The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Dare I say Resnais's 1-2 punch of Last Year at Marienbad & Hiroshima mon amour stack up against the best 2 films of any filmmaker that's ever lived.

BTW - there hasn't been much discussion of Le silence de la mer which is terrific. It's an excellent companion piece to Leon Morin, Priest. I love how Melville can do a film like Le Samourai or le circle rouge and also the above two. I've never gone wrong with a Melville film.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by RestlessEye

Kind of an odd question but... aside from B&N, Amazon and Criterion, are there any good places to pick up older titles? The reason I ask is lately I'm not having very good luck acquiring older Criterion blurays that don't look like they've been through the mill. I've pretty much given up on Amazon (returned Cul De Sac three times). My order from B&N arrived and both Cul De Sac and The Innocents are really beat up. Its ridiculous the condition they're in - especially The Innocents. I understand they are older titles, but really? If I don't grab them the week they come out am I out of luck?

Check out your local B&N store(s). (Although even store-bought can be a bit of a treasure hunt at times, especially when cardboard is in the mix.)

I do tend to get them sooner rather than later, as the longer they're on the shelves, the less they tend to stay looking brand new.

[KillDaWabbit]

I have seen Le Samourai brought up a few times. Is that one of the titles that people speculate may be brought into the Criterion Blu-Ray Collection?

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I have recently read on this forum that the B&N sale will be extended. Also, no one seems that interested in the Eclipse Series because not many mention it. In the past flash sale from Criterion, I bought the Raymond Bernard Eclipse Series 4. This past weekend, July 18 through the 19, I watched Wooden Crosses and Les Miserables. This set was a blind buy. As of today, I own only 23 DVD’s and Blu-ray’s from Criterion. All of them have been a blind buy. I enjoy buying movies that I have never heard about. There’s something enjoyable about discovering a movie. Not even the film classes mention Raymond Bernard. The only French cinema that exists to my professor’s is Godard, Truffaut, etc. basically the New Wave.
Wooden Crosses is a black and white film released in 1932. The only thing I knew about this movie was from what I read on the back. The New York Times wrote on its release “one of the great films in motion-picture history.” Movies weren’t that old compared to today. Those words posted by The New York Times are true. Wooden Crosses is one of the best movies I have seen to date. I thought the battle sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory was amazing, but the battle sequence in Wooden Crosses is breathtaking and realistic. I felt as if I was in the trenches. I read that the actors were veterans from WW1. The director chose to hire only war veterans.

[Show spoiler] On my search to find out more about this movie, I found out that when it was shown in the 60’s in television a WW1 veteran committed suicide because this movie depicted what he had exactly experienced. That’s terrifying. That’s how powerful this movie is.

Les Miserables is on a whole other level. I was hesitant to “tackle” a 4 hour and 41 minute black and white French movie. I don’t mind reading subtitles but the thought put me off a bit. Thankfully, I understand French a bit. I still haven’t read the novel but that will soon change. I fell in love with the movie and because of that I have to read the novel. It blew my mind! It has become one of my favorite movies. The way the story unfolds. The expressionistic sets and cinematography are riveting. The actors are phenomenal especially Harry Bauer, Charles Vanel, and Charles Dullin.
I just wanted to add my two cents about this set on the forum. If you haven't bought this set, I highly recommend you buy it. You will enjoyed these movies.

Thanks. I've looked at this Eclipse set a couple of times before but with so many Criterion on my list I've not yet got to it. Think I'll place an order for pick up at my local store - especially now that the sale looks like it's been extended.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Dare I say Resnais's 1-2 punch of Last Year at Marienbad & Hiroshima mon amour stack up against the best 2 films of any filmmaker that's ever lived.

BTW - there hasn't been much discussion of Le silence de la mer which is terrific. It's an excellent companion piece to Leon Morin, Priest. I love how Melville can do a film like Le Samourai or le circle rouge and also the above two. I've never gone wrong with a Melville film.

