The Criterion Collection

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

So why are they charging more for Apu?

...the sets seem almost identical in terms of content and packaging.

All Criterion did was use the Mk2 masters for Three Colors (and the mis-framed "Blue" at that), while Apu had a full restoration that took several years.

[Firecrackker]

I regret not picking up Shoah for $31.50.. didn't even think to do so. Though that must be the least re-watchable Criterion lol

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I'm losing some faith in Amazon. Had them send me A Streetcar Named Desire three times (digibook), and all three were damaged, even after I emailed them about the issue. The first Doctor Zhivago they sent me, and the first Giant--both were damaged. I finally bought Streetcar from a seller on Ebay who had a mint one, and I'm waiting on another Giant.

Just irks me that I have to keep returning things because Amazon can't get it right.

I'm starting to wonder if this sort of thing isn't more of an issue with UPS than Amazon. Because it seems like there are some people who are consistently having these issues and others, like myself, who never run into it. Maybe it's just the UPS chain in the local area?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by jw007

Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

I don't really regret buying any of these. None of them were bad, I'm glad to have watched them and will probably give them another look eventually but my least favorite blind buys would probably be...

Cul-De-Sac
The Devil's Backbone
Eating Raoul
The Freshman
Tess (two Polanskis left me pretty flat...whodathunkit)

And The Royal Tenenbaums wasn't a blind buy but giving it another chance didn't work out as well as I'd hoped.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by jw007

Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

Odd Man Out
Sunday Bloody Sunday
In the Realm of the Senses
The Tin Drum (which I've never managed to finish)
Blue is the Warmest Color

So far I've kept Tin Drum and Odd Man Out, but I've sold off the others as well as Alambrista, El Norte, Pale Flower, House, The Man Who Fell T earth and a few others. Les Cousins/Le Beau Serge are others I feel the need to never re-watch.

[Martin_31]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

Apur Sansar was my favorite too, very moving, I got teary eyed at the end. Very few films do that to me.This will probably my Criterion of the year.

What movie(s) have made you teary or cried your eyes out? Anyone else can answer this question.

[Scottie]

It's hard for me to come up with a list of films that I regret buying considering I bought all of the films at one point to have the entire collection.

I guess I regret my ultimate decision to buy all of the collection. However, if I didn't, I wouldn't have seen a bevy of films from around the world, with some my favorites and some my least favorites.

If it helps, here are all of the films that I had in my physical possession at one point. I ultimately removed them because I didn't like them or liked them but had no interest in rewatching them.

1. 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman (BD)
2. 3:10 to Yuma (BD)
3. 39 Steps, The (BD)
4. 400 Blows, The (BD) + DIGIPACK


5. ¡Alambrista! (BD)
6. All That Jazz (BD + DVD)
7. America Lost and Found: The BBS Story (BD)
8. Anatomy of a Murder (BD)
9. And Everything is Going Fine (BD)
10. Antichrist (BD)
11. Army of Shadows (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
12. Au Revoir Les Enfants (BD)


13. Babette’s Feast (BD)
14. Ballad of Narayama, The (BD)
15. Band of Outsiders (BD)
16. Battle of Algiers, The (BD)
17. Beau Serge, Le (BD)
18. Beauty and the Beast (BD)
19. Bigger Than Life (BD)
20. Black Moon (BD)
21. Black Orpheus (BD)
22. Blind Chance (BD)
23. Blob, The (BD)
24. Bottle Rocket (BD)
25. Branded to Kill (BD)
26. Brazil (BD)
27. Breaking the Waves (BD + DVD)
28. Breathless (BD)
29. Brief History of Time, A (BD + DVD)
30. Broadcast News (BD)
31. By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes 1 and 2 (BD)


32. Cage aux Folles, La (BD)
33. Carlos (BD)
34. Cercle Rouge, Le (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
35. Charade (BD)
36. Che (BD)
37. Christmas Tale, A (BD)
38. Chronicle of a Summer (BD)
39. Complete Jacques Tati, The (BD)
40. Complete Jean Vigo, The (BD)
41. Complete Monterey Pop Festival, The (BD)
42. Cousins, Les (BD)
43. Cronos (BD)
44. Crumb (BD)
45. Cul-De-Sac (BD)


46. Darjeeling Limited, The (BD)
47. David Lean Directs Noël Coward (BD)
48. Design for Living (BD)
49. Devil’s Backbone, The (BD)
50. Down by Law (BD)


51. Earrings of Madame de…, The (BD)
52. Eating Raoul (BD)
53. Everlasting Moments (BD)
54. Every Man for Himself (BD) [SEALED]
55. Eyes Without a Face (BD)


