The Criterion Collection

[Awilda2are]

I promised myself that I wouldn't double dip.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm sorry to hear that people are getting dicked over by Amazon on these out-of-print Melville films. Hopefully, the Blu-rays themselves are still good, even if they have dropped the ball on the cases. Looks like a scramble to find remaining copies of the movies in any remote semblance on the part of Amazon in order to get the orders to customers one way or another.

I got the Le Deuxième Souffle DVD from ImportCDs and it is legitimate.
It's also an awesome film.
I'd never seen it before, but it's pretty clear that Michael Mann was very much influenced by Melville. Heat could almost be considered a loose remake of Le Deuxième Souffle.
I've also listened to most of the commentary track, which is pretty damn good.
I'm still waiting for Le Doulos to be delivered from an eBay seller. I'm hoping it will be legitimate.
Horrible to hear to some many here getting stiffed with fake Criterions or missing booklets. Dreadful.

[drbikeshorts]

I have a question about likely Harold Lloyd blu-rays.
We know we're getting Safety Last, but how long will we have to wait to get more of them? I mean, look how long it has taken just to get a handful of Chaplin films.
In the meantime, Amazon have The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3 for about $70. That's 28 films!
I'm wondering if it's worth picking it up instead of waiting forever for blu-rays that might never eventuate.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

I was thinking about picking up the region-free blu-ray of Sunrise from Amazon, but with what I am reading here regarding the Criterion JP Mellville oop films, I am now hesitant to make the purchase.

I guess I don't follow your thinking...not sure what an OOP Criterion of a Melville film from amazon has to do with an MOC release possibly arriving in what some folks judge be a tampered or rewrapped condition.

If you want Sunrise, I would suggest ordering it from amazon.uk. I ordered the region free MOC from amazon.uk a couple of weeks ago along with a few other region free blu-rays. The order arrived a week later. It was my first MOC release and I could not be more pleased with the film and the presentation. MOC is every bit the equal of Criterion, and the price was very good. Having now tested the MOC waters, last week I went back to the well and ordered City Girl and Melville's Le Silence de la Mer, both of which I have never seen.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

I have a question about likely Harold Lloyd blu-rays.
We know we're getting Safety Last, but how long will we have to wait to get more of them? I mean, look how long it has taken just to get a handful of Chaplin films.
In the meantime, Amazon have The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection Vols. 1-3 for about $70. That's 28 films!
I'm wondering if it's worth picking it up instead of waiting forever for blu-rays that might never eventuate.

I feel the exact same way about the Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara box set you recommended to me last year. I am willing to wait for the blu-ray upgrade, but not knowing if Criterion ever plans to upgrade it makes me impatient to just get the DVDs. I will no doubt go back and forth on it again in July during the B&N sale.

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Amazon has never done me wrong before, just for the record. I've been burned once by a third-party Amazon dealer (with a CD, not with a movie), but Amazon fulfillment orders have always been spot-on during the 14 years or so that I've been doing business with the website.

Was just about to post pretty much the same thing. Have purchased somewhere around forty or fifty blu-rays from Amazon over the past two years and have, without fail, received them in perfect condition. The single problem I did have also occurred the first time I used a third-party dealer (issue received was not the one ordered~ corrected immediately by Amazon themselves) and I have not gone that route since. Can't figure out what might be happening with the problems that seem to be surfacing. I have to assume they are anomolies and that the Léon I have coming in on Friday (with Two-Lane Blacktop!!) will be in good condition.

[A Sith Lord?]

Looking at Best Buy.com for some Criterion Blu-Rays that can be had for a decent price with Best Buy's Upgrade and Save thing.

Breathless is $24.99, which would make it $19.99. Already going to buy that.

THere's some other movies that are decently priced that I was wondering if any of you guys had seen:

Les Cousins ($15.99 after coupon)
Zazie dans le Metro ($15.99)
La Promesse ($19.99)
Summer Interlude
La Beau Serge
Two-Lane Blacktop

Others I'm going to buy with bigger names are going to be reserved for the B&N sale.

