The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Underwhelming is a good word for The Naked City. It kind of felt like watching a tv show. I mean, it was a pretty good tv show but still.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Go for the DVDs. It'll increase the chances that they get upgraded. It's called taking one for the team.

But seriously. The Killers set is definitely worth getting: two feature versions, plus an Andrei Tarkovsky short version -- what more can anyone ask?

And Brute Force is a terrific film as well.

The only one of the three I was underwhelmed by is The Naked City. I watched it on Netflix a few months ago, for the first time in decades, and was surprised that I wasn't all that happy with it. Mostly, I had problems with the second-person narration, which felt really clunky.

I've seen all three and in defense of The Naked City the narration was following the docu-drama formula that seemed to be trendy at the time with films like House on 92nd Street, He Walked by Night, Boomerang, etc. I give the film points for it's location shooting and the chase scene with Garza is memorable but it is the least of the three films maybe because it doesn't have dynamic star power and performances like the other two.

I agree that my buying these will up the probability of them getting upgraded.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by octagon

Underwhelming is a good word for The Naked City. It kind of felt like watching a tv show. I mean, it was a pretty good tv show but still.

It was the basis for a subsequent tv series which I have vague memories of watching when I was little but I do remember that the "there are 8 million stories......." was a topical catch phrase for quite some time. Damn I'm old!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

If Criterion releases it (which I'm assuming they will), I imagine Blue is the Warmest Color will be the most explicit film in their catalog.

Granted, I haven't seen In the Realm of the Senses..

Yeah, umm. It can't be as bad as Salo or In the Realm of the Senses. It can't be.

[hustlermane]

Originally Posted by Gusto-Guus

I couldn't just leave empty-handed, these sales are like crack cocaine. I just gotta have it. So it was between Gomorrah or Ivan's Childhood. Picked up Ivan's Childhood sense I've heard nothing but great reviews about it, although, Gomorrah looks very interesting. May just rent it.

You made the right decision, IMO - though I haven't seen either on blu. Gomorrah is ok, though I can't see myself rewatching it and it seemed like the token contemporary film Criterion makes sure to release every year. Ivan's Childhood had some astonishing scenes that looked brilliant on DVD, I'm sure blu-ray does it justice

[aqua limo]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this thread so very sorry if this is a dumb question

Chungking Express on blu ray. Great shape (slipcover and insert included) for $25… is this a must buy for that price? I know it is out of print…

Thanks for the help!

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by aqua limo

Hi everyone, I'm new to this thread so very sorry if this is a dumb question

Chungking Express on blu ray. Great shape (slipcover and insert included) for $25… is this a must buy for that price? I know it is out of print…

Thanks for the help!

I would say so, It's an amazing film!

[smoss469]

I just received an unexpected class action check from EA Games today (I guess it paid off buying those Madden/NCAA Football games). Trying to decide what else to get. I'm thinking of going all DVD this round since the ones I'm targeting aren't on BD (yet, with my luck once I buy they'll be announced in a week or so as February upgrades).

I'm targeting:

Night Train to Munich
Le Samourai
Green for Danger

Or I could scrap it and go with another Eclipse Series buy, I've got about 5-6 more that I'm eying from that line.

Thoughts?

[BaerGriggs]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I just received an unexpected class action check from EA Games today (I guess it paid off buying those Madden/NCAA Football games).

I applied for that suit way back in April..hope I see my check soon too.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by octagon

Underwhelming is a good word for The Naked City. It kind of felt like watching a tv show. I mean, it was a pretty good tv show but still.

Originally Posted by hoytereden

It was the basis for a subsequent tv series which I have vague memories of watching when I was little but I do remember that the "there are 8 million stories......." was a topical catch phrase for quite some time. Damn I'm old!

As a matter of fact, this week, a complete series set of The Naked City was released on DVD. I loved the TV series (it's still my second favorite crime drama after The Wire), which is why I was surprised to not care for the Dassin film as much as I expected (and remembered from when I'd seen it long ago).

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I've seen all three and in defense of The Naked City the narration was following the docu-drama formula that seemed to be trendy at the time with films like House on 92nd Street, He Walked by Night, Boomerang, etc. I give the film points for it's location shooting and the chase scene with Garza is memorable but it is the least of the three films maybe because it doesn't have dynamic star power and performances like the other two.

