The Criterion Collection

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Is anybody else yet obsessing over their Flash sale to-buy list, or have I reached a new level of sickness?

[Show spoiler]I've completely revamped my list twice now. I'm trying to cut down on the sheer number of films I bought during the B&N sale, and I might do it. But there are about twenty films I absolutely must have, and a hell of a lot more I really want badly. We've got about two months until the sale hits, and I'm betting I watch about 60-75% of what I just bought by then.

Adding the Classic Hitchcock set is fait accompli. So long as it has not sold out by 12:01 am on the day of the sale, it will be mine. Then, it's just a matter of deciding which other box set I buy from the following:

[Show spoiler]
Complete Jacques Tati
Dekalog
Trilogy of Life

I figure I'll buy one of the three. I have a real stiffy for Dekalog, but the other two are whispering sugary confections in my ear.

Then, I have the must own films, ones I can no longer bear to hold off on buying. Many have been available for some time, while others are newly-released:

Wages of Fear
Safety Last!
Rashomon
Late Spring
Kagemusha
Everlasting Moments must explore Jan Troell
The Killing
Beauty and the Beast
The Manchurian Candidate
The Last Temptation of Christ
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul must explore Fassbinder
All That Heaven Allows
Stagecoach
3:10 to Yuma

And finally, I have the films that have been rapidly moving up my want list. Films I'd not considered as heavily, but the more I think about them, and the more I look at who is involved, either behind, or in front of the camera, the more I want them.

Woman in the Dunes must explore Hiroshi Teshigahara
A Room With a View
Sullivan's Travels
Summer Hours
Code Unknown
The Life of Oharu
Sansho the Bailiff

I'm also intrigued by In the Realm of Senses.

And then, there are the documentaries, which I keep wanting to jump into, but keep pushing back:

Hoop Dreams
For All Mankind
The Thin Blue Line
The Kennedy Films of Robert Drew and Associates
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words

Working on this want list is simultaneously fun, and nerve wracking.

Suggestions? Maybe I'm overlooking something that, based on my interests, should be bought right away. There are others I'm considering, as well, but I don't know, maybe you guys are seeing something I'm missing.

I need Dekalog...I probably won't wait till B&N November sale...Have not thought about anything else...

BTW, why wait till 12:01AM (next day?), Flash Sale starts around 11AM CT.

[Martin_31]

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Is anybody else yet obsessing over their Flash sale to-buy list, or have I reached a new level of sickness?

I've completely revamped my list twice now. I'm trying to cut down on the sheer number of films I bought during the B&N sale, and I might do it. But there are about twenty films I absolutely must have, and a hell of a lot more I really want badly. We've got about two months until the sale hits, and I'm betting I watch about 60-75% of what I just bought by then.

Adding the Classic Hitchcock set is fait accompli. So long as it has not sold out by 12:01 am on the day of the sale, it will be mine. Then, it's just a matter of deciding which other box set I buy from the following:

Complete Jacques Tati
Dekalog
Trilogy of Life

I figure I'll buy one of the three. I have a real stiffy for Dekalog, but the other two are whispering sugary confections in my ear.

Then, I have the must own films, ones I can no longer bear to hold off on buying. Many have been available for some time, while others are newly-released:

Wages of Fear
Safety Last!
Rashomon
Late Spring
Kagemusha
Everlasting Moments must explore Jan Troell
The Killing
Beauty and the Beast
The Manchurian Candidate
The Last Temptation of Christ
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul must explore Fassbinder
All That Heaven Allows
Stagecoach
3:10 to Yuma

And finally, I have the films that have been rapidly moving up my want list. Films I'd not considered as heavily, but the more I think about them, and the more I look at who is involved, either behind, or in front of the camera, the more I want them.

Woman in the Dunes must explore Hiroshi Teshigahara
A Room With a View
Sullivan's Travels
Summer Hours
Code Unknown
The Life of Oharu
Sansho the Bailiff

I'm also intrigued by In the Realm of Senses.

And then, there are the documentaries, which I keep wanting to jump into, but keep pushing back:

Hoop Dreams
For All Mankind
The Thin Blue Line
The Kennedy Films of Robert Drew and Associates
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words

Working on this want list is simultaneously fun, and nerve wracking.

Suggestions? Maybe I'm overlooking something that, based on my interests, should be bought right away. There are others I'm considering, as well, but I don't know, maybe you guys are seeing something I'm missing.