56. Fantastic Mr. Fox (BD + DVD)
57. Fat Girl (BD)
58. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (BD)
59. Following (BD)
60. For All Mankind (BD)
61. Foreign Correspondent (BD + DVD)
62. Forgiveness of Blood, The (BD)
63. Four Feathers, The (BD)
64. Freshman, The (BD + DVD)


65. Gate of Hell (BD)
66. George Washington (BD + DVD)
67. Gimme Shelter (BD)
68. Godzilla (BD)
69. Gray’s Anatomy (BD)
70. Grey Gardens (BD)


71. Haine, La (BD)
72. Harold and Maude (BD)
73. Havre, Le (BD)
74. Heaven’s Gate (BD)
75. Hollis Frampton Odyssey, A (BD)
76. House (BD)
77. Howards End (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
78. Hunger (BD)


79. Ice Storm, The (BD)
80. If… (BD)
81. In the Realm of the Senses (BD)
82. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (BD + DVD)
83. Island of Lost Souls (BD)
84. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (BD + DVD)


85. Jubal (BD)
86. Jules and Jim (BD + DVD)


87. Kes (BD)
88. Kid with a Bike, The (BD)
89. Killing, The (BD)
90. King of the Hill (BD + DVD)
91. Kiss Me Deadly (BD)
92. Kuroneko (BD)


93. Lady Vanishes, The (BD)
94. Last Days of Disco, The (BD)
95. Last Emperor, The (BD) + DIGIPACK
96. Last Metro, The (BD) + DIGIPACK
97. Léon Morin, Priest (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
98. Leopard, The (BD)
99. Les Blank: Always for Pleasure (BD)
100. Letter Never Sent (BD)
101. Life During Wartime (BD)
102. Life is Sweet (BD)
103. Life of Oharu, The (BD)
104. Lola Montès (BD)
105. Long Day Closes, The (BD + DVD)
106. Lord of the Flies (BD)


107. Make Way for Tomorrow (BD)
108. Makioka Sisters, The (BD)
109. Man Escaped, A (BD)
110. Man Who Fell to Earth, The (BD) + DIGIPACK [OUT OF PRINT]
111. Man Who Knew Too Much, The (BD)
112. Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project, Vol. 1 (BD + DVD)
113. Master of the House (BD + DVD)
114. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (BD)
115. Metropolitan (BD)
116. Mikado, The (BD)
117. Ministry of Fear (BD)
118. Moment of Truth, The (BD)
119. Monsoon Wedding (BD)
120. Music Room, The (BD)
121. My Dinner with André (BD)
122. My Life as a Dog (BD)
123. Mystery Train (BD)


124. Naked (BD)
125. Naked Kiss, The (BD)
126. Naked Lunch (BD)
127. Nashville (BD + DVD)
128. Night of the Hunter, The (BD) [RE-ISSUE] (SEALED)
129. Night to Remember, A (BD)
130. Norte, El (BD) + DIGIPACK


131. Organizer, The (BD)
132. Orpheus (BD)
133. Overlord (BD)


134. Pale Flower (BD)
135. Paths of Glory (BD)
136. People on Sunday (BD)
137. Phantom Carriage, The (BD)
138. Pierre Étaix (BD)
139. Pierrot le Fou (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
140. Pina (3D + BD)
141. Playtime (BD) [OUT OF PRINT]
142. Promesse, La (BD)
143. Purple Noon (BD)


144. Quadrophenia (BD)


145. Repo Man (BD)
146. Repulsion (BD)
147. Richard III (BD)
148. Ride with the Devil (BD)
149. Riot in Cell Block 11 (BD + DVD)
150. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (BD)
151. Rosemary’s Baby (BD)
152. Rosetta (BD)
153. Royal Tenenbaums, The (BD)
154. Rushmore (BD)


155. Safety Last! (BD)
156. Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (BD)
157. Samurai Trilogy, The (BD)
158. Sansho the Bailiff (BD)
159. Seconds (BD)
160. Secret of the Grain, The (BD)
161. Secret Sunshine (BD)
162. Senso (BD)
163. Shallow Grave (BD)
164. Shoah (BD)
165. Shock Corridor (BD)
166. Slacker (BD)
167. Something Wild (BD)
168. Sorpasso, Il (BD + DVD)
169. Spy Who Came in From the Cold, The (BD)
170. Stagecoach (BD)
171. Sullivan’s Travels (BD)
172. Summer Hours (BD)
173. Sunday Bloody Sunday (BD)
174. Sundays and Cybèle (BD)
175. Sweetie (BD)


176. Tess (BD + DVD)
177. Things to Come (BD)
178. Three Outlaw Samurai (BD)
179. Times of Harvey Milk, The (BD)
180. Tin Drum, The (BD)
181. Tiny Furniture (BD)
182. To Be or Not to Be (BD)
183. Tokyo Drifter (BD)
184. Tootsie (BD)
185. Topsy-Turvy (BD)
186. Trilogy of Life (BD)
187. Two Days, One Night (BD)
188. Two-Lane Blacktop (BD)


189. Umberto D. (BD)
190. Uninvited, The (BD)


191. Vanya on 42nd Street (BD)
192. Videodrome (BD)
193. Vie de Bohème, La (BD + DVD)
194. Visiteurs du Soir, Les (BD)
195. Vivre Sa Vie (BD)


196. Walkabout (BD)
197. Wages of Fear, The (BD)
198. War Room, The (BD)
199. Week End (BD)
200. Weekend (BD)
201. White Material (BD)
202. World on a Wire (BD)


203. Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman (BD + DVD)
204. Zazie dans le Métro (BD)

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by iScottie

It's hard for me to come up with a list of films that I regret buying considering I bought all of the films at one point to have the entire collection.

I guess I regret my ultimate decision to buy all of the collection. However, if I didn't, I wouldn't have seen a bevy of films from around the world, with some my favorites and some my least favorites.

If it helps, here are all of the films that I had in my physical possession at one point. I ultimately removed them because I didn't like them or liked them but had no interest in rewatching them.

Some of my favorite movies in that list... And some of my least liked as well.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

What movie(s) have made you teary or cried your eyes out? Anyone else can answer this question.

I cry at the drop of a hat while watching stuff, personally. It may have to do with living in sort of a bubble. But I've never watched The Umbrellas of Cherbourg without a few tears, at least.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Some of my favorite movies in that list... And some of my least liked as well.

Which ones are your favorites? I recall you saying you loved The Music Room, a film that I can't bring myself to watch again.

As much as I enjoy Ray, I just don't enjoy films that deal with the aristocracy, whether it be the corruption of it, the decline in status, or simply the status quo (i.e. La Ciénaga, The Leopard, Senso).

[Martin_31]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I cry at the drop of a hat while watching stuff, personally. It may have to do with living in sort of a bubble. But I've never watched The Umbrellas of Cherbourg without a few tears, at least.

I watched Philomena recently and it just left me in shambles. I cried and cried after I finished watching it. If you haven't seen it, watch it now!!! But be prepared to feel sad the entire day. I did. There's one scene in the movie that is just phenomenal.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I watched Philomena recently and it just left me in shambles. I cried and cried after I finished watching it. If you haven't seen it, watch it now!!! But be prepared to feel sad the entire day. I did. There's one scene in the movie that is just phenomenal.

Thank you for reminding me. I've been meaning to see that and forgetting.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Which ones are your favorites? I recall you saying you loved The Music Room, a film that I can't bring myself to watch again.

As much as I enjoy Ray, I just don't enjoy films that deal with the aristocracy, whether it be the corruption of it, the decline in status, or simply the status quo (i.e. La Ciénaga, The Leopard, Senso).

These could be called favorites, depending on what day of the week it is: All That Jazz, Army of Shadows, Beauty and the Beast, Brazil, Complete Jacques Tati, Earrings of Madame de..., Heaven's Gate, La Haine, Harold and Maude, Make Way for Tomorrow, A Man Escaped, The Music Room, My Dinner with Andre, Night of the Hunter, Orpheus, Rosemary's Baby and Vanya on 42nd Street...

There are more that I really like, a bunch of "meh" and a few dislikes (Trilogy of Life, By Brakhage, And Everything's Going Fine for instance).

I don't usually like the "glamor" movies about aristocracy, but I like ones that deal with the ending of aristocracy and the decay that's usually associated with that end. I guess because those types of movies expose their humanity and frailty more than most do (at least when they're good movies).

The Music Room really got to me, a man who's incapable of doing anything other than what he's always been doing. Knowing full well that it can't go on he nevertheless ignores reality and is determined to escape into his music world, just one more time. Watching him walk through those decaying halls was heartbreaking.

The Leopard is in the same vein, but there it's more a case of Burt Lancaster's character not knowing how to deal with the changing times (and figuring he's too old anyways), whereas in the Music Room there's a refusal to acknowledge the changing times (if memory serves me right, it's been a while since I saw either of them). I have only the vaguest recollection of Senso.

La Cienaga struck me more as a scathing expose of the idle rich with a very dark sense of humor, showing the inability of these people to actually do anything, be it fill their empty lives or pick up broken glass. It was brilliantly filmed, by the way.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by jw007

Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

I'm sure many of you have done what I've done...during those holiday 50% off sales, where we were feeling gluttonous and thrifty and "threw in" another Criterion because, well, it was 50% off! We skimmed the back cover of the blu-ray or dvd release and thought to ourselves: "Well, shit, this looks interesting, and I think it might be worth buying."

And then when it came time to watch it, we found out just how much we couldn't relate to or enjoy the movie we bought. But rather try and sell it on Ebay or go to a second hand movie/record store, we tucked it away in guilty fashion amongst our big stack of films and on our shelves and media cabinets and in storage bins, knowing we'll probably never ever again watch it.

So I will start with my top 5 LEAST favorite or regretful Criterion blind-buys:

1. Che
2. George Washington
3. White Dog
4. Life During Wartime
5. Chronicle of a Summer

Others that didn't make the list but came close (despite being from great directors): Red Desert, Pierrot le Fou, World on a Wire, The Last Emperor, La Jetée/Sans Soleil, The Milky Way and Medium Cool. Keep in mind that I'm judging this all on personal overall satisfaction with my purchases and in no way judge any of the films I mentioned to be inferior or bad in any way.

I sorta regret getting these, fortunately I was able to sell them pretty fast after I watched them:

The Vanishing
Don't Look Now
Insomnia (prefer the Nolan version)
Odd Man Out
The Man Who Fell to Earth

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by jw007

Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

I'm sure many of you have done what I've done...during those holiday 50% off sales, where we were feeling gluttonous and thrifty and "threw in" another Criterion because, well, it was 50% off! We skimmed the back cover of the blu-ray or dvd release and thought to ourselves: "Well, shit, this looks interesting, and I think it might be worth buying."

And then when it came time to watch it, we found out just how much we couldn't relate to or enjoy the movie we bought. But rather try and sell it on Ebay or go to a second hand movie/record store, we tucked it away in guilty fashion amongst our big stack of films and on our shelves and media cabinets and in storage bins, knowing we'll probably never ever again watch it.

So I will start with my top 5 LEAST favorite or regretful Criterion blind-buys:

1. Che
2. George Washington
3. White Dog
4. Life During Wartime
5. Chronicle of a Summer

Others that didn't make the list but came close (despite being from great directors): Red Desert, Pierrot le Fou, World on a Wire, The Last Emperor, La Jetée/Sans Soleil, The Milky Way and Medium Cool. Keep in mind that I'm judging this all on personal overall satisfaction with my purchases and in no way judge any of the films I mentioned to be inferior or bad in any way.

I don't blind buy a lot, but I would rate them as follows:

Worst:
Fellini Satyricon
Hiroshima Mon Amour
L'Avventura
Marketa Lazarova
Persona

I don't think anyone of those are bad, I haven't given up on them and plan to rewatch all.

Best:

Jules and Jim
The Big City
My Dinner with Andre
Autumn Sonata
The Freshman

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Bandit Tajomaru

Marketa Lazarová is the only Criterion I regret buying.

: O

It's (in my opinion of course) one of the best film in the collection!

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by jw007

Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

I'm sure many of you have done what I've done...during those holiday 50% off sales, where we were feeling gluttonous and thrifty and "threw in" another Criterion because, well, it was 50% off! We skimmed the back cover of the blu-ray or dvd release and thought to ourselves: "Well, shit, this looks interesting, and I think it might be worth buying."

And then when it came time to watch it, we found out just how much we couldn't relate to or enjoy the movie we bought. But rather try and sell it on Ebay or go to a second hand movie/record store, we tucked it away in guilty fashion amongst our big stack of films and on our shelves and media cabinets and in storage bins, knowing we'll probably never ever again watch it.

So I will start with my top 5 LEAST favorite or regretful Criterion blind-buys:

1. Che
2. George Washington
3. White Dog
4. Life During Wartime
5. Chronicle of a Summer

Others that didn't make the list but came close (despite being from great directors): Red Desert, Pierrot le Fou, World on a Wire, The Last Emperor, La Jetée/Sans Soleil, The Milky Way and Medium Cool. Keep in mind that I'm judging this all on personal overall satisfaction with my purchases and in no way judge any of the films I mentioned to be inferior or bad in any way.

5. Orpheus
4. Walkabout
3. Breathless
2. Che
1. The Night Porter

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

What movie(s) have made you teary or cried your eyes out? Anyone else can answer this question.

The one that immediately comes to mind is Frank Darabont's The Majestic. Something about that syrupy-sweet, Capra-esque nostalgia always gets me a little misty-eyed. The ending of City Lights tends to get me, too.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Those two are very surprising!

I still have La Notte in my collection, which I like very much.

The other two just aren't films that I figured to watch multiple times.

[Old Geezer]

Originally Posted by jw007 View Post
Alright folks...I've decided to ask everyone here what are your top 5 LEAST FAVORITE blind-buys?

Music Room
Fellini Satyricon
Macbeth
Yi Yi
Life During Wartime.

I'm not saying these are bad movies because they're not; but for some reason they never connected to me. I have no desire to ever watch any of them again. Yi Yi and Life During Wartime were bought when I wanted to be a Criterion "completest". I really thought the other three would be enjoyable to me.