The Criterion Collection

[shadedpain4]

It is because of Liv Ullmann that Autumn Sonata went from what I thought it would be (a lesser Bergman) to instead become one of my favorite Bergman films.

I do agree that Bibi stole the show in Persona however.

Has anyone else watched Liv and Ingmar? Thoughts?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jshaide

Any opinions in the World Cinema Scorsese set? I'm thinking of going for it.

I watched the set a week or two ago and I was neutral to the entire thing.

As a whole, the films in the set are worth seeing because they are from a diverse range of countries and some rather overlooked ones at that, especially in the film department. That being said, some of the films, if not all, are shocking in terms of cruelty to both humans and animals and most of the films can be very repetitive and dragged out.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by jshaide

Any opinions in the World Cinema Scorsese set? I'm thinking of going for it.

Dry Summer: I barely remember much of it now, it was rather...dry (sorry, couldn't help it).

Redes: The shortest of the lot, and I remember it looked good and was generally well-made.

Trances: Pretty much non-stop Middle-Eastern music; the film is a bit like Gimme Shelter from Morocco. Once I got used to the music, it was alright.

The Housemaid: Probably my favorite of the lot; it starts a little slow, but built up to a pretty thrilling payoff. It's inherently creepy and twisted, and well-made overall. Would be a great complement to movies like Night of the Hunter, the original Cape Fear, or most modern Korean films.

Touki Bouki: Gotta warn ya: there are some pretty gory and sick animal sacrifice scenes, which I assume are authentic, and are hard to watch. I don't even know why they're in there. The film overall is very random and weird, but I liked it all the same. I'm not even a New Wave fan at all, but something about this one stuck out to me.

A River Called Titus: Might be the most gorgeous-looking film here, but it is the longest and quite a drag. Couldn't understand the plot much. But if you like other films by Satyjit Ray, then it's a no-brainer.

So overall it's quite a mixed bag. A lot of it struck me as being dry, but some of these might grow on me over time. Right now, I find myself most pleased with The Housemaid, Trances, and Touki Bouki. But they're all worthwhile, especially if you want films from parts of the world where you may not otherwise find them.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

It is because of Liv Ullmann that Autumn Sonata went from what I thought it would be (a lesser Bergman) to instead become one of my favorite Bergman films.

I do agree that Bibi stole the show in Persona however.

Has anyone else watched Liv and Ingmar? Thoughts?

Autumn Sonata is such depressing movie packed with raw emotion from all of the characters involved. I can't even remember to the degree that it hit me, but I couldn't help but feeling that it was a film that relates to a lot of individuals more so than others. There is no doubt that Bergman is a director who creates dark moody pieces, but this one may take the cake (although The Seventh Seal is incredibly haunting, as well).

Regarding Liv and Ingmar, I have not seen it yet. From what I've read around the internet, though, I hear it is quite good.

[bstv69]

What would you guys say are the best, English films shot in color? (Not Wes Anderson. I have paris, Texas and all of the pressburger/Powell films, I habe already seen all that heaven allows and liked it just would not purchase it). Thank you

[Seth F.]

Does anyone have a current list of all Criterion Blu-rays that are on the the Sight and Sound Top 250 list?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by bstv69

What would you guys say are the best, English films shot in color? (Not Wes Anderson. I have paris, Texas and all of the pressburger/Powell films, I habe already seen all that heaven allows and liked it just would not purchase it). Thank you

All of the Terrence Malick films

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Seth F.

Does anyone have a current list of all Criterion Blu-rays that are on the the Sight and Sound Top 250 list?

All of the films can be found here.
http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandso.../2012/critics/

I would make a list for you, but I'm too lazy right now.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by bstv69

What would you guys say are the best, English films shot in color? (Not Wes Anderson. I have paris, Texas and all of the pressburger/Powell films, I habe already seen all that heaven allows and liked it just would not purchase it). Thank you

Favorites of mine would include Blow Out, Brazil, Charade, Eating Raoul, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I love Antichrist as well, I'm not sure if I'd openly recommend it to anyone due to all the bloody bodily mutilation. And the Qatsi trilogy is great, it doesn't have any languages at all.

