The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Barnes and Noble is currently selling the Studio Canal blu-ray of Ran for $11.99.

I've heard horror stories about that release.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by dsman71

http://blog.criterioncast.com/post/4...-correspondent

What do we make of this ?

Originally Posted by octagon

A hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl?

Geez, I crack me up.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Just finished Ivan's Childhood.

While it wasn't my favorite movie thus far, Andrei Tarkovsky does a great job at demonstrating how the innocence of childhood can be stripped away by war. In Ivan's case, he was left an orphan and with nobody except for his war friends.

[Show spoiler]In the end, it was only in death that Ivan could be a child and play with the other children.

Ivan's Childhood has some of the greatest images on Blu-ray.





It's not the most uplifting or cheery flick out there, but it is certainly one of the most picturesque films in my collection. I love this movie.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jayj15

Did anyone else find "Le Cercle Rouge" a little disappointing after seeing other Melville films? It just seems like a lesser version of Dassin's "Rififi" to me. It doesn't touch "Le Doulos", "Army of Shadows" or " Le Samourai". It lacks the emotional connection to the characters. I still have to see Bob le Flambuer. Un Flic, and "Le Deuxième Souffle" though.

Jean-Pierre Melville actually intended to film Rififi after reading Auguste Le Breton's novels. Jules Dassin even asked for Melville's permission and took the lead with directing the movie only after receiving Melville's blessing.

I'm about to post my own thoughts on Le Cercle Rouge, but it's my third favorite film of his behind Le Samourai and Army of Shadows (although Bob le Flambeur is right there on the level as well).

[A Sith Lord?]

So I just decided ahhh what the hell and went ahead and got all 8 of these on blu with the Fry's sale:

Paths of Glory
39 Steps
Anatomy of a Murder
The Killing
Great Dictator
Godzilla
Diabolique
Royal Tenanbaums (love Wes Anderson movies, and this is a blind buy for me)

Won't be able to get them for a month... didn't wanna pay for shipping, and Dictator was in-store only and there isn't a Fry's near me within like 400 miles. Sister will pick up the entire batch in the Atlanta Fry's and drop them off when she comes home next month!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by MasturB

So I just decided ahhh what the hell and went ahead and got all 8 of these on blu with the Fry's sale:

Paths of Glory
39 Steps
Anatomy of a Murder
The Killing
Great Dictator
Godzilla
Diabolique
Royal Tenanbaums (love Wes Anderson movies, and this is a blind buy for me)

I actually haven't seen a couple of Wes Anderson's films, but I still think The Royal Tenenbaums is his best.

I remember getting the DVD the day it came out at Walmart and I had some surgery so I was watching it and I really enjoyed it. I upgraded it over the summer, but I haven't seen the Blu-ray yet.

A lot of his movies are awkward, specifically with the acting, but I don't really mind him.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I actually haven't seen a couple of Wes Anderson's films, but I still think The Royal Tenenbaums is his best.

I remember getting the DVD the day it came out at Walmart and I had some surgery so I was watching it and I really enjoyed it. I upgraded it over the summer, but I haven't seen the Blu-ray yet.

A lot of his movies are awkward, specifically with the acting, but I don't really mind him.

I think it's his best too, but man does he have some......nevermind, let's not start up another Wes fans vs. Wes haters argument.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I actually haven't seen a couple of Wes Anderson's films, but I still think The Royal Tenenbaums is his best.

I remember getting the DVD the day it came out at Walmart and I had some surgery so I was watching it and I really enjoyed it. I upgraded it over the summer, but I haven't seen the Blu-ray yet.

A lot of his movies are awkward, specifically with the acting, but I don't really mind him.

Yeah I noticed that too. I wouldn't call it awkward, but it just seems he wants his actors to show little emotion on purpose to make the viewer speculate what's going through the character's minds. Kind of like watching a live-action cartoon. You aren't going to get the best detail from a cartoon (unless it's an animated like Pixar), but you are always wondering what the character's emotions are.

I think its unique to Anderson's style and it works for him. Most of his cinematography is good too with cartoon-ish everything is on one giant set type of deal.

[The Great Owl]

So, all this Melville talk got me watching my Blu-ray of Le Cercle Rouge last night.



I actually bought this Blu-ray on the same day that I purchased my Blu-ray player back in early December, but I held off on watching the Blu-ray in its entirety for a while, because I had revisited my old DVD copy shortly before that date. It was only a matter of time, though, because I tend to revisit Le Cercle Rouge at least once every three months or so.

Le Cercle Rouge is my third favorite Jean-Pierre Melville film behind Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows, and it has a solid place on my all-time top ten movies list.

Fans of Michael Mann's excellent 1995 film, Heat, will recognize the blueprint established in Le Cercle Rouge of a series of interactions occurring by happenstance that pave the road to an ultimate showdown between thieves and police after characters from both sides are guided by their individual desires, flaws, and failures. Raw elements from Le Cercle Rouge are also recycled in John Woo's 1992 film, Hard-Boiled, where the balance hangs on just one well-placed marksman shot.

