The Criterion Collection

[mrjohnnyb]

Whoops! Almost forgot Pixar (unless you do not count computer graphics as animation)!

My recommendations are the Toy Story films and WALL*E.

[momaw]

Originally Posted by SilentDawn

It's an absolute marvel Bwdowiak, I think you will be impressed.

Be warned though; I was a wreck after watching it for the first time.

I second this. I don't remember any other film effecting me as much as this one.

My favourite Ghibli remains Princess Mononoke however. The Japanese blu-ray of that is stunning. Other favorite Ghibli's are Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. Of those I'm only waiting on a blu-ray release of Spirited Away which should be either late this year or early next based on the Japanese release schedule of the other films.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

I don't own The Secret of NIMH, but I do own the other two. As far as animation is concerned, I highly recommend Fantasia, Dumbo, Pinnochio, Grave of the Fireflies, and My Neighbor Totoro. I have not seen Spirited Away, but I have been told that it is a "must-own" once it comes to blu.

It is. (Much more in Totoro's vein than in Fireflies', which is more "Cult-praise".)
I'm also one of the animation fans who DOESN'T praise NIMH--Oh, sure, we all wished it would "cure" or "replace" Disney back in 1982 when they were having problems, but now that they're not, it doesn't wipe away memories of how creepy Don Bluth got in his later years... (Don, ol' looney-nutster, how many scenes do we freakin' need of Mrs. Brisby cowering in fear? )

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I don't know if you have children, but if you do, be prepared for Grave of the Fireflies to completely gut you. I had seen it several times before and always found it be sad, but the first time I watched it after my son was born I was completely destroyed. I have never had a movie affect me like that. Of course, I still love it

Fireflies was more a case of anime fans pushing it into the mainstream fans' hands saying "Watch this, it's so DIFFERENT and SAD!" And more interested in the former than the latter. Rather like hitting your head with a brick repeatedly because someone tells you it'll be the new high--You hope whatever they found so interesting will kick in soon, so you can stop.
Oh, and it was one of the only things subbed on VHS at the time, back when US companies got their pick of the bottom-tier, least in-demand export titles available. (Not to mention it was the first Studio Ghibli to make it to VHS, even before Disney's Kiki or Fox's Totoro, so fans said "Wow, Ghibli in the US!"...Well, yes and no. )

[momaw]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Fireflies was more a case of anime fans pushing it into the mainstream fans' hands saying "Watch this, it's so DIFFERENT and SAD!" And more interested in the former than the latter. Rather like hitting your head with a brick repeatedly because someone tells you it'll be the new high--You hope whatever they found so interesting will kick in soon, so you can stop.
Oh, and it was one of the only things subbed on VHS at the time, back when US companies got their pick of the bottom-tier, least in-demand export titles available. (Not to mention it was the first Studio Ghibli to make it to VHS, even before Disney's Kiki or Fox's Totoro, so fans said "Wow, Ghibli in the US!"...Well, yes and no. )

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here...

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by momaw

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here...

I guess "Culty-overpraised, just because it was the only damn thing we HAD on tape at the time" didn't cover it?

Originally Posted by octagon

I'm not a huge Chaplin guy so in a 'what did I warm up to most easily' vein I would throw a vote toward City Lights.

The Gold Rush was probably the hardest slog. I had a bit of a hard time getting into Modern Times (I had a much better time with it once it moved out of the factory) but that was nothing compared to The Gold Rush. I've only watched the 1925 version but it really dragged for me.

City Lights was pretty engaging right from the start. I wouldn't say I was bowled over by it but - and I know how left-handed this sounds - it was the closest I've come to really liking a Chaplin film.

Gold Rush has classic scenes, but very, very far in-between.
If you have to be introduced to Chaplin, though, the factory scenes in Modern aren't bad, and capture the style of humor pretty well. Modern Times even seems like an "origin" for the Tramp, even though it was the character's last movie.
(I'm still waiting for The Circus, but if you have to tunnel-vision choose from Criterion's catalog, can't go wrong with City or Modern. At least until The Kid comes along.)

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

You need to get some Studio Ghibli in your collection ASAP. For a serious film collector, they blow Disney out of the water. Watch Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Spirited Away, and Porco Rosso, to start. Miyazaki's films play out more like Ozu's films than a Walt Disney film. I could never get into animated films the way I do live action until I got into Ghibli, and now I put them on the same level as Kane, 8 1/2, or Rio Bravo! They are that good!

Thanks for the recommendation. I've somehow never made my way to the Studio Ghibli films, although I've always heard such great things about Grave fo the Fireflies.

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Owl, I thought I read here that you owned Mary Poppins. Do you not count that as an animated film?

I do own (and love) Mary Poppins on Blu-ray. It really is a fantastic Blu-ray package, in case anybody is wondering. I forgot all about it when I was listening the three animated films in my collection, but I guess that it qualifies as animated because of the one sequence with the drawing. (Somehow, I think that P.L. Travers is up there smiling somewhere because I forgot to include Mary Poppins as an "animated" movie.

[momaw]

Originally Posted by EricJ

I guess "Culty-overpraised, just because it was the only damn thing we HAD on tape at the time" didn't cover it?

Given that "culty-overpraised etc" was said in reference to Secret of Nimh in reply to a different post, no it didn't cover it. And just because some saw it (GotF) at a time that was all that was available in america, that's not true for everyone (especially those of us who aren't in America). Regardless of what else was available, GotF is an amazing film.

[EPlay]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

Is Au Hasard Balthazar really depressing? I have it on my DVR to watch, but I keep on skipping over it to watch other recordings. Animal cruelty is one of my sore spots. I have been enjoying Bresson's films lately though. I have seen Pickpocket, A Man Escaped, and Diary of a Country Priest recently. I'm afraid that I might be an emotional mess at the end of Au Hasard Balthazar though. I cried after watching the ending of Blow Out last night, which is probably unusual.

