The Criterion Collection

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by RojD

And that's something else that's odd about Altman's films. I don't understand how the guy who did something as completely original as Nashville could turn right around and make Buffalo Bill? And then follow Three Women shortly afterwards with Popeye? I haven't seen most of his comedies -- mostly because they're so bad -- but maybe he just couldn't sustain humor over the length of a feature. It's generally his more serious stuff that I like.

You should see Brewster Mccloud then
One of my favorites of his and quite funny.

[jw007]

i just have to say one thing for now: I can't wait until Monday's announcements!

[K1NG J0RDAN]

Originally Posted by jw007

i just have to say one thing for now: I can't wait until Monday's announcements!

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by jw007

i just have to say one thing for now: I can't wait until Monday's announcements!

Criterion announcements are always a ("A", not "THE") highlight of my month. So exciting. I always find myself disappointed for he most part because I have my hopes set on seemingly all the titles they don't want to release haha, but I always end up intrigued by some unknown ones.

Marketa Lazarova is one of my favourite releases from this year and I knew nothing of it, nor did it sound interesting at all.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

You should see Brewster Mccloud then
One of my favorites of his and quite funny.

Not to mention THE PLAYER. Wickedly funny and so very Altman throughout. Probably my favorite Altman film (at least the one I've watched the most).

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by RojD

You have two of my all-time fav Crits here: Vigo and High and Low. Almost envious of how much cinema thrill you have ahead in these two. I don't think there's a Western director who does Shakespeare as well as Kurosawa, and he channels Shake's scale, drama and risk right into an original story here that's very Nippon-specific.

And re: Nashville, I've never understood why everyone doesn't have him in their personal pantheon like I do, though there are many people who don't care for his stuff. I mostly enjoy his movies that have a large ensemble with several storylines that wander around and occasionally cross each other: Nashville, A Wedding, The Company, Prêt-à-Porter, and even Gosford Park. And I love Prairie Home Companion and don't care if I'm the only person in the world who does. What a strong statement the end of that film makes from a director who is actually staring his own death in the face while making this last film. I like the way all these films are about something bigger than the sum of the individual story lines -- a description of a community or exam of an idea from different perspectives. And it's something that seems especially cinematic to me and hard to pull off in other media. It's similar to what I see in Renoir's Rules of the Game and in some of PT Anderson's movies like Boogie Nights and Magnolia. I like movies like Nashville because they are a refreshing change from story lines that only focus on one or two characters.

Oooops.....rambled a bit here. Anyway, I hope Nashville continues to grow in your esteem.

I thought that I was the only one who liked Prêt-à-Porter, and I also liked PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION and A WEDDING quite a bit. NASHVILLE is one of my favorite Altman's along with THE PLAYER. From Great Owl's list of new Criterions, however, my favorite would have to be RASHOMON, with HIGH AND LOW not far behind (drastically different performances by Mifune in those two).

[Yami]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

On the Criterion FB page they indicate a March release as being hinted on tumbler.

http://criterioncollection.tumblr.com/.

I would say The Great Beauty is going to be released, but the Bergman hint could indicate Cries and Whispers being announced.

I'd say that Persona is the most likely candidate, perhaps along with Liv & Ingmar

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

Marketa Lazarova is one of my favourite releases from this year and I knew nothing of it, nor did it sound interesting at all.

still have that one sitting on my shelf unwatched, along with a lot other criterion / MoC movies i should probably watch. but i always feel bad if i watch one after another of these "great" movies and go back to the average hollywood blockbuster the next day.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by RojD

And that's something else that's odd about Altman's films. I don't understand how the guy who did something as completely original as Nashville could turn right around and make Buffalo Bill?

Buffalo Bill was based on a play (ie. the weird second half with the

[Show spoiler]ghost of Sitting Bull

), so it was Altman's off-Broadway urges coming back out again.

As for why Popeye, guess he thought the cast was large and "quirky" enough to be Something Different That Other Directors Wouldn't Do. Although he didn't really seem to have a clear handle on what he was doing there, though, not as much as Jules Pfeiffer and Robin & Shelley seemed to.
(Jules knew he was doing the comic strip, and Robin & Shelley knew they were doing the Fleischer cartoons, but Altman just thought he was doing a movie about a cute, quirky seacoast town because they'd never given him a "real" musical before.)

And IIRC, goofy Nashville-knockoff "Health" was originally supposed to come out after 3 Women, but infamously stayed for years in release-limbo hell, so he needed something from major studios to pay the bills.

[Meek12345]

My votes for Best New Spine:

Badlands
To Be or Not to Be
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

I almost left "What were they thinking?" blank, but then I went with The Life of Oharu. I think that Kenji Mizoguchi is a great director, but The Life of Oharu and Sansho the Bailiff are like torture porn to me even though they aren't bad films. Ugetsu is my favorite Mizoguchi film by the way. I'm on the fence about purchasing Criterion's release of Ugetsu. Reviews indicate that it is a great release, but I will try to wait for the blu-ray.

By the way, Sony's Italian division will release Gilda in February. Don't Sony and Criterion have some sort of new distribution deal? Maybe Criterion will end up with the North American release/license for Gilda. That would be awesome.

[Mansinthe]

if you want mizoguchi blurays you HAVE TO go region free and get the eureka and AE releases...

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

if you want mizoguchi blurays you HAVE TO go region free and get the eureka and AE releases...

Agreed. People are really missing out if they don't have the player to access such great titles from those other companies.

[octagon]

Criterion has been a doing a fine job of whitting away at my Amazon UK lists so here's a few titles they'd be more than welcome to announce Monday.

The Remains of the Day
The Long Goodbye (from the looks of things Arrow is going to be awfully tough to beat)
The Lodger
The Downfall of Berlin (somebody here heartilty recommended it, DR Svet, maybe)
Glendarry Glen Ross (I've had my eye on the steel but could be lured away by a nice CC release)
The Devils (an import and DVDs to boot...Obi-wan Mulvaney, you're my only hope)
Cirty Girl
Peeping Tom

I suppose I could add Lifeboat and Cleopatra but both steels are really affordable right now so I can't see them not making it into an order (order: that thing one places when one gets off his virtual ass and actually makes a decision to buy the stuff instead of just looking at it on a list every few days) and the steels of Nosferatu and Dr Mabsue The Gambler are definites no matter what other options appear.

Just plain wishlist stuff
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Lady From Shanghai
In a Lonely Place
Gilda (I have a feeling I'm the only one here who thinks George Macready steals the show)
The Ghost and Mr Chicken (I assure you all, I'm quite serious)
In fact, here's a no-doubt drug-induced leap of semi-consciousness - Addams Family and Addams Family Values. There were credible rumors about a 2013 release and then not a word.
And still no US releases of either Double Indemnity or Touch of Evil?

I'm back to thinking something might be going on with those last two.

[octagon]

And while I'm wildly speculating, I wonder if there's a chance in hell the all-but confirmed 4k Fargo do-over could wind up in the collection.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

My votes for Best New Spine:

Badlands
To Be or Not to Be
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

I almost left "What were they thinking?" blank, but then I went with The Life of Oharu. I think that Kenji Mizoguchi is a great director, but The Life of Oharu and Sansho the Bailiff are like torture porn to me even though they aren't bad films. Ugetsu is my favorite Mizoguchi film by the way. I'm on the fence about purchasing Criterion's release of Ugetsu. Reviews indicate that it is a great release, but I will try to wait for the blu-ray.

If you're a fan of Mizoguchi. Criterion's Ugetsu is worth getting for the 150min Kaneto Shindo documentary Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of a Film Director.

[Jef Costello]

What's your take on Ray's Charaluta and The Big City? This looks like a good buy for the B1G1 promo at BN.

[joie]

Originally Posted by Jef Costello

What's your take on Ray's Charaluta and The Big City? This looks like a good buy for the B1G1 promo at BN.

I liked "The Big City," which also has a bonus short feature, "The Coward." "Charulata" wasn't as good, but you may think differently.

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by greekak229

Agreed. People are really missing out if they don't have the player to access such great titles from those other companies.

and they are missing eurekas release of nosferatu and metropolis.. i like these way more compared to the kino releases. and im really wondering that metropolis is not part of the criterion collection..

[nondiatonic]

Originally Posted by Jef Costello

What's your take on Ray's Charaluta and The Big City? This looks like a good buy for the B1G1 promo at BN.

Originally Posted by joie

I liked "The Big City," which also has a bonus short feature, "The Coward." "Charulata" wasn't as good, but you may think differently.

I can't comment on The Big City as I haven't seen it.

However, my enjoyment of Charulata pushed me to blind buy The Music Room--which I highly recommend.

[mrjohnnyb]

My three favorite spines:
Repo Man
Shoah
The Ballad of Narayama

Guesses for March:
Touch of Evil
Don't Look Now
Persona
The Passion of Joan of Arc (upgrade)