Le Cercle Rouge wears its themes of professionalism and precision on its sleeve to work like an elaborate pulley system where each component serves its specific task with nothing more and nothing less. The respective system components (a police detective searching for redemption after allowing a prisoner to escape, a ballistics expert struggling with alcohol detox, a nightclub owner determined to uphold his reputation for discretion, and a chance meeting between a volatile escaped convict and a newly-released criminal who attempts closure from his former ties) are set into motion to risk derailment from friction and chaos, but none of these essential parts lose their cool. In fact, Le Cercle Rouge may turn off some viewers simply because it is almost too precise and icy for its own good.

After his previous lead role in Melville's Le Samouraï, Alain Delon remains the epitome of coolness with the character of Corey, whether he is placing photos of a former girlfriend in his associate's safe to close the door on both relationships, smoking a cigarette in a drab field after a fortuitous introduction to another character, or turning the tables on gangsters who pursue him at a billiard hall. Gian Maria Volontè is more unpredictable, but fiercely loyal just the same. My favorite character in this circle of thieves, however, is Jansen (Yves Montand), a former policeman who must overcome personal addiction battles to serve as the most crucial figure in what becomes one of the most gripping jewelry heist scenes in movie history. When Jansen savors a victory during one pivotal scene, the elation of that moment carries us through the rest of the film with a smile, regardless of final outcomes that await.

There are no explosive special effects to speak of in Le Cercle Rouge, but the film looks great on this Blu-ray transfer, thanks to a meticulous attention to color schemes. Like Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows before it, the overall look is marked by subdued hues and an almost Puritanical grayness, so the introduction of a red rose or a pool table overview commands attention.

Le Cercle Rouge is one of the coolest movies ever made, and, even when it straddles the line over being too cool, the end result arrives with a remarkable grace.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I think it's his best too, but man does he have some......nevermind, let's not start up another Wes fans vs. Wes haters argument.

I'm not exactly a fan of Wes Anderson's films, but I do think that Olivia Williams is incredibly beautiful in Rushmore. The film definitely has that going for it.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by sc1957

Not pretentious at all, are you?

For myself, The Island is one of my favorite sci-fi films.

In general not a fan of Bay mostly for what he put's in his script as humor, just don't find most of it funny. I did enjoy The Island like you however. Reminded me of Logan's Run on boosters

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by dsman71

http://blog.criterioncast.com/post/4...-correspondent

What do we make of this ?

Cool news! I was hoping Criterion would be putting out the other Gaumont British titles. Looks like they licensed these from ITV who had previously licensed these two titles to MGM/Fox on DVD (Sabotage & Young and Innocent). That still leaves Secret Agent though which hasn't even had a proper DVD release in the States.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

So, all this Melville talk got me watching my Blu-ray of Le Cercle Rouge last night.

[Show spoiler]I actually bought this Blu-ray on the same day that I purchased my Blu-ray player back in early December, but I held off on watching the Blu-ray in its entirety for a while, because I had revisited my old DVD copy shortly before that date. It was only a matter of time, though, because I tend to revisit Le Cercle Rouge at least once every three months or so.

Le Cercle Rouge is my third favorite Jean-Pierre Melville film behind Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows, and it has a solid place on my all-time top ten movies list.

Fans of Michael Mann's excellent 1995 film, Heat, will recognize the blueprint established in Le Cercle Rouge of a series of interactions occurring by happenstance that pave the road to an ultimate showdown between thieves and police after characters from both sides are guided by their individual desires, flaws, and failures. Raw elements from Le Cercle Rouge are also recycled in John Woo's 1992 film, Hard-Boiled, where the balance hangs on just one well-placed marksman shot.

Le Cercle Rouge wears its themes of professionalism and precision on its sleeve to work like an elaborate pulley system where each component serves its specific task with nothing more and nothing less. The respective system components (a police detective searching for redemption after allowing a prisoner to escape, a ballistics expert struggling with alcohol detox, a nightclub owner determined to uphold his reputation for discretion, and a chance meeting between a volatile escaped convict and a newly-released criminal who attempts closure from his former ties) are set into motion to risk derailment from friction and chaos, but none of these essential parts lose their cool. In fact, Le Cercle Rouge may turn off some viewers simply because it is almost too precise and icy for its own good.

After his previous lead role in Melville's Le Samouraï, Alain Delon remains the epitome of coolness with the character of Corey, whether he is placing photos of a former girlfriend in his associate's safe to close the door on both relationships, smoking a cigarette in a drab field after a fortuitous introduction to another character, or turning the tables on gangsters who pursue him at a billiard hall. Gian Maria Volontè is more unpredictable, but fiercely loyal just the same. My favorite character in this circle of thieves, however, is Jansen (Yves Montand), a former policeman who must overcome personal addiction battles to serve as the most crucial figure in what becomes one of the most gripping jewelry heist scenes in movie history. When Jansen savors a victory during one pivotal scene, the elation of that moment carries us through the rest of the film with a smile, regardless of final outcomes that await.

