The Criterion Collection

[ThisKid]

Originally Posted by LuckyDragon

That would make for a hilarious alternate cut of Taxi Driver.

The "You talkin' to me" scene will now be accompanied by very, very heavy tie tugging.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by LuckyDragon

That would make for a hilarious alternate cut of Taxi Driver.

Originally Posted by ThisKid

The "You talkin' to me" scene will now be accompanied by very, very heavy tie tugging.

Oops, I just re-edited my posting and replaced Rodney Dangerfield with Michael Moore. Couldn't decide who was more overweight.

[ThisKid]

Originally Posted by jw007

Oops, I just re-edited my posting and replaced Rodney Dangerfield with Michael Moore. Couldn't decide who was more overweight.

Change it back, while we still can, so we can think of more scenes of Taxi Driver with Rodney Dangerfield!

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

Change it back, while we still can, so we can think of more scenes of Taxi Driver with Rodney Dangerfield!

Done.

Enjoy the fantasy.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

Change it back, while we still can, so we can think of more scenes of Taxi Driver with Rodney Dangerfield!

In a more general DeNiro vein, '****ing mutt dented my shoes' would totally work.

[WeeBey]

Any reason to prefer the Criterion release of Ballad of Narayama over the Masters of Cinema release? Extras are sparse on both but the MoC release has a little more. Are the transfers the same?

[oildude]

Originally Posted by jw007

Oops, I just re-edited my posting and replaced Rodney Dangerfield with Michael Moore. Couldn't decide who was more overweight.

My guess is Michael Moore since Dangerfield died years ago. Jeez, even in death Rodney gets no respect.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by WeeBey

Any reason to prefer the Criterion release of Ballad of Narayama over the Masters of Cinema release? Extras are sparse on both but the MoC release has a little more. Are the transfers the same?

They are not even the same movie, Criterion is from 1958 directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, the MoC is from 1983 directed by Shohei Imamura.

Both are good but I personally prefer Imamura's more realistic style, the other looks prettier but feels more theatrical.

Edit: Just remembered the Imamura is OOP, you can only get it with the whole Imamura box set.

[WeeBey]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

They are not even the same movie, Criterion is from 1958 directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, the MoC is from 1983 directed by Shohei Imamura.

Both are good but I personally prefer Imamura's more realistic style, the other looks prettier but feels more theatrical.

Edit: Just remembered the Imamura is OOP, you can only get it with the whole Imamura box set.

Oof, thanks.

I need to pay closer attention to these things. Didn't even know it was based on a book. Looks like the book is cheap on Amazon, I'll pick that up too.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Earlier this morning, I watched my Criterion Blu-ray of Only Angels Have Wings.

I have no hesitation about ranking Only Angels Have Wings along with the first-order movies of 1939, like Gone With the Wind or Stagecoach. More importantly, this is one of those endlessly rewatchable "lazy weekend morning" movies, complete with snappy dialogue, amazing aerial scenes that are still gripping even by today's standards, and tough, but likable characters. Cary Grant has the perfect combination of jaded indifference and genuine charisma, not unlike Bogart in Casablanca, while Jean Arthur is gorgeous and lovable. Rita Hayworth is alluring in a supporting role. Thomas Mitchell, however, commands the most attention as a rugged, but aging pilot.

The restoration looks wonderful on this disc, and the extras are a lot of fun.

This is one of those films about which I could write for pages and pages, but I'll leave it at this by saying that, in any other year, Only Angels Have Wings could have been my favorite Criterion title. 2016 is rocking for the Collection.

Since you enjoy this film I can recommend a couple of others that also share a similar plot line-Companies flying mail and freight in South America during the early days of aviation:

Night Flight ('33) Only MGM could put together a cast that features Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery, Helen Hayes, John and Lionel Barrymore. A beautifully filmed movie that, due to legal issues, was almost impossible to see until fairly recently. It's available on DVD and well worth seeing IMO.
Flight From Glory ('37) In contrast to the two other star-studded films, this is strictly a B film from RKO but is very close plot-wise to the Hawks film. Chester Morris, Van Heflin, and Whitney Bourne naturally can't match that films star power but it's one of those modest B programmers that overachieves. I'm not sure of its availability on home video. I last saw it on TCM.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

What makes it so superb? I've never seen it myself, so it would be a blind buy.

From the Blu-ray.com review, which quotes critics from the time:


Pretty harsh...

Of course, critical consensus isn't the be-all and end-all, but I've heard from ordinary folks that it's a cheesefest and hasn't really stood the test of time.

I'm open to a glowing recommendation, but the bad reviews, poor word-of-mouth, and dubbing issues make it a tough sell.

Bad reviews? It's 82% positive on RT. That's hardly "bad." Citing one review then claiming they are all bad is ridiculous.

It's a great re-telling of the Arthur legend, with lush visuals and authentic battles.
But instead of taking everyone else's word, why not try it for yourself? Forget the "dubbing" issue... EVERY movie has dubbing in it, it's called ADR. The Good, the Bad & The Ugly is one of the greatest films ever made, and it's entirely dubbed.

