The Criterion Collection

[aes3728]

If there was still any doubt to Fellini's Satyricon, the top 10 list from this month is by Mary Ellen Mark, and on the email it says that she took still photos for Satyricon.

Coincidence? I think not.

[The Great Owl]

I'm down to the final film of The Vincent Price Collection, Witchfinder General. I'll watch it tonight, but I'll probably be delving into the extras into tomorrow evening.

I still haven't watched my Criterion Blu-ray of I Married a Witch, so I'm thinking that it might be fun to watch it as a follow-up to Witchfinder General. I have a feeling that I might need it to cheer me up after seeing the Price film.

[WalterNeff]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm down to the final film of The Vincent Price Collection, Witchfinder General. I'll watch it tonight, but I'll probably be delving into the extras into tomorrow evening.

I still haven't watched my Criterion Blu-ray of I Married a Witch, so I'm thinking that it might be fun to watch it as a follow-up to Witchfinder General. I have a feeling that I might need it to cheer me up after seeing the Price film.

Naw. If you want to cheer up, just listen to Witchfinder General's theme song!

[Polaroid]

The newsletter drawing reminds me of the end of 'The Canterbury Tales' lol

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Now I can really take up on Abdrewes' recommendation.

I tried my best to locate the little capsule I wrote last year on Summer with Monika, but to no avail.

I think Summer Interlude is the safer recommendation out of those two Bergmans, but Summer with Monika was much more rewarding. I know many have issues with connecting to the main characters (who are admittedly hard to like), but I love my cinema with all the glorious rough edges that make up real life. Often, a certain disconnect is triggered within me when I notice that the filmmakers have chosen to sand away all the bits that they think audiences will find disagreeable.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I always associate the title, "Satyricon", with the Meat Beat Manifesto album of that title that was released during the early 1990s when I was in college. Great stuff!

Blew my mind! Phooooooooosh! Impeccable taste again G.O.:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=unMl7h715sY&list=ALBTKoXRg38BBf3QX0TvBNanULXggHbqoi&index=1

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I liked it well enough, though it didn't knock me out. Something about the ending

[Show spoiler]after they come back from their brief excursion that resonated with me, plus I like the shot of her smoking the cigarette and looking all bada$$.

Yeah, I really liked some parts, but the parts where they were living in the boat and stealing didn't really do much for me.

Originally Posted by aes3728

Fellini's Satyricon!

It was confirmed at a Criterion conference a year or two ago, so pretty neat that it is definitely coming now.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Like I posted a couple years ago, it was quite the departure for Bergman to make such a film which is almost French New Wave in style. So, I really took to it! But then again, I'm a bit of a Bergman stalwart, so my affinity to Monika is only natural. I find too many of his films to traverse the same territory stylistically and thematically.

I can see what you mean, but I really like the dark aspects to his work.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by aes3728

Fellini's Satyricon!

My fault for getting to the thread late.

For those who don't know what to make of the movie on first watch, Roger Ebert did a good criticism of Fellini's approach to it as "Proof of why the '68 Summer of Love wouldn't have lasted forever"--
Rome's self-indulgence would have eventually collapsed in on itself (as we see it surrealistically starting to do), and the final shot symbolizes how the mod 50's/60's Rome of Fellini's early years mythologizes but can't quite grasp their more famous ancestors were for real.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

There haven't been any Fellini releases in a while. It's been mostly Kurosawa and Bergman.

I wonder if they also got the rights to Fellini's Roma.

Huh? We've only had 2 Kurosawa titles released early this year, and overall CC have only released 8 titles since 2009. So really, they need to ramp it up some more if anything

[jw007]

I went deep into my collection last night and finally decided to watch Nashville. I have strong mixed feelings about this one, folks. I liked the second half more than the first half but there was something so alienating about this movie that it drove me crazy in a subtle way. I'm not really a country music fan so that probably did not help, but man, this movie was just all over the place. I understand its supposed to follow the lives of 2 dozen characters but the film reminded me of Richard Linklater's Slacker in some ways, because characters were just popping in and out of random places. A very young Jeff Goldblum, as the "tricycle man", didn't say a single word in the film but I had no idea he was in this movie in the first place which surprised me. I am not exactly sure what the message of Nashville is, but it really is an epic in terms of directing and acting.

