The Criterion Collection

[CraigThom]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Don't want to be negative about your purchase, but I hope you're won't be disappointed.
I think this is not a film for everyone and not a blind-buy material.

I blind bought it on DVD, because back then there weren't other ways to see things like this. That's why I bought most of my Criterion DVDs.

I really liked it and am happy I bought it.

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by jayembee

No, it didn't. Bertrand Tavernier's Death Watch predicted reality TV a year earlier. And even that's not quite true, since Death Watch was based on a novel by D.G. Compton titled The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (a.k.a. The Unsleeping Eye) that was published in 1974.

I highly recommend Death Watch; it's one of my Top Five SF films of all time. It's available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory. Review is here.

Many things can predict the same outcome...

[lilboyblu]

I just noticed that Warner/New Line recently discontinued their Blu-ray of Robert Altman's The Player. Seeing that it was on Criterion Laserdisc back in the day and with several other Altman films already with the label, has there been any speculation that it may be getting the Criterion treatment once again? Possibly for it's 25th Anniversary in 2017?

[StLouisRibs]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

I just noticed that Warner/New Line recently discontinued their Blu-ray of Robert Altman's The Player. Seeing that it was on Criterion Laserdisc back in the day and with several other Altman films already with the label, has there been any speculation that it may be getting the Criterion treatment once again? Possibly for it's 25th Anniversary in 2017?

I very heavily doubt Criterion has any plan whatsoever for releases three years in advance. In general I'd guess based on the Wexner chats that at most a release takes 18 months from commission to release with very few exceptions.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

I just noticed that Warner/New Line recently discontinued their Blu-ray of Robert Altman's The Player. Seeing that it was on Criterion Laserdisc back in the day and with several other Altman films already with the label, has there been any speculation that it may be getting the Criterion treatment once again? Possibly for it's 25th Anniversary in 2017?

CC isn't in the anniversary edition biz to the best of my knowledge. I think StL Ribs is saying CC wouldn't hold onto a licensed property for 2 or 3 years just to have an "anniversary edition".

[lilboyblu]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

I very heavily doubt Criterion has any plan whatsoever for releases three years in advance. In general I'd guess based on the Wexner chats that at most a release takes 18 months from commission to release with very few exceptions.

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

CC isn't in the anniversary edition biz to the best of my knowledge. I think StL Ribs is saying CC wouldn't hold onto a licensed property for 2 or 3 years just to have an "anniversary edition".

I know.

Forget that I even mentioned the film's anniversary.

With New Line/Warner discontinuing their Blu-ray, and with Criterion having laserdisc rights in the past, I was wondering if there had been any speculation that it may get the Criterion treatment on Blu-ray too. Ever. However, upon further investigation, it appears that answer (for right now) is no.

[soarinsteven]

I watched Walkabout for the first time since a high school English class. Can't recall at all why we watched it. I remember being mostly bored, but disturbed by the father's unexplained actions,(still am) and uncomfortable with the depiction of animal violence, oh and the nudity, which made quite an impression on me at the time!

Now though, after becoming a film fan, and watching it on Blu, I can appreciate the style, intent, and tone of the film. The film is exquisitely shot showcasing the beauty and harshness of the outback setting and wildlife. Some of editing isn't exactly subtle when Nicolas Roeg contrasts life in the city versus the aboriginal way of life, but still effective, and the melancholy tone is just right. So heartbreaking is the scene with the aboriginal boy witnessing the rifle hunt. Great film, and I'm glad I finally revisited this, and the Criterion presentation is gorgeous.

[filmmusic]

Well, this is about an old release, but I just realised that the TV version of Fanny and Alexander is inferior to the theatrical one, in video quality. It seems DNRed a bit and blurry..
And I wanted to buy this..
I thought the same elements would be used for both..

http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ess=#vergleich
http://caps-a-holic.com/hd_vergleich...ess=#vergleich

[StLouisRibs]

They are the same elements, probably, but there's so much more content per disc. It's a compression issue if anything.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

They are the same elements, probably, but there's so much more content per disc. It's a compression issue if anything.

It doesn't seem so.
The colors are different too, but I don't mind that.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by jayembee

No, it didn't. Bertrand Tavernier's Death Watch predicted reality TV a year earlier. And even that's not quite true, since Death Watch was based on a novel by D.G. Compton titled The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (a.k.a. The Unsleeping Eye) that was published in 1974.

I highly recommend Death Watch; it's one of my Top Five SF films of all time. It's available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory. Review is here.

Reality TV was already here by 1973 at the latest, although we might not have had a name for it then. An American Family on PBS started it, and was even parodied in 1979 with Real Life by Albert Brooks.

[Polaroid]

im a tad drunk but my god i love criterion woooooooooood!

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

im a tad drunk but my god i love criterion woooooooooood!

You like Criterion wood?

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

You like Criterion wood?

I get excited about the Collection too, but not to that extreme!

[Blu-Velvet]

Just watched SANJURO again for the first time in about four-and-a-half years, the perfect movie to open a bottle of sake for! I remember having liked it before, but thinking it was a substantial step below YOJIMBO. This time I enjoyed and appreciated it much better, its satiric edge and outright comedy, the semi-surprise result of the inevitable final showdown, and of course the magnificent use of the widescreen black-and-white cinematography, though it's still not quite as good a film as YOJIMBO.

Now, of course, I'm feeling like I should watch YOJIMBO again, if not a few Zatoichi films (especially ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO). They're all great to see on a nice big screen!

[ijustblumyself]

Watched The Seventh Seal for the first time today, and I was pleasantly surprised by how funny a movie about death could be.
Absolutely loved it.

[CinemaBlu]

Originally Posted by ijustblumyself

Watched The Seventh Seal for the first time today, and I was pleasantly surprised by how funny a movie about death could be.
Absolutely loved it.

People assume that important directors like Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Renoir, early Godard, etc make pretentious "serious" dramatic films, but they're really great entertainers with a lot of comedy in their work.

Comedy in a movie like The Seventh Seal heightens the impact of the tragic moments. A lot of people don't realize that there's even some comedy in Schindler's List.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

Just watched SANJURO again for the first time in about four-and-a-half years, the perfect movie to open a bottle of sake for! I remember having liked it before, but thinking it was a substantial step below YOJIMBO. This time I enjoyed and appreciated it much better, its satiric edge and outright comedy, the semi-surprise result of the inevitable final showdown, and of course the magnificent use of the widescreen black-and-white cinematography, though it's still not quite as good a film as YOJIMBO.

Now, of course, I'm feeling like I should watch YOJIMBO again, if not a few Zatoichi films (especially ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO). They're all great to see on a nice big screen!

I love Sanjuro, and I enjoy it as much as Yojimbo. The latter is the better overall film, but I find Sanjuro to more entertaining. It's strange too, because even though it is a black and white movie, when I think back on many scenes,

[Show spoiler]like the red and white camellias going down stream

, I see it all in color. It looks great in B&W no doubt, but I think it would also have looked amazing in color too.

Here's a rare color shot from the set:

[Scottie]

Am I the only one who prefers A Fistful of Dollars to Yojimbo?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Am I the only one who prefers A Fistful of Dollars to Yojimbo?

I hold the two movies in equal regard. Since I was familiar with A Fistful of Dollars for many years before I first saw Yojimbo, my viewings of the Kurosawa film will never quite escape the shadow of the Leone film. I've come to appreciate both of them for different reasons.

Interestingly enough, though, I've never seen The Magnificent Seven, which is the Western interpretation of Seven Samurai.