The Criterion Collection

[mja345]

The "Hard Eight" DVD is OOP and a used copy will run you north of 20 bucks. It's on Amazon Prime to stream if you really want check it out.

[javy]

Originally Posted by mja345

The "Hard Eight" DVD is OOP and a used copy will run you north of 20 bucks. It's on Amazon Prime to stream if you really want check it out.

Good to know.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by mja345

The "Hard Eight" DVD is OOP and a used copy will run you north of 20 bucks. It's on Amazon Prime to stream if you really want check it out.

Huh. I could have sworn I had recently checked, and it was still in print.

Oh well. I'm sleep-deprived. That explains a lot.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Huh. I could have sworn I had recently checked, and it was still in print.

Oh well. I'm sleep-deprived. That explains a lot.

I saw Hard Eight for the first time last year and loved it. That along with the great film The Cooler (NC-17 version and compliments wonderfully with Hard Eight) really need blu ray releases.

P.T. Anderson is the man.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

She didn't actually annoy me either, but I couldn't stop thinking of Penny in the Inspector Gadget cartoons whenever she was onscreen.

The Nice Guys is a sort of greatest hits package of Shane Black movies. The daughter reminded me of Bruce Willis's daughter in Last Boy Scout.

[mdawg1972]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Its absolutely no contest whatsoever that the John Wick films blow Fury Road out of the water. I hated Fury Road though too. I know everyone has their own opinions but frankly I'd say its silly to even compare Fury Road to John Wick. The amount of effort that went into the action and style in the John Wick films is incredible. I was thinking it was which CG action films were better than Fury Road but if its action films in general for the past 7 years there's plenty of others. Skyfall and even Spectre blow Fury Road away. There's others as well. Captain America Winter Soldier is another one. I'd have to check my collection for other examples.

Deadpool and Jack Reacher are far better as well.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by mdawg1972

Yeah... other people's opinions sure are hilarious, huh?

I don't see why someone disliking Fury Road is so funny, just like I don't have a problem with someone calling it one of the best films of the century. I personally thought it was torture, and I couldn't wait to leave the theater... and I say this as a fan of the first two Mad Max films too. I'd much rather watch the smoother John Wick actioners than the movie equivalent of being beaten over the head with a trash can.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of Ghost World.



I discovered Ghost World a year or two after its theatrical release, when it aired repeatedly on the cable channels, and I fell into the habit of revisiting it on those channels every time I had a chance. The movie resonated with me partly because, even during my early 30s, I was more similar to Steve Buscemi's Seymour character than I would have liked to admit, and partly because I related to the stories of Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). When I used to watch this movie on those cable channels all those years ago, I was living in a house with my best friend from college and another roommate, and, while we are still good friends today, we were starting to diverge into our different life paths at the time. We all probably have times in our lives when we slowly drift apart from best friends for no one particular reason, and the dynamics of the friendship between Enid and Rebecca seem universally relatable as such.

Steve Buscemi's Seymour character is fascinating for so many reasons. In many ways, he serves as a cautionary tale showing the pitfalls of going to the extreme with a refusal to fall in line with society's conventional interests and ways of life. Like Seymour, I also have interests that lie far outside the mainstream, but, thanks in part to my familiarity with this movie, I understand and appreciate the concept that people ultimately need other people, regardless of how much we fancy ourselves living happily in solo introverted bliss according to our own rules and our own individual quirks. My own participation in the local running community is probably the only thing that keeps me from going full-tilt into "Seymour-hood", but that is good enough.

Ghost World is quite hilarious for any of us who roll our eyes at mainstream society's idiosyncrasies. The scene with the Blues Hammer band seems over-the-top unless one has actually seen small-time bar bands. I also love the high school graduation scene in the opening moments, and I love the scene where Enid tries out a job at a movie theater.

Scarlett Johansson is so young in this movie, but I had a feeling that she would amount to something special, since her looks, combined with her oddly husky voice, made for an interesting blend. When I saw Lost in Translation in the theater a few months after I discovered Ghost World, I knew that she was going to make quite a splash.

This Criterion Blu-ray looks outstanding, and its color schemes really stand out. This film has an odd 1970s appearance to it that makes me think of the "grindhouse" titles that show up on the Vinegar Syndrome label, and it really jumps out in high definition.

I thoroughly enjoyed the new documentary with present-day interviews from Scarlett Johansson, Illeana Douglas, and Thora Birch (who is really quite attractive these days).

Fun fact: Seymour's temporary love interest, Dana, is played by Stacey Travis, who has a great role in the 1990 sci-fi horror film, Hardware.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Yeah... other people's opinions sure are hilarious, huh?

