The Criterion Collection

[jmclick]

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.

Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Ralph Richardson and Dean Stockwell all give superb, if understated, performances. But it's a movie that I greatly admired, rather than enjoyed. It's almost three hours long, completely character-driven, and filled with angst. I own it, have watched it twice, and plan to keep it, but I'm not sure I'll ever feel the need to sit through it again.

The difference between Long Day's Journey Into Night and the other three movies you mentioned is that Journey simmers, while the other three explode. (If that makes sense ...)

[Ray Jackson]

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.

Haven't seen Long Day myself.

But this post reminded me of the fact that I've been pining away for a Criterion release of Virginia Woolf for about three years now.

It's not even on blu-ray yet.

...exactly who and what is standing in the way of Criterion making this deal?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Haven't seen Long Day myself.

But this post reminded me of the fact that I've been pining away for a Criterion release of Virginia Woolf for about three years now.

It's not even on blu-ray yet.

...exactly who and what is standing in the way of Criterion making this deal?

Warner Bros., sadly.

I absolutely hate how NO ONE has put it out. Hell, I'd take anything at this point.

[theater dreamer]

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.

Ray, do you subscribe to Hulu Plus? Pale Flower is one of the roughly 900 films from the collection available for streaming. I pay $8.65 a month, and, honestly, I'd pay a lot more.

If you've never had an account with them, they offer a free one week trial. You could sign up, and watch a bunch of the movies you've been considering buying. When I was trying to decide between 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini's starring Ingrid Bergman and Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors Trilogy, I watched Blue and Stromboli back to back. Unfortunately, all my Hulu Plus subscription is doing is costing me more money than I'd probably spend. A few nights ago, I was trying to decide between Tokyo Story and Persona. I loved them so much, I ended up buying both.

Anyhow, just a friendly FYI in case you're not aware of the trial period.

[oildude]

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.

Pale Flower is an extraordinary film. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous. I was hooked from the opening scenes with their chaotic Japanese percussion and sweet jazz riffs. This is Japanese noir at its finest. The stylish visuals, the cool menace of the main character Muraki, the self-destructive thrill junkie Saeko and the effect she has on Muraki, all contribute to the slowly burning suspense that ultimately culminates in operatic violence. The ending is perfect.

Be careful......Pale Flower is a powerful gateway drug into the awesome world of Japanese crime cinema.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Haven't seen Long Day myself.

But this post reminded me of the fact that I've been pining away for a Criterion release of Virginia Woolf for about three years now.

It's not even on blu-ray yet.

...exactly who and what is standing in the way of Criterion making this deal?

Originally Posted by iScottie

Warner Bros., sadly.

I absolutely hate how NO ONE has put it out. Hell, I'd take anything at this point.

In case you don't know it yet, it's coming in Germany in March:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Whos-...lu-ray/146016/
(along with some other Warner films like Cat on a Hot tin Roof)

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Ray, do you subscribe to Hulu Plus? Pale Flower is one of the roughly 900 films from the collection available for streaming. I pay $8.65 a month, and, honestly, I'd pay a lot more.

If you've never had an account with them, they offer a free one week trial. You could sign up, and watch a bunch of the movies you've been considering buying. When I was trying to decide between 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini's starring Ingrid Bergman and Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors Trilogy, I watched Blue and Stromboli back to back. Unfortunately, all my Hulu Plus subscription is doing is costing me more money than I'd probably spend. A few nights ago, I was trying to decide between Tokyo Story and Persona. I loved them so much, I ended up buying both.

Anyhow, just a friendly FYI in case you're not aware of the trial period.

That is a great idea.

The only thing is, I hate watching movies on a computer.

...I'd have to see if I could get Hulu on my TV with a good connection.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by oildude

Pale Flower is an extraordinary film. The black and white cinematography is gorgeous. I was hooked from the opening scenes with their chaotic Japanese percussion and sweet jazz riffs. This is Japanese noir at its finest. The stylish visuals, the cool menace of the main character Muraki, the self-destructive thrill junkie Saeko and the effect she has on Muraki, all contribute to the slowly burning suspense that ultimately culminates in operatic violence. The ending is perfect.

Be careful......Pale Flower is a powerful gateway drug into the awesome world of Japanese crime cinema.

I can handle it.

As anyone here who knows me will attest to...I have an amazing capacity for will power and self discipline.

...I'll be able to stop anytime I want.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

That is a great idea.

The only thing is, I hate watching movies on a computer.

...I'd have to see if I could get Hulu on my TV with a good connection.

Get yourself a Roku. I watch Hulu Plus movies, any shows I missed, Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Go, EPIX, Showtime Anytime and all my movies on Vudu. I love it.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards, Ralph Richardson and Dean Stockwell all give superb, if understated, performances. But it's a movie that I greatly admired, rather than enjoyed. It's almost three hours long, completely character-driven, and filled with angst. I own it, have watched it twice, and plan to keep it, but I'm not sure I'll ever feel the need to sit through it again.

The difference between Long Day's Journey Into Night and the other three movies you mentioned is that Journey simmers, while the other three explode. (If that makes sense ...)

That's how I feel about another O'Neill film-The Iceman Cometh. Great cast; great performances, especially Robert Ryan who shows again that he was one of the greats. It is, however, about 4 hours long and I really need to be in a certain mood to watch it.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

In case you don't know it yet, it's coming in Germany in March:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Whos-...lu-ray/146016/
(along with some other Warner films like Cat on a Hot tin Roof)

Woo-hoo, more Liz! Now, if someone, somewhere will release Raintree County.

edit: I followed that link and noticed that The Big Sleep and Key Largo are coming to Germany in February. 2016 is looking pretty good.

[Gull Cottage]

Originally Posted by colbyw

My favorite is Mean Streets, but I pretty much love them all

Mean Streets is my fave too.Closely followed by After Hours,King Of Comedy Last Temptation,Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and Who's that Knocking At My Door.. Not a fan of Casino,Shutter Island and Hugo.

[SlickDamian]

RIP Haskell Wexler

[mja345]

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.

I'm not a big fan of "Shutter Island" either. Liked it fine the first time, but didn't do much for me on rewatch. I've seen all of Scorsese's non-documentaries and, for me, I'd rank them...

23. Boxcar Bertha
22. Hugo
21. Kundun
20. Age of Innocence
19. Shutter Island
18. New York, New York
17. Who's That Knocking at My Door
16. Gangs of New York
15. The Aviator
14. The Color of Money
13. Cape Fear
12. The Departed
11. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
10. Wolf of Wall Street
9. Bringing Out the Dead
8. Mean Streets
7. The Last Temptation of Christ
6. Casino
5. Raging Bull
4. After Hours
3. The King of Comedy
2. Goodfellas
1. Taxi Driver

[malakaheso]

..

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I know I am biased but I still can't get over Hugo won best cinematography over The Tree of Life.

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I don't think enough people saw Tree of Life, frankly. Just because some Academy member gets sent a screener doesn't mean that he actually sat down and watched the movie.

Or, let's face it, the people who did see Tree of Life didn't care for it. I found it to be a very powerful and interesting experience, but it also felt like being in a daze after drinking too much cough syrup. It was not an "enjoyable" movie, and while I can recognize and appreciate its other merits, it's also something I quite frankly have no desire to ever revisit. It was $2.88 at Big Lots recently (and may still be), and I couldn't bite even at that price.

But your post was about cinematography. The lush setpieces and visuals of Hugo were a lot more interesting to me than the boring Americana neighborhood in Tree of Life, though the latter had some interesting and beautiful scenes. If your argument is that it's harder to compose beautiful shots, scenes, etc. when you're limited to a pedestrian house and neighborhood, and that is what makes Tree of Life more deserving, I'll grant you that. I still disagree, but I understand the argument. Not only were Hugo's environments more creative, so were the way they were shot.

I'm sure this will open up a debate on exactly what constitutes cinematography, and quite frankly, I doubt even the Academy members are entirely sure or would all agree on its meaning.

