The Criterion Collection

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Ugh it's pretty bad lol.

Watching A Safe Place after The Last Picture Show is like being given a beautiful puppy you instantly connect with and after spending 2 hours with it, Someone comes along and shoots it in the head and you have to watch.

I couldn't do it. Half an hour was enough. I felt like I was wasting time with it which is rare for a criterion title. I love surrealism and experimental filmmaking but Jesus, that movie should've been better. It was just not very good at all. The transfer is gorgeous but I think I just partially experienced the worst movie in the collection so far.

Up until then my least enjoyable experience from the collection was probably Tarkovsky's Solaris. So well shot and had a lot of great idea's which fascinated me but the movie was so boring most of the time. A Safe Place definitely out-bored me. At least with Solaris I could tell it was an important and well made film so I could give the whole thing my time of day.

[billyearle]

Mr. deepbreathsanddeath, I haven't seen A Safe Place yet, but the first time I saw Solaris (on VHS) I was so bored I fell asleep (and that was before I had kids, now I sometimes fall asleep during movies I like) But I got to see Solaris a second time on a movie screen and really loved it. I haven't gotten around to watching it a third time on blu-ray (not the best late night movie for the sleep-deprived) but I recommend giving it a 2nd chance someday, you might like it a lot more. Of course seeing it on a movie screen was a huge help.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

Up until then my least enjoyable experience from the collection was probably Tarkovsky's Solaris. So well shot and had a lot of great idea's which fascinated me but the movie was so boring most of the time. A Safe Place definitely out-bored me. At least with Solaris I could tell it was an important and well made film so I could give the whole thing my time of day.

There are many people in this forum who consider Solaris far better than 2001: A Space Odyssey. I am not one of those people though. I can watch 2001 an endless amount of times but Solaris is a film I still struggle to watch to this day. As brilliant as Tarkovsky was, Kubrick was just far more brilliant. I read somewhere that Kubrick's IQ was even higher than Einstein's!

Anyway, I hope I didn't just open up a can of worms with this posting.

[dylan32]

Originally Posted by jw007

There are many people in this forum who consider Solaris far better than 2001: A Space Odyssey. I am not one of those people though. I can watch 2001 an endless amount of times but Solaris is a film I still struggle to watch to this day. As brilliant as Tarkovsky was, Kubrick was just far more brilliant. I read somewhere that Kubrick's IQ was even higher than Einstein's!

Anyway, I hope I didn't just open up a can of worms with this posting.

They both have always been my favourite scifi films. I'm not sure which is 'better' though.

[alien2010]

Originally Posted by dylan32

They both have always been my favourite scifi films. I'm not sure which is 'better' though.

If it wasn't for 2001 then there would be no Solaris. According to the commentry track on Soderburgh's remake of the film, it was claimed that the last two films Stanislaw Lem, the author of the novel of Solaris, saw at the cinema before embarking on writing the novel were 2001 and Last Tango in Paris. Don't know if this is true or false, but Solaris certainly feels like a cross between those two films.

[Carletty]

Originally Posted by dylan32

They both have always been my favourite scifi films. I'm not sure which is 'better' though.

Cinema is emotion, thus -> Solaris.

[dylan32]

Originally Posted by Carletty

Cinema is emotion, thus -> Solaris.

I disagree. Cinema is art, and art is entirely subjective. Therefore, which is the 'better' of the two comes down your personal taste and mood (and definition of 'better').

[jw007]

Originally Posted by alien2010

If it wasn't for 2001 then there would be no Solaris. According to the commentry track on Soderburgh's remake of the film, it was claimed that the last two films Stanislaw Lem, the author of the novel of Solaris, saw at the cinema before embarking on writing the novel were 2001 and Last Tango in Paris. Don't know if this is true or false, but Solaris certainly feels like a cross between those two films.

Interesting stuff... not surprising either.

Originally Posted by Carletty

Cinema is emotion, thus -> Solaris.

In your opinion of course.

Every single person has different tastes in cinema and every single person looks at the world in a different way, so though many might see 2001 as an emotionless film, some might see it with great emotion, like I did after I watched it for the 14th time last year. It just clicked suddenly. What I perceived as "cold" or "vacant" was really warm and rich with feelings. It was warm in a very cosmic sort of way. The characters transcended humanity in 2001 and became pure energy and pure emotion wrapped around in a bubble of stardust and hallucinations. It is the great unknown that is explored in 2001 and this is missing in Solaris which instead explores the human condition. Solaris' human condition is just the beginning of the cosmos though, not the end. It's two dimensional while the outer reaches of space is beyond three dimensional and into the realms of the paranormal as explored in 2001 (though this is touched on in Solaris with the ghost-paranormal connection, just to lesser effect). This captivation that I felt created a tangibility in my imagination that inundated my preconceived thoughts of yesteryear and forced me to reconsider the world in a new dimension of quantum mechanics and alchemical symbiosis. It warmed my spirit while cooling my hot blooded body.... HAL's glowing warm red light uplifted me while all around me, absolute zero was suspending all matter, mass and malice within the context of my own personal space-time continuum - if this makes any sense that is.

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by Wizard-of-Wars

Joke of the day right here!!! I love it!!

I wasn't joking. I really want it.

[14728]

I might go to the sale this weekend. Pick Up On the Waterfront, among them.

[bdmartin134]

I think I'm only grabbing two titles during this sale. Just trying to save money, plus I have a few Criterions I previously bought that need watching.
Anyways, what is everyones opinion on [B]Seconds[B]? I briefly watched the intro and have read about James Wong Howe's excellent camera work. This title interests me very much.
Also, definitely grabbing City Lights next Tuesday. I've watched it earlier this year on Hulu and is a day 1, must buy.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

I never even brought Kubrick up! Haha. It seems a discussion can't be had about Solaris without igniting another Kubrick vs. Tarkovsky discussion lol. I've only seen one film by Tarkovsky so far and that's Solaris. I don't think I've seen enough from him to say whether I like him more but... I think I can safely say I do and will always like Kubrick more.

As emotionless and cold as 2001 may be, it's infinitely rewatchable for me where as I struggled to get through Solaris once. There were moments in it that were really engaging but otherwise I felt like I was watching it all from a distance (not in a good way) where as with 2001, I actually felt drawn in and had a real experience. I'm pretty sure Tarkovsky's intention was to give a different more human reaction than that but that's how I feel.

I'm pretty keen to see Stalker and Ivan's Childhood though. Andrei Rublev is supposed to be his masterpiece but that one doesn't really interest me much... I have a feeling it will be a similar experience to Solaris for me. Solaris is a good movie but the pacing just felt dead slow. I love slow burners and even deliberately paced films but Solaris wasn't very enjoyable for me unfortunately.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

Anyways, what is everyones opinion on [B]Seconds[B]? I briefly watched the intro and have read about James Wong Howe's excellent camera work. This title interests me very much.

absoltuly fantastic movie, and it looks beatufiul. but it has some really graphic scenes for a 1960 movie. i did enjoy it a lot and will probably rewatch it soon.

Desperate to escape his dreary, dead-end life, aging broker Arthur Hamilton succumbs to a mysterious organization's offer of a new identity and a fresh start.

sounds a little bit like a stephen king novel (and im pretty sure i did read a short story that was like seconds) ^^

[Jef Costello]

So far I got from the BN sale, John Cassavetes 5 Films and The Spy Who Came in From The Cold.

[hustlermane]

Originally Posted by bdmartin134

Anyways, what is everyones opinion on [B]Seconds[B]? I briefly watched the intro and have read about James Wong Howe's excellent camera work. This title interests me very much.

My 2c = 5 star masterpiece, and easily one of the top 5 American films of the 1960s - it's probably my favourite actually. As I said on another thread, I'm very jealous of anyone whose first time with Seconds is on blu-ray. And if you've heard of James Wong Howe's cinematography and understand why that is an important selling point, then this is a great blind-buy - it's absolutely astonishing looking with an incredibly visual style. I cannot recommend this title enough, it's one of my absolute favourite films, with an all-time great ending.

[Mansinthe]

and seconds has rock hudson in a real awesome role. saw him the first time in "tarnished angels" but in seconds he could really "act"

[CoenP]

Pre-ordered the Zatoichi set. $120 including shipping is the best price an international customer can get!

Little bit offtopic, but since people are discussing Tarkovsky, Stalker is playing this monday in my local film theatre. Very keen on seeing it again, and on the big screen this time!

[dylan32]

Originally Posted by CoenP

Pre-ordered the Zatoichi set. $120 including shipping is the best price an international customer can get!

Little bit offtopic, but since people are discussing Tarkovsky, Stalker is playing this monday in my local film theatre. Very keen on seeing it again, and on the big screen this time!

Wow, would love to see Stalker on a big screen!

[StonesEGF]

Originally Posted by Roninblues

John Cassavetes: Five Films
Released 22 Oct 2013

I second this.

[CoenP]

Originally Posted by dylan32

Wow, would love to see Stalker on a big screen!

They're also showing Eisensteins Alexander Nevski and Ivan the Terrible part 1&2 and Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice as part of their 'Russian masters program'. I like