The Criterion Collection

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Bought:

Shoah

Things to Come
Wild strawberries
Life During Wartime
Life of Oharu
War Room
Safety Last
------------

sweet haul. I especially like this one - doesn't get much talk around here, and some folks have really negative reactions to it and his other flicks, but to me its black humor is pitch perfect, and there are also some beautiful scenes of sunny Miami (thinking also of your avatar). anyways, if it's a blind buy for you, I hope you enjoy it - if not, enjoy it again.

I'm also really excited about watching Shoah. I'm definitely going to split it up over a couple of days. Actually, it may seem counter-intuitive, but I think I'm going to watch the three other extra films first, as a kind of primer to his style and other related content, and then dig into Shoah.

[Abdrewes]

^^^
Only Oharu, Shoah and War Room were Blindbuys. I was decidedly mixed of Wartime when I first saw it, but who knows, I might like it more this time.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

^^^
Only Oharu, Shoah and War Room were Blindbuys. I was decidedly mixed of Wartime when I first saw it, but who knows, I might like it more this time.

definitely a film with lots to be ambivalent about. i like it more than Happiness, that's for sure, although i like that one too - haven't followed his other work and am not super interested in doing so. But I really, really like Life During Wartime: whereas I thought some of Happiness was too disturbing or bleak, Life During Wartime felt somewhat lighter without lacking that edge of black humor and still being able to provide an incisive commentary on, well, certain dark aspects of American life during wartime. as I mentioned, it is also a finer film in formal terms; I really like the location shots in Florida.

[JoeBuck]

So according to someone on Criterions facebook page a staff member showed him a memo that from tomorrow till sunday members will get an extra 10% off as a members appreciation deal.
So glad my friend couldn't go today now!

[dizzy4111]

Dammit, maybe I should have grabbed Howard's End yesterday.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

definitely a film with lots to be ambivalent about. i like it more than Happiness, that's for sure, although i like that one too - haven't followed his other work and am not super interested in doing so. But I really, really like Life During Wartime: whereas I thought some of Happiness was too disturbing or bleak, Life During Wartime felt somewhat lighter without lacking that edge of black humor and still being able to provide an incisive commentary on, well, certain dark aspects of American life during wartime. as I mentioned, it is also a finer film in formal terms as well; I really like the location shots in Florida.

I like Happiness alot more. Is it an easy watch? No. But I think it's more dangerous and pushes more interesting buttons.

LDW is definitely a nicer looking film.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I like Happiness alot more. Is it an easy watch? No. But I think it's more dangerous and pushes more interesting buttons.

I should probably visit it again soon...

I saw it when I was way too young...with my dad. It was awful.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I like Happiness alot more. Is it an easy watch? No. But I think it's more dangerous and pushes more interesting buttons.

LDW is definitely a nicer looking film.

I agree, absolutely. Happiness is the harder movie to watch, Life During Wartime the nicer looking film. In Happiness

[Show spoiler]the ejaculation scene, and the whole sexuality dynamic around Hoffman's character and the obese woman were in general challenging character/plot elements for me.

It's funny and interesting that when the issue of really challenging Criterion films comes up on this forum, Life During Wartime seems (maybe this is just my perception) less frequently mentioned than, say, Salo, Senses, or Antichrist. Maybe it's because Life During Wartime is plainly not that difficult. Although I imagine that were Happiness in the collection (which it should be) it would be mentioned in the same breath. All in all, I'd say, yeah, my preference for Life During Wartime has to do with it being lighter or easier, although I do like Antichrist and Senses a lot.

[Abdrewes]

^^^
I hope to share your sentiments the second time around Who knows, maybe the softer tone in 'Wartime' is a grander achievemt that the bulldozing in Happiness, I don't know.

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I should probably visit it again soon...

I saw it when I was way too young...with my dad. It was awful.

Please, please, expand on that

(Thanks for the chuckle, I really needed it)

[shortmartin]

oh, I completely forgot Welcome to the Dollhouse . . . also one that I dig a lot, what a crazy filmography! One day in college some friends and I watched Welcome to the Dollhouse, Basket Case, and Gummo in succession. It was an odd movie marathon.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

oh, I completely forgot Welcome to the Dollhouse . . . also one that I dig a lot, what a crazy filmography! One day in college some friends and I watched Welcome to the Dollhouse, Basket Case, and Gummo in succession. It was an odd movie marathon.

