The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Not sure what Malick has to do with this.

I view Thin Red Line as a piece about interconnectedness as well.

[Mansinthe]

found babel to be OK, but Biutiful... first movie i did fall asleep during the day...

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Agreed. Stay away from Babel. It's the worst offender of them all, I think.

I do recommend checking out Short Cuts if you liked Magnolia, though. Who knows. Maybe Criterion will release it sometime soon. We need more Altman.

Did you have a problem with 'Intolerance' as well? I find Babel no more heavy handed than that particular DW Griffith film.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Did you have a problem with 'Intolerance' as well? I find Babel no more heavy handed than that particular DW Griffith film.

I don't like Intolerance nearly as much as I'm supposed to.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I view Thin Red Line as a piece about interconnectedness as well.

How? The structure isn't similar to the films we've been referring to. Not even close. Just because the narrative doesn't focus on one character doesn't mean the plot boils down to a "we are all connected" kind of structure.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

How? The structure isn't similar to the films we've been referring to. Not even close. Just because the narrative doesn't focus on one character doesn't mean the plot boils down to a "we are all connected" kind of structure.

That's what I'm saying: both films use different means to touch on silimar ideas. So Malick's is conveyed through crosscutting and use of multiple sources of voice over, while Inaritu builds the entire structure out of the idea.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

That's what I'm saying: both films use different means to touch on silimar ideas. So Malick's is conveyed through crosscutting and use if multiple sources if voice over, while Inaritu builds the entire narrative out of the idea.

But that's not what I have a problem with. I have a problem with the way the characters come together during the climax, which Inaritu is known for doing. He likes to play around with fate and connection. Malick's interests are in another direction. If any other director deserves a comparison for this idea, it's Altman.

It's the result and structure I have a problem with. His attempt at revelations and an emotional climax falls flat for me every single time.

I haven't seen Biutiful, so I can't comment on that one.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

But that's not what I have a problem with. I have a problem with the way the characters come together during the climax, which Inaritu is known for doing. He likes to play around with fate and connection. Malick's interests are in another direction. If any other director deserves a comparison for this idea, it's Altman.

It's the result and structure I have a problem with. His attempt at revelations and an emotional climax falls flat for me every single time.

I haven't seen Biutiful, so I can't comment on that one.

Malick was an aside point to begin with. We just got derailed a bit.

Altman and Griffith, of course are the main points of comparison. So, it seems like you don't have a problem with the central thrust of Babel's narrative, just the structure (which I will admit, I think it is deftly executed, but the exact points of connection is not its strongest suit) and/or execution. But what sells me is not the individual plot points, but the individual sensations and emotions captured in each story. And I do buy the emotional climax at the end

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

In general, I'm not really a big fan of the whole forced interconnectedness thing in films. Not only is it unnecessary (with the exceptions of Down By Law, Magnolia, and Traffic), but I also find it to be more of a two-hour guessing game in how they're connected than anything else.

Biiiiiiiiiiig spoiler about the Three Colors Trilogy here, so refrain from reading this if you have not seen the movies and you do not want to get screwed...

[Show spoiler]
Krzysztof Kieślowski used the interconnectivity of the characters in the Three Colors movies in a non-obtrusive way, because, in the grand scheme, he merely provided us with biographical sketches of six characters who survived a capsized ferry (a seventh survivor is not given a biographical movie). It's almost as though someone saw a news story about survivors of a tragedy and worked backwards to determine how these people arrived at this point in their lives that led to them being on a ferry.

I felt sorry for Juliette Binoche's character at the end of the final movie, because she had already been through enough hassle in her life with the auto accident without stacking a capsized ferry on top of all of that. I was happy for the rest of them, though.

It was strange that, in Blue, Binoche's character intruded on the court scene involving the couple in White only to survive a ferry tragedy with them later on, but these things happen.

We all experience some degree of interconnectivity in our lives, although the cinematic value of our experiences may be negligible. I made friends with this guy in college out of the clear blue after we started talking about music at a campus concert, and we found out after the fact that we had both lived in the same town two hours from campus when we were younger, and that, when he was a young kid, he had lived in the same house that I had lived in during my high school years, and that his bedroom had been in the same room of the house that became my bedroom.

I don't like it when character interconnectivity in movies is forced to an obtrusive degree, though, and I was having an awesome day until somebody mentioned Crash (2005) in this thread.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

Oh, and yes I realize I have my Criterions and then right next to them is the start of my wrestling BDs. I'm all over the map with my tastes, lol...

Well, on the day that I picked up 1 Mizoguchi and 3 Bergman BDs, I went right from B&N to the cinema at the same mall and watched a movie about monsters and giant robots beating the snot out of each other.

[starman15317]

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

I just watched The Third Man for the first time (the Criterion Blu), and...

