The Criterion Collection

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Midnight Max

Okay, I give up-

Which of these 12 Criterion DVD releases do you feel are unlikely to be upgraded to Blu (by Criterion)?


Vampyr 1932
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse 1933 - Eureka
My Man Godfrey 1936
49th Parallel 1941
Brute Force 1947 - Arrow
Oliver Twist 1948
Stray Dog 1949
Hobson's Choice 1954 - Studio Canal
Shoot The Piano Player 1960 - Artificial Eye
Onibaba 1964 - Eureka
The Naked Prey 1965 - Eureka
Red Beard 1965


Thank you very much for your input.

Have you considered getting the excellent blu-ray editions most of these films have got in the UK? Unless you feel obliged to purchase from only one label. You'll likely also save money, considering the prices some of these titles have gone for (I got the 8-movie Truffaut collection for 20 GBP, which is an absolute steal for a set with all-round excellent transfers)

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

I'll never forget that. Tone-deaf (posted when Bergman's corpse wasn't even cold) and self-aggrandizing contrarianism disguised as educated critical thinking.

I heard he was paid to write a hit piece.

Rosenbaum's issue with Bergman and Fellini is that he felt they were overpraised in their time whereas more formally innovative directors like Bresson and Dreyer were less appreciated. Even Antonioni to some extent, as Blow Up was more highly praised by Anglophiles than most of his more difficult Italian films.

Of course in today's minimalist art film environment Bresson is probably more likely to appeal to snobs than Bergman; and both Dreyer and Bresson are sufficiently appreciated and have been for quite some time.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

I heard he was paid to write a hit piece.

Rosenbaum's issue with Bergman and Fellini is that he felt they were overpraised in their time whereas more formally innovative directors like Bresson and Dreyer were less appreciated. Even Antonioni to some extent, as Blow Up was more highly praised by Anglophiles than most of his more difficult Italian films.

Of course in today's minimalist art film environment Bresson is probably more likely to appeal to snobs than Bergman; and both Dreyer and Bresson are sufficiently appreciated and have been for quite some time.

Well yes, these critics "stuck up their own asses", which they often can be of course, largely resent the culture that developed around the "foreign art film", the one that's often mockingly depicted in Woody Allen films where people talk about "the new Bergman/Fellini film". Did these critics throw the baby out with the bathwater? To some extent, maybe, but one can't expect certain cultural pretensions to persist indefinitely without someone of harsher judgment eventually having their say, even if that sometimes means worthy artistic output will be thrown under the bus with the cultural milieu that appropriates it.

[cvarrick]

I have $50 gift cert to spend at criterion.com. If I wait for the next sale, & use my gift cert, do I still need to spend an additional $50 to get the free shipping?
Thanks

[ShellOilJunior]

Is Stalker an all region BR? I noticed Beaver lists it as A/B and Amazon lists it as "all region". This site says Region A locked.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Is Stalker an all region BR? I noticed Beaver lists it as A/B and Amazon lists it as "all region". This site says Region A locked.

It's being released in the US and the UK, but Criterion weirdly still locks each regions's release (to A and B, respectively).

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Is Stalker an all region BR? I noticed Beaver lists it as A/B and Amazon lists it as "all region". This site says Region A locked.

Every Criterion release is Region A locked.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Is Stalker an all region BR? I noticed Beaver lists it as A/B and Amazon lists it as "all region". This site says Region A locked.

Beaver is just stating that it's available in both regions. They write:

the discs are coded respectively to their region ('A' in North America, 'B' in UK/Europe.)

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Every Criterion release is Region A locked.

Criterion releases in the US = Region A locked
Criterion releases in the U.K. = Region B locked

[Ray Jackson]

As someone who has lukewarm feelings about Tarkovsky films in general, is there any reason to believe I would feel differently about Stalker?

I like Solaris, Mirror and Ivan's Childhood, but don't love any of them.

I hated Andrei Rublev the only time I saw it.

...should I keep Stalker on my list of blind buys for July?

