The Criterion Collection

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Where did these rumors come from? This is the first I'm hearing of them.

I love Lana Del Rey, but I have never really been into music videos. I'd be intrigued though.

On this forum, here.

[joie]

Originally Posted by jmclick

That was the point I was making, in response to an earlier post.

But if you say, "This is so-and-so's masterpiece," then turn to another, different work and say, "This is the-same-so-and-so's masterpiece," won't your listener's mind boggle? Even a little bit?

edit: the problem may be that "masterpiece" is a singular noun; "masterpieces" is the plural.

[Martin_31]

I absolutely hate the words overrated and pretentious when used in a film review; either, written or spoken. I don't know why. Those two words just bug me.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I just watched a movie the other night for which I think it is fair to call it a "classic," but I'm pretty certain it is not a masterpiece. That film is John Huston's The Misfits. It is flawed, but also chock full of good to great performances by legendary actors

Just this afternoon, I (re-)watched a film from around the same point in time that I think fits all of the points you just made about The Misfits -- John Sturges's The Magnificent Seven.

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I absolutely hate the words overrated and pretentious when used in a film review; either, written or spoken. I don't know why. Those two words just bug me.

I know what you mean. Anderson and Criterion are two other words that make people lose their s**t

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I absolutely hate the words overrated and pretentious when used in a film review; either, written or spoken. I don't know why. Those two words just bug me.

Agreed. They're both overused and misused.

[excalibunny]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

She really bugs me cause she's such a corporate product and very directly ripped off the style (both the smoky vocals and the retro 50s sound) of one of my favorite singers, Nicole Atkins (who's still languishing in obscurity). She released a poppy album that no one cared about, then her dad paid for plastic surgery and a new image and she released an album that was like Nicole Atkins singing about videogames. There are some good songs on the album, but Nicole Atkins - Neptune City is a much better alternative. It has lyrics which aren't directed at high schoolers, a singer who can function in all ranges without electronic manipulation, and the music was all written by herself instead of a bunch of big producers! RE: Sia, she is a fantastic songwriter and has written hits for a bunch of other artists too. I'm glad she's finally getting some attention. "Colour the Small One" was such a great album and never got the attention it deserved (though "Breathe Me" was used very well in the finale of Six Feet Under).

Lana Del Rey doesn't even write her own music, she absolutely doesn't deserve a criterion collection compilation, it would be like giving one to Britney Spears or something. Well, not nearly that bad, at least her music is pretty good and she co-writes some of it. The Beastie Boys was a great compilation cause they have all the artistic integrity in the world plus their videos were iconic and spanned many years. I don't think anyone else would really pass both of those tests today besides maybe like...Bjork.

Elton John didn't write his music.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

It's funny, because I visited my favorite independent Atlanta record store when I was in the neighborhood earlier today, and decided to pick up, at long last, the Shout Factory Blu-ray of A Boy and His Dog. One of my friends who works at the counter spotted my selection and raved about the movie, calling it a classic. For me, this is another one of those "not quite classics, but well-deserving of more recognition" flicks.

I bought A Boy and His Dog last year on the Shout Factory blu-ray and I really enjoyed this cult classic. I wouldn't call it a classic either, but a cult classic, and its for sure an influential post-apocalyptic film from the 1970s. The supplement of the conversation between director L.Q. Jones and writer Harlan Ellison is extraordinary though and worth every minute. Let me know if you ended up watching that?

[MTS]

Heh. I went into A Barnes & Noble today and asked where there criterion collections were. The lady behind the counter didn't know what I was referring to. I asked if they had any movies, and she directed me to the handful of terribly overpriced recent releases like Gone Girl and The Hobbit. About ten titles. In the whole store. Oh, and the original Star Wars trilogy.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by MTS

Heh. I went into A Barnes & Noble today and asked where there criterion collections were. The lady behind the counter didn't know what I was referring to. I asked if they had any movies, and she directed me to the handful of terribly overpriced recent releases like Gone Girl and The Hobbit. About ten titles. In the whole store. Oh, and the original Star Wars trilogy.

There's a local B&N store with that type of setup too. Maybe a handful of new releases. No media section whatsoever. Hopefully, wherever you live, there's another B&N with a media section full of Criterions.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jw007

I bought A Boy and His Dog last year on the Shout Factory blu-ray and I really enjoyed this cult classic. I wouldn't call it a classic either, but a cult classic, and its for sure an influential post-apocalyptic film from the 1970s. The supplement of the conversation between director L.Q. Jones and writer Harlan Ellison is extraordinary though and worth every minute. Let me know if you ended up watching that?

