The Criterion Collection

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

Thankfully.

You're out of line Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...that was uncalled for!

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jw007

Ray Jackson, do you like Polaroid?

Like the camera?

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Like the camera?

No, the guy here with that screenname. ha ha.

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by BoydR12

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

Silver Linings Playbook is one of my favorite movies -- saw it four times in theaters. Though I wasn't crazy about the Blu-ray release, an audio commentary and/or cast interviews would have been great. I second this request!

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

So many Ray Jackson questions.... Haha.

Odd Man Out is not in my Top 10 Films Noir list, but I hold it in high regard.

Here's my User Review that I wrote for Odd Man Out...

[Show spoiler]


In Carol Reed's 1947 film, Odd Man Out, Johnny McQueen, played by James Mason in what is perhaps his most vulnerable and sympathetic role, is introduced to us in the opening scenes as the "odd man out" who, despite his position as the local leader of an Irish nationalist organization, expresses a disdain for violence and is viewed as ineffective by fellow gang members who fear that his prison sentence and his subsequent stretch in a safe house have left him ill-equipped to conduct a dangerous payroll robbery. After the robbery goes wrong, a wounded McQueen wanders bleeding through dark city streets on his way to salvation. The next few hours of McQueen's life are marked by a series of encounters with various people who each provide different glimpses of life in a politically-fractured setting.

Odd Man Out, like Reed's 1949 noir masterpiece, The Third Man, serves almost as an overseas "darker evil twin" of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca. In Casablanca, characters are compelled to set aside their personal passions for the greater good in a rousing call-to-arms for World War II. By contrast, Reed's films acquaint us with characters who are all too willing to exploit wartime situations for personal profit. During McQueen's struggled trek through a traumatized Irish city, presumably Belfast, he stumbles across a number of characters who either view his plight as an opportunity for their own gain or are fearfully unwilling to stick out their neck one way or another to aid or hinder his progress. Reed's adaptation of F.L. Green's source novel downplays the politics of the Irish conflict at hand in favor of more intimate examinations of human nature in times of crisis. These bleak character interactions are my own justification for considering Odd Man Out to be a true film noir, as opposed to a mere politically-driven action drama. In the midst of all of these mixed agendas, one character's self-sacrifice provides the movie's most warm-hearted and emotionally cathartic moment.

Odd Man Out employs many of the same visual palettes that would be utilized in The Third Man. In both films, Reed and cinematographer Robert Krasker present a city in strife as a sinister and alienating environment where emotionally and physically wounded characters negotiate their way through unyielding cobblestone streets that lead into pitch-black shadows. In Odd Man Out, a series of early sequences, which feature McQueen outlining plans for the robbery, are visually depicted in a straightforward fashion reflective of the neorealist cinema of the time, but the character's downfall is represented by unsettlingly shaky point-of-view camera shots, shadowy noir cityscapes, and even surreal hallucinations. Many contemporary viewers may see visual narrative remnants of Reed's film in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, where Henry Hill's introduction into mob life plays out in luxuriously extended single takes while his subsequent nosedive into drug-fueled paranoia is shown with jerky and abrupt camera movements.

While I prefer Reed's The Third Man by a slight margin, I believe that Odd Man Out is a fascinating cinematic milestone that easily earns a five-star rating for movie content. I have always theorized that one can learn more about history by reading or watching fictional stories set in certain eras than one can learn from reading dry nonfiction textbooks or watching documentaries. Odd Man Out is a case in point, because the depictions of supporting characters in this film, with their varying motivations, provide me with a tangible understanding of what life must have been like for the bystanders in the conflict-torn Irish cities of the mid-20th century.

This Criterion Blu-ray of Odd Man Out looks impressive, and I think that the occasional softness of the restored images simply accentuates the hazy point-of-view of the lead character. Criterion's reputation for bringing older black-and-white classics to life is true to form with this title. The audio comes across well with audible dialogue and a great presentation of William Alwyn's interesting music score. A series of informative and fast-paced supplementary extras outline the history of Odd Man Out in terms of its inspirations and its place in British cinema. My favorite supplement, Postwar Poetry: Carol Reed and Odd Man Out, includes input from iconic directors Guy Hamilton and John Boorman.

I haven't seen Odd Man Out for a few years but I recall liking it. Your description somehow made me think of Ford's The Informer which I would enjoy seeing an upgrade of, but it was RKO, which means it's Warner's, which means ????

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Silver Linings Playbook is one of my favorite movies -- saw it four times in theaters. Though I wasn't crazy about the Blu-ray release, an audio commentary and/or cast interviews would have been great. I second this request!

its a weird film - I put it off as it looked a bit oscar bait and just looked annoying but I was surprised, it was good and pleasant to watch, I loved Bradley Cooper in it.

