The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Hey Guys, the 1980s poll is up and I'm happy to report quite a few Criterion titles made my list.

The Last Temptation of Christ
Blow Out
Heaven's Gate
Thief
Wings of Desire
Vagabond

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Hey Guys, the 1980s poll is up and I'm happy to report quite a few Criterion titles made my list.

The Great Owl's Top 20 Films of the 1980s

That wasn't so difficult.
Actually... Yes, it was.

Three Criterion titles made my list.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I'm about to see The Uninvited. I hope it's as atmospheric and visually dazzling as promised

What did you think? I watched it the other night and really enjoyed it. There were some strange tonal shifts, especially with the comedy elements, but overall I thought it was successful, and I was impressed by the visuals. In particular, the cinematography was great and I thought the special effects were very impressive.

[The Great Owl]

A few words about my first Yasujiro Ozu film...



Today, in the good old 21st century, we have a phenomenon known as "surfer's voice." Imagine yourself sitting at home alone one night and deciding to alleviate your solitude by connecting with a friend or family member. A text message or a Facebook post will not suffice, because these luxuries, while convenient, are no substitute for a human voice or the sight of a friendly face. You scroll through your phone contacts and realize that you have not talked with a particular person for a long while. This other person answers the phone and is seemingly grateful to hear from you, but there is something lacking in the person's enthusiasm during the conversation. This person appears to be typing on a keyboard as he or she talks, and is responding to you with short answers as he or she surfs the web or multitasks at the same time while apparently pretending to listen to you. After interacting with this "surfer's voice" for a short while, you politely end the conversation, and stare at the wall in the silence of your home. Not only are you more alone than ever, but you also feel as though you have intruded on a loved one's life.

Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 film, Tokyo Story, was created long before Facebook and smartphones, but the struggles to reconcile the attention that we pay to those whom we love with our hectic routine responsibilities and distractions were just as ubiquitous then as they are today. When an elderly husband and wife travel by train to visit their children in postwar Tokyo, they soon understand that their visit is an apparent inconvenience and, as they become apprehensive about overstaying their welcome, we learn that none of the characters are truly exempt from the shortcomings of taking those in their lives for granted.

Halfway through my first viewing of Tokyo Story last night, I noticed an absence of any camera movement whatsoever. Each scene is filmed with from a camera in a static location, usually at a low angle across a room, so that no maneuvering of the lens angle is necessary as characters enter, sit down, converse, stand up, or exit. The camera eye also remains focused on any given character during the entirety of that person's dialogue, as if to show undivided attention and respect for that character without the interruptions of jump cuts or reaction shots of others. With this filmmaking approach, Yasujiro Ozu makes time for each and every person without multitasking. In a perfect world, the rest of us would do the same for those in our lives.

This was my first experience with an Ozu film, and I was enthralled by his low-key ability to endear us to everyday people and to convey the richness and complexities of supposedly ordinary events and interactions. I watched this beautiful story by way of the new Criterion Blu-ray transfer that accentuates the detail and subtleties of the black-and-white presentation, and then enjoyed editor David Desser's commentary track, with its uncannily fascinating play-by-play descriptions of camera angles and narrative purposes behind each shot. I then watched the supplement documentaries with my own "surfer's voice" approach, by multitasking on my computer at the same time. I suppose that the lessons of Tokyo Story need to sink in with me even more in the future.

This Criterion Blu-ray earns five stars all around.

[billyearle]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Yup, they have video stores here - I rented the dvd. Video stores mainly carry USA videos, Hong Kong videos, and some UK videos. Im assuming the Japanese video store situation sucks because Japanese videos are so damn expensive?

Yes that would be part of it, most of the Japanese BDs available to rent are the cheaper ones. And most of the English friendly rentals are going to be big Hollywood stuff, and even there the selection is nothing compared to Netflix in the US. Of course I wan't surprised Hong Kong has video stores, just that something like Francis Ha would be available to rent on bluray.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Big Sleep is already scheduled to come out at the start of next year. I don't see any other company than Warner Bros. releasing it.

Its about friggin time. Its amazing at this point in time The Big Sleep isn't out yet. Not to mention a ton of other popular titles yet to be released, many of which are some of my favorites.

Originally Posted by jayembee

I didn't catch which Hawks film they were talking about, only that it was one with "two versions". The only Hawks film I know of off hand with two versions is The Big Sleep. I can't imagine Warner not wanting to do that themselves.

Personally I wish Criterion would get Hawks Scarface. One of the best films ever made IMO and it deserves more respect and a restoration. Produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Hawks. The censorship fights and all the stories involving the film and Al Capone and his gangs. So much back story for special features. Also they could put the original ending back on.