[ngower]

Originally Posted by jw007

Well, it took me almost 24 hours but I have to post this.

Last night I watched George Washington. Rather than posting my initial impressions, I slept on it. Today I still feel about the same way. I do NOT think this is a great movie. Yes, there, I said it. I just cannot see this as anything special. Sure, its a good movie, but its not a great one. I guess you can say its great for a first movie from a new director, but knowing that David Gordon Green was highly influenced by Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line, I couldn't help but think George Washington was somewhat pretentious. The editing is fantastic though...and so is the cinematography. But its a story that drifts through the lives of these young characters, never really meshing together, but instead breaking apart, which is probably intentional. I was not impressed with the acting. I was not engaged in the story. I liked the morality tale behind the story but this is an overrated movie I hate to say. Looking at Director Green's track record ever since, he hasn't made a single movie that is anything spectacular. I challenge anyone to prove this to me otherwise. If anything, George Washington is highly disturbing at times and if that is the most effective element of the film ("disturbing"), then there's something to be had there. *shrugs*

Please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't really like George Washington.

It was made by a 23-year old with his friends from film school. How many 23 year olds do you know with this masterful vision? And Tim Orr, cinematographer, was just over 30 at the time. Budget was like $40,000 which David Gordon Green got mostly from working/saving for a year. Most of the actors were first-time/kids. It's really an incredible accomplishment from a production standpoint. I find it inspiring.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Add me to the list of people who do not care much for George Washington. I do not think that the film is bad by any means, but I definitely think it is over hyped and over praised.

I watched all of the short films included in the release prior to watching the feature film, so I definitely saw a huge improvement over the ideas that DGG was originally toying with. Furthermore, the film is beautifully made. No one can take that away. Overall, though, I just thought it was a decent coming-of-age film and with that being said, there are a lot better ones out there, too.

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I could not agree more. The praise for the film is beyond me.

I saw all the supplements as well including the 2 short films he made in 1996 and 1998 (the 3rd film was influential for Green and made in the late 1960s - but personally I couldn't stand watching that - A Day with the Boys). No question, George Washington is a beautifully made film, and a good coming of age story, but after having recently seen Soderbergh's 2nd film about a coming of age story, King of the Hill, I found that film to be on an entirely different level in almost every aspect and far more effective.

Originally Posted by ngower

It was made by a 23-year old with his friends from film school. How many 23 year olds do you know with this masterful vision? And Tim Orr, cinematographer, was just over 30 at the time. Budget was like $40,000 which David Gordon Green got mostly from working/saving for a year. Most of the actors were first-time/kids. It's really an incredible accomplishment from a production standpoint. I find it inspiring.

John Singleton was 23 years old when he directed Boyz N the Hood, and that's one great coming of age story and film I find far more impressive than George Washington. So there's one. Oddly enough, Singleton could never top his first film, Boyz N the Hood, just like Green couldn't either.

From a production standpoint, yes, absolutely miraculous, but from a cinematic and critical standpoint, nothing special.

[ngower]

Originally Posted by jw007

John Singleton was 23 years old when he directed Boyz N the Hood, and that's one great coming of age story and film I find far more impressive than George Washington. So there's one.

From a production standpoint, yes, absolutely miraculous, but from a cinematic and critical standpoint, nothing special.

I guess that's how I tend to view most films of this caliber: by production more than plot or relevance in the greater cinematic canon. I just find these types of works infinitely more fascinating than some of the classics because I feel like I can do that. Sure, Breathless, Tokyo Story, et al are important, and I'm not denying that, but something like George Washington reminds me of the more, dare I say, proletarian means of filmmaking.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ngower

I guess that's how I tend to view most films of this caliber: by production more than plot or relevance in the greater cinematic canon. I just find these types of works infinitely more fascinating than some of the classics because I feel like I can do that. Sure, Breathless, Tokyo Story, et al are important, and I'm not denying that, but something like George Washington reminds me of the more, dare I say, proletarian means of filmmaking.

