The Criterion Collection

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I bought my first Criterion (On the Waterfront) from Amazon and over the years I've bought about 10 from Amazon, but none in the last year. The vast majority have come from B&N (mostly during sales) and Criterion (exclusively during sales). I have Prime and I don't pay for Amazon shipping, but their prices are still always higher than the sale prices at B&N and Criterion. I don't have to do the math. I know I'm getting a better deal at B&N and Criterion.

Having said that, I will still buy from Amazon if it's a title I'm dying for, such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Release day delivery is a nice perk.

Honestly, Amazon is becoming less and less of a good deal. Now it's $49 to qualify for free shipping*, their prices seem to have gone up (or at least not dropped as much as some other sites) and I'm seeing more and more items "exclusively available to Amazon Prime members" which is frankly ridiculous.

(*unless you have the $99 Prime membership)

[jw007]

Originally Posted by eddyw78

The Night Porter. The only Criterion BD I blind bought and then subsequently sold on.

I was more fortunate. I borrowed it from the library and subsequently returned it the next day. No charge of course.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by jw007

I was more fortunate. I borrowed it from the library and subsequently returned it the next day. No charge of course.

Man, I'm starting to feel like I need to watch my copy to see what side I end up on.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by eddyw78

The Night Porter. The only Criterion BD I blind bought and then subsequently sold on.

Originally Posted by jw007

I was more fortunate. I borrowed it from the library and subsequently returned it the next day. No charge of course.

I've been wanting to check out The Night Porter for years, since I enjoy the work of Charlotte Rampling, but I just cannot quite summon the guts to buy it or rent it.

Seeing as how I finally got around to watching Cannibal Holocaust last week, I'm probably ready for something like The Night Porter, but it just seems icky in a different sort of way.

[jordan-r]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

And does anyone actually really like The Night Porter?

*shrug* I'm a fan, but I'll also watch pretty much anything with Charlotte Rampling, however lousy. (Also, things like Caligula hold pride of place in my collection.)

[Ray Jackson]

Which directors in the CC, that you had either never heard of or knew very little about prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

For me it would have to be Ray and Fassbinder.

I just finished watching Charulata and like every Satyajit Ray film I've seen so far...it was mesmerizing.

Six Ray films...six shiny, sparkling diamonds reflecting all the thousand points of human wonder inside of my unworthy head.

The man was simply amazing.

...I can only offer my humble gratitude to whatever supreme being exists that I discovered him.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Which directors in the CC that you had either never heard of or knew very little about, prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

Tati, no question. I started with "Play Time" because it was the easiest one to get on Netflix, and I was mesmerized. It made me want to seek out more of his work, but not in a binge-y sort of way, so it took a while. I saw "M. Hulot's Holiday" in a theater, and then I rented "Mon Oncle" and fell in love with it and had to buy it as soon as there was a sale. Then I decided to buy "Play Time", and within a month, they announced the box set. Throughout my life, I've had a different fallback comedy, not the funniest or even always my favorite, but one that I can throw on at the end of a bad day or if I'm feeling a little depressed or whatever. Upon purchase, "Mon Oncle" took that spot, it cheers me up within minutes.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Tati, no question. I started with "Play Time" because it was the easiest one to get on Netflix, and I was mesmerized. It made me want to seek out more of his work, but not in a binge-y sort of way, so it took a while. I saw "M. Hulot's Holiday" in a theater, and then I rented "Mon Oncle" and fell in love with it and had to buy it as soon as there was a sale. Then I decided to buy "Play Time", and within a month, they announced the box set. Throughout my life, I've had a different fallback comedy, not the funniest or even always my favorite, but one that I can throw on at the end of a bad day or if I'm feeling a little depressed or whatever. Upon purchase, "Mon Oncle" took that spot, it cheers me up within minutes.

