The Criterion Collection

[True_Story1011]

Let's quite playing and get, 'Paul Thomas Anderson's Sydney/Hard Eight' Already!

My DVD is started to get laser rot!

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

One thing that bothers me about The Silence of the Lambs is that, in a way, it killed the slasher horror genre, at least for a while.

The slasher movies were critically dismissed, rightfully so on many occasions, but there was a real spirit of fun to most of them, and I loved how these movies were made on the fly by directors who knew their audiences and who knew how to give the audiences what they wanted.

After The Silence of the Lambs, however, studios tried to make the slasher horror genre respectable. People ceased making horror, and they started making "psychological thrillers."

*sob*

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Copycat, Raising Cain, Single White Female, etc.

If any of these movies had been made in the early 1980s, with buckets of fake blood and lots of nudity, like the other films of that era, then they all could have been fun endeavors with decades of popcorn rental potential for fans. Instead, they ended up being watered-down big-name-studio-compromise titles that tried to be disturbing, but ended up lacking the exploitative fun that had existed in the genre all through the 1980s. Instead of saying, "Ewwww", and then laughing with the audience and going home happy, audiences simply said, "Ewwww", and went home with a blank expression.

I love The Silence of the Lambs. I really do.
It's just that I consider it to be the cinematic equivalent of Nirvana's Nevermind, in that it was an indisputable game-changer that sadly led to years and years of inferior imitation.

Besides, Michael Mann's film, Manhunter, is still, by far, the greatest cinematic adaptation of a Thomas Harris novel. By a long mile.


(Of course, if I told you that I wouldn't buy a new Criterion restoration of The Silence of the Lambs on day one if it came out tomorrow, then I'd be lying.)

I agree that Manhunter is the best of the bunch, and I'll go a step further and say that I wish that Brian Cox played Hannibal in the other films as well. I always thought Hopkins was overrated in that role. Still great and deserving of some praise, but I'd be interested to see what Cox could've done.

[Blu Titan]

My brother lost my DVD copy of Samurai Rebellion a couple of years ago and I have been holding off on replacing it hoping for a Blu-ray release. I finally caved in and ordered a copy...watch it get an announcement next time up .

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Watched it.
Loved it.
Reviewed it.

A couple of years ago or so...

It's a quintessential 1980s flick.

Shit....sorry...got you confused with someone else here. I think maybe it was iScottie who said he had never seen Something Wild yet. It was someone prominent in this forum though I know that.

Whoever that is and has never seen that movie yet, speak up now so I know who you are!

[mja345]

Sad news about Demme. Great filmmaker and, from his interviews, seemed like a very nice, genuine guy. Hopefully, a release of one of his best films, "Melvin and Howard", is coming in the future.

[jshaide]

Watched a TCM recording of THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA from like two years ago.

Thought this was very cool. Nice slow build ghost story, in the vein of the tales from KWAIDAN.

It opened with the Janus logo so I hope a release of this comes in some capacity. I checked FilmStruck and didn't see this there so I really have no idea.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Nobody who hasn't calibrated their television (one could do it his/her self) should ever complain about these types of disc transfer issues. I say that because so many never make an attempt to maximize the PQ on their own monitors. I wonder what that Venn diagram would look like: those who complain AND those with or without calibrated sets.

So, EVERYONE that calibrated their tv should complain?

(I'm pretty sure that it isn't just "people who didn't calibrate their TVs" that complain about a lot of these kinds of things, btw, ex TGTBATU)

[ThisKid]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

After The Silence of the Lambs, however, studios tried to make the slasher horror genre respectable. People ceased making horror, and they started making "psychological thrillers."

*sob*

Raising Cain

If any of these movies had been made in the early 1980s, with buckets of fake blood and lots of nudity, like the other films of that era, then they all could have been fun endeavors with decades of popcorn rental potential for fans. Instead, they ended up being watered-down big-name-studio-compromise titles that tried to be disturbing, but ended up lacking the exploitative fun that had existed in the genre all through the 1980s. Instead of saying, "Ewwww", and then laughing with the audience and going home happy, audiences simply said, "Ewwww", and went home with a blank expression.

Hey!

Raising Cain is a great De Palma film.

Certainly one of his most under rated.

And how can you say no to this-

[Show spoiler]

[mja345]

I definitely wouldn't put "Raising Cain" in with some of the generic early to mid 90s thrillers like "Single White Female", "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", etc. I watched the Director's Cut recently and thought it was quite a bit of fun, much better than I remembered it. Lithgow is so unbelievably over the top that it really takes the film to another level. De Palma has never been a director who goes full low-brow, even in some of his sleazier fare like "Dressed to Kill" and "Body Double". "Raising Cain" isn't remotely disturbing or frightening, but does work as a black comedy about this over-protective father, trying to program his young daughter, who's a complete psychopath. Lithgow plays the role to perfection.

[CelestialAgent]

This question has probably been answered before, but do Criterion have the rights to any other Tarkovsky films? I see that Kino have already released Nostalgia and The Sacrifice, but are Blus of Andrei Rublev and The Mirror at least likely?

[nitin]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

This question has probably been answered before, but do Criterion have the rights to any other Tarkovsky films? I see that Kino have already released Nostalgia and The Sacrifice, but are Blus of Andrei Rublev and The Mirror at least likely?

According to what Mosfilms told some people, yes.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Shhhhhh... Val Lewton, Alfred Hitchcock, and Michael Powell are right there.

I'm pretty clearly not saying it was the *first* one, but it's the single film that the entire genre spawned from, laying the basic groundwork and establishing the aesthetic that they all use.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by mja345

I definitely wouldn't put "Raising Cain" in with some of the generic early to mid 90s thrillers like "Single White Female", "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle", etc. I watched the Director's Cut recently and thought it was quite a bit of fun, much better than I remembered it. Lithgow is so unbelievably over the top that it really takes the film to another level. De Palma has never been a director who goes full low-brow, even in some of his sleazier fare like "Dressed to Kill" and "Body Double". "Raising Cain" isn't remotely disturbing or frightening, but does work as a black comedy about this over-protective father, trying to program his young daughter, who's a complete psychopath. Lithgow plays the role to perfection.

Well said. And The Silence of the Lambs coming out a year before it is of zero relevance. Raising Cain is pretty much a very odd encapsulation of the last twenty years of De Palma's career at that point.

[Scottie]

Eraserhead poster is available on Criterion's website.



https://www.criterion.com/shop_produ...serhead-poster

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

So, EVERYONE that calibrated their tv should complain?

(I'm pretty sure that it isn't just "people who didn't calibrate their TVs" that complain about a lot of these kinds of things, btw, ex TGTBATU)

I'm pretty sure I used my double negatives correctly. If not, then let me know and I'll stand corrected. for now, though, I'm not sure what you're talking about.

what in the heck is TGTBATU?

[Hoke Moseley]

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[Polaroid]

That depressing moment Yodel puts my Apu Trilogy box set in my black bin and don't tell me and when I find out, the bin men have already taken the bins contents.

RIP.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

That depressing moment Yodel puts my Apu Trilogy box set in my black bin and don't tell me and when I find out, the bin men have already taken the bins contents.

RIP.

I don't know what to say...

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Eraserhead poster is available on Criterion's website.

https://www.criterion.com/shop_produ...serhead-poster

lol, the Janus logo looks like a big shiny button on his coat or something.

[SammyJankis]

Observations on Film Art: Camera Movement in THREE COLORS: RED - YouTube

These videos are so good.