The Criterion Collection

[welcometothepartypal]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I suggest to watch Images this period too, because it has a winter-y atmosphere that matches the current season.
(of course, where you live could be hot summer, I don't know. )
Also it has an exceptional John Williams score which is quite different from the rest of his output:
John Williams - Images - In Search of Unicorns - YouTube

About McCabe & Mrs. Miller:
I haven't seen it but I love the muddy, hazy, wintery, period atmosphere as I see it from trailers.
Still, I don't think I would blind buy it.

Thank you, if I can find a copy I would love to check it off my Altman list.

[welcometothepartypal]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Personally, I'm not really a fan of Altman's "ensemble" movies, where there isn't a centralized story and the plot shifts between 10+ characters. McCabe & Mrs. Miller was awesome. Beautifully shot, atmospheric soundtrack and a great commentary on the nature of capitalism. Possibly my second favorite Altman after the hypnotic 3 Women. The DVD of McCabe isn't that good, so whenever Criterion decide to release the 4K restored blu ray, it will be a ginormous upgrade over the DVD! I enjoyed Images immensely, a great and very underrated psychological thriller. Since Criterion decided to surprise us with an Altman that wasn't McCabe this latest announcement, I really wish that it was Images and not The Player, a movie that is good but not as good as Images IMO, and because The Player already has a blu ray release. Of course the new one will look better, but not as big of an upgrade as one for a DVD only release. I would've preferred Quintet over The Player as well.

As for the release of McCabe, sadly I think we will have to wait until October-November-December for a release. I've scrolled through the release months for Criterion's best selling titles, and the vast majority of them are released in the first three or especially the last three months of the year. The releases for June and July, which are the next two announcements are especially poor sales wise. Although I hope I'm wrong and we see McCabe get announced next month.

I really liked McCabe & Mrs. Miller, but I bet I'd like it even more with a better transfer. I would definitely get the Criterion.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by Vinyl

I have never seen The Last Metro in a plastic case, just as a digipack. Most times because of the plastic and security measures it looks a bit crushed.

Thank you.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Is The Last Metro still issued as a DigiPak? The list I alluded to a few days ago is a bit confusing on this point. The original release was in that "thin" cardboard packaging. But what was it replaced with, a standard DigiPak, or a Scanavo? I'm going to own any Truffaut movie Criterion issues, but if there's a question of the packaging being changed, I want to get the Digi, if at all possible.

My order is getting bigger and bigger.

The Last Metro is available in a scanavo plastic case; I saw a couple of copies at different B&Ns during their November sale. That was the first time I have seen it in the plastic case in stores. However, you can also get an empty scanavo case for it with artwork directly from Criterion if you wanted to switch out the thin plastic digipak. This is what I did five years ago. The replacement case cost $5 and I tacked it on to a Criterion flash sale order to get my total over the free shipping limit.

[Vinyl]

Thanks oildude, totally forgot about that awesomeness they do for a mere $5. May consider getting The Last Metro now, such a good movie. And maybe if I am lucky I find a cased one!

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by Vinyl

Thanks oildude, totally forgot about that awesomeness they do for a mere $5. May consider getting The Last Metro now, such a good movie. And maybe if I am lucky I find a cased one!

Hate to burst your bubble, but those plastic cases are no longer for sale. They used to be here.

https://www.criterion.com/shop/other

I emailed Mulvaney about it and he said they are gone. He didn't say gone forever, but this was a long time ago.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

Hate to burst your bubble, but those plastic cases are no longer for sale. They used to be here.

https://www.criterion.com/shop/other

I emailed Mulvaney about it and he said they are gone. He didn't say gone forever, but this was a long time ago.

Weird cause I have been buying replacement cases/artwork etc for a while now no issues >.> Mulvaney is a liar, Claire is the one you want!

[hoytereden]

Not too long ago someone had a Last Year at Marienbad plastic case on eBay for $150 Buy It Now! At the same time, a The Third Man plastic case was up for bidding and sold for $55. I didn't know they commanded such high prices.

