The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

My modest haul from the B&N sale:
Tokyo Story *
City Lights
La Notte
Cronos
Modern Times
Rules of the Game *


* Upgrades for already owned dvd editions

I'm quite happy!

[joie]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Ok, blind buy recommendation time since the B&B sale ends next week.

First, just to set the tone, The Three Colors Trilogy is my favorite film release perhaps ever. Every time I revisit the films (especially Blue and Red) I love them more and more, other favorites in the collection for me are The Dardennes films (especially Kid with a Bike, less so Rosetta).

Here is what I have in order of my favorite Criterions:

[Show spoiler]- Three Colors
- Double life of Veronique
- The Kid with a Bike
- La Promesse
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- Le Cercle Rouge
- 12 Angry Men
- Seven Samurai
- Dazed and Confused
- Army of Shadows
- On the Waterfront
- Breathless
- Repo Man
- Brazil (yuck)

Criterions I have on route to me now and all are blind buys:

- Eyes without a face
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Seconds
- Wages of Fear
- Tokyo Story

Criterions I am on the fence about potentially ordering but not tied to:

- Diabolique
- Close Up
- High and Low

Criterion films I have seen but do not want to buy:

- Night of the Hunter
- Revanche
- Paris, Texas
- Battle of Algiers
- Any other Kurasowa
- Any other Samurai films
- Any other Goddard

The Big City. It's got a short bonus feature, too, The Coward.

[Oblivion138]

Picked up the Zatoichi set for about $75 after taxes. I'm insanely psyched about that deal.

Now to figure out how to display it, since it looks really stupid on the shelf with all the other Criterions. haha Any ideas, anyone? I mean, the set is absolutely beautiful...probably the most aesthetically pleasing package Criterion has ever put together...but the dimensions just make it hell to try and put on the shelf with the rest of my Collection.

[FlexMentallo]

Got Zatoichi, Seconds and Tokyo Story in the mail today.

I am putting Zatoichi sideways (not spine out) in the right numbered spot with the rest of my Criterions. It's the only way it will fit into my movie cabinet shelving.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by joie

The Big City. It's got a short bonus feature, too, The Coward.

Actually I think I am looking for something that is very much like "The Three Colors" though not sure if that exists, let alone in the criterion library and outside anything else the Kieslowski made.

I saw in IMDB that Yi Yi was listed as a similar film but not sure if I trust their random suggestions.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Actually I think I am looking for something that is very much like "The Three Colors" though not sure if that exists, let alone in the criterion library and outside anything else the Kieslowski made.

I saw in IMDB that Yi Yi was listed as a similar film but not sure if I trust their random suggestions.

Well for some reason Yi Yi really reminded me of Kieslowski, more specifically Red, so i can recommend it, it is really a great film.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Well for some reason Yi Yi really reminded me of Kieslowski, more specifically Red, so i can recommend it, it is really a great film.

Well given your awesome avatar, I really need to consider this.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Actually I think I am looking for something that is very much like "The Three Colors" though not sure if that exists, let alone in the criterion library and outside anything else the Kieslowski made.

I saw in IMDB that Yi Yi was listed as a similar film but not sure if I trust their random suggestions.

You might want to investigate Antonioni's Red Desert.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

You might want to investigate Antonioni's Red Desert.

I heard it is a polarizing Antonioni film (have only seen L'Avventura and need to see it again as I was not loving it but one of those films that stays with you for a bit afterwards).

Can someone tell me (without spoilers) how Yi Yi, Red Desert or any other Criterion films out there compare to Kieslowski's work? By that I mean complex characters and stories, but with a narrative that still makes sense? And any films that can match the use of music and cinemataugraphy like his would be welcome as well.

[BruceWayneMartin]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Picked up the Zatoichi set for about $75 after taxes. I'm insanely psyched about that deal.

Now to figure out how to display it, since it looks really stupid on the shelf with all the other Criterions. haha Any ideas, anyone? I mean, the set is absolutely beautiful...probably the most aesthetically pleasing package Criterion has ever put together...but the dimensions just make it hell to try and put on the shelf with the rest of my Collection.

I just got Zaotichi for $76 . Good pick up hahah.

[Gusto-Guus]

Finished watching The 400 Blows and agree with most of you, its a fantastic movie. Liked it so much, I felt disappointed by the ending only because;

[Show spoiler]I was emotional invested into Antoine that I wanted to see his story continue. What would he be like as an adult, old enough to get a job, a wife/gf, etc. I felt he should've stayed at the camp, gone to the labor center or where ever, picked up a trade, honed his skill, get a job, maybe a wife and kids and forget about his childhood. Of course, following a straight path isn't his forte, so it makes sense he would run away, looking for his own way in life.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

In my opinion, greatest Bogart movie, hands down. I love Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and To Have and Have Not, but The Maltese Falcon has it all. I think it's the fact that it is such an incredible example of film noir. I first saw it in a film class in college, and have loved it, and film noir ever since. I really need to add it to my blu-ray collection.

As much a Bogie fan as I am (and a John Huston fan even moreso), I was never that excited by The Maltese Falcon. Oh, I like it well enough, but I'm not as nuts about it as many vintage and/or noir film fans are.

It's definitely not in my Top 10 Films Noir

[Show spoiler] The Asphalt Jungle, The Big Sleep, Detour, The Killing, Laura, The Lost Weekend, The Night of the Hunter, Out of the Past, The Petrified Forest, The Woman in the Window.

It's definitely not in my Top 10 Bogie Films

[Show spoiler]The African Queen, Beat the Devil, The Big Sleep, Casablanca, High Sierra, Key Largo, King of the Underworld, The Petrified Forest, They Drive by Night, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

It's definitely not in my Top 5 Huston Films

[Show spoiler] The African Queen, The Asphalt Jungle, Beat the Devil, Key Largo, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

though it is in the Top 10.

[drawohua]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished revisiting The Enforcer (1951), because The Maltese Falcon got me in the mood to hit another Bogart film noir. The Enforcer is one of this year's best Blu-ray releases that flew in under the radar, and it has the best Blu-ray cover art in my entire collection. Jack Lambert, who played Philadelphia Tom Zaca in The Enforcer, is also a memorable character in the Criterion film noir title, Kiss Me Deadly.

Double Indemnity is outstanding. I've seen it quite a few times on DVD. It might even be my favorite Billy Wilder movie, although I really fell in love with The Apartment a few weeks back.


My Barnes and Noble shipments of The Complete Metropolis and It's a Wonderful Life arrived in the mail this afternoon. I'm saving It's a Wonderful Life for closer to Christmas, but I'm about to watch Metropolis right now.

I saw this completely restored Metropolis at an indie theater a few years ago, and the Kino DVD got a lot of mileage under my roof, but this will be my first viewing on Blu-ray. I'm looking forward to seeing how good the cityscapes come across on the disc, and I'm also looking forward to seeing how hot Brigitte Helm looks in high definition. Such a great movie.

Speaking of Billy Wilder, I planned to watch all his films in the summer but up till today I've only finished half of it. Apart from his masterpiece like Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd, etc, I do think Ace is the Hole is a very good one. Also, I watched the BFI restored version of Witness for the Prosecution in cinema, which is a very wonderful film as well.

[drawohua]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Ok, blind buy recommendation time since the B&B sale ends next week.

First, just to set the tone, The Three Colors Trilogy is my favorite film release perhaps ever. Every time I revisit the films (especially Blue and Red) I love them more and more, other favorites in the collection for me are The Dardennes films (especially Kid with a Bike, less so Rosetta).

Here is what I have in order of my favorite Criterions:

- Three Colors
- Double life of Veronique
- The Kid with a Bike
- La Promesse
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- Le Cercle Rouge
- 12 Angry Men
- Seven Samurai
- Dazed and Confused
- Army of Shadows
- On the Waterfront
- Breathless
- Repo Man
- Brazil (yuck)

Criterions I have on route to me now and all are blind buys:

- Eyes without a face
- Anatomy of a Murder
- Seconds
- Wages of Fear
- Tokyo Story

Criterions I am on the fence about potentially ordering but not tied to:

- Diabolique
- Close Up
- High and Low

Criterion films I have seen but do not want to buy:

- Night of the Hunter
- Revanche
- Paris, Texas
- Battle of Algiers
- Any other Kurasowa
- Any other Samurai films
- Any other Goddard

Diabolique and High and Low are two of my favourite films!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

I heard it is a polarizing Antonioni film (have only seen L'Avventura and need to see it again as I was not loving it but one of those films that stays with you for a bit afterwards).

Can someone tell me (without spoilers) how Yi Yi, Red Desert or any other Criterion films out there compare to Kieslowski's work? By that I mean complex characters and stories, but with a narrative that still makes sense? And any films that can match the use of music and cinemataugraphy like his would be welcome as well.

You should really order Diabolique, it's one of my favorites. An excellent mystery no doubt.

In regards to Antonioni and Kieslowski, TDLOV is my favorite film of all time and L'Eclisse is one of my favorite films of all time. With that being said, after watching Antonioni's Trilogy, he has easily become one of my favorite directors. He's very much into style and making film an art, which I truly do appreciate. While there's no denying that he produces some rather brilliant scripts, his keen eye for detail is probably what makes him stand out from the masses. I'd personally recommend La Notte over Red Desert if you want to transition yourself into his work, but again, that's just my own personal opinion.

You may want to pick up 3 Women, The 400 Blows, Amarcord, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Being John Malkovich, Belle de Jour, Down By Law, Fish Tank, Frances Ha, La Haine, The Lady Vanishes, Lonesome, Repulsion, Traffic, and all of the Chaplin and Terrence Malick films. They're all extraordinary, if you ask me.

[Halation]

have you Bogart fans not seen In a Lonely Place?

because In a Lonely goddamn Place

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Criterion films I have seen but do not want to buy:

- Night of the Hunter

i do understand you in terms of godard but how can someone that has seen night of the hunter dont want to own probably one of the most awesome criterion releases ?

[Kolm14]

If you had to choose only two out of these four Chaplin films to get, which ones would you choose?

• The Gold Rush
• The Great Dictator
• City Lights
• Monsieur Verdoux

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by Kolm14

If you had to choose only two out of these four Chaplin films to get, which ones would you choose?

• The Gold Rush
• The Great Dictator
• City Lights
• Monsieur Verdoux

"City Lights" and "The Gold Rush"... Without question.

[Illy Scorsese]

BTW

Are we assuming Amazon is gonna do the 50% of thing on Cyber Monday again??????????