The Criterion Collection

[ajburke]

I thoroughly enjoyed Ex Machina. I'm not convinced the ending holds up to close scrutiny, but everything that comes before is pretty remarkable. Ultimately, my issues with the ending only add up to a minor quibble, and it's still among my favorites of 2015. I only mention the ending because I haven't come across much discussion of it, which surprises me. Also, not sure I would call it a cult classic, only because its acclaim was more or less instantaneous.

[llj]

Watched Josef Von Sternberg's Underworld last night. Excellent stuff. Would love to see the Criterion Von Sternberg DVD set get a blu-ray edition someday.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Are your films from a smoke-free home, RJ?

No...but I use an air filter, so it should be fine.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Could it be that one of the warehouses is located in an area where the weather is bad and causing shipping delays?

That seems likely. I was hoping to start brewing Kombucha on Saturday.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

No...but I use an air filter, so it should be fine.

Maybe it's cause you ignore offers given ?...

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

No...but I use an air filter, so it should be fine.

Whatever you do, don't buy Salo from him. Ray uses that one for his coke mirror.

[CPinheiro]

I wish Criterion released more movies from Argentina, specially things from Eliseo Subiela and Carlos Sorin. I've always thought they lack greatly in South American movies btw...

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by CPinheiro

I wish Criterion released more movies from Argentina, specially things from Eliseo Subiela and Carlos Sorin. I've always thought they lack greatly in South American movies btw...

I wouldn't mind seeing City of God, from your neck of the woods, in the collection.

[BluFilmFreak]

HELP REQUEST - Scans for Water Damaged art inserts.

due to a burst pipe, a couple of my cases got water damage, ruining the outer artwork. All contents inside are fine, but the inserts are ruined. As such, if anyone can remove theirs and scan / send to me it would be greatly appreciated. Titles needed are:

Autumn Sonata
My Winnipeg
The Spy who came in from the cold
Le Havre

[jbieste]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm starting to get frustrated by the Criterion buy/sell/trade thread...so it's venting time.

I've been trying to sell off my like new copy of Repulsion for almost two months now, with no takers. I have it listed at $15 with shipping included...meaning they'd be paying about $13 for the film itself.

Today I noticed that a guy on the same thread recently sold his copy of Repulsion for $15, but shipping involves an additional charge of $2.25. He only recently put it up for sale.

Does the person who bought it not realize that he would've paid $2.25 less for my copy?

Does he not bother to read the fine print of the listings?

Does he not trust Ray Jackson?

Does he not consider Ray Jackson to be a reputable human being worthy of his respect and admiration?

Does my avatar not tell him everything he needs to know of who I am and what I'm about?

Does he think he's better than me?

Well whoever you are, I want you to know something: Ray Jackson's mama didn't raise no fool.

A drunken sex addict maybe...but no fool.

This won't be the end of me.

I'll die before I let that happen.

I'm going to live on and I'm going to survive.

And no matter what happens, I'm going to sell Repulsion and there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

A man embraces the beast in himself and he lessens the burden of being a man.

...RJ out.

If you wipe off all the sweat that rubbed off from being next to Top Gun I'll buy it from you. A Polanski film shouldn't have to be constantly slammed back into the shelf b/c it wasn't Top Gun. PM your email addy.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

I wouldn't mind seeing City of God, from your neck of the woods, in the collection.

That would be nice.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by BluFilmFreak

HELP REQUEST - Scans for Water Damaged art inserts.

due to a burst pipe, a couple of my cases got water damage, ruining the outer artwork. All contents inside are fine, but the inserts are ruined. As such, if anyone can remove theirs and scan / send to me it would be greatly appreciated. Titles needed are:

Autumn Sonata
My Winnipeg
The Spy who came in from the cold
Le Havre

You do know that you can order replacement inserts directly from Criterion, right? (And cases and booklets and slipcovers, too!) Just email our friend Jon Mulvaney at Criterion (mulvaney@criterion.com) and tell him what happened and what you need. He should get back to you within a few days and tell you how much it will cost, and how to submit your payment via PayPal. (It won't be much ... probably in the neighborhood of $5.00 for a new case and insert, which includes shipping.) The folks at Criterion are fantastic, and the customer service is exemplary.

Good luck!

[Ray Jackson]

Watched The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for the second time last night.

I'm not going to lie and say I think it's the most enjoyable film to watch. Despite my recently developed cinematic obsession with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this is probably not a movie that I will return to a regular basis.

...maybe once every five years.

But it's just so damned nice to look at and Fassbinder's use of the camera is magnificent as always.

And the Criterion case/cover art is one of my favorites.

