The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I know, right? No one else does what they do as successfully as they do it. Not that everything they do is perfect, but I think the only movie of theirs that I didn't like was The Hudsucker Proxy, and that had more to do with Jennifer Jason Leigh annoying the crap out of me (as she usually does) than anything that the Coens did (or failed to do).

JJL was the single best part of that movie. She did an outstanding job of channeling a Barbara Stanwyck/Katherine Hepburn/Myrna Loy romantic farce female lead without sinking into lame knock-off territory.

The film did a pretty good job overall of capturing that era of filmmaking and she was a huge part of that.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by smoss469

For all the Noir fans on this place, you'd expect more love for The Man Who Wasn't There. It seems to go largely under the radar but it's an outstanding movie.

I need to watch that again. I had very high hopes that went largely unrealized the first time around. The black-and-white photography had me very excited but it didn't seem to work for me. It just felt like I was watching a modern film on a black-and-white tv.

Maybe it will work better if it ever gets a decent BD release. It wouldn't be the first time I was cold to something and then had it all click when seeing a great HD transfer.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

but their best movie is Blood Simple. A beautiful neo-noir with great actors and good story. This film was one of the last films that I needed to watch to say I have seen all their films. Highly recommended, especially for the naysayers.

I would like to see Blood Simple again, because it's been a long long time. I actually came close to buying the Blu-ray a couple months back when I saw it for cheap at a Barnes & Noble, but I had other priorities.

I should also give The Man Who Wasn't There a chance, since I've never seen it before.

I do appreciate how the Coen Brothers have a genuine affinity for film noir. Blood Simple, from what little I remember, and No Country For Old Men capture the essence decently well. I also think that Fargo had the right idea, but my above-mentioned distaste for the overly-eccentric minor characters and quirky elements in Coen films brings this one down a few notches.

The Big Lebowski does not work for me. I got a few laughs out of the story when I saw it at the theater with friends, but I had no desire to see it again after that.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SimBelm

I absolutely love Godard, but I think Breathless is one of his weaker films.

Same here, SimBelm. I think he made his best films in the late sixties (especially 2 or 3 Things I know about Her)...

Ooh. I kind of feel like digging through the supplements of Being John Malkovich again soon. Spike Jonze fever has hit!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

You are starting to become my favorite poster on this thread.

I have read The Road, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain and, 6 months ago I have read Blood Meridian.

Blood Meridian makes Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange a light Sunday Morning cartoon. It is one of the most violent novels I have read. The Judge will give you nightmares, this is not your romantic cowboy western novel, it is a beast, gritty and hungry. One of the greatest American novels (if not the greatest according Harold Bloom) of the last few decades.

If you have not read All the Pretty Horses, I highly recommend it. The novel is a lot less violent, but I find it great. Although, I think that The Crossing surpasses it.

I've read and re-read all of the Cormac McCarthy novels, and they have a prominent place on my shelf.

The early McCarthy novels that are set in Southeast do not get a lot of mention, but they're golden. Outer Dark and Child of God are both effective teasers for Blood Meridian in terms of bleakness, even if they do not quite come close to that novel's level of darkness. Suttree is the wild card of Cormac McCarthy's canon, because it's the funniest novel that he's ever written, even if the comedy is laced with some unexpectedly somber moments. It's also McCarthy's least accessible work, and that's saying a lot. It took me quite a while to read Suttree the first time around.

The Border Trilogy (All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain) is brilliant, and I love how McCarthy conveys the specific details of work in a crystal clear way. After reading those books, I felt as though I could almost operate a horse ranch singlehandedly.

I am one of the few moviegoers who enjoyed Ridley Scott's latest film, The Counselor, which was scripted by Cormac McCarthy. The movie is quite odd at first glance, because McCarthy's writing style carries over into the character dialogue, and the actors speak as though they are reading from one of the author's novels. The movie exudes McCarthy's Old Testament gravitas narrative approach, and it echoes his long-standing theme that evil and violence are inherent factors of existence that carry over from the primordial world. The Counselor is one of the bleakest films in recent memory, and, in a sense, it transports the aesthetic of Blood Meridian to present-day Juarez, Mexico and the drug murders that happen there on a daily basis. The characters in The Counselor have sports cars and smartphones instead of horses, but they're not far removed from the scalpers in Blood Meridian. Like Blood Meridian, The Counselor has an apocalyptic undercurrent to it.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I would like to see Blood Simple again, because it's been a long long time. I actually came close to buying the Blu-ray a couple months back when I saw it for cheap at a Barnes & Noble, but I had other priorities.

I should also give The Man Who Wasn't There a chance, since I've never seen it before.

