The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

My favorite line from the film:

[Show spoiler]You couldn't've stopped them, the Army couldn't've stopped them, so I had to.

It's truly one of the most powerful lines in the entire film.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

If nothing else, I like seeing more animated titles in the collection.

I'm with you!
Except for all the Disney films that I would like Criterion to properly release if it could in an alternate universe ( ), these would be great additions:

[Show spoiler]Gandahar


Angel's Egg


Time Masters


The King and the Mockingbird

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I'm psyched to see a possible Criterion release for Fantastic Planet. If nothing else, I like seeing more animated titles in the collection. The movie itself is definitely artsy and nutty, but it is an interesting vision.

Id adore a release of American Pop. One of the most perfect films I've ever seen.

[Nuck Horris]

Originally Posted by Arawn

Hoop Dreams bored me to tears when I watched it on VHS way back when. I wonder if I would have a different experience if I watched it now.

Nope, it's still about basketball on the blu-ray.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Nuck Horris

Nope, it's still about basketball on the blu-ray.

it is hardly about basketball. maybe you need a rewatch, too.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Nuck Horris

Nope, it's still about basketball on the blu-ray.

still with same rotten VHS quality (I mean lack of) ?

[pedromvu]

Somehow I missed this news yesterday, there goes one great title Warner will not be giving to Criterion:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

At least that means it will be cheaper and finally out even in less than 3 months

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

still with same rotten VHS quality (I mean lack of) ?

It is an improvement over the DVD, I believe it wasn't a straight port, they had a new restoration, but still it will not win any awards of course.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

We've been discussing documentaries somewhat here over the past few days, and while it's not a Criterion release, one I have to highly recommend is I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale.

[Show spoiler]It was originally done for HBO in 2009, and it's now being included with the 40th Anniversary Blu-ray release of Dog Day Afternoon.

Cazale was a brilliant performer, a man that conveyed such vulnerability one minute, and then would burst with intensity the next. The love and reverence people still hold for him, nearly 40 years after his passing, is unmistakable. The list of men and women who took the time to share their recollections of working with John, or how he inspired them as actors, reads like a who's who of Hollywood over the last four decades: Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Gene Hackman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Olympia Dukakis, Richard Dreyfus, Steve Buscemi, Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet, Sam Rockwell, Carole Kane. Dog Day Afternoon would be worth owning on its own, of course. But this newest release with the Cazale documentary adds incredible value. It's 40 minutes long, but you really get a sense for the man, and the performer. His first love was the theater, and from working in that environment, he brought incredible improvisational skills to the movie set. Pacino talked about how he was always asking questions, always in character, and he would throw little idiosyncrasies into scenes, things that were not in the script, that added an added dimension to the character, or the moment. Meryl Streep, who was very much in love with Cazale, talked about how John wanted to continue working while he was dying from lung cancer. I knew that the studio wanted to replace Cazale, and Streep threatened to walk off the set, and quit the movie if they did. What I didn't know, however, was that Cazale was uninsurable because of the cancer. If he became too sick to work, or passed away in the middle of filming, the studio would realize an enormous expense to replace him. Robert DeNiro felt so strongly about John's being in the film that, according to Meryl Streep, he put up the money himself to secure the bond so Cazale could be in the movie. His scenes had to be shot first, and he died before The Deer Hunter was released. But I cannot imagine the film without him, and that speaks to DeNiro's generosity.

If you don't have this new Blu-ray, get it, guys. You'll not only get one of the best films of the 1970s, you'll get a documentary that will greatly enhance your appreciation for Cazale's performances in the Godfather I & II, Dog Day Afternoon, The Conversation, and The Deer Hunter.

Yeah it's fantastic.

I get emotional listening to Al Pacino talk about what it was like to work with him.

One of the very best actors of the 1970s imo.

...lot of great future roles died with him.

[Meek12345]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

As much as I'm enjoying these Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman films, I have to say that it's going to be tough to pin down a definite top five when I'm done.

These movies tend to blend together. When I'm picking a top five, I'll be like...
"Which movie had the cool dragonfly scene?"
"Which movie had the him protecting the widow of a guy he killed?"
"Which movie had him slicing a bumble bee in half in mid-air?"
"Which movie had him winning the underwater sword fight?"
"Which movie had the cool snow fight?"

