The Criterion Collection

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

taxi driver is R-Rated? why? cuz of the teeny prostitution?
its FSK 16 over here

Per the IMDb: "Rated R for strong graphic violence, pervasive language➊, some sexual content and brief drug use."

The ratings here in the US rarely make any sense. They have been known to change them, though. As I mentioned, Midnight Cowboy were originally rated "X", although slightly edited prints were issued with "R" ratings for release in suburban theaters. Within about 10-15 years (at the time they were released on videotape) the unedited versions were re-rated "R".

➊ The parents' advisory write-up at the IMDb claims that "fück" appears 145 times. Probably pretty accurate, though it boggles my mind that someone actually went through the trouble to count.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

taxi driver is R-Rated? why? cuz of the teeny prostitution?
its FSK 16 over here

I don't know how the German ratings work but the R-rating means it's restricted to viewers 17 and under. Other than that, there's the PG-13 rating. There is no rating in the U.S. for the ages between 13 to 17 so it has to be R, and the reasons for this should be quite obvious considering the violence, language and sexual content.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I loved the film (Doug Trumbull's first as a director) when it first came out. Especially loved the soundtrack by Peter Schickele (better known as "P.D.Q. Bach") with a couple of songs by Joan Baez. But frankly, I don't think it quite holds up.

If I had to choose a 70s SF film for Criterion to release (other than, of course, the ones that they actually did release: The Man Who Fell to Earth and Solaris), I'd go with Altman's Quintet. Failing that, I'd probably pick the underrated Demon Seed. I might've gone with the original Rollerball, but it appears that Twilight Time has gotten their talons into that one.



Interesting historical note: Fox instigated a lawsuit against Universal claiming that Battlestar Galactica's Muffit the Dagget was a rip-off of R2D2. They dropped the suit when Universal threatened to counter-sue claiming that R2D2 was a rip-off of Huey, Dewey and Louie, the drones from Silent Running.

I didn't know that last part there! Thanks for the info jayembee.

You're right though, Silent Running doesn't really age well to be honest. But that is strictly regarding the production, costumes, directing and sets. The theme and story is still timeless and could still take place in the near or distant future.

[lordmorpheus72]

Just finished Kiss Me Deadly, what an enjoyable film. To me it's the epitome of 50's noir. A great detective, caught up in something much bigger than him, a sext femme fatale that is irresitable, yet deadly, and an ending that rivals anything from the time. I see this being a staple of my noir watchings.

There's so much good in this movie, it's hard to condense it into a few sentences and not just write a long winded review. Needless to say, it's an excellent Criterion disc to own.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by jayembee

If I had to choose a 70s SF film for Criterion to release (other than, of course, the ones that they actually did release: The Man Who Fell to Earth and Solaris), I'd go with Altman's Quintet. Failing that, I'd probably pick the underrated Demon Seed. I might've gone with the original Rollerball, but it appears that Twilight Time has gotten their talons into that one.

Quintet's Criterion material (for their Altman obsession), but it's certainly not good--Watch it in a double-feature with THX-1138 (or Zardoz), and it'll make you notice everything you never realized you hated about "artsy" name-director 70's dystopia.
Rollerball seems too "commercial"--Norman Jewison isn't a Criterion director--but I'd rather have seen it up there for 70's film analysis than watch TT dangle a few copies in front of us like fish in front of trained seals.

Rollerball also demonstrates a prime rule of SF that Quintet clearly violates: If you're going to create a future-society game....tell us how to play it, so we can follow the social developments.
Rollerball seems like the future of ESPN corporate-sports diversion, while the point of Quintet is that all of society and commerce has devolved into playing the "pointless" game--Which apparently, from all we learn from the film, involves playing Yahtzee while shuffling paperweights around, and saying inscrutable things like "Aha, double sixes, I have the advantage now!" ( )

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Just finished Kiss Me Deadly, what an enjoyable film. To me it's the epitome of 50's noir. A great detective, caught up in something much bigger than him, a sext femme fatale that is irresitable, yet deadly, and an ending that rivals anything from the time. I see this being a staple of my noir watchings.

There's so much good in this movie, it's hard to condense it into a few sentences and not just write a long winded review. Needless to say, it's an excellent Criterion disc to own.

I enjoyed Kiss Me Deadly, however didn't you find Gaby Rodgers' acting to be... well bad? Amateurish is my first thought; however a good plot and a nice (especially for the time) Macguffin really made up for it.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I enjoyed Kiss Me Deadly, however didn't you find Gaby Rodgers' acting to be... well bad? Amateurish is my first thought; however a good plot and a nice (especially for the time) Macguffin really made up for it.

I'd say more dry than bad. But there were some moments that were quite funny. Those were the ones that seemed like reshoots of scenes, or just a bad delivery... which may have been a purposeful choice. But yeah, there were some of those moments. I still enjoyed them, gave the film character.

And I found this nice litte Top Ten Macguffin list that I like. Be warned, there are some Major spoilers on this list... mainly the number one on the list. If you are one of the few who haven't seen Citizen Kane (probably not many in here), don't follow the link!

[Show spoiler]http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-macguffins.php

After seeing Kiss Me Deadly, I want to so some research on Tarantino and see if he mentions it as inspiration for his glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

[Abdrewes]

I just joined Hulu plus and BOY! am I excited to dig into these Oshima movies. I've only seen In the Realm of the Senses and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, but I already love his sensibilities.

Are there "pinku" films from other directors on HULU that I should check out?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by spanky87

LA Confidential should have been made in black and white.

I like this idea. L.A. Confidential really does exude that aesthetic.

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

today I purchased The Red Shoes (new) for $17 flat and Sunset Boulevard for $12.49 (free shipping) w/ my Amazon 30 day Prime trial that will expire in a few days.

One of the big reasons why I've been loading up on Blu-rays this month is because I am also taking advantage of a trial Amazon Prime membership. It's pretty cool to be able to spot an eight-dollar Blu-ray and pull the trigger without shipping costs. My Barnes & Noble membership suffices through most of the year, but the deals this month on Amazon have been additionally alluring with the Prime trial.

I bet that you're going to love Sunset Boulevard.

Originally Posted by jayembee

No love for Rocky Horror?

I've seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the theater with friends, and it's an uncannily fun experience, but I have no real inclination to watch it by myself at home. About 25 years ago, I saw it in a theater when people were seriously reenacting it, dressing in costumes, and using all of the props. They threw rice everywhere during one scene.

During my sophomore year of college, the RA in my dorm was a cast member for a weekly theatrical showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and he used to rehearse the songs in front of the mirror in his dorm all of the time. My friends and I got so sick of hearing that music every day. In retrospect, it's pretty funny.

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Just finished Kiss Me Deadly, what an enjoyable film. To me it's the epitome of 50's noir. A great detective, caught up in something much bigger than him, a sext femme fatale that is irresitable, yet deadly, and an ending that rivals anything from the time. I see this being a staple of my noir watchings.

There's so much good in this movie, it's hard to condense it into a few sentences and not just write a long winded review. Needless to say, it's an excellent Criterion disc to own.

Kiss Me Deadly has the best opening sequence of any film in history. I cannot believe that I put off upgrading my old DVD until just a few months ago. It's one of my favorite noirs as well.

[Abdrewes]

One reason why LA Confidential is perfectly fine in color:

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

After seeing Kiss Me Deadly, I want to so some research on Tarantino and see if he mentions it as inspiration for his glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

I've never seen him mention it, but every mention of the briefcase has always been trying to get him to say what's inside; to his credit, he's never said. I believe the answer is always: "It's whatever you want it to be".

However, the answer of

[Show spoiler]"The Diamonds from Reservoir Dogs

seems the most poetic.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

[center]One reason why LA Confidential is perfectly fine in color:

Now, the color format does not interfere with my enjoyment of the film, nosiree.

Kim Basinger is from Georgia, and a couple of acquaintances knew her when she was cheerleading in high school. I've always been proud of her and wished her the best. It was a joy to see her do so well in this film.

[joie]

You can try "L.A. Confidential" without color by turning down the 'Color' control on your display.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

[center]One reason why LA Confidential is perfectly fine in color:

So true....

Originally Posted by smoss469

I've never seen him mention it, but every mention of the briefcase has always been trying to get him to say what's inside; to his credit, he's never said. I believe the answer is always: "It's whatever you want it to be".

However, the answer of

[Show spoiler]"The Diamonds from Reservoir Dogs

seems the most poetic.

Yeah, it's nice that he never tries to answer the question. Much like "what was in the last FedEx box in Castaway?" And you are right about the other as well.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by joie

You can try "L.A. Confidential" without color by turning down the 'Color' control on your display.

That's entirely too much effort on my part. The studio should assume the responsibility and expense.

[The Great Owl]

I seem to remember reading somewhere (probably Snopes.com) that Tarantino claimed that any resemblance between Kiss Me Deadly and Pulp Fiction was accidental.

I had always assumed that the similarities were deliberate, since Amanda Plummer's character in Pulp Fiction even has somewhat of a physical resemblance to Gaby Rodgers in Kiss Me Deadly, but Tarantino's statement proved me wrong.

[fahrenheit290]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Yeah, they have signs at my local B&N about 40% off all blu-rays. Supposedly lasts until Jan 2 according to the lady I talked with.

Yeah, it's not online. All of the Criterion BD have reverted to their original prices at around $35. Are there any 40% or 30% coupons out now, like there were for Black Friday Weekend? I was able to get Seven Samurai for $14 then. I have a B&N gift card from Christmas, but I'll probably have to check with my local store to see if they have the 40% blu-ray sale you mentioned. If not, it's probably best to wait out picking up a few more Criterions.

(I hope this post isn't deleted/or disappear like my other post)

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit290

Yeah, it's not online. All of the Criterion BD have reverted to their original prices. Are there any 40% or 30% coupons out now, like there were for Black Friday Weekend. I was able to get Seven Samurai for $14.

I haven't gotten any coupns in a while, but my wife has. I even called and asked why I wasn't getting them... thier answer was, "I don't know."

[fahrenheit290]

Yeah, this site helped me immensely for picking up three BDs a few weeks ago: Seven Samurai, Seventh Seal, and A Night to Remember. I guess I'll have to wait out using my B&N gift card for the next sale.

My posts don't end up staying because I'm a new user and I guess they still have to be modded.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I seem to remember reading somewhere (probably Snopes.com) that Tarantino claimed that any resemblance between Kiss Me Deadly and Pulp Fiction was accidental.

I had always assumed that the similarities were deliberate, since Amanda Plummer's character in Pulp Fiction even has somewhat of a physical resemblance to Gaby Rodgers in Kiss Me Deadly, but Tarantino's statement proved me wrong.

Hmmm... now that you mention it, the characters do resemble each other. But then again, Tarantino was the video store clerk who watched movie after movie. So maybe somewhere deep inside his psyche, it was a subconcious kind of thing.