The Criterion Collection

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

Just watched Persona (along with all supplements) which was a blind buy for me and my first Bergman. Frankly, I felt like the film flew by. I could have watched a few more hours of this one. Really loved it.

What should my next Bergman be? Also, is Persona his best?

I have only seen Autumn Sonata and Fanny and Alexander (the TV version) and loved them both!

[Russhole]

I really really loved The Magician, but I love all of his films (that I've seen).

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

You really think that? I think it is the complete opposite. It's where movies are given new life - Often completely resurrected from the dead.

Although a film is best experienced at the theater, I do agree with the above statement. Like Letter Never Sent or Marketa Lazarova, these films would have likely gotten very little attention, if any, had criterion decided not to release them.

[zoodermin]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

Just watched Persona (along with all supplements) which was a blind buy for me and my first Bergman. Frankly, I felt like the film flew by. I could have watched a few more hours of this one. Really loved it.

What should my next Bergman be? Also, is Persona his best?

From the ones I've seen, Persona is one my favorite Bergmans but you should also check out The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries and Fanny & Alexander. They're superb too!

[tisdivine]

Originally Posted by ngower

You're either a rad woman or a gay male. No in-between. Am I wrong?!

And before anyone claims I'm being insensitive: click here

Haha this is so true. I would fall under rad woman but 80% of my friends are gay so yes im very familiar with the "Little Edie squeal" anytime she is mentioned lol or anytime a topic can be brought back to a Grey Gardens discussion.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

Just watched Persona (along with all supplements) which was a blind buy for me and my first Bergman. Frankly, I felt like the film flew by. I could have watched a few more hours of this one. Really loved it.

What should my next Bergman be? Also, is Persona his best?

Welcome to Bergman World. Others have recommended films, I agree with all those. I think apart from some of his early works which come off as heavy-handed to me, Bergman has rarely lost form. If you are not insistent on blu-ray as the medium, I also heavily recommend Criterion's Faith Trilogy (Through A Glass Darkly / Winter Light / The Silence) and MGM's excellent Ingmar Bergman collection (Persona / Shame / Passion of Anna / Hour of The Wolf)

[Polaroid]

I don't understand why everyone compares shocking films to Salo - Do you guys forget Criterion have release Sweet Movie which is worse and more disturbing and disgusting!

(I'm dying for bluray upgrade though haha!)

[minister_x]

Originally Posted by Bad Sandwich

If the likes of In A Glass Cage, Salo, A Serbian Film, Cannibal Holocaust and Nekromantik have managed to make it to BD, I highly doubt controversy is the reason behind Kids' non-presence on the format. Probably attribitable to a lack of sufficient HD source and/or a lack of distributor interest stemming from lack of faith in potential sales.

I see your point, but I think it's a different sort of controversy in those. And those involve sex/violence with adults, as far as I'm aware. As controversial as they may be, I think mixing the topics of sex and children usually is more controversial - and Larry Clark does have a certain notoriety in that regard. (Ken Park is probably worse, mind.) You're probably right that those other factors make prospect of it being released in HD worse, though.

--

Originally Posted by ijustblumyself

So I'm considering blind-buying the BBS set during this sale. What are some comparable films that I can use to gauge whether I'd enjoy it? Seems like a really interesting collection of films.

I've been trying to think of comparable films but not come up with much - but I thought I'd quote you to make sure your post doesn't get missed by others! I bought the BBS set the other day as I'd not seen Easy Rider before and wanted to see it, Five Easy Pieces and The Last Picture Show, so it was handy there was a box set containing all three (and more)!

Easy Rider is the only one I've watched so far, and I certainly enjoyed it but I have a feeling I'll get more out of a second viewing - and with the extensive supplements. I quite like road movies, and even though I've no particular interest in biking this was a great watch.

If I get a chance to watch any of the others in the next week I'll try and see if I can think of some comparable films! Meanwhile, others may be able to offer better responses.

