The Criterion Collection

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Only seen once and for me was enough, was a while back and its not stuck with me and can barely remember it tbh, all I remember was cliche horror elements, boring story again full of cliches, and the ending... seriously? I thought the end was a joke until I realised it was serious :/, the film itself for me had no tension or anything to draw me in, I just didn't care about it lol.

Just an awful film, nothing special for me.

If you guys like it then fine, but for me it's not even worth watching the trailer. I may be over reacting and as I said not seen in ages but what I remember was a very bad film and feeling extremely disappointed and let down.

I can't think of any reason to give this film a try again... Oh and I couldn't stand any of the characters so I just didn't care about them lol

Don't even get me started on Orphan LOL.

Honestly don't get why so many people have hard time understanding why I hate the film? and don't really need patronising lol, i know what film I am talking to about, how can you confuse those two films...?

Relax. You're certainly entitled to your opinion. It is hard to believe, but quite a few ppl on this site have confused The Orphanage with The Orphan.

[aes3728]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

I'm not in school either, but I do still keep up with things (I still want to do a PhD one day

As someone who is in the process of getting a PhD I will agree that academic texts are expensive. Happy to really advance the conversation with this point.

[Gusto-Guus]

Is Scanners worth a blind buy?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Gusto-Guus

Is Scanners worth a blind buy?

If you're a fan of 80s styled body horror, sure.

[Gusto-Guus]

Originally Posted by iScottie

If you're a fan of 80s styled body horror, sure.

Well, I went ahead and ordered it after watching some scenes on youtube. Looks interesting enough to warrant a discounted purchase.

[Polaroid]

Scanners has some brilliant moments and for me made the purchase worth it. It's a film you can just sit back and enjoy, you don't need to over think or pay 100% attention to it, which is a nice break from those films that do require a lot of attention and analysis.

The transfer is great and the packaging/artwork and supplements are great and you get an extra film on it which I have yet to watch!

I was happy paying full price but if you can get in sale go for it, its got some awesome moments - and the special effects are pretty awesome for the year it came out

[Beauvoir]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Because you bought American. I 9/10, my American purchases take forever because Customs hates it. Yet, my UK stuff is only a day or two behind anything I order in Canada.

They never responded to the email I sent them a few days ago but luckily Scanners arrived today so I'm good.

[Polaroid]

Oh my Eraserhead replacement disc came yesterday

[jw007]

I watched Melancholia last night for the first time (I bought the blu-ray the same day at B&N during the 30% off sale using a 20% coupon for about $10 total) and thought it was an incredibly disturbing film! I've yet to experience a film quite like it...there was just such a foreboding sense of dread, and thats the best way to describe the film. By showing the ending first, the viewer just has to start wondering when those "effects" start happening (if any) and those early sequences are just brilliantly depicted in such a horrific way. It's quite possibly the bleakest story I've ever witnessed in a movie (I mean, the total destruction of Planet Earth? How can you beat that?).

I had just seen The Tree of Life the night before and then watch Melancholia the next night and that is what I call a 1-2 punch of visual eye candy!

[fdm]

Originally Posted by ejm69

http://letterboxd.com/edwin/list/com...lms-criterion/

May this help you.

I think that will do the trick. (!!)

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Playtime Blu-ray REVIEW...

Hey Pro-B - do you have any thoughts on this post from Alex DeLarge following your Playtime review? It's been a few months since this post and I am surprised there has been no more discussion about this issue!

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by Alex DeLarge

Criterion's PLAYTIME is OoP but many felt they needn't worry because of the Tati restoration and all inclusive box set soon to be released. Well, I just read this bit on David Bordwell's website (concerning the new restoration):

The print of Play Time, though visually beautiful, is altered by some tampering by the restorers. It originally contained passages of music over a dark screen at beginning and end. I described these moments in my essay, “Play Time: Comedy on the Edge of Perception” (published in 1988 in Breaking the Glass Armor: Neoformalist Film Analysis). Of the beginning I wrote:

The film begins with pre-credits music involving percussion; at a seemingly arbitrary point in this music, the bright credits shot of clouds fades suddenly in from the darkness. Already we encounter the sound track as a separate level from the image track–as something to which we should pay cloe attention in its own right. (Unfortunately, most of this music seems to have been edited out of the re-release print.) (p. 253)

(The darkness and music actually last about 10 seconds before the cloud shot.)

