The Criterion Collection

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

I think this is where it backfired on him, maybe people just can't see past Cruise and Kidman. Also maybe a different couple would have worked better, but I still feel more positive than you guys about the casting! All of the pretty, plastic look and naivete of the two lead characters is important to the story, as to how they get caught up in the childish things they do and the jealousy and sexual tension, etc. For me it works better and better over the years but Cruise's acting and casting did irk me when I first saw it.

I think it is without question Cruise's best performance. It's not that surprising that it would come in a Kubrick film. And let me point out that while his actual personality and beliefs really bother me, I'm not one of these people who just writes him off as an actor. I've enjoyed him in many films. But Eyes Wide Shut is just levels above anything else he's done, IMO.

And I'm a gigantic Kidman fan. So ...

[Scottie]

How about this streak?

L'Avventura
La Notte
L'Eclisse
Red Desert
(Blow-Up) - I'm not a fan, but many consider it one of the greatest works of all time, so I mind as well throw it in.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by iScottie

How about this streak?

L'Avventura
La Notte
L'Eclisse
Red Desert
(Blow-Up) - I'm not a fan, but many consider it one of the greatest works of all time, so I mind as well throw it in.

I'm not a huge fan of Blow-Up either, to be honest. And I JUST received Red Desert today, and I've never seen it. But, let's face it: It's Antonioni. It's Vitti. There's really no way to go wrong there.

But those first three are majestic. Simply majestic.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

How about this streak?

L'Avventura
La Notte
L'Eclisse
Red Desert

Of course. I loved revisiting L'Avventura a couple of days ago.

Antonioni excelled at intuitively visual storytelling, even to the extent that his films could be perfectly understood without the dialogue.

Monica Vitti is so amazing in all four of these films. It's really a wasted opportunity that she never appeared as a Bond girl in one of the 007 movies back then. She would have been perfect for such a role, and these Antonioni movies are proof of her qualifications.

[ijustblumyself]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

If anyone is looking for a fun way to start a journey into Fassbinder's filmography, I did these 4 films in this order this weekend and really enjoyed it:

- All That Heaven Allows
- Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
- Angst Isst Seele Auf
- The American Soldier

Only 2 are actually directed by Fassbinder of course, but they all have pretty obvious connections when you watch them.

I had previously seen World On A Wire, but that was it. Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the Early Fassbinder Eclipse set.

Anyone have additional Fassbinder recommendations? SpiderBaby?

Veronika Voss is amazing.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by jw007

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence: It's one of my favorite films in the collection and is truly a good blind buy in my opinion for any cinema buff. I remember after having watched it a while back, I totally understood and enjoyed every second of this film. The last time I had an experience like that with a Criterion film was that great Italian 60s movie called Il Sorpasso.

... and, oddly enough, Il Sorpasso is on my short list of blind buys to pick up during the next Criterion sale. It caught my eye last week when I was visiting the Criterion website, as did another film, The Long Day Closes, which appears to have been beautifully photographed, and which I also feel I "need" to see.

Isn't it fun, after you've seen thousands of movies both good and bad, to have something come along out of left field that simply blows your socks off? I suppose that's why so many of us are such avid fans of the Criterion Collection ... they have a knack for zeroing in on cinematic gems and presenting them in beautifully designed settings ...

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

If anyone is looking for a fun way to start a journey into Fassbinder's filmography, I did these 4 films in this order this weekend and really enjoyed it:

- All That Heaven Allows
- Ali: Fear Eats The Soul
- Angst Isst Seele Auf
- The American Soldier

Only 2 are actually directed by Fassbinder of course, but they all have pretty obvious connections when you watch them.

I had previously seen World On A Wire, but that was it. Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the Early Fassbinder Eclipse set.

Anyone have additional Fassbinder recommendations? SpiderBaby?

If there is a way for you to check out In a Year With 13 Moons, do so. Chinese Roulette as well.

Criterion-wise, Bitter Tears when released.

My favorite though, The Third Generation. DVD is cheap for a wonderful transfer and film.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

... Bitter Tears when released.

Our review of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant will be up later tonight.

The new 4K restoration is stunning. Unless you wish to keep the old Wellspring disc for some of the extras -- and the new extras on the Criterion Blu-ray are outstanding -- now is probably a good time to sell it.

Yet another fantastic release from Criterion

***

As far as suggestions are concerned:

1.This is a very wild Fassbinder film that I really enjoy, and the U.S. DVD release is very good:





2. The BRD Trilogy from Criterion is an obvious choice:





3. The recent Eclipse set has Gods of the Plague and Beware of a Holy W h o r e, both excellent films with recent restorations, and these should have been on Blu-ray. This set comes very highly recommended.



4. I also have a very good French disc from Carlotta of the excellent Lili Marleen, but unfortunately it cannot be recommended to English speakers as it has only French subs. Ignore the Amazon.fr listing, it is wrong. The disc also has the original audio track, not a French dub only. This film absolutely needs to enter the Criterion Collection.

Looks like we do not have a profile on the site for it so I can't link it.



Pro-B

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Our review of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant will be up later tonight.

The new 4K restoration is stunning. Unless you wish to keep the old Wellspring disc for some of the extras -- and the new extras on the Criterion Blu-ray are outstanding -- now is probably a good time to sell it.

Yet another fantastic release from Criterion

Pro-B

They must be stopped! My bank account can't take it!

[The Bronx Bull]

Anyone know if Andrei Rublev has a possible BD release with Criterion? It appears as though their DVD is still being produced, so I would assume the answer is yes?

[RojD]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

.....

Spartacus
Lolita
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
Barry Lyndon
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Eyes Wide Shut

It seems that everything Stanley Kubrick touched turned to gold.

So I'm not the only one. I try to be critical, but I watch and rewatch these Kubricks, and I love them every time. I think 2001: A Space Odyssey is a creative masterpiece. (And to weigh in on the discussion, I believe Tom and Nicole were well-cast in Eyes Wide Shut, both for their on- and off-screen star power).

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by The Bronx Bull

Anyone know if Andrei Rublev has a possible BD release with Criterion? It appears as though their DVD is still being produced, so I would assume the answer is yes?

I don't see why not. They still seem to have the rights and it's had a blu release elsewhere (English friendly no less).

They may have even said they're working on it at a Wexner chat (or am I making that up?).

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Both are great streaks... though I'm not familiar with Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, I'll have to check it out.

'Barry Lyndon' has my favorite cinematography in a Kubrick film. The pace of the film is dreamily slow, and I'm not a Ryan O'Neal fan, but the camera work alone has gotten me to watch it at least four or five times.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by octagon

Oh yeah, that reminds me, it's not MoC but this is a nice region-B disc...

Thanks for the suggestion, great movie that I had forgotten about!

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

'Barry Lyndon' has my favorite cinematography in a Kubrick film. The pace of the film is dreamily slow, and I'm not a Ryan O'Neal fan, but the camera work alone has gotten me to watch it at least four or five times.

This makes me want to watch it more.... thanks for the recommendation.

[easydreamer]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Monica Vitti is so amazing in all four of these films. It's really a wasted opportunity that she never appeared as a Bond girl in one of the 007 movies back then. She would have been perfect for such a role, and these Antonioni movies are proof of her qualifications.

Modesty Blaise is a must see if you love Monica Vitti. This is a British spy comedy, more close to The Avengers than 007, and is such a fun movie, with Monica, a sexy spy, changing gorgeous costumes practically every scene she's in. Directed by Joseph Losey, but this is unlike any Losey films you've ever seen. Campy & fun.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jmclick

... and, oddly enough, Il Sorpasso is on my short list of blind buys to pick up during the next Criterion sale. It caught my eye last week when I was visiting the Criterion website, as did another film, The Long Day Closes, which appears to have been beautifully photographed, and which I also feel I "need" to see.

The Long Day Closes disappointed me greatly. It was one of the bleakest, unfulfilling films I've ever seen. I'm glad I didn't buy it...borrowing it from the library was enough for me. I just did not like this film AT ALL. Better "try" before you buy (just my opinion).

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Isn't it fun, after you've seen thousands of movies both good and bad, to have something come along out of left field that simply blows your socks off? I suppose that's why so many of us are such avid fans of the Criterion Collection ... they have a knack for zeroing in on cinematic gems and presenting them in beautifully designed settings ...

I definitely find that with the more contemporary releases from Criterion - so many of my favorite movies (Disney, classics, etc) have been part of my life forever, so it's that much more incredible when newer films like Haigh's Weekend absolutely knock my socks off (it's probably in my top 50 overall, definitely among my favorites of the 2010s).

[AaronJ]

Holy Hera, I just watched The Thin Red Line which arrived today. First off, it had been a while since I had seen it and I had somewhat forgotten how affecting it is. I finished it and felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Wow.

But OMG is it gorgeous. The PQ is off the charts, crazy good. This may be the most beautiful film I own on BD. Combine the PQ with Malick's direction and John Toll's cinematography -- on a scale of 1-10, this is like a 13. I usually have pretty high expectations for Criterion releases to begin with. But this surpassed even those.

I really wish I had the three hours needed to listen to the commentary right now (need to get up early to go hit golf balls at the dome). I just want to listen to the commentary while letting myself melt into the gorgeousness that is this film. The team of Malick and Toll nailed this, and add to that the job that Criterion did -- just wow.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Holy Hera, I just watched The Thin Red Line which arrived today. First off, it had been a while since I had seen it and I had somewhat forgotten how affecting it is. I finished it and felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Wow.

But OMG is it gorgeous. The PQ is off the charts, crazy good. This may be the most beautiful film I own on BD. Combine the PQ with Malick's direction and John Toll's cinematography -- on a scale of 1-10, this is like a 13. I usually have pretty high expectations for Criterion releases to begin with. But this surpassed even those.

I really wish I had the three hours needed to listen to the commentary right now (need to get up early to go hit golf balls at the dome). I just want to listen to the commentary while letting myself melt into the gorgeousness that is this film. The team of Malick and Toll nailed this, and add to that the job that Criterion did -- just wow.

The Thin Red Line is still my "go to" war movie to show to people if they haven't seen it. It's simply one of the finest war films ever made and one of the best movies in general. I actually would call it more of an anti-war movie along the lines of Paths of Glory.

Just an astounding experience. It's Hans Zimmer's finest hour.. along with Malick and Toll.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Our review of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant will be up later tonight.

The new 4K restoration is stunning. Unless you wish to keep the old Wellspring disc for some of the extras -- and the new extras on the Criterion Blu-ray are outstanding -- now is probably a good time to sell it.

I would keep onto the Wellspring release, as it has his short films. I like to keep all of my Fassbinder releases (pretty much own every one on home video), so I won't be selling it either way.

I also have a very good French disc from Carlotta of the excellent Lili Marleen, but unfortunately it cannot be recommended to English speakers as it has only French subs. Ignore the Amazon.fr listing, it is wrong. The disc also has the original audio track, not a French dub only. This film absolutely needs to enter the Criterion Collection.

Pro-B

Completely agree.