I recommend the following:
Complete Jacques Tati
Safety Last!
The Killing
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
I'm not sure if you buy DVD's anymore, but I recommend for a documentary Harlan County U.S.A.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I think RIA is underrated, and this coming from a guy who doesn't particularly like Richard Gere. I am biased a bit though since I adore Nagasaki, and it's so central to the film.

Would love to see them drop blus of RIA and Madadayo in the same month.

I'd like a Final Films of Akira Kurosawa box set containing Dreams, Rhapsody in August and Madadayo.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by dwk

I'd like a Final Films of Akira Kurosawa box set containing Dreams, Rhapsody in August and Madadayo.

As long as that isn't an Eclipse set, I'm with you!

[dwk]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

As long as that isn't an Eclipse set, I'm with you!

I can't see them wasting a Warner Brothers title (plus the money they've spent on remastering said title) on an Eclipse set.

[tisdivine]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

It's the dual format set...blu only set is yet to be released.

Get outta here hahaha I thought it came out the first week in Aug. Well nevermind then : )

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

I need Dekalog...I probably won't wait till B&N November sale...Have not thought about anything else...

BTW, why wait till 12:01AM (next day?), Flash Sale starts around 11AM CT.

You're right. My bad. I thought the Flash sale started at midnight. B&N does that, not Criterion. Scratch that, then. I'll be putting in my order as soon as the sale goes live. Unless the server crashes again.

And yes, waiting until October for Dekalog will be rough. It's not far off, sure, and I have no lack of things to keep me entertained. But I've really wanted this for a while.

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I recommend the following:
Complete Jacques Tati
Safety Last!
The Killing
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
I'm not sure if you buy DVD's anymore, but I recommend for a documentary Harlan County U.S.A.

Nice suggestions. And, no, I try not to do DVDs out of a fear that the day I do, a blu-ray upgrade will be announced. I will say that it was awfully hard to put down Jeanne Dielman and Le Samourai when I was at the B&N in Dallas. Plus, they had a fresh stock of the Eclipse sets. I was so tempted...



Thanks, guys!

[Ray Jackson]

Floating Weeds is excellent.

This should get the Criterion upgrade at some point.

Ever watch an old movie and think to yourself that most, if not all of the actors are dead?

They probably had no sense of their own mortality at the moment they were making the movie.

Just like few of us can fully accept right now that we're going to die some day.

It's a strange feeling to see dead people captured in time in a such a unique way.

...it makes my eyes rain.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Is anybody else yet obsessing over their Flash sale to-buy list, or have I reached a new level of sickness?

I've completely revamped my list twice now. I'm trying to cut down on the sheer number of films I bought during the B&N sale, and I might do it. But there are about twenty films I absolutely must have, and a hell of a lot more I really want badly. We've got about two months until the sale hits, and I'm betting I watch about 60-75% of what I just bought by then.

Not obsessing. Before this last sale I went through all the Criterion Blu-ray releases, year by year, and listed all the ones I really want to own. That resulted in 64 titles. I only bought 2 during the sale and my daughter got me some titles as a pre-birthday present. The exact # and titles I don't know. Even if she bought all the titles I provided her I'd still have 46 titles out there. I've decided to stick to that list and the only additions I'll be making are new releases I want. I'll probably never catch up and that's ok.

[Fabs]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Floating Weeds is excellent.

This should get the Criterion upgrade at some point.

Ever watch an old movie and think to yourself that most, if not all of the actors are dead?

They probably had no sense of their own mortality at the moment they were making the movie.

Just like few of us can fully accept right now that we're going to die some day.

It's a strange feeling to see dead people captured in time in a such a unique way.

...it makes my eyes rain.

There is a lot of room for improvement on the current UK Blu-ray. It looks too soft.

And that feeling is something I feel at times too, in regards to directors. Most of my favorite directors have passed away, and it's sad to think how many beautiful films they made and now they are no longer with us. At least they gave us something to cherish forever.

[bullruckle]

B&N Order finally arrived to Japan. $12 import duty attached, not too bad I guess.
Now which to watch first.

[ThisKid]

Fantastic Mr. Fox, A Hard Day's Night and Don't Look Now just arrived here in Australia. Took nearly a month, but they're here. But I'm still waiting on 15+ titles.

