The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by gill08

It would be sick if Criterion ever released a steelbook for one of their movies.

I've never been a huge fan of steelbooks, but I would have a good laugh if Criterion were to use steelbook packaging for an upgrade of Robocop.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by gill08

It would be sick if Criterion ever released a steelbook for one of their movies.

i hope that will never happen.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Me, too. I cannot wait to get the set tomorrow. I'm going to try my best to start it tomorrow, though my priorities will probably be with watching The Man Who Wasn't There and The Purple Rose Of Cairo before they expire On Demand.

I'm having the same problem. There's about 20 movies on Netflix that will expire on November 1st (interestingly enough, Purple Rose is among them and I want to get through as many as I can. I seem to be having serious connectivity issues, though: I'm having a hard time getting through more than 20 minutes of a film before the connection gets hosed.

Already watched Neil Jordan's Ondine (which actually expired yesterday), and last night I watched Marcel Carné's noirish Thérèse Raquin. Also got through about half (before the connectivity issues made me give up) of an interesting science fiction film from a few years ago called The Man from Earth. It's largely 90 minutes worth of expository dialogue, but I find it fascinating nonetheless. And it's full of a lot of character actors I'm familiar with from TV, like John Billingsley, Tony Todd, and William Katt. I'm going to try to finish that tonight. After that, I'm onto Aleksey Balabanov's Brother.

[Eny-]

Originally Posted by mansinthe

i hope that will never happen.

+10000

[Namuhana]

Does anyone have an idea as to when the January titles will be up for pre-order on Amazon?

[the sordid sentinel]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I'm having the same problem. There's about 20 movies on Netflix that will expire on November 1st (interestingly enough, Purple Rose is among them and I want to get through as many as I can. I seem to be having serious connectivity issues, though: I'm having a hard time getting through more than 20 minutes of a film before the connection gets hosed.

Already watched Neil Jordan's Ondine (which actually expired yesterday), and last night I watched Marcel Carné's noirish Thérèse Raquin. Also got through about half (before the connectivity issues made me give up) of an interesting science fiction film from a few years ago called The Man from Earth. It's largely 90 minutes worth of expository dialogue, but I find it fascinating nonetheless. And it's full of a lot of character actors I'm familiar with from TV, like John Billingsley, Tony Todd, and William Katt. I'm going to try to finish that tonight. After that, I'm onto Aleksey Balabanov's Brother.

I have been having the same connection problems with Netflix lately. Frustrating. More reason to love Blu.

Watched Letter Never Sent again tonight. Never ceases to amaze me how someone wasn't freakin' killed making that movie. The fire is absolutely harrowing. Sergei's mad dash for the boat..wow. Then the insane cold at the end. I never noticed immediately before

[Show spoiler]the helicopter rescue arrives

you can actually see the ice reform when Sabinine disturbs the water by his raft.

Any actor who has complained about bad catering or something else trivial should be forced to watch this Alex/Clockwork Orange style. Incredible movie by any measure, I just wish some supplements had been included.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jw007

I just watched Mafioso for the first time last night on my Criterion DVD. Wow, what an unexpected surprise! There was not one dull moment in the film. I was able to snatch this now OOP release a few months ago and after having opening it up, I realized it was re-packaged as the shrinkwrap was a different material. You see, the spine still had pieces of the original shrinkwrap glued to it and this new shrinkwrap was not part of that. In any case, I got it for a good deal and I think it was the last item left in the inventory so I don't care if it was used.

Has anyone else seen this film? It really is worth checking out if you can find this DVD that is now out of print.

I'm about 65 minutes in, and so far I'm unimpressed. For a movie touted as a "black comedy" it's certainly very slow moving and boring (so far). There is about 40 minutes left, hopefully they're 40 good minutes to redeem this one!

[jayj15]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I'm about 65 minutes in, and so far I'm unimpressed. For a movie touted as a "black comedy" it's certainly very slow moving and boring (so far). There is about 40 minutes left, hopefully they're 40 good minutes to redeem this one!

It gets pretty crazy near the end.

[kuro_sawa]

Are all the bfi john cassavetes blus region free?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

Watched Letter Never Sent again tonight. Never ceases to amaze me how someone wasn't freakin' killed making that movie. The fire is absolutely harrowing. Sergei's mad dash for the boat..wow. Then the insane cold at the end. I never noticed immediately before

[Show spoiler]the helicopter rescue arrives

you can actually see the ice reform when Sabinine disturbs the water by his raft.

Any actor who has complained about bad catering or something else trivial should be forced to watch this Alex/Clockwork Orange style. Incredible movie by any measure, I just wish some supplements had been included.

I agree about the need for supplements for Letter Never Sent, because I'd love to learn about the filming of this movie. The setup must have really been something else. When it comes to movie magic, the details about the fire in this movie would probably be just as fascinating as the documents about the making of King Kong or Star Wars, although the visual approach was vastly different.

I just finished watching Laura. There's a quote on the back cover art stating that Gene Tierney was the most beautiful woman in movie history. I may have to kick this around in my head for a day or two, but I'm inclined to agree with the quote. This is why God created Blu-ray technology, that much I can say for sure.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I'm having the same problem. There's about 20 movies on Netflix that will expire on November 1st (interestingly enough, Purple Rose is among them and I want to get through as many as I can. I seem to be having serious connectivity issues, though: I'm having a hard time getting through more than 20 minutes of a film before the connection gets hosed.

