The Criterion Collection

[fdm]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

Might be best to hold off in any case - at the end of May there's a 40% off all BDs in store sale at BN.

Yeah, there is that to consider; also b2g1 is probably on the horizon before too long.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by fdm

Yeah, there is that to consider; also b2g1 is probably on the horizon before too long.

The B2G1 offer started as soon as the 40% off offer ended, last year.
There was some pricing overlap too, I managed to bag a few before they corrected the prices.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by Judex

The B2G1 offer started as soon as the 40% off offer ended, last year.
There was some pricing overlap too, I managed to bag a few before they corrected the prices.

The b2g1 overlap that happened in 2012 was incredible. I doubt that it ever happens again but I remember getting 9 titles for around $125.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Just got back home from viewing La Grande Bellezza in a theater. Refreshingly bold and beautiful. Stunning visuals and audio. Demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Coen

Love No Country For Old Men (I think I put it at #5), but surprised The Man Who Wasn't There isn't your favorite.

To my discredit, I have not seen The Man Who Wasn't There yet. I stumble across that DVD for a couple of bucks at used stores sometimes, so I might give it a go at some point.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

To my discredit, I have not seen The Man Who Wasn't There yet. I stumble across that DVD for a couple of bucks at used stores sometimes, so I might give it a go at some point.

If you haven't seen their filmography, I think it is giving your opinion a crutch to say No Country for Old Men is their best. Seeing as though you are a big fan of noir, and as you said, it is a serious discredit to yourself to not have seen The Man Who Wasn't There! No Country is an amazing film but it doesn't have the Coen brothers style oozing out of it like a lot of their others, in my opinion. I'd say The Man Who Wasn't There bests it in terms of "Coen" films. My 2 cents.

[demonknight]

This very site lists Punch-Drunk Love as getting a Criterion BD. Is there any evidence supporting this claim?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

To my discredit, I have not seen The Man Who Wasn't There yet. I stumble across that DVD for a couple of bucks at used stores sometimes, so I might give it a go at some point.

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

If you haven't seen their filmography, I think it is giving your opinion a crutch to say No Country for Old Men is their best. Seeing as though you are a big fan of noir, and as you said, it is a serious discredit to yourself to not have seen The Man Who Wasn't There! No Country is an amazing film but it doesn't have the Coen brothers style oozing out of it like a lot of their others, in my opinion. I'd say The Man Who Wasn't There bests it in terms of "Coen" films. My 2 cents.

I'm inclined to think that many here drafted their Coen list with the list making mentality of, "this one is special and while it isn't really the best, I'll call attention to it by ranking it highly." which is fine. Many of the Sight and Sound top 10 lists were compiled that way (e.g., Ebert's inclusion of the Errol Morris doc Gates of Heaven).

The Man Who Wasn't There is a good film. I enjoyed it the one time I saw it but have felt no inclination to return to it. The Sordid Sentinel and JHas pretty much have it right. No Country and Fargo are the enduring masterpieces. A lot of really good other stuff. I'm a big fan of A Serious Man, but there's not way I can tell you with a straight face that it is a better film than Fargo.

[Scottie]

I just watched the following three Criterions over the past few days and I figured I'd give a mini-review and assessment of them.

01. Gray's Anatomy (1996) - 3.5 / 5.0

Spalding Gray and Steven Soderbergh teamed up to bring one of Gray's most famous monologues to life for the big screen. In the film, Gray, positioned at a variety of camera angles, delivers his monologue about an eye-condition that he had developed and his subsequent attempts to find alternative treatments for it - delaying the inevitable in the process.

While I'm not the biggest fan of Spalding Gray or his work, I did find the film to deliver quite a few laughs, mainly due to Gray's hypochondriasis. It is certainly over the top at times to the point that it is not believable, but it was entertaining to me for at least one watch.

02. Riot In Cell Block 11 (1954) - 3.5 / 5.0

Before he teamed up with Clint Eastwood to make such films as Dirty Harry and Escape From Alcatraz, Don Siegel made this film-noir about a group of dangerous inmates who decide to rebel against the very institution housing them in an effort to attain better rights. The cool thing about this film is that actual prison guards and inmates were used as extras in the film. It must have been a very difficult decision, but one that paid off in the long run.