And the ending, which in the original has several minutes of music played over a black screen:

Play Time structures even our transference, at the end, of aesthetic perception to everyday existence, by continuing its theme music for several minutes after the images stop–so long that we are forced to get up and move about to this music. The film’s sound track becomes an accompaniment for our own actions, inviting us to perceive our surroundings as we have perceived the film. (p. 261)

(The actual timing is about one minute, though it seems longer when you’re sitting in a darkened theater and are used to leaving immediately at film’s end.)

This new disc includes the dark footage at the end and the music, but the credits for the restoration and video are superimposed throughout–quite a different experience than music accompanying darkness. The music over darkness is shortened at the beginning to about 3 seconds, with the logo of Les Films de Mon Oncle’s logo and a dedication to Sophie Tatischeff, Tati’s daughter.

All these superimposed credits alters Tati’s intentions considerably. He clearly meant for that concluding music to make us almost actors in his film and to carry over its defamiliarization of the fictional world into the real world. Without it, this cannot be considered the definitive version of Play Time. It may seem a small matter, but the original decision was completely reflected Tati’s distinctive style.

Fortunately the Criterion collection’s version retains the music over black at the end, as well as a different set of supplements. Completists will need to have both.


Looks like those of us who have the Criterion BD should hold on to it!

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

I watched Melancholia last night for the first time (I bought the blu-ray the same day at B&N during the 30% off sale using a 20% coupon for about $10 total) and thought it was an incredibly disturbing film! I've yet to experience a film quite like it...there was just such a foreboding sense of dread, and thats the best way to describe the film. By showing the ending first, the viewer just has to start wondering when those "effects" start happening (if any) and those early sequences are just brilliantly depicted in such a horrific way. It's quite possibly the bleakest story I've ever witnessed in a movie (I mean, the total destruction of Planet Earth? How can you beat that?).

I had just seen The Tree of Life the night before and then watch Melancholia the next night and that is what I call a 1-2 punch of visual eye candy!

Melancholia is incredible, glad you liked it :-) (I think haha).

[blujazz]

Yeah, Melancholia is the most achieved film in Von Trier's Depression Trilogy, menacing and so over the top it's hilarious. Antichrist and Nymphomaniac are either or.

(Also, Melancholia introduced me to Tristan and Isolde, so plus points to that)

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by jw007

[Show spoiler]I watched Melancholia last night for the first time (I bought the blu-ray the same day at B&N during the 30% off sale using a 20% coupon for about $10 total) and thought it was an incredibly disturbing film! I've yet to experience a film quite like it...there was just such a foreboding sense of dread, and thats the best way to describe the film. By showing the ending first, the viewer just has to start wondering when those "effects" start happening (if any) and those early sequences are just brilliantly depicted in such a horrific way. It's quite possibly the bleakest story I've ever witnessed in a movie (I mean, the total destruction of Planet Earth? How can you beat that?).

I had just seen The Tree of Life the night before and then watch Melancholia the next night and that is what I call a 1-2 punch of visual eye candy!

You might want to spoiler some of that so that the next first time viewer can wonder the same things you did.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by jw007

I watched Melancholia last night for the first time (I bought the blu-ray the same day at B&N during the 30% off sale using a 20% coupon for about $10 total) and thought it was an incredibly disturbing film! I've yet to experience a film quite like it...there was just such a foreboding sense of dread, and thats the best way to describe the film. By showing the ending first, the viewer just has to start wondering when those "effects" start happening (if any) and those early sequences are just brilliantly depicted in such a horrific way. It's quite possibly the bleakest story I've ever witnessed in a movie (I mean, the total destruction of Planet Earth? How can you beat that?).

I had just seen The Tree of Life the night before and then watch Melancholia the next night and that is what I call a 1-2 punch of visual eye candy!

I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, and it was a really engrossing experience. I thought about it for days and days afterwards. I think you captured it perfectly by saying how full of dread it is.

And wow, but I'm not sure if Dunst will ever be able to top that performance. I've always been a fan of hers, but to be honest I would never have thought that she had that performance in her.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, and it was a really engrossing experience. I thought about it for days and days afterwards. I think you captured it perfectly by saying how full of dread it is.

And wow, but I'm not sure if Dunst will ever be able to top that performance. I've always been a fan of hers, but to be honest I would never have thought that she had that performance in her.