Already watched Neil Jordan's Ondine (which actually expired yesterday), and last night I watched Marcel Carné's noirish Thérèse Raquin. Also got through about half (before the connectivity issues made me give up) of an interesting science fiction film from a few years ago called The Man from Earth. It's largely 90 minutes worth of expository dialogue, but I find it fascinating nonetheless. And it's full of a lot of character actors I'm familiar with from TV, like John Billingsley, Tony Todd, and William Katt. I'm going to try to finish that tonight. After that, I'm onto Aleksey Balabanov's Brother.

I'm trying to balance Hulu, DVR, On-Demand, Blu-ray, and the theater. I'm also trying to do a bunch of other things, but nothing is being accomplished.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

Are all the bfi john cassavetes blus region free?

Only a couple, I believe.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

I have been having the same connection problems with Netflix lately. Frustrating. More reason to love Blu.

Watched Letter Never Sent again tonight. Never ceases to amaze me how someone wasn't freakin' killed making that movie. The fire is absolutely harrowing. Sergei's mad dash for the boat..wow. Then the insane cold at the end. I never noticed immediately before

[Show spoiler]the helicopter rescue arrives

you can actually see the ice reform when Sabinine disturbs the water by his raft.

Any actor who has complained about bad catering or something else trivial should be forced to watch this Alex/Clockwork Orange style. Incredible movie by any measure, I just wish some supplements had been included.

I agree, when I watched it that's what got me the most. Real sets, no stunt doubles, extreme temps/elements. I mean most films use artificial flames even with stuntmen, not this crew! Throw the stars out there and light some fires... ACTION! The film was great, talk about bleak, foreboding and a hopeless atmosphere!

[aherron]

My copy of The Uninvited has shipped and will be delivered tomorrow. I was able to get it for $15.99 when Amazon was running a promo in August. Can't wait to see this movie.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jayj15

It gets pretty crazy near the end.

The last 15 minutes were much better, but not enough to redeem the entire film.

1 star

[jayj15]

Originally Posted by smoss469

The last 15 minutes were much better, but not enough to redeem the entire film.

1 star

Wow one star? I enjoyed this film quite a bit. I loved how it switched tones so suddenly.

[brandon_260]

Just rewatched Chungking Express. The film is near perfect and I find the second story absolutely flawless. Tony Leung and Faye Wong have such an undeniable chemistry that is impossible not to be mesmerized by. The apartment scenes in particular are a thing of beauty.

I've been watching WKW's filmography in order and while Days of Being Wild shows the initial signs of what he will become as a director, Chungking Express is definitely where he really finds his footing.

Also, completely separate thought, but I would love Criterion to introduce some Hong Sang-soo into the collection.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I'm about 65 minutes in, and so far I'm unimpressed. For a movie touted as a "black comedy" it's certainly very slow moving and boring (so far). There is about 40 minutes left, hopefully they're 40 good minutes to redeem this one!

Originally Posted by smoss469

The last 15 minutes were much better, but not enough to redeem the entire film.

1 star

That's a bit low, don't you think? I mean, the film was well directed in my opinion. I'm guessing you're either not a fan of Italian 60s cinema or of older black and white movies? I've seen plenty of other Italian b/w films and this one really isn't all that boring at all. If you want something boring and of Italian cinema, try Red Desert by Antonioni. Terribly boring.

Originally Posted by jayj15

Wow one star? I enjoyed this film quite a bit. I loved how it switched tones so suddenly.

I agree. I think this film is underrated for sure.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Just rewatched Chungking Express. The film is near perfect and I find the second story absolutely flawless. Tony Leung and Faye Wong have such an undeniable chemistry that is impossible not to be mesmerized by. The apartment scenes in particular are a thing of beauty.

I've been watching WKW's filmography in order and while Days of Being Wild shows the initial signs of what he will become as a director, Chungking Express is definitely where he really finds his footing.

Also, completely separate thought, but I would love Criterion to introduce some Hong Sang-soo into the collection.

Hooray! I personally think this is WKW's best film hands down. The reason this film succeeds is that it wasn't over-thought or over-directed, unlike In the Mood for Love, which took a very long time to film and edit. But I hear this film, Chungking Express, took like a month to make. It's totally "free" and spontaneous. I really did not enjoy ITMFL nearly as much as Chungking. Just two totally different types of films by the same director.

And oh, I think this is hands down the finest Criterion release for "main menu"! Yes, with that Cranberries song playing as soon as it comes on...its a rush of energy and excitement that really gets you "in the mood" for Chungking Express!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jw007

That's a bit low, don't you think? I mean, the film was well directed in my opinion. I'm guessing you're either not a fan of Italian 60s cinema or of older black and white movies? I've seen plenty of other Italian b/w films and this one really isn't all that boring at all. If you want something boring and of Italian cinema, try Red Desert by Antonioni. Terribly boring..

Not only is Antonioni my favorite director, that's my favorite film in the entire collection. I am terrible disappointed in you, JW.