The Criterion Collection

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I would have rolled with it more if my retinas were being replenished every couple minutes or so, but not all the images were all that spectacular. I fully responded to those grandiose expressionistic touches, but whenever those title cards hit or whenever people were plotting amongst themselves, the film felt very limp...as if it was crawling towards the finish line. At a tidy 2 hours, I'm sure I would have loved it much more.

To elaborate more on the "coldness" of the film, it felt repetitive because there were no deviations from the sour tone that was established at the beginning. The music is in harmony with this too. While it was pleasing to the ear, there were few variations...making the film feel every bit as long as it's runtime.

Who knows, maybe it's a film best meant for a calm weekend midday. I've been running around all day taking care of school projects and homework, so maybe I walked in a tad exhausted anyways.

yes yes! this is what i was thinking about too!

it reminded me of a neo-silent film with those title cards...

some of the music oddly reminded me of "wings of desire"! (especially the opening scene from that film with the angelic choir singing).

but WHAT REALLY got me irked was the audio!

the audio dialogue!!!

its what really turned me off completely.

the looping was just too much after a while.

the dubbing of voices over drove me crazy.

i couldn't match the voices and they were so out of sync at times...

at least if the voices/audio matched up, i could have followed this..but this made it even more maddening.

arghhh...this film is sure to drive any human being bonkers!

[smoss469]

I just finished Branded to Kill. While at time's it was hard to follow, I really enjoyed it. It's almost like they gave a Schitzo w/ADD and a lot of coffee some equipment and said, "Here, go make a movie" but I guess that's it's charm. I liked it a lot more than Tokyo Drifter. I don't know if it's possible for a movie to be described in human personality terms... but if so, BTK would definitely be eccentric!

[Abdrewes]

JW: Oh yeah! The reverb really added to that cold self-seriousness. In places it was extremely creepy, though. If I could make a fan edit, I would remove much of the dialogue, title cards, and cut it in an elliptical manner. The stuff is all there for a film that would give a rapturous experience, but I felt that Vlacil shot himself in the foot several times (all this in my opinion, of course).

SMoss: Now that's an entertaining movie! Have you seen Pistol Opera? It's a remake of sorts.

[smoss469]

I've never seen it, but it's now in my Netflix queue

[Lordy]

Originally Posted by 14728

Hey. I'm about half way through Paths of Glory, and I have to admit, it's pretty good. The atmosphere is great, and the writing and directing are just brilliant. Though the acting is questionable. Like, Paul (the general) is a bit over acting, don't you think? And also, why does he want to kill 3 random men because they were scared of death? But I'm just nit picking. Pretty good.

I think you need to start the film over and re-watch and listen more carefully. Paths of Glory is beyond criticism. There are no ambiguities. A virtually flawless film from Kubrick.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I've never seen it, but it's now in my Netflix queue

It's an incredible visual experience and, believe it or not, I actually think it's even crazier! I've only seen five Suzuki films, so I hope the rest of his stuff is similarly bat sh*t.

Definitely read Jon Rosenbaum's review of it should you ever see it. He was basically the film's biggest defender.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

It's an incredible visual experience and, believe it or not, I actually think it's even crazier! I've only seen five Suzuki films, so I hope the rest of his stuff is similarly bat sh*t.

Definitely read Jon Rosenbaum's review of it should you ever see it. He was basically the film's biggest defender.

The essay that was in the CC booklet, seems to imply that he got a lot of horrible projects assigned to him while at Nikkatsu so you never know! Sometimes the worst stuff turns out to be enjoyable.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

Do you all think there is a snowball's chance in hell that Criterion can/would acquire the license for movies like The 5 Deadly Venoms or Shaolin Master Killer? My DVD for The 5 Deadly Venoms is atrocious.

Hope not to step on your toes by quoting you (as I like the films you listed, but highly doubt they will release them), but on this subject, King Hu will be the first and last name in the genre that I would give in needing Criterion's help in releasing his films.

A Touch of Zen (most needed of a restoration, such a beautiful film), Dragon Gate Inn, and even Come Drink With Me (since you brought up Dragon Dynasty releases).

[Blu-Velvet]

Glad to see that I wasn't the only one less than enthralled by MARKETA LAZAROVA, despite its impressive visuals. Still, it was worth seeing once. It rather made me want to watch Fritz Lang's NIEBELUNGEN films again, which I vastly preferred.

Regarding Asian cinema, I'll be watching Ann Hui's A SIMPLE LIFE Sunday night, and over the past few weeks I worked through the Nikkatsu Noir set (which includes a good Suzuki film that's much less off-the-wall than the perversely endearing TOKYO DRIFTER and BRANDED TO KILL) as well as the truly amazing Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara set. Too bad they're only on DVDs.

