The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by llj

I know a lot of cinephiles who go out and compile a critics' list of "the top 100 films ever" (either from AFI or IMDB or some other poll--I imagine that's how Mulholland Drive viewings suddenly shot up in here in the past few weeks) and then just go through the entire list in no particular order, either randomly or not or whether they are in the mood for it or not. In short, it's like "forcing" yourself to watch something based on some kind of perceived rep a film has.

I don't see anything wrong with people who seek out movies simply because those movies appear on the American Film Institute Top 100, the Sight & Sound Top 250, or some other similar list. I've done this myself, and I've discovered some incredible films this way. As far as whether or not I'm in the mood for something, I rarely know until I'm actually watching it. A great movie will get me in the mood to enjoy it regardless of where I am in life.

With regard to movie lists (AFT Top 100, etc.), I find that the masses are right most of the time, and that the movies that are the most universally beloved over time are generally such because they really are good movies. As much as I tend to be annoyed by other people in general and view them as a necessary inconvenience in my day-to-day life, I find that they are usually correct if they agree on something in large numbers. If something shows up on the top 10 of the AFI Top 100 list, then I'm sure that I'll find it to be an engaging film.

I even enjoy those List Challenges that appear online ever so often. A couple of years ago, I took it upon myself to check out every movie on this 100 Greatest Films Noir List. I'm at 97 out of 100 so far. Woo hoo!
I also enjoy going through this Stephen Thrower's Nightmare USA List of exploitation films, but I've only seen about 80 of the 469 movies, and I'll likely be dead several times over before I have a chance to see them all.

This past July, I took it upon myself to dedicate the entire month to watching westerns from my still-unwatched stack of Blu-rays. (Westerns are a good genre to watch when the days are at their longest, because the movies have relatively few dark nighttime scenes, and, as such, the sun coming through my living room windows doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of the films.) There were times that month when I didn't think that I was "in the mood" to watch particular movies, but, when I did watch them, I generally found that they were just what the doctor ordered, and I was glad that I had watched them at that particular time.

I don't think of any of this as "forcing myself" to watch certain films. I simply think of it as satisfying a curiosity.

[Banned User]

Jump on this Janus/Criterion. Would make a great bonus feature.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201609070060.html

Any lost Ozu films found are worth celebrating IMO.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I feel like Oliver Stone deserves to have at least one film in the Criterion blu-ray collection.

Platoon
Born on The Fourth of July
JFK
Nixon

Any one of these four would do nicely.

All have extremely mediocre HD releases imo.

Can't understand why Criterion hasn't made this happen yet.

Mulvaney must be working with the CIA, in conjunction with the military industrial complex in a secret plan to keep these films from coming out under the Criterion label.

...it's the only logical explanation.

I got excited that JFK may have been coming to the collection when we got the Manchurian Candidate clue. With as controversial as Stone has been I also think he would be a good inclusion.
Costa-Gavras has become one of my favorite directors in the collection. Stone feels like a hyped up version of CG.

[MeMynonsense]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

There was a good documentary about Chaplin on TCM last night called The Birth of The Tramp. I saw a good portion of it, but some fatherly duties kept me from seeing the film in its entirety. For someone who knows little about him, there was a lot of good information. It covered his life from birth up through the time at which he began to not only direct and star in his films, but produce them as well. So, I believe that was through about 1917.

Is this film a bonus supplement on any of his Blu-ray releases?

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It's included with Flicker Alley's release of the Mutual comedies

[Show spoiler]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Chapl...101335/#Review

Yeah! The Birth of The Tramp was pretty good and I found the accompanying Chaplin's Goliath doc to be equally intriguing.


Another couple of docs that all Chaplin-enthusiasts should indulge in :

Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin: Is an immensely informative dissection of Chaplin's comedic and filmmaking style and his overall cinematic evolution. Directed by the former Time critic Richard Schickel and featuring an embarrassment of legendary talent including Woody Allen, Richard Attenborough, Martin Scorsese, Miloš Forman, Norman Lloyd etc, in addition to film historians, critics and chaplin family members. It’s substantially comprehensive and should appeal to Chaplin newcomers, reluctants and hardcores alike.
For instance, Scorsese’s passionate remarks on A Woman of Paris (a movie which I was more than content skipping), almost compelled me to track it down.