Originally Posted by Polaroid

1) You are right, I am just venting and getting myself in a pickle lol - but still.....

2) Hugo was pretty hyped I guess and it had a story that the academy would die for so I can see why it was favoured. Juts a shame, atleast Lubezki is getting recognition from them now.

Hugo is a masterpiece IMO. This isn't being said out of some warped sense of Scorsese fanboyism, because I'm hardly a fanboy of his.

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I did enjoy Hugo as a film, I loved the themes and subject but it wasn't anything special - it's easy to forget about tbh and other films have touched upon those subject better. But oh well.

Which films are you thinking of?

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).

Since this is a Criterion thread, am I the only one who thinks Hugo is more than deserving of a Criterion? I could see Tree of Life getting one instead though, which - I'm sorry - would not excite me in the least (other than whatever cool cover art they'd come up with for that).

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by mja345

I'm not a big fan of "Shutter Island" either. Liked it fine the first time, but didn't do much for me on rewatch. I've seen all of Scorsese's non-documentaries and, for me, I'd rank them...

23. Boxcar Bertha
22. Hugo
21. Kundun
20. Age of Innocence
19. Shutter Island
18. New York, New York
17. Who's That Knocking at My Door
16. Gangs of New York
15. The Aviator
14. The Color of Money
13. Cape Fear
12. The Departed
11. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
10. Wolf of Wall Street
9. Bringing Out the Dead
8. Mean Streets
7. The Last Temptation of Christ
6. Casino
5. Raging Bull
4. After Hours
3. The King of Comedy
2. Goodfellas
1. Taxi Driver

The Age of Innocence so low?
It's my favourite Scorsese film and maybe my favourite romantic period film!
yeah, I know other films may better (I have seen 12 films from that list: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 13-16, 19,20, 22), but I wasn't ever really into this gangster type of films.

about Hugo:
Saw it once, left me completely cold.
i don't remember anything, but Polaroid did you imply that the main theme was like a "love letter to cinema"?
If that was it, then Cinema Paradiso is much better in my opinion.
(maybe we can't compare at all these 2, I really don't remember Hugo)

[monorail91]

Late to the Oscars talk (was traveling back home post-holidays....9 hours without internet is a long time!)

My awards season tradition used to be to watch Best Picture winners, but in recent years has expanded to include past winners of other major awards (Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress, Foreign Language Film).

Pleased that Criterion has made many of the past Best Foreign Language Film winners available. Off the top of my head, they include:

-Amarcord
-Bicycle Thieves
-Black Orpheus
-Day for Night
-8 1/2
-The Great Beauty
-Rashomon
-La Strada
-Sundays and Cybele
-The Virgin Spring

Plus many others I'm sure.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by monorail91

Pleased that Criterion has made many of the past Best Foreign Language Film winners available.

Hope they release Mediterraneo and Indochine too.
And Pelle (although I haven't seen this one).

[mrjohnnyb]

For what it's worth...

According to theyshootpictures.com, Martin Scorsese's films rank as follows:

(The number following each title is that film's ranking on the site's list of greatest films of all time.)

1976 Taxi Driver 19
1980 Raging Bull 22
1990 GoodFellas 84
1973 Mean Streets 222
1983 The King of Comedy 336
1995 Casino 536
1993 The Age of Innocence 576
1988 The Last Temptation of Christ 820
1977 New York, New York 881
1978 The Last Waltz 1500
1974 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 1710
2006 The Departed 1929
2011 Hugo 1948
1985 After Hours 2539
1986 The Color of Money 3836
1974 Italianamerican 4331
1997 Kundun 4398
2002 Gangs of New York 4657
1999 Bringing Out the Dead 4812
2005 No Direction Home: Bob Dylan(TV) 5388
2013 The Wolf of Wall Street 5402
2004 The Aviator 5586
1991 Cape Fear 7325
1967 The Big Shave 10614
1999 My Voyage to Italy 11409
1972 Boxcar Bertha 12122
2009 Shutter Island did not make the overall ranking

For those interested:
http://www.theyshootpictures.com/scorsesemartin.php