I do appreciate how the Coen Brothers have a genuine affinity for film noir. Blood Simple, from what little I remember, and No Country For Old Men capture the essence decently well. I also think that Fargo had the right idea, but my above-mentioned distaste for the overly-eccentric minor characters and quirky elements in Coen films brings this one down a few notches.

The Big Lebowski does not work for me. I got a few laughs out of the story when I saw it at the theater with friends, but I had no desire to see it again after that.

If the "quirky" stuff is what puts you off then you'll probably appreciate Blood Simple the most. It's much more straight forward but it also has a lot of creepy moments that almost border on horror at times.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by jayembee

i don't see why one has to be compared to the other. I like the coens, i like tarantino, and i don't feel the need to argue whether one is better than the other. There's more than enough room for both.

+1

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

+1

I try to avoid blanket hating anyone's work... except Tyler Perry.. man he's just awful.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by smoss469

I try to avoid blanket hating anyone's work... except Tyler Perry.. man he's just awful.

I've successfully avoided seeing any of his films!

[SimBelm]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Same here, SimBelm. I think he made his best films in the late sixties (especially 2 or 3 Things I know about Her)...

Some of my favourites come from the late 60s, but my favourites also vary in period (my top two being Pierrot le Fou and Notre Musique) so I think his best work is spread out. I still haven't seen 2 or 3 Things, Abdrewes, but I'm hoping to finish up my 60s/70s Godard blindspots after I've traversed through most of his late period. I'm finishing up the 90s now just in time for the 2000s list thread.

[The Great Owl]

On the subject of film noir and on the subject of rediscoveries, I might have a new number one wishlist request for The Criterion Collection.



Earlier this evening, I revisited Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past for the first time in almost a decade. Oh my dear sweet Lord, what an incredible film!

Out of the Past is only available on DVD at present, and I've seen it on DVD a few times in earlier years, but tonight was my first time watching the DVD on a high definition television. I've always held this movie in high esteem, but seeing it on a decent setup for the first time gets me thinking that I might need to shuffle a good movie out of my all-time top ten list to make room. This movie absolutely needs to be upgraded to a high definition presentation on Blu-ray, because it could be one of the best-looking black-and-white Blu-rays ever if the restoration is done well.

Jacques Tourneur's films, The Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Night of the Demon/Curse of the Demon, and The Leopard Man are all faves of mine, but Out of the Past is his masterpiece. Nicholas Musuraca, also a veteran in the Val Lewton horror canon, delivers some of the best cinematography ever here, and ever still frame of this movie is just magnificent. The intro shot of Jane Greer's Kathie is infinitely alluring. This movie has the best of noir's darkness and shadows in claustrophobic cityscapes, but there are also some splendid outdoor sequences set in the Lake Tahoe area.

Robert Mitchum is at his best here, and he has a touch of vulnerability and mildness here that is nowhere in sight in the brilliant The Night of the Hunter that was filmed a few years later. Kirk Douglas gives his dark edge in Ace in the Hole a run for its money in his role.

Apologies for the non-thread-worthy side road, but seeing Out of the Past as a Criterion title would be a dream come true, and, after tonight's revisit, I needed to talk this one up somewhere.


I don't see this film being a Criterion release, because I am inclined to think that Warner would most likely reissue it on its own, just as they have reissued their Humphrey Bogart films and such. I'd love to see it happen, though. Actually, I just want this one on a good Blu-ray in any form or fashion (as long as it's not a 3,000-copy limited edition, if you catch my drift).

[dorothyv]

Originally Posted by BTTF_

Hey does anyone know when B&N usually has the first 50% off sale. Not the November one.

July. Also, some day next month, Criterion.com should have a 50% off sale that lasts for 24 hours.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by dorothyv

July. Also, some day next month, Criterion.com should have a 50% off sale that lasts for 24 hours.

I really hope their next Flash Sale occurs after the 18th because that's when Foreign Correspondent is released (which will be my first Criterion purchase of 2014).

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SimBelm

Some of my favourites come from the late 60s, but my favourites also vary in period (my top two being Pierrot le Fou and Notre Musique) so I think his best work is spread out. I still haven't seen 2 or 3 Things, Abdrewes, but I'm hoping to finish up my 60s/70s Godard blindspots after I've traversed through most of his late period. I'm finishing up the 90s now just in time for the 2000s list thread.

I am shocked by this! I promise you're in for a treat.

(I haven't seen any 2000s Godard, by the way. Film Socialism sounds like it could be a giant bore, to be honest.)

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Film Socialism sounds like it could be a giant bore, to be honest.)

it is

[SimBelm]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I am shocked by this! I promise you're in for a treat.

(I haven't seen any 2000s Godard, by the way. Film Socialism sounds like it could be a giant bore, to be honest.)

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. At first I only went for the Karina Godard's so there's still some 60s goodness I'm looking forward to seeing for the first time. I'm almost completely blind in his 70s period, I'm not sure if a lot of it will gel with me.

Film Socialisme will finish my journey so I'll let you know how it goes, so far I've rarely been disappointed or bored (maybe when I burned myself out on Histoire(s) du Cinema). If you've seen a handful of Godard's late period and don't like it then Notre Musique probably won't change things. Have you seen First Name: Carmen?

[Ausjdm]

Great seeing Cormac McCarthy being talked about on here. I read no country years ago and the road which I loved. Then I took a break for awhile till the manager of the comic shop I go to, we were talking about his books which sparked me to buy blood Meridian, outer dark (both haven't read yet) but I just read Child of God. That was intense wow graphic more than a movie can portray. I love cinema but still nothing can top the written word. It's like when American Psycho the movie came out if you read the book you know the movie is like a rated R and the book is like an X lol.
Seems like reading these days is a lost art, god I hope not?!??!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Great seeing Cormac McCarthy being talked about on here. I read no country years ago and the road which I loved. Then I took a break for awhile till the manager of the comic shop I go to, we were talking about his books which sparked me to buy blood Meridian, outer dark (both haven't read yet) but I just read Child of God. That was intense wow graphic more than a movie can portray. I love cinema but still nothing can top the written word. It's like when American Psycho the movie came out if you read the book you know the movie is like a rated R and the book is like an X lol.
Seems like reading these days is a lost art, god I hope not?!??!

After first reading Child of God several years ago, I considered it to be an "unfilmable" novel, but James Franco directed an adaptation that was released this year. I've heard mixed reviews, as the general consensus seems to be that Franco's adaptation follows the novel quite well, but that it has the same dry non-personable feel that Franco's faithful adaptation of Faulker's As I Lay Dying had.

If I see Franco's Child of God available as a rental somewhere, I'd love to take it for a spin just to see how he pulls it off.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Hawkguy

it is

Originally Posted by SimBelm

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. At first I only went for the Karina Godard's so there's still some 60s goodness I'm looking forward to seeing for the first time. I'm almost completely blind in his 70s period, I'm not sure if a lot of it will gel with me.

Film Socialisme will finish my journey so I'll let you know how it goes, so far I've rarely been disappointed or bored (maybe when I burned myself out on Histoire(s) du Cinema). If you've seen a handful of Godard's late period and don't like it then Notre Musique probably won't change things. Have you seen First Name: Carmen?

No, I haven't seen that one. Ive basically only seen all his sixties stuff and a handful of films afterwards. Let's just say the two Godard releases put out by Olive turned me off big time. A film that favors dry ideas without a shred of emotion is no film at all

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've read and re-read all of the Cormac McCarthy novels, and they have a prominent place on my shelf.

The early McCarthy novels that are set in Southeast do not get a lot of mention, but they're golden. Outer Dark and Child of God are both effective teasers for Blood Meridian in terms of bleakness, even if they do not quite come close to that novel's level of darkness. Suttree is the wild card of Cormac McCarthy's canon, because it's the funniest novel that he's ever written, even if the comedy is laced with some unexpectedly somber moments. It's also McCarthy's least accessible work, and that's saying a lot. It took me quite a while to read Suttree the first time around.

The Border Trilogy (All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain) is brilliant, and I love how McCarthy conveys the specific details of work in a crystal clear way. After reading those books, I felt as though I could almost operate a horse ranch singlehandedly.

I am one of the few moviegoers who enjoyed Ridley Scott's latest film, The Counselor, which was scripted by Cormac McCarthy. The movie is quite odd at first glance, because McCarthy's writing style carries over into the character dialogue, and the actors speak as though they are reading from one of the author's novels. The movie exudes McCarthy's Old Testament gravitas narrative approach, and it echoes his long-standing theme that evil and violence are inherent factors of existence that carry over from the primordial world. The Counselor is one of the bleakest films in recent memory, and, in a sense, it transports the aesthetic of Blood Meridian to present-day Juarez, Mexico and the drug murders that happen there on a daily basis. The characters in The Counselor have sports cars and smartphones instead of horses, but they're not far removed from the scalpers in Blood Meridian. Like Blood Meridian, The Counselor has an apocalyptic undercurrent to it.

Great to hear that you are a Cormac McCarthy reader. The Border trilogy is definitely a great recommendation for those who did not like Blood Meridian, which to me is one of the greatest American novels written in the last few decades.

I will definitely check out The Counselor. Right now I am enjoying my guilty pleasure Robocop 4k remaster (all of Verhoeven's scifi films are my guilty pleasure).