[Ray Jackson]

Also, what are some general feelings about Repo Man?

Good, bad, great, overrated-exploitation, classic cult?

...is it Ray Jackson material?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

Criterion releases in the US = Region A locked
Criterion releases in the U.K. = Region B locked

Well yes haha.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

As someone who has lukewarm feelings about Tarkovsky films in general, is there any reason to believe I would feel differently about Stalker?

I like Solaris, Mirror and Ivan's Childhood, but don't love any of them.

I hated Andrei Rublev the only time I saw it.

...should I keep Stalker on my list of blind buys for July?

I've seen and liked (enough) Solaris, The Sacrifice, Nostalghia, and Ivan's Childhood.

Stalker is on a whole other level, though. It's great and incredibly thought provoking. Still, I don't see too much replay value in it so I'll skip it for now.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Also, what are some general feelings about Repo Man?

Good, bad, great, overrated-exploitation, classic cult?

...is it Ray Jackson material?

It seems to be popular around these parts, but I wasn't a big fan of it.

It's a combination of 80s humor, punk/rebellious characters, and sci-fi elements.

Repo Man (1984) - Original Theatrical Trailer in HD - YouTube

[zorbonaut]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

On another topic, how would you all rank the Wim Wenders filmography? Heard great things about The American Friend and am interested in seeing that next. I've also seen Wings of Desire and liked it, but am not overly familiar with his other films. What are his other "must see" films?

My top three must see Wenders films:

Paris, Texas
Wings of Desire
The American Friend

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by CQD84

Yes. Night of the Living Dead. In another thread, someone posted this quote:

I met Russell Streiner at Scare-A-Con (Springfield, MA) today. (John Russo was also scheduled to attend, but had to cancel.) Streiner told me that the 4K restoration would be released on Blu-ray 'probably' in October. I asked him if it would be released by Criterion, and he only smiled and said 'You're on the right track'. He also stated that they were considering additional theatrical dates, but weren't sure yet when, where, and in what format (he mentioned Fathom Events as one of the possibilities).

So it's definitely a possibility that Criterion would release it. If not Criterion, then Arrow Video for sure.

Just a heads up. Someone over at CF re-posted this and said to "take it with a grain" because it's from blu-ray.com. I won't post his/her name because they didn't have the decency to credit you.

It's important to note for all its wealth of information CF still lists Midnight Cowboy as forthcoming.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by cvarrick

I have $50 gift cert to spend at criterion.com. If I wait for the next sale, & use my gift cert, do I still need to spend an additional $50 to get the free shipping?
Thanks

I don't believe so. The GC is payment. As long as the otter is over $50 you should get free shipping regardless of how you pay.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Also, what are some general feelings about Repo Man?

Good, bad, great, overrated-exploitation, classic cult?

...is it Ray Jackson material?

I did not like it...After the July sale, I am planning sale/exchange some criterions and Repo Man more or less confirmed a spot in that list...

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Just a heads up. Someone over at CF re-posted this and said to "take it with a grain" because it's from blu-ray.com. I won't post his/her name because they didn't have the decency to credit you.

It's important to note for all its wealth of information CF still lists Midnight Cowboy as forthcoming.

There's a lot of snobbish trash at that forum.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

I did not like it...After the July sale, I am planning sale/exchange some criterions and Repo Man more or less confirmed a spot in that list...

Why didn't you like it?

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Also, what are some general feelings about Repo Man?

Good, bad, great, overrated-exploitation, classic cult?

...is it Ray Jackson material?

Are you an Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton Fan and enjoy completely crazy, strange and original films with endless quotable dialogue RayJ?

It's one of my favorite films especially 80s films and one of my favorite Criterion releases along with being one of my top Harry Dean Stanton performances if not my favorite.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Also, what are some general feelings about Repo Man?

Good, bad, great, overrated-exploitation, classic cult?

...is it Ray Jackson material?

It's not really my cup of tea, but i don't know how "Ray Jackson-y" I am.