Im kinda looking forward to Joy, never thought i'd watch a film around the wonder mop lol

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

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.

A significant number of people also didn't like Citizen Kane.

I'm sorry, but that's just silly. Did the film's premise intrigue you? I would assume so, otherwise, you wouldn't have bought the film. So, unwrap it, watch it, and if you don't like it, sell it. Or, perhaps hold on to it, watch it again at a later time, and then if it still does nothing for you, you should be able to get most of your money back. My advice to you would be to always take what people say with a grain of salt.

I knew going in that Lincoln wasn't going to be on par with Schindler's List. But then again, I wasn't really thinking in those terms. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, especially Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. I've since watched it three times.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by jmclick

That's it! I'm done! No more blu-rays until next year!

We believe you, Michael.

I thought my last order was it for the year, as I just got hit with $3,000 of dental work. Nope. I went ahead and picked up The Gold Rush, The General, White Heat, and The Lady from Shanghai as a warm up for Gilda's January release. It will be so odd seeing Rita Hayworth as a platinum blonde, but somehow I think I'll manage. Besides, that's one of the Orson Welles performances I've always wanted to see.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

Ray Jackson, do you like Polaroid?

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Like the camera?

Originally Posted by jw007

No, the guy here with that screenname. ha ha.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You'd have an easier time trying to explain the Big Bang Theory.

...how can something come from nothing?

The book I'm reading right now is, "Why Does The World Exist?" so I get your point.

It's sad that the rights are so messed up. I'd go to town on a Hitchcock massive box set. But Vertigo, especially. It's a stunning film, and who would have imagined that Kim Novak of all people would have starred in what is possibly the best film ever made?

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

Been waiting on a Youth of the Beast blu forever.

No need to wait

[xynzu]

Hi, I'm starting to collect the signature stickers. Do you guys know what difference is the Director's Approval Edition and the Director's Approval Special Edition? I wonder why sometimes the blu-rays don't have it and only the DVD version has it.

[diskspinner]

Best of 2015 list is out...4 criterions in Dr. Svet's (Pro B's) North American blu-ray list...

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=18183#svet

The Apu Trilogy (Where is the complete review Dr? )
Fellini's Satricon
Hiroshima Mon Amour
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Best of 2015 list is out...4 criterions in Dr. Svet's (Pro B's) North American blu-ray list...

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=18183#svet

The Apu Trilogy (Where is the complete review Dr? )
Fellini's Satricon
Hiroshima Mon Amour
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

My favorite Blu-ray on Dr. Svet's list is the Kino Lorber release of Pitfall.

Pitfall is a wonderful film noir that now looks better than I ever dreamed possible. It's also a highlight of my 2015 purchases.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

We believe you, Michael.

I thought my last order was it for the year, as I just got hit with $3,000 of dental work. Nope. I went ahead and picked up The Gold Rush, The General, White Heat, and The Lady from Shanghai as a warm up for Gilda's January release. It will be so odd seeing Rita Hayworth as a platinum blonde, but somehow I think I'll manage. Besides, that's one of the Orson Welles performances I've always wanted to see.

Well, I did just receive a $500 Amazon gift certificate for Christmas, so maybe I'm not totally done for the year ...

[SkyAntoine]

I was trying to knock out some Criterion titles to increase my viewed % on Letterboxd last night. I watched 6 shorts from the Hollis Frampton disc...and stopped. I'm just not wired to understand those. Honestly, I have seen iPad videos from my 5 year old that seemed more artistic. Not that I'm casting judgement on a 5 minute video of "Carrots and Peas".

Even worse now my wife has gone from shaking her head at me throwing in a Criterion to expecting everything with the Criterion logo to be artsy fartsy movies about vegetables. Thanks a lot, Hollis!

To appease her I put in new, popular, non-Criterion, award winning movie: Birdman. Wow...not what I was expecting. Extremely marginal film. Definitely the worst of the 2015 Best Picture nominees IMO.

[The Great Owl]

I just placed an Amazon pre-order for...

Gilda
The Wrong Man

January is going to be an excellent film noir month, methinks.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just placed an Amazon pre-order for...

Gilda
The Wrong Man

January is going to be an excellent film noir month, methinks.

F.Y.I., Wenders' The American Friend is considered a neo-noir.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

F.Y.I., Wenders' The American Friend is considered a neo-noir.

The American Friend will be mine, but it can probably wait for a future sale.

[moviebuffed]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Not only you used it for only 5 items, you also managed to buy 2 non-criterions out of those 5. That's something...

Oh...I did not say it in this thread...that I picked up my 100th criterion today...It was M

It would've been cool if the Roman numeral for 100 was "M". Of course it's "C" which is still fitting since at least it was a Criterion.