Originally Posted by brandon_260

So my Criterion backlog has started to build again and I'm having a tough time prioritizing how I watch the films. Whenever I've got a decent size stack to work my way through, I often find myself overwhelmed when it comes to choosing which to watch when and typically just sink back in to watching films I already love. So, I come to you guys in hopes that I can get some insight on which to watch soonest. All of these are sight unseen by me. (I've left off all films I've seen but haven't watched since I purchased the blu-ray).

Letter Never Sent
Lord of the Flies
Slacker
To Be or Not To Be
Identification of a Woman
World on a Wire
The Magic Flute
The Magician
Les cousins
Amarcord
My Life as a Dog
Army of Shadows
The Music Room
The 39 Steps
The Killing
Children of Paradise

My favorites out of that list.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Hey Guys, the 1980s poll is up and I'm happy to report quite a few Criterion titles made my list.

The results of these polls are always frustrating because the winners are always the most popular ones or the film the most people have seen. It's never what the "best" film is. King Kong best movie of the 30s? Seriously?

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

A few words about my first Yasujiro Ozu film...



Today, in the good old 21st century, we have a phenomenon known as "surfer's voice." Imagine yourself sitting at home alone one night and deciding to alleviate your solitude by connecting with a friend or family member. A text message or a Facebook post will not suffice, because these luxuries, while convenient, are no substitute for a human voice or the sight of a friendly face. You scroll through your phone contacts and realize that you have not talked with a particular person for a long while. This other person answers the phone and is seemingly grateful to hear from you, but there is something lacking in the person's enthusiasm during the conversation. This person appears to be typing on a keyboard as he or she talks, and is responding to you with short answers as he or she surfs the web or multitasks at the same time while apparently pretending to listen to you. After interacting with this "surfer's voice" for a short while, you politely end the conversation, and stare at the wall in the silence of your home. Not only are you more alone than ever, but you also feel as though you have intruded on a loved one's life.

Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 film, Tokyo Story, was created long before Facebook and smartphones, but the struggles to reconcile the attention that we pay to those whom we love with our hectic routine responsibilities and distractions were just as ubiquitous then as they are today. When an elderly husband and wife travel by train to visit their children in postwar Tokyo, they soon understand that their visit is an apparent inconvenience and, as they become apprehensive about overstaying their welcome, we learn that none of the characters are truly exempt from the shortcomings of taking those in their lives for granted.

Halfway through my first viewing of Tokyo Story last night, I noticed an absence of any camera movement whatsoever. Each scene is filmed with from a camera in a static location, usually at a low angle across a room, so that no maneuvering of the lens angle is necessary as characters enter, sit down, converse, stand up, or exit. The camera eye also remains focused on any given character during the entirety of that person's dialogue, as if to show undivided attention and respect for that character without the interruptions of jump cuts or reaction shots of others. With this filmmaking approach, Yasujiro Ozu makes time for each and every person without multitasking. In a perfect world, the rest of us would do the same for those in our lives.

This was my first experience with an Ozu film, and I was enthralled by his low-key ability to endear us to everyday people and to convey the richness and complexities of supposedly ordinary events and interactions. I watched this beautiful story by way of the new Criterion Blu-ray transfer that accentuates the detail and subtleties of the black-and-white presentation, and then enjoyed editor David Desser's commentary track, with its uncannily fascinating play-by-play descriptions of camera angles and narrative purposes behind each shot. I then watched the supplement documentaries with my own "surfer's voice" approach, by multitasking on my computer at the same time. I suppose that the lessons of Tokyo Story need to sink in with me even more in the future.

This Criterion Blu-ray earns five stars all around.

Now you need to check out Late Spring!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Now you need to check out Late Spring!

That's the plan. Late Spring was mentioned frequently during the commentary track for Tokyo Story, so I am intrigued.

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

The results of these polls are always frustrating because the winners are always the most popular ones or the film the most people have seen. It's never what the "best" film is. King Kong best movie of the 30s? Seriously?

I understand where you're coming from, but King Kong (1933) was at the top of my list on the 1930s poll, and it's one of my all-time top ten films.

It's tough for me to justify ranking King Kong over Stagecoach, The 39 Steps, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Public Enemy, City Lights, The Rules of the Game, La Grande Illusion, The Petrified Forest, Vampyr, Pepe Le Moko, The Wizard of Oz, and others. That was a great decade for movies.

