The Criterion Collection

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by smoss469

A lot of people seem to think that CC has to release a lot of foreign films to maintain any "cred". At least that's the vibe I've picked up from people on several forums.

Good god. It has nothing to do with credibility. The wealth of world cinema is undeniable, and MOC and Criterion are the two biggest suppliers of those films to English speaking fans, so it's disappointing to see that pushed to the side to release English language films almost exclusively for a certain period.

Cool assumption though.

[jlk5844]

I have absolutely no problem with foreign films and I respect them and enjoy them and own some. I always make sure to watch a foreign film in its original language first, unless it's like a cheesy monster b-movie or 80s slasher where the dub is highly entertaining and the acting isn't going to improve with the original performances. That being said, I definitely prefer watching films in English as its so much easier to become immersed in the story. It's a true testament to a foreign film's power if I forget I'm reading subtitles. When I discover a new Criterion title or highly regarded classic film, I secretly hope it's in English. But being in another language won't turn me away from a good film. So while I certainly enjoy foreign films in the collection and own some myself, I am typically drawn to Criterion's English language titles. I wouldn't however complain if one month was entirely foreign films. It's just one month, it'll pass. In the end, I just want great movies and Criterion should I believe release a variety, whether mainstream or from across the pond.

[jw007]

Interesting how the new May Criterions leaked onto Amazon. For all those people who have been wanting the Life Aquatic for years, well, now they can all finally shut up and stop posting about this. Ha.

Nice to see another John Wayne movie make it to Criterion (other than Stagecoach)... and also some other nice upgrades including the Billy Wilder movie. We need more of him in the collection too.

[Jr7936]

yes finally we won't have to hear people talking about life aquatic
it could be a very nice perk to the movie getting released on blu

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

To be honest the ones complaining about the people wanting Life Aquatic on blu were far more annoying.

Someone would post one post about it and you'd have three or four pages of people complaining about that post and dissing Wes Anderson.

If this list is true I, for one, am very glad this title is coming to blu. Based on what the a and p quality could and should be, it will be an outstanding upgrade.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Life Aquatic BUT I am happy that all the fans are getting their wish. It deserves to be seen on BluRay--it's quite a visual stunner.

[soarinsteven]

In for Ace in the Hole. Never ended up picking the dvd back in the day, and have been hoping to see an upgrade on the title, so yay!

[jw007]

Of course we must all keep in mind that The Life Aquatic will most likely be released in digipack format, so it will be the black sheep amongst all of the other Wes Anderson scanavo edition releases (well, other than the new forthcoming release of Fantastic Mr. Fox I suppose). Yes, the days of plastic Criterion cases will be a thing of the past.

We must all keep in mind that these new digipacks will be prone to far more damage in shipping and handling, esp. when ordering online from Barnes & Noble. Customers will be receiving quite a lot of damaged digipacks thanks to B&N's horrendous shipping methods, so this means that to avoid receiving bent, frayed, pinched, corner-dented digipacks, going to the store to buy it in person will become more preferable (if you live near an actual store that is - I'm talking to you smoss469).

Nevertheless, as a digipack, The Life Aquatic will be a welcome addition to Criterion's Wes Anderson Blu-ray collection.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

Hey,
Does anyone know if The Thief of Bagdad (the 1940 one) scheduled to come to BD anytime soon?
Just realised the DVD is 10 years old Thats another film I think I'd like to upgrade to BD!

I was just thinking this the other day! This would be a great blu-ray (especially for the summer).

I'm in for Wilder, Hawks and Kiaorostami.

[Quinni]

Nice to hear about Life Aquatic . I might also be interested in Like Someone in Love and Overlord.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

I have absolutely no problem with foreign films and I respect them and enjoy them and own some. I always make sure to watch a foreign film in its original language first, unless it's like a cheesy monster b-movie or 80s slasher where the dub is highly entertaining and the acting isn't going to improve with the original performances. That being said, I definitely prefer watching films in English as its so much easier to become immersed in the story. It's a true testament to a foreign film's power if I forget I'm reading subtitles. When I discover a new Criterion title or highly regarded classic film, I secretly hope it's in English. But being in another language won't turn me away from a good film. So while I certainly enjoy foreign films in the collection and own some myself, I am typically drawn to Criterion's English language titles. I wouldn't however complain if one month was entirely foreign films. It's just one month, it'll pass. In the end, I just want great movies and Criterion should I believe release a variety, whether mainstream or from across the pond.

For me, it's typically the other way around. Knowing the language the film is in sometimes allows me to tune out a little, most frequently unintentionally. With films where I need to read the subtitles to understand what's going on, it's far harder for me to look away.

[Carletty]

Originally Posted by jw007

Of course we must all keep in mind that The Life Aquatic will most likely be released in digipack format, so it will be the black sheep amongst all of the other Wes Anderson scanavo edition releases (well, other than the new forthcoming release of Fantastic Mr. Fox I suppose). Yes, the days of plastic Criterion cases will be a thing of the past.

We must all keep in mind that these new digipacks will be prone to far more damage in shipping and handling, esp. when ordering online from Barnes & Noble. Customers will be receiving quite a lot of damaged digipacks thanks to B&N's horrendous shipping methods, so this means that to avoid receiving bent, frayed, pinched, corner-dented digipacks, going to the store to buy it in person will become more preferable (if you live near an actual store that is - I'm talking to you smoss469).

Nevertheless, as a digipack, The Life Aquatic will be a welcome addition to Criterion's Wes Anderson Blu-ray collection.

Really? They are 100 times better than amazon and use lots of bubble wraps. I have ordered almost all of the existing Digipaks from them and received only two damaged ones.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Good god. It has nothing to do with credibility. The wealth of world cinema is undeniable, and MOC and Criterion are the two biggest suppliers of those films to English speaking fans, so it's disappointing to see that pushed to the side to release English language films almost exclusively for a certain period.

