The Criterion Collection

[blu-bry]

Well, I'm nearly through my Zatoichi boxed set. I have only 2 more films to go. It has taken a while - I try to watch one each weekend, but that pattern was interrupted duing the big July sale.
I have to say that I am somewhat disappointed in the last several that I have watched. I really enjoyed the set right from the beginning. It seemed that the films, in general, got better as I went through the first two-thirds of the set. Then, after "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo" I started to get less and less impressed with the films. I'm anxious to hear what others think.
The last several that I have watched seem more "Americanized" for lack of a better term. The comedy has turned to the ridiculous, some of the extra comedic actors are wildly over-acting, there is a lot more blood and arterial spurts but it's exaggerated and fake looking, makeup (especially hairpieces) is more visible, and there is some brief but unnecessary nudity. Maybe it's just me, but the next time I feel like going through this set I'll stick to the earlier films.
As for my minor complaints that involve appearances, I do understand that these were never expected to be scrutinized in high definition on home screens, but still, the earlier movies just worked better for me.

[monorail91]

Watched F For Fake yesterday and was not feeling it - even fell asleep at one point, then went back and re-watched. It just felt so self-indulgent and hammered the fakery theme way too hard. Welles as narrator kept chuckling over lines about how fake biographies about a faker turned out to be fake... more obnoxious than entertaining.

I guess I appreciate the very unconventional style but oy... definitely not one I need to revisit.

[ccg1978]

What are the chances of Criterion releasing Broken Circle Breakdown?

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by ccg1978

What are the chances of Criterion releasing Broken Circle Breakdown?

I think it's already been released in the states, so I would imagine the chances are low.

[vertigo12314]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Watched F For Fake yesterday and was not feeling it - even fell asleep at one point, then went back and re-watched. It just felt so self-indulgent and hammered the fakery theme way too hard. Welles as narrator kept chuckling over lines about how fake biographies about a faker turned out to be fake... more obnoxious than entertaining.

I guess I appreciate the very unconventional style but oy... definitely not one I need to revisit.

Pretty much how I felt.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

The Thin Red Line topped the "ridiculous" AV Club list of the best films of the 90s, so the internet "hipsters" are certainly fond of that one.

I've never really seen the Shakespeare In Love backlash as having anything to do with it beating Saving Private Ryan, which I think is a lousy film in itself. SiL is bad on its own merits!

Yes, yes...

and yes!

[ccg1978]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I think it's already been released in the states, so I would imagine the chances are low.

incorrect, I don't see any Region A releases

[bwdowiak]

just catching up on all the weekend posts.

to be clear, although I think the discussion was going to happen whether or not I was the first one here to question Tootsie..

I have no issue whatsoever with however mainstream the film is or isn't. an enjoyable film is an enjoyable film whether it's Dear John (yes, I have this film in my collection and while it is certainly not a great film, I will readily defend its merits) or Last Year at Marienbad or Un Chien Andalou.

I just happen to be completely uninterested in this title.

[bwdowiak]

a few other thoughts..

there is no need for CC to release Vertigo. the disc looks and sounds just fine.

group think most definitely exists even in these circles, so let's not applaud ourselves too much. I think words like nerd, geek, fanboy, hipster are ok when self-deprecating, but otherwise.. I'd really prefer for people not to toss them around.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by ccg1978

incorrect, I don't see any Region A releases

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...w_bottom_links

It's dvd only, but it's there.

[adamhopelies]

Received All That Jazz this morning. Pleasantly surprised that it's not a digi-book.

[TJS_Blu]

deleted post

[starman15317]

Ordered The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore from Best Buy. About time I get some Anderson films!

[bwdowiak]

I saw The 400 Blows last night. I had only seen it once before... probably on a VHS tape... and it was one of the first handful of foreign films I had ever seen in my life when I was around 20-ish some years ago. I recall feeling rather neutral about it. French film was, to me..... well.. foreign? and the style and manner in which the story unfolds was certainly not something I was used to.