Does anyone here have mixed feelings about Nashville like I did as well?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by EricJ

For those who don't know what to make of the movie on first watch, Roger Ebert did a good criticism of Fellini's approach to it as "Proof of why the '68 Summer of Love wouldn't have lasted forever"--
Rome's self-indulgence would have eventually collapsed in on itself (as we see it surrealistically starting to do), and the final shot symbolizes how the mod 50's/60's Rome of Fellini's early years mythologizes but can't quite grasp their more famous ancestors were for real.

The three Fellini films that I've seen (8½, La Dolce Vita, I Vitelloni) all seem to deal with the impracticality of carefree extravagance and with the inevitability of responsibility. Maybe I'm misreading the director altogether, but I get that vibe from these three movies, at least.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jw007

I went deep into my collection last night and finally decided to watch Nashville. I have strong mixed feelings about this one, folks. I liked the second half more than the first half but there was something so alienating about this movie that it drove me crazy in a subtle way. I'm not really a country music fan so that probably did not help, but man, this movie was just all over the place. I understand its supposed to follow the lives of 2 dozen characters but the film reminded me of Richard Linklater's Slacker in some ways, because characters were just popping in and out of random places. A very young Jeff Goldblum, as the "tricycle man", didn't say a single word in the film but I had no idea he was in this movie in the first place which surprised me. I am not exactly sure what the message of Nashville is, but it really is an epic in terms of directing and acting.

Does anyone here have mixed feelings about Nashville like I did as well?

I've got your back on this one.

One of the reasons why I enjoy watching movies is to "meet" good people or interesting people. Nashville, however, seemed to convey an inside joke of sorts where the filmmakers wanted me to laugh at the characters with them. There are a few moments where genuine compassion can be directed at the characters (the elderly man who loses his wife, Lily Tomlin's housewife character, etc.), but most of the movie had a smarmy vibe to it that did not appeal to me.

Here is my User Review of Nashville, where I tried my best to summarize my favorable and unfavorable impressions of the film.

I gave Nashville four stars in terms of movie content just because of the interesting challenges that the movie presents, but it's one of my least favorite Criterion Blu-rays. I'll be revisiting it in the future, though, to have some more cracks at its shell.

[vertigo12314]

Originally Posted by jw007

I went deep into my collection last night and finally decided to watch Nashville. I have strong mixed feelings about this one, folks. I liked the second half more than the first half but there was something so alienating about this movie that it drove me crazy in a subtle way. I'm not really a country music fan so that probably did not help, but man, this movie was just all over the place. I understand its supposed to follow the lives of 2 dozen characters but the film reminded me of Richard Linklater's Slacker in some ways, because characters were just popping in and out of random places. A very young Jeff Goldblum, as the "tricycle man", didn't say a single word in the film but I had no idea he was in this movie in the first place which surprised me. I am not exactly sure what the message of Nashville is, but it really is an epic in terms of directing and acting.

Does anyone here have mixed feelings about Nashville like I did as well?

I really loved it when it was out on DVD but when I bought it on Blu-ray I could barely get through half of it. I don't know what happened but I felt I didn't need to see the movie ever again. That's the one thing about having a large collection of movies is that you can tell after some time which movies you'll want to keep and which you'll find dated.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've got your back on this one.

One of the reasons why I enjoy watching movies is to "meet" good people or interesting people. Nashville, however, seemed to convey an inside joke of sorts where the filmmakers wanted me to laugh at the characters with them. There are a few moments where genuine compassion can be directed at the characters (the elderly man who loses his wife, Lily Tomlin's housewife character, etc.), but most of the movie had a smarmy vibe to it that did not appeal to me.

Here is my User Review of Nashville, where I tried my best to summarize my favorable and unfavorable impressions of the film.

I gave Nashville four stars in terms of movie content just because of the interesting challenges that the movie presents, but it's one of my least favorite Criterion Blu-rays. I'll be revisiting it in the future, though, to have some more cracks at its shell.

