The Criterion Collection

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

What would be the best Bergman film to start with? Summer Interlude? Wild Strawberries?

Wild Strawberries is a pretty solid place.
Anything from their old "Four Masterworks" box set should do real nicely.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

I like that column, he's about the only reviewer I bother periodically checking up on since he's so focused on the movies over the technical specs. I often disagree with his taste but he's got a distinctive point of view and clearly really loves movies, which is pretty rare with DVD/Blu-ray reviewers. Many people wouldn't find him useful cause he doesn't notice DNR or EE or lossy audio or whatever, but if you're looking for recommendations of a wide variety of movies to watch he's one of the best guys out there. Stuart Galbraith IV (a big name when it comes to Japanese film and cult writing, his oral history of the godzilla movies from the 90s was particularly entertaining to me) writes for that site sometimes, too, who is similarly must-read imo. That site is where I always go if I'm more interested in finding out about the movie on the disc than the tech specs, particularly with their huge back-catalog of DVD reviews.

Agreed. I relate to Savant's reviews more than most, and it's evident that he is a true fan of movies, as opposed to being just a fan of media.

Late last night, after I finished Tootsie, I watched the Kino Blu-ray of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and I agree with its placement on Savant's year-end list.

I was glad to see Judex listed as his first pick on the list. That movie is one of the true underrated joys of the year.

[Dylan34]

I have a question. What ever happened to Spartacus being released by Criterion? Wasn't it supposed to come out in 2012. The Universal copy is horrible and definitely needs to be corrected.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Coen

Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 has to be one of the most impressive "3 packs" in the history of cinema. For me, Smiles of a Summer Night, Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries might edge it out though.

Tough choice. And why choose? We can watch them all!

Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and A Clockwork Orange is a pretty tight one, too.

[jw007]

I caught an old movie on TV last night called Company Business starring Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshnikov and it was released in 1991. It wasn't bad but it was kind of dated...it was directed by Nicholas Meyer. I thought the story could have been stronger too.. it was somewhat hard to understand as well. The only thing I liked about it was that it was shot in Berlin right after the wall fell, and I had just been there earlier this year for the first time, so it was cool recognizing different landmarks. Apparently Meyer recycled the plot for his next film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, using the east vs. west theme, which came out the same year, just a few months later.

[AaronJ]

Well, according to Amazon, both Red Desert and The Thin Red Line are in transit. Good for me. I rock.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Generally, when someone has an agenda to present, they might refer only to the best examples of what they think is good, while referring only to the worst examples of what they think is bad

Agreed and it's not just people with agendas who fall into that kind of thinking. When people wax nostalgic about this golden age of filmmaking or that they tend to overlook all the crap that was churned out back then.

That's just human nature.

Originally Posted by RojD

Chuckled the Erickson's first choice, but it brought to mind a release I wish Criterion would do: Serials from the 30s/40s.

You should check out Kino's Les Vampires. The print they used was a little rough in spots but overall it's very watchable and a pretty enjoyable ride once you get used to it.

I think it gave me a pretty good lens to watch Criterion's Judex through too. Had I not seen Les Vampires I think I would have watched a lot of Judex thinking 'wtf is this, some proto-Adam West Batman kind of thing...I dunno, I don't get it'.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

I have a question. What ever happened to Spartacus being released by Criterion? Wasn't it supposed to come out in 2012. The Universal copy is horrible and definitely needs to be corrected.

No, it wasn't supposed to come out in 2012. It's likely that Criterion's been waiting for it to be remastered, since it really (really!) needed it. I recall reading recently that it finally has been remastered (and/or restored), so presumably the pipeline to an eventual Criterion release at least has become somewhat less clogged.

[lukejosephchung]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

I have a question. What ever happened to Spartacus being released by Criterion? Wasn't it supposed to come out in 2012. The Universal copy is horrible and definitely needs to be corrected.

Universal chose to wait until this past year to restore "Spartacus" in 4k for 2015's 55th Anniversary and is showing it theatrically at TCM's annual Film Festival in Hollywood before releasing the new remaster on blu-ray, either on its own or via Criterion...