I understand the point of the narration, and the use of such doesn't bother me much in general, either when it's first-person or third-person. It's the second-person nature of some of the narration here that bugs me. I kept wanting to say, "You do realize that Halloran can't actually hear you, right?", but of course, the narrator wouldn't be able to hear me.

Second-person narration works in some cases, usually when it's in the form of a character talking to the audience. When it's an unseen narrator talking to a character, though...

[Grethiwha]

Love the City Lights/Tokyo Story packaging – I'm so excited for these!

Originally Posted by Thebunk

In PF, it is more believable as perhaps the guy really was that bad of a shot.

Yes, but, if you look closely, the bullet holes were already in the wall before the guy shot, so make of that what you will.

Anyway, I love that scene in F&A you guys are talking about. It forces a rethinking of what's possible in that movie, as the film becomes more mysterious and beautiful in that final third. And besides it's just a super-cool scene, love the Isak character.

[aqua limo]

Originally Posted by SilentxStatik24

I would say so, It's an amazing film!

Yeah, I bet! The few Criterion films I've seen have all been very good, in their own right. I'll end up picking it up to not only watch it but to say 'I have another OOP Criterion blu ray!' to add to Man Who Fell to Earth
Cheers!

[StLouisRibs]

As someone fairly new to this; when do Criterion typically announce each new batch of titles? I see it tends to be around the 15th but am wondering if there's some set schedule?

There's a title I'm eyeing picking up on DVD whilst on sale but if I figure I may as well wait and see if it's being upgraded for February before putting money down on it.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yeah, umm. It can't be as bad as Salo or In the Realm of the Senses. It can't be.

Antichrist?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

As someone fairly new to this; when do Criterion typically announce each new batch of titles? I see it tends to be around the 15th but am wondering if there's some set schedule?

Yes, the set schedule is "around the 15th".

I think they aim for the 15th, but it might be a day or two after. Some people around here get irritated when it's not actually on the 15th.

Since November 15th is a Friday, their February announcements are likely to come out that day rather than on the weekend. They might come out on Monday the 18th, but I doubt it, and they certainly won't be later than that. So you'll have plenty of time to take advantage of the sale if you decide to go for the DVD you're eyeing.

[anthonyg]

With Francis, Ha coming out I couldn't wait for an upgrade and purchased Adventures of Antoine Doinel and Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales. So you are welcome when they are announced for upgrade soon.

Also any idea if the Human Condition and Rossellini's War Trilogy have an upgrade in their future. Aside from an Eclipse set, those are the only other two DVDs on my to-buy list. Will probably buy them as I'm dying to re-watch them both.

[The Great Owl]

I'm about to throw La Notte into the player. Woo hoo!
After watching Rossellini's Journey to Italy last night, I decided to expedite my viewing of this Antonioni film.

I just finished watching Scorsese's Raging Bull, and really got into seeing it on Blu-ray for the first time. I saw Raging Bull on VHS a couple of decades ago, and it stands as one of those films that I respect more than I actually enjoy watching, if that makes any sense. It's one of the darkest and most honest character studies in cinema, and, as such, it's a tough pill to swallow. I had a good feeling that my appreciation of the film would increase tenfold upon checking it out in its proper aspect ratio on Blu-ray, though, and I am happy to report that my gut feeling was validated. It's a great-looking disc that brings out the best in the awesome cinematography. It's still not the most fun flick in the world, though.

[hustlermane]

Originally Posted by anthonyg

With Francis, Ha coming out I couldn't wait for an upgrade and purchased Adventures of Antoine Doinel and Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales. So you are welcome when they are announced for upgrade soon.

Also any idea if the Human Condition and Rossellini's War Trilogy have an upgrade in their future. Aside from an Eclipse set, those are the only other two DVDs on my to-buy list. Will probably buy them as I'm dying to re-watch them both.

I'm thinking of getting the Human Condition DVD this sale, I'll let you know if I do so that you know the blu upgrade will be expedited.

[Scottie]

Fellini's La Strada will be on TCM on 11/18/13 at 02:00 A.M. EST.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Yeah, umm. It can't be as bad as Salo or In the Realm of the Senses. It can't be.

Forgot about Salo.

It's a lot more graphic than Antichrist, that's for sure.

EDIT: Not that it matters one way or another. The film's publicity is kind of ridiculous.