The Criterion Collection

[Mansinthe]

some Gong Li movies would be really nice to be part of the criterion collection..


The Triad or Raise the red lantern are pretty good movies.
but i wouldnt say no to some movies like crouching tiger, hidden dragon or house of flying daggers. same goes for korean classic! cinema (there is really enough modern stuff released by CJ entertaiment and HK labels)

in terms of quality there is are really alot of great movies in all different genres from asia.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by EPlay

As far as modern action/adventure films, I would love to see Johnnie To in the Criterion collection. "The Mission" would be a wonderful place to start. I don't believe there has even been a quality DVD release of this anywhere. (I own the very poor Tai Seng release.)

With films like "Election", "Election 2", "Drug War" and "Running Out of Time", To is at the forefront of modern gritty Hong Kong action films.

I also would love to see Tsui Hark's "Time and Tide" as a Criterion, or any Blu release for that matter. While he usually does period films, this is one of the finest modern action films of the 2000's.

I think Asian samurai and period pieces get a lot more critical attention, but there's more to Asia than swords and wire-fu. Sure, "Hard Boiled" had a Criterion release, but there's since been a dry spell for that genre.

To is a director I've been looking to explore for a while. So far, I've only seen Mad Detective. I've been waiting on Drug War from BB for a couple weeks now. What's the next best place to go? I was thinking about importing Sparrow the other day.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

To is a director I've been looking to explore for a while. So far, I've only seen Mad Detective. I've been waiting on Drug War from BB for a couple weeks now. What's the next best place to go? I was thinking about importing Sparrow the other day.

I was unimpressed with Drug War and Mad Detective, but I liked Sparrow a lot. I also have Vengeance but have yet to view it.

If we're talking about modern Asian directors to be added to Criterion, I'd love to see them release somethibg from Hur Jin-ho. I know his films aren't as outwardly devastating as someone like Lee Chang-dong, but I still think it would be interesting to see what Criterion would bring to the table in terms of presentation and features.

Speaking of Lee Chang-dong, I'd love to see a Peppermint Candy Criterion.

[Scottie]

What studio has the best chance at ever releasing Man With A Movie Camera?

We watched it in my film class today. I don't even know how to feel about the film. It's one of the most interesting, intriguing, and significant films probably ever made, yet it's also one of the most boring films that I've probably ever seen.

I'd really like to see it again, so a future Blu-ray release from any studio would be well received by me.

[Yami]

Originally Posted by iScottie

What studio has the best chance at ever releasing Man With A Movie Camera?

We watched it in my film class today. I don't even know how to feel about the film. It's one of the most interesting, intriguing, and significant films probably ever made, yet it's also one of the most boring films that I've probably ever seen.

I'd really like to see it again, so a future Blu-ray release from any studio would be well received by me.

I think a good score really helps when digesting Man With a Movie Camera. I found the film quite an enjoyable watch with the Cinematic Orchestra's score

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Yami

I think a good score really helps when digesting Man With a Movie Camera. I found the film quite an enjoyable watch with the Cinematic Orchestra's score

I'm not quite sure what score was used in the version we watched, but all I know is that it seemed to help with the mood of each segment.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The word around the campfire is that Mike Figgis mentioned a possible Criterion release of Leaving Las Vegas for its 20th anniversary, but nothing is written in stone yet.

I rented Leaving Las Vegas on VHS back in 1996 or so. I thought that it was a superb and emotionally-wrought film, but once is enough for me.

I never tire of seeing the film. I watch it about twice a year. Is it painful? Sure. But I value each experience.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by 14728

Yesterday: The death of the actress of Edna Crabaple (the Simpsons) (TV)
Today: Death of Lou Reed (Velvet Underground) (Music)
Tomorrow: Death of a man in movies

I'm so sad

Well Hal Needham just died so I think that takes care of the movie person. Not the type of filmmaker you'd see in the Criterion Collection but Smokey and the Bandit was a huge hit back in the day, plus he was lauded for his stunt work and had just received an honorary Oscar for it last year.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Kwaidan would make a good Blu-ray, because it really does have a fascinating use of color. I have not seen this movie in ages, but it's spot-on.