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by octagon

You should check out Kino's Les Vampires. The print they used was a little rough in spots but overall it's very watchable and a pretty enjoyable ride once you get used to it.

I think it gave me a pretty good lens to watch Criterion's Judex through too. Had I not seen Les Vampires I think I would have watched a lot of Judex thinking 'wtf is this, some proto-Adam West Batman kind of thing...I dunno, I don't get it'.

I decided to do things backwards, so I just placed an order for Les Vampires after already having bought and enjoyed the Criterion Blu-ray of Judex.

The Kino set of Les Vampires is one of those packages that I've been eyeing for quite some time while perched on the fence, but the price is right now ($24 and change), and I've got some Amazon gift card credit.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by jw007

I caught an old movie on TV last night called Company Business starring Gene Hackman and Mikhail Baryshnikov and it was released in 1991. It wasn't bad but it was kind of dated...it was directed by Nicholas Meyer. I thought the story could have been stronger too.. it was somewhat hard to understand as well. The only thing I liked about it was that it was shot in Berlin right after the wall fell, and I had just been there earlier this year for the first time, so it was cool recognizing different landmarks. Apparently Meyer recycled the plot for his next film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, using the east vs. west theme, which came out the same year, just a few months later.

Glad you enjoyed it. This is an interesting but random post. I have to ask, are you now posting in the Criterion thread your thoughts about every movie you watch? You have been doing this for a few weeks now. Not sure how any of this relates to Criterion.

[the sordid sentinel]

Originally Posted by fdm

No, it wasn't supposed to come out in 2012. It's likely that Criterion's been waiting for it to be remastered, since it really (really!) needed it. I recall reading recently that it finally has been remastered (and/or restored), so presumably the pipeline to an eventual Criterion release at least has become somewhat less clogged.

Hope you are right, would love a Criterion Spartacus blu.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I decided to do things backwards, so I just placed an order for Les Vampires after already having bought and enjoyed the Criterion Blu-ray of Judex.

The Kino set of Les Vampires is one of those packages that I've been eyeing for quite some time while perched on the fence, but the price is right now ($24 and change), and I've got some Amazon gift card credit.

You're gonna love Irma Vep

[RojD]

Originally Posted by octagon

...

You should check out Kino's Les Vampires. The print they used was a little rough in spots but overall it's very watchable and a pretty enjoyable ride once you get used to it.

I think it gave me a pretty good lens to watch Criterion's Judex through too. Had I not seen Les Vampires I think I would have watched a lot of Judex thinking 'wtf is this, some proto-Adam West Batman kind of thing...I dunno, I don't get it'.

That's a great endorsement of Franju's Judex. I liked Les Vampires a lot and watched Fritz Lang's Spiders afterwards, another serial featuring a gang with a name. But four years later, Lang just didn't have it like Feuillade did. I see why the French director is so praised; he does an amazing job of character and narrative compared to so many of those who followed him in serials. Is Les Vamipres the only serial on blu? When are we going to get Feuillade's even earlier Fantômas? Or for that matter, his Judex?

[RojD]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I decided to do things backwards, so I just placed an order for Les Vampires after already having bought and enjoyed the Criterion Blu-ray of Judex.

The Kino set of Les Vampires is one of those packages that I've been eyeing for quite some time while perched on the fence, but the price is right now ($24 and change), and I've got some Amazon gift card credit.

I second Octagon. This is just a fun serial. After a long day at work, and my days are gonna be until August, it's so much fun to go through 3-4 serials with a beer or martini. Les Vampires is very rewatchable.

And Irma Veep is classic. Shortly before he did Carlos, Olivier Assayas made a film that was a spinoff of Les Vampires, Irma Veep. It's in something of the same relation to Les Vampires as Nosferatu the Vampyre is Nosferatu. Only Irma Veep has Maggie Cheung, of In the Mood for Love fame, rather than Klaus Kinski.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by oildude

Glad you enjoyed it. This is an interesting but random post. I have to ask, are you now posting in the Criterion thread your thoughts about every movie you watch? You have been doing this for a few weeks now. Not sure how any of this relates to Criterion.