I don't see why someone disliking Fury Road is so funny, just like I don't have a problem with someone calling it one of the best films of the century. I personally thought it was torture, and I couldn't wait to leave the theater... and I say this as a fan of the first two Mad Max films too. I'd much rather watch the smoother John Wick actioners than the movie equivalent of being beaten over the head with a trash can.

That's what I'd call a heavy metal movie. And I do love me some metal. Fury Road is kinda like a Motorhead song--fast, relentless, loud, and grungy. Older Mad Max movies are more like the original Black Sabbath, and John Wick--I dunno, maybe Alice in Chains or something. All different styles, tones, tempos--in movies and music, some styles work with certain audiences and some don't.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of Ghost World.

[Show spoiler]

I discovered Ghost World a year or two after its theatrical release, when it aired repeatedly on the cable channels, and I fell into the habit of revisiting it on those channels every time I had a chance. The movie resonated with me partly because, even during my early 30s, I was more similar to Steve Buscemi's Seymour character than I would have liked to admit, and partly because I related to the stories of Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). When I used to watch this movie on those cable channels all those years ago, I was living in a house with my best friend from college and another roommate, and, while we are still good friends today, we were starting to diverge into our different life paths at the time. We all probably have times in our lives when we slowly drift apart from best friends for no one particular reason, and the dynamics of the friendship between Enid and Rebecca seem universally relatable as such.

Steve Buscemi's Seymour character is fascinating for so many reasons. In many ways, he serves as a cautionary tale showing the pitfalls of going to the extreme with a refusal to fall in line with society's conventional interests and ways of life. Like Seymour, I also have interests that lie far outside the mainstream, but, thanks in part to my familiarity with this movie, I understand and appreciate the concept that people ultimately need other people, regardless of how much we fancy ourselves living happily in solo introverted bliss according to our own rules and our own individual quirks. My own participation in the local running community is probably the only thing that keeps me from going full-tilt into "Seymour-hood", but that is good enough.

Ghost World is quite hilarious for any of us who roll our eyes at mainstream society's idiosyncrasies. The scene with the Blues Hammer band seems over-the-top unless one has actually seen small-time bar bands. I also love the high school graduation scene in the opening moments, and I love the scene where Enid tries out a job at a movie theater.

Scarlett Johansson is so young in this movie, but I had a feeling that she would amount to something special, since her looks, combined with her oddly husky voice, made for an interesting blend. When I saw Lost in Translation in the theater a few months after I discovered Ghost World, I knew that she was going to make quite a splash.

This Criterion Blu-ray looks outstanding, and its color schemes really stand out. This film has an odd 1970s appearance to it that makes me think of the "grindhouse" titles that show up on the Vinegar Syndrome label, and it really jumps out in high definition.

I thoroughly enjoyed the new documentary with present-day interviews from Scarlett Johansson, Illeana Douglas, and Thora Birch (who is really quite attractive these days).

Fun fact: Seymour's temporary love interest, Dana, is played by Stacey Travis, who has a great role in the 1990 sci-fi horror film, Hardware.

Great review as usual. I've adored this film since the beginning, even if much of it is uncomfortable (but in a satisfying way -- if that makes sense). I think it's a very unique film.

And yeah, I really enjoyed those interviews.

[Blu_Beard]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of Ghost World.

[Show spoiler]



I discovered Ghost World a year or two after its theatrical release, when it aired repeatedly on the cable channels, and I fell into the habit of revisiting it on those channels every time I had a chance. The movie resonated with me partly because, even during my early 30s, I was more similar to Steve Buscemi's Seymour character than I would have liked to admit, and partly because I related to the stories of Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson). When I used to watch this movie on those cable channels all those years ago, I was living in a house with my best friend from college and another roommate, and, while we are still good friends today, we were starting to diverge into our different life paths at the time. We all probably have times in our lives when we slowly drift apart from best friends for no one particular reason, and the dynamics of the friendship between Enid and Rebecca seem universally relatable as such.

Steve Buscemi's Seymour character is fascinating for so many reasons. In many ways, he serves as a cautionary tale showing the pitfalls of going to the extreme with a refusal to fall in line with society's conventional interests and ways of life. Like Seymour, I also have interests that lie far outside the mainstream, but, thanks in part to my familiarity with this movie, I understand and appreciate the concept that people ultimately need other people, regardless of how much we fancy ourselves living happily in solo introverted bliss according to our own rules and our own individual quirks. My own participation in the local running community is probably the only thing that keeps me from going full-tilt into "Seymour-hood", but that is good enough.

Ghost World is quite hilarious for any of us who roll our eyes at mainstream society's idiosyncrasies. The scene with the Blues Hammer band seems over-the-top unless one has actually seen small-time bar bands. I also love the high school graduation scene in the opening moments, and I love the scene where Enid tries out a job at a movie theater.