Welcome to the Dollhouse is great too. Haven't seen it in sooo long, but it's absolutely unforgettable. I too saw it during my undergrad years when I would watch everything horror/disturbing. Great times

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Please, please, expand on that

(Thanks for the chuckle, I really needed it)

Ugh, no thanks

I could only make it through maybe 1/3rd of it, before awkwardly leaving...which was plenty on its own. He's also always been very 'average moviegoer' (I hate using that term, btw), so you can imagine it was awful on both sides..

It's totally different with my mom though, which is great

[jw007]

Originally Posted by starman15317

Haha, maybe.

I just stopped by my nearest B&N, which still only sells DVDs, so I didn't buy anything. They did have 4 DVD copies of Howard's End though. Is the DVD worth getting to sell at a later date?

Buy the BD, not the DVD. The BD is what is going to be valuable someday soon. It might not sell like The Third Man does, but I think people are going to try and re-sell this for at least $50-70. I was happy to buy Howards End on blu-ray yesterday for only $16+.

Originally Posted by dag

I don't own any movies (not making any judgment here about others' purchases), and am easily able to rent Blu-rays from probably Canada's largest video store here in Toronto. I definitely want to see Shoah, preferably before October, when I'll be visiting Israel. I've been to Auschwitz (and, on the other side of the world, to S-21 in Phnom Penh), and I agree with others here that it's important to watch this type of film for its historical importance. And we all know that this isn't escapist entertainment. Next weekend, I'll be seeing The Act of Killing, a documentary about Indonesians who killed hundreds of thousands in state-sanctioned murder.

No nation can escape its history, and it is to Criterion's immense credit that they have provided us with the opportunity to bear witness to these events. But it will make for some long and difficult viewing.

Having been to Israel a number of times, including visiting Yad Vashem (the massive Holocaust memorial/museum) and knowing that my maternal grandfather and his brother survived the Holocaust, I take this subject matter seriously. I too am very grateful that Criterion put such great work into releasing Shoah. Releases like that are what define a company. It could be the company's finest release ever up until now.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Ugh, no thanks

I could only make it through maybe 1/3rd of it, before awkwardly leaving...which was plenty on its own. He's also always been very 'average moviegoer' (I hate using that term, btw), so you can imagine it was awful on both sides..

It's totally different with my mom though, which is great

Yeah, I had my share of those way back when.

My mother is definitely a bit easier to watch more out there (usually form not exactly explicitness) movies. Although, she doesnt care too much for Malick'.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jw007

Having been to Israel a number of times, including visiting Yad Vashem (the massive Holocaust memorial/museum) and knowing that my maternal grandfather and his brother survived the Holocaust, I take this subject matter seriously. I too am very grateful that Criterion put such great work into releasing Shoah. Releases like that are what define a company. It could be the company's finest release ever up until now.

You're so lucky! The one time I went, I had an acute appendicitis. 3/4 of the stay was spent in both a hospital and hotel room

So excited to finally watch the film (it's been on my list for quite a few years now).

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

You're so lucky! The one time I went, I had an acute appendicitis. 3/4 of the stay was spent in both a hospital and hotel room

So excited to finally watch the film (it's been on my list for quite a few years now).

Wow, how old were you/how long ago was it when you went there? Too bad to hear you were ill during the trip. The health system is pretty good there though. The people are mostly healthy and happy and I hardly saw many hospitals on my trips there. I prefer the European way of life these days I guess.

Not sure when I'm going to get around to watching Shoah though. It could be in a few weeks or a year or two. Hopefully sooner though. Usually I put off watching the longest films in my collection (if they are more than 2-3 hours). For instance, I still have Carlos and still haven't seen it yet, even though Criterion helped replace disc 2 of the release for me (due to technical problems).

[Jughead]

Accidentally posted this in the B&N thread:

Originally Posted by Jughead

... By the way. I watch Smiles of a Summer Night last night and absolutely loved it. I loved each and every character. They all played their parts so well and each line was delivered with such intensity; whether it was sarcasm, jealously, competitiveness or love. Oh! And all four of those women were absolutely gorgeous as well. That sure didn't hurt! Loved it! Highly recommended. Now if I can just get my wife to sit down with it.

I can't wait for Wild Strawberries. I'm thinking of picking it an Umberto D up during this sale. That is all the budget will allow. Well, I did get Howards End today as it was going out of print; but that didn't count.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by Jughead

Accidentally posted this in the B&N thread:

You should get The Magician if you don't have it.

[pro-bassoonist]

Lord of the Flies Blu-ray REVIEW

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Lord of the Flies Blu-ray REVIEW

Thank you! I'm looking forward to it.