While I enjoy both prison movies and film-noirs, there was something missing about this film that caused me a little apprehension in the long run. Perhaps it was the fact that we did not get to know the characters well enough to form an accurate opinion about them. Perhaps it was the fact that the prison guards were very naive and clueless to the potential dangers that they could have faced and did face on a day-to-day basis. I truly don't know.

The action certainly never stopped from the time that this film began until the moment that it ended, but seeing it once was enough for me.

03. The Long Day Closes (1992) - 4.0 / 5.0

Terence Davies wrote and directed this semi-autobiographical film about his childhood and his life-long love for the cinema. When the film begins, we are immediately introduced to the character of Bud, a stand-in for Davies himself. From there, we are taken on a journey with him - experiencing life as he experiences it - both the good and the bad.

The film bounces around quite frequently so having an understanding about the film's background seems almost essential for truly understanding the meaning and the emotion that was poured into this project. It is pretty clear from early on that Davies has enormous respect for the filmmaking process, as we see the many editing styles that he puts into play. The editing truly transforms this often dark and dreary film into something light and magical.

While the film certainly touches on the importance of family and the aspects of growing up, it was definitely the editing that made this film enjoyable to me.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I'm inclined to think that many here drafted their Coen list with the list making mentality of, "this one is special and while it isn't really the best, I'll call attention to it by ranking it highly." which is fine.

It's one reason I don't make numbered lists.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I'm inclined to think that many here drafted their Coen list with the list making mentality of, "this one is special and while it isn't really the best, I'll call attention to it by ranking it highly." which is fine. Many of the Sight and Sound top 10 lists were compiled that way (e.g., Ebert's inclusion of the Errol Morris doc Gates of Heaven).

The Man Who Wasn't There is a good film. I enjoyed it the one time I saw it but have felt no inclination to return to it. The Sordid Sentinel and JHas pretty much have it right. No Country and Fargo are the enduring masterpieces. A lot of really good other stuff. I'm a big fan of A Serious Man, but there's not way I can tell you with a straight face that it is a better film than Fargo.

I agree it is like that with most lists and even people in general. If it is under-appreciated it will be over-appreciated eventually by that certain crowd, etc. However, I think it is only fair to say that it is a must to see the entire filmography to make the fairest personal call, and while I think No Country For Old Men is an incredible film on several levels I stand by what I said. I doubt that if No Country was the only Coen film I'd seen that I'd be able to tell I was watching one of their films the next time around. It is such a great piece though, and anyone placing it as their number 1 has no qualms from me. Only that I'd urge them to see all of their stuff!

[pro-bassoonist]

PACKAGING

Additional photos in the review





Pro-B

[jw007]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Arrow just revealed that they will be releasing all-new HD restorations of both Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday, so its time to ditch those ancient Criterion DVDs and those awful AB BDs!

So ironic that I just watched Mona Lisa for the first time last week, then 3 days later Bob Hoskins dies and today I hear this film is coming to Blu-ray. Wow.

[jw007]

Just noticed this "thank you" feature. I guess I'm not caught up with all these latest forum features. Does everyone else like this too on this thread?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

If you haven't seen their filmography, I think it is giving your opinion a crutch to say No Country for Old Men is their best. Seeing as though you are a big fan of noir, and as you said, it is a serious discredit to yourself to not have seen The Man Who Wasn't There! No Country is an amazing film but it doesn't have the Coen brothers style oozing out of it like a lot of their others, in my opinion. I'd say The Man Who Wasn't There bests it in terms of "Coen" films. My 2 cents.

I've seen most of the Coen Brothers films, and am still filling in a couple of gaps. No Country for Old Men is vastly superior to any of their movies that I have seen, hence my earlier post.

Blood Simple is pretty amazing, though, and it might just be my second favorite of theirs behind No Country for Old Men. Although I do not quite relate to the quirks in most of the Coens films that I have seen, I will say that they have always had a good handle on film noir conventions. These two films stand out in that they avoid a lot of the over-the-top quirks of films like The Big Lebowski or the True Grit remake.

