The Criterion Collection

[BohemianGraham]

Anyone care to tell me why Amazon Canada is now claiming the following:

[Show spoiler]

I be very confuzzled by this.

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Not what I mean at all, the question was "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them your favorite---nearly all of them, or most?" and my reply to the question is to pick a few from different moments in a director's life. Not once did I said "older mean's better" in fact sometimes it's actually the other way around, some of the bext work was done the younger days. Example for myself, I prefer the younger Woody Allen from the post Annie Hall Woody Allen.

Funny this should come up, I've just started watching Woody Allen's films - because I'd never seen any of them, and thought I should. Somewhat randomly I've watched (in order)

Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Midnight in Paris
Manhattan
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The question for me is "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them terrible?" Apart from Manhattan (which I found reasonably enjoyable), the rest of them were pretty dire. One one hand I feel I should persist - because 5 films is not a very big sample of his work - but on the other maybe I just don't get Woody Allen and should give up.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Funny this should come up, I've just started watching Woody Allen's films - because I'd never seen any of them, and thought I should. Somewhat randomly I've watched (in order)

Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Midnight in Paris
Manhattan
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The question for me is "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them terrible?" Apart from Manhattan (which I found reasonably enjoyable), the rest of them were pretty dire. One one hand I feel I should persist - because 5 films is not a very big sample of his work - but on the other maybe I just don't get Woody Allen and should give up.

Those are all "newer" ones too. Try watching Bananas, Love & Death, and What's New *****cat? (ok, he didn't direct but he wrote it, and it has Peter Sellers in it!)

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Those are all "newer" ones too. Try watching Bananas, Love & Death, and What's New *****cat? (ok, he didn't direct but he wrote it, and it has Peter Sellers in it!)

Thanks, will give those a try. Can't go wrong with Peter Sellers!

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Thanks, will give those a try. Can't go wrong with Peter Sellers!

I will admit the first time I watched it, I didn't care for it, but it grew on me. In addition to Allen and Sellers it also has Peter O'Toole, Paula Prentiss, and Ursula Andress.

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I will admit the first time I watched it, I didn't care for it, but it grew on me. In addition to Allen and Sellers it also has Peter O'Toole, Paula Prentiss, and Ursula Andress.

Even better I have to admit I chose those last two Woody Allen movies because (cough) Scarlett Johansson was in them LOL

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Anyone care to tell me why Amazon Canada is now claiming the following:

[Show spoiler]

I be very confuzzled by this.

Seem like an Internet tech just confuse the dates

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Anyone care to tell me why Amazon Canada is now claiming the following:

[Show spoiler]

I be very confuzzled by this.

9/4 makes sense for Rosemary's Baby. The release date is 10/30 and the US Amazon will sometimes pad the shipping estimate on preorders by a few days just to be on the safe side. (I think they also do it to make super saver shipping seem a little less appealing compared to prime and the like. Preorders used to ship a day or two before release date for me but I haven't had that happen in quite a while.)

As for which they send separately and which they hold until the last item is ready, that's never had a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by octagon

9/4 makes sense for Rosemary's Baby. The release date is 10/30 and the US Amazon will sometimes pad the shipping estimate on preorders by a few days just to be on the safe side. (I think they also do it to make super saver shipping seem a little less appealing compared to prime and the like. Preorders used to ship a day or two before release date for me but I haven't had that happen in quite a while.)

As for which they send separately and which they hold until the last item is ready, that's never had a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

Amazon Canada normally ships the day of, occasionally the day before. Rosemary's Baby and In the Mood for Love shipping the 4th of September is a bit much don't you think? Last week they were coming out on the correct dates, and In the Mood For Love was shipping with Forgiveness of Blood. Amazon Canada is now claiming both titles come out on the 4th of September, when last week the preorders had the correct dates.

So why change only those two? And not the others for October??

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Seem like an Internet tech just confuse the dates

He must be a pretty stunned one to change them and reorganise my shipping order, as the titles had the correct release dates last week. Even when you search for them, they come up with the Sept. 4th date.

[Hayabusa85]

Originally Posted by octagon

9/4 makes sense for Rosemary's Baby. The release date is 10/30 and the US Amazon will sometimes pad the shipping estimate on preorders by a few days just to be on the safe side. (I think they also do it to make super saver shipping seem a little less appealing compared to prime and the like. Preorders used to ship a day or two before release date for me but I haven't had that happen in quite a while.)

As for which they send separately and which they hold until the last item is ready, that's never had a lot of rhyme or reason to it.

November 4th might make sense for that reason not almost two months early

Seems like it is just an error that will be fixed eventually.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Funny this should come up, I've just started watching Woody Allen's films - because I'd never seen any of them, and thought I should. Somewhat randomly I've watched (in order)

Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Midnight in Paris
Manhattan
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The question for me is "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them terrible?" Apart from Manhattan (which I found reasonably enjoyable), the rest of them were pretty dire. One one hand I feel I should persist - because 5 films is not a very big sample of his work - but on the other maybe I just don't get Woody Allen and should give up.