Right now, the ones that stand out off the top of my head are The Tale of Zatoichi, Fight, Zatoichi, Fight, Zatoichi's Revenge, Zatoichi the Outlaw, and Zatoichi Challenged. I've still got five movies left to see, though.

They do tend to blend in together even more than the James Bond films, since you are unable to use a change in actor as a way of differentiating between films. Shintaro Katsu is great in the role though and I can't imagine another actor that can do the role justice right now. I normally enjoy Beat Takeshi's performances, but I hated the 2003 Zatoichi film. It didn't help that Zatoichi is treated as a background character without any substantial dialogue.

Well, I hope you will enjoy the last five Zatoichi films. By the way, have you flipped thru the hardcover book yet? The film summaries are very inciteful and the illustrations by each artist are quite wonderful to me anyways. This set is still my favorite blu-ray purchase ever.

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

Those 5 you have left may change your ranking, in fact I feel almost certain they will. Some kick ass stuff and things begin to take on a more introspective tone. The use of color really begins to stand out. Some really striking imagery.

I agree with you. Katsu directed #24 Zatoichi in Desperation as well. That one has a grindhouse feel to it that I wasn't prepared for the first time around. I should give it another try after I watch Kiss me Deadly(Thanks RickDee!) and On the Waterfront again.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Somehow I missed this news yesterday, there goes one great title Warner will not be giving to Criterion:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

At least that means it will be cheaper and finally out even in less than 3 months

I'm thrilled it's finally coming out on blu-ray, but it won't be cheaper than it would have been if Criterion were releasing it ... at least not for those of us who have lenient Barnes & Noble stores.

[Polaroid]

I personally would LOVE to see Criterion release The Animatrix.

animatrix trailer - YouTube

Some great people have worked on this and it has some brilliant stores, albeit rather dark but they are very good! I actually found these to be better than the main Matrix films!

[deepseababy]

Just blind bought The American Friend! Huge fan of Paris, Texas, so I think I'm in for a pleasant viewing experience with a bit of luck.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Somehow I missed this news yesterday, there goes one great title Warner will not be giving to Criterion:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

At least that means it will be cheaper and finally out even in less than 3 months

Not only Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf is getting released by the Warner Archive Collection on April 12th, but Hitchcock's Suspicion, starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, is as well. These Warner Archive Collection releases are really nicely done. I got in my first two, The Big Sleep, and the Joan Crawford-Van Heflin classic Possessed, just within the last two weeks. The cover art is just beautiful, and they carry the movie posters over to the actual discs, as well as the disc menu. It's perfect. The focus is on the film, and there's not a lot of superfluous stuff that has too often plagued other release. And, they come with the full Viva Elite cases, not those flimsy eco-friendly monstrosities. I wonder how many times those cases have been broken in shipping, and I ended up replacing them. There would be fewer of these cases in the landfill if they just packaged the movies properly. And nothing will draw my ire more quickly than seeing a bubble mailer pierced by something in transit, resulting in the cover art for the movie being ruined, or the disc being damaged.

I've gotta say that I'm just thrilled to see some of these great movies coming out at long last. I'm putting in a big order next Tuesday, and I'm going to blow right by the budget I was trying to stick to. So far, it's looking like April is going to put one hell of a dent in my checkbook, too. And, I'm good with that. I'm going to grab Out of the Past, The Wrong Man, and likely The Picture of Dorian Gray with this order, and then the two new releases, along with Key Largo in April.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

[/SPOILER]

Yeah it's fantastic.

I get emotional listening to Al Pacino talk about what it was like to work with him.

One of the very best actors of the 1970s imo.

...lot of great future roles died with him.

I believe it was Israel Horovitz at the end of the film who was lamenting that very thing. He said something to the effect of, "he's been gone more than thirty years now. Thirty years of performances we'll never see." That moved me. John Cazale was an actor that was getting better with every performance, and he had almost limitless potential. With him, there's that "what might have been" factor; it's downright lamentable.

