The Criterion Collection

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

It won't be difficult for you to see the brilliance of Don't Look Now on second viewing. It took me twice as well. Get on that!

I think some of the brilliance of these films gets lost on the small screen. Maybe more than just some.

Only took a single view on the big screen to make me a Roeg fan from the start.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Well boys...I've officially gone full-on Thelma and Louise with my blind buy purchases for this sale.

Picked up The Double Life of Veronique AND Three Colors today...in addition to Walkabout because the cover art was so pretty and I've been obsessed with Australia ever since seeing Picnic at Hanging Rock for the first time. Many of you have staked your movie-geek reputations behind the so-called "Kieslowski magic."

If these blind buys turn out to be an epic failure, then I'm going to blame some of the people on this forum.

...and then I do not forgive.

In reality, there will be nobody to blame but yourself. All pretty great cinema. And, per my previous post, it's Roeg. Check out Bad Timing too if you get a chance. (A couple of other big screen experiences for me back in the day.)

(Actually I saw all the above mentioned films first on the big screen.)

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Great Beauty is the best film of 2013 and on par with A Separation as best film of the century, thus far.

It is also a great nod to Federico Fellini in its tone and style to La Dolce Vita.

The Great Beauty was quite good but it had a real 'cinema-of-quality' vibe to it. It's tries a little too hard to be accepted. It's very bourgeois in that sense.

It was well acted and filmed though, that's undeniable.

The comparisons to La Dolce Vita are obvious, but The Great Beauty doesn't work nearly as well as a legitimate social critique. It works better as a character study of an aging man who drifted through life and is now forced to confront his own mortality.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Well I watched The Double Life of Veronique tonight for the first time.

Right now I can't really say whether I liked it or disliked it.

...I know I didn't love it.

It's certainly beautiful to look at--both the photography and Irene Jacob. But I'm not sure I was really able to find an emotional connection to the story. I know the ending made no sense to me. Perhaps I'll be able to peel back some additional layers with multiple viewings.

My real concern now is whether to go ahead and take off the wrapping for the Three Colors trilogy? If I was lukewarm about Double Life, is that a solid indication of how I'll most likely feel about Three Colors?

...somebody help me.

https://thedissolve.com/features/mov...the-double-li/

[darkness2918]

So, im making my final trip of this B&N sale this Friday, which of the following 2 would you guys recommend most for blind buys:

Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ride with the Devil
The Vanishing (ive seen the 93 remake & like it but never seen this one)
Repo Man
The Game
Che

[adrian333]

Just to offer different end of the coin, I find Double Life empty (after watching it twice over the years), and Kieslowski overrated. The first time I watched Red, when it came out, I loved it - the second time, years lated, I hated it and find it pretentious and obvious. Blue: I think it's partly brilliant (small parts), but as a whole doesn't hold together at all. White is nothing special. I actually much prefer some of his earlier Polish films and short documentaries, which I think are much more honest.
Now don't lynch me

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

So, im making my final trip of this B&N sale this Friday, which of the following 2 would you guys recommend most for blind buys:

Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ride with the Devil
The Vanishing (ive seen the 93 remake & like it but never seen this one)
Repo Man
The Game
Che

Investigation Of a Citizen is a definite vote from me.
Repo Man is one of my personal favorites and is high up on my list of most watched Criterions but seems to be a bit of an acquired taste. Havent seen it but The Vanishing seems to be highly rated as well as the Game (which I didnt care much for personally)

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

Saw Pierrot Le Fou today, really gotta say I enjoyed it very much. It was the most expensive blind buy ive probably ever bought but wow was it so worth it.

At some scenes I was like:
"You've got to be kidding me".
I don't know, I have seen 3 Godard films and I've decided it's not for me.
i can't speak for other technical aspects, but because film music is my field, I'd say this:
The man has no sense of film music spotting at all!
(film music spotting is the procedure of deciding the exact spots of where the music will come in and go out).

Unless, and I'm sure his fans will say so, this music chaos that results is deliberate.
But honestly I can't believe that when in Le Mepris music would come in and go out just randomly! It was very irritating (for me at least, since film music is the first element I pay my attention to in a movie)

[prior]

I've watched Double Life several times and never really got o the point of loving it. Still it's a visually stunning work of art with an intriguing enough plot to hold your attention multiple times.

