The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jayembee

If anything, I think the retro-tech of Brazil is what keeps it from being "dated". Movies tend to look dated when they try to imagine the future, and end up being shortsighted. The computer technology in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) looks archaic compared to what we were actually using in 2001. And 2010 (1984) looks even worse compared to actually 2010 technology.

Gilliam deliberately using a retro design counterintuitively, but emphatically, keeps it from looking like a wrong-headed look at future tech. Max Headroom borrowed this idea successfully a few years later.

While reading that, Things to Come popped in my mind.

And yes, that's a great point. Although, nothing design related can affect my enjoyment of a film to any great degree. I appreciate anything that others have clearly put time and effort into.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

You did touch on a point that I do find interesting though and that is in my opinion, many films in the 80s are inescapable from that decade. I find by and large, films from the 60s, 70s and 90s all feel more relatable then those of the 80s. Just look at Jaws, The Excorcist, One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest, High and Low, Circle Rouge, The Three Colors Trilogy, Star Wars, 2001, etc.

Just out of curiosity, are you a "child of the 80s"? I don't find 80s films to particularly dated (except maybe the John Hughes style of teen hipster movie). On the other hand, as a "child of the 60s", I find a lot of 60s movies to feel dated. Especially those that seek to embrace the counterculture of the time, or to mock it.

Anyway, I'm curious to see if there's a link between what decade's films one feels are "dated" and which decade is of one's formative years.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Anyone recommend Element of Crime the trailer looks good and I like Lars Von trier movies. I haven't heard much on here about it.

If you like Trier's movies, then I would imagine you'd like Element of Crime. As one of his earlier movies, it's not quite as polished as the later ones, but it's still quite good.

[Polaroid]

Watched King of the Hill and loved it

Need to rematch fully as watched last night in bed so drifted off a few times (was tired not due to film) but saw most of ti and it was really good ) for me, it didn't really feel to Hollywood which was nice as I was a tad worried - but then again his other studios film like Contagion, for me were quite good.

I loved the look and feel of the film and the characters were great

I do recommend it !

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

The 80s had some amazing films:

Raging Bull
Paris, Texas
Dekalog
Blade Runner
Teen Wolf
Breakfast Club

By the way what are you drinking?

No disagreement on that list but feel like they are more outliers or exceptions. I have not seen Dekalog yet but Raging Bull,,Paris, Texas, Blade Runner and even The Breakfast Club (but to a lesser extent then the first 3) do not feel they are a product of that decade to me if that makes sense.

Oh and it was a bottle of Malbec (name escapes me and I am now laying in bed) and a couple of Peaks Organic Summer Session Ales I brought back from Maine this week.

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Just out of curiosity, are you a "child of the 80s"? I don't find 80s films to particularly dated (except maybe the John Hughes style of teen hipster movie). On the other hand, as a "child of the 60s", I find a lot of 60s movies to feel dated. Especially those that seek to embrace the counterculture of the time, or to mock it.

Anyway, I'm curious to see if there's a link between what decade's films one feels are "dated" and which decade is of one's formative years.

Child of the 80s (born in 76).

I have been revisiting a bunch of 80s flicks over the last month and while some films like Brazil, I have always felt dated, there are others I feel it for different reasons. The acting in so many movies I once considered classics is just over the top bad. The film The Outsiders is an example of this for me.

[myka22]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Anyone recommend Element of Crime the trailer looks good and I like Lars Von trier movies. I haven't heard much on here about it.

Definitely. It's one of my favorite Trier films, it is very visual. The film is a little rough around the edges, but it has a strong atmosphere.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Child of the 80s (born in 76).

I have been revisiting a bunch of 80s flicks over the last month and while some films like Brazil, I have always felt dated, there are others I feel it for different reasons. The acting in so many movies I once considered classics is just over the top bad. The film The Outsiders is an example of this for me.

I was born in 1972, and I came of age during the 1980s.

A quick look at the Statistics page on my collection reveals that 18.8% of my movies are from the 1950s, 18.5% are from the 1960s, and 15.8% are from the 1980s. (The Zatoichi box set noticeably inflates my 1960s statistic, but that's not cheating.)

I love movies of the 1980s. I mean, I love movies of the 1980s.

I own and love several 1980s films that most people consider to be bad movies, namely Night of the Comet, Bachelor Party, Deadly Eyes, The Legend of Billie Jean, the first two Friday the 13th movies, The Burning, Real Genius, Somewhere in Time, Deadly Blessing, Scanners, Cat People, Swamp Thing, The Final Terror, Red Dawn, Lifeforce, Weird Science, and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. These "bad" films are oh-so-good to me, because they made their way into my awareness at a time when I was just getting into cinema.

You better believe that I'm going to be rocking out the upcoming Mill Creek Blu-ray of Krull in September.

Southern Comfort was my most eagerly awaited Blu-ray of this month, despite all of my highbrow talk about the Criterion releases.

I also believe that Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders is a tremendous film.

[adamhopelies]

Academically the European cinema of the 1960s has always been my subject. That being said, I have noticed this year that my affection for the 1980s has really grown. Having mounted an extensive rewatch of the work of Eric Rohmer, whose comedies and proverbs are wholly set in the 80s and amongst his most endearing works, I began to reevaluate which era it was that I truly held the most affection for, with the likes of Full Moon In Paris, Pauline At The Beach and The Green Ray really stirring my imagination. Maurice Pialat's Loulou and A Nos Amours are other favourites. I've also been reexamining a lot of Godard's films from the 80s too, while last Winter's release of Jacques Rivette's Le Pont du Nord was my highlight of the year in home video after the mammoth Potemkine Rohmer box-set.

