The Criterion Collection

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

It's Tarkovsky's birthday. Maybe I'll finally watch my Blu of The Sacrifice.

Thanks for the news about his birthday. I revisited Solaris last week and was as impressed with it as I've ever been, and I watched all the Criterion extras, which are awesome . . . the interview with the cinematographer was great:

[Show spoiler]especially 1) his description of their use of a stripped-down spacecraft, which reflected the fact that Soviet filmmakers at the time didn't have access to resources that would permit more elaborate set designs a la Kubrick's Space Odyssey, and 2) his description of their use of close-up shots of different liquids to get the texture that they desired for their representations of what appear to the viewer to be quite distant shots of the planet, the oceans, and the sun.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by tonylopez

My only concern with paper covers is the wear and tear. Even that new copy on the first open pic , you can see on the bottom left hand corner is already worn and opening up. Grr.

Amen to that. I watch over my Criterion digipaks like a mother bear watches over her cubs, so I noticed that small tear as well.

[shortmartin]

I can't wait for some of the new releases to come out - like others on this forum, I think many of the announcements that Criterion has made in the past several months have been outstanding. While needing to block out time to watch Shoah, I'm also really excited about Life is Sweet. It was a blind buy pre-order for me, based on the fact that I really loved Naked (and another of his films, All or Nothing).

We also need more Hal Ashby upgrades.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

I can't wait for some of the new releases to come out - like others on this forum, I think many of the announcements that Criterion has made in the past several months have been outstanding. While needing to block out time to watch Shoah, I'm also really excited about Life is Sweet. It was a blind buy pre-order for me, based on the fact that I really loved Naked (and another of his films, All or Nothing).

The only real must-haves for me during April and May are Repo Man and Band of Outsiders, so I'm happy to take a break in preparation for an expensive month in June.

I think that a lot of people here are going to be quite impressed with Godard's Band of Outsiders.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The only real must-haves for me during April and May are Repo Man and Band of Outsiders, so I'm happy to take a break in preparation for an expensive month in June.

I think that a lot of people here are going to be quite impressed with Godard's Band of Outsiders.

Yup. Band of Outsiders is his most welcoming film. Great? I don't know, but its certainly fun.

Considering the path Godard's career has gone, is there any interview where he renounces or distances himself from his early films?

[bluesilo]

Just bought Last Year, Army of Shadows, and Cercle. Not feeling the 120$ from the purchase though. What's the chances I can sell army for 60$?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

Just bought Last Year, Army of Shadows, and Cercle. Not feeling the 120$ from the purchase though. What's the chances I can sell army for 60$?

Watch it before you decide to sell it. It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite film currently out on Blu-ray (although Le Cercle Rouge and Casino Royale both come close). It's worth keeping, in my opinion.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by Brian81

Was there an insert alteration for 'The Game'? For whatever reason, I just got this one in the mail and I'm finally looking at it, and realizing how the title is barely legible because it's a dark charcoal gray on a black background, and I'm thinking I may have read that there was a change in the insert because of this, where they lightened the text up.

Yes, I do believe there was a change to The Game, others here can confirm but I think the first run was really dark while the next printings were lightened up.

[bluesilo]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Watch it before you decide to sell it. It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite film currently out on Blu-ray (although Le Cercle Rouge and Casino Royale both come close). It's worth keeping, in my opinion.

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by James78

Oh, I see. But why wait? ITV restored them really well and they look and sound excellent.

I only have Region A players.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

All we are saying is give Army of Shadows a chance.

If you watch it, you may decide that you like it too much to sell it. It's a well-acclaimed movie, and for good reason.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

Why not sit down and actually watch the films you buy? You might not be so eager to part with it, you know, if you've actually seen it.

[tonylopez]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Amen to that. I watch over my Criterion digipaks like a mother bear watches over her cubs, so I noticed that small tear as well.

LOL. Thats funny. I find a cover just a smidgen scuffed up (especially a Criterion) and its like one of my kids came home with a black eye.

[hoytereden]

Even though I was only able to see it in SD yesterday (on TCM), the restored edition of Richard III looked very nice.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

All we are saying is give Army of Shadows a chance.

If you watch it, you may decide that you like it too much to sell it. It's a well-acclaimed movie, and for good reason.

It's absolutely a thriller of the first order. With all the Melville kerfuffle that's been going on in the past week re: OOP titles and such, I went back and revisited Army of Shadows, and it was well worth it. Definitely give it a watch before letting it go.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

That blu-ray of The Maltese Falcon is pretty sweet.
But it can't compare to the restoration and transfer of Casablanca which looks completely stunning.
We watched it on the weekend because Mrs Drbikeshorts had never seen it ().
The Petrified Forest has been announced for May. Awesome film.

Already ordered with this sweet boxset

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

The Big Sleep is really high on my wishlist for films to be upgraded.

I'm just simply astonished The Big Sleep hasn't been release yet. Unforgivable. Would also add To Have and Have Not to that list of missing Bogart Blurays

Originally Posted by bluesilo

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

And IMO the best movie out of those 3.

[bluesilo]

RIP Roger Ebert http://todayentertainment.today.com/...ies-at-70?lite

[SammyJankis]

Absolutely gutted.

[Kevin Holly]

RIP Roger Ebert

I may have disagreed with him frequently, but I have nothing but respect for the man.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Kevin Holly

RIP Roger Ebert
I may have disagreed with him frequently, but I have nothing but respect for the man.

Just the very day before, he announced he was taking a "leave of absence" to move his cantankerous personal blog off the Chicago Sun-Times site and to a personal domain. Turned out to be a fitting obit.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013..._presense.html
Fortunately, he'd already finished his autobiography, "Life Itself". (Which he plugged frequently. )

I'd always wanted to be a film critic when I was in high/junior, just from the days when Siskel & Ebert were starting to help transform the late-70's movie-audience landscape.
I'd later ended up getting into good arguments with him on his blogsite (and he once or twice said he liked my comments too ), since he was a lapsed Catholic who claimed he "wasn't" an atheist and still had respect for his Chicago Catholic-school days, but still made Bush-paranoid columns that attracted the Bill Maher nuts. His funny "ego" act wasn't always an act, but his movie reviews could break down the silly problems in a movie's faulty story construction in a funny down-to-earth way.
Back in the days when a critic panning a movie was seen as a snooty Rex Reed, a good entertaining Roger Ebert pan was a reminder that popcorn movie audiences weren't dumb, and were hard to fool.