In the end, though, King Kong is the epitome of why I grew up loving cinema.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I understand where you're coming from, but King Kong (1933) was at the top of my list on the 1930s poll, and it's one of my all-time top ten films.

It's tough for me to justify ranking King Kong over Stagecoach, The 39 Steps, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Public Enemy, City Lights, The Rules of the Game, La Grande Illusion, The Petrified Forest, Vampyr, Pepe Le Moko, The Wizard of Oz, and others. That was a great decade for movies.

In the end, though, King Kong is the epitome of why I grew up loving cinema.

It was also the second movie that a certain distributor decided to put out on LaserDisc back in the mid-'80s, right behind Citizen Kane.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

That's the plan. Late Spring was mentioned frequently during the commentary track for Tokyo Story, so I am intrigued.

I actually prefer Late Spring over Tokyo Story (though I love them both), but I'm probably in the minority.

[Cbeck]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I actually prefer Late Spring over Tokyo Story (though I love them both), but I'm probably in the minority.

I also prefer Late Spring, but I consider both films to be among the best I have seen.

I like all of Ozu's films with the exception of Good Morning. Watch as many as you can.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I understand where you're coming from, but King Kong (1933) was at the top of my list on the 1930s poll, and it's one of my all-time top ten films.

It's tough for me to justify ranking King Kong over Stagecoach, The 39 Steps, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Public Enemy, City Lights, The Rules of the Game, La Grande Illusion, The Petrified Forest, Vampyr, Pepe Le Moko, The Wizard of Oz, and others. That was a great decade for movies.

In the end, though, King Kong is the epitome of why I grew up loving cinema.

I should've prefaced my comment by stating that I love King Kong as well, but in no way could I ever see it as the best of that decade.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

A few words about my first Yasujiro Ozu film...



Today, in the good old 21st century, we have a phenomenon known as "surfer's voice." Imagine yourself sitting at home alone one night and decid

if you liked that one you should defintly check out "like someone in love" feels alot like a modern ozu.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Now you need to check out Late Spring!

And Early Summer (dvd only-so far) to complete the Noriko trio. Actually Owl, now you need to see all Ozu. The Late Ozu Eclipse set is a great buy especially at it's current sale price.

[The Great Owl]

Thanks for the Ozu recommendations, everyone!

I'm currently in the midst of an obsession with 1940s/1950s film noir on Blu-ray, and have been shelling out some cash on Olive Films and Kino titles along those genre lines. During late November and December, I'll be enjoying those film noirs for the most part, and then plowing through the Buster Keaton box set after that.

Aside from Late Spring, which I'll probably purchase soon, an extensive investigation of Ozu material will wait until 2014.

[bwdowiak]

Okay.. my turn to ask the community for a recommendation! I’m not really into blind buys, but there are a few films for which I have such a strong feeling that I will be pleased that I will occasionally trust me gut and pull the trigger. Heaven’s Gate as a blind buy worked out for me. I knew, prior to seeing it, that it had amazing cinematography. Watching it in SD just wasn’t going to cut it.

With that being said, I am certain that I will be buying Paris, Texas. In order to get free shipping, I need to (and want to, of course!) pick another.
Here are a few that I am considering:

M - I love Peter Lorre and I figure that it would be somewhat of a companion piece to the 3 early Hitchcock films which I do own.

Fanny and Alexander – I really liked the film Au Revoir les Enfants and while that movie may not have much in common with F & A, I like the idea of an epic foreign film telling a coming of age story. And, of course, I like the fact that it is considered Bergman’s most accessible film.

My Life as a Dog – same logic as F & A aside from the use of the adjective, ‘epic.’

Modern Times – my taste has just now been refined to the point where I can really appreciate silent films – that and the fact that these blu-ray restorations always make my jaw drop. I just saw City Lights for the first time and really enjoyed it. The universality of the story was most appealing and the boxing sequence was pure magic.

Or I could buy Badlands or Au Revoir les Enfants – two films I have seen and regard highly.

Any others I should be considering?

[jayxrico]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

A few words about my first Yasujiro Ozu film...



Today, in the good old 21st century, we have a phenomenon known as "surfer's voice." Imagine yourself sitting at home alone one night and deciding to alleviate your solitude by connecting with a friend or family member. A text message or a Facebook post will not suffice, because these luxuries, while convenient, are no substitute for a human voice or the sight of a friendly face. You scroll through your phone contacts and realize that you have not talked with a particular person for a long while. This other person answers the phone and is seemingly grateful to hear from you, but there is something lacking in the person's enthusiasm during the conversation. This person appears to be typing on a keyboard as he or she talks, and is responding to you with short answers as he or she surfs the web or multitasks at the same time while apparently pretending to listen to you. After interacting with this "surfer's voice" for a short while, you politely end the conversation, and stare at the wall in the silence of your home. Not only are you more alone than ever, but you also feel as though you have intruded on a loved one's life.

Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 film, Tokyo Story, was created long before Facebook and smartphones, but the struggles to reconcile the attention that we pay to those whom we love with our hectic routine responsibilities and distractions were just as ubiquitous then as they are today. When an elderly husband and wife travel by train to visit their children in postwar Tokyo, they soon understand that their visit is an apparent inconvenience and, as they become apprehensive about overstaying their welcome, we learn that none of the characters are truly exempt from the shortcomings of taking those in their lives for granted.

Halfway through my first viewing of Tokyo Story last night, I noticed an absence of any camera movement whatsoever. Each scene is filmed with from a camera in a static location, usually at a low angle across a room, so that no maneuvering of the lens angle is necessary as characters enter, sit down, converse, stand up, or exit. The camera eye also remains focused on any given character during the entirety of that person's dialogue, as if to show undivided attention and respect for that character without the interruptions of jump cuts or reaction shots of others. With this filmmaking approach, Yasujiro Ozu makes time for each and every person without multitasking. In a perfect world, the rest of us would do the same for those in our lives.

This was my first experience with an Ozu film, and I was enthralled by his low-key ability to endear us to everyday people and to convey the richness and complexities of supposedly ordinary events and interactions. I watched this beautiful story by way of the new Criterion Blu-ray transfer that accentuates the detail and subtleties of the black-and-white presentation, and then enjoyed editor David Desser's commentary track, with its uncannily fascinating play-by-play descriptions of camera angles and narrative purposes behind each shot. I then watched the supplement documentaries with my own "surfer's voice" approach, by multitasking on my computer at the same time. I suppose that the lessons of Tokyo Story need to sink in with me even more in the future.

This Criterion Blu-ray earns five stars all around.

Well said! Ozu is one of my top 5 favorite directors. Glad to see Ozu getting more recognition and that Criterion are releasing more of his titles. Late Spring and now Tokyo Story on blu! Now we just need Late Autumn!

[joie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

That's the plan. Late Spring was mentioned frequently during the commentary track for Tokyo Story, so I am intrigued.




I understand where you're coming from, but King Kong (1933) was at the top of my list on the 1930s poll, and it's one of my all-time top ten films.

It's tough for me to justify ranking King Kong over Stagecoach, The 39 Steps, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Public Enemy, City Lights, The Rules of the Game, La Grande Illusion, The Petrified Forest, Vampyr, Pepe Le Moko, The Wizard of Oz, and others. That was a great decade for movies.

In the end, though, King Kong is the epitome of why I grew up loving cinema.

If I were rating them, King Kong would crush Stagecoach, 39 Steps, The Public Enemy, City Lights and Petrified Forest. For a long while I thought it was filmed in a windy location, but Kong's fur changed from shot to shot because the puppet's pose was changed for each shot.

[Kbg1292]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Okay.. my turn to ask the community for a recommendation! I’m not really into blind buys, but there are a few films for which I have such a strong feeling that I will be pleased that I will occasionally trust me gut and pull the trigger. Heaven’s Gate as a blind buy worked out for me. I knew, prior to seeing it, that it had amazing cinematography. Watching it in SD just wasn’t going to cut it.

With that being said, I am certain that I will be buying Paris, Texas. In order to get free shipping, I need to (and want to, of course!) pick another.
Here are a few that I am considering:

M - I love Peter Lorre and I figure that it would be somewhat of a companion piece to the 3 early Hitchcock films which I do own.

Fanny and Alexander – I really liked the film Au Revoir les Enfants and while that movie may not have much in common with F & A, I like the idea of an epic foreign film telling a coming of age story. And, of course, I like the fact that it is considered Bergman’s most accessible film.

My Life as a Dog – same logic as F & A aside from the use of the adjective, ‘epic.’

Modern Times – my taste has just now been refined to the point where I can really appreciate silent films – that and the fact that these blu-ray restorations always make my jaw drop. I just saw City Lights for the first time and really enjoyed it. The universality of the story was most appealing and the boxing sequence was pure magic.

Or I could buy Badlands or Au Revoir les Enfants – two films I have seen and regard highly.

Any others I should be considering?

12 Angry Men
Night of the Hunter
The Wages of Fear

These are the first three that come to mind based upon your collection. Can't go wrong with any of these