Here's a good sampling:

Love and Death
Manhattan Murder Mystery
Annie Hall
Crimes and Misdemeanors
The Purple Rose of Cairo
Broadway Danny Rose
Deconstructing Harry

[Lutz]

For Woody Allen I'd go the white entitlement melodramas;

Interiors
Husbands and Wives
Alice
September
Another Woman

They're all much better written than his more recent melodrama and they have a lot of amazing actors putting in great performances.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Funny this should come up, I've just started watching Woody Allen's films - because I'd never seen any of them, and thought I should. Somewhat randomly I've watched (in order)

Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Midnight in Paris
Manhattan
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The question for me is "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them terrible?" Apart from Manhattan (which I found reasonably enjoyable), the rest of them were pretty dire. One one hand I feel I should persist - because 5 films is not a very big sample of his work - but on the other maybe I just don't get Woody Allen and should give up.

I find Midnight in Paris and Match Point to be 2 of his best ever.

[shadedpain4]

Purchased my first Eclipse set today: Late Ozu.

I blame P@t.

[Boob-Ray]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Going along with the favorite director discussion happening..... I'm wondering, how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them your favorite---nearly all of them, or most?

Good question. I'm not sure how I'd rank directors anyway. I don't know what they do, exactly. For example, I think editing is just as important. I know Ford understood this, and apparently shot his films so tightly that editing was very "difficult."

So without being there, it's hard for me to say which director's are truly genius or not. On the set, watching them work, I could probably tell you...but finish products? Who the hell knows.

I've known a great film. Everything works...or so much works that it becomes quite moving -- not the subject -- but the fact that things are working together. It's artistically moving: the performers, cinematography, editing, set, staging, music, sound effects, dialogue (if any), pacing -- all these elements coming together that it speaks to divinity.

That's when I know, something's good. Director's may be the logical choice, but I simply don't know. I'd be a good director, though. As long as I didn't have to worry about administrative crap. And budgets and stuff....not that I'd need a big budget. I don't need high-minded "talent" either. Just people who know how to work the equipment.

[billzfan]

Originally Posted by Boob-Ray

Good question. I'm not sure how I'd rank directors anyway. I don't know what they do, exactly. For example, I think editing is just as important. I know Ford understood this, and apparently shot his films so tightly that editing was very "difficult."

So without being there, it's hard for me to say which director's are truly genius or not. On the set, watching them work, I could probably tell you...but finish products? Who the hell knows.

I've known a great film. Everything works...or so much works that it becomes quite moving -- not the subject -- but the fact that things are working together. It's artistically moving: the performers, cinematography, editing, set, staging, music, sound effects, dialogue (if any), pacing -- all these elements coming together that it speaks to divinity.

That's when I know, something's good. Director's may be the logical choice, but I simply don't know. I'd be a good director, though. As long as I didn't have to worry about administrative crap. And budgets and stuff....not that I'd need a big budget. I don't need high-minded "talent" either. Just people who know how to work the equipment.

This is a great point and why Kurosawa might be the best filmmaker of them all. He wrote, directed, and edited his films.

[ShellOilJunior]

With some time off work I have more time to go through repeat viewings of Criterion films.

Last night I watched Secret Sunshine for the second time. Jeon Do-yeon's performance is incredible. She had to convey so many different emotions and did it very convincingly.

The one thing I'm curious about in the film is

[Show spoiler]when Mrs. Lee discovers Jun is gone and one of the first places she goes is to Mr.Kim's work place. She sees him singing karaoke and leaves. My question is: did she stop by his place first because he is most trustworthy or does she go to his place first because she suspects he could possibly be the kidnapper? I tend to believe the former but I questioned it on the second viewing.

[jrsl76]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Purchased my first Eclipse set today: Late Ozu.

I blame P@t.

I bought that one and quite a few others. I had 12 already, but I hit them hard this sale. Can't wait to watch these. My favorite Ozu I've seen so far is the late period film, Floating Weeds.

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by lemonski

Funny this should come up, I've just started watching Woody Allen's films - because I'd never seen any of them, and thought I should. Somewhat randomly I've watched (in order)

Curse of the Jade Scorpion
Midnight in Paris
Manhattan
Match Point
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

The question for me is "how many works by a director would you think it's necessary to see until you can call them terrible?" Apart from Manhattan (which I found reasonably enjoyable), the rest of them were pretty dire. One one hand I feel I should persist - because 5 films is not a very big sample of his work - but on the other maybe I just don't get Woody Allen and should give up.

Woody Allen has also had so many contrasting phases in his career, he may as be Doctor Who. I would personally avoid the "Jade Scorpion" period, it is the only one that I can't stand.

ShellOilJunior's list is excellent. I would also add Sleeper, Radio Days, Hannah & Her Sisters, Zelig, or Play it Again, Sam

[Show spoiler](one of the few scripts he didn't direct)

as good entry points. After essentially making a movie a year for 40 or 50 years, I think he has earned a few stinkers.