[AaronJ]

What a weird day. My display on my iMac went -- well, it's shot. Then I'm outside and go look to see if anything is on the porch. You know, some random piece of advertising that was tossed there. And there are three -- THREE -- packages! I wasn't expecting anything today.

Knight of Cups from Amazon Germany
The Intern, such a fun movie.

And

I Knew Her Well from Criterion!

So, while my computer may be shot, I think I'll be pretty busy tonight.

[Scottie]

The Criterion Collection posted an interview yesterday with THE WITCH director Robert Eggers.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-robert-eggers

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Criterion Collection posted an interview yesterday with THE WITCH director Robert Eggers.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-robert-eggers

I was thinking while watching the film thst it would fit nicely in the collection

[RickDee]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Not too long ago someone had a Last Year at Marienbad plastic case on eBay for $150 Buy It Now! At the same time, a The Third Man plastic case was up for bidding and sold for $55. I didn't know they commanded such high prices.

I just bought the Third Man for 75.00 in a stupid Digi Pack. Digi pack went up in the closet with all the rest of them. Artwork and plastic case were waiting.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I was thinking while watching the film thst it would fit nicely in the collection

I wish. Doesn't A24 license to Lionsgate?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Criterion Collection posted an interview yesterday with THE WITCH director Robert Eggers.

https://www.criterion.com/current/po...-robert-eggers

I saw The Witch this afternoon, and I give the movie an easy five stars. I'll be floored if it does not end up on my top five list at year's end.

In many ways, The Witch reminds me of the Criterion title, Marketa Lazarova. In both films, the attention to detail with regard to the period designs, costumes, and dialect is astonishingly in its authenticity. I could almost smell the body odor of these people. Also, the lead females in both films seemed to have quite a lot in common.

Here's my review of The Witch that I posted in the Movies thread...

[Show spoiler]
After they are banished from a 1630s New England plantation because of a religious disagreement, a devoutly Puritan family settles in the remote outlying wilderness to build a farm and to start a new life. Tragedy ensues when a newborn infant inexplicably disappears while under the care of the eldest daughter. Thomasin, a teenage girl who is coming into her own in terms of sexual maturation, is subsequently mistrusted by her parents and siblings to the point where accusations of witchcraft and possession slowly unravel against her. All the while, the surrounding forest, the failing crops, and the farm animals seem to conspire against the family at the same time.

The Witch is a relentlessly creepy horror film that thrives on a gradual escalation of dread, instead of relying on cheap jump scares or trite visual cues. The story, which takes place during an era of history when supernatural explanations for events were readily accepted as a matter of course, is eerily wondrous in its ambiguity for most of the film's running time, and we are kept in the dark as to whether occurrences are indeed the devil's work or simply due to psychological stress factors. Writer/director Robert Eggers draws influence from Stephen King's The Shining with his depiction of a closely knit family whose circumstances in an isolated setting cause them to turn on one another. The well-paced buildup of unsettling momentum reaches a truly memorable payoff during the final 15 minutes, which feature some of the most viciously creepy images that I have seen in recent memory.

Eggers, who earned his stripes in filmmaking as a costume and production designer, gives us a richly authentic work of cinema with The Witch. Dialogue and events throughout this movie are taken from diaries and court transcripts related to actual witchcraft trials and accusations of the time. The 17th century New England dialect used by the characters seems impenetrable until the viewer has spent several minutes with the family. The farm buildings were constructed with materials and designs from the era in such a way that the attention to detail is incredible. The Ontario film locations function perfectly to create the atmosphere of a forest that is a villainous character in its own right. The music score, which might be my favorite element of this movie, was reportedly limited to instrumentation that existed during the 1630s, and the female chorus sent chills down my spine during certain sequences.

The Witch earns my highest recommendation as a horror film that does not wink or pander to the audience. If you are looking for a movie that makes you feel good, then go see something else. If you are looking for an immersive experience that will burrow inside your psyche long after the closing credits roll, then this is the one. We're only into February of 2016, but I will be truly surprised if The Witch does not end up on my top five movies list at year's end.