Then there’s the terrific British series called Unknown Chaplin which contains outtakes and raw footage from many of his acclaimed films and shorts and provides insightful look into his working style, comic tricks and techniques. It’s more likely to please the die-hards than casual fans, but James Mason’s narration alone makes it worth the time.
Ideally, this should’ve made the Criterion cut by now since it was made by the same directing team who also helmed Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius - which was included with Safety Last! (I think they made one on Keaton as well).

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I feel like Oliver Stone deserves to have at least one film in the Criterion blu-ray collection.

Platoon
Born on The Fourth of July
JFK
Nixon

Any one of these four would do nicely.

All have extremely mediocre HD releases imo.

Can't understand why Criterion hasn't made this happen yet.

Mulvaney must be working with the CIA, in conjunction with the military industrial complex in a secret plan to keep these films from coming out under the Criterion label.

...it's the only logical explanation.

I'm a huge Oliver Stone fan, so I naturally agree. However, I'm happy with the MGM, Twilight Time, Universal, etc. releases I already have (save for Wall Street), so just Talk Radio would be fine with me. The film has dated to be sure, so I can't envision CC going gaga to acquire rights.

----

Regarding the list run downs, i think it's fine for people to use them as launching points for their cinephilia. I'd recommend, however, picking up some books to read during the process whether it be something like the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die or something more in depth, say books that cover a movement or genre in further depth (like say Midnight Movies by Rosenbaum's and Hoberman). It's an impossible task to fully digest a film whose time period, political system, history, country of origin, and/or culture are foreign to us without some illumination.

Plus, the years most of us become cinephiles also happen to be years of great change and ideological upheaval (late teens to late twenties), so having an open mind about art is crucial. We are still gathering context about the worlds which house those landmark films, so it would be premature to make up ones mind after one viewing. This is why I often pounce on bluray upgrades such as, Two Lane Blacktop. Back then I was put off that it wasn't Vanishing Point, now I appreciate it a hell of a lot more having seen many more Monte Hellman films and more obscure New American films.

To cut to the chase: I guess I'm just advocating for open mindedness on all sides: for those just starting their journey to investigate all they can, and for those more seasoned viewers to remain just as curious as when they began and to never patronize other viewers on their queue-making methodology.

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Mulvaney must be working with the CIA, in conjunction with the military industrial complex in a secret plan to keep these films from coming out under the Criterion label.

...it's the only logical explanation.

You know what Mulvaney did for the first 17 of his 26 years in the Corps?

Counterintelligence.

Mulvaney's gone. There is no Mulvaney.

[Darth Marcus]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I'm a huge Oliver Stone fan, so I naturally agree. However, I'm happy with the MGM, Twilight Time, Universal, etc. releases I already have (save for Wall Street)

You should invest in the Filmmakers Signature Series version. A very noticeable improvement in PQ.

[MifuneFan]

This was mentioned earlier in this thread but for those that didn't know, there is a new version of the massive Kubrick Archives book coming out soon, and it's only $13.70 on Amazon, which is absolutely a steal for an 800+ page hardcover book.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubri...brick+archives

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I feel like Oliver Stone deserves to have at least one film in the Criterion blu-ray collection.

Platoon
Born on The Fourth of July
JFK
Nixon

Any one of these four would do nicely.

All have extremely mediocre HD releases imo.

Can't understand why Criterion hasn't made this happen yet.

Mulvaney must be working with the CIA, in conjunction with the military industrial complex in a secret plan to keep these films from coming out under the Criterion label.

...it's the only logical explanation.

Maybe they're planning on busting their Stone cherry with Snowden.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Darth Marcus

You should invest in the Filmmakers Signature Series version. A very noticeable improvement in PQ.