My fave performance from her! I just loved who it was a film about the end of the world, but it wasn't in a massive city with skyscrapers blowing up and focusing on hoards of people - it was stripped right back and felt more realistic - focusing on individuals in an isolated location. Also the fact it didn't focus son the end of the world till second half. I found it so refreshing and had far more impact on me than most end of the world films.

I did love her in The Virgin Suicides, but I do struggle to find big/bold performances from her, oh she was spectacular in Interview With a Vampire, she really did feel like an adult trapped in a young girls body in that film and was phenomenal.

I also found the scene where Charlotte looks up to the planet with the tool and then looks again and its much closer really scary and the acting was so genuine, I could feel her fear and anxiety.

Spectacular film - and that opening sequence, I wondered how he would trump Antichrist opening sequence.

I wish Nymphomaniac linked more obviously with the trilogy and had that stunning slow mo introduction - well you could argue Nymphomaniac is the start of a new trilogy... I just wish Nymphomaniac was as dark as Antichrist/Melancholia and more serious, although I do love the humour in Nymph.

Originally Posted by blujazz

Yeah, Melancholia is the most achieved film in Von Trier's Depression Trilogy, menacing and so over the top it's hilarious. Antichrist and Nymphomaniac are either or.

(Also, Melancholia introduced me to Tristan and Isolde, so plus points to that)

Same, incredible piece of music, same goes for Lascia ch'io pianga (G. F. Händel) from Antichrist which whenever I hear, I feel dread and misery haha - but its incredible. I wish more films used existing classical music and celebrated it.

I think The Tree of Life has some of the best uses of classical music!

[deepbreathsanddeath]

I'm interested in checking out some more Godard and would appreciate some recommendations. For the record, I outright loved Vivre Sa Vie, I very much liked Pierrot Le Fou but I have mixed feelings about Breathless. I appreciate how cool it is and it's influence, but I kind of hated it more than liked it lol.

[nondiatonic]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

You might want to spoiler some of that so that the next first time viewer can wonder the same things you did.

I'd like to second this. The use of spoiler tags is greatly appreciated for those of us who like to discuss movies we have seen and get suggestions for new ones, but have an immense desire to go into our movies completely blind.

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Spectacular film - and that opening sequence, I wondered how he would trump Antichrist opening sequence.

Beautiful engrossing film. I'll blind buy anything from this man.

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I wish Nymphomaniac linked more obviously with the trilogy [...] I just wish Nymphomaniac was as dark as Antichrist/Melancholia and more serious, although I do love the humour in Nymph.

Not sure why his movies must thematically fit into trilogies to increase enjoyment...? I think Nymph is very dark. Not to the in-your-face degree as the other two, but from the perspective of one human attempting to relate and be accepted by others (but cannot due to a social addiction) it is very depressing. And, yes, the humor is great. It also has one of my favorite scenes in film history (Uma Thurman).

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by nondiatonic

I'd like to second this. The use of spoiler tags is greatly appreciated for those of us who like to discuss movies we have seen and get suggestions for new ones, but have an immense desire to go into our movies completely blind.



Beautiful engrossing film. I'll blind buy anything from this man.



Not sure why his movies must thematically fit into trilogies to increase enjoyment...? I think Nymph is very dark. Not to the in-your-face degree as the other two, but from the perspective of one human attempting to relate and be accepted by others (but cannot due to a social addiction) it is very depressing. And, yes, the humor is great. It also has one of my favorite scenes in film history (Uma Thurman).

I get what you are saying and I do see who it fits, I just love the darkness and dread in Antichrist and Melancholia, I think I am greedy and just want more haha.

I think if Lars removed the humour from Nymph it would be pretty bleak and dark, but his humour is great as it still dark and grim lol, loved the comparison of her vagina and the automatic doors lol.

I did recently see the uncut version and it was A LOT darker and there was one scene that did shock me quite a bit in part II - and that scene Charlotte was incredible, and so authentic, was scarily realistic!

Also loved the 'frog' scene and the penis shots put to Waltz no. 2 - made me chuckle. Only scene I wish he did cut was the scene she floats, felt it was very poorly executed, if you wanna see floating scenes done right, watch Tree of Life or The Mirror lol

I guess the same goes for Dancer in the Dark, if it didn't have the musical breaks it would be so depressing and bleak, I find the music (despite still being a tad depressing) does help progress the film and calm you down lol

[SammyJankis]

Sneak peak for the Criterion book: