The Criterion Collection

[LPMA]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Would you say it's as good as Sunset Boulevard?

...better?

I personally prefer Sunset, but that's just me. Despite both being labelled as noir, I've always seen them as very different films.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Would you say it's as good as Sunset Boulevard?

...better?

No, not as good as Sunset Blvd., or even several of Wilder's other films. But I say that with the same intent that I would say that winning a $100M Powerball jackpot isn't as good as winning a $200M Powerball jackpot.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Would you say it's as good as Sunset Boulevard?

...better?

Some Like it Hot aside, Ace in the Hole is Wilder's best film, imo.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Some Like it Hot aside, Ace in the Hole is Wilder's best film, imo.

I would say that other than Sunset Blvd. (or, as you say, Some Like It Hot), and at the very least, the following Wilder films are better than Ace in the Hole: Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Witness for the Prosecution, and The Apartment. But that's me. And it's really just splitting hairs.

[soarinsteven]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Agreed about the first two films, but disagree about Marketa Lazarová.

To be fair, the first time I watched it, I shut it off about midway through because of how confused I was. On the second watch, however, I took my time and really devoted 110% of my attention to identifying all of the key players, even pausing it at certain points to read articles about who is who and how each person is connected to one another. This definitely helped me and resulted in me falling in love with the film.

I like to think of the film as Game of Thrones meets religious criticism meets psychological thriller.

Ha, GoT did come to mind watching it especially the past season with its concentration on religion because otherwise I really don't have too many other points of reference for the Medieval times era. I had not read any reviews or essays either on it so I was really at a loss. The 20-30 minutes re-focusing back on Marketa was certainly the film at its most engaging to me which had me thinking of the three films I watched this is the one worth giving another watch someday.

[Iamspartacus]

I would say:

1. Sunset Boulevard
2. Witness for the Prosecution
3. Double Indemnity
4. Stalag 17
5. The Lost Weekend
6. Ace in the Hole
7. The Apartment
8. Some Like it Hot
9. Sabrina
10.The Seven Year Itch

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I finished Vengeance Is Mine last night and would like to offer some brief thoughts on it. Apologies to anyone who loves this film--this is only my opinion and is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings.

But I honestly have no idea why anyone thinks this is a great film.

I can't, for the life of me, find anything great about it.

If you're expecting a violent film with a series of great murders, you'll be disappointed.

If you're expecting a great police procedural, you'll be disappointed.

If you're expecting an insightful, psychological journey into the mind of a killer, you'll be disappointed.

I don't think there was one scene in the entire movie where I said to myself, "Wow...that was a great scene.."

The music is pretty generic.

There were quite a few scenes where I just couldn't figure out what the director was trying to accomplish with them.

...I have no idea what kind of movie he was trying to make.

At least the scene in the hot springs between the old man and the wife was pleasant. Maybe the

[Show spoiler]last conversation in jail between the father and the killer.

[Show spoiler]And the mother watching her daughter being raped and preventing the killer from stopping him was a nice tough.

If you did not open The Vanishing, may be you should return it...Although I liked The Vanishing more, I feel you are really a geek...

Sorry for recommending this earlier...

But I hate you too for recommending Hiroshima Mon Amour...It was one of most useless/aweful movie to me...wasted 90 mins

Although I a, glad I did not buy it, watched it on youtube & saved money...

[Moj]

Going back for one more order, and could use some advice, I have three movies I'm interested in:

Thin Blue Line
Naked
Love Streams

Any opinions on them? Preferences?

[jayembee]

Interestingly enough, this was my third Criterion purchase (laserdisc; behind Blade Runner and The Princess Bride) and my first Criterion blind buy.

I wasn't blown away by it, but I certainly liked it enough to check out other films by Shōhei Imamura.

[popcorntreect]

I'm not a big fan of Vengeance is Mine either. I bought it when it first it came out on DVD and won't be upgrading it to Blu-ray. It was interesting but there's at least 500 better movies in the Criterion Collection.

[popcorntreect]

Originally Posted by Moj

Going back for one more order, and could use some advice, I have three movies I'm interested in:

Thin Blue Line
Naked
Love Streams

Any opinions on them? Preferences?

I've only seen Naked and really enjoyed it. But I've read that Love Streams is Cassavetes' masterpiece, so even without seeing it, I'd choose that one.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

If you did not open The Vanishing, may be you should return it...Although I liked The Vanishing more, I feel you are really a geek...

Sorry for recommending this earlier...

But I hate you too for recommending Hiroshima Mon Amour...It was one of most useless/aweful movie to me...wasted 90 mins

Although I a, glad I did not buy it, watched it on youtube & saved money...

I don't expect everyone to like Hiroshima Mon Amour.

...it's not that kind of film.

But you will not talk me out of opening The Vanishing.

I've made my decision and my decision is final.

I'm a very decisive human being who rarely, if ever, vacillates on anything.

Life is too short to second guess yourself.

Make a choice and live with it.

That's what a man does.

And that's my philosophy.

I'd rather rot in hell than live like a waffling, fence-straddling coward.











So you really think I shouldn't open it?

...seriously?

[SkyAntoine]

Just finished "High and Low". It was the first non-samurai Kurosawa film I have seen. Fantastic intense crime thriller. My favorite Mifune role.

Watching "The Killing" next...

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Just finished "High and Low". It was the first non-samurai Kurosawa film I have seen. Fantastic intense crime thriller. My favorite Mifune role.

Watching "The Killing" next...

The final shot of High and Low is arguably the most powerful final shot in film history.

...certainly one of them.

[Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Iamspartacus

I would say:

1. Sunset Boulevard
2. Witness for the Prosecution
3. Double Indemnity
4. Stalag 17
5. The Lost Weekend
6. Ace in the Hole
7. The Apartment
8. Some Like it Hot
9. Sabrina
10.The Seven Year Itch

Oh wow, only have seen 3 of those (Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, Sabrina). All 3 I love, must watch more Billy Wilder films.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Would you say it's as good as Sunset Boulevard?

...better?

What jaymbee said. Maybe right below Sunset Boulevard. I'd stack it up against Sunset, The Apartment, Some Like it Hot, and Witness for the Prosecution any day, all terrific films not to be missed. Wilder's supreme masterpiece in my book is Double Indemnity. Which just goes to prove my point of how incredible a writer-director Wilder was. And these are only a sampling of his output.

I'll add that Ace in the Hole sneaks up on you. In lesser hands than Wilder's, it could have been a potentially forgettable paint-by-the-numbers melodrama. Instead, we get great writing (no, make that superb writing....Wilder really knew how to craft a story and create dialogue), an unsettling look at activist journalism relevant today, an emotional hook that builds as the story plays out, and a cast of unsavory characters that are more than willing to play along with the scheme concocted by manipulative and self-serving journalist Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas). Throw in a delicious bad girl played by Jan Sterling and you get simmering tension that builds throughout the film.

Set in New Mexico, this is not a prototypical noir. It takes its noir elements and stands them on their head. The only darkness and night is in the cave where the object of the story, a highway gas station-diner owner, lies trapped and clinging to life. Otherwise, the film is bathed in the light of the Southwestern sun, which Wilder uses to good effect to illuminate the corruption and moral decay at the heart of his story. Instead of hoods with guns, we get a talented but detestable journalist exiled to a small town newspaper who wants a ticket back to the big time and will stop at nothing to get it. We learn that rockfalls and cave-ins combined with the printed word can be as deadly as bullets and money in shattering lives and bringing out the worst in men and women. Wilder doesn't let up and gives us a few twists and turns in the characters to keep us guessing along the way.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Moj

Going back for one more order, and could use some advice, I have three movies I'm interested in:

Thin Blue Line
Naked
Love Streams

Any opinions on them? Preferences?

Of these three, I've only seen Naked, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. David Thewlis is remarkable. It's one I need to add to my collection.

[Will G]

Originally Posted by oildude

What jayembee said.

I'll add that Ace in the Hole sneaks up on you. In lesser hands than Wilder's, it could have been a potentially forgettable paint-by-the-numbers melodrama. Instead, we get great writing (no, make that superb writing....Wilder really knew how to craft a story), an unsettling look at activist journalism relevant today, an emotional hook that builds as the story plays out, and a cast of unsavory characters that are more than willing to play along with the scheme concocted by Kirk Douglas's onscreen character, the manipulative and self-serving journalist Chuck Tatum. Throw in a delicious bad girl played by Jan Sterling and you get simmering tension that builds throughout the film.

The chemistry between Douglas & Sterling is electric! Some of the best lines I've heard in any noir.

[The Great Owl]

Billy Wilder is my second favorite director behind Alfred Hitchcock, and there's a quite a few of his films that I still have not seen. My thoughts about the ones that I have seen...

I'd have to go with Double Indemnity as my favorite Billy Wilder film. This is about as close to perfect as a movie can get, and it has a place in my all-time top 10. I was fortunate to see this amazing noir on the big screen at Fox Theatre last year.

My second favorite Billy Wilder film is The Apartment, and it's probably a near miss from my all-time top 10.

I think that Some Like It Hot is one of the funniest movies ever made, if not the funniest, and the comedy carries over to present day so well.

I believe that Ace in the Hole is a brilliant film noir, and it's also Wilder at his most cynical. There's nothing quite like watching Kurt Douglas and Jan Sterling match wits in their contest to see who can be the most despicable.

Sunset Boulevard appears on top of many film noir lists, and, although it's not my absolute favorite film noir, I cannot disagree with its universal acclaim and I love it dearly. It's a cynical movie, but there's also distinct vibe of heartbreak and sadness.

The Lost Weekend is an unsettling depiction of alcoholism that still packs a punch today, and Ray Milland is great in the lead role. I really really wish that Criterion would pick this one up as a title.

Sabrina is the quintessential romantic comedy, with Audrey Hepburn at her most beautiful, and Humphrey Bogart and William Holden vying for her attention.

The Seven Year Itch may not come across as inappropriate in this day and age as much as it probably did upon its release, but it's still risqué, and it's also a likable and fun movie in all ways. Marilyn Monroe was really something else.

Stalag 17 is a great war film, and a great prison escape film. It also has one of the best ensemble casts in the history of cinema.

Witness for the Prosecution is one of the sharpest courtroom dramas out there, and it's a blast to see Charles Laughton in action. Marlene Dietrich was pretty amazing.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is an example of Billy Wilder not quite firing on all cylinders, but it would probably be considered an A film had it been released by any other director, and I happen to think that it's a wildly fun movie.

I own Kiss Me, Stupid and Fedora on Blu-ray, but I have not got around to watching them yet. I mighta oughta get around to doing that. Maybe next weekend...

Billy Wilder's Death Mills is... Well, Death Mills is Death Mills. It's a movie that everyone should probably see, but most of us will only watch it one time.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Moj

Going back for one more order, and could use some advice, I have three movies I'm interested in:

Thin Blue Line
Naked
Love Streams

Any opinions on them? Preferences?

Two posters have chimed in to say that they have only seen Naked. Now you will have one who is saying that he's only seen the other two.

The Thin Blue Line is on my shortlist of greatest documentaries I've ever seen, so I'd go with that. Love Streams is meandering, overlong, and is bound to elicit the reaction that our buddy Ray J just had with Vengeance Is Mine and that is - you'll wonder what the point of all of it is.