The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jshaide

Does anybody think there's a shot in hell of a Carnival of Souls Blu ray for October?

That would be great for Halloween. For pure fun I'd like Fiend Without a Face.

Originally Posted by iScotti

I sure hope so. It is one of the creepiest films that I have ever seen.

Yes. When I was a lot younger our local Saturday night horror show used to show it periodically and it stood out like crazy from the other '50s-60s titles. The other exceptions were Night Tide and Curse of the Demon.

[JoeBuck]

I want Kwaidan for a Halloween release, personally.
With BOTH cuts! Not just one over the other. One things for sure is that that film needs an upgrade.

[Oblivion138]

I do always look forward to the October releases, with some hope of seeing either a longtime horror favorite, or some horror film that I'm not yet acquainted with that I can discover via Criterion. Either way, I'm intrigued to see that the October slate will look like. Personally, I'm hoping for The Vanishing.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I definitely take the cover art into consideration when deciding to make a blind buy. And it works both to my benefit and detriment.

I think it's probably something we all do; the same with records and books. I once bought The Association on LP from a bargain bin (it was a pound - this was 1976) because I liked the space theme of the cover. Of course, the music was nothing at all in that vein - but it's still a great album!

Originally Posted by jmclick

For example, I thought the cover art for the original Criterion release of Black Narcissus was hideous, and it kept me from buying the film.

A Canterbury Tale is my favourite movie and I was delighted when Criterion announced it on DVD; I had a brief wavering when I saw the cover - surely they can't be serious??? - but in the end bought it. I can imagine the cover has put many prospective blind-buyers off though.



Maybe they meant it to look like a penny novel from the 40s?

[jrsl76]

I wish A Canterbury Tale would get upgraded soon. I haven't seen it, but I'm a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. I'd also really like The Elusive Pimpernel to come to Blu-ray. I saw it as a child, loved it and it took me years to figure out what it was.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by jrsl76

I wish A Canterbury Tale would get upgraded soon. I haven't seen it, but I'm a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. I'd also really like The Elusive Pimpernel to come to Blu-ray. I saw it as a child, loved it and it took me years to figure out what it was.

I'm hoping that I Know Where I'm Going! gets an upgrade soon. I've yet to see A Canterbury Tale, but I'm a big fan of Powell and Pressburger (The Red Shoes was my first Criterion title, and probably my favorite; I actually saw the pair of red shoes that Scorsese owns when I was at Berlin's Museum für Film und Fernsehen in February of 2013, which was a truly astounding experience).

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

I was just about to post that very often the cover art on Criterions can determine my interest in whether to further research the title and gauge my interest in a blind buy, which is kind of unfortunate in some cases because I know I am missing out on great movies. I do indeed judge some movies by their cover in the Criterion Collection. If the cover looks boring or uninteresting to me, I'll likely pass on it, as I have with George Washington (so thanks to those who are praising it, it is now on my radar), Grey Gardens, and others. I wish I wouldn't do this, but it happens. Is anyone else like this?

If you buy them all this issue vanishes!

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Now we are talking about philosophy. I am just the happiest person on this thread today.

Calling Heidegger "notoriously obtuse" is an understatement.

Husserl, Heidegger, Derrida and all the phenomenologist are some of the most difficult reads in philosophy, at the same time they are very reward. They come from the school of thought that philosophy should be as rigorous as any theoretical science.

Derrida gave a talk at my grad school (unfortunately, it was before I got there), and apparently his presentation was just as obtuse and difficult to follow as his writing. He also had a heavy accent on top of his convoluted prose style. My understanding is that the talk was great, but even the theory professors had an incredible difficult time following what he was saying.

[BillWatkins]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Although I already own Ministry of Fear by way of the Criterion Blu-ray, I've ordered TCM's Dark Crimes: Film Noir Thrillers, Volume 2, because I want the other three film noirs in the set. TCM shipped it the other day, so it should be on its way to me soon. Right now, I own all of the major film noir DVD sets from Warner Brothers, Fox, Columbia, Kino, and such, with the one glaring exception being Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics III, because that third volume went out of print pretty quickly after its release, and I don't want to shell out the $300 asking price.

Do you have Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics Vol. 4?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by BillWatkins

Do you have Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics Vol. 4?

Yes. I have Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics I, II, and IV.

Seeing those three box sets on my shelf without the third set is pretty tough on my obsessive-compulsive sensibilities. I check Amazon ever so often to see if there's a reasonably-priced third-party sale.

[The Stick]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I haven't seen either of those, but I LOVED Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street.

I'll make a point of watching VANYA soon. Haven't seen it yet.
I've enjoyed a handful of Malle films in the past:
MURMUR OF THE HEART
LACOMBE, LUCIEN
PRETTY BABY
ATLANTIC CITY
AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
but I really liked ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS.

I was hoping to see something whimsical when I blind bought ZAZIE DANS LES METRO... and I suppose it begins that way...but soon becomes too loud and riotous for my taste. I think if one was fluent in french, ZAZIE might make more sense to you because I think some of the humor of the dialogue didn't translate too well via subtitles. It's saving grace for me is that I enjoyed looking at the Parisian scenery and like Phillipe Noiret (wow, how young he is in this).

BLACK MOON, on the other hand, has got to be one of the most bizarre films I have ever seen. Watching Malle's other films will not prepare you at all for BLACK MOON. I like the description of the film as "Malle meets Wonderland" but I think even that comparison is too kind. Lewis Carroll would be going "WTF"!!!

