The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by octagon

That was a great scene. Not only was it beautifully shot,

[Show spoiler] the way she almost dehumanized the dead kid as she got more and more absorbed in what she was doing was really, really well done. She started very tentatively, then got more and more drawn into composing her shots until she almost (and that almost is pretty important, I don't want to make her sound cold) could have shooting a bowl of fruit.

It was very subtle and very, very effective.

Maria really was an incredibly tough yet kind woman. Some people may say

[Show spoiler]she should have gotten out of that marriage but did society really allow for divorce in her place and time in a situation like that? To me she endured and did the very best she could considering the restraints put on her by society.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Maria really was an incredibly tough yet kind woman. Some people may say

[Show spoiler]she should have gotten out of that marriage but did society really allow for divorce in her place and time in a situation like that? To me she endured and did the very best she could considering the restraints put on her by society.

Yep, that was another thing they handled really well.

[Show spoiler]It's hard enough to read or watch a story from a different time or place without filtering it through your own values - it's got to be even harder to tell that kind of story without your values and attitudes creeping through but they did a pretty good job just telling the story and letting you draw your own conclusions and make your own judgments. One of the other things I really loved about both the character and the performance - with period pieces it's really common to present strong female characters as nascent feminists bucking the status quo but they were really restrained here. They presented her more as a strong person who happened to be a woman rather than some anachronistic two-dimensional 'strong female lead' charicature.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

the above spoilers just pushed this title high in my queue. Thanks!

This is true.
Everlasting Moments is has been in my peripheral vision for a while.
Actually, there's a few that don't get talked about much and I often what people think of them, such as A Christmas Tale, Black Orpheus, El Norte, The Secret of the Grain, Yi Yi, or Secret Sunshine.
I realise of course that I might have missed those conversations well before I started coming here

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Rizor

Amazon typically sends pre-orders out the day before before release and they typically get there on release day if you have Prime. Not the case with my Brazil/Purple Noon order though.

FWIW, Mine did.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I take it a lot of you haven't seen Down By Law on Blu-ray.

Down by Law is a treasure on Criterion. One of my favorite films by Jim Jarmusch. I find it increasingly difficult to meet people who are fans of his movies for some reason. Down by Law is in my top 10 of favorite Criterion BD's.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

This is true.
Everlasting Moments is has been in my peripheral vision for a while.
Actually, there's a few that don't get talked about much and I often what people think of them, such as A Christmas Tale, Black Orpheus, El Norte, The Secret of the Grain, Yi Yi, or Secret Sunshine.
I realise of course that I might have missed those conversations well before I started coming here

The Secret of the Grain is one of my favorites, and it was a huge surprise for me to discover this little gem. I have written about it a few times in the past.

I really appreciate its textures. On the surface, it is about an older first generation immigrant man who, having become "unprofitable" at a struggling shipyard, is let go after many years and has to find a new purpose for his life so late in the game. But beneath the surface are multiple story threads revealing a range of themes.

In my opinion, the main underlying theme concerns the decay and loss of traditional community values of second and third generation immigrant youth as told through the family dynamic of the older man. It is the love of his girlfriend's daughter that gives the film its hope and promise of redemption. The last half hour is mesmerizing and suspenseful in a way that I did not expect. Intertwined with this theme is a damning look at the elitism of French civil servants and the condescending bureaucracy to which the man must subject himself in order to realize his dream for a new start.

I have rewatched it several times. Along with a great story and terrific acting, I think it is one of the most strikingly colorful and beautifully shot movies in the Criterion Collection. This film was made to be seen on blu-ray.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by oildude

The Secret of the Grain is one of my favorites, and it was a huge surprise for me to discover this little gem. I have written about it a few times in the past.

I really appreciate its textures. On the surface, it is about an older first generation immigrant man who, having become "unprofitable" at a struggling shipyard, is let go after many years and has to find a new purpose for his life so late in the game. But beneath the surface are multiple story threads revealing a range of themes.

In my opinion, the main underlying theme concerns the decay and loss of traditional community values of second and third generation immigrant youth as told through the family dynamic of the older man. It is the love of his girlfriend's daughter that gives the film its hope and promise of redemption. The last half hour is mesmerizing and suspenseful in a way that I did not expect. Intertwined with this theme is a damning look at the elitism of French civil servants and the condescending bureaucracy to which the man must subject himself in order to realize his dream for a new start.