[oildude]

Not meant to offend anyone who has done so, but in the spirit of good advice, I can't see a reason for anyone to spend ridiculous amounts of money on the OOP Criterion of The Third Man unless (1) you are hell bent on a mission about collecting Criterion, or (2) there are bonus features on the Criterion you cannot live without, or (3) you are unaware of the new region-free Studio Canal restoration available for import.

I watched the new 4K restoration today that I recently imported from Amazon UK. I can sum it up in one word: STUNNING.

I had forgotten just how good this movie really is. And the bonus features are excellent; I don't frequently watch bonus features, but I devoured these. Very informative about the film, its casting, production, behind the scenes, the challenges of filming in a still war damaged Vienna divided between the four occupation zones, and lots of other information. There is particularly good information on the sewer sequence and an interesting look at the famous ferris wheel, recently restored along with the rest of the amusement park by the Soviet authorities. It will also make you fully aware of what an enfant terrible Orson Welles had become by this time, something which damaged his reputation and hindered his career in the long run.

Don't be afraid, if you are still on the fence, about importing this one. My advice is to stop reading this and get on over to Amazon UK now.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wish. Doesn't A24 license to Lionsgate?

Yeah :/

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

What a weird day. My display on my iMac went -- well, it's shot. Then I'm outside and go look to see if anything is on the porch. You know, some random piece of advertising that was tossed there. And there are three -- THREE -- packages! I wasn't expecting anything today.

Knight of Cups from Amazon Germany
The Intern, such a fun movie.

And

I Knew Her Well from Criterion!

So, while my computer may be shot, I think I'll be pretty busy tonight.

I hate you.

I really mean that.

I'm not just saying it for dramatic effect.

...it's what's in my heart.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by oildude

Not meant to offend anyone who has done so, but in the spirit of good advice, I can't see a reason for anyone to spend ridiculous amounts of money on the OOP Criterion of The Third Man unless (1) you are hell bent on a mission about collecting Criterion, or (2) there are bonus features on the Criterion you cannot live without, or (3) you are unaware of the new region-free Studio Canal restoration available for import.

I watched the new 4K restoration today that I recently imported from Amazon UK. I can sum it up in one word: STUNNING.

Agreed on all points.

In a characteristic failure of logic and research, however, I ended up buying the region free French Blu-ray of the new 4K restoration of The Third Man, because I was unaware at the time that the UK disc was also region A playable.

So, I am the proud, but slightly annoyed, owner of this French digibook....



It's of little consequence, since the French disc can easily be viewed with the menu, movie, and extras in English, but the French packaging and the French language digibook are slightly irksome in retrospect.

On the other hand, my Blu-ray collection does look somewhat more refined and worldly now.

[RickDee]

Originally Posted by oildude

Not meant to offend anyone who has done so, but in the spirit of good advice, I can't see a reason for anyone to spend ridiculous amounts of money on the OOP Criterion of The Third Man unless (1) you are hell bent on a mission about collecting Criterion, or (2) there are bonus features on the Criterion you cannot live without, or (3) you are unaware of the new region-free Studio Canal restoration available for import.

I watched the new 4K restoration today that I recently imported from Amazon UK. I can sum it up in one word: STUNNING.

I had forgotten just how good this movie really is. And the bonus features are excellent; I don't frequently watch bonus features, but I devoured these. Very informative about the film, its casting, production, behind the scenes, the challenges of filming in a still war damaged Vienna divided between the four occupation zones, and lots of other information. There is particularly good information on the sewer sequence and an interesting look at the famous ferris wheel, recently restored along with the rest of the amusement park by the Soviet authorities. It will also make you fully aware of what an enfant terrible Orson Welles had become by this time, something which damaged his reputation and hindered his career in the long run.

Don't be afraid, if you are still on the fence, about importing this one. My advice is to stop reading this and get on over to Amazon UK now.

Yup was hell bent on Criterion. Also very minimal results from 1080 to 4k

[Nuck Horris]

Originally Posted by oildude

My advice is to stop reading this and get on over to Amazon UK now.

I ordered my 4 disc edition from a little site I like to call Amazon.com.

That was a month ago... I expect it to arrive sometime before January 2017.