Yeah, I kind of do that from time to time. But I think my Criterion posts outweigh the non-related Criterion posts though, but since I'm not self-entitled, oh well. I guess I'm kind of lazy about just posting this stuff in other threads because I feel that this is the only thread I belong to (basically, this thread is my "forum" because I don't know anyone else in other threads and vice versa...kind of been this way for the last couple years now)... is this cause for suspension? Are you the forum police? Are you planning on incriminating me for my bad behavior of posting in the wrong threads?

I'll try to be less "interesting" next time.

[jw007]

I know I'm not supposed to be posting anything non-Criterion related, as oildude pointed out earlier, but I just saw The Imitation Game in my local arthouse theater. Really good movie and Benedict Cumberbatch was excellent.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Coen

Excellent. How about Hitchcock's 1958-1960: Vertigo, North By Northwest and Psycho.

I think that I would go with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, The Conversation, and The Godfather Part Two plus you could follow that up with Apocalypse Now.

[Cat III]

Originally Posted by octagon

Agreed and it's not just people with agendas who fall into that kind of thinking. When people wax nostalgic about this golden age of filmmaking or that they tend to overlook all the crap that was churned out back then.

In a way, I think those people have an agenda, a self-serving not political one. Either they grew up during whatever "golden" age and want to justify their preferences by painting younger generations as not understanding the finer aspects of filmmaking or, worse, they want to separate themselves from their peers by latching onto some bygone era of film thinking that doing so is proof of their heightened sophistication.

You're also right that this is human nature to notice the examples that support what we already believe and ignore the ones that contradict same.

Speaking of film snobbery (and what better thread to speak of it?), I find it ironic that those who decry the state of modern film have such an America-centric viewpoint. There's still good stuff coming from Europe and, I am told, especially eastern Europe where the slow move toward democratization has spurred creative as well as economic development (my knowledge in this area is limited, however). Then there's Asia. Japan didn't stop making great movies when Kurosawa and Ozu died. Wade through some junk and you can even find jewels in the hermetic world of anime. South Korea has recently shown itself to be the go-to country for slick, modern films that are also intelligent and artistic.

In fairness to America, part of the reason Hollywood blockbusters have been dumbed down is because of the international market. I'm sure snobbish types like to think it comes down to America's crass, consumer culture, but these movies are mega-popular overseas. Keeping dialogue simple and focusing on action makes it easier to translate and widens the appeal to audiences the world over.

Originally Posted by jw007

Yeah, I kind of do that from time to time. But I think my Criterion posts outweigh the non-related Criterion posts though, but since I'm not self-entitled, oh well. I guess I'm kind of lazy about just posting this stuff in other threads because I feel that this is the only thread I belong to (basically, this thread is my "forum" because I don't know anyone else in other threads and vice versa...kind of been this way for the last couple years now)... is this cause for suspension? Are you the forum police? Are you planning on incriminating me for my bad behavior of posting in the wrong threads?

I'll try to be less "interesting" next time.

I think you're overreacting to what oildude said. I inferred simple curiosity not antagonism, but I'll let oildude attest to his intentions.

[Helikaon]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yeah, I kind of do that from time to time. But I think my Criterion posts outweigh the non-related Criterion posts though, but since I'm not self-entitled, oh well. I guess I'm kind of lazy about just posting this stuff in other threads because I feel that this is the only thread I belong to (basically, this thread is my "forum" because I don't know anyone else in other threads and vice versa...kind of been this way for the last couple years now)... is this cause for suspension? Are you the forum police? Are you planning on incriminating me for my bad behavior of posting in the wrong threads?

I'll try to be less "interesting" next time.

I don't mind. I think of this thread more as a community than a strict "Criterion only" discussion. We always eventually end up talking about the big C, anyhow.