The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Snicket

I really liked Criterion's 3 reasons video for Band of Outsiders, it might be the first one to convince me to buy a film. I was on the fence anyways and that pushed me over.

So onto the wishlist it goes...(July is going to be insane)

Band of Outsiders is awesome, and it's going to be my next Criterion purchase. I cannot wait to upgrade my old DVD.

Band of Outsiders followed by Ferris Bueller's Day Off makes for a surprisingly good double-feature night. That uniquely European look of the three characters in Ferris Bueller's Day Off had to have been taken from the Godard film.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Pierre Etaix review is up!
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pierr.../64061/#Review

Hoping to pick this up in July. While those supplements sound very interesting, it doesn't seem like it deserves a 5 on that front.

[Scottie]

Found Upstream Color at Best Buy and blind bought it. Hopefully it's as good as everybody is making it out.

Now to patiently wait for UPS to drop off Band of Outsiders!

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

Belonging to the grunge generation, I have a great fondness for the films of the nineties, including 12 Monkeys. While I absolutely love and respect Jetee, it's that nostalgic aspect, taking me back to my school and college days, that defines my special admiration for 12 Monkeys and - along with other films of the era, especially crime-related flicks, like Usual Suspects, Shawshank Redemption, Heat, Lock Stock, Pulp Fiction, La Confidential - encourages frequent revisits.

My nineties nostalgia is also very much about music - my favorite album being August and Everything After . . . and I love to crank me up some Cranberries. In fact, I recently revisited Chungking Express (what an awesome looking Criterion blu!), and although the incorporation of California Dreaming into the movie is what usually gets the most attention, I actually found the Cantonese version of (the Cranberries song) Dreams to be just as definitive to the soundtrack.

I concur, even would go as far to say that it's the definitive track for me; and Criterion does have it loop on the menu screen.

(Though to be fair, 'California Dreamin' is approximately 1/4 of the film's runtime, so they probably wanted to change it up).

I'm a younger child of the nineties - I hit the teen years by decade's end - but I have a high nostalgia for it just the same. Whilst doing a mental inventory recently I've even come to the conclusion that the 90s is probably[*] my favorite decade for film--at least, there are just so many great films from that decade. As facile a demarcation the 'decade' is, of course.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Band of Outsiders is awesome, and it's going to be my next Criterion purchase. I cannot wait to upgrade my old DVD.

Band of Outsiders followed by Ferris Bueller's Day Off makes for a surprisingly good double-feature night. That uniquely European look of the three characters in Ferris Bueller's Day Off had to have been taken from the Godard film.

Nice insight, thanks. I never really thought about that - the beret, the subversion of authority in the stuffy French restaurant . . . yeah, Ferris is very much new wave-ish, isn't it/he?

I'm currently in Chicago for a short work-related trip, and so Ferris is actually on my mind. The new wave takes Chicago by storm is a neat way of looking at the film.

On the topic of Godard . . . I would definitely add Contempt to the list of essentials. And I'd personally also put Masculin Feminin in there. There is a way in which MF realizes a vision of youth and the new wave that is very much distinctive and characteristic of Godard's vision.

[The Great Owl]

Not entirely Criterion-related, but sad news just the same.

Ray Harryhausen passed away today.

I have been an enthusiastic fan of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects since I saw Clash of the Titans at the theater in 1981 when I was nine years old.

[oildude]

Sad news. Ray Harryhausen died today. The film greats responsible for so many of my earliest movie favorites are passing away one by one. RIP Harry. You will be missed and thanks for so many magical childhood moments at the movie theater.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Not entirely Criterion-related, but sad news just the same.

Ray Harryhausen passed away today.

I have been an enthusiastic fan of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects since I saw Clash of the Titans at the theater in 1981 when I was nine years old.

I think Jason and the Argonauts was a Criterion laserdisc.

Yeah, here's the link to buy it. http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Argonaut.../dp/B001TOZ7AO

And here's the write-up from the Current. http://www.criterion.com/current/pos...-the-argonauts

Very sad, RIP.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Not entirely Criterion-related, but sad news just the same.

Ray Harryhausen passed away today.

I have been an enthusiastic fan of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects since I saw Clash of the Titans at the theater in 1981 when I was nine years old.

An icon. Very sad. R.I.P. Ray.

(He/his work will live on).

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

^^^
Ah, I really need to crack open my copy, I haven't seen the film in years.

It was tough for me to write a coherent review of Rosemary's Baby, because it's one of those films that is so universally acknowledged as flawless that there's not a lot to add to what has already been written thousands of times. The Criterion release is a masterful Blu-ray edition for a deserving film.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

By the way, did you see that Olive is planning to release two of his 1970's films?

Love that scene! And I did see Olive is releasing some of his films, I have never owned an Olive release but its never too late!

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

[Show spoiler]

Is it just me, or does the main lullaby theme of Rosemary's Baby send chills down the back of your spine?

