The Criterion Collection

[rkish]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Yeah, a huge fan of this cover and the film.
Was always my favourite Kurosawa film, but it has been many a year since I've seen it. Probably a VHS recording off TV.
Kurosawa has always been one of my favourite filmmakers, so it seems silly to rate them.
Would love to see it on blu-ray so that I could consider it in relation to the Yojimbo films and Seven Samurai, which I've seen most recently.
Meanwhile, Rashomon is sitting here waiting to be watched very soon...

I watched the next chapter of The Story of Film this morning and they dedicated a nice chunk of it to Kurosawa. I think Mark Cousins is a big fan of Japanese cinema, as he seems to hold Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Ozu in very high regard.

Speaking of...just about to finally pull the trigger on the MoC Ugetsu BD...damn these great docs...winds up costing me in the longrun.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Currently watching The Thin Red Line. Hands down one of the most beautiful movies ever made.

Without a Doubt!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I understand that it's a war movie and all, but there is such a peaceful element to it.

It questions man's nature in regards to war and violence, so, yes it's very much about peace. In fact its the strongest anti-war film I've ever seen

I feel like turning off Band of Brothers right now in favor of Thin Red Line, 11 hours and it's not even a fraction as deep as Thin Red Line.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by vargihate

Every month I hope they'll announce Rohmer on bluray and every month I'm disappointed.

Every month I hope they'll announce another Antonioni on bluray and every month I'm disappointed.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I feel like turning off Band of Brothers right now in favor of Thin Red Line, 11 hours and it's not even a fraction as deep as Thin Red Line.

I've been considering it for the longest time wondering if it was worth getting into..

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Every month I hope they'll announce another Antonioni on bluray and every month I'm disappointed.

This!.... and the last few months I've really been hoping for more Fassbinder. Instead of growing more excited, every month I'm less and less interested in the reveals.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Every month I hope they'll announce another Antonioni on bluray and every month I'm disappointed.

There are five Antonioni films on BD, including two from Criterion. Sirk, who, along with Kazan (10 films on BD) and Ray (5 films on BD), can safely be considered the greatest American director of the 1950's, has zero. Worldwide. Regarding Rohmer, there is only one upgrade possibility from Criterion (the box set), whereas with Sirk there are three. Seriously, how is All that Heaven Allows NOT on Blu-ray? The only conceivable explanation I can think of is that they've lost the rights to them, although none are OOP, to my knowledge.

[NoirFan]

I forgot to include Wilder (7 films on BD) and Preminger (9), but that only highlights even further Sirk's lack of representation.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I've been considering it for the longest time wondering if it was worth getting into..

Coopfilm, if you mean Band of Brothers, then absolutely, enthusiastically YES, it is worth getting. The interviews with the actual veterans before each episode are worth the price of admission alone. BOB is arguably the finest mini-series ever produced.

Same goes for its companion mini-series The Pacific. The Pacific may be my favorite of the two series because ten years ago, I had read Eugene Sledge's iconic memoir With the Old Breed, about his experiences as a member of the 5th Marine Regiment. Sledge's memoir is without a doubt the most powerfully moving book I have ever read, and it has stuck with me to this day. Sledge is one of the main characters in The Pacific.

[oildude]

As for The Thin Red Line, Malick made a lovely to look at film, which has a definite stamp of "Terrance Malick makes a war movie" all over it. To me, the much-too-frequent for my taste use of multiple character voiceovers representing philosophical musings and inner thoughts becomes tedious as it plays out. This isn't to say that TTRL does not have its moments, because parts of it are incredibly effective in portraying the terrors of combat and the longings of soldiers for home. But compared to just about any episode of BOB and The Pacific, it is not nearly as emotionally compelling.

The 25th Infantry Division was a regular army division based in Hawaii at the time of Pearl Harbor, filled with better trained soldiers than most US Army divisions in the Pacific at that time, which was the reason it was one of the units sent into combat at Guadalcanal towards the end of the campaign to relieve the exhausted 1st Marine Division. We get a hint of that in the movie, but mostly it is like watching angst-ridden grad students fight a war in between "contemplations" of life and the world around them. I barely get any sense of the reality of ordinary dog faces fighting for friends in the line next to them. To me, it is way too artsy to be an effective war film.