Sam Rockwell had some really great commentary. He referred to a scene in Dog Day Afternoon where they're talking about piling up bodies outside the bank. He said "you looked at Pacino's character, and didn't think he could kill anybody. Then, you looked at Cazale, who was so naked, and alone in the Godfather II. In Dog Day, he's got the intensity, the wild eyes, the kinetic energy. You could totally see him killing somebody. He and Lumet also talked about the dark humor in the film, much of which was Cazale's improvisation.

John Cazale had no ego when it came to performing. Some actors won't play a character that shows weakness, because they are afraid it will reflect poorly on them, and their star power. Cazale had no such reservations. I feel that Philip Seymour Hoffman was like Cazale in that regard. He wasn't afraid to play characters that might project vulnerability. Likewise, both men were unafraid to play characters that could be looked at as despicable. Fredo betrayed Michael in Part II, but you still ached for him, because while he was reckless, and weak, you still felt his humanity. John Cazale took on the characters that are absolutely vital to great films. That, to me, is the mark of a great actor. They put the art before fame. Who was it that said, "Everybody wants to play Sonny or Michael. Nobody wants to play Fredo." Cazale did, and he was spectacular. Fredo is somewhat off to the side for the first part of The Godfather, almost a peripheral character. And, you really don't see his eyes. Then, when he witnesses his father gunned down, and he drops the gun trying to shoot back, you see John Cazale's eyes. You witness the utter helplessness as he's sitting on the curb, wailing "Papa!" He conveys his overwhelming grief, and in that moment, Fredo is a little boy again.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Not only Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf is getting released by the Warner Archive Collection on April 12th, but Hitchcock's Suspicion, starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, is as well. These Warner Archive Collection releases are really nicely done.

Yes, some good stuff from the Warner Archive Collection recently. The Wrong Man and I Confess were day one for me, as will be Suspicion. Next on my list is Pete Kelley's Blues, and the Bogie and Bacall titles. If you haven't already seen it (and period drama is your cup of tea), I recommend Schlesinger's Far From the Madding Crowd, which has great cinematography by Nicolas Roeg.

[The Great Owl]

Last night, I watched Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival.

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival is pretty awesome, and it's one of my favorite entries in the series yet. More than any of the other films, this Zatoichi title is the most similar to one of the James Bond 007 films. There's the over-the-top, but hugely memorable villain, in the form of a clan boss who is also a blind man like Zatoichi. We've got crazy narrow escapes, when Zatoichi almost falls off of a cliff, and when he escapes the "fire festival." We've got the villain who wants to be entertained by watching the hero's spectacularly-engineered death. We've got an action sequence soundtracked by great music (the hot tub scene). There's even a somewhat comedic story element by way of an effeminate male character. The fight sequences with Tatsuya Nakadai (The Sword of Doom) are icing on the cake.

Nicely done. I'm glad that this Zatoichi film departed somewhat from the formula, so to speak.

[filmmusic]

According to Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere, the 4K restoration of ONE EYED JACKS is set for completion next month - with possible theatrical screenings following.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/comm...posts/4359422/

Could this be a Criterion release?

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/comm...posts/4359422/

Could this be a Criterion release?

Pretty sure we had a clue for this title?

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Pretty sure we had a clue for this title?

No. It was the clue for Jellyfish Eyes. (unless it was a double clue which I doubt it)
But it surely fit.
it was an eye caught in a fisherman's hook, so One Eyed Jack(s) (= kind of fish)

edit:
On another note:
If any of the Criterion fans would like to contribute with any (Criterion possibly) suggestions in this thread, you're welcomed to do so:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=237647

I'm searching for movies (1930-1990) set around springtime.
One film that I recently watched and fitted perfectly what I was after, was The Quiet Man.
Loved it!

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

No. It was the clue for Jellyfish Eyes. (unless it was a double clue which I doubt it)
But it surely fit.
it was an eye caught in a fisherman's hook, so One Eyed Jack(s) (= kind of fish)

edit:
On another note:
If any of the Criterion fans would like to contribute with any (Criterion possibly) suggestions in this thread, you're welcomed to do so:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=237647

I'm searching for movies (1930-1990) set around springtime.
One film that I recently watched and fitted perfectly what I was after, was The Quiet Man.
Loved it!

You know i've gone blank on film set in Spring D: