The Criterion Collection

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I kind of wish I was at a premier back then. I would have been up in arms defending this new bold style of filmmaking. It was a revolution which we missed & unfortunately now it's a bit dated. The riches of that film have more to do with it's aesthetic, Brechtian narrative approach and historical significance, thus leaving us contemporary audiences somewhat cold. Nonetheless, it's phenomenal in it's own right.

You nailed it right there.
It's a shame that we can't experience the historical context of these films; instead they become historical texts to be examined after the fact.
Even the controversy over The Last Temptation of Christ is now a thing of the past...

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by retablo

I usually stop films immediately. Oh well.

Infidel!
Or do I mean, philistine!
Either way, I definitely mean the exclamation mark.
And this:

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Actual conversation: " That was weird. The paper made it seem good...Anyways, I saw this hilarious comedy with that guy from that show with a big nose____."

Just yesterday: "Can I hayuv too tickets fur 'Less Miz-uhr-uh-bulls'. AAAAHH Get Me Out of Here! My fellow Americans shame me sometimes

That was the last film I saw in theatres actually. Pretty crowded for a 2:30 PM showing on Boxing Day, with a lot of cell flare-ups, people leaving and coming back, kicking of seats, gabby teen/youger adult females right behind me mam and I. Said female actually had the audacity to lauch when

[Show spoiler] Val-Jean and Marius landed in the sewers whilst fleeing impending death.

Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to mom who was reading a book through the whole film. Serioiusly, why would you pay 10 bucks to watch a film and not watch it?

It's sad to say, but some of the animated films I've watched had better behaved children in the audience than adults in "adult films."

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

You nailed it right there.
It's a shame that we can't experience the historical context of these films; instead they become historical texts to be examined after the fact.

I had your exact same reaction to the film. I wanted to appreciate it more than I did, but I just couldn't bring myself to feel interested enough.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to mom who was reading a book through the whole film.

That can not be good for your eyes.

[CusackstheMan]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The Grey is a great example. I could have easily sat in the theater for another couple of hours listening to the music of the ending credits and getting my mind around what had happened.

Maybe it's just the mood I was in when I watched it, but I did not get "The Grey" at all. To me it was just another CGI monster movie just like Piranha, for example. And I didn't buy into the story and characters and the viewing was completely devoid of emotion for me. And I'd heard so many good things about it. At least all it cost me was a $1.50 Redbox rental.

[andsoitgoes]

I guess I've been lucky, of all the movies I've seen in my life, I can count on maybe one hand times I've run into issues. But, that said, having kids and an addiction to spending does make going to films far, far, far less frequent.

It's also helped increase my patience. Which immediately decreases when I see something on sale that I want. Or something that I want in general. Hell, I went from 0 to LOT, starting with The Third Man (a movie I purchased 3 years ago), in the span of a few months. I'd seen some classic cinema here and there, Citizen Kane has always been one of my favorite films as was The Seventh Seal and I loved The Third Man (notwithstanding my disappointment in the lack of a role Welles played) but as I'm in my 30s, I tended to stick with movies from my era. 80s - Present, with some exceptions.

Now that I have experienced Kurosawa, Truffaut, Truffaut again, Kurosawa again x ... LOTS, Chaplin (can you believe I had never seen a Chaplin film EVER?), Ozu, Inagaki... How can I go back to most films? Even brilliant films now are sometimes a struggle to watch. So much is added to the mix, it takes what could be simple and concise as pads in so much garbage, or meanders around camera angles. I think my viewing of Kurosawa has expanded my appreciation for the technical film aspect more than anything. How anyone could watch, say, Yojimbo and not be mesmerized by how he used incredibly long focal lengths amidst multiple cameras with unique lighting.

Anyway, ugh. It's like I've come into a room full of people with smoking jackets on, sitting quietly watching some brilliant but obscure film I'd never heard of, with me in a bright shirt with "Kurosawa is teh awesome!" Printed and made glow-in-the-dark, with massive braces, a beanie with a spinning fan blade, incredibly thick Eddie Deezen glasses and me yelling something stupid.

Simply put, I'm a relative criterion newbie. I have more than I realized on DVD, but never have I experienced cinema like this. I'm significantly ashamed.

As to the pricing, and amazon.ca, I can't spend retail. $30 is even pushing it most times. And I've still yet to see them match even the top level of what amazon has to offer. As for the pre order, looking at Two Lane Blacktop as a random example, it's $39.95 retail in the us, offered for $31 from criterion directly. On Amazon.ca its supposed retail price is $54.99 (seriously, are they exporting it to another country and then back INTO Canada?) and we get a wicked harsh deal (imagine that in a Boston accent) paying the massively discounted $38.99

It makes me throw my hands in the air and want to cry. It really does. We have at least gotten on par with video games, but for movie releases it's sometimes baffling. I get a 5 or maybe even 10% surcharge, but when the .com site has a movie for $20, and the same thing is EASILY twice as much on .ca, it's incredibly frustrating.