There are no explosive special effects to speak of in Le Cercle Rouge, but the film looks great on this Blu-ray transfer, thanks to a meticulous attention to color schemes. Like Le Samouraï and Army of Shadows before it, the overall look is marked by subdued hues and an almost Puritanical grayness, so the introduction of a red rose or a pool table overview commands attention.

Le Cercle Rouge is one of the coolest movies ever made, and, even when it straddles the line over being too cool, the end result arrives with a remarkable grace

.

It's a very good movie. I don't have it in my collection mostly cause the price Criterion as it for here in Canada and for that price I would still not watch it often enough to make the purchase worth while, for me. Still I do catch it every 5 or 6 years on the European channel I have with me cable provider. Just saw it last spring the last time.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I think it's his best too, but man does he have some......nevermind, let's not start up another Wes fans vs. Wes haters argument.

When do we see such things in this thread?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

In general not a fan of Bay mostly for what he put's in his script as humor, just don't find most of it funny. I did enjoy The Island like you however. Reminded me of Logan's Run on boosters

The Island is my favorite Michael Bay film by far. It is a straight takeoff on The Clonus Horror (1979), but it's so fun to watch that I did not care.

Michael Bay went off the deep end after The Island, though.

The first two Transformers movies are absymal cinematic train wrecks in every possible way, and I am actually impressed at the degree to which Michael Bay made those movies into such an epic fail.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is my third least-favorite film that I have ever seen in my life. (My number one least favorite film is Pay It Forward, and my second least favorite film is Crash, which won Best Picture for 2005.) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen required talent on the part of the filmmakers to screw up as badly as they did. That's the only explanation that I can think of to make sense of that whole ignominious debacle. If you look up "fail" in the dictionary, you'll probably see a picture of a giant Transformers robot with wrecking-ball testicles hovering over an Egyptian pyramid.

The third Transformers film was actually the best of the three, and it made a halfway noble attempt to piece the train wreck back together, but it was too little, too late.

Anyway, enough hater talk from me, and, fortunately, Michael Bay's The Island succeeds as a popcorn action flick with a minimum of wretched Michael Bay excess.

[Scottie]

I have the following pulled out to watch today / tomorrow:

• Black Narcissus
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Leon Morin, Priest
• Three Colors Trilogy
• Wages Of Fear

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I have the following pulled out to watch today / tomorrow:

• Black Narcissus
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Leon Morin, Priest
• Three Colors Trilogy
• Wages Of Fear

I've always wanted to see Black Narcissus. I always end up thinking of another Criterion that I'd rather buy when it comes time to look for that movie, but a recent review of the film on Ain't It Cool News recaptured my attention.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by SolidRaider

I just watched The Wages of Fear and I f**kin loved it! My mind hasn't been blown (pun?) by a movie in years.

I love the strange pacing in it. Start slow to the point you are wondering if anything will ever happen and then it just goes into nitroglycerin mode so to speak

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've always wanted to see Black Narcissus. I always end up thinking of another Criterion that I'd rather buy when it comes time to look for that movie, but a recent review of the film on Ain't It Cool News recaptured my attention.

I think that's going to be first on my agenda today.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The Island is my favorite Michael Bay film by far. It is a straight takeoff on The Clonus Horror (1979), but it's so fun to watch that I did not care.

Michael Bay went off the deep end after The Island, though.

The first two Transformers movies are absymal cinematic train wrecks in every possible way, and I am actually impressed at the degree to which Michael Bay made those movies into such an epic fail.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is my third least-favorite film that I have ever seen in my life. (My number one least favorite film is Pay It Forward, and my second least favorite film is Crash, which won Best Picture for 2005.) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen required talent on the part of the filmmakers to screw up as badly as they did. That's the only explanation that I can think of to make sense of that whole ignominious debacle. If you look up "fail" in the dictionary, you'll probably see a picture of a giant Transformers robot with wrecking-ball testicles hovering over an Egyptian pyramid.

The third Transformers film was actually the best of the three, and it made a halfway noble attempt to piece the train wreck back together, but it was too little, too late.

Anyway, enough hater talk from me, and, fortunately, Michael Bay's The Island succeeds as a popcorn action flick with a minimum of wretched Michael Bay excess.

I really did not enjoy the first two Transformers as well, just way too many stupid/silly moments that for me just kill the rest. The action is alright (even if I still maybe was left with wanting more). My friend mention the the third movie is really not as bad compared to the first two. Yet to seen it but I will do so once the movie is available on the movie channel.