The Criterion Collection

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You like Odd Man Out?

Good?

Great?

...classic?

I have only seen it once, and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't consider it a favourite, but maybe on my next viewing..?

[KillaCam]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Agree that crime noirs tend to be a little too formulaic at times--to the point where it feels difficult to distinguish one from another. A lot of it just comes down to whether they're well written and well acted.

Double Indemnity and Out of the Past are just beautifully written, beautifully acted and beautifully photographed.

I'm still trying to decide whether to unwrap my copy of Odd Man Out. A lot of the feedback I've received is along the lines of "Good...but not nearly as good as The Third Man."

A significant number of people seem to not like it at all.

...so I'm stumped.

I see a few people say they can't decide to open their films or not. Am I the only one who opens them all as soon as I get home? Lol I like to inspect the disc and any booklets that came with it so if there is an issue I can return it for an exchange. Like tonight I bought 8 Criterions at B&N and it sounded like one of the discs was loose so I opened that one in the car to inspect it before I even left the store. Luckily it wasn't scratched at all but if it had been I could have walked right back in and exchanged it.

Anyway Noir has quickly became my favorite genre of film and I'm always looking for more to add to my collection.

[Namuhana]

I've actually just finished up Odd Man Out (as in, mere moments ago it ended), and I'm not entirely sure what to think about it. The cinematography is pretty good, the actors are good, and the script seems fine, but nothing really clicked that much for me. There were multiple good elements, but there were only two things that I found very intriguing: the ending, and the piece of dribble hanging from James Mason's mouth during his speech.

I think I'll watch some supplements before I get around to scoring it on Letterboxd; they usually help in fully realizing my opinion.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

OK, when I count three, we all put bwdowiak on our ignore list.

One...
Two...

(Ignore) Me too please...

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You like Odd Man Out?

Good?

Great?

...classic?

Gawd!!! Grug does not even like Top Gun...Ignore Grug (I mean his opinion)...

[The Great Owl]

There's a good critic term for movies that are similar to classic-era film noir, but do not fit the stricter parameters. The term is, "noir-stained."

The Night of the Hunter is, indeed, more of a "noir-stained" movie than an actual film noir, although I've seen good cases for it being a full-tilt film noir.

Most of the 1940s/1950s Blu-rays in my collection that Blu-ray.com categorizes as "film noir" are actually "noir-stained", but I file them in my film noir bins for my home setup.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Gawd!!! Grug does not even like Top Gun...Ignore Grug (I mean his opinion)...

Top Gun reimagined as a noir...

[BoydR12]

Am I the only one who thinks David O. Rusell's movies would make good criterion releases?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

Am I the only one who thinks David O'Rusell's movies would make good criterion releases?

Some of them would.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I have only seen it once, and I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't consider it a favourite, but maybe on my next viewing..?

I'm with you, Grug!

I'm surprised to find all this disappointment about Odd Man Out, but I am a big fan and consider it among the best British noirs. Mason is phenomenal, as is the photography, but it's really the score that nails it for me. There are few noir scores that are quite as memorable.

Maybe it is the unconventional plot and slow pacing that bothers people, or maybe it is the character evolution (which I won't spoil). I will say that after first viewing, I was not as bowled over, but it was a film that stuck with me and grew in appreciation.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

Am I the only one who thinks David O. Rusell's movies would make good criterion releases?

Nope. Most overrated director out there.

[BoydR12]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Some of them would.

I would die for American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbok and The fighter

[BoydR12]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

Nope. Most overrated director out there.

Shame, I really like him

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Some of them would.

I'm a big fan of his early stuff. "Spanking the Monkey", "Flirting With Disaster" and "Three Kings" are all very good. I'd love to see "Flirting With Disaster" get a Criterion release, as it's one of the best comedies in the past 25 years IMO. I really disliked "American Hustle" FWIW. "The Figher" and "Silver Linings Playbook" were okay, but certainly not great.

[CriterionBlues]

Even though I wasn't the biggest fan, I think a Criterion of I Heart Huckabees would be interesting.

Edit: and I agree ^^^ about Flirting with Disaster.

[joie]

Google books can show you page 161 of the English translation of "A Panorama of American Film Noir." It was originally published in 1955, in French, and covers 1941 - 1953. The English translation has a 1979 postface by the authors and an intro by James Naremore.

A Google search for "chronological index of the main series (major titles post-1940)" should take you to a search results page, where, following the 1st link, you'll see pg. 161. Only 20-odd "Film noirs" are listed, so you can see them all without going bankrupt. At the bottom of the page begins a list of the "Criminal psychology" films, which include "Rebecca" and "Suspicion."

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by KillaCam

I opened that one in the car to inspect it before I even left the store.

B&N does drive-thru?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

There's a good critic term for movies that are similar to classic-era film noir, but do not fit the stricter parameters. The term is, "noir-stained."

The Night of the Hunter is, indeed, more of a "noir-stained" movie than an actual film noir, although I've seen good cases for it being a full-tilt film noir.

Most of the 1940s/1950s Blu-rays in my collection that Blu-ray.com categorizes as "film noir" are actually "noir-stained", but I file them in my film noir bins for my home setup.

You might be the authoritative voice here on film noir.

You told me you thought Odd Man Out is a great British film noir.

Does that mean you love it?

Would you put it in your film noir top ten?

...top 20?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

(Ignore) Me too please...



Gawd!!! Grug does not even like Top Gun...Ignore Grug (I mean his opinion)...

I never liked Grug.

There was always some fishy about him.

...now I know he's pure evil.

[AaronJ]

I think Russell's films, especially The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle would make a great 3-pack.

I get what people liked about his "early" career. Believe me, I do. But I still think this second part of this career is a lot of fun to watch. OTOH, I also understand why people don't want to watch movie after movie with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert deNiro ... One after another. For me? I'm all over that. For some people? Nope.

But to be honest, I would rather see some Fincher. Granted, his films have already gotten great releases. No one, for example, is going to complain about the release of Gone Girl, or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

But some sort of Fincher box set would be such a turn on. Then again, I'm a Fincher fanboy. Speaking of which, I ordered a book about Fincher on March 14, 2015. It said it would be delivered in 2 days, Amazon Prime normal. Then, all of a sudden, I got some message saying it wouldn't arrive until December. Well, OK. I've got other stuff to read, right? Now, I get yet another message saying that they have basically NO idea when it will be delivered. Will I ever get this book? I have no idea.

Argh.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

I would die for American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbok and The fighter

Of those three, I only liked The Fighter. And even then, I'm not sure if I would need to own it.

To be honest, even though I have enjoyed some of his films a lot, I prefer Criterion releases older titles that have a harder time making it to Blu Ray.