Last night, I found a new favorite Martin Scorsese film (Taxi Driver). As of tonight, I now have a new favorite Francis Ford Coppola film. I grew up watching Apocalypse Now and The Godfather films, and I've seen them a million times, but my first viewing of The Conversation slayed me.
I've wanted to see this film for a long while, because I figured it as a precursor and influence to The Lives of Others, but this movie is something greater altogether. The music transition to eerie electronics over the course of the film is off the chain. I'll review this later on.

Ha-ha, I knew you'd love the Conversation. Such a haunting movie in so many ways. If you get a chance, give the commentary a listen. Coppola is so engaging and informative. Even down to details like how the surname "Caul" came about.

[bwdowiak]

I finished watching my borrowed copy of Blow Out this past weekend. Great film! I watched the first half on my laptop during my lunch hour on Thursday and finished the film on Saturday afternoon.

[Show spoiler]The first half of the film kept me interested, but I felt that it was only ‘okay’ to ‘good’ after 50 minutes or so. All of the nods to Alfred Hitchcock (I counted 3 by the half way mark) made me recall the rock band Oasis – chock full of homages, but mostly only pleasing in a superficial way.

I did not expect the second half of the film to take me where it did. The first half really felt like a straightforward mystery that was destined to tie itself up by crossing every t and dotting every i. I love how Jack’s (Travolta) ability to only listen and not help Sally at the end of the film parallels his inability to prove his theory about the tire being shot out. All he has is the audio. There is a line in the film where one of the other characters lays it out for him in plain English… Sorry, I don’t recall who spoke the line or what the dialogue is exactly, but a man tells Jack that with only audio, he won’t be able to prove anything.

The ending is rather bleak. The brilliant last line of the film, “That’s a good scream,” repeated twice by Jack, reveals that he is resigned to the fact that he won’t be able to prove his theory and, after all, he is just a sound guy for low budget horror films.

Masterful camera work, phenomenal finish… told my wife that she and I will be watching this very soon – this time in 1080p. Worth about 8/10 for me. A subsequent viewing could make it a 9.

[Tin Drum]

That is great news if Leaving Las Vegas does indeed receive Criterion treatment.

I think the movie is pretty much all around amazing and I enjoy watching it every so often.

Obviously the story is not enjoyable, per se, but the way the movie was crafted in regards to the direction, the acting and the lensing is a sight to behold.

What I do hope is that Criterion can work on the sound design/editing because that is the only fault I have with the film.

[14728]

It would be awesome to see Man with a movie Camera get a Criterion release.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I finished watching my borrowed copy of Blow Out this past weekend. Great film! I watched the first half on my laptop during my lunch hour on Thursday and finished the film on Saturday afternoon.

[Show spoiler]The first half of the film kept me interested, but I felt that it was only ‘okay’ to ‘good’ after 50 minutes or so. All of the nods to Alfred Hitchcock (I counted 3 by the half way mark) made me recall the rock band Oasis – chock full of homages, but mostly only pleasing in a superficial way.

I did not expect the second half of the film to take me where it did. The first half really felt like a straightforward mystery that was destined to tie itself up by crossing every t and dotting every i. I love how Jack’s (Travolta) ability to only listen and not help Sally at the end of the film parallels his inability to prove his theory about the tire being shot out. All he has is the audio. There is a line in the film where one of the other characters lays it out for him in plain English… Sorry, I don’t recall who spoke the line or what the dialogue is exactly, but a man tells Jack that with only audio, he won’t be able to prove anything.

The ending is rather bleak. The brilliant last line of the film, “That’s a good scream,” repeated twice by Jack, reveals that he is resigned to the fact that he won’t be able to prove his theory and, after all, he is just a sound guy for low budget horror films.

Masterful camera work, phenomenal finish… told my wife that she and I will be watching this very soon – this time in 1080p. Worth about 8/10 for me. A subsequent viewing could make it a 9.

That is so ironic!

I also watched Blow Out myself this past weekend (on Saturday night in fact) and it was the 2nd or 3rd time for me seeing this. Revisiting the film again was rewarding as I understood more details about the story than I did the first time I saw it. A lot of people don't like what De Palma did to Nancy Allen's character toward the end, but I accepted it.

Last night I watched The Big Lebowski for the first time in years. Having matured since I saw the original film in the theater in 1998 (yes, I was lucky to see this in the theater before it became a cult success story), I found myself laughing at scenes I never recalled laughing at in the past. I think great movies can do that to you.

[EPlay]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

You rock!

It's rare for me to find anyone else who likes that film. I have suggested it to Criterion several times over the years. I would love to see a decent release of it. I just own the horrible HK DVD release which is on par with the Tai Seng. But at least I got to see it in the cinema in a Johnnie To retrospective some 10-12 years ago.

Wow, that's great! I think the only To films I've seen at the cinema were "Sparrow" (at the Hawaii International Film Festival) and "Drug War".

Originally Posted by brandon_260

To is a director I've been looking to explore for a while. So far, I've only seen Mad Detective. I've been waiting on Drug War from BB for a couple weeks now. What's the next best place to go? I was thinking about importing Sparrow the other day.

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I was unimpressed with Drug War and Mad Detective, but I liked Sparrow a lot. I also have Vengeance but have yet to view it.

Election
Triad Election (aka Election 2)
Exiled
The Mission
Running Out of Time
Fulltime Killer (extra points for featuring a nod to a favorite American action film)

His films run the gamut from very dark and gritty to more lighthearted and playful. A lot of people seem to really like "Sparrow", but I was a bit disappointed in it, perhaps because it had a more whimsical tone than I was expecting. I do intend to give it another viewing someday.

To even does romcoms on occasion. I have "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in my "to watch" pile. Louis Koo or Daniel Wu -- what's a woman to do?!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jw007

That is so ironic!

I also watched Blow Out myself this past weekend (on Saturday night in fact) and it was the 2nd or 3rd time for me seeing this.

Ha! Yeah, it seems our lives are running parallel a bit as I saw that you are trying to unload some of your DVDs online. I'm in the process of 'trying' to do the same thing. I tried on Craigslist to move them in bulk. I was probably asking too much for them, however, because I didn't get any interest. Only a handful of Criterions, but it's the collection of someone who has good taste. I'd like to think so, anyway.

[RiFiFi1955]

Anyone know the exact start date yet of the B&N 50% off November sale? I know it normally kicks in mid November sometime.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by RiFiFi1955

Anyone know the exact start date yet of the B&N 50% off November sale? I know it normally kicks in mid November sometime.

November 5 though December 2.

I'm going to buy La Notte, City Lights, and 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman.

[RiFiFi1955]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

November 5 though December 2.

I'm going to buy La Notte, City Lights, and 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman.

Awesome! Thanks Owl I too am going to buy the Rossellini/Bergman set along with Eyes Without A Face, I Married a Witch, Stagecoach(one I have been meaning to grab sale after sale), and maybe The Uninvited.

I always like the November sale because my B-day is Nov. 2nd so I usually get some B-day cash to spend

[Ausjdm]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

To is a director I've been looking to explore for a while. So far, I've only seen Mad Detective. I've been waiting on Drug War from BB for a couple weeks now. What's the next best place to go? I was thinking about importing Sparrow the other day.

OT: Sweet malick avatar sir!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by RiFiFi1955

and maybe The Uninvited.

The Uninvited is a possibility for me as well. November will be a good time to grab it, since I can grab it for so cheap.