The Criterion Collection

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by colbyw

You gave a link, but it doesn't specify what won Best Picture.

I also agree, that Shutter Island is one of Martin's most uninteresting and overrated films. Only my opinion.

Glad to not be in the minority here with you and iScottie. I am a big Scorsese fan, but I loathed Shutter Island. I didn't understand and still don't understand the appeal. It may have been better without the twist.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Shutter Island is probably Scorsese's worst film, in my opinion.

I've seen it a couple times and each time it gets more and more uninteresting. Furthermore, I think the twist ruins an already mediocre film.

Shutter Island was the first Scorsese film I ever saw that I didn't like, BUT recently my wife and I have been working through his catalogue and New York New York probably takes the cake. Yeesh!

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Pale Flower is crazy good. Watching it for the second time last week, I thought to myself "THIS is what Le Samourai should have been" - at least to merit the amount of praise that is heaped upon it. Style AND substance. It feels like the other Japanese noirs I've seen, but 10 minutes or so in, I become completely aware that this one is on another level. Probably a top 20 CC title for me.

Wasn't aware until after my 2nd viewing, but Ebert mentions a similarity to Le Samourai in his Great Movies review for PF.

Oh, and the girl is super cute, too.

Originally Posted by octagon

Yeah, Pale Flower is great. The first time I watched it I had a very strong, very visceral 'omg, best movie ever' reaction and it definitely held up the second time around.

Originally Posted by Zen_Amako

I think Pale Flower is pretty great. One of my best blind buys. It isn't as well known as many of the other films in the collection, but I would highly recommend it. It has a great discordant score by Toru Takemitsu, really nice B&W cinematography, and a lot of atmosphere.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My strong opinion on Pale Flower is that it is totally awesome.

Here is my User Review that I wrote a while back...

Masahiro Shinoda's 1964 film, Pale Flower, combines the fatalism of American film noir with the alluring alienation of Michelangelo Antonioni films for a stunning end result. When Muraki, played by Ryo Ikebe, returns to yakuza life after his release from prison, he encounters Saeko, a beautiful thrill-seeker played by Mariko Kaga. The ensuing relationship between the experienced, but burned out gangster and the young flower destined to wither as quickly as she blooms sets the stage for an observation of life as a dead end path paved by a series of fleeting diversions.

Muraki, with his body language of deliberate coolness, comes across as a slightly cruder descendent of Marcello Mastroianni and exudes an aesthetic of resigned futility in both himself and those around him. He greets his freedom nonchalantly, with the knowledge that nothing has changed. His former lover, who remained devoted to him during his prison sentence, has wasted her devotion. The yakuza personalities, with their endless gambling by way of hanafuda cards and horse racing, may forge new allies and gain new adversaries, but every option leads to the same ending. Muraki's protective inclinations toward Saeko form the emotional crescendo of this tale, and contemporary viewers may think of Michael Fassbender's similarly daunting protective relationship with his sister, played by Carey Mulligan, in Steve McQueen's Shame.

Saeko, with her fragile beauty, arouses the intrigue of all who cross paths with her, and, indeed, a mere glance into her eyes is worth the price of admission with this high definition presentation of the film. Early in the story, I thought of Saeko as the embodiment of all that seems unattainable in life, because her visage and demeanor conjure comparisons with the beautiful and privileged abandon that is always just beyond the grasp of one's fingertips. As the film progressed, though, I understood that she, in turn, is yearning from an inner emptiness toward a desire that remains out of reach.

When Saeko, to Muraki's chagrin, becomes intrigued by the troubling drug addict, Yoh, played by Takashi Fujiki, a destructive triangle of sorts unfolds. A close-up shot of Yoh standing in the shadows made me think of a similar shot of Max Schreck's vampire in Murnau's Nosferatu, and I'm inclined to think that the similarity is not accidental. This character represents choices that suck the life not only from those who indulge, but from all of those in their circles. The hanafuda gambling sequences are tense in their own right, and, while they may remind modern audiences of the poker scenes in the 2006 Bond film, Casino Royale, their inclusion in this film, marked by superb sound effects, comes across as a chilling death march.

Pale Flower is one of the most visually-entrancing films that I have seen in recent memory, and I quickly decided that it is my favorite yakuza film to date. It's a movie that caters both to my love of film noir and to my love of ethereal cinematography. The avant garde music of Pale Flower is the lifeblood of the film, with its chilling percussion and offbeat jazz approach. A revelation from Shinoda's supplementary interview on this Blu-ray that a recording of tap-dancing shoes was used to represent the sound effects of shuffling hanafuda cards brought a smile to my face.

I just bought it 30 minutes ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edward J Grug III]

I heard the New Year's cartoon is going to be delayed until President's Day.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I watched Pale Flower three times, I believe, praying that I'd like it but each viewing proved too similar to the previous ones.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I heard the New Year's cartoon is going to be delayed until President's Day.

You mean the day after President's Day, right? President's Day is a holiday.

[Rich Pure Doom]

I am going to throw in my praise for Pale Flower. It's fantastic.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

I am going to throw in my praise for Pale Flower. It's fantastic.

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Cape Fear will always be my least favorite Scorsese.

I am actually not big on EITHER version of Cape Fear, but would go with Scorsese's if I had to pick. Gregory Peck is just awful in the original.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I watched Pale Flower three times, I believe, praying that I'd like it but each viewing proved too similar to the previous ones.

The beach volleyball scenes really drag on.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Anyone have strong opinions on Pale Flower?

Been on a Criterion film noir flick lately and this seems like an interesting one.

I'd have to pay the full $40 for it, but on a Christmas gift card...so whatever.

It's either Pale Flowers, which I haven't seen, or Persona or Tokyo Story...both of which I've seen, but it's been a few years.

...as always, I'm asking the good people of this thread to make an adult decision for me that I'm incapable of making for myself.

Thank you and god bless.

I have been wrong before, but I strongly believe Pale Flower is one of those 'Ray Jackson will totally love it' kind of movie.

[Scottie]

A bit off-topic, but I am a huge fan of such films as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and I'm wondering if you folks think I'll enjoy Lumet's Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Thanks.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

A bit off-topic, but I am a huge fan of such films as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and I'm wondering if you folks think I'll enjoy Lumet's Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Thanks.

I don't understand the question. Try reformatting it like this:

A bit off-topic, but I am a huge fan of such films as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

...I'm wondering if you folks think I'll enjoy Lumet's Long Day's Journey Into Night?

[Scottie]

Did I just become Ray Jackson?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Only Scorsese film I have enjoyed was Shutter Island. I have seen a few of his others and they for me, weren't enjoyable or engaging. (might get some hate for this but oh well).

I'm not a Scorsese fan. I love watching/listening to him talk about movies, but I soured on his own movies over the course of the 90s, starting with Cape Fear. I don't think I've seen any of his films since Bringing Out the Dead. Shutter Island I haven't seen, but I disliked Dennis Lehane's original novel, and definitely would have no desire to see the film even if Scorsese hadn't directed it.

I admire some of his earlier films, though: Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, King of Comedy, and to a lesser degree, Raging Bull.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

I have been wrong before, but I strongly believe Pale Flower is one of those 'Ray Jackson will totally love it' kind of movie.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by mja345

As long as we're having a little Oscars talk, I was looking through the best picture nominees over the years, trying to decide which was the which was the worst year and which was the best.

How about 1975 as the best? "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Barry Lyndon", "Jaws", "Nashville" and "Dog Day Afternoon". Wow. 1976 wasn't too bad either, with "Rocky", "All the President's Men", "Bound for Glory", "Network" and "Taxi Driver".

How about 1962:

Lawrence of Arabia
The Longest Day
The Music Man
Mutiny on the Bounty
To Kill a Mockingbird

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Did I just become Ray Jackson?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Did I just become Ray Jackson?

Oh Scottie!!!!

...don't say that!

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by iScottie

A bit off-topic, but I am a huge fan of such films as A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and I'm wondering if you folks think I'll enjoy Lumet's Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Thanks.

I've seen all 4.
Long Day's Journey into Night was my least favourite, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a very good film and worth watching!
I think part of why I liked it less than the others was its long duration.