The Criterion Collection

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by RickDee

Some of us have no choice but to pay the high price. Who knows when they will be back in stock at Criterion or B&N.

You certainly have a choice. Criterion has confirmed that it is not oop and will be restocked once they manufacture more packaging. Just a matter of being patient, or paying an inflated price to get it sooner.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

The line-up for the (Australian) Retro British Film Festival has just been announced:

BLITHE SPIRIT
ODD MAN OUT
OUR MAN IN HAVANA
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
DR STRANGELOVE
MRS BROWN
HOBSON’S CHOICE
THE LADYKILLERS
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB
WHISKY GALORE
THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT

I'm not a big Ealing Film fan, so that lets me knock a lot off the list. Researching a few I've not heard of, but there's a bunch of films I'm keen to see or re-see on the big screen!

I am a big Ealing fan and I would love to see more blus released in the States. I would also love to see an upgrade of Hobson's Choice.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by RickDee

Some of us have no choice but to pay the high price. Who knows when they will be back in stock at Criterion or B&N.

I see you stay very near to me, we live in neighboring cities This weekend I saw Zatoichi box at the Firewheel Mall B&N. It should not be very far from your place. With membership discount & 20% off coupon it will come down to $162+tax. Thought I will mention it, to get it under $100, you need to wait till July sale.

Last year during B&N price glitch I ordered 2 of them at $42.49 each and received both. I sold one of them for $90 (after deducting fee & shipping) or so basically got the set for free
I have to admit I am one of the most undeserving person to get lucky with that set because I do not know whether I will ever watch it...

[RobertLuketic]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I am a big Ealing fan and I would love to see more blus released in the States. I would also love to see an upgrade of Hobson's Choice.

I'm still waiting for A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH Blu-ray

[Fabs]

Originally Posted by iScottie

It's a beautifully shot and beautifully told story about life, death, love, and loss.

I think my favorite thing about the film is that it's simplistic, yet complex at the same time. All of the events (to some extent) are seen through or reflected within each character. Each of these characters is also remarkably mature, in my opinion. Even 8-year-old Yang Yang seems to have a solid grasp on how the world operates.

I think I also like the lingering feels of innocence, emptiness, and regret running throughout the film. I absolutely love the blend of cinematography and soundtrack during

[Show spoiler]NJ's trip into Tokyo.

Furthermore, I think my favorite scene in the film is

[Show spoiler]Ting-Ting's dream. What a way to be told everything will be okay.

Yi Yi has such fantastic cinematography/photography. I haven't seen a director film a city like Edward Yang does.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by RobertLuketic

I'm still waiting for A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH Blu-ray

I have a hunch you don't do imports (like many don't and I can't understand the reason), but in case you do here's a review of the German Region Free Bluray:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...th_blu-ray.htm

[tallrichard]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

The line-up for the (Australian) Retro British Film Festival has just been announced:

BLITHE SPIRIT
ODD MAN OUT
OUR MAN IN HAVANA
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
A PASSAGE TO INDIA
DR STRANGELOVE
MRS BROWN
HOBSON’S CHOICE
THE LADYKILLERS
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB
WHISKY GALORE
THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
TRAVELS WITH MY AUNT

I'm not a big Ealing Film fan, so that lets me knock a lot off the list. Researching a few I've not heard of, but there's a bunch of films I'm keen to see or re-see on the big screen!

I'm lucky that's not local to me...I would get fired for missing so much time.

Between Ealing Studios and Powell and Pressburger, I would be camped out.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Have you seen the most recent adaptation? Its pretty impressive and a very dark experience. One of my favourite adaptations!

Also the BBC in UK did an adaptation of it with James Mcavoy but they put a modern twist on it, but another really great adaptation if you hunt it down, think its on Youtube. BBC Shakespeare Retold.



What didn't you like about it? I wouldn't really compare with the other two listed, Polanski's tis very close to original story and obviously the other has been adapted and changed a lot too.

I got a chance to watch the new Macbeth this weekend. Maybe I watched Polanski and Kurosawa too close to this, but I just couldn't get into it. I thought the cinematography was very good and the casting was excellent. But, overall, it did not have the epic feel or darkness of Polanski. There were several scenes that were watered down IMO

[Show spoiler](McDuff murders, Lady Macbeth death, final fight, etc.)

.

Of the three versions I have seen:
1. Macbeth (1971)
2. Throne of Blood (1957)
3. Macbeth (2015)

[diskspinner]

Brighter Summer Days will come with a booklet or leaflet? Anybody received their copy?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Brighter Summer Days will come with a booklet or leaflet? Anybody received their copy?

