The Criterion Collection

[bgart13]

I'm curious as to how Svet gave RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 a 5.0 for image, even though the review states at the top that the original aspect ratio is 1.66. Even with top picture quality, shouldn't the score be marked down due to incorrect presentation?

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by bgart13

I'm curious as to how Svet gave RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 a 5.0 for image, even though the review states at the top that the original aspect ratio is 1.66. Even with top picture quality, shouldn't the score be marked down due to incorrect presentation?

Several sites I've checked list 1.37:1 as the OAR.

Is it possible wherever you saw 1.66:1 was wrong?

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by bgart13

I'm curious as to how Svet gave RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 a 5.0 for image, even though the review states at the top that the original aspect ratio is 1.66. Even with top picture quality, shouldn't the score be marked down due to incorrect presentation?

Hello Ben,

Actually, with this film the term "original aspect ratio" is quite flexible. Much like Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, Don Siegel's Riot in Cell Block 11 was screened theatrically with different aspect ratios.

Have a great weekend

Pro-B

[gates70]

Originally Posted by bgart13

I'm curious as to how Svet gave RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 a 5.0 for image, even though the review states at the top that the original aspect ratio is 1.66. Even with top picture quality, shouldn't the score be marked down due to incorrect presentation?

Because every CC on this site gets 4.5 or 5 on everything, except for the odd one.

[pro-bassoonist]

PACKAGING PHOTOS (more in the review):





Pro-B

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Amazon Prime also has a few outstanding classic-era film noirs available for free streaming.

Watch Detour (1945). That movie is a quintessential noir masterpiece, and Ann Savage is just amazing.

Unfortunately, Amazon prime went up in price.

Originally Posted by demonknight

Well, I wasn't. I was born in the late 90s. And I know people born in the 70s that feel the same way.

Late 90s? We got a young buck in the house.
You would have to have been born around the mid-sixties to be of the age of the characters in Valley Girl.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by CHEЯNOБLY!

Unfortunately, Amazon prime went up in price. :

Yeah, but it only went up about $0.55 per day.

I think it's still a great deal.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Coen

Not Criterion related, but just wanted to thank you for mentioning Out of the Past and Laura. Loved them both and I probably wouldn't have heard of either if it weren't for you. Other than the super obvious ones like Double Indemnity, what are some of your other favorite noirs?

I'm glad that you enjoyed those! Out of the Past has really been rocking my world lately since I rediscovered it (by way of watching it on a high definition television at last). Laura is a spectacular Blu-ray, and one of the best-looking black-and-white transfers.

In addition to the above, here are some favorite film noir Blu-rays, off the top of my head...

The Maltese Falcon
Sweet Smell of Success
The Third Man
The Big Heat
Hell's Half Acre
Private Hell 36
Sunset Boulevard
The Killing
Crashout
The Lady from Shanghai
City That Never Sleeps
The Big Combo
The Hitch-Hiker
Shadow of a Doubt
Kiss Me Deadly
Scarlet Street
Rififi
Panic in the Streets
Body and Soul
White Heat
Ministry of Fear
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Strangers on a Train
Vertigo
Niagara
Cry Vengeance
The Enforcer
Suddenly
Dark City
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

The Night of the Hunter falls somewhat outside of the film noir category, but I consider it a film noir through and through. It's a great Criterion title!
Ace in the Hole comes out on Criterion Blu-ray next month, and it's one of the best film noir titles.

Favorite Film Noir on DVD...wow...too many to list. A few, once again off the top of my head...

In a Lonely Place
Detour
Criss Cross
The Big Sleep
The Asphalt Jungle
Nightmare Alley
Crime Wave
The Set-Up
Where the Sidewalk Ends
On Dangerous Ground
Act of Violence
The Lost Weekend
Raw Deal
Pickup on South Street
The Killers
Brute Force
Pitfall
The Window
Stray Dog
Drunken Angel
Bob Le Flambeur
D.O.A.
Border Incident

I've listed way too many for a "favorites" post, but I know that I have forgotten to list more great ones that should be included above. Film noir is my favorite movie genre.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Visco.

Can we get a Good Burger upgrade?

Glad to see the Good Burger joke staying alive. If Good Burger ever gets a Blu-ray release I want custom criterion artwork so I can put it in a Criterion case and pull it out for the customary Criterion joke. (It helps that even though this is a bad movie to some extent - OK, maybe mostly it's not that great -- it's still sort of entertaining if you are a fan of Kenan and Kel). Hope I spelled that right...it's been a while.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

They're all free all of the time. Always have been actually.
So have the Cassavetes films, Hopscotch, and a couple of others.

Not all of these are accessible without Hulu Plus. Only some of them are on Hulu itself without the subscription. Also, they only recently added all of the Zatoichi films. It was just the first few originally.

[Visco.]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Glad to see the Good Burger joke staying alive. If Good Burger ever gets a Blu-ray release I want custom criterion artwork so I can put it in a Criterion case and pull it out for the customary Criterion joke. (It helps that even though this is a bad movie to some extent - OK, maybe mostly it's not that great -- it's still sort of entertaining if you are a fan of Kenan and Kel). Hope I spelled that right...it's been a while.

I've only seen bits and pieces of it but I definitely didn't hate it. K&K in perfect form. What else do you really need from a criterion worthy movie?

[bgart13]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Hello Ben,

Actually, with this film the term "original aspect ratio" is quite flexible. Much like Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, Don Siegel's Riot in Cell Block 11 was screened theatrically with different aspect ratios.

Have a great weekend

Pro-B

Do you think this release would've benefitted from two versions, then? This had been discussed for some time at another forum, and Bob Furmanek even showed plenty of evidence why wide matting helps. Of course, there was also Robert Harris stating the same discussion that he prefers 1.33/1.37 for it, even if 1.66 is accurate. It seems he also had influence with this release, providing caps from the timecoded version Criterion would end up releasing.

It just doesn't seem like it should be so difficult for aspect ratios to be confused or screwed up in this age (yes, I'm looking at you, Universal!).

[TheHighRoller]

Originally Posted by AlexIlDottore

Dude, you keep asking questions that have just been answered. You just have to read over the last few of pages for the answers. It's easy.

Here's the Criterion link for the 2014 hints : http://criterioncast.com/art/wacky/w...-2014-line-up/

Sorry for not wanting to read 20+ pages for a simple answer.

Thanks though.

[FestinaLente]

Just finished watching Babette's Feast for the first time. What a truly wonderful film. I loved every minute and even teared up at the end. I will definitely be buying it in the near future. It will make a great double feature with another of my favorites, Big Night, the Italian partner to this French feast.

Edit: If you have TCM, it is on their On Demand website until April 5th. I highly recommend it.
http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/6...bette-s-Feast/

[AlexIlDottore]

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

Sorry for not wanting to read 20+ pages for a simple answer.

Thanks though.

People were talking about Spot and what it means from page 4904 onwards.

Originally Posted by dmarvin

On page 4906, the image of the girl and the dagger was posted and what it means :

Originally Posted by captveg

This is a 100%, no wiggle room clue for Macbeth. Don't forget that the exact same line from the play was hinted at in the New Years drawing as well.

On page 4909 you asked :

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

Does anyone have a clue for the dog picture with the spot?

Additionally, does anyone have the picture that Criterion released in early 2014 of upcoming releases?

On page 4910 you asked :

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

What is the significance of the dog to MacBeth? And wasn't that what people thought about the girl with the dagger?

My God you had to go back 5-6 whole pages to get your answers . It's a huge amount of reading for you, I guess ? And how does 6 become 20+ ? Please enlighten me

You're welcome for the link that I posted, btw.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by Coen

Wow - these should keep me busy for a couple months. I have seen (and loved) The Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, Sunset Blvd, The Killing, Shadow of a Doubt, Vertigo, Night of the Hunter, Ace In The Hole, The Big Sleep, The Asphalt Jungle and The Lost Weekend. Thanks again - looks like I'll be watching a lot of noir for the foreseeable future.

Add these ones to your list too! (if you haven't seen them anyways)

Gilda
The Narrow Margin
The Phantom Lady
The Sniper
Caught
Kansas City Confidential
99 River Street
The Dark Corner
The Big Steal
He Walked By Night
The Breaking Point (if you can nab a copy of it somewhere)
No Way Out
Woman On The Run
Cry Danger
The Phenix City Story


Gilda and The Narrow Margin are in my top five and will never cease to entertain the ever living hell out of me. The others (except Cry Danger and The Breaking Point) are the best new discoveries from my binge that I haven't seen listed yet.
Sometimes it almost seems like theres too many, but its certainly not a challenge you'll regret!

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Not all of these are accessible without Hulu Plus. Only some of them are on Hulu itself without the subscription. Also, they only recently added all of the Zatoichi films. It was just the first few originally.

They had at least 10-15 Zatoichi films up originally, and the rest have all been free as long as I've seen them and I haven't had Hulu plus for quite a while now ()

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by AlexIlDottore

Dude, you keep asking questions that have just been answered. You just have to read over the last few of pages for the answers. It's easy.

Here's the Criterion link for the 2014 hints : http://criterioncast.com/art/wacky/w...-2014-line-up/

It's a wonderful news that It's a wonderful life is coming to criterion...

[Polaroid]

Hoping Breaking the Waves comes tomorrow or Tuesday so excited to see the packaging and artwork and quality of the bluray (Breaking is a weird film in terms of quality).

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

It's a wonderful news that It's a wonderful life is coming to criterion...

(Okay, how many pages back did we bust THAT one? )