I should add that I find the usage of "classical" music in films to be a mixed bag. I've got a problem with it if it's meant to show that the director is "deep" and the film meaningful while it actually is pretty hokey. Also while Jacob does a great job her singing doesn't really convince me, her movements are just a little off and too emotionally loaded. To imply that anyone could conduct a school orchestra without even looking at them because everything works on its own is laughable. This is just sloppy writing and while these are certainly minor points they are a bit distracting.

[Andrew13]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

So, im making my final trip of this B&N sale this Friday, which of the following 2 would you guys recommend most for blind buys:

Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ride with the Devil
The Vanishing (ive seen the 93 remake & like it but never seen this one)
Repo Man
The Game
Che

Investigation and The Vanishing is the way to go.

[Vinyl]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

So, im making my final trip of this B&N sale this Friday, which of the following 2 would you guys recommend most for blind buys:

Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ride with the Devil
The Vanishing (ive seen the 93 remake & like it but never seen this one)
Repo Man
The Game
Che

The Vanishing and The Game

[Vinyl]

Okay, next time around I am going to try and get things from my wish list in spine order. Some of the early spines I have been interested in for years and always got a new title or blind buy instead.

The first four on the list are: The Lady Vanishes, Kwaidan, In the Mood for Love, and The Tin Drum. I like how they are all different, from different countries and very different times.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

So, im making my final trip of this B&N sale this Friday, which of the following 2 would you guys recommend most for blind buys:

Investigations of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Ride with the Devil
The Vanishing (ive seen the 93 remake & like it but never seen this one)
Repo Man
The Game
Che

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and The Vanishing. Definitely The Vanishing ... I saw it a couple of months ago and can't quite get it out of my head.

[ijustblumyself]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

At some scenes I was like:
"You've got to be kidding me".
I don't know, I have seen 3 Godard films and I've decided it's not for me.
i can't speak for other technical aspects, but because film music is my field, I'd say this:
The man has no sense of film music spotting at all!
(film music spotting is the procedure of deciding the exact spots of where the music will come in and go out).

Unless, and I'm sure his fans will say so, this music chaos that results is deliberate.
But honestly I can't believe that when in Le Mepris music would come in and go out just randomly! It was very irritating (for me at least, since film music is the first element I pay my attention to in a movie)

There is absolutely no doubt that Godard's jarring use of music is intentional; this isn't conjecture, he's literally known for attempting to alienate his audience in order to expose the artificiality of cinema.
I can understand not enjoying it (I find him to be a little too didactic for my tastes), but he knows exactly what he's doing.

[Kaiju]

Addicted to these since the sale started. Can't stop, won't stop.

Just ordered Tootsie, Eraserhead, and Bergman's The Magician. If I didn't have to pay rent, I would buy many more... but I think I'll continue this indulgence even after the B&N sale ends. I can't be stopped, boys.

[Banned User]

Finally got around to watching Le Silence De Le Mer from one of my absolute favorite directors, Melville. Why I waited so long to watch this masterpiece is beyond me. Amazingly beautiful low budget rogue production with very nuanced performances. Lots of low angle upward shots, aka Citizen Kane, showing that very early on, this was his first real film, the director was already a master at the use of natural lighting, staging and the use of shadows. His American influence's are obvious, but the melding of french and american techniques I think makes his movies something special indeed.

The handling of the Nazi officer was something I did not expect. Unlike many films in the era who painted German's with one brushstroke, all colors evil, Melville displays them as people. Same thing he did in Leon Morin, Priest. Yes he portrays the evil side of the Nazi in other characters with limited screen time, but the sympathy he builds for the Nazi officer in Silence was unexpected by me. Especially when the source was a clandestine novel written and distributed during the occupation. This film has so much culture, references and philosophical ideas bleeding out of it, but never feels preachy or obvious. Atleast IMO. Must see for Melville fans.

There are a lot of great lengthy extras included with this release and a nice thick booklet ( in comparision to most). This IMO is what all Criterion titles should strive to be. Lately I've seen so many barebone releases and I'm not a fan of the poster/booklet thing.

Now bring on Le Samourai . Also would love to see Un Flic get a release. The last film I haven't seen by Melville. The one whose failure, according to most scholars, attributed to his early death.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Banned User

Now bring on Le Samourai . Also would love to see Un Flic get a release. The last film I haven't seen by Melville. The one whose failure, according to most scholars, attributed to his early death.