And yes, I know criterion movies are worth their MSRP, at least those that have really good supplemental features, primarily a commentary track, but I just can't justify retail. Hell, I can barely justify sale prices. I honestly don't know how I've gotten myself the collection I do have. The one thing I know, though, is that these days it takes a hell of a lot to get me to purchase a "normal" film on blu. I've too many that I've barely watched once, let alone enough times to recover my investment. In comparison, I've already consumed the film and them commentary tracks of a few Kurosawa films, and plan to do that with a few of the others post haste, once I've gotten through them the first time, at least

I wish getting down to the states wasn't so difficult, and it wasn't such a consistent risk getting dinged coming back up. Primarily, though, I just freaking with Barnes and Nobles would have another stupid sale.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have to sit through the credits of a lot of my favorite movies, simply to complete the emotional catharsis effect.

So, eight to ten minutes of Hobbit credits? Ooo-kay.
It takes me five minutes to get out of my (disabled section) seat in the theaters, and even then, I'm thinking "Life's too short", and "It's a thankless task coming up with ALL that music."

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

Anyway, ugh. It's like I've come into a room full of people with smoking jackets on, sitting quietly watching some brilliant but obscure film I'd never heard of, with me in a bright shirt with "Kurosawa is teh awesome!" Printed and made glow-in-the-dark, with massive braces, a beanie with a spinning fan blade, incredibly thick Eddie Deezen glasses and me yelling something stupid.

OTOH, for someone who at least knows of most of these films (whether or not I've actually seen them), listening to the thrill-buying Criterion fans saying "Woohoo, Seventh Seal, never seen it but totally blind-buying! ", I tend to put those more into the category of the R-rated movies Bart Simpson and Millhouse used to sneak into:
"Yeah, c'mon, we're sneaking into Barton Fink!"

Ie., we admire a Crterion fan's enthusiasm, but we'd admire discretion and research a bit more.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

I guess I've been lucky, of all the movies I've seen in my life, I can count on maybe one hand times I've run into issues. But, that said, having kids and an addiction to spending does make going to films far, far, far less frequent.

It's also helped increase my patience. Which immediately decreases when I see something on sale that I want. Or something that I want in general. Hell, I went from 0 to LOT, starting with The Third Man (a movie I purchased 3 years ago), in the span of a few months. I'd seen some classic cinema here and there, Citizen Kane has always been one of my favorite films as was The Seventh Seal and I loved The Third Man (notwithstanding my disappointment in the lack of a role Welles played) but as I'm in my 30s, I tended to stick with movies from my era. 80s - Present, with some exceptions.

Now that I have experienced Kurosawa, Truffaut, Truffaut again, Kurosawa again x ... LOTS, Chaplin (can you believe I had never seen a Chaplin film EVER?), Ozu, Inagaki... How can I go back to most films? Even brilliant films now are sometimes a struggle to watch. So much is added to the mix, it takes what could be simple and concise as pads in so much garbage, or meanders around camera angles. I think my viewing of Kurosawa has expanded my appreciation for the technical film aspect more than anything. How anyone could watch, say, Yojimbo and not be mesmerized by how he used incredibly long focal lengths amidst multiple cameras with unique lighting.

Anyway, ugh. It's like I've come into a room full of people with smoking jackets on, sitting quietly watching some brilliant but obscure film I'd never heard of, with me in a bright shirt with "Kurosawa is teh awesome!" Printed and made glow-in-the-dark, with massive braces, a beanie with a spinning fan blade, incredibly thick Eddie Deezen glasses and me yelling something stupid.

Simply put, I'm a relative criterion newbie. I have more than I realized on DVD, but never have I experienced cinema like this. I'm significantly ashamed.

As to the pricing, and amazon.ca, I can't spend retail. $30 is even pushing it most times. And I've still yet to see them match even the top level of what amazon has to offer. As for the pre order, looking at Two Lane Blacktop as a random example, it's $39.95 retail in the us, offered for $31 from criterion directly. On Amazon.ca its supposed retail price is $54.99 (seriously, are they exporting it to another country and then back INTO Canada?) and we get a wicked harsh deal (imagine that in a Boston accent) paying the massively discounted $38.99

It makes me throw my hands in the air and want to cry. It really does. We have at least gotten on par with video games, but for movie releases it's sometimes baffling. I get a 5 or maybe even 10% surcharge, but when the .com site has a movie for $20, and the same thing is EASILY twice as much on .ca, it's incredibly frustrating.

