The Criterion Collection

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

MoC release is much darker. looks more like a theather play. i couldnt say that one is more correct than the other. but Criterion has more bonus features.

Ah right, will have a little look later. Im in no rush to double dip with MoC, would ratter get the film i've waited ages for.

Tonight I am having double feature:

I Saw The Devil & A Tale of Two Sisters.

I highly recommend them!

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Ah right, will have a little look later. Im in no rush to double dip with MoC, would ratter get the film i've waited ages for.

Tonight I am having double feature:

I Saw The Devil & A Tale of Two Sisters.

I highly recommend them!

have already seen them multiple times. and own the Uk + US release of i saw the devil (different cuts) and the Korean release of A Tale of Two sisters

but they wouldnt really fit into the Criterion collection.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

have already seen them multiple times. and own the Uk + US release of i saw the devil (different cuts) and the Korean release of A Tale of Two sisters

but they wouldnt really fit into the Criterion collection.

I think A Tale of Two Sisters could fit in well, not so much I Saw The Devil though.

There is a gorgeous release in Korea for ATOTS and the packing is stunning, I think the transfer is great too, but not got it sadly - is that the copy you have? If so, is it worth hunting down a buying?

[brandon_260]

Rewatched Donkey Skin in my quest to watch as many of my unwatched titles before my B&N order arrives. When I first watched the film in January, I thought it was just fine, nothing remarkable but a fun piece of fluff. This time, I really did not like it at all. I think, having seen three more of Demy's work, it really puts how poor this film is comparison to his other works into context. I've got one left in the set, Une chambre en ville, and I'm really hoping Donkey Skin is the outlier here and not a reflection of Demy's post-Rochefort works.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Rewatched Donkey Skin in my quest to watch as many of my unwatched titles before my B&N order arrives. When I first watched the film in January, I thought it was just fine, nothing remarkable but a fun piece of fluff. This time, I really did not like it at all. I think, having seen three more of Demy's work, it really puts how poor this film is comparison to his other works into context. I've got one left in the set, Une chambre en ville, and I'm really hoping Donkey Skin is the outlier here and not a reflection of Demy's post-Rochefort works.

Une chambre en ville is actually very good. It closely resembles Cherbourg and Rochefort in terms of its style and its narrative. Still, I have not been disappointed with any of his films, even the often silly Donkey Skin.

[Polaroid]

Has anyone here preorder the Criterion Designs?

PLEASE share pics when you get , I am so excited by it and will get soooon.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Has anyone here preorder the Criterion Designs?

PLEASE share pics when you get , I am so excited by it and will get soooon.

I was going to order it, but I couldn't justify the purchase. Once I look through it once, that will probably be the end of it. Furthermore, I could look at all of the covers online if I so desired.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by oildude

My most wanted film for a Blu-ray release, from Criterion or anybody, is The Grey Fox, an awards winning Canadian film by the late Philip Borsos. I have seen it many times on VHS but it never got a DVD release. Even on VHS tape, the cinematography and atmosphere are striking; I can only imagine what the vistas of British Columbia and the magnificent steam trains so prominent in the film would look like in a Criterion high def presentation.

The film is outstanding on many levels, but most especially in the restrained performance of the wonderful Richard Farnsworth as a tough-as-nails gentlemanly stage coach robber who is trying to make sense of the early 20th Century after being released from decades in prison. It is both a great Western and a thoughtful look at old age.

I hang my head in shame that I forgot about that one when mentioning some excellent Canadian films. It really is a shame that it never came out on DVD. At least I have it on LD. In addition to Farnsworth, there's a terrific performance by the wonderful Jackie Burroughs as Kate Flynn.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I was going to order it, but I couldn't justify the purchase. Once I look through it once, that will probably be the end of it. Furthermore, I could look at all of the covers online if I so desired.

Ah fair enough, but I think they discuss the designs and show alternate artwork which is nice

Im surprised about the price, its pretty decent, an most books that quality/size are same price, if not more!

