The Criterion Collection

[jw007]

No kidding, fellow Burgher! Sure was one heck of a rainy afternoon here! Seems like it cleared out finally now but pretty chilly out.

Okay, this is like the least productive post I ever made in this forum.

In other news, I watched Safety Last! for the first time 2 nights ago and thought its brilliant. Harold Lloyd is never spoken about, at least as much as Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. I recommend all young people under age 21 check out Harold Lloyd! Heck, even people under age 40 for that matter.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

But if you are interested in Italian Cinema that has similar overtones as those in Antonioni's films with Monica, there are some quite good films to explore.

Pro-B

Thanks again! I'm looking forward to Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion.

Gian Maria Volontè was so good in Melville's Le Cercle Rouge and in Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jw007

No kidding, fellow Burgher! Sure was one heck of a rainy afternoon here! Seems like it cleared out finally now but pretty chilly out.

Okay, this is like the least productive post I ever made in this forum.

In other news, I watched Safety Last! for the first time 2 nights ago and thought its brilliant. Harold Lloyd is never spoken about, at least as much as Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. I recommend all young people under age 21 check out Harold Lloyd! Heck, even people under age 40 for that matter.

We're getting the weather really bad here as well. The bottom fell out of the sky right after I finished my morning run (fortunately), so I'm staying in the rest of the day. I watched the commentary track of the Dirty Harry Blu-ray this morning after watching the actual film last night, I just finished watching Magnum Force and am now listening to that commentary track while I surf the computer, and I'm going to watch The Enforcer later tonight.

Safety Last! is so incredible, and I was laughing all the while. The short films are all essential viewing as well.

It really has been a spectacular year for the Criterion Collection. Safety Last!, Marketa Lazarova, Badlands, and, of course, Seconds.

[CriterionJunkie]

Originally Posted by jw007

Welcome, CriterionJunkie, to the forum! I'm glad your first Criterion release was Robocop and not Armageddon or The Rock.

Thanks! haha! I saw Armageddon and The Rock with my uncle when I was a kid, and being a Criterion collector now, I never really understood how those two made it as part of Criterion's line up.

Now, I won't take away that Bay is a technical filmmaker. But, then, that is also his biggest flaw. All style and no substance. And Armageddon and The Rock were generic at best for me. Even then as a kid, I never cared for it. One viewing was more than enough for me.

Robocop, on the other hand, blew my young mind away. It was my very first theater experience AND it was an R movie to boot. But, it stands the test of time because it wasn't just any sci-fi action movie. It actually is relevant for me for the time that it was made!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

I'd have to agree that Modesty Blaise was a bit of a disappointment in that it's kind of dull, though Monica Vitti is quite sexy in it and it does have a few great camp moments, the villains' island lair being one of them. Danger Diabolik is far superior though, I'd love to see that on blu. I envision that it'll probably be released by Paramount in the Italian market long before we see it on North American shores.

There are several things I like about Modesty-Monica (of course!), her mod outfits, and one of my favorite, tho lesser know, actors-Clive Revill who did one of my favorite Columbo episodes The Conspirators.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

There are several things I like about Modesty-Monica (of course!), her mod outfits, and one of my favorite, tho lesser know, actors-Clive Revill who did one of my favorite Columbo episodes The Conspirators.

When Quentin Tarantino featured the scene where John Travolta is reading the novel, Modesty Blaise, on the toilet during Pulp Fiction, I wonder if he was homage just as much to the movie as to the book. Not sure, but I would not be surprised either way.

[Blu Titan]

I'll be watching Late Spring in a few minutes .

[mimurph1]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I'll be watching Late Spring in a few minutes .

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I'll be watching Late Spring in a few minutes .

I love it but also enjoy Ozu's later reworking of the same story Late Autumn which has Setsuko Hara playing the parent, rather than the daughter as she did in the earlier film. The later film is also a bit lighter in tone especially regarding the well-intentioned but inept matchmakers.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by CriterionJunkie

Thanks! haha! I saw Armageddon and The Rock with my uncle when I was a kid, and being a Criterion collector now, I never really understood how those two made it as part of Criterion's line up.

Well, the story goes that after seeing several notable directors working with Criterion on their discs, Michael Bay pretty much begged Criterion to do an extra-special release of The Rock, promising that he'd help with whatever they needed.

Criterion put out a big spin, claiming that those two films were top-notch examples of a particular kind of action thriller, and thereby making their standard. But what it really came down to is that by releasing popular films like that, they were able to generate revenue that helped them finance the obscure titles.

I figure if releasing those two Michael Bay films on LD and later DVD made it possible for them to clean up and release The Passion of Joan of Arc, I'm down with that.

(Besides, while I really hate Armageddon, I don't think The Rock is anywhere near as bad. It's not great, for sure, but I think it's passable entertainment.)

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, the story goes that after seeing several notable directors working with Criterion on their discs, Michael Bay pretty much begged Criterion to do an extra-special release of The Rock, promising that he'd help with whatever they needed.

Criterion put out a big spin, claiming that those two films were top-notch examples of a particular kind of action thriller, and thereby making their standard. But what it really came down to is that by releasing popular films like that, they were able to generate revenue that helped them finance the obscure titles.

I figure if releasing those two Michael Bay films on LD and later DVD made it possible for them to clean up and release The Passion of Joan of Arc, I'm down with that.

(Besides, while I really hate Armageddon, I don't think The Rock is anywhere near as bad. It's not great, for sure, but I think it's passable entertainment.)

Armageddon is only fun seeing Steve Buscemi as a "chick magnet."