Not sure I can adequately summarize what the film is about:
Talking Unicorns. An elderly bed-ridden woman that talks gibberish language with a rat companion. Her adult son & daughter (both named Lily). Naked children running around with a big fat pig...a ferocious war between men & women raging on in the surrounding countryside. In turns, BLACK MOON is mysterious and frightening one moment...will have you chuckling the next...and then rolling your eyes wondering if Malle is pulling your leg. Unlike ZAZIE, BLACK MOON at least had me curious enough to want to see what was going to happen next.
Oh, and no wonder BLACK MOON looks great - the film was shot by Sven Nykvist.

But I don't think I can recommend BLACK MOON though - unless you are really into watching something truly weird (and makes no lick of sense that I can tell). Not sure if I'd buy a copy, but I'm glad I recorded it off TCM and and experienced the damn thing.. just to say I did

[Ausjdm]

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

Also on the Malick topic I think he's like Godard you either like their work or not. I personally love flash cuts and out of sequence timelines artsy landscaping etc. So Malick has always been a top of mine since I saw Thin Red line in the theater with my dad many moons ago. We saw it after saving private Ryan and we were blown away by it and later saddened when it lost in the oscars that year. I've seen and own all his work badlands is a great starter. The Second half of it you can tell he started developing his own style which he's carried for yrs since. Tree of Life is my fav of his it's beyond a movie it's a visual piece of art and poetry! A must for all to experience! But even I agree to the wonder was bad left me cold the characters stories and their actions didn't make sense... I can't wait for his next movies coming this winter and 2015.

[bstv69]

Do you guys foresee an Antonioni Box set, once L’avventura becomes available on blu?

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

.

its one of the french "classics" i did enjoy very much. bonus features are pretty interessting as well.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

Au Revior Les Enfants is a terrific movie, albeit a heartbreaking one. There's this one scene where a character makes a split-second mistake that will likely haunt him for the rest of his life. I always dwell on this whenever I think about the movie.

On a lighter note, Irène Jacob (The Double Life of Veronique, Three Colors: Red) has a minor, but memorable role as a piano teacher. Her appearance contributes to a moment of needed levity in the film.

I owned the Criterion DVD of Au Revior Les Enfants, but have somehow never got around to upgrading it to Blu-ray. I should remedy this at some point.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

It's a wonderful, yet heartbreaking film. I truly can't recommend it enough.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

Also on the Malick topic I think he's like Godard you either like their work or not. I personally love flash cuts and out of sequence timelines artsy landscaping etc. So Malick has always been a top of mine since I saw Thin Red line in the theater with my dad many moons ago. We saw it after saving private Ryan and we were blown away by it and later saddened when it lost in the oscars that year. I've seen and own all his work badlands is a great starter. The Second half of it you can tell he started developing his own style which he's carried for yrs since. Tree of Life is my fav of his it's beyond a movie it's a visual piece of art and poetry! A must for all to experience! But even I agree to the wonder was bad left me cold the characters stories and their actions didn't make sense... I can't wait for his next movies coming this winter and 2015.

Can't recommend it enough, an absolutely phenomenal film albeit heartbreaking. Same thoughts as the other posters.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Any fans of Au Revior les Enfants? JW recommended I buy it.

As the others have said, it is a vital film but very sad. I haven't seen it since its theatrical release, though I do have it in the DVD box set.

Speaking of which, my thoughts on Lacombe, Lucien which I did watch recently:

[Show spoiler]I found this film difficult to judge initially, as the title character appeared to be cold and cruel - normally you expect to be able to empathise with the main character. But as it went on I began to realise that that was probably the director's intention, something which was confirmed when I read the booklet afterwards - they reprint a contemporary review by Pauline Kael in which she right off the bat mentions the emotional emptiness of Lucien. This you see more and more as it goes on - how he casually gives the name of a resistance leader to the German Police; how he coldly intrudes into the lives of the Horns; how his journey is almost indifferent; and most especially near the end when he laughs, you see the immature adolescent within, given power beyond his ken (although gone at that point).

The whole is luminously shot, especially in the verdant outdoor scenes, contrasting with the horrors going, almost casually, at the same time. The editing and pacing is utterly natural and observant, almost documentary like. Disturbing and beguiling in equal measure.

Curiously, given the recent discussions on this thread about animals, a bird and several rabbits meet their maker on camera in this film... other films with this sort of thing include Apocalypse Now! and La Valleé.

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

... But even I agree to the wonder was bad left me cold the characters stories and their actions didn't make sense...

Funny, I enjoyed this more than TToL!

[Polaroid]

My only fault with To The Wonder was the casting, loved Rachel McAdams and Javier Barden, but wasn't keep on the rest.

But then again Ben Afflecks character was meant to be cold, distant and in the shadows - so if that is case, he played the character very well.

Olga Kurylenko was a bit annoying, I can see why she was cast and she did fit the character well, but she just annoyed me, I'm not sure if that is down to her character or if it was the actress her self.

Beautiful film though with some very strong scenes and visual elements, and some very memorable moments.

But for me, it was the casting/character that bugged me the most, but it was a great film that really reflects love and relationships, the highs and the lows.

Rachel definitely stole the lime light, wish she had more scenes.

[Polaroid]

Decided to watch To The Wonder again - god, makes you really appreciate Criterions when the disc loads straight to main menu... went through like 3 trailers and shot company animation before I got to film titles! grr annoying lol

Did see it 4 times at cinema >.< there was something about it where I couldn't stay away lol