The Criterion Collection

[Visco.]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Getting ready to watch Gomorrah.

I love crime films so I'm sure that I won't be disappointed

It's an amazing movie. One of my favorite Criterions.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

My 5th favorite film of last year, and the only one in my top 5 that didn't get any blu-ray release. I'd be ecstatic if Criterion announced it.

I'm guessing the best bet for this will be a UK release from someone like New Wave films.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

My 5th favorite film of last year, and the only one in my top 5 that didn't get any blu-ray release. I'd be ecstatic if Criterion announced it.

Too bad it probably won't get one. Now, if the DVD hadn't come out yet, we might have had some hope for it...but I don't see it being released now.

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by retablo

I prefer the extended. Malick's original theatrical cut - the 150 minute version that was shown to critics and released for a week in theaters is only available overseas, I think.

Available where? Both the British and French blus seem to be the same 172 minute "extended cut" available in the US.

[Beta Man]

Mini-Criterion-related note:

Was watching "Catchfire/Backtrack" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096875/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Right before Charlie Sheen dies (very early in the film) you can see a "Wages of Fear" poster on the wall. Toward the middle of the movie, Jodie Foster is in New Mexico, and a girl gets out of fuel tanker, and Jodie Foster mentions while talking to her that it must be stressful/explosion/etc.

Man I'm a dork....

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

The first collaboration with Brian Eno rendered the best albums in my opinion-The Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree.

Great Owl, did you mention Brian Eno not to long ago when talking about David Bowie's new album. You are as much a music aficionado as a film aficionado. We share same taste of music.

Brian Eno is an unsung hero, as a producer and musician. His Ambient Music series is great. His collaboration with Harold Budd and Robert Fripp changed the face of music for the years to come.

Brian Eno? Yes, please!

I've got several Eno CDs here from his batch of reissues a few years ago, and I agree that the Ambient Music albums are ace.

Keeping this Criterion-topic-worthy, my favorite Brian Eno track of all time is "An Ending (Ascent)", and that instrumental plays at the end of Traffic (as well as during the film, 28 Days Later).

I also love Eno's work with The Talking Heads. Remain In Light, in particular, bears Eno's fingerprints all over. The Eno/David Byrne collaborations are fun in a different sort of way.

My all-time favorite album, The Cure - Seventeen Seconds, was strongly influenced in part by Brian Eno's Another Green World.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by dag

I just finished watching the extended cut of Terrence Malick's The New World. What a deeply moving work of art! I have to tell you all, I was deeply, deeply moved. The New World is an achingly beautiful, profound, and meditative paean to love, Nature, and the journey we all must take.

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

It's hard to pick a preference, but I probably lean towards the longer version, simply because it has more of Colin Farrell and Q'orianka Kilcher being gorgeous together.
The longer cut introduces unnecessary "chapter" titles and some of the earlier plot is more clear.
I think the shorter cut is more dreamier and abstract.

I saw the theatrical version of The New World several years ago when it was released, and, while I liked the film a lot, it did not make a huge splash in my psyche at the time.

When I first saw the Extended Cut of The New World a couple of years ago, though, I was completely swept away with emotion and found that the film reverberated with me to a much greater extent. I am not sure if this was because of the added scenes or simply because I had just seen The Tree of Life at the theater a week before and was in Malick mode, so to speak.

Either way, I had an amazing time watching the Extended Cut on Blu-ray for the first time last night. Wow. Just...wow. It was like seeing the film for the first time all over again, and, once again, I got pretty emotional during the final scenes.

The New World may be the weak link in Malick's canon, but it's still an A+ in my book.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Visco.

It's an amazing movie. One of my favorite Criterions.

I'm almost done with it and I really find it enjoyable.

[The Great Owl]

Some big shipments in the mail today...

The Big Heat (Twilight Time)
Rapture (Twilight Time)
Taxi for Tobruk (Olive Films)
Greed in the Sun (Olive Films)

I have been wanting to see The Big Heat for ages, because Lee Marvin is one of my favorites, and I love film noir.
I bought Rapture after receiving several recommendations here on this site, and after researching the movie thoroughly. For some reason, the premise of this film makes me think of Forbidden Games. I may be off-base completely, but that played a small part in my decision to pull the trigger.

I bought Taxi for Tobruk and Greed in the Sun because, as a big fan of the Melville films on Criterion that star Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo, these two offerings from Olive Films looked to be great adventure cinema slightly along those lines, with a few comparisons to The Wages of Fear thrown in.

I'll let y'all know what I think of them as I watch them.

