The Criterion Collection

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Found Pauline Kael's Shoah review. I think she stated her case against the film admirably. The one thing I fullheadredly agree with are the drawn out translations from Yiddish to French (then to English when you count the subs). That really pads to the film's runtime unneccessarily.

I loved reading this review, thanks for pointing it out and bringing it to my attention. I also liked reading her conjoined reviews of Out of Africa and The Color Purple. She's a tough cookie.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

Sadly the Barnes & Noble in my town closed a few years back (and I don't recall them carrying much if any video anyway), but by fortuitous coincidence I happened to be visiting family in the Twin Cities for a wedding this weekend and stopped by the Minnetonka Barnes & Noble. The 13 titles I bought at 50% off (11 Blu-rays and 2 DVD sets) saved me enough money to cover the round-trip gas and part of the hotel bill. All but one of the titles were blind buys.

I already own most of the classic titles in the Criterion Collection, so took the opportunity to fill in some of the gaps of more recent foreign and independent films, plus some foreign classics. It was hard to resist buying more, but here's what I finally wound up getting (many titles guided by various recommendations on this forum):

LE BEAU SERGE
REVANCHE
SWEETIE
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (the only title I'd seen before)
VANYA ON 42ND STREET
LE HAVRE
INSIGNIFICANCE
THE LIFE OF OHARU
IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES
CARNAGE (not Criterion, but still 50% off in their ArtCinema promotion)
Eclipse series 17 NIKKATSU NOIR
Eclipse series 23 THE FIRST FILMS OF AKIRA KUROSAWA

The girl at the checkout counter helpfully noted that she didn't see her favorite in the pile, SANS SOLEIL. She was pleased when I mentioned that I already had that and agreed it was much better than LA JETEE. It's a pleasure to buy classic and foreign films at a brick & mortar store where the employees actually know and love them as much as the customers. I'm tempted to stop by on the way out of town and pick up a few more, and if I could stay until Tuesday's new releases I definitely would.

nice haul, you're going to love Insignificance (I hope) . . . really off beat, and amusing.

friendly girl at the check out counter is always an added bonus

[RandyK]

I just noticed that Dead Ringers is OOP on DVD from Criterion. Any chance that comes back in print as a possibility for the Cronenberg box set? Or do Criterion's DVD OOP titles stay OOP?

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

I loved reading this review, thanks for pointing it out and bringing it to my attention. I also liked reading her conjoined reviews of Out of Africa and The Color Purple. She's a tough cookie.

Yeah. I wanna figure out how to pull up her full reviews with ease. If it hasn't have been for that Wikipedia link, I would have never found it.

The 5001 Nights at the movies book (exerpts) is a nice read, but having the full reviews would be great (preferably on line).

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yeah. I wanna figure out how to pull up her full reviews with ease. If it hasn't have been for that Wikipedia link, I would have never found it.

The 5001 Nights at the movies book (exerpts) is a nice read, but having the full reviews would be great (preferably on line).

interesting argument, that she compares the aesthetic of Color Purple to Disney's Song of the South . . . I know this latter film has gotten some buzz lately around here as a potential CC release (which I think would be cool beans).

[shortmartin]

manana, manana, manana, can't wait for the announcements.

i married a witch, some cronenberg, maybe lynch

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yeah. I wanna figure out how to pull up her full reviews with ease. If it hasn't have been for that Wikipedia link, I would have never found it.

The 5001 Nights at the movies book (exerpts) is a nice read, but having the full reviews would be great (preferably on line).

thanks for the rec, I'll have to check out that book, seems like a great way to widen one's knowledge of film, and to read some well written and thoughtful pieces in the meantime . . . her write-up of Shoah, however contentious, is a gem of a review.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shortmartin

thanks for the rec, I'll have to check out that book, seems like a great way to widen one's knowledge of film, and to read some well written and thoughtful pieces in the meantime . . . her write-up of Shoah, however contentious, is a gem of a review.

Well the reviews are very truncated, so I don't filly reccomend it. For a quick reference to see what she generally thought about a film, it's okay.

In sure some Kael fan can show me how to access her reviews online.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Well the reviews are very truncated, so I don't filly reccomend it. For a quick reference to see what she generally thought about a film, it's okay.