I recall reading in this thread about your disapproval of Nashville. You are totally spot on in terms of the film conveying a sort of "inside joke" and being smarmy at times. It was both fascinating but also grueling (and even boring!) at times, but I know I'll need to re-watch this one again sometime in the future, just not yet (unless I decide to tonight after going through the supplements and watching it with the director's commentary on). Altman isn't one of my favorite directors I admit. His other film in the collection, Short Cuts, has characters that have to be the most unlikeable I've ever encountered in a film. 3 Women is interesting but ultimately frustrating as well to me. There is a sort of distancing and alienating factor going on in Altman's movies which reminds me of Bresson at times, but nevertheless, Nashville is an incredibly ambitious film about celebrity and its deceptions in the country music scene. It's one of the most essential movies of the 1970s too.

I'll be back on this thread later tonight to catch up on other responses (if any) to Nashville and Altman.

Ttyl.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jw007

[Show spoiler]I recall reading in this thread about your disapproval of Nashville. You are totally spot on in terms of the film conveying a sort of "inside joke" and being smarmy at times. It was both fascinating but also grueling (and even boring!) at times, but I know I'll need to re-watch this one again sometime in the future, just not yet (unless I decide to tonight after going through the supplements and watching it with the director's commentary on). Altman isn't one of my favorite directors I admit. His other film in the collection, Short Cuts, has characters that have to be the most unlikeable I've ever encountered in a film. 3 Women is interesting but ultimately frustrating as well to me. There is a sort of distancing and alienating factor going on in Altman's movies which reminds me of Bresson at times, but nevertheless, Nashville is an incredibly ambitious film about celebrity and its deceptions in the country music scene. It's one of the most essential movies of the 1970s too.

I'll be back on this thread later tonight to catch up on other responses (if any) to Nashville and Altman.

Ttyl.

I'll have to give it a try. My library has the Blu-ray copy available. Usually, when things are hyped down is when I find it easiest to enjoy a film. I don't like country music either, but a heartfelt song is a heartfelt song, so I'll have to see if it works on me. Plus, the city of Nashville is one of the cleanest, most fun, tastiest food places I have ever been. Live music at nearly every bar - even during the day. You don't have to like country music to enjoy the vibe there. Great city!

[DaveyJoe]

I loved Summer with Monika. I don't see the characters as unlikable at all. Who didn't have a similar relationship when they were 17? At that time you are convinced that you're in love but an infatuation could be the cause of your raging hormones at that age. I would make impulsive decisions without thinking about the consequences and prefer to just live in the now. I sympathized with the characters because the movie forced me to reflect upon my own early "loves" and life as a teenager. The gut punch of the third act as reality sets in for the two idealists hit me hard. I think the movie was absolutely great, and I guess a lot of that will depend on how much you can relate to the characters. Were you guys really that mature in your teens?

Think about what these characters have going for them. They both work shitty jobs where, Monika is constantly facing sexual harassment and Harry is way out of his element, taking constant abuse from his superiors. Monika is abused by her drunken father, and Harry seems to just exist with his father, rather than have a meaningful relationship with him. Keep in mind these people didn't have an outlet like video games or an online message board dedicated to their favorite hobbies, that was pretty much all their life amounted to. Then you meet a beautiful person who wants to spend time with you, of course you're going to immerse yourself and make that person your escape from the harsh realities of life. At 17, who wouldn't want to quit their job and flee to a remote landscape to make love all day long? Of course this idyllic lifestyle can't last and the way their relationship ends is heartbreaking, but completely realistic.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

At 17, who wouldn't want to quit their job and flee to a remote landscape to make love all day long? Of course this idyllic lifestyle can't last and the way their relationship ends is heartbreaking, but completely realistic.

I was supposed to stop wanting that at 17?

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

I wonder if they also got the rights to Fellini's Roma.

You can count on that.

Here is a few MGM titles that will likely be part of the CC sooner or later:

Roma
Europa Europa
Burn!
How I Won The War
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
King of Hearts
My Beautiful Laundrette

http://criterioncast.com/news/five-m...on-collection/

http://criterioncast.com/news/ten-mg...on-collection/

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I was supposed to stop wanting that at 17?

No, but hopefully stop acting on it.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Akijama

You can count on that.

Here is a few MGM titles that will likely be part of the CC sooner or later:

Roma
Europa Europa
Burn!
How I Won The War
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
King of Hearts
My Beautiful Laundrette

http://criterioncast.com/news/five-m...on-collection/

http://criterioncast.com/news/ten-mg...on-collection/

I'd love to see King of Hearts. I remember seeing it when I was younger, and I was trying to remember what it was called. Thankfully a google of some keywords allowed me to find it a few months back