The Criterion Collection

[ravenus]

Sorry if I gave the impression that I thought HCMJ is a Capra film. I know the director is Alexander Hall, but the general style mimics that of a Capra film, only it's a very sub-standard imitation IMO.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jw007

I finally realized now that I just cannot "get into" pre-Method acting cinema, with the exception of early silent films from Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.

After I saw Kazan's On the Waterfront, my life on cinema changed.

So the Strasberg Method school and onwards are my type of cinema.

And that is my answer to Ray Jackson's original question on directors I didn't know much about but had a big impact on me. Two words: Elia Kazan.

I don't know if Satyajit Ray has my favorite body of work in the CC.

But he's certainly in the discussion, along with Kurosawa, Kobayashi and Malick.

I just know that I had literally never heard of him until about two years ago, when I kept seeing his name pop up on this thread. Then I bought The Apu Trilogy a few months back and everything changed for me.

And to think just how very close I came to passing on that blind buy. It was the definition of a last second impulse purchase. I had no interest in spending $50 on it, but you people wouldn't shut the hell up about it and finally I said what the heck...life is short.

It makes me wonder what else is out there in the CC that I have yet to discover.

...what dreams may come?

[Scottie]

From Janus Film's Facebook page.

Check out the new poster for our BLOOD SIMPLE restoration - opening at Film Forum on July 1!

[zorbonaut]

With the talk about Blood Simple, it was not one of my favorite Coen Bros. films, but it LOVE the cover. Makes me want to revisit it again!

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by zorbonaut

With the talk about Blood Simple, it was not one of my favorite Coen Bros. films, but it LOVE the cover. Makes me want to revisit it again!

The easiest way to appreciate just how good Blood Simple is is to watch Zhang Yimou's "remake", A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop. It's a fairly faithful remake (apart from the Chinese setting) and a complete waste of time. The Coen Bros. just do it so much better.

[C. Anton]

Is The Night of the Hunter oop, if not why is it so expensive?

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by C. Anton

Is The Night of the Hunter oop, if not why is it so expensive?

It shouldn't be. The BD does have two discs, though, so that accounts for the higher price.

[C. Anton]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

It shouldn't be. The BD does have two discs, though, so that accounts for the higher price.

Oh okay, on their site it's $40 I think, but on Amazon it starts @50+. for BD. I really want to watch this, may order directly from them.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by C. Anton

Oh okay, on their site it's $40 I think, but on Amazon it starts @50+. for BD. I really want to watch this, may order directly from them.

That must be the old digipak edition. You can get the "new" plastic case edition for ~$32 on Amazon +shipping.

If you can wait a couple of weeks, you'll be able to get it for ~$25 at the B&N 50% off sale (starting July 5th, IIRC).

[starman15317]

So Janus owns the rights to Blood Simple now?

[Namuhana]

I just started Xavier Dolan's Mommy--I'm enjoying it so far--and I noticed that it never got a BD release here in the US. I wonder if it would have a good shot of entering the Collection.

I also love that it's an alternate 2015 and they're still listening to a 2003 Dido song.

[C. Anton]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

That must be the old digipak edition. You can get the "new" plastic case edition for ~$32 on Amazon +shipping.

If you can wait a couple of weeks, you'll be able to get it for ~$25 at the B&N 50% off sale (starting July 5th, IIRC).

I didn't see that one. Thanks Knaldskalle.

edit: The whole movie is on youtube for free, but the sound is off.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by C. Anton

I didn't see that one. Thanks Knaldskalle.

edit: The whole movie is on youtube for free, but the sound is off.

You get what you pay for.

[Ray Jackson]

I just finished Alice In The Cities on Hulu.

To be honest...I'm a little shell shocked right now.

I did not expect to like it that much.

This is the first Wenders film that hit me like that.

I'm getting The Road Trilogy next month.

And that's all there is to it.

Vim Venders you complete me.

... Ich war blind, aber jetzt sehe ich.

[Vlad Draculi]

Man, the wait for B&N to put their Criterion stuff on sale is killing me. I feel like this month is taking forever.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

The easiest way to appreciate just how good Blood Simple is is to watch Zhang Yimou's "remake", A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop. It's a fairly faithful remake (apart from the Chinese setting) and a complete waste of time. The Coen Bros. just do it so much better.

lol, I forgot all about that movie. I remember liking it okay and all, but certainly something was missing, and it clearly wasn't that memorable.

[JoeBuck]

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?

Hands down Masaki Kobayashi.
Stumbled upon Samurai Rebellion when I was starting to take my first steps into foreign film and it blew me away big time.
I remember checking it out mainly due to the fact that the cover had Toshiro Mifune and it looked awesome and thought "its not one of Kurosawa's but why should that matter? Lets give it a go!"
He is now one of my all time favorite directors.
Jean Cocteau, Seijun Suzuki and Jean Pierre Melville are others I can practically thank Criterion for as well.

[pedromvu]

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?

Ahh were to start...

One of the latest discoveries has been Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne from whom I now own all their CC blu-rays.

Few others that Criterion introduced me are Alain Resnais, Samuel Fuller, Nicolas Roeg, Wim Wenders, Robert Bresson, Jean Renoir, Jacques Demy, Abbas Kiarostami and Michelangelo Antonioni.

Then of course there are the usual suspects, of which there is almost no other way to watch their movies other than through Criterion, but some of these at the time I watched I didn't even knew what Criterion was all about:

Jean-Luc Godard
Yasujiro Ozu
Ingmar Bergman
Akira Kurosawa

Finally my top tier of which I am more grateful to Criterion for leading me to discover their films are:

Luis Bunuel
Satyajit Ray
Federico Fellini
Francois Truffaut
John Cassavetes
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Jean-Pierre Melville

It's amazing the amount of filmmakers I could be missing if it weren't for Criterion, for me each of the ones mentioned is essential and I am looking forward to watch much more of their films.

[AaronJ]

I demand -- DEMAND -- that Refn's The Neon Demon be put out by Criterion as soon as possible.

This is NOT a request. It's a DEMAND!

[ThisKid]

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?

Last B&N sale in November last year, I decided to get David Lynch's Eraserhead. I've heard of him before, but actually never seen any of his work. When I watched the film, I never forgot it. With any of these films that you have to interpret what's going on, I just think the same. The main character's losing his mind. But with Eraserhead, I found a deeper meaning into the film, that really intrigued me. I won't mention what I thought the film was (I don't want Lynch to try to kill me), but it ended up sticking in my mind for a few days. I still think of that song the Lady in the Radiator sings. *shivers* Because of this, I just want to buy anything Lynch. Mulholland Drive is already a must-buy with next month's B&N sale.