I have rewatched it several times. Along with a great story and terrific acting, I think it is one of the most strikingly colorful and beautifully shot movies in the Criterion Collection. This film was made to be seen on blu-ray.

That's great! Thanks for the recommendation

[oildude]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

This is true.
Everlasting Moments is has been in my peripheral vision for a while.
Actually, there's a few that don't get talked about much and I often what people think of them, such as A Christmas Tale, Black Orpheus, El Norte, The Secret of the Grain, Yi Yi, or Secret Sunshine.
I realise of course that I might have missed those conversations well before I started coming here

Yi Yi is an enjoyable film that rarely gets mentioned here, but when it does it is always positive. The film deserves praise. I really enjoyed this personal look into the comings and goings of an extended Taiwanese family, There is something about family dynamic films from Asia that resonates with me (films like Still Walking and some in the Eclipse series are truly outstanding examples of this).

The viewer becomes invested in the main characters of Yi Yi as they live out a series of events during a few months of their lives. The film depicts what happens to each of about half a dozen characters, from challenges faced at work and school and family gatherings, to how they interact with each other and the city around them on a daily basis. I especially appreciated the lack of any Hollywood style tension or drama as the father is faced with a temptation brought about by a chance encounter with someone from his past. The resolution to this and the other plot elements all feel correct. Yi Yi is a really well done film, and deserves more recommendation and discussion than it generally gets here.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jw007

Down by Law is a treasure on Criterion. One of my favorite films by Jim Jarmusch. I find it increasingly difficult to meet people who are fans of his movies for some reason. Down by Law is in my top 10 of favorite Criterion BD's.

Wow high praise. I love Jarmusch but I can name atleast four (maybe more) Jarmusch films I like more:
1. Stranger than Paradise: probably his masterpiece.
2. Mystery Train: I have an intense bind with this film as I saw it first early in my teens and rediscovered it on CC Blu. It may have been the film that introduced me to non-linear storytelling way back when.
3. Dead Man
4. Coffee & Cigarettes.....I mean Broken Flowers

Can you recommend Limits of Control? I hear that one's pretty polarizing.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Wow high praise. I love Jarmusch but I can name atleast four (maybe more) Jarmusch films I like more:
1. Stranger than Paradise: probably his masterpiece.
2. Mystery Train: I have an intense bind with this film as I saw it first early in my teens and rediscovered it on CC Blu. It may have been the film that introduced me to non-linear storytelling way back when.
3. Dead Man
4. Coffee & Cigarettes.....I mean Broken Flowers

Can you recommend Limits of Control? I hear that one's pretty polarizing.

I saw Limits of Control in a local arthouse theater when it came out originally in theaters. I recall that I enjoyed it but for some reason never happened to watch it again since. I would like to see it again. It's very minimalistic and deadpan as ever.

You know, for a while Mystery Train was my favorite Jarmusch film, but there's just something magical about Roberto Benigni, John Lurie and Tom Waits as these three amazingly eccentric characters in that film. While Mystery Train somehow fills in the empty spaces and time distortions throughout the film with different characters who sometimes cross paths, the zany humor in Down by Law is just frickin' hillarious.

Stranger Than Paradise is a great early hipster film as well. I love Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai a lot too. Didn't care too much for Dead Man though. Broken Flowers I haven't seen enough of. And Night on Earth is excellent too.

I wish Criterion would release Ghost Dog on BD. That would rock.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by oildude

The Secret of the Grain is one of my favorites, and it was a huge surprise for me to discover this little gem. I have written about it a few times in the past.

I really appreciate its textures. On the surface, it is about an older first generation immigrant man who, having become "unprofitable" at a struggling shipyard, is let go after many years and has to find a new purpose for his life so late in the game. But beneath the surface are multiple story threads revealing a range of themes.

In my opinion, the main underlying theme concerns the decay and loss of traditional community values of second and third generation immigrant youth as told through the family dynamic of the older man. It is the love of his girlfriend's daughter that gives the film its hope and promise of redemption. The last half hour is mesmerizing and suspenseful in a way that I did not expect. Intertwined with this theme is a damning look at the elitism of French civil servants and the condescending bureaucracy to which the man must subject himself in order to realize his dream for a new start.

I have rewatched it several times. Along with a great story and terrific acting, I think it is one of the most strikingly colorful and beautifully shot movies in the Criterion Collection. This film was made to be seen on blu-ray.

It's a film that gets better with each viewing. Great film.

