The Criterion Collection

[rkish]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

In The Mood For Love look's amazing in my opinion, well worth it even more so getting it on a sale price

I have the Jean Gremillion set I want but ordering it alone kill's the idea since they will get me on shipping anyway. I am looking to see if I could not find a couple of other things to go with it but Les Visiteurs Du Soir and Les Enfants Du Paradis reviews make me wonder if I really should bother with them

Glad you got the Gremilion set...well worth it. I got that last sale and really enjoyed it. The Carne is also on Hulu, so I get save cash, like I've been trying to do. You guys ain't making it easy!

[Hendershot737]

Stupid of me to have already made a Christmas list and put most Criterions that I want on it...I promised not to buy anything listed...I'm in quite a predicament

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I agree you have to be in a certain mind frame to watch and enjoy Hausu, and it is essentially the Monkees on brown acid. I won't be getting Rosemary's Baby for at least a month, so I'll watch Hausu, Monstrous Monkee Mash, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and potentially Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School. I'm ashamed to say I don't own it's the great pumpkin Charlie Brown.

I really like Hausu but you are right it's wierd and you really have to "open your mind" or close it

[DetroitSquirreL]

Thank you to B&N for emailing me a coupon during the 50% off sale

$16.95 shipped Criterions are nice

[orbital]

Originally Posted by Cpt_splding

I just got a copy of Chungking Express from amazon and noticed three things. The case was cracked, the UPC didn't match the one in the database and the shrink wrap didn't have the Blu-ray sticker.

May I ask if the UPC on your edition is 715515068413? And is a booklet included?

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

AFAIK there is no way to tell until you open the box and check for "second printing" on the White disc. I have the corrected edition and it says first printing on the outer box and the White digipak. (Criterion.com definitely has the corrected version.)

That's my understanding, too. The exchange is easy enough even if it might take a few follow-up emails but it's worth it. These are three wonderful films I recommend to anyone with an interest in film.

It's also worth picking up the OOP Miramax DVDs for the extras that weren't carried over (especially the Insdorf commentaries) and the more accurately framed version of Bleu, my favorite of the trilogy.

[Monty70]

I just finished Rosemary's Baby. Criterion's new blu-ray is exactly what I would expect from the good folks at the big C. Audio/visual presentations are quite beautiful to behold.

Another classic film given the HD special edition it deserves.

[thebard]

Originally Posted by jvince

I'm planning to blind-buy the Three Colors set since I absolutely love Kieslowski. Will the ones available at stores still have this issue or is it fixed now?

Unfortunately, I can tell you first hand that some stores still have the problematic discs. I just bought the trilogy yesterday at a B&N in Torrance, CA, and I have a first printing.

Email already sent regarding a replacement...

[Abdrewes]

So glad Heavens Gate is 1/2 off too, will theat thru that one the day it arrives.
Also, the Nikkatsu Noir set for $32. Considering I loved the hell out of Branded to Kill, will I regret this? Any standouts? Which are the craziest?

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by Sukuri

There was a point where some pages/posts weren't loading for me, but this was months ago.



As part of the sale, I'm picking up Larisa Shepitko and Dusan Makavejev - Free Radical eclipses. These are completely blind buys and I have not seen anything by either directors, what sort of things should I expect?

You should expect only the best. The Dusan Makavejev Eclipse is probably tied with the Oshima Eclipse as my favorite Criterion release .

[oildude]

There aren't as many blu-rays that interest me this sale as in the past. Most I wanted I have already bought. Yesterday I got Rosemary's Baby, The Forgiveness of Blood, and In the Mood for Love. After I get Rashoman ond (maybe) Week End next week, I will be caught up.

So I can either 1) celebrate this being the least amount i have ever spent on a Criterion sale, or 2) go after more Eclipse sets. I choose the latter option.

Can anyone recommend or share their thoughts on the following:

Eclipse 36: Three Wicked Melodramas - has anyone seen these yet?

Eclipse 8: Lubitsch Musicals - I really liked Design for Living, and had this set in my hands tonight but put it back pending more online research. I have grown to like musicals from the 1950s-1960s but am a bit unsure about these. I plan to do some hunting for clips later tonight.

Eclipse 20: George Bernard Shaw on Film


I did buy Eclipse 23: The First Films of Akira Kurosawa tonight.

[easyblu]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

So glad Heavens Gate is 1/2 off too, will theat thru that one the day it arrives.
Also, the Nikkatsu Noir set for $32. Considering I loved the hell out of Branded to Kill, will I regret this? Any standouts? Which are the craziest?

No way will you regret it, trust me! My favorite was probably I am Waiting, but I am a sucker for the main actor in that movie. All of them are great, but from what I remember, none of them are Branded to Kill levels of crazy. They are a bit more grounded in reality.