I think it will be a leaflet.

http://criterionforum.org/DVD-packag...ollection/1545

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Brighter Summer Days will come with a booklet or leaflet? Anybody received their copy?

I have my copy but I never look at the printed stuff. I can check tonight when I'm home.

[ChromeJob]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I did live in the Dark Ages when the options were: See it in a theater; watch it later on tv, or buy it on 16/8mm film. My own home video collecting began in the '60s with (extremely) condensed versions of films put out by Castle films. These were usually Universal horror titles that ran probably 8-16 minutes depending on reel size and footage. They were silent too. Later on I got a 8mm sound projector and bought a bunch of Laurel & Hardy sound shorts and also some public domain features like Night of the Living Dead. It's hard to convey what a godsend Beta and VHS were when they arrived. Imagine-you not only could buy/rent films to watch on your tv but could also record those obscure title that ran on the Late Late Show at 2am in the morning that you could never quite stay awake for.

Ah, Castle Films ... brings back memories of the ads at the back of FAMOUS MONSTERS magazine.

Originally Posted by Meek12345

I think that I have randomly read aboult half of the 25 film specific essays in the book and they are a nice treat that gives a summary and background of each film without spoiling anything. I intend to read all 25 when I start my second Zatoichi marathon this week, but will only watch 10 of the Zatoichi films this time around. 5 will be my favorite in the series right now:

Zatoichi the Fugitive
Fight, Zatoichi, Fight
Zatoichi's Cane Sword
Zatoichi Challenged
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

5 will be my "least" favorite:
Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold: Has a great climatic fight with the antagonist using a bull whip. However, I didn't like the way the local townspeople pushed Zatoichi around and abused him.
Zatoichi meets Yojimbo: I think my expectations may have been too high after watching Yojimbo. I feel like I need to give it another try after your review.
Zatoichi meets the One-Armed Swordsman: The ending really bothered me on this one. Sure Zatoichi and the One-Armed swordsman speak different languages, but I don't think that the situation should have escalated that quickly.
Zatoichi at Large: This really annoying kid follows Zatoichi around throwing rocks at him for the entire film. He believes he has a good reason for hating Ichi. However, I wish Ichi had just walked up to him and talked some sense into him. Annoying kids in movies are one of my biggest pet peeves.
Zatoichi in Desperation: The dark grindhouse feel of this one threw me for a loop the first time around. The violence and sexual content were more explicit than the previous Zatoichi films.

I feel like I should give my least favorite films one more chance. Occasionally I will have a complete 180 on a film if I didn't absolutely hate it. Honestly, even the worst Zatoichi films are still good films overall.

Also, anyone else here wonder how long it takes to produce the Zatoichi packaging? The Criterion site has been running out of stock and it has been stated it will take a while to restock because of how long it takes to produce the packaging. I may email John Mulvaney to see if I can get an answer.

I found that by watching the series I felt that each film had very distinct flavours. I noticed the different stylistic approaches of the directors and composers (due to my interest in the fellow who scored Gojira and several Zatoichi flicks).

I'm sure you noticed that as a masseur, Ichi is in the lowest of the low castes. He was deserving of even little kids taunting him, and took it with generally angelic good nature. Add to that his humility at being yakuza ("a yakuza should never be in debt to an honest man"). That's part of the charm for me.

Originally Posted by jayembee

MSRP is $224.95 (keep in mind that it's a BD/DVD combo pack with 27 discs). Criterion's price in their own shop is usually 20% off, so $180.

Originally Posted by Meek12345

jayembee beat me to this I bought the Zatoichi set during a Criterion flash sale for 50% off MSRP (~$112.49). I know that some members here got it for less than $100 at the Barnes and Noble sale in July or November. During the B&N sale it is 50% off MSRP plus some of the cashiers let you "stack" member coupons for an additional 20-40% off I believe.

The set is definitely worth the 50% off to me anyways. Hopefully, Criterion will restock their site and B&N within the next few weeks, so the prices on other sites like Amazon and eBay will become more reasonable.

I bought Zatoichi along with many other titles during a B&N semiannual 50% sale. With membership 10% discount, and coupons I received from joining, I got Zatoichi for something like US$112 before tax. I missed out on a tip that you can get a trial membership online for free, then use it for purchases. I don't believe it's a matter of "cashier letting you stack coupons," there's nothing on the coupons that I could see prohibiting combination. Even if you don't get mailed coupons (I just got a couple last month) or new member coupons, 50% + 10% is great for a set. I keep almost getting the RED RIVER set.

https://www.instagram.com/p/5hPNyQiKry/

Even if paying for a B&N membership, when you buy upwards of $500 in discs/sets (MSRP) you're coming out ahead.