Yes, it's pretty sad. But give it a go.

[moviebuffed]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I absolutely love weepy stuff. Can't wait!

This is one of those rare times where I wish I could be right there with you as you watch this for the very first time. A friend of mine did just that upon my first viewing.
It's going to rip your heart to shreds and you'll be thinking of this film for days afterward. Looking forward to your input of your opinion of this film.

[The Great Owl]

I've always heard that Grave of the Fireflies is a devastating film.

As far as sad animated films go, The Plague Dogs probably tops my list of the ones that I've seen. That would be a great Criterion title.

[fahrenheit290]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've always heard that Grave of the Fireflies is a devastating film.

As far as sad animated films go, The Plague Dogs probably tops my list of the ones that I've seen. That would be a great Criterion title.

I would highly recommend Princess Mononoke as a strong entry point to Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli. He is the most famous director coming out of that studio, and Mononoke is a very accessible film and a very powerful statement on the modernization of traditional Japan. It is a great introduction to Miyazaki's animation style, his characters, the themes that appear in his films, and the mature storytelling that sets the Japanese cinema apart from American animation.

[Trace17]

Kind of a random question, but does anyone know the song playing by the band in Leon Morin, Priest?

You can hear it right at the beginning of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nzbxAGVYOY

[DeyoreW]

I think everyone has a different favorite Pixar film. Mine is definitely Ratatootie. That being said I don't think criterion has a chance at any Disney/Pixar/ghibli animation titles.

[jrsl76]

Originally Posted by DeyoreW

I think everyone has a different favorite Pixar film. Mine is definitely Ratatootie. That being said I don't think criterion has a chance at any Disney/Pixar/ghibli animation titles.

Favs:

Disney: The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad
Pixar: Monsters, Inc.
Ghibli: Princess Mononoke

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

You need to get some Studio Ghibli in your collection ASAP. For a serious film collector, they blow Disney out of the water. Watch Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Spirited Away, and Porco Rosso, to start. Miyazaki's films play out more like Ozu's films than a Walt Disney film. I could never get into animated films the way I do live action until I got into Ghibli, and now I put them on the same level as Kane, 8 1/2, or Rio Bravo! They are that good!

The Ghibli films are a fascinating and engrossing alternative to classic American animation and the artfully hand-drawn animation is a welcome relief to today's reliance on CGI animation (which may often be a lot of fun but all too often their intricate CGI set, lighting, and character designs becomes more interesting and effective than their stories). As numerous others have noted, GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES is a stunningly powerful dramatic story that is likely to be off-the-wall unexpected for people considering it merely a cartoon.

For other offbeat animated features be sure to check out PERSEPOLIS (a sort of memoir of life in post-revolutionary Iran), WALTZ WITH BASHIR (an animated documentary memoir on the Israeli-Lebanon war), and THE ILLUSIONIST (a disarmingly bittersweet drama based on a Jacques Tati script with a M. Hulot-like protagonist).

There are also several intriguing and potentially disturbing animated titles in the Oscar-winning Short Films Collection Blu-ray of animated and live-action shorts from 2003-2010.

[L.A. Guy]

Random news bit about Capra's 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town' according to an email promoting the TCM festival:

'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) – World Premiere Restoration
Fully restored from the original negative and presented in collaboration with Sony Pictures
Filmmaker Frank Capra and screenwriter Robert Riskin crafted this delightfully addled comedy about a small- town poet forced to move to the big city when he inherits a fortune. In his favorite of the 12 films he wrote for Capra, Riskin found the perfect blend of romance, comedy and populist sentiment. It was also the film in which Capra found his social voice, introducing to his work the theme of the little guy vs. the establishment. Moreover, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town introduced Capra to two actors who would become essential to his career: Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The role of Longfellow Deeds gave Cooper a new screen persona. The one-time screen sophisticate suddenly emerged as the perfect all-American homespun hero. Capra cast Arthur after he happened to step into a projection room at Columbia and saw her on the screen. This was a quality film in every department, from the script and performances to Joseph Walker's dreamy cinematography, particularly in the famous scene in which Cooper plays the tuba, which appears even more lustrous in this world premiere restoration.'

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I don't know if you have children, but if you do, be prepared for Grave of the Fireflies to completely gut you. I had seen it several times before and always found it be sad, but the first time I watched it after my son was born I was completely destroyed. I have never had a movie affect me like that. Of course, I still love it

Yes. I cried throughout the film and best of all: The tears were earned by honest means. It really is a deeply felt film.

[SammyJankis]

I don't think I can watch Grave of the Fireflies again.

[Scottie]

I just finished The Virgin Spring and all I can say is...wow...what a film.

I've only seen Autumn Sonata and The Seventh Seal on top of this one, and this one seemed to be the most engrossing.

I loved Autumn Sonata, but I wasn't very warm towards The Seventh Seal when I first saw it a year or so ago. Hopefully when I rewatch it I'll like it better.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by L.A. Guy

Random news bit about Capra's 'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town' according to an email promoting the TCM festival:

'Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) – World Premiere Restoration
Fully restored from the original negative and presented in collaboration with Sony Pictures

This could be very cool. Nagging questions about some aspects of The Lady From Shanghai aside, a new kid on the Sony/Columbia block would be a very welcome development. I would still prefer that something In a Lonely Place get a whacky C but TCM would be more than adequate for Arsenic and Old Lace and the like.

Color me cautiously optimistic.

(obviously that's assuming this signals, well, anything of significance beyond what it says)