Silence was great. I loved the ending; very powerful.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by TomN245

Castle of Sand is the film that blew me away, but I also like the Obayashi stuff. The bad acting, crazy effects and the schmultzy music works really well imo. I enjoyed The Drifting Classroom way more than any human should

Just watched it maybe a week ago. The bad acting and particularly the "schmultzy" music's intercuts with the story turned it into a stinker for me about 1/2 way in (it was ok up until then), hard to finish (it was late), but I did still stick around until the end to see how it turned out. Could have dropped the music concert parts altogether and improved it a lot.)

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by ijustblumyself

I actually like Late Autumn even more than Late Spring (both masterpieces IMO). I think Setsuko Hara has a lot to do with it.

I like them equally. Late Spring has the bicycle scene that might be my favorite sequence in any of his films I've seen. It certainly is unique in the fact that the camera moves! Late Autumn I like for it's lighter tone and the antics of the three matchmakers who are quite funny plus having Setsuko Hara play the parent was a clever touch.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by KillDaWabbit

I have seen Le Samourai brought up a few times. Is that one of the titles that people speculate may be brought into the Criterion Blu-Ray Collection?

It would be an upgrade for them...I imported Le Samourai and it looks like garbage (PQ). Le Samourai BADLY needs a Criterion upgrade.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Kwaidan will be my first Japanese blind buy, so wish me luck. As I mentioned earlier this week, I know next to nothing about Japanese film and I’d like to change that. Sometimes you just get the sense that you have evolved as a film lover and are ready to explore and love something different. Roger Ebert spoke very highly of Kwaidan. His reviews are another blind buy selling point for me.

I'll chime in with a few recommendations. Up until four years ago, I was pretty much ignorant about Japanese cinema except for late night monster movies and the occasional Kurosawa. Then I picked up Still Walking as a blind buy on a whim. From that point on I went on a journey of discovery into the wonderful world of Japanese films and have never looked back. I think it is pretty awesome when a movie can take you in new directions like that.

Still Walking - From reading the description on the back, it sounded like a slow-paced talkie film that I would have to be in a certain mood to watch. I had my doubts about it but bought it anyway.

Was I ever wrong. The story centers around an extended Japanese family's annual gathering on the anniversary of the oldest son's death. The acting, dialogue, and family dynamic are superb. The whole film has an intimacy to it that is very real and touches all the right emotional chords of family life - joyous and talkative, sometimes irritable, sometimes sad and contemplative, often touchingly humorous, and ultimately redemptive. I especially liked how the director frequently used the camera to show detail and mood.

In my opinion, the film is brilliant. The director, Koreeda, takes a low-key approach to a slice of everyday life, showing us the gathering of the family, their interactions over several meals, interpersonal tensions, quiet demons, and conflicts involving modern vs. traditional cultural themes, and makes such a totally compelling and identifiable story that it easily resonates with a non-Japanese audience.

Harakiri - Although I had seen and enjoyed Seven Samurai, I did not consider myself much of a samurai movie fan when I blind bought Harakiri, It was viewing experiences like this that ultimately changed my perceptions. Now I love a good samurai story. Harakiri is a superb film in which the main character, a proud but poor ronin, seeks to find salvation from the pains and injustices that life circumstances - and wicked men - have done to him. Being a samurai, he chooses the warrior's ritual suicide. And that is just the beginning of the film.

The tension is ramped up so skillfully that what starts out as a slowly unwinding tale of misfortune becomes bit by bit a dark quest for redemption and revenge. The result is an edge-of-your-seat experience. The climax is unforgettable. Harakiri is done so well on so many levels, an emotionally affecting film, where the beauty in life may be found in the manner of death itself. As much as I have grown to love and appreciate the samurai films of Kurosawa, this is the one that I rank as the best samurai movie I have ever seen. I also consider it one of the greatest films ever.

Pale Flower is another extraordinary film (I seem to use that word a lot to describe Japanese cinema). The opening scenes with their chaotic Japanese percussion mixed with jazz riffs hooked me in, the stylish visuals, the cool menace of the main character Muraki, the self-destructive thrill junkie Saeko and the effect she has on Muraki, the slow building suspense culminating in operatic violence. Just a very well done noir film. The ending is perfect. Pale Flower is the only Shinoda I have ever seen, so I need to explore more of his work.