And most people who call it a "cheesefest" probably only like modern MTV movies that actually have worse acting, storytelling and visuals than all this "dubbing" nonsense.

It's also only 8.99. If you can't be sold to see it at that price, amidst all the positive reviews, then I dunno what to tell you.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

The thing is that many times if not all, the drawing of animated characters is built upon the performance of the actors! They even sometimes get expressions or facial characteristics of them

I think that's true of animation from the US, where they record the voice actors then animate to match; but in other countries I believe it is still done the other way, where the voices are added afterwards. (I'm sure I've seen this in some Studio Ghibli features).

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Bad reviews? It's 82% positive on RT. That's hardly "bad." Citing one review then claiming they are all bad is ridiculous.

I was going to say that RT is irrelevant for older movies because of the lack of reviews, but with 38 reviews represented, that isn't an issue in this case.

However, I usually select the "top critics" filter, and among them, it's 50% - so, split right down the middle.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/exca...pe=top_critics

Reading the excerpts of all the reviews ("top critics" and otherwise), this seems like a real "love it or hate it" movie.

It's a great re-telling of the Arthur legend, with lush visuals and authentic battles.
But instead of taking everyone else's word, why not try it for yourself? Forget the "dubbing" issue... EVERY movie has dubbing in it, it's called ADR. The Good, the Bad & The Ugly is one of the greatest films ever made, and it's entirely dubbed.

There's a difference between ADR and bad, obvious dubbing. Now, I have no idea which category this movie falls into - again, I have not seen it - but from other people's posts, it sounds like the latter.

And most people who call it a "cheesefest" probably only like modern MTV movies that actually have worse acting, storytelling and visuals than all this "dubbing" nonsense.

I am not opposed to a cheesefest if it's fun. I enjoyed The Last Legion, which is another movie about the Arthur legend. I wouldn't call it a great movie or anything - it reminded me of one of those old Cannon films from the '80s - but it was enjoyable for what it was.

It's also only 8.99. If you can't be sold to see it at that price, amidst all the positive reviews, then I dunno what to tell you.

Actually... $5.99 at Best Buy this week (if my BBYs got the shipper, that is).

Depending on the dubbing issue, I think you've convinced me to give it a chance. I just hope my BBY got in the shipper.

Wait, this is the Criterion thread... How the hell did Excalibur come up in here? (And I bet I'm the first person to mention Cannon Films in this thread.)

[I KEEL YOU]

Original audio > dubbing

Words that are used in the dialogue aren't chosen based only on their meaning, but also on how they sound. Even if you don't know what they mean, a certain word can for example sound authoritative, so it's always best to hear how it sounds while reading what it means.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

(And I bet I'm the first person to mention Cannon Films in this thread.)

Nah, Criterion have released a number of Cannon films in the past. They were actually a great home for a number of "Criterion" directors back in the 70s and 80s (Godard, Frankenheimer, Cassavetes, etc).

[Joe Dalek]

In case this hasn't been mentioned here, Criterion is leaving Hulu and starting a new streaming service with Turner called FilmStruck this fall.

[Joe Dalek]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Does anyone else plan on getting Wim Wenders: The Road Trilogy at the end of May? I'm tempted to sign-up for Amazon rewards (VISA) to cancel out the cost with the $80 promo credit. I never carry over monthly credit card balances so it seems like a good deal for me.

I am, definitely. As much as I tell myself I can wait until July, I really want to watch Kings of the Road again as soon as I possibly can.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

In case this hasn't been mentioned here, Criterion is leaving Hulu and starting a new streaming service with Turner called FilmStruck this fall.

Bad news for Hulu users, but we'll see how this new channel shakes out.

This sounds like a dreadful strategy though:

Some of Criterion's titles will be available through the basic service, but the rest of them will only be available on a "premium service" called the Criterion Channel.

So in essence FilmStruck will include a second, more expensive streaming service within the first one.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/26/medi...ce-filmstruck/

But this sounds promising, assuming they're not all fragmented into separate for-pay services within FilmStruck:

In addition to Criterion, Breland said FilmStruck would have films from other independent studios such as Janus, Flicker Alley, Icarus, Zeitgeist and Kino.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...426-story.html

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

In case this hasn't been mentioned here, Criterion is leaving Hulu and starting a new streaming service with Turner called FilmStruck this fall.

I am not a fan of this move at all.

[Joe Dalek]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

But this sounds promising, assuming they're not all fragmented into separate for-pay services within FilmStruck:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...426-story.html

Plus TCM films in addition to the indie distributors you mentioned.

Originally Posted by Namuhana

I am not a fan of this move at all.

Yeah, I really don't want yet another streaming service to pay for, but as a non-cable subscriber it gives me access to TCM stuff. Even a handful of $9/month streaming subscriptions is still much cheaper than cable TV.

Also, we all hated when Criterion went to Hulu, so I almost prefer this. Back then, Netflix was the only streaming service and you wanted everything there. Now, it's obvious we will be seeing the evolution of cable-style focus channels into separate streaming services. Criterion were an odd duck on Hulu, pretty incongruous with the rest of the service's content.