Anyway, it is a wonderful, wonderful film. I can't add much to what has already been said about it. Just great stuff. The Cannes bit and the screen tests were so much fun, too. Priceless-ly cool to see 13 year old Jeanne Pierre Leaud talk about being in movies and whatnot. Every time he pops up in a new Godard film I have recently discovered, it is about as fun as seeing Hitchcock pop up in his own films.

Anyone not like The 400 Blows?


this is a brand new short article on Leaud.. it being so new, I just figured that I'd post it. maybe those who'd be interested have not seen it yet

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...08-101saj.html

[pjoseph23]

Originally Posted by starman15317

Ordered The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore from Best Buy. About time I get some Anderson films!

Thanks for the tip on the Best Buy sale. Just ordered Slacker and Dazed and Confused which I had been saving for the next B&N sale. That will free up money for the Les Blank set in November.

[pedromvu]

Just ordered The Jacques Demy Set, The Freshman and Persona at BB, because those are the ones i still haven't seen.

Now my wishlist is at 10 ready for the next Criterion Flash sale.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I would have voted The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, or Quiz Show as a Best Picture winner over Forrest Gump. 1994 was quite a strong year in terms of nominations.

I've never seen Quiz Show, but have been interested in it for years. I don't think that it has a blu-ray release, so I this would probably be good Criterion material, no?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I've never seen Quiz Show, but have been interested in it for years. I don't think that it has a blu-ray release, so I this would probably be good Criterion material, no?

I believe that there is a region-free import of Quiz Show floating around somewhere, but I still have not pulled the trigger on it. It would be a superb Criterion title.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I saw The 400 Blows last night. I had only seen it once before... probably on a VHS tape... and it was one of the first handful of foreign films I had ever seen in my life when I was around 20-ish some years ago. I recall feeling rather neutral about it. French film was, to me..... well.. foreign? and the style and manner in which the story unfolds was certainly not something I was used to.

Anyway, it is a wonderful, wonderful film. I can't add much to what has already been said about it. Just great stuff. The Cannes bit and the screen tests were so much fun, too. Priceless-ly cool to see 13 year old Jeanne Pierre Leaud talk about being in movies and whatnot. Every time he pops up in a new Godard film I have recently discovered, it is about as fun as seeing Hitchcock pop up in his own films.

Agree that The 400 Blows is a masterpiece. I've seen it several times over the years, and obviously the best presentation was on the Criterion Disk (I've only seen the DVD, not the Blu). In any case, superb, clean print.

This was definitely one of the most moving, poignant films I've ever seen. Brilliant story of a kid growing up, with all of the difficulties going along with this. Also really enjoyed the time & place; late 1950's Paris was as much of a character in the film as Antoine and Rene. I've always enjoyed urban settings, and this was one of the best portraits of a city from this time period that I've seen.

Though the film was a drama, there were some amusing moments:

- The sequence when the small children were put into a fenced area on the grounds of the juvenile facility, presumably to "protect" them from the wild delinquents - LOL.

And, the end was fantastic; I've always liked uncertain endings in film, which I think makes them more interesting & leaves them open to interpretation. In this case, it brings up some questions:

[Show spoiler]Did Antoine eventually get captured & go back to the juvenile facility, or did he sucessfully escape and end up on the streets of Paris or another city? Obviously, he didn't go back to live with his parents. In any case, as far as I'm concerned this was a perfect ending to the film, and, though I was left wondering what happened, IMHO it didn't need any sequels or explanations. It's a powerful movie that should be left to stand on it's own.

That being said, I have seen all of the other Antoine Doniel films in the series a while back (re: the 200X Criterion Collection set), i.e. Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, etc. I found all of them dull, and they pale in comparison to the brilliance of The 400 Blows. I guess I felt that Antoine as a kid was more interesting than Antoine as an adult...

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by pjoseph23

Thanks for the tip on the Best Buy sale. Just ordered Slacker and Dazed and Confused which I had been saving for the next B&N sale. That will free up money for the Les Blank set in November.

Why not search the deals forum more often? If it wasn't for that post in a criterion thread you would've missed out.