I am a terrible person that bought the Tati set and haven't touched it, apart from M. Hulot's Holiday (which I did like quite a bit). This post has just motivated me to finally watch some more of them. I love having "comfort movies," those kinds of comedies you can watch over and over and always put you in a good mood. I am always happy to see if I can add more to that small group.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Which directors in the CC, that you had either never heard of or knew very little about prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

Wim Wenders - I only own 2 of his titles, Wings Of Desire and Paris, Texas. Love them both (especially Paris, Texas). They were both blind buys.

I'm warming up to Jim Jarmusch. I only own 2 of his titles too, also blind buys - Down By Law and Mystery Train. I really like them both.

Jonathan Demme - I'm not sure if he counts as I've seen numerous of his films before I bought any of his Criterions. I never paid attention to film directors in the past, but since buying Criterions, I have. I was very surprised that the same person who directed Something Wild (from the Criterion Collection) also directed so many other personal favorites (like Stop Making Sense, Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and Neil Young: Heart of Gold).

I should add Kar-Wai Wong too. (In The Mood For Love, Chungking Express ... also blind buys).

I think I better stop there or I might end up adding my entire collection, since the majority of them are blind buys and I don't feel like I've been skunked yet.

EDIT: typo? ... Wong Kar-Wai?

[thatguamguy]

The paint can sequence in "Holiday" was a moment of genuine astonishment for me sitting in a theater, which is all-too-rare. If you like "Holiday", you won't regret watching "Oncle", even if you decide that I oversold it

[that was in response to cakefactory, I should've quoted but I thought I would get the next response.]

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Which directors in the CC, that you had either never heard of or knew very little about prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

For me it would have to be Ray and Fassbinder.

I just finished watching Charulata and like every Satyajit Ray film I've seen so far...it was mesmerizing.

Six Ray films...six shiny, sparkling diamonds reflecting all the thousand points of human wonder inside of my unworthy head.

The man was simply amazing.

...I can only offer my humble gratitude to whatever supreme being exists that I discovered him.

Wong Kar-Wai, easily.

[theater dreamer]

I've slated In The Mood For Love to be one of my single film purchases when the B&N sale starts, and I'm worried it's going to act like a gateway drug, of sorts. I'm so convinced I'm going to love it that I'll break out the credit card and buy Chungking Express for some exorbitant amount on Ebay.

Originally Posted by Page14

I should add Kar-Wai Wong too. (In The Mood For Love, Chungking Express ... also blind buys).

I think I better stop there or I might end up adding my entire collection, since the majority of them are blind buys and I don't feel like I've been skunked yet.

Originally Posted by iScottie

Wong Kar-Wai, easily.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Which directors in the CC, that you had either never heard of or knew very little about prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

Powell & Pressburger by far, my greatest Criterion discovery.

These directors I always assumed weren't for me (having never seen any of their films), but got into them the more I explored Criterion:

Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
John Ford

[abouttreefitty]

Any rumblings about Lone Wolf and Cub?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by abouttreefitty

Any rumblings about Lone Wolf and Cub?

Nothing since the New Years drawing, I don't think.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Page14

Wim Wenders - I only own 2 of his titles, Wings Of Desire and Paris, Texas. Love them both (especially Paris, Texas). They were both blind buys.

I'm warming up to Jim Jarmusch. I only own 2 of his titles too, also blind buys - Down By Law and Mystery Train. I really like them both.

Jonathan Demme - I'm not sure if he counts as I've seen numerous of his films before I bought any of his Criterions. I never paid attention to film directors in the past, but since buying Criterions, I have. I was very surprised that the same person who directed Something Wild (from the Criterion Collection) also directed so many other personal favorites (like Stop Making Sense, Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and Neil Young: Heart of Gold).

I should add Kar-Wai Wong too. (In The Mood For Love, Chungking Express ... also blind buys).

I think I better stop there or I might end up adding my entire collection, since the majority of them are blind buys and I don't feel like I've been skunked yet.

Originally Posted by iScottie

Wong Kar-Wai, easily.

In The Mood For Love is a film that I held out on as a blind buy for a long time.