For the rest of this weekend, however, I'm going to take a cerebral recess and enjoy my Blu-ray box set of the five Resident Evil films. I've always enjoyed seeing these at the theater with friends (especially the third film) and am expecting them to look great in high definition. It'll be fun viewing while I relax before running my 17th marathon tomorrow morning.

[chetripley80]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Keeping this Criterion-topic-worthy, my favorite Brian Eno track of all time is "An Ending (Ascent)", and that instrumental plays at the end of Traffic (as well as during the film, 28 Days Later).

"An Ending (Ascent)" is also in For All Mankind, along with the rest of his album "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks". Eno is pretty well represented by Criterion.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by chetripley80

"An Ending (Ascent)" is also in For All Mankind, along with the rest of his album "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks". Eno is pretty well represented by Criterion.

Thanks! That's yet another Criterion title that I have not seen, but would like to.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Too bad it probably won't get one. Now, if the DVD hadn't come out yet, we might have had some hope for it...but I don't see it being released now.

Similar thing happened with The Kid with a Bike last year though. It got a DVD only release in North American on Feb. 28th.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Thanks! That's yet another Criterion title that I have not seen, but would like to.

For All Mankind is a beautiful film, and one that doesn't get talked about enough.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Similar thing happened with The Kid with a Bike last year though. It got a DVD only release in North American on Feb. 28th.

Ohh, I didn't know that.

I do see a Canadian DVD listed on Amazon for $25...not sure if that's the same one or not.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I bought Rapture after receiving several recommendations here on this site, and after researching the movie thoroughly. For some reason, the premise of this film makes me think of Forbidden Games. I may be off-base completely, but that played a small part in my decision to pull the trigger

You just got four outstanding films. I am glad you pulled the trigger on Rapture. The "best never-heard-of-it" blind buy I ever made (or semi-blind buy - I watched just enough of it on youtube to know I wanted it).

Here my thoughts about it that I wrote awhile back. It would have made an outstanding entry in the Criterion Collection.

[Show spoiler]Rapture is a fantastic film. Except for occasional brief visits to network TV over the years, it has been relegated to vault status since its release in 1965. Such a shame, because the film is a real gem and deserves to be seen. It is emotionally compelling, fantastically acted, well written, with absolutely beautiful music and cinematography. I have never seen rocky beaches and coastlines look so stunning in black and white. The film is a showcase for Cinemascope in all its glory. Fox has finally given it the home video treatment it deserves, and for me it is the standout film among all of Twilight Time's releases.

The story is as brooding and ominous as the storm shrouded Breton coast, almost neo-gothic in tone, building suspense because the viewer is never quite sure what is going to happen. There is redemption and sacrifice like in many great films, and scenes that are truly memorable for their tender and moving portrayal of loneliness and despair. And yet, in its heart of darkness, there is a love of life in Rapture that beats joyously loud. The actors are all superb; Patricia Gozzi shows a range of ability rarely seen in a young star. This is an unforgettable film, and it will stay with you after watching it. I can see why the director John Guillermin considers this to be his finest work.

While watching Rapture, I thought about some of the taboo elements in the movie that would make it impossible to be made today with the same level of honesty and intensity (at least in the US). The emotionally fragile teenage girl becoming aware of her sexuality, combined with the uncertainty of whether she is mentally disturbed or merely developmentally delayed and emotionally immature due to being ill-used by callous adults, makes Rapture both a dark fairy tale and a gently uplifting coming of age story.

I don’t know quite what to compare it to, it is a unique film. I think if someone likes Hitchcock and Bergman, they will like Rapture. It also reminded me of elements of early Polanski, specifically Repulsion.

And good-luck on your marathon.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

If anyone owns Tiny Furniture, can you tell me what the booklet says about which camera was used in production? I do not trust my Googling.

Hi AreaUnderTheCurve,

It is a high-contrast Canon EOS 7D.

It is actually mentioned in our review here:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Tiny-.../33685/#Review

Pro-B

[RandyK]

How is The Seventh Seal? Looks very dark and eerie, just the way I like.

[pro-bassoonist]

p.s. iScottie/Abdrewes/Randyman you are welcome

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Randyman94

How is The Seventh Seal? Looks very dark and eerie, just the way I like.

A lot of people liked it. I was neutral to the entire film but I still found it to be a pretty complex work of art.

It's a great introduction to Bergman's style, so you should get a good idea of how you will like him after watching the film.

I'm still waiting for Wild Strawberries to come out (which it more than likely will in June) to get a better feel for him.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

It is a high-contrast Canon EOS 7D.

I wasn't aware of this...it actually looks pretty good for that, on blu-ray.