The Criterion Collection

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

I brought up The Thief of Bagdad the other day.
I really highly recommend this film if you like silent films, epics and adventures.
The visual/audio package is fantastic, although the extras are a little light.

I have been eying it. My wife isn't exactly keen on the idea of the silent films, so I'm going to pick my first one carefully.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I have been eying it. My wife isn't exactly keen on the idea of the silent films, so I'm going to pick my first one carefully.

If People on Sunday or The General can't win her over nothing will.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by octagon

If People on Sunday or The General can't win her over nothing will.

Thanks - People on Sunday wasn't on my radar. Will check it out.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I have been eying it. My wife isn't exactly keen on the idea of the silent films, so I'm going to pick my first one carefully.

Yeah, introducing someone to silents is tricky.
Always best to start with Chaplin or Keaton, not least because they're funny and relatively short. In fact, even start with their short two-reel films.
I'm often recommending things like The Thief of Bagdad, Die Nibelungen, or Metropolis, but they're all very long and someone new to silents will struggle with them.
Other shorter silents I highly recommend are the two Murnau silents from Masters of Cinema, Sunrise and City Girl (which I re-watched last night), or the Criterion DVD box-set of Josef von Sternberg films.
I've never seen People on Sunday, but I swear in it's in my cart for the next B&N sale

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

CHAOS REIGNS.

Honestly one of the creepiest things I've seen.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Honestly one of the creepiest things I've seen.

I thought there were far creepier things in the film

Speaking of creepy, We are all still awaiting yourSalo review

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Yeah, introducing someone to silents is tricky.
Always best to start with Chaplin or Keaton, not least because they're funny and relatively short. In fact, even start with their short two-reel films.
I'm often recommending things like The Thief of Bagdad, Die Nibelungen, or Metropolis, but they're all very long and someone new to silents will struggle with them.
Other shorter silents I highly recommend are the two Murnau silents from Masters of Cinema, Sunrise and City Girl (which I re-watched last night), or the Criterion DVD box-set of Josef von Sternberg films.
I've never seen People on Sunday, but I swear in it's in my cart for the next B&N sale

Sunrise is also on my short list. Don't know anything about City girl.

I was thinking Chaplin or Keaton would probably be the way to go though.

She wasn't as keen on the Criterion Collection as I was to begin with, but every film has been a hit so far. Then she wasn't as excited about moving into foreign film territory (She's not opposed to watching them at all, i just think she thought we might not get many views out of them) but Wages of Fear was a huge hit too. So, baby steps. but we're getting there.

I don't mean to sound like she is resistant to good films or anything, quite the opposite, but maybe she didn't think we needed to own them.

Since having the baby, blu rays are our main form of entertainment though, and we've been watching lots of fantastic old films. It's been amazing.

[nich0103]

Does anyone know if Best Buy will ship you the slipcover if you order The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Criterion Collection from their website?

[King Troll]

Originally Posted by nich0103

Does anyone know if Best Buy will ship you the slipcover if you order The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Criterion Collection from their website?

They will definitely not
Htf slip

[A Sith Lord?]

Crap! Should of gotten Wings of Desire!

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Honestly one of the creepiest things I've seen.

If you thought that was creepy check out the actual clip on you-tube! Thank you Abdrewes. I'll be spending the rest of the evening endlessly re-playing Under the Tuscan Sun trying to erase the retinal burn from those images...

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by MasturB

Crap! Should of gotten Wings of Desire!

There will always be the next 'I should have got...'

[The Bronx Bull]

Just watched "Le Trou." Excellent prison movie, and as I'm sure many around here have watched "A Man Escaped" recently due to its BD release, I highly recommend "Le Trou" to compliment it. The two films are similar in some ways, but remarkably different in others.

What a film!

Also, I watched Le Doulos about a week ago; did anyone crack up at the scene where the wife comes home and he tells her to "Go make me a sandwich"? While I do get the impression that Melville isn't a fan of female characters in his films (especially Le Cercle Rouge), I interpreted this line as being authentic, and prior to the point in time where it is now a cliche misogynistic insult.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Sorry Filmspotting but each of Rian Johnson's films have underwhelmed me a bit. There's no doubt he's talented, but I don't feel like he's fully realized his potential yet.

With you on that. I'm consistently underwhelmed despite the boys' praise. And you pegged the reason: parts are all there, but Johnson's films lack tightness or intensity. He's good when he guests on the podcast though.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by RojD

With you on that. I'm consistently underwhelmed despite the boys' praise. And you pegged the reason: parts are all there, but Johnson's films lack tightness or intensity. He's good when he guests on the podcast though.

I find Brick to be a tremendous film.

Looper I found fun (and compared to That's My Boy, it's Citizen Kane )

Brothers Bloom didn't really work for me though.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by ElliesDad

If you thought that was creepy check out the actual clip on you-tube! Thank you Abdrewes. I'll be spending the rest of the evening endlessly re-playing Under the Tuscan Sun trying to erase the retinal burn from those images...

In all fairness, I could have posted the scene wh......never mind.


Here's something more pleasant:

[MitchA17]

Originally Posted by jrsl76

At any time I'd take Dancer In The Dark, Breaking The Waves, upgrades of the DVD Von Triers and I'd love Dogville.

Same here

[monorail91]

Just rented Army of Shadows (after B&N botched my order of it) - good not great. I don't mind that this one slipped away from me.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by RojD

With you on that. I'm consistently underwhelmed despite the boys' praise. And you pegged the reason: parts are all there, but Johnson's films lack tightness or intensity. He's good when he guests on the podcast though.

Sometimes it feels like he throws everything at the wall as if hell never make a film again. For some filmmakers it works: Godard, Oliver Stone, The Wachowskis, Scorsese; but I don't think Johnson's a "born filmmaker." However, I felt at the end of Looper a bit of growth, a departure from his self consciously clever gimmickry.

[The Great Owl]

Any opinions on That Obscure Object of Desire?

I am still watching my Bond Blu-rays in order and just finished revisiting For Your Eyes Only, my favorite of the Roger Moore Bond films by far. I had a big crush on Caroline Bouquet after I saw this movie during childhood, and I still consider her to be one of the best Bond girls. I understand that she is featured prominently in That Obscure Object of Desire, and I've wanted to see that film for a while.

Criterion does not have a Blu-ray, sadly, but I just saw that StudioCanal has a Region A Blu-ray of the movie.