Those who liked CAIRO STATION may want to track down Yussuf Chahine's "Alexandria Trilogy" from the 1970s-80s on DVD, which is even more personal but gets far more self-indulgent and off-the-wall surreal by the last film, sort of like an Egyptian ALL THAT JAZZ. I hope the Egyptian films restored for the World Cinema Project get into the next Blu-ray volume.

[Dumbhuman]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

did you see "holy motors" ? found some reviews that say that holy motors is kinda a hommage to Eyes without a face.

I feel Holy Motors is much more an homage to the spectacle of cinema itself rather than to any one particular film. It's also very much rooted in arthouse sensibilities while Eyes Without a Face is pretty conventional overall.

If I were to recommend a recent homage to Eyes Without a Face, I'd pick The Skin I Live In without hesitation while Holy Motors probably wouldn't cross my mind even if I sat for hours thinking of alternatives.

Speaking of which, Almodovar seems like a giant omission from the Criterion Collection and Leos Carax an omission of somewhat lesser scale. I'd love nice English subtitle-friendly Blu-rays of The Lovers on the Bridge and Talk to Her (along with many others).

[Lutz]

Originally Posted by Dumbhuman

I feel Holy Motors is much more an homage to the spectacle of cinema itself rather than to any one particular film. It's also very much rooted in arthouse sensibilities while Eyes Without a Face is pretty conventional overall.

If I were to recommend a recent homage to Eyes Without a Face, I'd pick The Skin I Live In without hesitation while Holy Motors probably wouldn't cross my mind even if I sat for hours thinking of alternatives.

Speaking of which, Almodovar seems like a giant omission from the Criterion Collection and Leos Carax an omission of somewhat lesser scale. I'd love nice English subtitle-friendly Blu-rays of The Lovers on the Bridge and Talk to Her (along with many others).

No. In Holy Motors there is a very specific homage to Eyes Without a Face.

Edith Scob who plays the disfigured daughter in EWaF also plays the limousine driver in HM and at the very end of the movie she puts on the mask from EWaF.



edit. So I think the mistake there is not that HM *is* a homage to EWaF but *has* a homage.

[Dumbhuman]

On the Asian side of things, I've been waiting for a Blu-ray of Koreeda's Maboroshi no Hikari since Blu-ray existed and really all of his early works deserve the attention of the broader audience that Criterion provides. Similarly, I want to see Zhang Yimou's earlier dramatic works like To Live and Raise the Red Lantern, plus I'd love a boxset chronicling Beat Takeshi's slow descent into madness as a director, but I'd settle for a nice presentation of Kikujiro.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Dumbhuman

Speaking of which, Almodovar seems like a giant omission from the Criterion Collection and Leos Carax an omission of somewhat lesser scale. I'd love nice English subtitle-friendly Blu-rays of The Lovers on the Bridge and Talk to Her (along with many others).

An Early-Almodovar set is at the top of my Criterion wishlist.

[Dumbhuman]

Originally Posted by Lutz

No. In Holy Motors there is a very specific homage to Eyes Without a Face.

Edith Scob who plays the disfigured daughter in EWaF also plays the limousine driver in HM and at the very end of the movie she puts on the mask from EWaF.

Yeah, sure... there's that, but what do casting facts and screenshots really prove?

What I was trying to communicate was that the general experience of watching Holy Motors is not at all like that of watching Eyes Without a Face and I suggested an alternative in case that similar experience was wanted. Yes, it does contain an homage to Eyes Without a Face in both casting and the mask, but to call the film Holy Motors itself an homage to Eyes Without a Face would be like calling Do The Right Thing an homage to Night of the Hunter. They are very different types of films all around even if one lifts a small bit directly from the other.

edit: Missed your edit above. I see we're on the same page.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

JW: Oh yeah! The reverb really added to that cold self-seriousness. In places it was extremely creepy, though. If I could make a fan edit, I would remove much of the dialogue, title cards, and cut it in an elliptical manner. The stuff is all there for a film that would give a rapturous experience, but I felt that Vlacil shot himself in the foot several times (all this in my opinion, of course).

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

Glad to see that I wasn't the only one less than enthralled by MARKETA LAZAROVA, despite its impressive visuals. Still, it was worth seeing once. It rather made me want to watch Fritz Lang's NIEBELUNGEN films again, which I vastly preferred.

