The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of In the Mood for Love. This is my first experience watching a Wong Kar-wai film.

It took me a few minutes to settle into the groove of the story, but In the Mood for Love is a stunning movie, in terms of both the visual style and the emotional gut punches. It's a tragic tale in the sense that I was wondering if the two characters had been fated to be together all along. This one resonates with me as a heartfelt tale of a particular point in time that will never return, and of the missed opportunities that are also gone forever.

I'm hugely impressed, but I also have a feeling that the movie will gel with me even more during subsequent viewings.

Like Ozu's Late Spring, In the Mood for Love is another Criterion title that I bought back in December during a big sale, but had left on my shelf for a few months. I'm glad to have tackled these films today, and here is to many more viewings of both.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of In the Mood for Love. This is my first experience watching a Wong Kar-wai film.

It took me a few minutes to settle into the groove of the story, but In the Mood for Love is a stunning movie, in terms of both the visual style and the emotional gut punches. It's a tragic tale in the sense that I was wondering if the two characters had been fated to be together all along. This one resonates with me as a heartfelt tale of a particular point in time that will never return, and of the missed opportunities that are also gone forever.

I'm hugely impressed, but I also have a feeling that the movie will gel with me even more during subsequent viewings.

Like Ozu's Late Spring, In the Mood for Love is another Criterion title that I bought back in December during a big sale, but had left on my shelf for a few months. I'm glad to have tackled these films today, and here is to many more viewings of both.

Wong Kar-Wai is a phenomenal director.

You really need to check out Chungking Express. It's incredibly powerful!

[FestinaLente]

Originally Posted by Page14

Thank you very much! What a great website! Good timing too, as I recently lost all of my DVR capabilities and am in the process of figuring out if I'm going to pursue DVR services again or try something else (... like the website you posted or HULU or whatever).

Glad to hear you're able to use it! I just made a new thread in the movies forum so members can post films they recommend that are on the WatchTCM site/app.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=9269544

Hope you all can add some great recommendations as they are added to OD.

[brandon_260]

In The Mood For Love is the best film of the 2000s. Wong Kar Wai is absolutely in my top 5 working directors. I think ITMFL is my most watched Criterion disc.

[*PREACHER*]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

A Hard Day's Night Blu-ray REVIEW



The new 4K restoration is outstanding

Pro-B

p.s. I am very sorry for the delay. A powerful rainstorm left us without internet access during the last 48 hours . All is back to normal now and there will be more reviews in the next 24 hours.

Great review Pro-B as always...Dvr'd this tonight to watch from TCM and we had a storm roll through that had knocked out our reception part way through unfortunately...still plan on purchasing as it is a great piece of music history for the band and the fans!

[Scottie]

I just finished watching TCM's showing of A Hard Day's Night? What can I say?

It's an incredibly fun film with a phenomenal soundtrack. I've heard many Beatles songs in the past, but this was my first real and long experience with them. Their impact on the world can't even be put into words. They changed everything that was once known.

TCM's showing did not have subtitles, so I missed a few things. Overall, I am pleased with what I saw and I will be keeping my pre-order.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Wong Kar-Wai is a phenomenal director.

You really need to check out Chungking Express. It's incredibly powerful!

Originally Posted by brandon_260

In The Mood For Love is the best film of the 2000s. Wong Kar Wai is absolutely in my top 5 working directors. I think ITMFL is my most watched Criterion disc.

I'm probably going to watch In the Mood for Love again tonight, because I need a second viewing right away. Once I became accustomed to the uncanny visuals, I fell in love with how this story was told.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm probably going to watch In the Mood for Love again tonight, because I need a second viewing right away. Once I became accustomed to the uncanny visuals, I fell in love with how this story was told.

Make sure you watch Chungking Express. ITMFL is probably WKW's best made film but I love Chungking Express just as much. Fallen Angels is a terrific companion piece to Chungking Express too. It was originally meant to be part of Chungking Express but it's better that its not.

While the two stories in Chungking Express have pretty different tones, the time of Fallen Angels feels much different. It works brilliantly as a companion piece though.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just finished watching TCM's showing of A Hard Day's Night? What can I say?

It's an incredibly fun film with a phenomenal soundtrack. I've heard many Beatles songs in the past, but this was my first real and long experience with them. Their impact on the world can't even be put into words. They changed everything that was once known.

TCM's showing did not have subtitles, so I missed a few things. Overall, I am pleased with what I saw and I will be keeping my pre-order.

Very glad to see you liked it. I can't think of a movie I've seen more times ... except maybe Help! It never gets old for me ... and I'm old (haha ... sigh).

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm probably going to watch In the Mood for Love again tonight, because I need a second viewing right away. Once I became accustomed to the uncanny visuals, I fell in love with how this story was told.

As others have mentioned, Wong Kar-Wai is a truly gifted director. Chungking Express remains my favorite of his; too bad it's OOP. Fallen Angels (available on Blu from Kino) is kinda sorta somewhat a "Chungking Express 2", but doesn't work as well. The other Kino Blu release, Happy Together is probably my second favorite WKW film.

[bwdowiak]

I can't watch movies on TV. I don't have a DVR, either. So for someone who claims to love film as much as I do, it may come as a surprise the number of films I have actually sat down to watch when they were being screened on TCM... thinking about it here... I think that number is zero.