[tisdivine]

Just bought this during the B&N sale and tried to watch it last night and the extensive use of jittery camera really upset my stomach. Has anyone else had this happen? I loved the supplements but wow within like five minutes I started to feel bad. Im usually not effected by that either. So weird.

I love Malle's work as well so super bummed. Au Revoir les Enfants & Elevator to the Gallows are actually two of my most favorite movies.

Guess i'll be selling my 1st criterion bluray lol : (

[oliver_67]

Originally Posted by olivianewtonyawn

Just watched Persona (along with all supplements) which was a blind buy for me and my first Bergman. Frankly, I felt like the film flew by. I could have watched a few more hours of this one. Really loved it.

What should my next Bergman be? Also, is Persona his best?

Cries and whispers, wild strawberries, Fanny and Alexander, Seventh Seal.

[oliver_67]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I am in the process of watching Ali: Fear Eats The Soul, my first Fassbinder film, and I am enjoying it.

Am I wrong to assume that this is practically a remake of All That Heaven Allows, but with a different country and different standards?

To a larger degree. Sirk is one of Fassy's favorite directors and we can see his influence throughout his career.

[oliver_67]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

I just feel that Ullmann has the range as an actress to go anywhere in terms of emotion and do it with a technical prowess. The scene where she walks into, out of and back into Alma's room (almost floating) is very symbolic not only in the film but also of her acting style: she is so very effortless that it's as if she is not acting at all.

She is very good and Andersson was jus better in that film. I can even make an argument for Thulin. Ullman gained my full respect as an actress for her performance in Face to Face.

[The Bronx Bull]

To those in metro areas in the U.S., I highly recommend you locate the nearest theater playing Richard Linklater's "Boyhood" and watch the film.

The experience was phenomenal, and I look forward to seeing it again as soon as it is released on Blu-ray. Linklater can capture nostalgia to perfection, as many of you have seen in Dazed and Confused. But "Boyhood" is particularly special for those of us that grew up in the 90's or early 00's, as the film's moments mirror our own experiences - down to the nitty gritty detail.

[Ausjdm]

Haven't been on here since yesterday. Ah Gaspar Noé topic has hit the board!

Well I think people should start with I Stand Alone. It's atleast chronological but has Noé's disturbing themes and a crazy ending.

To me Irreversible is his best. The style was amazing. Would love this on Blu Ray! It's so detailed down to the dB levels used in the soundtrack to supposedly make you feel ill and disoriented. The "scene" didn't feel like 9 mins. Gotta be shorter but it's there to anger you intentionally. Strange thing is I remember when the movie was new people were up in arms about how could Noe film a real scene like that sicko.. It was cgi people drr, it's just a movie folks...

Enter the Void is the weakest of the group to me it should of been just a 30 min short. The second half was a bore. Can't say much w/o spoilers. Only positive was Paz de la Huerta I'm game for anything she's in!

[DenOfEarth]

Did you folks heard they got Watership down ?

Holy shit, awesome.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

Yes it is debatable.

Actually the only good, in my opinion, this film has brought forth is the question of what is entertainment versus pornography and torture.

Like the main character in Videodrome, what he considered entertainment might as well been real torture.

A 19 min rape scene and a man's head being beat to a pulp for over a good minute is not what I define as entertainment or even watchable.

To each his own.

I have a difficult time watching depictions of sadism in movies.

I don't have a problem with gore, and I don't have a problem with most depictions of violence, but sadism is tough for me to stomach.

I've spent the past couple of weeks "slumming it" with some early 1980s horror titles, mostly from Scream Factory, that my teenage nostalgia was yearning to revisit. I've watched Just Before Dawn, The Burning, The Final Terror, the first two Friday the 13th movies (which are the only ones worth owning, in my opinion), Deadly Blessing, Deadly Eyes, and Southern Comfort. These movies all have a fun creepiness factor to them, and they all feature grisly kill scenes from the days before computer effects. With the exception of Southern Comfort, which I consider to be Walter Hill's masterpiece, none of these movies are "great" movies by any strict sense of rating, but the trashiness of these flicks appeals to me since I grew up at just the right time for them to make a dent in my early days of appreciating cinema. I guess that I just like movies about people being hunted down in the woods.