True, but why not just like Terrence Malick's films instead? Even the worst Malick film is still eons better than George Washington! It's like a total ripoff of Malick in some scenes in George Washington. That's what got me angry actually. The first long sequence that is 6 or 7 minutes is beautiful but all I could think of in my brain was Malick, Malick, Malick. Ironically, both Green and Malick grew up in Texas too. Malick just does it better with this kind of storytelling in the end.

[ngower]

Originally Posted by jw007

True, but why not just like Terrence Malick's films instead? Even the worst Malick film is still eons better than George Washington! It's like a total ripoff of Malick in some scenes in George Washington. That's what got me angry actually. The first long sequence that is 6 or 7 minutes is beautiful but all I could think of in my brain was Malick, Malick, Malick. Ironically, both Green and Malick grew up in Texas too. Malick just does it better with this kind of storytelling in the end.

Malick is my favorite director and I have a Days of Heaven tattoo, so...

Not sure why I can't like both? Same reason I like Shane Carruth. If you impersonate Malick and you do it right, the film can turn out well.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ngower

Malick is my favorite director and I have a Days of Heaven tattoo, so...

Not sure why I can't like both? Same reason I like Shane Carruth. If you impersonate Malick and you do it right, the film can turn out well.

Fair enough.

A Days of Heaven tattoo? I've never seen this before! Can you take a pic of it and post it on this thread? I'm sure other people would like to see this too (as long as, ummm, the tattoo isn't on any provocative part of your body, that is. lol).

[jlk5844]

Went back today and made my first trip back since the first day of the B&N sale, here's what I got with 2 20% coupons. The lady at the cashier was real soft spoken and was kind and cool enough to suggest doing multiple transactions to get me the best deal, though they were all the same price this time.

Picked up:

Picnic at Hanging Rock
Robinson Crusoe on Mars (blind buy)
The Royal Tenenbaums (blind buy)

Also bought The Game for a friend.

(tried uploading a pic but it failed for some reason)


While browsing I saw a title that caught my eye, I think I heard it mentioned briefly on this thread somewhere: Pale Flower. I read the back and it sounded really intriguing, I wanted to blind buy it right on the spot, it unfortunately wasn't in the greatest condition. Maybe it's for the best that I hold off on it til next sale, there's too many other things non-Criterion that I want.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by jayembee

If a month from now, Criterion made their November announcements, which consisted of:

The Original Star Wars Trilogy (original versions)

it would be my turn to say, "Meh, not interested in any of them," ...

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Anyone have any info about "Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara" coming to blu-ray? I'm tempted to get the DVDs, but would hate to see the blu announcement days later. Thanks!

Haven't heard anything but it's a great set. I can only imagine how spell-binding Woman in the Dunes would look in HD. Even on dvd the sand seems alive and becomes another character in the film.

I've given up waiting on upgrades that haven't been hinted at so I'm planning on getting Brute Force, The Naked City, and The Killers (if I can find it.) before the current B&N sale ends. Patience may be a virtue but I'm tired of waiting on these.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

While browsing I saw a title that caught my eye, I think I heard it mentioned briefly on this thread somewhere: Pale Flower. I read the back and it sounded really intriguing, I wanted to blind buy it right on the spot, it unfortunately wasn't in the greatest condition. Maybe it's for the best that I hold off on it til next sale, there's too many other things non-Criterion that I want.

I really, really, really liked Pale Flower. It's the kind of title that keeps me hooked on blind buying. I was just enthralled the entire runtime and was very happy I was seeing it for the first time in the best practical way.

[geekesmind]

is Down by Law Blu-ray



a good one to buy?