I can't wait to get, just waiting for reply to see fi they can send to UK.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

That soundtrack though.

Yes, Hans Zimmer did a swell job with that celestial-sounding soundtrack... it was a bit too much though. I mean, the term "restraint" doesn't figure in the Nolan/Zimmer handbook.

Look at a film such as Solaris, by Tarkovsky... "less is more". We didn't have overpowering music, overpowering ideas and overpowering science to make us dizzy. Nolan literally went beyond the event horizon but went too far.

[jw007]

I watched Jack Clayton's The Innocents 2 nights ago and it was extraordinary.

There were some chilling and eerie scenes in this film, esp. in that one extended scene which those of you who have seen it know what I'm talking about.

Totally worth purchasing during this sale.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jw007

Just got back from seeing Interstellar in IMAX.

[Show spoiler]
Can't even begin to get my head around this amazing but overambitious film from Christopher Nolan.

I mean, there were some amazing scenes but I felt a lot of 2010 and 2001 had influenced Nolan's film...especially 2010, because John Lithgow was in that movie and now in this one. Nolan had to be influenced by that film, esp. with the aero-braking and the spaceships spinning on gravity.

The movie, at times, also reminded me of Contact (which also starred Matthew McConaughey), but even that film had a more legible storyline. So, as cool as the science was in Interstellar, the story was a mess. If the Nolan brothers could have restrained themselves a bit more in the writing and not try to throw everything but the kitchen sink in there, this could have been a really good picture.

My brain was fried again as usual down at the cinema-plex.

Thanks for the review. I ended up going to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 yesterday instead of going to see Interstellar. Mockingjay - Part 1 is good, but the pacing suffers because of the studio's decision to split the third book into two movies. Jennifer Lawrence, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, and the others are all great in their roles, but the movie itself seems padded compared to the vastly superior previous films.

I wrapped up the Vincent Price Collection II box set this weekend, and then watched House of Wax (also starring Price) and Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires. In a few minutes, though, I'm about to return to Criterion territory with The Big Chill.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by callahan09

'm still waiting for somebody to give me a reason to either buy or skip on Zatoichi... I can buy that for $80.98 because I am a Barnes & Noble member, so I will get 50% off, I will use my 20% off coupon, and I get 10% off all the time for being a member. That's $143.97 off the usual price!! Which means I would also save over $10 on tax, because they assess sales tax on the discounted price not the original price, so I would really be saving over $150. It's a heck of a deal, and I *love* period Japanese / Samurai movies, so if someone can assuage my fears (or confirm them), then I will know whether it's going to be David Lean, or Zatoichi.

I'm very interested in your opinions on the Samurai Musashi Miyamoto Trilogy and the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set, and whether it's worth it to upgrade to Blu-Ray since I already own the DVDs, and also which of the two I should delve into first if I can only afford one of them right now.

Thanks again!

I think it's pretty much a no brainer to get the Zatoichi set, aside from maybe an even better coupon coming along next weekend (rumored 30% one next weekend, but a bird in the hand...). Great set, maybe a little redundant here and there, a few not quite as good as other episodes, but all in all quite a nice ride.

(Regarding the other ones, blu-ray upgrades are almost always a good thing, though I've not watched those particular blu-rays yet.)

[Namuhana]

I pre-ordered a copy of L'avventura on B&N's website and it looks like it shipped yesterday. Here's hoping that I'll get it on release day!

[fdm]

Originally Posted by callahan09

You guys completely sold me on Zatoichi, bought it tonight! Thanks for taking the time to help me out, everyone. You guys also conpletely convinced me on the Noel Coward / David Lean set, so I may try to pick that up before the sale ends as well.

Both good choices, but haven't seen but one or two of the Coward/Lean titles so far.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, Hans Zimmer did a swell job with that celestial-sounding soundtrack... it was a bit too much though. I mean, the term "
restraint" doesn't figure in the Nolan/Zimmer handbook.

