The Criterion Collection

[anthonyls]

Originally Posted by mja345

Not Criterion-related, but has anyone seen "The Big Short"? It's honestly one of the biggest piles of shit I've seen in quite some time.

Really, then I guess you haven't seen the new Star Wars movie. Nothing could be worse that that... just a rehashed version of Star Wars IV-VI. I wanted to throw up at the end.

[bwdowiak]

good to hear the good words about Phoenix. the premise sounded interesting enough. I'll check it out an Netflix w/ the wife.

we watched 3 of the 4 stories in Kwaidan last night and I really enjoyed it - maybe even loved it. thanks to jayembee and others who gave it an endorsement. a very unique film! absolutely wonderful to look at - not just w/ its cinematography, but w/ set design, editing, camera angles, etc.

a very special film indeed!

[shadedpain4]

For anyone who was curious about the new 4k restoration blu ray release of Ozu's Late Spring, I watched the first hour last night, and to my eyes it's almost flawless. I could not see any lines, specks, or damage as I watched. The worst I could see was that from time to time there was a slight shakiness to the image which I would guess are the areas with the greatest amount of repairs done. I don't think it's a stretch to say that it's a considerable improvement visually over the current Criterion blu.

Full disclaimer though: I don't consider myself to have a particularly discerning eye when it comes to picture quality.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by mja345

I've been meaning to check out "Phoenix". It looks phenomenal.

Not Criterion-related, but has anyone seen "The Big Short"? It's honestly one of the biggest piles of shit I've seen in quite some time. The first 3/4 of the movie play like a completely unfunny version of a Christopher Guest-style mockumentary. Then, the last 20 minutes get really serious and preachy. The performances were uniformly AWFUL and unconvincing. Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell's performances are played in the tone of daft caricatures, but it's supposed to be this serious film. It is so, so poorly directed by Will Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay. Dude clearly had no clue what he was doing with this material.

As I was watching the movie, I honestly felt I was going crazy thinking about the notion of, "This is actually being called one of the best films of the year?" It blew my mind. I can't think of a recent film that is uniformly praised that is any worse. Maybe "American Hustle" or "Juno". I'm not one to put down others' taste in film, but I just can't comprehend how someone could think this is a good movie.

Whaaaaa????? I actually loved The Big Short, I think everyone should see it and then throw a brick through a window of a banking CEO.

I did notice some very poor edits in the beginning, the bath scene with Margot Robbie was pretty messy, BUT I loved the open source approach to the "based on a true story" genre. I can see critisisims of Carell's accent, but to say he was daft...I don't see that at all, I was actually pleasantly surprised by his arc and emotional range of his characters subplot.

It's not a movie that wants to have a serious sit down conversation about an important issue, it's tone was more "Hey remember how this world crisis happened and we already forgot?! How f****d up was that?!"

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

For anyone who was curious about the new 4k restoration blu ray release of Ozu's Late Spring, I watched the first hour last night, and to my eyes it's almost flawless. I could not see any lines, specks, or damage as I watched. The worst I could see was that from time to time there was a slight shakiness to the image which I would guess are the areas with the greatest amount of repairs done. I don't think it's a stretch to say that it's a considerable improvement visually over the current Criterion blu.

Full disclaimer though: I don't consider myself to have a particularly discerning eye when it comes to picture quality.

I'm very happy to hear that.

But also somewhat frustrated, as I just bought the Criterion about two weeks ago.

This one works on a Region A player right?

How much did it cost you with shipping?

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm very happy to hear that.

But also somewhat frustrated, as I just bought the Criterion about two weeks ago.

This one works on a Region A player right?

How much did it cost you with shipping?

Looks like it's currently about $41-42 right now at Amazon.jp if ordered by itself and shipped to the US.

It's Region Free.

And as far as I know still shipping with slipcase and book.

I rarely order one item at a time from Amazon Japan as the shipping on the additional items is much cheaper than the first item. Off the top of my head: Elephant Man, The Straight Story, Dancer in The Dark, and Match Point are all inexpensive Japanese blus that do not have US blus (if you're looking for something to add to an order).

Having the Criterion isn't a bad thing. Tokyo-ga is great!

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Snicket

Whaaaaa????? I actually loved The Big Short, I think everyone should see it and then throw a brick through a window of a banking CEO.

I did notice some very poor edits in the beginning, the bath scene with Margot Robbie was pretty messy, BUT I loved the open source approach to the "based on a true story" genre. I can see critisisims of Carell's accent, but to say he was daft...I don't see that at all, I was actually pleasantly surprised by his arc and emotional range of his characters subplot.

It's not a movie that wants to have a serious sit down conversation about an important issue, it's tone was more "Hey remember how this world crisis happened and we already forgot?! How f****d up was that?!"

A lot of people seem to love it, so I'm obviously in the minority. McKay was clearly trying to take a somewhat satirical approach to the material, but, for me, the humor wasn't very sharp. I thought McKay had real trouble wrapping his arms around the material. I think another filmmaker could have made a much better film about this subject matter.

[Ray Jackson]

I just made a deal for a like new copy of Army of Shadows.

My first OOP Criterion.

...very exciting!

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I just made a deal for a like new copy of Army of Shadows.

My first OOP Criterion.

...very exciting!

Welcome to the underground world of the Criterion OOP black market. Don't let this take you down the wrong path of dealing in kidneys and babies.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Welcome to the underground world of the Criterion OOP black market. Don't let this take you down the wrong path of dealing in kidneys and babies.

You don't know what you're talking about. The baby/Criterion trade values are very favorable these days.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Welcome to the underground world of the Criterion OOP black market. Don't let this take you down the wrong path of dealing in kidneys and babies.