[jw007]

Originally Posted by CriterionJunkie

Thanks! haha! I saw Armageddon and The Rock with my uncle when I was a kid, and being a Criterion collector now, I never really understood how those two made it as part of Criterion's line up.

Now, I won't take away that Bay is a technical filmmaker. But, then, that is also his biggest flaw. All style and no substance. And Armageddon and The Rock were generic at best for me. Even then as a kid, I never cared for it. One viewing was more than enough for me.

Robocop, on the other hand, blew my young mind away. It was my very first theater experience AND it was an R movie to boot. But, it stands the test of time because it wasn't just any sci-fi action movie. It actually is relevant for me for the time that it was made!

The only reason why I'd rank Armageddon just a trifle bit higher than The Rock is that the special effects in that film were amazing, the story is so bad its timeless and a future scenario of an asteroid hitting Earth and wiping out all life is definitely scary (as opposed to blowing up San Francisco with nukes).

I must say, I hear that there is a remake of Robocop coming out soon. I honestly haven't seen that film in maybe 15 years, so it might be worth checking out again soon now with a new remake coming out in 2014.

I'm glad you recognize how "style over substance" has taken over Hollywood cinema (well, it probably peaked during the Michael Bay heyday, but it hasn't really gone away). Wow, that rhymed!

[smoss469]

I just finished The Darjeeling Limited and wow... what a beautiful movie. The scenes are so bright, vibrant and well done. I was impressed. (Blind buy).

It's the first Wes Anderson movie I've sat through from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I've revised my listing of possible buys when Criterion does their 50% sale:

A Man Escaped
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Seconds
M
Tokyo Drifter
Rushmore
Bottle Rocket

Looking to grab 5 at the most. Suggestions?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by smoss469

So much so, that I've revised my listing of possible buys when Criterion does their 50% sale:

A Man Escaped
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Seconds
M
Tokyo Drifter
Rushmore
Bottle Rocket

Looking to grab 5 at the most. Suggestions?

I would go with the first five on your list. A Man Escaped, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Seconds, M, and Tokyo Drifter are all phenomenal.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Seconds both have the best picture quality that I've seen in any black-and-white film releases this year.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I just finished The Darjeeling Limited and wow... what a beautiful movie. The scenes are so bright, vibrant and well done. I was impressed. (Blind buy).

It's the first Wes Anderson movie I've sat through from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I've revised my listing of possible buys when Criterion does their 50% sale:

A Man Escaped
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Seconds
M
Tokyo Drifter
Rushmore
Bottle Rocket

Looking to grab 5 at the most. Suggestions?

Seconds and M are must haves from that list. If you're looking for suggestions outside of your list, The Thin Red Line, Marketa Lazarova, and Solaris are three of Criterion's most essential releases.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I would go with the first five on your list. A Man Escaped, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Seconds, M, and Tokyo Drifter are all phenomenal.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Seconds both have the best picture quality that I've seen in any black-and-white film releases this year.

I was just going to say that, but scrolled down and saw your post.

And as for Wes Anderson, DARJEELING LIMITED is my second-favorite of his films. My favorite is MOONRISE KINGDOM. Though not Criterion and with very few bonus features (just some highly amusing alternate trailers also in Anderson's unique style), the picture and sound quality are outstanding.

And if you like TOKYO DRIFTER, don't forget to follow up with BRANDED TO KILL and look for a good price on the Eclipse DVD set of Nikkatsu Noir.

[pro-bassoonist]

I would like to leave a short comment here because a friend PM-ed me with a question

***
It appears that some people are under the impression that I rated Criterion's release of The Big City higher than Artificial Eye's release of the same film. Well, this isn't true.

Criterion's release contains two films: The Big City and The Coward. The second film is treated as a "bonus" on the Criterion release.

However, I actually like The Coward more than The Big City. It is shorter -- it is not a "short" film as it has been speculated -- but I think that it is far more effective. (I mentioned this in the reviews). Both films were recently restored by RDB Entertainments.

Artificial Eye have separate releases of these films.

So, the overall score of the Criterion release is for the two films, The Big City and The Coward. (And the Artificial Eye release of The Coward also has 5-star score). If Criterion's release had only The Big City, then it would have had the same score Artificial Eye's individual release of The Big City received, which would have been 4 stars.

So, same films, same scores for all of them

Here are the three releases:



Have a great weekend everyone.

Pro-B

[Figster]

I am so desperate for a blu upgrade of Kurosawa's Throne of Blood

[Abdrewes]

Wow! I can't say I understood all the goings-on in the final hour of Mysteries of Lisbon, but I was very impressed. Who is this Raul Ruiz? I must make it an effort to track down more of his films. I saw a lot of Max Ophuls in the cinematography, and that is a very good thing.

[CriterionJunkie]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, the story goes that after seeing several notable directors working with Criterion on their discs, Michael Bay pretty much begged Criterion to do an extra-special release of The Rock, promising that he'd help with whatever they needed.

Criterion put out a big spin, claiming that those two films were top-notch examples of a particular kind of action thriller, and thereby making their standard. But what it really came down to is that by releasing popular films like that, they were able to generate revenue that helped them finance the obscure titles.

I figure if releasing those two Michael Bay films on LD and later DVD made it possible for them to clean up and release The Passion of Joan of Arc, I'm down with that.

(Besides, while I really hate Armageddon, I don't think The Rock is anywhere near as bad. It's not great, for sure, but I think it's passable entertainment.)

I was not aware of that. Though, I agree. If putting a Michael Bay movie or Blockbuster Hollywood movie out to generate the financial means to put out the real meat of Criterion's catalogue, I'd do it too!