Cool assumption though.

It does seem a lot of people turn their noses up at English films, as if being a fan of foreign films makes you a better "fan" than someone who doesn't care for French New Wave or any other niche that's out there. People can get fired up if they'dd like, however there is no real denying that it does exist; but every release month is the same, it won't please everyone. I've got 48 individual Criterion Titles currently, it's a 50/50 split on foreign/English language.With the amount both companies release each month, bickering over language alone seems... ridiculous.

Originally Posted by jw007

We must all keep in mind that these new digipacks will be prone to far more damage in shipping and handling, esp. when ordering online from Barnes & Noble. Customers will be receiving quite a lot of damaged digipacks thanks to B&N's horrendous shipping methods, so this means that to avoid receiving bent, frayed, pinched, corner-dented digipacks, going to the store to buy it in person will become more preferable (if you live near an actual store that is - I'm talking to you smoss469).

Nevertheless, as a digipack, The Life Aquatic will be a welcome addition to Criterion's Wes Anderson Blu-ray collection.

Yeah, there is that, the fact that it's hard to get excited about new releases knowing the packages might very well be junk that'll arrive more banged up than Stallone at the end of Rocky IV. I could always wait until I take one of my several Columbus trips each year to buy them BUT I don't have a membership and paying $40 + tax is out of the question. Here's hoping some of them are in the plastic cases.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Carletty

Really? They are 100 times better than amazon and use lots of bubble wraps. I have ordered almost all of the existing Digipaks from them and received only two damaged ones.

Wish I could agree with you but every time I received something from B&N, it either came in a loose package without any bubble wrap and was banged up everywhere or came in a box and had a small piece of bubble wrap and the item easily shifted around. Yet, Amazon has always been more careful with their shipping methods at least in my experiences. I like when there is tape around the plastic and the items stay tight in the package. I haven't ordered from B&N online in over a year so maybe they recently improved their shipping methods?

[Grethiwha]

Oh-ho, the May titles were leaked early, were they. And a good selection! Definitely buying Ace in the Hole. And I've been meaning to check out Like Someone in Love and the Life Aquatic (which'll no doubt make a fair few people happy ) for a while now.

In other news, I just picked up Throne of Blood. That cover art is even more badass in person.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Yeah, there is that, the fact that it's hard to get excited about new releases knowing the packages might very well be junk that'll arrive more banged up than Stallone at the end of Rocky IV. I could always wait until I take one of my several Columbus trips each year to buy them BUT I don't have a membership and paying $40 + tax is out of the question. Here's hoping some of them are in the plastic cases.

Lol @ the Rocky IV comment. Perhaps you need to find a friend with a B&N membership in a bigger city (like Columbus, OH) and have him/her buy you the Blu-rays in store and then work out a deal with the shipping costs. If you find a good consumer-friend who is willing to hand-select your choice movies, use coupons and ship them to you in great packaging, then that is not a bad deal (you can just pay him/her via Paypal).

[jw007]

For jayembee:

I just watched The Turin Horse last night and holy sh#t, that was one nihilistic film to say the least. I didn't prepare myself enough I guess. The utter hopelessness of this film is unlike anything else I've ever seen. Nihilists and philosophers will probably eat this movie alive. For me, I actually could withstand the glacial pacing of the film and it didn't seem too boring...but oh my, was it depressing as ever. 500 times more depressing than the most depressing Lars Von Trier film. 5000 times more depressing than every funeral ever held in the history of mankind. 50000 times more depressing than every conversation ever spoken regarding death and the end of the world. Oh yes, The Turin Horse is quite a movie, devoid of anything redeeming and without a soul whatsoever.

But I...... liked it.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jw007

Lol @ the Rocky IV comment. Perhaps you need to find a friend with a B&N membership in a bigger city (like Columbus, OH) and have him/her buy you the Blu-rays in store and then work out a deal with the shipping costs. If you find a good consumer-friend who is willing to hand-select your choice movies, use coupons and ship them to you in great packaging, then that is not a bad deal (you can just pay him/her via Paypal).

Don't have anyone really in cities that have BN locations. So it's online order or nothing unless they expand in WV. (Highly unlikely since they're struggling currently)

[Spire]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

To be honest the ones complaining about the people wanting Life Aquatic on blu were far more annoying.

Someone would post one post about it and you'd have three or four pages of people complaining about that post and dissing Wes Anderson.

That.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I really need to get a re-watch in for this one. Since the film consists of 'days' in the narrative, I've thought of watching 1 day each day to complete the film. This would make it less of an endurance test and put focus on enjoying the film.

[Show spoiler]The scene where father and daughter determine they must leave the house behind only to end up back where they started blew my mind. Incredible!

Although, If I'm in the right mood I may just watch the film again all in one sitting.

Well, I just posted my thoughts about this movie up above and though I did not see this film as an "endurance test", I do agree a lot with jayembee about this film being very repetitious and a sort of a time loop that the 2 characters go through. There is really not much of anything that happens in the movie and yet there still seems to be so much depth! It's amazing. I'm not sure I'm motivated to watch this again tonight (I rarely watch the same movie 2 nights in a row but if I do its 98% of the time with commentary on), but as little that actually happens in The Turin Horse, a lot happens in imagining what could be happening.

And oh, I actually thought the old guy with the beard (or one of the 2 mains) was Nietzsche himself. Obviously, what do I know...as Nietzsche died at a younger age of 55...but maybe he would have looked like him as an old man.

[noob_saibot]

What sort of bonus features are on the Throne of Blood blu-ray?
How does the picture compare with the Japanese blu-ray?

Are there any other Kurosawa Criterion releases with an analysis as extensive as Seven Samurai?