I bought my set(s) in a b&m store, so my Zatoichi set had a slight smush on a corner, but I wanted immediate gratification. I could've ordered it online, and IIRC B&N members get free shipping.

By combining the 50% sale, member discount, and one or two member "single purchase item" coupons, you can beat even Costco's price on $40 titles. I got some late last year for roughly $16 ea. (Yay for Criterion Japanese cinema!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/-IG1vniKtW/

[bwdowiak]

I watched my DVD copy of Koreeda's Nobody Knows. That guy really knows how to make a film! I'd say it is more immediately enjoyable than Still Walking although I think SW is a better film.

The story is quite a downer, but it is acted well, shot well, and considering its near 2 1/2 hr run time, it is never uninteresting. Highly recommended. One can get a copy for $5 or less. No one seems too intent on releasing his films, so I'd say add it to your collection if you like his work.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I watched my DVD copy of Koreeda's Nobody Knows. That guy really knows how to make a film! I'd say it is more immediately enjoyable than Still Walking although I think SW is a better film.

The story is quite a downer, but it is acted well, shot well, and considering its near 2 1/2 hr run time, it is never uninteresting. Highly recommended. One can get a copy for $5 or less. No one seems too intent on releasing his films, so I'd say add it to your collection if you like his work.

I'll second this, but go further in that I think Nobody Knows is the superior work. Yes, it is a downer, but gorgeous in its own way. I have been quietly longing for a Criterion release of this or other works, but it doesn't seem as well known or popular as SW.

[MifuneFan]

Every now and then I remember Nobody Knows and I get depressed.

[Nuck Horris]

Did Criterion re-translate Zatoichi, Lady Snowblood and other Japanese releases? I haven't seen those on DVD but some other oop DVDs I've watched like Red Lion, Trail of Blood, etc. seem to have pretty modern translations even though they came out in the 60s and 70s. Maybe that's just a AnimEigo thing or something.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by CriterionBlues

I'll second this, but go further in that I think Nobody Knows is the superior work. Yes, it is a downer, but gorgeous in its own way. I have been quietly longing for a Criterion release of this or other works, but it doesn't seem as well known or popular as SW.

Given some time to reflect, I might feel the same way.

[Show spoiler]That ending is quite a punch in the gut - completely beyond belief and yet within the context of his story, he pulls it off.

This wasn't one of his first films, so the loose, (sorta) unrefined, almost documentary style shooting is all style. It reminded me of two films - Amores Perros (similar raw dramatic power) and Yi Yi for the unrefined feeling. I don't know if unrefined is the best word but relative to SW, it seems less polished.

[whateverman42]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I watched my DVD copy of Koreeda's Nobody Knows. That guy really knows how to make a film! I'd say it is more immediately enjoyable than Still Walking although I think SW is a better film.

The story is quite a downer, but it is acted well, shot well, and considering its near 2 1/2 hr run time, it is never uninteresting. Highly recommended. One can get a copy for $5 or less. No one seems too intent on releasing his films, so I'd say add it to your collection if you like his work.

That's funny, I too just watched Nobody Knows on DVD about a week ago. Koreeda is hands down my favourite Japanese director. I discovered him with Like Father Like Son, and had to buy the DVD because they decided not to release it on blu ray over here. So he's one of my favourite directors but I have no blu rays of his films! So frustrating. I haven't seen Still Walking, but plan to buy it eventually so I have at least one blu of his. Of all the possible blu ray releases in the world my top wish might be a North American box-set of all his films. But it does seem he's lesser known over here so the chances of that are nil.

[ChromeJob]

Originally Posted by Nuck Horris

Did Criterion re-translate Zatoichi, Lady Snowblood and other Japanese releases? I haven't seen those on DVD but some other oop DVDs I've watched like Red Lion, Trail of Blood, etc. seem to have pretty modern translations even though they came out in the 60s and 70s. Maybe that's just a AnimEigo thing or something.

They often have new translations. If you check the titles' pages on Criterion's site, it should be listed as a feature (e.g. "New translation by...").

[Nuck Horris]

Originally Posted by ChromeJob

They often have new translations. If you check the titles' pages on Criterion's site, it should be listed as a feature (e.g. "New translation by...").

Yeah, looks like both of the ones I mentioned have new translations. I don't want to hear "that sucks, bro" in a 70s samurai movie... I think even the newer AnimEigo releases have a lot of bad (as in really stupid) translations to make the dialogue sound cool...