Despite the violence and gore inherent in flicks like the ones above, though, there's a fortunate absence of outright sadism. In other words, the kill scenes are abrupt, and there's no real element of torture or of someone taking pleasure from causing pain.

To offer a comparative example, I had a lot of trouble sitting through the Australian horror movie, Wolf Creek, a few years ago, because, while it is not as gory as the above movies that I've listed, there were some sadistic scenes that bothered me. There was one scene where the killer had a woman tied up and was amusing himself by pointing a rifle at her and watching her scream. I almost left the movie at that point, because that sort of thing is a lot more disturbing to me than actual gore. I also have issues watching a film like Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, that features moments of sadism and cruelty leading up to the violence.

I rented Gaspar Noé's Irreversible a few years ago. I can understand and appreciate the artistic intent of the movie, and I think that the late great Roger Ebert summed up the film's aesthetic quite adeptly. I have no desire ever to sit through that movie again, though.

As much as I love Videodrome, it's a tough call at times, but the videotaped torture scenes are not drawn out in a lengthy and unflinching way. In that movie, the scenes are depicted as horrific in a way that relates to most of us, and they're a mere stepping stone to the main plot.

The most disturbing movie in my collection is Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs. There's a scene in that movie that I always have trouble watching, but other merits of the movie are extraordinary enough that I like to revisit the film from time to time.

I'm too much of a chicken to buy Salo, Antichrist, or In the Realm of the Senses. I do not know how those movies would compare to something like Irreversible, but I'm not sure if I want to know.

[Abdrewes]

Great Owl, Antichrist and In The Realm of the Senses are nowhere near as "sadistic" as Salo. There's rampant sexuality (which some may call debased) throughout, but the outbursts of violence are very minimal. I've seen those films multiple times, but I do not know if I'll ever muster the strength to see Salo again.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm too much of a chicken to buy Salo, Antichrist, or In the Realm of the Senses. I do not know how those movies would compare to something like Irreversible, but I'm not sure if I want to know.

I am of the same view as you vis-a-vis watching sadism/torture in movies, which is why I will not watch Rabid Dogs aka Kidnapped, although Bava is one of my fav film-makers. But I will also tell you that Ai No Corrida does not fall in that category. I do not recall any non-consensual behavior in that film. To me it's a very emotional film about sexual obsession.

[easyblu]

Picked up A Hard Day's Night on blu-ray. I've heard plenty of Beatles music on tv, movies, and public radio, but this is my first foray into the band outside of that. The movie was awesome. It was so laid back, and funny. I especially loved Ringo Starr. I don't mean to sound like an old man, but they don't make movies like this anymore. I really want to get into their music more now, and was thinking of getting one of their complete collections on CD. There is so many options, though. Is there a definitive complete collection?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Great Owl, Antichrist and In The Realm of the Senses are nowhere near as "sadistic" as Salo. There's rampant sexuality (which some may call debased) throughout, but the outbursts of violence are very minimal. I've seen those films multiple times, but I do not know if I'll ever muster the strength to see Salo again.

Originally Posted by ravenus

I am of the same view as you vis-a-vis watching sadism/torture in movies, which is why I will not watch Rabid Dogs aka Kidnapped, although Bava is one of my fav film-makers. But I will also tell you that Ai No Corrida does not fall in that category. I do not recall any non-consensual behavior in that film. To me it's a very emotional film about sexual obsession.

It occurs to me that I might have In the Realm of the Senses confused with Empire of Passion in terms of the descriptions that I've read. I might check out In the Realm of the Senses someday, but I'm not in a hurry, and I don't want to make a blind buy of the film.

Ravenus, I've also been intrigued to see some Bava films, but the descriptions of Kidnapped did not appeal to me. I'd like to see Black Sunday at some point.