[KillDaWabbit]

I just finished The Night of the Hunter. What a great blind buy surprise that was! Robert Mitchum played a fantastic creep/sleaze, and I thought that Lillian Gish did a great job as well. The warmth of her character versus the ice cold calculated nature of Mitchum was perfect. There were some very interesting cinematic moment's, like the preacher silhouetted on the horizon, that really drove home a feeling of tension.

As a side note, I had some playback issues with the disc that I have. The scene in the basement when Mrs. Spoon comes over to the home will not play. I took the disc out and had a look at it. There are no scratches and no obvious defects. Has anybody had any experience with Criterion replacing defective discs at all? Not a HUGE deal, but kind of a bummer to have this happen to an otherwise great movie.

Very happy with my first blind-buy from a month-long spree of Criterion buying!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You must hate Terrence Malick.

...sucks for you.

this is actually a great post, Ray. it says so much. I applaud you for unabashedly touting your love for Malick while simultaneously acknowledging that, "yes, I (you, that is) can at least see how someone might call him pretentious."

I happen to like Malick very much. I love his 2 films from the 70's and really appreciated The Tree of Life, but only after a 2nd viewing. If you ask me, the Knight of Cups trailer looks like a heap of repetitive crap, so I'm not drinking the kool aid lie so many others are, but I do like him.

[flyry]

does anyone know roughly when in November the next half-off sale will be?

[oildude]

Not sure if this had been posted as a definite yet, but I was in a B&N today and the signs above the Criterion titles had been changed to say that the sale is extended until August 3.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

this is actually a great post, Ray. it says so much. I applaud you for unabashedly touting your love for Malick while simultaneously acknowledging that, "yes, I (you, that is) can at least see how someone might call him pretentious."

I happen to like Malick very much. I love his 2 films from the 70's and really appreciated The Tree of Life, but only after a 2nd viewing. If you ask me, the Knight of Cups trailer looks like a heap of repetitive crap, so I'm not drinking the kool aid lie so many others are, but I do like him.

I take offense to the word "actually."

...you've offended me.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by oildude

Not sure if this had been posted as a definite yet, but I was in a B&N today and the signs above the Criterion titles had been changed to say that the sale is extended until August 3.

That's great to get a solid confirmation, thanks.

[mja345]

I've participated in the last 5 or 6 B&N sales, but I've noticed so many more people in my local B&Ns looking at Criterions this sale. Most of them are looking at the higher profile titles, but still. It's nice to see a lot people getting into this, even in my own micro example. I think the very high MSRP and obscurity of some of the titles intimidate some people with CC. But once the prices drop and they peruse the awesome scope of titles, a whole new world opens up.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by mja345

I've participated in the last 5 or 6 B&N sales, but I've noticed so many more people in my local B&Ns looking at Criterions this sale. Most of them are looking at the higher profile titles, but still. It's nice to see a lot people getting into this, even in my own micro example. I think the very high MSRP and obscurity of some of the titles intimidate some people with CC. But once the prices drop and they peruse the awesome scope of titles, a whole new world opens up.

Thats sort of what happened o me. This is my 1st time taking part in the B&N CC sale. I had like 5 CC DVDs before but didn't really collect them. Got my 1st CC BD in a trade on here & was hooked lol. Every CC BD I have except Rosemary's Baby & Pierrot Le Fou has come from this sale & thanks to it being extended I can now grab a few more.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

Thats sort of what happened o me. This is my 1st time taking part in the B&N CC sale. I had like 5 CC DVDs before but didn't really collect them. Got my 1st CC BD in a trade on here & was hooked lol. Every CC BD I have except Rosemary's Baby & Pierrot Le Fou has come from this sale & thanks to it being extended I can now grab a few more.

Awesome man. That's what it's all about.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by mja345

Awesome man. That's what it's all about.

Finally! It's about time we started a frank and open discussion about the hokey pokey in these parts!

[jonathanswaqyim]

Quick question, Is there a thread on the forum for trading criterions? Trying to get rid of my Don't Look Now...