[Mansinthe]

japanese cinema of the 1960s was pretty good as well

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

japanese cinema of the 1960s was pretty good as well

Did you get around to reading my friends article on the subject ?

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

Did you get around to reading my friends article on the subject ?

About the Teshigahra movies:

not yet.. but i will this weekend. i did already read the first paragraph and it sounds really interessting. i hope there is something written about the difference between the movies and the books. i plan on getting them as well.

but it was already interessting enough that there is a fourth movie of that kind (director + author of the books) that wasnt included in the set.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Watched King of the Hill and loved it

Need to rematch fully as watched last night in bed so drifted off a few times (was tired not due to film) but saw most of ti and it was really good ) for me, it didn't really feel to Hollywood which was nice as I was a tad worried - but then again his other studios film like Contagion, for me were quite good.

I loved the look and feel of the film and the characters were great

I do recommend it !

I watched King of the Hill a couple of weeks ago, and it's one of my favorite Criterion discs in a while. I really enjoyed the 1930s style, it was very well done. Great acting and story too. I'm going to check out The Underneath when I get a chance.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

.......... I suppose this question works for everyone. Of the Criterion blus that you own, what % have you watched?

Sorry for the late reply. You people move fast in here.

Out of 77 total Criterion titles, I've watched 39 ... so I'm right around 50%. If I count the movies in my collection that I've seen before, but not the Criterion bluray of it yet ... then I can add 18 more titles (or 57 out of 77), which is around 74%. I'm surprised ... I didn't think I was doing that well.

[Alex DeLarge]

I finally picked up Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL from Criterion (the import was one of the first Blu-rays I ever purchased) along with all of his BDs as part of the B&N sale. What a fantastic transfer and sound restoration and a step up from the UK release.

I write a bit about films that move me deeply as a way of attempting to understand these mysterious moving pictures that flash before my eyes. I examine Form, Narrative Structure, Sound/Score, and Acting in my reviews. Sometimes I write elliptically and come to meaning or feeling poetically and lose my readers in allegory or metaphor. I often lose myself by creating.

I've been collecting Criterion since the dawn of the DVD Era and have replaced much of my collection with Blu-ray; not necessarily Criterion BD! Masters of Cinema is releasing some great films in the UK that are worth importing since my theatre is region/code free. If you have some time please peruse my blogs below and leave some friendly feedback: I love to chat about films. I just started a Criterion blog called CRITERIOLOGY where I will only review, yes you guessed it, films released in the Criterion Collection. Note that I do not review A/V quality only my impressions of the films themselves. If you're interested in pictures of my humble home theatre and a list of tech, click on the link in my blogs labeled Infernal Devices.

[Ausjdm]

Anyone have opinion on Bad Timing at the store the movie seems interesting let me know guys help! Lol

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Roninblues

Wow, I couldn't even name one.

Oh, I've delved deeply into the world of classic cinema, yessiree.

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Anyone have opinion on Bad Timing at the store the movie seems interesting let me know guys help! Lol

I saw Bad Timing on DVD, and I did not warm up to it in the same way that I warmed up to Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Don't Look Now. It's an interesting little movie, though, and I plan to give it a second chance if it is upgraded to Blu-ray anytime soon.

[The Great Owl]

I just watched L'Atalante, and am now watching the commentary track. This will wrap up The Complete Jean Vigo set for me, and I've really enjoyed the experience. It's inspiring that Vigo won the race against death to create these four films that have influenced so many in both technical and artistic terms.

L'Atalante evokes comparisons with Murnau's Sunrise, but the Vigo film adds some sharp observations about social conditions in cities, and it also has an engagingly rough-around-the-edges feel, the sort that would surface many years later in Italian neorealist cinema. I recognized the amazing Dita Parlo from her role as a farm woman in Renoir's La Grande Illusion.

The Vigo films, as iScottie observed earlier this week, have a rather interesting mix of refinement and crudeness. I like this honest and unflinching view of society that this director gave us.

The commentary tracks from Michael Temple for all four of the Vigo films are hugely informative, and I cannot recommend them enough for those who enjoy the films. If you're a first-timer, like I was when I started this set yesterday, then it's worthwhile to listen to the commentaries after watching each film.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

The 80s had some amazing films:

Raging Bull
Paris, Texas
Dekalog
Blade Runner
Teen Wolf
Breakfast Club

By the way what are you drinking?

Teen Wolf? Not sure if that was a sarcastic listing. The 80s get a bad rep because along with the 00s and so far in the 10s, it represents the most mindless generic films without much substance in the history of cinema. But underneath all the garbage, there are some true cinematic gems to be found. Some of my favorite, character based movies that don't rely on action, special effects or the hot teen factor, along with most of what you mentioned:

Drugstore Cowboy
Do The Right Thing
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Something Wild
Barfly

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I think THE thing we can agree on tonight is that a Monterey Pop-style release of anything Post-punk, New wave, College rock, or 80s Alternative would be more than welcome. I too am a huge fan of the era (late seventies to mid eighties).

Re: Curious Case of Benjamin Button case: switch it out with that of Short Term 12. Even if it isn't "Criterion Wide" and won't accommodate taller cover art, at least you'll get a clear case to match the others.

I'd keep the better movie in the case, which in this case is Short Term 12.