[lim.davidd]

Originally Posted by COLD_COBRA_

Finally finished this up, and I loved it. 2nd 5/5 I'm giving thus far. I really want to re-watch the last hour of it. So now I've seen 9 of them. And remember when I said I wasn't buying any new ones until I had seen all I own? No? Well I lied.

Badlands
Belle de jour 4.5/5
Blow Out 3/5
Brazil
Breathless
Chungking Express 4.5/5
Cronos 3/5
Days of Heaven 4.5/5
The Double Life of Veronique
The Game 4/5
The Killing
Last Year at Marienbad
Naked Lunch
The Night of the Hunter
Paris, Texas 5/5
Paths of Glory
Rashômon
Repo Man
Ride with the Devil
Rosemary's Baby
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line
Three Colors Trilogy
The Wages of Fear 5/5
Walkabout
Wings of Desire 4.5/5

In that case, I might triple dip on the Wages of Fear and get the Blu-ray copy

[BLOFELD]

just got back in today from barnes and noble where they were having a 50% off sale on select dvds (NOT blu-rays). for a local retail store they have a magnificent selection of classic films. they probably had $10k to $20k in stock of criterions alone. i picked up some good dvd buys for $5 and $6 dollars, but the one problem is that in comparison to amazon their prices on films are astronomically high. i do realize they are a brick and mortar store where there's rent, but unless i need a copy of a film bad and quickly enough I just can't justify spending the $10 plus dollars they are asking from select Criterion and other blu-ray titles. i tried negotiating with the sales clerk on some of the dvds in the 50% off rack telling them that they were obscure titles and that they'd never sell unless a person with interest like me came along, but they said they'd eventually just send the films back to distributors if they didn't sell. like i said i was able to pick up a few things, but most of the stuff i wanted was priced too high and i knew i could get the better deal on amazon.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

^^^

I think I want to revisit a great Criterion title: Heaven's Gate.

I just watched that a couple of weeks ago, probably the first time since it was released, and the first time for the restored director's cut. That was one I watched alone, as none of my usual regular home theatre audience members decided to subject themselves to it, even in HD projected almost 10 feet wide with stereo surround sound.

I did not hate it like some critics did when it first came out, but did not think it was especially great, either. I think this longer version is a better film overall, despite its self-indulgence but still has a few issues with plot, character, motivation, and even overall attitude. I suppose some of that may have been resolved in the even longer early cuts that no longer survive. One of the film's strong points is the meticulous way it recreates the era, letting the audience absorb it before and while getting into the characters and plot. It's not the film that THE LEOPARD is (or even 1900), but it looks like it's trying its best to be. I do think Criterion's bonus features help put it in perspective and really do increase appreciation to a significant extent, but Cimino's masterpiece is still THE DEER HUNTER (which I watched again last Memorial Day).

The Blu-ray looks nice, but seems a bit grainier than I recall, perhaps due to being made from color separations an extra generation away from the original negative, but I'm sure also because 5254 film was so grainy to begin with (I used to shoot color slides from repackaged short ends).

[spanky87]

Has Criterion ever released both an original and a remake? I'm anxious for a blu-ray release of Solaris (2002). I even think it's better than the original version, as for me it accomplishes just as much, if not more, in almost half the running time. It would make a great addition to the Criterion label, especially if FOX is just going to sit on it.

[silentblu]

Originally Posted by octagon

I ordered one on April 5th. I haven't completely given up hope of it shipping but I'm not holding my breath either.

Mine has expected delivery sometime this week. They have pulled it down so you can't order from Amazon. So...we will see. I did just order Leon Morin, Priest. Seems like they didn't have it last I looked.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by oildude

If you want Sunrise, I would suggest ordering it from amazon.uk. I ordered the region free MOC from amazon.uk a couple of weeks ago along with a few other region free blu-rays. The order arrived a week later. It was my first MOC release and I could not be more pleased with the film and the presentation. MOC is every bit the equal of Criterion, and the price was very good. Having now tested the MOC waters, last week I went back to the well and ordered City Girl and Melville's Le Silence de la Mer, both of which I have never seen.

I got SUNRISE from amazon.co.uk some time ago and was very impressed with the MOC disc, especially the quality of the foreign cut, and pleasantly surprised at the quick delivery (faster than most US Amazon orders, although I always choose the Super-saver option).