There's a fun Double Indemnity homage in Blood Simple during a scene where a character is trying to start a car.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've seen most of the Coen Brothers films, and am still filling in a couple of gaps. No Country for Old Men is vastly superior to any of their movies that I have seen, hence my earlier post.

Blood Simple is pretty amazing, though, and it might just be my second favorite of theirs behind No Country for Old Men. Although I do not quite relate to the quirks in most of the Coens films that I have seen, I will say that they have always had a good handle on film noir conventions. These two films stand out in that they avoid a lot of the over-the-top quirks of films like The Big Lebowski or the True Grit remake.

There's a fun Double Indemnity homage in Blood Simple during a scene where a character is trying to start a car.

The Man Who Wasn't There is a neo-noir, so I'm sure you'll like it!

[Visco.]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Man Who Wasn't There is a neo-noir, so I'm sure you'll like it!

The Man Who Wasn't There is definitely one of my favorite Coens.

[Dumbhuman]

Originally Posted by Coen

I own every Coen brothers film (except The Ladykillers) on either blu-ray or DVD. I have seen every Coen brothers film multiple times. I chose Coen as my screen name. I can tell you with a straight face that I prefer both The Man Who Wasn't There and A Serious Man to Fargo with Barton Fink and No Country For Old Men rounding out my top 5. I assure you that I did not make my list with any kind of agenda.

I wouldn't worry too much about that statement made earlier. Like what you like and if other people want to project some odd reasoning of their own onto your choices simply because they can't reconcile their own preferences with yours, well that's on them. Changing one's opinion because it's either too popular or not popular enough based on the whims of some sort of imagined public consensus sounds exhausting.

Except for new releases being fitted in, I find my initial opinions of films rarely change even over the decades, much less in the few months since I posted the list below in another thread.

Rough order of Coen brothers film favorites (in tiers):

The Big Lebowski
The Man Who Wasn't There
Barton Fink
Raising Arizona
Miller's Crossing
The Hudsucker Proxy
No Country for Old Men

Fargo
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Blood Simple
True Grit

A Serious Man
Burn After Reading
Paris, je t'aime segment

Inside Llewyn Davis

...(insert huge drop off here)...

Intolerable Cruelty

...(insert even more of a drop off here)...

The Ladykillers

I can almost guarantee that if Criterion were to release the Blu-ray of The Man Who Wasn't There that you'd see a big shift in its popularity. I attribute this mostly to exposure, because I'm pretty consistently amazed at some of the titles that get announced and the amount of people who seem to never have seen them (yet buy them anyway based on that C stamp of approval).

Regardless, even if The Man Who Wasn't There became the new Che Guevara t-shirt, ironic mustache, or over-exposed intro clip to some terrible television series, none of that would change the fact that I consider it a fantastic film. It's not like a favorite summer vacation spot that gets ruined with over-development, traffic, pollution and crowding after being featured on the Travel Network. The film remains the same film no matter what other people think of it.

[jw007]

it's 3 am and i finally finished watching all 30 episodes of twin peaks tonight (over a span of 2+ weeks)...wow, what a f#cked up ending ... so disturbing, this will never leave my mind prob. til i'm gone from this planetoid.... let's see if i have nightmares now... usually i don't but who knows... i can see how this tv show changed people's lives though.

and now on to criterion news... i'm planning to watch altman's nashville this weekend finally.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by jw007

it's 3 am and i finally finished watching all 30 episodes of twin peaks tonight (over a span of 2+ weeks)...wow, what a f#cked up ending ... so disturbing, this will never leave my mind prob. til i'm gone from this planetoid.... let's see if i have nightmares now... usually i don't but who knows... i can see how this tv show changed people's lives though.

and now on to criterion news... i'm planning to watch altman's nashville this weekend finally.

While it does go off on a few too many dead-end tangents in the middle of its second and final season (after Lynch and Frost were forced by the network to reveal the identity of Laura Palmer's killer), the series is MOSTLY fantastic. And the arc of episodes that actually reveal Laura's killer...well, I don't think network television has ever given us anything as genuinely horrific. And Lynch's return for the finale made it stand out as something that would have been worth continuing. Unfortunately, ratings dropped during the lull following the Laura Palmer case's resolution. It would've been nice to see what ultimately happened with Dale.