And yes, I know criterion movies are worth their MSRP, at least those that have really good supplemental features, primarily a commentary track, but I just can't justify retail. Hell, I can barely justify sale prices. I honestly don't know how I've gotten myself the collection I do have. The one thing I know, though, is that these days it takes a hell of a lot to get me to purchase a "normal" film on blu. I've too many that I've barely watched once, let alone enough times to recover my investment. In comparison, I've already consumed the film and them commentary tracks of a few Kurosawa films, and plan to do that with a few of the others post haste, once I've gotten through them the first time, at least

I wish getting down to the states wasn't so difficult, and it wasn't such a consistent risk getting dinged coming back up. Primarily, though, I just freaking with Barnes and Nobles would have another stupid sale.

As I said, if you're quick enough, you can get the preferred preorder price of 27.99 for new single disc releases if you monitor Amazon.ca carefully. I just grabbed The Blob and Colonel Blimp for that price each Monday, and they have since shot up to 38.99.

Also I would get into through reason why sstuff is still higher here, and don't necessarily agree with it, but as per the rules of this forum, politics is verbotent.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

That can not be good for your eyes.

No kidding. It was an actual book too, and not an ereader with a backlight or clip on light, or a tablet style LCD screen one. Mom couldn't understand how she dud it.

[format916]

my mom brought a book and flashlight when she took me to see childs play 3. she didnt bring it to wes cravens new nightmare though.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

That was the last film I saw in theatres actually. Pretty crowded for a 2:30 PM showing on Boxing Day, with a lot of cell flare-ups, people leaving and coming back, kicking of seats, gabby teen/youger adult females right behind me mam and I. Said female actually had the audacity to lauch when

[Show spoiler] Val-Jean and Marius landed in the sewers whilst fleeing impending death.

Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to mom who was reading a book through the whole film. Serioiusly, why would you pay 10 bucks to watch a film and not watch it?

It's sad to say, but some of the animated films I've watched had better behaved children in the audience than adults in "adult films."

Somebody's gotta go over there 'n' straighten you Krazy Kunadians out

On a serious note, that is beyond unfortunate. In my screening, although there were quite a few laughs in such places (I chortled a bit amongst the films off-kilter exuberance), my audience was fairly well behaved. I could never justify taking my cellphone out, talking, or even eating too loudly (or eating at all).

2) Dutch Angles, Close Ups, handhelt, odd framing, I was hugely distracted by the cinematography in Les Mis; were you?

[ianvillaceran]

My 2013 Criterion wishlist:

1. My Sassy Girl (Korean)

2. Little Buddha

3. A Separation (Iran)

4. Muro Ami

5. Malena - uncut (Italy)

[Cinemach]

Made the order for some cheap Criterions from Fry's. They were listed as 'unavailable', but I was still able to add them to my cart and process an order...so I'm going to assume they operate on a backorder situation.

This is pending the almost certain cancellations, of course.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by ianvillaceran

My 2013 Criterion wishlist:

1. My Sassy Girl (Korean)

2. Little Buddha

3. A Separation (Iran)

4. Muro Ami

5. Malena - uncut (Italy)

^^That film already has a North American release. You won't be seeing Criterion release it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

You nailed it right there.
It's a shame that we can't experience the historical context of these films; instead they become historical texts to be examined after the fact.
Even the controversy over The Last Temptation of Christ is now a thing of the past...

A films historical & cultural context quite interests me

Sure, the controversy has dwindled, but the film has lost none of it's power to move and bewilder. I find it extraordinary how Scorsese essentially takes us into an alternate "history" and we are seeing things anew. It brought so much life and passion into what could have been an inert affair. It's absolutely phenominal & one of my favorite releases from last year.

[Whirlygig]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have to sit through the credits of a lot of my favorite movies, simply to complete the emotional catharsis effect. The Grey is a great example. I could have easily sat in the theater for another couple of hours listening to the music of the ending credits and getting my mind around what had happened.

If you don't sit through the credits on The Grey, you'll never find out who wins.

I sit through the credits on films that REALLY hit me, but that's not really all that many. But it is enough that juddery credits is one reason I had to have a true 24fps capable TV. For most films I would rather spend the credits time watching another film.

I think I sat through The Grey's out of fatigue and multitasking and was unjustly rewarded by that final shot.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

I guess I've been lucky, of all the movies I've seen in my life, I can count on maybe one hand times I've run into issues. But, that said, having kids and an addiction to spending does make going to films far, far, far less frequent.

It's also helped increase my patience. Which immediately decreases when I see something on sale that I want. Or something that I want in general. Hell, I went from 0 to LOT, starting with The Third Man (a movie I purchased 3 years ago), in the span of a few months. I'd seen some classic cinema here and there, Citizen Kane has always been one of my favorite films as was The Seventh Seal and I loved The Third Man (notwithstanding my disappointment in the lack of a role Welles played) but as I'm in my 30s, I tended to stick with movies from my era. 80s - Present, with some exceptions.

Now that I have experienced Kurosawa, Truffaut, Truffaut again, Kurosawa again x ... LOTS, Chaplin (can you believe I had never seen a Chaplin film EVER?), Ozu, Inagaki... How can I go back to most films? Even brilliant films now are sometimes a struggle to watch. So much is added to the mix, it takes what could be simple and concise as pads in so much garbage, or meanders around camera angles. I think my viewing of Kurosawa has expanded my appreciation for the technical film aspect more than anything. How anyone could watch, say, Yojimbo and not be mesmerized by how he used incredibly long focal lengths amidst multiple cameras with unique lighting.

Anyway, ugh. It's like I've come into a room full of people with smoking jackets on, sitting quietly watching some brilliant but obscure film I'd never heard of, with me in a bright shirt with "Kurosawa is teh awesome!" Printed and made glow-in-the-dark, with massive braces, a beanie with a spinning fan blade, incredibly thick Eddie Deezen glasses and me yelling something stupid.

Simply put, I'm a relative criterion newbie. I have more than I realized on DVD, but never have I experienced cinema like this. I'm significantly ashamed.

As to the pricing, and amazon.ca, I can't spend retail. $30 is even pushing it most times. And I've still yet to see them match even the top level of what amazon has to offer. As for the pre order, looking at Two Lane Blacktop as a random example, it's $39.95 retail in the us, offered for $31 from criterion directly. On Amazon.ca its supposed retail price is $54.99 (seriously, are they exporting it to another country and then back INTO Canada?) and we get a wicked harsh deal (imagine that in a Boston accent) paying the massively discounted $38.99

It makes me throw my hands in the air and want to cry. It really does. We have at least gotten on par with video games, but for movie releases it's sometimes baffling. I get a 5 or maybe even 10% surcharge, but when the .com site has a movie for $20, and the same thing is EASILY twice as much on .ca, it's incredibly frustrating.

And yes, I know criterion movies are worth their MSRP, at least those that have really good supplemental features, primarily a commentary track, but I just can't justify retail. Hell, I can barely justify sale prices. I honestly don't know how I've gotten myself the collection I do have. The one thing I know, though, is that these days it takes a hell of a lot to get me to purchase a "normal" film on blu. I've too many that I've barely watched once, let alone enough times to recover my investment. In comparison, I've already consumed the film and them commentary tracks of a few Kurosawa films, and plan to do that with a few of the others post haste, once I've gotten through them the first time, at least

I wish getting down to the states wasn't so difficult, and it wasn't such a consistent risk getting dinged coming back up. Primarily, though, I just freaking with Barnes and Nobles would have another stupid sale.

The statements on your newfound appreciation for classic cinema and the films of Akira Kurosawa were really touching. His films truly were genius and sometimes we film snobs looking elsewhere need to be reminded how special they are. I now want to pop my Kurosawa discs into the player

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

That was the last film I saw in theatres actually. Pretty crowded for a 2:30 PM showing on Boxing Day, with a lot of cell flare-ups, people leaving and coming back, kicking of seats, gabby teen/youger adult females right behind me mam and I. Said female actually had the audacity to lauch when

[Show spoiler] Val-Jean and Marius landed in the sewers whilst fleeing impending death.

Hell, there was even a woman sitting next to mom who was reading a book through the whole film. Serioiusly, why would you pay 10 bucks to watch a film and not watch it?

It's sad to say, but some of the animated films I've watched had better behaved children in the audience than adults in "adult films."

You know, reading a book in a cinema might sound like the dumbest thing ever, but there was a police report on the news recently in Australia that someone was reading a book whilst driving on the freeway at 100km/h (over 60m/h).
I'm all for reading, but what goes through the minds of these people?
And seriously, why do people go to the cinema if they don't want to be there?

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by oildude

Please Criterion...release more Soviet/Russian cinema on blu-ray.

Burnt by the Sun (OOP Sony DVD)
The Color of Pomegranates
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Russian Ark

etc., etc.

I know getting decent elements is part of the problem, I just hope someone will pick these up and give us decent transfers.