Look at a film such as Solaris, by Tarkovsky... "less is more". We didn't have overpowering music, overpowering ideas and overpowering science to make us dizzy. Nolan literally went beyond the event horizon but went too far.

I agree usually, Antichrist got it SO right score wise, simple, subtle but eery sounds to back up the imagery and dialogue - perfection.

But for me the LOUD and in your face soundtrack worked so well for me and actually made the film better in my opinion, some scenes could have come across so corny and blughh, but his beautiful and powerful score really changed that for me. The score captured the moments and emotion in the film - big, complex and beautiful.

I wouldn't have changed the score or how it was used in anyway, it became its own character and played a huge part of the film.

As much as I love Black Swan and the soundtrack, its one of those films where it was used so poorly, it was used in scenes that didn't need it which ruined the tension and atmosphere, for Black Swan I would have used the score at only certain points an not used it on most scenes, like really cut back.

i've literally been playing nothing but the Interstellar score since I got it and I am in love haha.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, Hans Zimmer did a swell job with that celestial-sounding soundtrack... it was a bit too much though. I mean, the term "restraint" doesn't figure in the Nolan/Zimmer handbook.

Look at a film such as Solaris, by Tarkovsky... "less is more". We didn't have overpowering music, overpowering ideas and overpowering science to make us dizzy. Nolan literally went beyond the event horizon but went too far.

I totally agree on the restraint thing and Nolan. I thought Following and Memento were two of his best if not his two best, and I wonder if that was partly because he had to be careful with money. It seems like the more successful he's become, the fewer restraints there are on him. And the weaker his films are getting. I think he needs to be restrained.

I was expecting complicated story gimmicks in Interstellar, along the lines of Inception,

[Show spoiler]so I was pretty happy that wasn't the case

. What worked so well in a movie like Following starts to get old when it's a standard go-to. But here, if there's one movie cliche that Interstellar missed, I don't know what it was, and I was honestly embarrassed for the actors at some of the lines they had to deliver. Some lines sounded like a sophomore physics lab report.

And I thought the music had that same heavy-handed quality to it.

Idea for drinking game: One shot of bourbon for every movie cliche you spot in Interstellar.
Idea for drinking game for light drinkers: One shot of bourbon for every innovation in the film.

[pro-bassoonist]

Hello Polaroid,

I just read some of your posts. (I have not had a lot of time to spend on the forum).

Please stay positive. These are difficult times for a lot of people. Hopefully, you would be able to transition to a better job soon. And spend more time with the guys here rather than watching dark/bleak films alone.

Have a wonderful weekend, Polaroid.

Pro-B

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by oildude

My most wanted film for a Blu-ray release, from Criterion or anybody, is The Grey Fox, an awards winning Canadian film by the late Philip Borsos. I have seen it many times on VHS but it never got a DVD release. Even on VHS tape, the cinematography and atmosphere are striking; I can only imagine what the vistas of British Columbia and the magnificent steam trains so prominent in the film would look like in a Criterion high def presentation.

The film is outstanding on many levels, but most especially in the restrained performance of the wonderful Richard Farnsworth as a tough-as-nails gentlemanly stage coach robber who is trying to make sense of the early 20th Century after being released from decades in prison. It is both a great Western and a thoughtful look at old age.

The Grey Fox is a great movie with a great performance by Richard Farnsworth. I saw this when it first came out (thank you, Siskel & Ebert) and haven't seen it since, but would love to see it on blu. Richard Farnsworth is a great story himself, a career stuntman and extra, mostly in Westerns, who finally got to be a leading man when most guys would be retiring. Another great choice for Criterion would be David Lynch's The Straight Story.

[Jef Costello]

the packaging for the Jacques Demy Box is just way too huge and would eat up my already depleted shelf space. It really puts me off from buying one. Could they downsize this ?