I think CITY GIRL is even better than SUNRISE (both as a film and in overall picture quality), and LE SILENCE DE LA MER is my second-favorite Melville behind LEON MORIN, PRIEST. There are several other great region-free releases from Eureka (like TOKYO SONATA), and plenty of excellent region B-locked titles (which I should probably order a few more of, now that I've got a multi-region player, but I still prefer region-free titles for convenience in compatibility).

[pro-bassoonist]

Band of Outsiders Blu-ray REVIEW

[RupertPupkin]

thanks a lot for this review !

I was a bit , frightened to say the least when I pre-order this one, re-read the Criterion web site page about the Gaumont high-res transfer. Thinking : will they have a pre-Gaumont "touch" transfer or will they get a restored "rough" transfer, before the lovely Gaumont "touch".
After all I said to myself, what the hell! I love so much this movie that it broked my heart to pass a blu-ray release and wait the next Halley's comet to see a new release.
I had the Criterion DVD and loved so much the extras (especially the nice bonus with all connections and hints, reference in this movie... really nicely done) - loved the menu of the DVD (never noticed before that Godard could remind me a little bit John Lennon (perhaps because of this very particular glasses on this photo used for the menu)

well, all that story to say that I'm happy to read and see on the screenshots that we have a much more "naturel" transfer here. Gaumont would call it an "Americanziation" "Criterionization" of a French movie. Well, perhaps I'm more American now, than French (certainly not with my English )
I can't wait now to receive my package.

from what I understand, it's slightly below Vivre Sa Vie (which is IMHO outstanding), but I won't die from DNR intoxication.

Now, perhaps more Anna Karina "Une Woman Is A Woman" and infâme blu-ray upgrade would be great (those colors, the scope...) and perhaps a little more Truffaut to re-balance the whole thing (where is "The Soft Skin" )

so happy with Band Of Outsiders; beside all those funny sequences such as the Madison, love how Godard put with the use of "voix off" (his trembling voice) which puts the whole story in strata of a tragedy.

looking forward to your Douglas Sirk BR Italian import review btw...

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by serenityncc880

my copy of Last Year at Marienbad has still not shipped from Amazon...does that mean there is pretty much no hope of me getting a copy?

I ordered Last Year at Marienbad, Army of Shadows and Le Cercle Rouge as soon as I heard they were going out of print. It took quite some time (a couple of weeks) for the first two to ship but Le Cercle Rouge hasn't shipped yet. I've accepted that I may not get a shipping notification for that one but it bums me out. I'm going to keep it ordered and hope though

[rkish]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Maybe I'm looking into it too much, but it won't go in any further and it's not bent or odd shaped like some DigiPacks.

No offense, but I think you're being a bit overly anal about it. I'm as OCD as the next guy, but I've had this scenario and lived with it. Better this than badly dinged corners and/or horrendous creases.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Band of Outsiders Blu-ray REVIEW

I appreciate this, of course, but was expecting to see a review of Pierre Etaix.
Is it taking longer because there's so many more films in the package?
(I've actually already it anyway )

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

[Show spoiler]Band of Outsiders Blu-ray REVIEW

Thank you!

Now that I own the Criterion Blu-rays of Vivre Sa Vie and Pierrot Le Fou, my plan for world domination will be complete with the purchase of Band of Outsiders next month. Looking forward to this release!

[The Great Owl]

I am still having fun revisiting the James Bond movies in sequential order on Blu-ray, but am about to wrap things up soon. I watched Casino Royale last night and, as always, was blindsided by how this movie comes closer to perfection than most other films over the past decade.

Fans of Nicolas Roeg will appreciate an elegant homage to the film, Don't Look Now, during one particular sequence near the end of Casino Royale. Jeffrey Wright, who plays Felix Leiter in Casino Royale, also appeared in Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil, a Criterion release.

I cannot help wonder if there is a touch of Melville influence in Casino Royale, since the characters seem strangely bound to fate, and do not stray from their roles, although they seem to yearn to do so. This may just be my own perceptions working overtime, though.