[Nielsb90]

Hey guys. I have a really weird question to say the least, but I hope you can help. I do a minor course in film culture besides my main study of anthropology at the university. I have to do a short paper about Tokyo Drifter. Of course my main focus will be on Japanese new wave. I have access to virtually no literature on japanese new wave, but I have found a little online. We also have to do a scene-analysis for which I have chosen the last scene of the movie. My question is - the whole minimalistic look of that scene expressionism? Also - if you are a smart guy who has all kinds of things to say about this movie feel free to contact me The movie is endlessly entertaining btw.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by jw007

Down by Law is a treasure on Criterion. One of my favorite films by Jim Jarmusch. I find it increasingly difficult to meet people who are fans of his movies for some reason. Down by Law is in my top 10 of favorite Criterion BD's.

I'm a huge fan of Down by Law. A near perfect film.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by oildude

The Secret of the Grain is one of my favorites, and it was a huge surprise for me to discover this little gem. I have written about it a few times in the past.

I really appreciate its textures. On the surface, it is about an older first generation immigrant man who, having become "unprofitable" at a struggling shipyard, is let go after many years and has to find a new purpose for his life so late in the game. But beneath the surface are multiple story threads revealing a range of themes.

In my opinion, the main underlying theme concerns the decay and loss of traditional community values of second and third generation immigrant youth as told through the family dynamic of the older man. It is the love of his girlfriend's daughter that gives the film its hope and promise of redemption. The last half hour is mesmerizing and suspenseful in a way that I did not expect. Intertwined with this theme is a damning look at the elitism of French civil servants and the condescending bureaucracy to which the man must subject himself in order to realize his dream for a new start.

I have rewatched it several times. Along with a great story and terrific acting, I think it is one of the most strikingly colorful and beautifully shot movies in the Criterion Collection. This film was made to be seen on blu-ray.

I watched Grain on Netflix a year ago and immediately bought the blu. An amazing piece of work. The intensity of the final act races your heart more than any 'thriller' ever could. I was amazed at how time flew by watching the film.

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

FWIW, Mine did.

I'll probably get mine today, but I'm still a bit pissed because up until late last night, my order listed the delivery as "Dec 4 by 8pm" and they still list Dec 4 as of today morning. They dropped the ball by shipping it USPS instead of UPS as they usually do, and one glance at the tracking info shows it was nowhere close to being here yesterday. It's not a huge deal, but I would've been fine had they just listed delivery as Dec 5th.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

This is true.
Everlasting Moments is has been in my peripheral vision for a while.
Actually, there's a few that don't get talked about much and I often what people think of them, such as A Christmas Tale, Black Orpheus, El Norte, The Secret of the Grain, Yi Yi, or Secret Sunshine.
I realise of course that I might have missed those conversations well before I started coming here

Black Orpheus was a pleasantly surprisingly good film. I just watched by copy the other night. It was a film that didn't initially interest me, but I watched it out of boredom one day, and quickly changed my mind on it. I think the setting works quite well for a modern take kon Orpheus, and It's such a fun, colourful film. It's Kinda underrated in thus forum to be honest.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

They have suggested that they may upgrade Raymond Bernard's Les Miserables (it's undergoing a restoration). Chytilova's Daisies might also be a candidate.

Also, The Jungle Book.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I take it a lot of you haven't seen Down By Law on Blu-ray.

Agreed Joe! I think it's the BEST B & W film I have seen so far on blu-ray.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Rizor

I'll probably get mine today, but I'm still a bit pissed because up until late last night, my order listed the delivery as "Dec 4 by 8pm" and they still list Dec 4 as of today morning. They dropped the ball by shipping it USPS instead of UPS as they usually do, and one glance at the tracking info shows it was nowhere close to being here yesterday. It's not a huge deal, but I would've been fine had they just listed delivery as Dec 5th.

I've been wondering about my Brazil order (through Amazon) too. I pre-ordered it on Nov. 25 and I'm still waiting for a shipping notice. (grrr)

EDIT: Amazon must have heard me as I received my shipping notice about 12 hours after posting the above. The estimated delivery date is Dec. 10.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Black Orpheus was a pleasantly surprisingly good film. I just watched by copy the other night. It was a film that didn't initially interest me, but I watched it out of boredom one day, and quickly changed my mind on it. I think the setting works quite well for a modern take kon Orpheus, and It's such a fun, colourful film. It's Kinda underrated in thus forum to be honest.

I haven't watched Black Orpheus for a while now, but I seem to remember that throughout the entire film, there's a constant music beat (... conga?). Like a pulse.