Saw that A Hard Day's Night was on TCM and caught it late in the film while they were performing "I Should Have Known Better." Then flipped the channel and caught 3 minutes of Raging Bull on a another channel - can't remember which... but in the lower right hand corner, there was the unsightly logo of the network.. in the lower left hand corner was some advert showing some dudes body slamming each other.

There's more to it than that, but this is part of why I can't do it.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Page14

Very glad to see you liked it. I can't think of a movie I've seen more times ... except maybe Help! It never gets old for me ... and I'm old (haha ... sigh).

It seems like one of those films that I would throw in every so often and just kick back and enjoy the light humor and killer soundtrack.

I am thinking about purchasing some CDs now because well, I've been slacking all these years.

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I can't watch movies on TV. I don't have a DVR, either. So for someone who claims to love film as much as I do, it may come as a surprise the number of films I have actually sat down to watch when they were being screened on TCM... thinking about it here... I think that number is zero.

Saw that A Hard Day's Night was on TCM and caught it late in the film while they were performing "I Should Have Known Better." Then flipped the channel and caught 3 minutes of Raging Bull on a another channel - can't remember which... but in the lower right hand corner, there was the unsightly logo of the network.. in the lower left hand corner was some advert showing some dudes body slamming each other.

There's more to it than that, but this is part of why I can't do it.

The cool thing about TCM is that they post their films On Demand after the broadcast for approximately a week.

If you have that feature and some time, you should check it out!

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The cool thing about TCM is that they post their films On Demand after the broadcast for approximately a week.

If you have that feature and some time, you should check it out!

Whoa, that's fantastic!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by iScottie

It seems like one of those films that I would throw in every so often and just kick back and enjoy the light humor and killer soundtrack.

I am thinking about purchasing some CDs now because well, I've been slacking all these years.

There are probably 30 to 40 Beatles songs that have been getting constant radio play for the past 50 years. Their next best 60 tracks (or so) are probably good enough as to where if the first 30 to 40 didn't exist, they'd still be legends.

Here's a few (off the top of my head) that you may not have ever heard that are absolute masterpieces of pop-songwriting: She Said She Said, If I Needed Someone, She's Leaving Home (calling this song pop-songwriting is nearly a crime because it is just a ridiculously gorgeous composition,) It Won't Be Long.

Originally Posted by iScottie

The cool thing about TCM is that they post their films On Demand after the broadcast for approximately a week.

If you have that feature and some time, you should check it out!

I'm an idiot about certain tech things.. This would only be a feature through my cable provider right? Or are the films online for a week, too?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

There are probably 30 to 40 Beatles songs that have been getting constant radio play for the past 50 years. Their next best 60 tracks (or so) are probably good enough as to where if the first 30 to 40 didn't exist, they'd still be legends.

Here's a few (off the top of my head) that you may not have ever heard that are absolute masterpieces of pop-songwriting: She Said She Said, If I Needed Someone, She's Leaving Home (calling this song pop-songwriting is nearly a crime because it is just a ridiculously gorgeous composition,) It Won't Be Long.

My favorite Beatles album is Revolver, with Rubber Soul being a close second. These were both released a few years after A Hard Day's Night. My absolute favorite Beatles song is "Tomorrow Never Knows."

You cannot make a wrong choice when selecting Beatles music, though.

I'm interested in this Criterion release, but I'll probably wait until the 50% sale.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My favorite Beatles album is Revolver, with Rubber Soul being a close second. These were both released a few years after A Hard Day's Night. My absolute favorite Beatles song is "Tomorrow Never Knows."

You cannot make a wrong choice when selecting Beatles music, though.

I'm interested in this Criterion release, but I'll probably wait until the 50% sale.

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is an absolutely sublime artistic achievement and one of my top 10 tracks. Just a badass tune. To say it was 'ahead of it's time' would be a severe understatement.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I'm an idiot about certain tech things.. This would only be a feature through my cable provider right? Or are the films online for a week, too?

Thanks for The Beatles suggestions, I'll check them out!

RE: On Demand - It's a feature on the cable provider. It can usually be accessed on Channel 1 or by pushing the button on your remote (should you have one that says "On Demand").

You can also watch films online here, though. It looks as if it hasn't been updated in a day or two, so check back constantly.
http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is an absolutely sublime artistic achievement and one of my top 10 tracks. Just a badass tune. To say it was 'ahead of it's time' would be a severe understatement.

A year ago I had the pleasure of attending a Revolver lecture where the presenter deconstructed each song on the album - isolating instruments, vocals and such. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was incredibly fascinating for how they came up with those sounds. Like Paul's laugh becoming the seagull-like sound.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

A year ago I had the pleasure of attending a Revolver lecture where the presenter deconstructed each song on the album - isolating instruments, vocals and such. "Tomorrow Never Knows" was incredibly fascinating for how they came up with those sounds. Like Paul's laugh becoming the seagull-like sound.

wow! that sounds like it would have been very interesting. it's amazing how all of the experimental sounds in that song gel together to sound so tuneful. the drums were recorded backward and that beat has been ripped off so many times since then. part of the droning sound is due to the fact that Lennon plays a C chord through the entire song... they spoke about that in the anthology series. someone gave that box to me on VHS when they had no use for it.. well, unfortunately, I don't have a VCR in the house and it has just sat on my shelf collecting dust.

[Polaroid]

Yay Picnic has shipped :-)