[oildude]

For those contemplating Eclipse 11: Larisa Shepitko, or anyone looking to explore the series, all I can say is DO IT!

This is an outstanding pair of films. Both are haunting and moving. No one explores WWII themes consistently as good as the Russians (or Soviets, in this case). Shepitko is tops on my list of directors who died early before they had a chance to develop fully into greatness.

The Ascent is brilliant and emotionally powerful. Another plus is the terrific score. It is one of my favorite peices of music in a film; used sparingly, it builds at just the right moments to underline with dramatic impact events in the film. A story about two men who find themselves trapped in a very bad situation and the choices they make. The ending is unforgettable. It is a very realistic look at the risks and terrors of being a partisan behind German lines in Belorussia (most of whom were former Red Army soldiers cut-off by the German advance in 1941).

Wings is an under-appreciated gem of Russian cinema. A character drama, it explores the post-war frustrations and sorrows of a former female fighter pilot who is now head of a provincial school a decade after the war. She can't help but compare her present condition with her past. She realizes that the highlight of her life was the war and that all she has to look forward to now is a dreary bureaucratic job assigned to her for being a war hero, unappreciative and troublesome students who don't care about the war or its effects on society, and being conscious she is growing older with no man in her life she truly loves, while she is haunted by memories of a lost love with no one to take his place. Very good stuff.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Where in the wild-world of sports has CCFixx been?

Contrary to popular belief, I have zero interest outside of films released through The Criterion Collection.

As far as sports, I have been spending a lot of time around local little-league teams. So, take from that what you will.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by CoenP

I've been thinking about my 'will def. get' list. Think I will chuck The Forgiveness of Blood and get The Game instead. What do you guys think?

And, as a bonus, I might add Traffic, but if I look at the screenshots, the Criterion is not that much better than the existing US version (which is 3 times cheaper). What to do?

Traffic is a great transfer of a film whose settings matter a lot. And it has one of the best sets of extras of any Crit, imho. I'm not even sure why I bought it since I'd already seen the DVD several times, but I don't feel like I wasted a penny on it.

Nolan reminds me of Ridley Scott--some good work and some not. Honestly, I didn't love The Game, but I did the extras. It's another example of how Crit can elevate a film.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by oildude

There aren't as many blu-rays that interest me this sale as in the past. Most I wanted I have already bought. Yesterday I got Rosemary's Baby, The Forgiveness of Blood, and In the Mood for Love. After I get Rashoman ond (maybe) Week End next week, I will be caught up.

So I can either 1) celebrate this being the least amount i have ever spent on a Criterion sale, or 2) go after more Eclipse sets. I choose the latter option.

Can anyone recommend or share their thoughts on the following:

Eclipse 36: Three Wicked Melodramas - has anyone seen these yet?

Eclipse 8: Lubitsch Musicals - I really liked Design for Living, and had this set in my hands tonight but put it back pending more online research. I have grown to like musicals from the 1950s-1960s but am a bit unsure about these. I plan to do some hunting for clips later tonight.

Eclipse 20: George Bernard Shaw on Film

My three favorite Eclipses (so far) are Nikkatsu, Mizoguchi and Lubitsch. The 20s-30s musicals aren't like the 50s-60s ones: The earlier ones have fewer songs and there's often a motivation for the music. If you like the deftness in Design for Living, you'll like these, especially the latter two. Smiling Lieutenant is one of my fav Lubitsch's, and I'm sorry it's exiled in an Eclipse collection. Better than oblivion, I guess. You gotta love "Jazz Up Your Lingerie" from that film, too. I-tunes has yet to add that track, unfortunately, or it would be on my movie music playlist. And who knew? Maurice Chevalier was sexy.

[marctheshark]

I'm really on the fence to pre-ordering Heaven's Gate and Brazil on BD.

Who can convince me why I should pre-order it now?

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by marctheshark

I'm really on the fence to pre-ordering Heaven's Gate and Brazil on BD.

Who can convince me why I should pre-order it now?

I can't, I'm sorry.

[thebard]

Originally Posted by marctheshark

I'm really on the fence to pre-ordering Heaven's Gate and Brazil on BD.

Who can convince me why I should pre-order it now?

1. They are half off right now or, to put things in perspective, you can own Heaven's Gate for a mere 1,760,000th what it cost to make it.
2. Brazil is awesome at any price.

[deltasun]

Originally Posted by marctheshark

I'm really on the fence to pre-ordering Heaven's Gate and Brazil on BD.

Who can convince me why I should pre-order it now?

If you wait till 12/18, B&N will have their 40% off all BDs. So, I'm going against the grain here.