At this point I'm set. It's a film I revisit every five years or so, so by the next time I see it it's bound to have another release.

I definitely will regret it, though, f the signature series doesn't hit my double dip buy point or doesn't get another release in 4K.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

This was mentioned earlier in this thread but for those that didn't know, there is a new version of the massive Kubrick Archives book coming out soon, and it's only $13.70 on Amazon, which is absolutely a steal for an 800+ page hardcover book.

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubri...brick+archives

Is this the 3rd size this book has been published in?

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

They'll be bored with movies that don't allow the audience to become part of the actual movie.

Yes. Either that or they'll laugh that we thought warp speed would be possible by then.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I feel like Oliver Stone deserves to have at least one film in the Criterion blu-ray collection.

Platoon
Born on The Fourth of July
JFK
Nixon

Any one of these four would do nicely.

No love for Salvador?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

No love for Salvador?

Well, Twilight Time has a lock on that title for another year. As well as Heaven & Earth and U Turn.

[theater dreamer]

I have no doubt that there are people who do it, bwdowiak. I just don't know how one could make an assumption that the people participating in our discussion are among them, unless some of those people had said something beforehand that lead to that conclusion. If that's the case, then I stand corrected.

All I can really do is speak for my own viewing habits.

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

speaking to the highlighted quote from ljs, people do do this.

have you ever heard of the saying, "if the shoe fits, wear it?"

Agreed. We have younger people in our discussion that are pretty knowledgeable about film history. And believe me, nothing makes me happier, because, they're the future of the movies.

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see a 20 something waiting in line to see The Third Man on the big screen because they are generally interested in seeing one of Carol Reed's great movies as it was meant to be seen.

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Or maybe they just wanted a memory of having seen the film on the big screen?

I don't see anything "21st century" about that behavior outside of the fact that it was a "selfie" they were taking.

[theater dreamer]

Interesting post on Reddit. Looks like several of Chantal Akerman's films have gone through restoration.

Could a box set be on the way? I've only seen Jeanne Dielman, thus far, but I'd definitely be up for it. I need to check out a few more of her films before Hulu loses the collection. I have yet to see a definitive start date for FilmStruck, but I best not dally.

[jordan-r]

Slightly alarmed to learn that the combo Blu-ray/DVD of Margaret has gone OOP, as it's one of my favorite movies. (I have a DVD of the theatrical cut, but never got around to buying the combo with the extended cut, much to my annoyance now.) Anyone have any feeling re: whether this might get a Criterion release? I think it's an eminently Criterion-worthy movie, especially since the extended cut never got a Blu-ray, but not sure about the rights situation.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by jordan-r

Slightly alarmed to learn that the combo Blu-ray/DVD of Margaret has gone OOP, as it's one of my favorite movies. (I have a DVD of the theatrical cut, but never got around to buying the combo with the extended cut, much to my annoyance now.) Anyone have any feeling re: whether this might get a Criterion release? I think it's an eminently Criterion-worthy movie, especially since the extended cut never got a Blu-ray, but not sure about the rights situation.

The extended cut DVD is still available via MOD:

https://www.amazon.com/Margaret/dp/B...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[Darth Marcus]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

At this point I'm set. It's a film I revisit every five years or so, so by the next time I see it it's bound to have another release.

I definitely will regret it, though, f the signature series doesn't hit my double dip buy point or doesn't get another release in 4K.

I doubt it will get a UHD release anytime soon, if at all, but this release is sourced from a 4K scan.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Darth Marcus

You should invest in the Filmmakers Signature Series version. A very noticeable improvement in PQ.

The Filmmakers Signature Series Blu-ray of Wall Street is the way to go. It's a night-versus-day improvement over the older Blu-ray. I don't usually obsess over Blu-ray remasters, but this one is solid.

Wall Street is my favorite Oliver Stone film, so I didn't take any shortcuts with it. 1980s movies that were filmed during this era with similar stock are never going to be crystal clear demo disc fare, but this edition comes the closest.