I've got Un Flic (Dirty Money) on DVD. It's not a bad film by any stretch, and, in fact, its only real fault is that it is not as good as the films that Melville released in the years leading up to it.

One heist sequence in Un Flic is marred by model effects that resemble an episode of Thunderbirds, but I prefer that crude ingenuity to modern-day computer effects. On the whole, though, it's a fine film with good work from Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, and Richard Crenna.*



* Speaking of Richard Crenna, I revisited Rambo: First Blood Part II the other night, because, after days of stress about moving into my new place, I wanted to watch a Blu-ray that did not require any real mental investment. Rambo is a silly and over-the-top movie in so many ways, but I'll always love it nonetheless.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've got Un Flic (Dirty Money) on DVD. It's not a bad film by any stretch, and, in fact, its only real fault is that it is not as good as the films that Melville released in the years leading up to it.

One heist sequence in Un Flic is marred by model effects that resemble an episode of Thunderbirds, but I prefer that crude ingenuity to modern-day computer effects. On the whole, though, it's a fine film with good work from Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, and Richard Crenna.*



* Speaking of Richard Crenna, I revisited Rambo: First Blood Part II the other night, because, after days of stress about moving into my new place, I wanted to watch a Blu-ray that did not require any real mental investment. Rambo is a silly and over-the-top movie in so many ways, but I'll always love it nonetheless.

I am a strong believer of this. I cannot watch difficult movies every time I watch a movie. For weekend viewing I always try include one so called commercial movies. For eg:- Last 3 days, I watched Repulsion, then Looper and Then High and Low. Enjoyed all of them. None of these are too difficult though.

[olivianewtonyawn]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Well I watched The Double Life of Veronique tonight for the first time.

Right now I can't really say whether I liked it or disliked it.

...I know I didn't love it.

It's certainly beautiful to look at--both the photography and Irene Jacob. But I'm not sure I was really able to find an emotional connection to the story. I know the ending made no sense to me. Perhaps I'll be able to peel back some additional layers with multiple viewings.

My real concern now is whether to go ahead and take off the wrapping for the Three Colors trilogy? If I was lukewarm about Double Life, is that a solid indication of how I'll most likely feel about Three Colors?

...somebody help me.

This happened to me as well. I felt lukewarm about Double Life, although did find it to be absolutely beautiful. I did not really fall in love with it until I revisited it after watching Three Colors. I loved all 3 of those films on first viewing and actually circled back to watch Blue after completing Red the first time through.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I've got Un Flic (Dirty Money) on DVD. It's not a bad film by any stretch, and, in fact, its only real fault is that it is not as good as the films that Melville released in the years leading up to it.

One heist sequence in Un Flic is marred by model effects that resemble an episode of Thunderbirds, but I prefer that crude ingenuity to modern-day computer effects. On the whole, though, it's a fine film with good work from Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, and Richard Crenna.*



* Speaking of Richard Crenna, I revisited Rambo: First Blood Part II the other night, because, after days of stress about moving into my new place, I wanted to watch a Blu-ray that did not require any real mental investment. Rambo is a silly and over-the-top movie in so many ways, but I'll always love it nonetheless.

Originally Posted by diskspinner

I am a strong believer of this. I cannot watch difficult movies every time I watch a movie. For weekend viewing I always try include one so called commercial movies. For eg:- Last 3 days, I watched Repulsion, then Looper and Then High and Low. Enjoyed all of them. None of these are too difficult though.

IMO, the scene that Owl speaks of serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever - unless I missed something, it has zero to do with everything that comes before and after it. Very weird. Nevertheless, I think Un Flic is a very good film that is really only marred by that sequence.

@diskspinner - I know exactly what you're saying... I have been mixing in some newer titles w/ my CC titles (and other art-house films.) this is partly because my wife isn't interested in some of the older, more artsy films, but also because I rarely have the brain power left at the end of the day that would be required to watch deeper stuff. So recently, The Drop (good), Locke (admirable, but not particularly enjoyable) Nightcrawler (crappy) got mixed in with Truffaut’s The Story of Adele H (2nd tier FT, so quite good in my book,) In The Mood For Love (pretty awesome) and Tokyo Story (need to finish this one tonight.)