And yet it has grown on me with repeated viewings, and I bought the Criterion despite the faults I find in it. Perhaps that is what makes a Malick film memorable. His films may be frequently tedious, overly philosophical, and devote large portions of run time to characters reconciling their inner turmoil toward a reality which places them in conflict with the natural world, but I keep watching them anyway.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I've been considering it for the longest time wondering if it was worth getting into..

Yes.

Blahblahblahblahbittyblah yes.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I've been considering it for the longest time wondering if it was worth getting into..

It's the best mini-series out there. It's very realistic and has some of the best PQ and AQ I've seen.

On a side note, I just watched Something Wild. Meh.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I've been considering it for the longest time wondering if it was worth getting into..

I know it's beloved by many, but I can't help but think of scores of films that handle the various themes better. For TV it's quite good, but as art, it just doesn't compare. It certainly isn't "cinematic" nor it does it have any discernible visual style (sans the early use of shaky cam action).

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by oildude

Coopfilm, if you mean Band of Brothers, then absolutely, enthusiastically YES, it is worth getting. The interviews with the actual veterans before each episode are worth the price of admission alone. BOB is arguably the finest mini-series ever produced.

Same goes for its companion mini-series The Pacific. The Pacific may be my favorite of the two series because ten years ago, I had read Eugene Sledge's iconic memoir With the Old Breed, about his experiences as a member of the 5th Marine Regiment. Sledge's memoir is without a doubt the most powerfully moving book I have ever read, and it has stuck with me to this day. Sledge is one of the main characters in The Pacific.

My vote goes to Carlos.

Not to derail the thread more but is Generation Kill good?

[The Great Owl]

So, I just finished looking at the Upcoming Blu-Ray Releases list on the home page. Other than Ivan's Childhood, Two-Lane Blacktop, Badlands, A Man Escaped, The Blob, Skyfall, and The Vampire Lovers, nothing else really quickens my pulse at the moment.

I'm quite sure that I'll also be delving into some existing Blu-ray releases during this time as funds allow, of course, but I am liking this idea of coasting on my current collection for the most part.

At any rate, there are some great Criterion titles hitting stores in the next few months, and they're the ones that I am watching for with interest.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Other than Ivan's Childhood, Two-Lane Blacktop, Badlands, A Man Escaped, The Blob, Skyfall, and The Vampire Lovers, nothing else really quickens my pulse at the moment.

It's sad that I kind of want the release just because I really love the cover art, even though I don't like the film much (Although in my defense, the cover art has nothing to do with the film )

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

...but I am liking this idea of coasting on my current collection for the most part.

Good luck with that

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

It's sad that I kind of want the release just because I really love the cover art, even though I don't like the film much (Although in my defense, the cover art has nothing to do with the film )

I have the Twins of Evil, the final film in that "trilogy", and I love it. I actually bought Twins of Evil several months before I had a Blu-ray player, because it is sold as a Blu-ray/DVD combo.

Twins of Evil is not exactly cerebral highbrow material, but it's a fun movie all around. I am expecting the same of The Vampire Lovers.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Every month I hope they'll announce a Sirk upgrade, and every month I'm disappointed.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Every month I hope they'll announce another Antonioni on bluray and every month I'm disappointed.

I'm with both of you's guys. I'm really hoping La Notte has been picked up or something, as L'Avventura at least by now should've been an easy upgrade.

One of the clues in the drawing has been interpreted as All That Heaven Allows, so there's that.

Originally Posted by NoirFan

There are five Antonioni films on BD, including two from Criterion. Sirk, who, along with Kazan (10 films on BD) and Ray (5 films on BD), can safely be considered the greatest American director of the 1950's, has zero. Worldwide. Regarding Rohmer, there is only one upgrade possibility from Criterion (the box set), whereas with Sirk there are three. Seriously, how is All that Heaven Allows NOT on Blu-ray? The only conceivable explanation I can think of is that they've lost the rights to them, although none are OOP, to my knowledge.

If we're counting films made in America - as I surmise you are, since Sirk was German - then Alfred Hitchcock is really unmatched in this claim. But I digress, they're all great, and I'm in agreement that Sirk's blu representation is pitiful.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

Good luck with that

Haha. Yeah, I figure the same.

I did not waste a lot of time building up a 100+ collection, since I had some money set aside to upgrade my "essential favorites" to Blu-ray right off the bat. I'm still watching these now, and will be throughout January and February.

I am not usually one to let movies sit around unwatched after I buy them, and, most of the time, I watch a movie on the same evening that I purchase it. I bought a lot of Blu-rays in December, though, to upgrade my favs.