Scarlett Johansson is so young in this movie, but I had a feeling that she would amount to something special, since her looks, combined with her oddly husky voice, made for an interesting blend. When I saw Lost in Translation in the theater a few months after I discovered Ghost World, I knew that she was going to make quite a splash.

This Criterion Blu-ray looks outstanding, and its color schemes really stand out. This film has an odd 1970s appearance to it that makes me think of the "grindhouse" titles that show up on the Vinegar Syndrome label, and it really jumps out in high definition.

I thoroughly enjoyed the new documentary with present-day interviews from Scarlett Johansson, Illeana Douglas, and Thora Birch (who is really quite attractive these days).

Fun fact: Seymour's temporary love interest, Dana, is played by Stacey Travis, who has a great role in the 1990 sci-fi horror film, Hardware.

I remember renting this with Tree's Lounge as part of a Buscemi double feature in '05. I recall enjoying both films a lot and identifying with both Buscemi characters in similar ways. I'll be picking this release up next month when I embarrass myself at Barnes and Noble.

[jw007]

Okay folks, I usually don't like to plug my own stuff on here (or any forum for that matter), but this post actually has some relevance to the Criterion Collection.

So how many of you also love Wings of Desire? It's probably in my top 20 favorite Criterions that I own, and its mainly because of the scene featuring Nick Cave performing his classic song: From Her to Eternity.

I spent about 12 hours editing together a hodgepodge of video that I shot at the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds concert from this past Thursday night. I invite anyone here who also likes Nick Cave's music to check out my film! It's about 24 minutes long and I highly recommend you watch it in one sitting! (I shot many clips of songs since my compact camera can only shoot up to 5 minutes of 4K footage at a time - without good camera stabilization too - I used a Sony RX100 V). Anyway, here is one of the greatest fan-made videos of Nick Cave EVER MADE in probably the greatest rock concert I've EVER BEEN TO. Okay, so much for being humble!

No joke, folks. It was a stunning show. The video, ummm, film, below proves this... and its not just because I touched Nick Cave's hand (twice) and took home one of the printed setlists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAjx...ature=youtu.be

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Great review as usual. I've adored this film since the beginning, even if much of it is uncomfortable (but in a satisfying way -- if that makes sense).

Ghost World always makes me second guess my propensity to collect obscure music and movies.

...which is probably a good thing.

On the bright side, my Blu-ray collection is "pared down to the essentials."

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

That's what I'd call a heavy metal movie. And I do love me some metal. Fury Road is kinda like a Motorhead song--fast, relentless, loud, and grungy. Older Mad Max movies are more like the original Black Sabbath, and John Wick--I dunno, maybe Alice in Chains or something. All different styles, tones, tempos--in movies and music, some styles work with certain audiences and some don't.

If it's a Motorhead song, it's one produced by Brendan O'Brien that is brickwalled to buggery!

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Ghost World always makes me second guess my propensity to collect obscure music and movies.

...which is probably a good thing.

On the bright side, my Blu-ray collection is "pared down to the essentials."

Yeah, I almost never get rid of anything. I've been donating DVDs to the library when I upgrade them to Blu-ray, though. But CDs, DVDs, BDs, comics, books, etc. I know the feeling.

I really hope I don't end up on "Hoarders!"

(No, no, not that bad. Yet.)

[javy]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Yeah, I almost never get rid of anything. I've been donating DVDs to the library when I upgrade them to Blu-ray, though. But CDs, DVDs, BDs, comics, books, etc. I know the feeling.

I really hope I don't end up on "Hoarders!"

(No, no, not that bad. Yet.)

Books?? Lol. I usually keep my DVD's and old BD's when I upgrade, especially of my favorites.

[theater dreamer]

Any top 25 films of the 21st Century list without Lost in Translation is utter rubbish. That the New York Times chose to include The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, while omitting Sofia Coppola's wonderful love story/homage to Tokyo is laughable.

[javy]

Originally Posted by jw007

So how many of you also love Wings of Desire?

I love Wings of Desire, it's one of my favorite movies too. I didn't make this, but it's a beautiful montage of the film. I posted it recently but I'll post it again. The whole film grabs at my heart, but the shot @ 0:13-0:15 really chokes me up. I think we can all identify with that scene somehow or another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzz...ature=youtu.be

[javy]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Any top 25 films of the 21st Century list without Lost in Translation is utter rubbish. That the New York Times chose to include The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, while omitting Sofia Coppola's wonderful love story/homage to Tokyo is laughable.

"King Solomon couldn't have said it any more wisely."

[sawdustandtinsel]

TCM PSA: Z is on tomorrow morning at 6 am and it's preceded by 2 non-criterion Oshima films, Cruel Story of Youth and Boy.