This is pure, uncut Columbian OOP.

...that raw stuff.

Should I watch the whole thing in one sitting?

Or maybe just a few scenes at a time.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by mja345

Not Criterion-related, but has anyone seen "The Big Short"? It's honestly one of the biggest piles of shit I've seen in quite some time. The first 3/4 of the movie play like a completely unfunny version of a Christopher Guest-style mockumentary. Then, the last 20 minutes get really serious and preachy. The performances were uniformly AWFUL and unconvincing. Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell's performances are played in the tone of daft caricatures, but it's supposed to be this serious film. It is so, so poorly directed by Will Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay. Dude clearly had no clue what he was doing with this material.

As I was watching the movie, I honestly felt I was going crazy thinking about the notion of, "This is actually being called one of the best films of the year?" It blew my mind. I can't think of a recent film that is uniformly praised that is any worse. Maybe "American Hustle" or "Juno". I'm not one to put down others' taste in film, but I just can't comprehend how someone could think this is a good movie.

I think this film was far better than the new Star Wars actually. I saw The Big Short this past Saturday night and it wasn't depressing or dull to say the least. Once I acclimated to director Adam McKay's frenetic directing and editing, I was able to enjoy this film. It plays like a satire or black comedy in a way. I thought Steve Carrell's character was incredible, and I agree with his line in the movie when he said: "We live in an era of fraud (and stupidity), where its not just in Wall Street but in government, religion, food and even baseball."

Yeah, sorry, all you corporate douchebags out there who think you can get away with your greed and fraudulent activities, but you guys are the real problem. Every American capitalist needs to see this film. The housing bubble crisis of 2008 was just a warning for future generations. Iceland did it right by jailing the bankers who collapsed their economy.

[octagon]

Iceland has banks?

Don't they use like whale blubber or something?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by jw007

I think this film was far better than the new Star Wars actually. I saw The Big Short this past Saturday night and it wasn't depressing or dull to say the least. Once I acclimated to director Adam McKay's frenetic directing and editing, I was able to enjoy this film. It plays like a satire or black comedy in a way. I thought Steve Carrell's character was incredible, and I agree with his line in the movie when he said: "We live in an era of fraud (and stupidity), where its not just in Wall Street but in government, religion, food and even baseball."

I think that I'm going to give my official vote, and say that Ex Machina was my favorite movie of 2015.

I just finished revisiting Ex Machina, and this second viewing reinforced my opinion that it's about as close to perfect as any movie that I've seen over the past year has been. It's such a great hybrid of science fiction and film noir.

There are a whole lot of acclaimed movies that I've missed out on this year, though. I still have not seen The Big Short, Carol, Spotlight, The Assassin, Youth, and many others.

Some of these (Carol, Spotlight) seem to have "Oscar bait" written all over them, and that sort of vibe turns me off.

I do plan to go see The Revenant when it opens this weekend, but I'll probably be more inclined to rank that with 2016 releases.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I think that I'm going to give my official vote, and say that Ex Machina was my favorite movie of 2015.

I just finished revisiting Ex Machina, and this second viewing reinforced my opinion that it's about as close to perfect as any movie that I've seen over the past year has been. It's such a great hybrid of science fiction and film noir.

There are a whole lot of acclaimed movies that I've missed out on this year, though. I still have not seen The Big Short, Carol, Spotlight, The Assassin, Youth, and many others.

Some of these (Carol, Spotlight) seem to have "Oscar bait" written all over them, and that sort of vibe turns me off.

I do plan to go see The Revenant when it opens this weekend, but I'll probably be more inclined to rank that with 2016 releases.

Carol and Spotlight fall nicely into my Top 10 of the year. They're both excellent and remarkable films!

[Scottie]

And here is my Top 10 for anyone who cares.

1. Phoenix
2. Spotlight
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The Hateful Eight
5. Sicario
6. Carol
7. Ex Machina
8. Inside Out
9. Magic Mike XXL
10. Clouds of Sils Maria

[CriterionBlues]

I care. And that's sweet that you have two probable Criterion releases at opposite ends of the list.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by jordan-r

The Slant review mentions "Alex Ross Perry's continuing championing of DVD as the more evocative alternative to Blu-ray's crisp digital polish." Haven't seen anything else about that, but seems like the DVD-only format may have been his own preference.

Quite the contrary, he replied to a person who asked him on Twitter if it was coming. His reply:

"@alexrossperry: @RohanMM nope. @IFCFilms decided not to do one despite my constant pleas that people genuinely wanted it. Lower grossing titles got them."

I don't know how good the DVD looks or streaming, but the film has heavy grain and was shot on 16mm so I would imagine the image is compromised either way.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by iScottie

And here is my Top 10 for anyone who cares.

1. Phoenix
2. Spotlight
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The Hateful Eight
5. Sicario
6. Carol
7. Ex Machina
8. Inside Out
9. Magic Mike XXL
10. Clouds of Sils Maria

my 'Watched' films list on this site shows that I have seen 3 total movies with a 2015 release date. Those were Magic Mike XXL, Spectre, and a pretty awful Bollywood movie called Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

I'll end up seeing most of the above (i.e., the good stuff) some time in 2016 on loan from the library. But probably not before I see all of the highly publicized stuff and post about how bad a year it was. just kidding. I'll refrain from doing that, although I did do that last year.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

And here is my Top 10 for anyone who cares.

The Great Owl's Top 10 Movies of 2015

1. Ex Machina
2. Spectre
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4. It Follows
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. Bone Tomahawk
7. The Hateful Eight (70mm)
8. The Martian
9. Backcountry
10. Creed