I posted my thoughts on that Blu-ray in the dedicated thread in the main forum last night. It's an excellent disc, and, you're right about the interview.

[mrjohnnyb]

Text THANKS to 73277 to get a Sears.com coupon code.

I picked up Summer Interlude priced $20.99 - $10 coupon + 99 cents shipping + 7% NJ states sales tax bringing my grand total to:

$12.82

CORRECTION; Originally, I posted:

Criterion Collection pre-orders are $26.99 and come out to $17.98 shipped after $10 off.

While the coupon is currently available, Criterion pre-orders are not. I apologize for the misinformation.

[monorail91]

Even a Lady Gaga music video compilation would be a better fit -- love her or hate her, her music videos certainly became water-cooler talk (between Paparazzi, Bad Romance, Paparazzi, Born This Way) and reinvigorated that dying medium in an era where MTV and VH1 don't play music videos.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Text THANKS to 73277 to get a Sears.com coupon code.

I picked up Summer Interlude priced $20.99 - $10 coupon + 99 cents shipping + 7% NJ states sales tax bringing my grand total to:

$12.82

Criterion Collection pre-orders are $26.99 and come out to $17.98 shipped after $10 off.

Thanks, but i can't find any Criterion pre-orders on Sears.com. What an awful website.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Thanks, but i can't find any Criterion pre-orders on Sears.com. What an awful website.

It is a horrible website in terms of design and navigation.

I am terribly sorry. It appears that you are correct. Earlier this morning (about 6:30 AM EST) I was considering pre-ordering The River. I just typed the title onto their site's search engine and came up empty. They are still listing other Criterion titles (i.e. Slacker for $26.99 before coupon) at reasonable prices.

[tallrichard]

Originally Posted by DfndroftheFaith

I think there are far, far more classics than masterpieces. I think being a masterpiece is about artistic achievement. You also have to decide what makes a film a great piece of art, a question with which I often struggle. Because of this, I think the declaration of whether a film is a masterpiece is highly subjective. There are several very highly regarded films that many consider masterpieces which I do not particularly like or to which I do not connect. To me, these are not masterpieces, but they are masterpieces by popular critical opinion.

I might be in the minority, but I think the necessary qualifications to be a classic are solely a) age and b) popularity. I'm not much of a horror fan, but I would not hesitate to say that Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th are classics. Wayne's World is a classic. Dirty Harry is a classic. These films are undeniably part of the public consciou. I think most classics are at least good or very good films, and ones that are not are likely to lose their classic status as time goes on and new generations of audiences find nothing of interest or value in them.

If a Director can only have "one" masterpiece, what you define as Hitchcock's Masterpiece? Or John Ford's?

IMHO some exceptional talents can have a body of work loaded with masterpiece works...

I wouldn't want to say which is better; Rear Window, To Catch a Thief or Vertigo? North by Northwest or Psycho? And those examples are a six year sample of Hitchcock's 50 year career....

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

I wouldn't want to say which is better; Rear Window, To Catch a Thief or Vertigo? North by Northwest or Psycho? And those examples are a six year sample of Hitchcock's 50 year career....

The others I agree but the Cary Grant movies are to me a lower-tier. Hitch seems to rely too much on the man's charm. TCAT in particular had some embarrassing comic sequences, and after watching it once, I handed my disc to a friend.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by tallrichard

If a Director can only have "one" masterpiece, what you define as Hitchcock's Masterpiece? Or John Ford's?

IMHO some exceptional talents can have a body of work loaded with masterpiece works...

I wouldn't want to say which is better; Rear Window, To Catch a Thief or Vertigo? North by Northwest or Psycho? And those examples are a six year sample of Hitchcock....

If we're talking about the best film by a director, then I would not refer to that title simply as a masterpiece.
I would refer to it as the director's crowning achievement.

A director can have several masterpieces, but only one crowning achievement.