In sure some Kael fan can show me how to access her reviews online.

true that. yeah, looking at the examples of the text here online, it seems only minimally useful. i'm going to look around for a book on the history of American film, and perhaps also books on other national traditions, and see what I can find. Right now, I haven't really read anything outside of Bordwell & Thompson's "Film Art" textbook, but I'm looking for something more historical.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

If somebody filed a lawsuit for Pacific Rim copying the look from Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, then somebody else would probably file a lawsuit against Blade Runner for copying Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

I'm sure that all of the above are thankful for the homages and acknowledgements, though. It's a look that was destined to be replicated time and time again.

I'm a bit perturbed that Kino's Blu-ray of the The Complete Metropolis is not included in the "50% off Criterion and Arthouse" sale going on, because I currently have a hankering to revisit that movie. I loved seeing it on the big screen a few years ago.

Which brings me to a fun topic of discussion...

1. Which science fiction films have emulated the look of Metropolis?
2. Which science fiction films have emulated the look of Things to Come?

The sprawling skyscraper city of Metropolis, with its railways, and such, was replicated quite well in Blade Runner and with the Coruscant cityscapes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

The comparably leisurely cityscape of Everytown in Things to Come predates films like Gattaca, and several settings in the Star Wars universe replicate the look as well.


I'm surprised that Things to Come has not generated a more enthusiastic response here. I thoroughly loved watching this film the other night, and am thrilled that it now exists in a good home video format.

I really like this way of seeing Metropolis and Things to Come as a kind of fork relationship in the subsequent history of science fiction, with differing recognizable impulses and influences evident across and within movies. It reminds of something Aki Kaurismaki says in his Criterion Top 10:

"I have always considered Jean Vigo and Robert Flaherty close relatives. Between Nanook and L’Atalante, you can place practically all cinema except Bunuel’s L’age d’or."

[Abdrewes]

Holy crap! This is a great essay on Altman and Nashville. Worth a read and then some:

http://www.salon.com/2000/06/27/nashville_2/

[COLD_COBRA_]

Where do people buy their bookshelves at? I need a nice new one because mine has 180 blu-rays and is completely filled up.

My Criterion's,



recent watches
Broadcast news 3.5/5 Holly Hunter was awesome
Repo Man 4.5/5

Double life of Veronique next.

[PowellPressburger]

I always buy the Ikea Billy Style Bookcases they have a few different colors Red etc is cheaper than the Birch But I also have some birch ones also I have a total of 5 of them in all.

I always pull my Blus etc forward so they all line up at the front of the shelves rather than pushed back making different style cases look uneven.

If I recall Correctly I usually buy 2 Extra Shelves for the bookcases to maximize the amount of titles I can store. I have 8 Shelves per unit.

photo.jpg

Originally Posted by COLD_COBRA_

Where do people buy their bookshelves at? I need a nice new one because mine has 180 blu-rays and is completely filled up.

My Criterion's,

[Show spoiler]

recent watches
Broadcast news 3.5/5 Holly Hunter was awesome
Repo Man 4.5/5

Double life of Veronique next.

[Ruemorgue10]

Originally Posted by Randyman94

I just noticed that Dead Ringers is OOP on DVD from Criterion. Any chance that comes back in print as a possibility for the Cronenberg box set? Or do Criterion's DVD OOP titles stay OOP?

Some do come back into print, like Salo. Dead Ringers is owned by Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek, which makes it a pretty tough acquisition for Criterion. So far, Badlands is the only Warner title they have released and I heard Terrence Malick had a heavy role in convincing the studio to license that film. I like to think Cronenberg has enough clout to make it happen, so I wouldn't write it off as an impossibility. It would be amazing if they announced Dead Ringers with The Brood and Scanners.

[UNCMT9]

How's Branded to Kill?

[aewb]

I just bought Hiroshima Mon Amour so expect this to be announced tomorrow.

I hadn't read Kaurismakis's top 10 before, great stuff.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by Ruemorgue10

Some do come back into print, like Salo. Dead Ringers is owned by Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek, which makes it a pretty tough acquisition for Criterion. So far, Badlands is the only Warner title they have released and I heard Terrence Malick had a heavy role in convincing the studio to license that film. I like to think Cronenberg has enough clout to make it happen, so I wouldn't write it off as an impossibility. It would be amazing if they announced Dead Ringers with The Brood and Scanners.

Criterion said they actually struck a deal with Warners for a couple of their titles not too long ago during their Wexner center chat. They haven't stated what else they got licensing rights to though, just that one of the other titles was a pre-code film. A bit of speculation around that it might be Freaks (dear god I hope so!)

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by UNCMT9

How's Branded to Kill?

i liked it. its better than tokyo drifter. its easy to watch, fun movie. if you like yakuza movies, check it out. and there a 2 nice girls as well.

uh, and its the movie suzuki got fired for...

^If I recall Correctly I usually buy 2 Extra Shelves for the bookcases to maximize the amount of titles I can store. I have 8 Shelves per unit.

that looks pretty awesome...

[The Great Owl]

Continuing on with my Charlie Chaplin weekend...



The blueprint established with Charlie Chaplin's 1936 masterpiece, Modern Times, has been updated countless times over the decades. We can all relate to pleasing homages by way of films like Jerry Lewis's Hardly Working or Mike Judge's Office Space, because, in truth, our real occupational lives are even stranger than fiction and we've all encountered situations so absurd that we can only laugh at them. Modern Times is still the most effective treatise on the plight of the average befuddled soul making his or her way in the ever-changing job market while the risk of unemployment constantly hovers overhead. While most of us are fortunate not to have experienced the hopelessness and legal troubles that Chaplin's Tramp character encounters during this Great Depression-era tale, we still laugh out loud while an undercurrent of nervousness reverberates in our minds. If you've ever shown up for a seemingly normal day of work only to be besieged by the misadventures of battling a new software application placed on your office computer or if you've ever witnessed a sudden meltdown by a co-worker a few offices down the hall, then Modern Times might be the perfect comedy for you.

I funded my first two years of college by working summers at a flour mill, where I spent ten hours a day boxing flour bags that came down a conveyor belt at an insane pace. The opening scenes of Modern Times, with Chaplin's character psychologically stuck in the repetitive motion mechanics of his occupation are, by far, the best cinematic acknowledgement that I've seen of the maddening demands of assembly line labor.

Charlie Chaplin's Tramp is the quintessential misfit in Modern Times as he ambles from one misadventure to the next in futile efforts to conform for practical purposes. I am oddly reminded of a darker ode to the feeling of displacement in modern times from the 1933 film, King Kong, where the title character is brought to a massive city that confuses and angers him. These two Great Depression era movies would probably make for a thought-provoking double feature.

Paulette Goddard, in her role as Chaplin's partner in misadventure, remains one of the most breathtakingly beautiful and sympathetic women in cinema. Her character has a contemporary look that lends a timeless feel to the film, and she commands just as much attention as the Tramp himself.

Fans of Modern Times will not find anything lacking in this bursting-at-the-seams Criterion Blu-ray presentation of the film, because one could easily spend an entire weekend going through the documentaries, essays, commentary, and interviews within. My personal favorite supplement is a beautifully touching short feature, For the First Time, about a crew of filmmakers documenting the presentation of Modern Times to rural workers who have never seen a movie before. Having owned Modern Times previously on Criterion DVD, I can attest that the 1080p high definition presentation of the film excels in every way, and that I never imagined that the film would look this good.

Modern Times stands as one of the most universally appealing films in the Criterion queue, and it's the perfect feature for a lazy Sunday afternoon before one must wake up and face the working world again. You may love your job, you may hate your job, you may be burned out, or you may simply be occasionally amused at the repetition of sameness inherent in earning a living in these times or in any other times, but this Chaplin film is the perfect reminder that your best asset is a smile, even if that is all you have as you amble empty-handed down the road into the sunset.

[blackhawktraffic]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I always buy the Ikea Billy Style Bookcases they have a few different colors Red etc is cheaper than the Birch But I also have some birch ones also I have a total of 5 of them in all.

I always pull my Blus etc forward so they all line up at the front of the shelves rather than pushed back making different style cases look uneven.

If I recall Correctly I usually buy 2 Extra Shelves for the bookcases to maximize the amount of titles I can store. I have 8 Shelves per unit.

Attachment 67711

I thought I would always buy black shelves but wow this red is really awesome and Ikea is great. And that collection wow