[ShellOilJunior]

Going through my collection I've noticed I own all CC blu-ray releases for these directors who have 3 or more films on blu:

Assayas
Chaplin
Dardenne Brothers
Hitchcock
Kiarostami
Kurosawa
Malick
Melville
Ozu
Powell and Pressburger
Ray
Tati

I'm (1) title away with Bergman (Autumn Sonata), Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove), Pasolini and Wenders (Pina). I'll eventually own all Resnais titles.

Melville is probably the most difficult to be 100% on.

[Donnie D]

Originally Posted by bullruckle

B&N Order finally arrived to Japan. $12 import duty attached, not too bad I guess.
Now which to watch first.

[Show spoiler]

Congrats! Those look good. If I had to pick first to view, I'd go for 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars' because I like that old style sci-fi flick (like Planet of the Apes). Or maybe 'Kill Bill', I mean 'Lady Snowblood'. I streamed the first part and it was great. Meiko Kaji is so beautiful.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Was just looking through the Filmstruck library, and noticed they added a few more titles. One thing I didn't really realize is that Criterion now has Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala.

Here's some that are now on the service that weren't on the list:

Rembrandt
Watership Down
Stalker (1979) - is this a known title they had, or a new acquisition?
Winter Light

I think they added them yesterday. I got an email from them thanking users for feedback, etc. but something I thought was interesting is that they mentioned new Themes coming shortly and to continue sending feedback. The way I read it, the beta is going to be an ongoing thing they will be adding to continuously. I had assumed it would be the other way around, and they would be fixing things behind the scenes while offering a small glimpse for a short period of time to gauge reaction.

As far as Stalker, that's the first indication Criterion may have it and first confirmation Kino has lost it that I've seen. Very exciting. I won't be able to check it until this afternoon but I'm curious of its quality. If they are offering the new restoration I'd say a Criterion release is a lock.

[Roninblues]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Well actually, the life expectancy back then was around 65, so yeah . I suppose I could phrase it more elaborately, but the point was that he lived with his mother her whole life , and died 2 years after her, so he never married or had kids, but was still able to capture that so perfectly in his films.

I believe you mean "from his birth until the end of her life"

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

And, no, I try not to do DVDs out of a fear that the day I do, a blu-ray upgrade will be announced. I will say that it was awfully hard to put down Jeanne Dielman and Le Samourai when I was at the B&N in Dallas. Plus, they had a fresh stock of the Eclipse sets. I was so tempted...

Thanks, guys!

that's perfectly logical. for other titles, though, (ones that don't seem to have an upgrade forth coming,) you can get great deals on DVDs if you look in the right places.

I've said it before, but DVDs with quality transfers still have a place in my collection. I've got a 47" television, so at that size, they are still more than fine.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

that's perfectly logical. for other titles, though, (ones that don't seem to have an upgrade forth coming,) you can get great deals on DVDs if you look in the right places.

I've said it before, but DVDs with quality transfers still have a place in my collection. I've got a 47" television, so at that size, they are still more than fine.

DVDs look just fine on my 49" 4K television. The Criterion DVD of Le Samouraï still has a proud place in my collection.

Of course, I usually just enjoy watching a movie without obsessing over picture quality, much to the chagrin of some folks on this forum. I'll never be well-suited to give technical spec reviews for Blu-rays.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

DVDs look just fine on my 49" 4K television. The Criterion DVD of Le Samouraï still has a proud place in my collection.

Of course, I usually just enjoy watching a movie without obsessing over picture quality, much to the chagrin of some folks on this forum. I'll never be well-suited to give technical spec reviews for Blu-rays.

I've found brand new copies at The Dollar Tree store of some art-y films that the general population didn't care enough about to buy up the copies at their SRP (or close to it.) Some of my favorite scores. Who doesn't like bringing home a great new film for a dollar plus tax?

I might have said before, but I found Sugar at the dollar store. Can't say enough about this film. For me, it is in my top 10 of the new century. A wonderful film that is about so much more than baseball.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I've found brand new copies at The Dollar Tree store of some art-y films that the general population didn't care enough about to buy up the copies at their SRP (or close to it.) Some of my favorite scores. Who doesn't like bringing home a great new film for a dollar plus tax?

I might have said before, but I found Sugar at the dollar store. Can't say enough about this film. For me, it is in my top 10 of the new century. A wonderful film that is about so much more than baseball.

Most of my DVD collection consists of classic-era films noir that may not ever see release on Blu-ray. I've been happy watching those as is.