted as something other than what it is? It's also a bit too over the top for me, which nearly spoils the entire thing.