The Criterion Collection

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by Cat III

Ki-duk's films have long had my interest. Of the new wave of Korean cinema he is the most distinct, the most typically "arthouse". Yet he still fits in with his peers by having crime and criminality play prominently in many of his stories as well as a tendency toward extreme violence and sadism. Up until a few nights ago I'd only seen The Isle. Roger Ebert had given the movie a glowing review, but I admit I didn't understand it. Just this Friday night I saw Moebius which I took to much better. I'll reprint what I wrote about it in another thread:

Well, Christ, Korea. Just when I thought I'd seen it all. For those with the fortitude to watch this kind of thing, I definitely recommend it. It is not boring, that I can assure you. I'm still digesting it. Is it a horror film? A comedy? What exactly is director Kim Ki-duk trying to do? I think it's about our relationship with out own bodies. How our identity, call it the mind if you will, can't be separated from our physical form. It's a harrowing gut-punch of a film. I'm not sure if it's a masterpiece or a strange exercise in style, but I've seen it and of that I'm glad.

(I'll write a long-form review one of these days.) I look forward to seeing more of Ki-duk's oeuvre. His insistence in flouting convention and subverting expectations makes his work intriguing even if I don't end up enjoying it.

Speaking of his filmmaking idiosyncrasies, I have also seen his 'Address Unknown'. If you've ever watched Elem Klimov's 'Come and See', it will leave you feeling much the same way at the end: numb. It is violent, sadistic, and depressing, especially the somewhat infamous animal abuse scenes.

[WonderWeasel]

I always thought the Coen Brothers had a great run from the beginning with 'Blood Simple.', 'Raising Arizona', 'Miller's Crossing', and 'Barton Fink'.

[ShellOilJunior]

1970 Le Cercle Rouge
1969 Army of Shadows
1967 Le Samouraï

Not bad.

[Scottie]

Bergman had two exceptional, three film streaks.

Smiles of a Summer Night
The Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries

Through a Glass Darkly
Winter Light
The Silence

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Bergman had two exceptional, three film streaks.

Smiles of a Summer Night
The Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries

Through a Glass Darkly
Winter Light
The Silence

I'll put in a plug for Billy Wilder, with three triples.

1950-1953:
Sunset Boulevard
Ace in the Hole
Stalag 17

1954-1957:
Sabrina
The Seven Year Itch
The Spirit of St. Louis

1957-1960:
Witness for the Prosecution
Some Like It Hot
The Apartment

Not bad.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I'll put in a plug for Billy Wilder, with three triples.

1950-1953:
Sunset Boulevard
Ace in the Hole
Stalag 17

1954-1957:
Sabrina
The Seven Year Itch
The Spirit of St. Louis

1957-1960:
Witness for the Prosecution
Some Like It Hot
The Apartment

Not bad.

In other words... an amazing decade of making great films. I think this can be said for a lot of the best filmmakers, actually. More-so than some probably think. Sure, a lot of directors (even great ones) don't have that kind of successful run, but some of the very best do.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

I always thought the Coen Brothers had a great run from the beginning with 'Blood Simple.', 'Raising Arizona', 'Miller's Crossing', and 'Barton Fink'.

Excellent example. Coens are amazing and imho, Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing are 2 of their best... especially so early on. Then another great one with No Country for Old Men.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by Cat III

I agree with your broader point about the quality of television and especially with your bringing up of Arrested Development. In critical discussions comedy has a tendency to be overlooked on the little screen as well as the big. I'd also throw out the names of 30 Rock, The Office (Seasons 1-3), Parks and Recreation, and The Simpsons (Seasons 2-8) as being just as artistically valid as anything released by Criterion.

Comedy always seemes to be overlooked when it comes to critical discussions and awards. And both the US and Uk versions of The Office are amazing examples of good television.

[lordmorpheus72]

So sitting down this afternoon with The Man Who Knew Too Much. Very excited about this Criterion release. This will be my first viewing so I can't wait to start this classic!

[ShellOilJunior]

Rubber Soul/Revolver/Sgt. Pepper

[lordmorpheus72]

forgot to mention that my family gave me an Amazon Fire TV for Christmas this weekend! Looking forward to loading up my Hulu Plus subscription on the Fire TV and really getting my monies worth out of the subscription on my big screen now!

[lordmorpheus72]

Just finished The Man Who Knew Too Much, incredible movie. Amazing to see Hitchcock coming into his own, and see the start of some the moves, cuts, and edits that come to define Hitchcock. The scene

[Show spoiler]at Albert Hall where he meshes the blurring of the mother's vision into the gun coming out from behind the curtin is just amazing. It's amazing how many directors use that today.. specifically thinking of The Wachowski Brothers in the Matrix with the tv monitor

. Just a great movie to watch, and I loved the interview with Guillermo del Toro.

Next up, Following!

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

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.

And one of the fun things about this thread is the possibility that, on the 15th of any given month, one of the non-Criterion films we've discussed just might be added to the Collection!

Speaking of which, I guess the annual teaser cartoon will be released this coming Thursday. I went back to look at the 2014 drawing today, and was re-reading some of the predictions it inspired ... there were some highly intelligent and accurate predictions made (not by yours truly). This should be fun!

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I went back to look at the 2014 drawing today, and was re-reading some of the predictions it inspired ... there were some highly intelligent and accurate predictions made (not by yours truly). This should be fun!

Yeah, I've never been any good at figuring out the cartoons or making any sucessful predictions, but it's fun to try... and fun to see what it's going to be.

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by GenPion

In other words... an amazing decade of making great films. I think this can be said for a lot of the best filmmakers, actually. More-so than some probably think. Sure, a lot of directors (even great ones) don't have that kind of successful run, but some of the very best do.

Frank Capra is another one who had an amazing streak of one classic after another for a decade or more from 1931's MIRACLE WOMAN (or at least from 1932's AMERICAN MADNESS) through 1941's MEET JOHN DOE and ARSENIC & OLD LACE, and then again for a few years after WWII with two more classics in the 40s until losing his stride in the 50s.

At least we're finally getting a few of his classics on Blu-ray, including one from Criterion (and hopefully many more!).

[*DrStrangelove*]

Just finished Safe. How is this considered the best film of the 90s? I loved the camera work and Julianne Moore was great but the story was really dull. And the ending, I was expecting a lot more to happen.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

Just finished Safe. How is this considered the best film of the 90s? I loved the camera work and Julianne Moore was great but the story was really dull. And the ending, I was expecting a lot more to happen.

I don't think it is, at least widely. I had never even heard of it until the Criterion announcement.

[lordmorpheus72]

A quick updated picture of Criterion collection, up to 84 titles now (including box sets, etc). The last two sections on the bottom are still unwatched . I'm making my way through them, but when you pick up so many at once during the Criterion and BN sales, it's hard to stay caught up. Also not pictured is Following, which I just realized is still in my blu-ray player.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

A quick updated picture of Criterion collection, up to 84 titles now (including box sets, etc). The last two sections on the bottom are still unwatched . I'm making my way through them, but when you pick up so many at once during the Criterion and BN sales, it's hard to stay caught up. Also not pictured is Following, which I just realized is still in my blu-ray player.

Nice collection. I counted 53 titles that I own from your collection.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jw007

Nice collection. I counted 53 titles that I own from your collection.

Thanks. That's what I think is one of the coolest things about the Criterion Collection and this group... the commonality of what have and what we have watched. I know that seems obvious, but it's not always the case in other forums, groups, etc. So yeah, it's cool to see how many films people have in common here that they own, how many they've seen, and how very far behind we all are in watching them!

oh and the few up top that the flash made unreadable (didn't notice until now), are I Married a Witch, Ice Storm, In the Realm of the Senses and It Happened One Night.