Wow. The best film I've watched in a long time. The Third Man takes place in post-war Vienna, Austria, where the city is divided up into allied zones: American, British, French, and Russian. The black market runs rampant due to supply shortages, crime is plentiful, and the city is still in ruins. What could be a more perfect setting for a film noir-eqsue tale of mystery and murder, where one of the main characters is night time shadowy silhouettes?

We follow the main character around, an American, as he investigates the death of his best friend, Harry Lime. Being brand new to the Vienna area, he encounters language barrier after language barrier, which makes for interesting conversation. My intentions here are not to spoil the plot, so I will cease to expound any further, but let me say this: while I was glued to my seat for the all parts of the film, Orson Welles' appearance really brought something special to the table here. My favorite scene takes place in a ferris wheel, and it's the most thrilling mix of mysteriousness and psychology.

Fantastic film. Netflix actually has the Criterion Blu-Ray (at least they did when I rented it almost a year ago).

[starman15317]

I'm interested in watching The Testament of Dr. Mabuse but do I need to watch Dr. Mabuse the Gambler first or can I just watch Testament on its own? I might watch them both since I really like the Fritz Lang films I've seen so far (except for Fury, which honestly, I thought was ok).

[Mansinthe]

i think in the eureka thread someone already mentioned you dont have to see the first movie to understand the second.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, on the day that I picked up 1 Mizoguchi and 3 Bergman BDs, I went right from B&N to the cinema at the same mall and watched a movie about monsters and giant robots beating the snot out of each other.

my last amazon order:

island of lost souls + evil dead (2013)

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

my last amazon order:

island of lost souls + evil dead (2013)

Good choice.

[Wotan420]

Few days I'll be making my last B&N trip for a while. Wouldn't mind some other suggestions. Looking to finish up with some more samurai movies and war movies.

Interested in:
Thin Red Line
Paths of Glory
Ivan's Childhood

Yojimobo & Sanjuro
Kagemusha

Already have Three Outlaw, Harakiri, Seven Samurai, Kuroneko, Sansho.

The Samurai Trilogy interested me but not as much as Kagemusha/Yojimbo.

Also want Fear and Loathing after watching Del Toro in Savages.

[Simon_LDT]

Originally Posted by Wotan420

Few days I'll be making my last B&N trip for a while. Wouldn't mind some other suggestions. Looking to finish up with some more samurai movies and war movies.

Interested in:
Thin Red Line
Paths of Glory
Ivan's Childhood

Yojimobo & Sanjuro
Kagemusha

Already have Three Outlaw, Harakiri, Seven Samurai, Kuroneko, Sansho.

The Samurai Trilogy interested me but not as much as Kagemusha/Yojimbo.

Also want Fear and Loathing after watching Del Toro in Savages.

If you're into Samurai films Yojimbo/Sanjuro are a MUST imo. They have Mifune playing a badass and both films are very witty, cleverly written and feature some awesome fighting scenes too.

Kagemusha is decent too, but it's more of a historic drama so not your typical Samurai film.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I don't like it when character interconnectivity in movies is forced to an obtrusive degree, though, and I was having an awesome day until somebody mentioned Crash (2005) in this thread.

I'm sorry!

[starman15317]

Just got done watching Rashomon for the first time. Very good film, but I guess that goes without saying.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Wotan420

I'll miss my store if it closes but if/when it does it won't be any surprise. The location B&N is in now used to be a Borders... that went well. There was another bookstore close by that also closed, and then re-opened as a Books-a-Million. I can't see either lasting if the previous owners didn't.

And the store a half hour from me when I went there, was impressed by the walled off media section, but I was the only one back there for the 20 minutes or so I browsed through everything.

Will be a sad day when they close, I ordered a few criterions from the amazon sale and 2 came damaged. Can't beat going to a store and walking out with what you want.

It seems that major chain bookstores are a dying breed. Same thing went with video rental stores (most of those went out of business about 10 years ago here, including independent stores). Now that physical media has gone primarily digital, the masses use video on demand, netflix and e-books for all their media needs. This eliminates the need for actual books and movie discs (DVD or BD) for the average consumer. Fortunately, I have no plans in abandoning physical media because a digital movie or ebook can be easily deleted, lost or corrupted on a hard drive or device. I am all for physical media.

Originally Posted by iScottie

I didn't really like 21 Grams. I thought it was somewhat well-executed and the acting was great, but I wasn't a fan of the subject matter at all.

In general, I'm not really a big fan of the whole forced interconnectedness thing in films. Not only is it unnecessary (with the exceptions of Down By Law, Magnolia, and Traffic), but I also find it to be more of a two-hour guessing game in how they're connected than anything else.

I'm probably too late on this conversation but a good example of forced interconnectedness that doesn't work is Cloud Atlas. It's so obviously and blatantly forced, its a grueling exercise to watch. I think Magnolia and Short Cuts are amazing examples of effective forced interconnectedness though.