ABD: I like your ideas for recutting that film. I think, in the hands of a more dynamic director, this could be an amazing film. Imagine if you gave this footage to Tarkovsky or Kubrick and see how they could re-imagine/re-edit this into a masterpiece? It's funny because I hardly know much about the Czech film industry or "Czech new wave" and the only prominent Czech director I knew before Vlacil was Milos Forman. Let's just put it this way... it might just take one film for me to be completely turned off by one country's film industry/history. Marketa Lazarova might be one of the few Criterions I bought that I now regret purchasing as its going to be collecting dust on my shelf for a while.

Blu-V: Yes, I can handle Lang for sure. I think watching this film makes me want to watch more Tarkovsky again as well.

[FaceInTheLeaves]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

An Early-Almodovar set is at the top of my Criterion wishlist.

Criterion need to do something about the lack of Almodovar in their catalogue. He's conspicuous by his absence.

Maybe his films are too "gay" for the Criterion demographic. Apparently nobody bothered with Weekend, apart from Lena Dunham (goddess), even though it's one of the best films Criterion has released in years.

I think early Almodovar would scare the poor darlings to death. "Wait a minute! That man's kissing another man and... good god... is that a dress he's wearing? THIS ISN'T ART, IT'S A VISION OF HELL!!!!" etc.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I just finished Branded to Kill. While at time's it was hard to follow, I really enjoyed it. It's almost like they gave a Schitzo w/ADD and a lot of coffee some equipment and said, "Here, go make a movie" but I guess that's it's charm. I liked it a lot more than Tokyo Drifter. I don't know if it's possible for a movie to be described in human personality terms... but if so, BTK would definitely be eccentric!

One of my favorite movie comments comes from a fellow named Rob Larsen back in the days of Usenet posting, who said of those two movies:

"BRANDED TO KILL, on the other hand, is like TOKYO DRIFTER's drunk, crack-addict cousin who just happens to have taken some acid on the day you run into him."

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

i hope you will watch the HK cut and not the weinstein US cut (that is missing 22minutes of the movie)

Where can we see the HK cut?

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Very nice! I have not seen enough Koreeda, only Still Walking and I Wish. I can't wait for Like Father, Like Son. It was going to be my priority if I was still in Toronto for TIFF.

Wong Kar-wai is likely in my top 5 of all time. Chungking Express, 2046, In The Mood for Love and Happy Together are all so powerful. I actually just finished Days of Being Wild, which I liked more than As Tears Go By, but not as much as the rest of his works I've seen. I'm devoting the next few nights to the rest of his filmography, with the exception of 2046, which is his only film I don't own. I'm very eager to see The Grandmaster and Fallen Angels for the first time and revisiting the rest.

I just finished watching Air Doll, which was... different. Doona Bae was magnificent and truly award-worthy. Now I need to see Distance and Like Father, Like Son.

And as for you, I highly recommend you watch After Life and Nobody Knows ASAP!!

I enjoy the loose trilogy Wong Kar-wai created: Days of Being Wild, In the Mood For Love and 2046. Can't wait to own the first and third if they ever come out on Blu-ray. Only movie of his I've seen that I was disappointed by was As Tears Go By, which was a bit too generic of a gangster flick for me. But it was his first feature so that's forgivable. I've even seen his English-language debut, My Blueberry Nights, and his segment in Eros, 'The Hand'.

Originally Posted by FaceInTheLeaves

Criterion need to do something about the lack of Almodovar in their catalogue. He's conspicuous by his absence.

Maybe his films are too "gay" for the Criterion demographic. Apparently nobody bothered with Weekend, apart from Lena Dunham (goddess), even though it's one of the best films Criterion has released in years.

I think early Almodovar would scare the poor darlings to death. "Wait a minute! That man's kissing another man and... good god... is that a dress he's wearing? THIS ISN'T ART, IT'S A VISION OF HELL!!!!" etc.

lol how would you describe the "Criterion demographic"?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Hope not to step on your toes by quoting you (as I like the films you listed, but highly doubt they will release them), but on this subject, King Hu will be the first and last name in the genre that I would give in needing Criterion's help in releasing his films.

A Touch of Zen (most needed of a restoration, such a beautiful film), Dragon Gate Inn, and even Come Drink With Me (since you brought up Dragon Dynasty releases).

My #1 choice for a King Hu film from Criterion would be The Fate of Lee Khan, but either of the first two you mention would be acceptable substitutes (I've not seen Come Drink with Me, so I can't comment on it).

Actually, with Dragon Gate Inn, it might be fun to have a 2-disc set that had both King Hu's and Tsui Hark's versions.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Gate

Only movie of his I've seen that I was disappointed by was Ashes of Time, which was a bit too generic of a gangster flick for me. But it was his first feature so that's forgivable.

Ashes of Time? I think you mean As Tears Go By. I'm actually quite fond of that one.