I think that the Criterion Blu-ray of Rosemary's Baby and the Blu-ray of Philip Kaufman's 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers would make for a great double-feature night. Both movies beautifully illustrate the claustrophobic unease that one can experience in the deceptively open anonymity of life in a major city. For some reason, the diversity of ideas and values in a densely-populated city have always made me feel more alone than ever, because the question of who to trust in the myriad of choices always has an oddly constricting effect on the psyche.

The unsettling vibe of city life is just one of the many real-life elements incorporated by Roman Polanski in Rosemary's Baby to an extent that the ultimate supernatural horror of the film is almost an afterthought. The most effective horror films succeed because they incorporate normal human insecurities and authentic fears into a fictional storyline. The ubiquitous terrors of a new home purchase amplify The Amityville Horror, the insecurities of sexual awakenings are the backdrop to countless vampire films, and the real pressures of a crowded city of infinite influences bring Rosemary's Baby to life. One can imagine the unsettling paranoia that a young pregnant woman must feel when faced with conflicting advice from everyone around her in a crowded setting. Rosemary's Baby places these normal fears into the framework of a horror tale about black magic with superb results.

The virtues of this particular Blu-ray transfer are evident only seconds into the film, as the above-mentioned lullaby sounds out over a sweeping panorama of New York City and instantly gives us the impression of a disingenuous reassurance in a world of indifference. The picture quality excels through the rest of the film, especially in the close-ups of Mia Farrow's face in a story where her reactions are a key element of every scene. As always, Criterion supplies us with generous extras, but the main attraction here is a timeless horror movie that feeds on our inner insecurities instead of manipulating us with visceral effects.

I really liked Rosemary's Baby, sometimes I like to dig into it and find a subversive read that the film is a feminist tragedy, the male characters all mansplain to Rosemary, birth is reinforced as her primary role in life, an acceptance of conformity as her gender role as a mother...then other times I think...nah.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Snicket

Love that scene! And I did see Olive is releasing some of his films, I have never owned an Olive release but its never too late!

No! But there are a number of great Olive Releases: Letter from an a unknown Woman, Bound, High Noon, Body & Soul, Force of Evil, 1990, Amer, Invasion of the Body Snatchers,Trust, & The Quiet Man to name a few. You just lost some cred there Snicket

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Snicket

I really liked Rosemary's Baby, sometimes I like to dig into it and find a subversive read that the film is a feminist tragedy, the male characters all mansplain to Rosemary, birth is reinforced as her primary role in life, an acceptance of conformity as her gender role as a mother...then other times I think...nah.

If you want to see a horror film with feminist themes, watch Poltergeist. The women in the movie are the only characters who can accomplish anything whatsoever, while the men are all inadequate in any given situation. The father could not even hold on to the rope. *Shakes head.*

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

No! But there are a number of great Olive Releases: Letter from an a unknown Woman, Bound, High Noon, Body & Soul, Force of Evil, 1990, Amer, Invasion of the Body Snatchers,Trust, & The Quiet Man to name a few. You just lost some cred there Snicket

Invasion of the Body Snatchers and High Noon are both great Blu-rays in my collection. No extra features, but the picture quality is downright incredible for both releases.

Greed in the Sun and Taxi for Tobruk are waiting for me to watch. I bought them because I love Jean-Paul Belmondo's and Lino Ventura's work in my Melville Criterions.

[AverageAtBest]

I got Videodrome on Amazon today so I will be eagerly awaiting that shipment.

Also I finally watched my blu-ray of Army of Shadows and like a previous poster said it is very worthy of the hype I have heard about the film. Fantastic movie and really good transfer.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Invasion of the Body Snatchers and High Noon are both great Blu-rays in my collection. No extra features, but the picture quality is downright incredible for both releases.

Greed in the Sun and Taxi for Tobruk are waiting for me to watch. I bought them because I love Jean-Paul Belmondo's and Lino Ventura's work in my Melville Criterions.

You should atleast find a way to rent the others on that list. Body & Soul for example, has jumped to being one of my favorite Boxing Movies, Bound has become one of my favorite neo-noirs, so on and so forth.

[Scottie]

Band of Outsiders has arrived!

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

If you want to see a horror film with feminist themes, watch Poltergeist. The women in the movie are the only characters who can accomplish anything whatsoever, while the men are all inadequate in any given situation. The father could not even hold on to the rope. *Shakes head.*

That's a good one, Aliens also does a lot of the same things.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You should atleast find a way to rent the others on that list. Body & Soul for example, has jumped to being one of my favorite Boxing Movies, Bound has become one of my favorite neo-noirs, so on and so forth.

The Enforcer will be mine soon. It's a Bogart film, and, therefore, an imperative.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Snicket

That's a good one, Aliens also does a lot of the same things.

"Why don't we put her in charge???"
"You can count me out!"
"Game over, man! Game over!"