[WonderWeasel]

Has anyone here seen both versions of Playtime that Criterion has released? I was curious if it is worth getting the standalone release because of PQ. There seems to be some mixed feelings in regard to the newer 4K restoration that was used for the box set.

Also, are all the extras from the standalone included in the box set?

[oildude]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

Has anyone here seen both versions of Playtime that Criterion has released? I was curious if it is worth getting the standalone release because of PQ. There seems to be some mixed feelings in regard to the newer 4K restoration that was used for the box set.

Also, are all the extras from the standalone included in the box set?

I have both. Honestly, I prefer the PQ and slightly warmer color palette of the newer scan. I will have to check on the extras later, as I don't recall the difference, and am about to turn in for the night. I think you can compare them using Pro-b's reviews.

I will say that after watching the "making of" extra on the box set version of PlayTime and learning that every single element in that film was a carefully constructed set or optical illusion of stage design, I am convinced that PlayTime is one of the greatest marvels of film achievement ever.

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by oildude

I have both. Honestly, I prefer the PQ and slightly warmer color palette of the newer scan. I will have to check on the extras later, as I don't recall the difference, and am about to turn in for the night. I think you can compare them using Pro-b's reviews.

I will say that after watching the "making of" extra on the box set version of PlayTime and learning that every singe element in that film was a carefully constructed set or optical illusion of stage design, I am convinced that PlayTime is one of the greatest marvels of film achievement ever.

Wow, they really went for the opposite end of the spectrum on the color timing for the box set release:

[Show spoiler]
2009:


2014:

I think I like the somewhat cold, sterile look of the original release. The newer one also looks a bit softer, but I'll have to check some more screenshot comparisons to confirm it. I don't know if the differences are enough to justify me purchasing the film twice though, because I plan on getting the Tati set during one of the B&N sales this year. But man, I have an itch to watch PlayTime, and I found a used copy for under $20.

edit: It looks like most of the extras on the original release are included in the box set except for the 1976 BBC Omnibus episode. The box has some new commentaries and an extra documentary as well. I also compared some screenshots of the releases on my PC instead of my tablet, and the 2009 release didn't look as sharp. The film grain appears to be quite a bit larger.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I just ordered a copy of The Homesman, and it's scheduled to arrive on February 12. Could it be that one of the warehouses is located in an area where the weather is bad and causing shipping delays?

I know ive had that happen to me when weather is bad as well. If I remember correctly a 2 day prime delivery took 5-6 days to arrive.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm starting to get frustrated by the Criterion buy/sell/trade thread...so it's venting time.

I've been trying to sell off my like new copy of Repulsion for almost two months now, with no takers. I have it listed at $15 with shipping included...meaning they'd be paying about $13 for the film itself.

Today I noticed that a guy on the same thread recently sold his copy of Repulsion for $15, but shipping involves an additional charge of $2.25. He only recently put it up for sale.

Does the person who bought it not realize that he would've paid $2.25 less for my copy?

Does he not bother to read the fine print of the listings?

Does he not trust Ray Jackson?

Does he not consider Ray Jackson to be a reputable human being worthy of his respect and admiration?

Does my avatar not tell him everything he needs to know of who I am and what I'm about?

Does he think he's better than me?

Well whoever you are, I want you to know something: Ray Jackson's mama didn't raise no fool.

A drunken sex addict maybe...but no fool.

This won't be the end of me.

I'll die before I let that happen.

I'm going to live on and I'm going to survive.

And no matter what happens, I'm going to sell Repulsion and there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

A man embraces the beast in himself and he lessens the burden of being a man.

...RJ out.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Watched The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant for the second time last night.

I'm not going to lie and say I think it's the most enjoyable film to watch. Despite my recently developed cinematic obsession with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this is probably not a movie that I will return to a regular basis.

...maybe once every five years.

But it's just so damned nice to look at and Fassbinder's use of the camera is magnificent as always.

And the Criterion case/cover art is one of my favorites.

I think it's a film that is not only brilliant but difficult as well. Fassbinder did a number on that one, and it;s a tough one to take.

I agree about the cover. Gorgeous.

[theater dreamer]

I'm watching the end of Taxi Driver as I write this, trying to figure out what films I'm going to order during Criterion's Flash sale. Let me just say that the ending sequence Scorsese shot is one of my favorite endings to a film. The use of light and dark, the different camera perspectives, the interplay between DeNiro's Travis Bickel and Cybill Shepherd's Betsy...magnificent. The scene shows incredible restraint; there's not a lot of dialogue, but it's not needed. Having never gone to film school, I have to imagine this has been analyzed ad infinitum.



And let's be honest. Cybill Sheperd was pretty easy on the eyes back then.