But it will be in my mail box sometime next week.

...you people just wore me down.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Powell & Pressburger by far, my greatest Criterion discovery.

These directors I always assumed weren't for me (having never seen any of their films), but got into them the more I explored Criterion:

Ingmar Bergman
Federico Fellini
John Ford

I was upset that The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp isn't on Hulu.

...is that your favorite P&P?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I was upset that The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp isn't on Hulu.

...is that your favorite P&P?

As much as I love it (A LOT) it isn't:

1 The Red Shoes
2 Black Narcissus
3 The Life & Death of Col Blimp
4 A Matter of Life & Death
5 I Know Where I'm Going
6 Tales of Hoffman

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Which directors in the CC, that you had either never heard of or knew very little about prior to delving into the Criterion library, have had the biggest impact on you?

My first-ever Criterion buy was the Sergei Eisenstein Sound Years box set (Ivan the Terrible and Alexander Nevsky). I got it because I saw clips of Ivan the Terrible before and wanted to see more, but I figure it was so foreign and obscure that this DVD might have been the only way to see it. I was very happy with the discs sets, and I remember loving Ivan--that camerawork is phenomenal. I didn't really find any more Eisenstein movies until 2010 or so, with Battleship Potemkin and Strike. I loved both of them. I can see the innovation behind them, and if more Eisenstein movies get released I'd buy them in a heartbeat. My interest in Eisenstein's work ultimately possessed me to get something else on a similar vein recently: the Man With a Movie Camera UK box set, and it's pretty neat.

Kurosawa is probably the biggest one for me--when I first started, I got the DVD box set for Seven Samurai, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. I originally got it because I learned then that The Hidden Fortress was the influence for Star Wars, that Yojimbo was the influence for A Fistfull of Dollars, and I kept hearing that Seven Samurai was a classic (and I probably started looking into the anime version at the time: Samurai 7). They were all decent, but Seven Samurai blew me away the most--epic length, but never dull, and filmed in such a way that it exudes class all the way. It was a favorite and a classic in my eyes the instant I saw it, and it even held up on a repeat viewing (on gorgeous Blu-Ray). Over the years, I invested in more. I picked up Ran (on DVD) shortly thereafter, and appreciated it (have the StudioCanal disc, but recently ordered the UK 4K remastered version). Took a chance of Rashomon, and found it intriguing. I loved Throne of Blood. Really loved High and Low. At a certain point, I realized that just about all of his films can't do any wrong--my collection now includes all of the above plus Kagemusha, and Ikiru. If more get released, I won't hesitate to place an order (Dreams will probably be my next blind-buy). My admiration of Kurosawa also drove me to collect many other samurai films, and it probably sparked my overall interest in Asian cinema (beyond getting into all the adolescent anime I watched back in the day).

Most recently, I've taken a deeper interest in Andrei Tarkovsky. I've owned Solaris for a while now--something about it is just hard to shake. Something about that agonizingly-slow pacing and bizarre content really sticks to me, and every time I see the movie it feels like it makes sense to me in its own unique way, like a puzzle that assembles itself through the images (if that makes sense). I rented Stalker some months ago--didn't understand a bloody thing, but the style and textures are phenomenal. Picked up Nostalghia from a trade and also found it interesting. Borrowed Ivan's Childhood from the library and was quite smitten by its style. I figure I'll get all of his movies eventually (especially when that UK box set comes out), because even though his films are so slow and require so much attention, they are genuinely attractive and evocative works of art that seem to resonate on a deeper level than most other films in my collection.

Criterion also made me more aware of Ingmar Bergman, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Terrence Mallick, Frederico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Wim Wenders, Wes Anderson, Satyajit Ray, Nicholas Roeg, and a bunch of French directors (Clouzot, Godard, Cocteau, Truffaut, Tati). Not really a fan of everybody's work, but it is an interesting rollercoaster ride to explore all this great world cinema.

[theater dreamer]

AAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/goes back to work on his Criterion want list for July.