I think that Rear Window is Alfred Hitchcock's crowning achievement.
I think that Double Indemnity is Billy Wilder's crowning achievement.
I think that Stagecoach is John Ford's crowning achievement.
I think that Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa's crowning achievement.
I think that Out of the Past is Jacques Tourneur's crowning achievement.
I think that The Conversation is Francis Ford Coppola's crowning achievement.
I think that Laura is Otto Preminger's crowning achievement.
I think that Criss Cross is Robert Siodmak's crowning achievement.
I think that The Shining is Stanley Kubrick's crowning achievement.
I think that Touch of Evil is Orson Welles's crowning achievement.
I think that The Gold Rush (1925) is Charlie Chaplin's crowning achievement.
I think that The General is Buster Keaton's crowning achievement.
I think that Chinatown is Roman Polanski's crowning achievement.
I think that The Big Heat is Fritz Lang's crowning achievement.
I think that Jaws is Steven Spielberg's crowning achievement.
I think that The Maltese Falcon is John Huston's crowning achievement.
I think that On the Waterfront is Elia Kazan's crowning achievement.
I think that Fanny and Alexander is Ingmar Bergman's crowning achievement.
I think that Blow Out is Brian De Palma's crowning achievement.
I think that Alien is Ridley Scott's crowning achievement.
I think that Play Misty for Me is Clint Eastwood's crowning achievement.
I think that The Thin Red Line is Terrence Malick's crowning achievement.
I think that Casablanca is Michael Curtiz's crowning achievement.
I think that The Big Sleep is Howard Hawks's crowning achievement.
I think that Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is John Carpenter's crowning achievement.
I think that In a Lonely Place is Nicholas Ray's crowning achievement.
I think that Escape from Alcatraz is Don Siegel's crowning achievement.
I think that La Dolce Vita is Federico Fellini's crowning achievement.
I think that L'Avventura is Michelangelo Antonioni's crowning achievement.
I think that Taxi Driver is Martin Scorsese's crowning achievement.
I think that The Sound of Music is Robert Wise's crowning achievement.
I think that Pickup on South Street is Samuel Fuller's crowning achievement.
I think that Friday the 13th (1980) is Sean Cunningham's crowning achievement.
I think that Raw Deal (1948) is Anthony Mann's crowning achievement.
I think that Point Blank is John Boorman's crowning achievement.
I think that Detour is Edgar G. Ulmer's crowning achievement.
I think that The Night of the Hunter is Charles Laughton's crowning achievement.

[RipleyLV426]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Thanks, but i can't find any Criterion pre-orders on Sears.com. What an awful website.

Couldn't find any either, it's horrendous! Couldn't find a current one, dont look now , either.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

If we're talking about the best film by a director, then I would not refer to that title simply as a masterpiece.
I would refer to it as the director's crowning achievement.

A director can have several masterpieces, but only one crowning achievement.

[Show spoiler]I think that Rear Window is Alfred Hitchcock's crowning achievement.
I think that Double Indemnity is Billy Wilder's crowning achievement.
I think that Stagecoach is John Ford's crowning achievement.
I think that Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa's crowning achievement.
I think that Out of the Past is Jacques Tourneur's crowning achievement.
I think that The Conversation is Francis Ford Coppola's crowning achievement.
I think that Laura is Otto Preminger's crowning achievement.
I think that Criss Cross is Robert Siodmak's crowning achievement.
I think that The Shining is Stanley Kubrick's crowning achievement.
I think that Touch of Evil is Orson Welles's crowning achievement.
I think that The Gold Rush (1925) is Charlie Chaplin's crowning achievement.
I think that The General is Buster Keaton's crowning achievement.
I think that Chinatown is Roman Polanski's crowning achievement.
I think that The Big Heat is Fritz Lang's crowning achievement.
I think that Jaws is Steven Spielberg's crowning achievement.
I think that The Maltese Falcon is John Huston's crowning achievement.
I think that On the Waterfront is Elia Kazan's crowning achievement.
I think that Fanny and Alexander is Ingmar Bergman's crowning achievement.
I think that Blow Out is Brian De Palma's crowning achievement.
I think that Alien is Ridley Scott's crowning achievement.
I think that Play Misty for Me is Clint Eastwood's crowning achievement.
I think that The Thin Red Line is Terrence Malick's crowning achievement.
I think that Casablanca is Michael Curtiz's crowning achievement.
I think that The Big Sleep is Howard Hawks's crowning achievement.
I think that Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) is John Carpenter's crowning achievement.
I think that In a Lonely Place is Nicholas Ray's crowning achievement.
I think that Escape from Alcatraz is Don Siegel's crowning achievement.
I think that La Dolce Vita is Federico Fellini's crowning achievement.
I think that L'Avventura is Michelangelo Antonioni's crowning achievement.
I think that Taxi Driver is Martin Scorsese's crowning achievement.
I think that The Sound of Music is Robert Wise's crowning achievement.
I think that Pickup on South Street is Samuel Fuller's crowning achievement.
I think that Friday the 13th (1980) is Sean Cunningham's crowning achievement.
I think that Raw Deal (1948) is Anthony Mann's crowning achievement.
I think that Point Blank is John Boorman's crowning achievement.
I think that Detour is Edgar G. Ulmer's crowning achievement.
I think that The Night of the Hunter is Charles Laughton's crowning achievement.

It's amazing how many of these I agree with.

Though I have to disagree on Hitch's crowning achievement. For me it will always be Vertigo.