The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by llj

I bought Two Lane Blacktop on the weekend.

Excellent movie, and I've no doubt it is one of the best American films of the 70s for sure. Yes, I'm biased because I love road movies of all types, but objectively I really do think this is a beautifully crafted movie.

Warren Oates is hilarious here, and sadly relatable (for me, anyway) on some level too, even though many may consider his character an object of pity. He may be ostensibly the "antagonist" but he's also the beating heart of the film. Pure Oates!

My only complaint is that at 102 minutes or so, I almost wish it were longer! Apparently the original cut was around 3 hours, then chopped to 2 hours, then 102 minutes. Don't get me wrong, it's a fairly leisurely paced movie as it is (on the commentary track, it is mentioned that many people at the time dubbed this "Slowest Racing Movie Ever" ) but I could have spent another hour watching these untalkative, yet mesmerizing characters.

I also could have watched these characters in Two-Lane Blacktop for hours.

Harry Dean Stanton could do no wrong back in the day, and he still can't.

He even elevates Red Dawn (1984) to greatness. "Avenge me!"

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by captainron_howdy

I pissed all over this month, dnt know if you saw. Just like I've been pissing all over SF this whole year. Personal Shopper is the only release worth it IMO. Criterion pulled a shout factory this month, & shout factory's re-releases are not supposed re-releases. That's what they are, re-releases.

The FWWM blu in the set is perfectly fine. It also has the missing pieces, & I can't see myself buying Barry Lyndon for the third time. No matter how great of a disc it is, or FWWM for the 4th time. The Lure???? WTF is that?

But I will be picking up Stalker & Spotlight on a Murderer today.

Well FWWM is pretty much a waste, since it's virtually the same disc.

But Barry Lyndon is an A+, just because it's in the correct aspect ratio now (not to mention a new 4k scan). You say Personal Shopper is the only movie "worth it", but you don't even know what The Lure is, so how do you know it's not also "worth it"? Vampyr is fantastic, as is Othello. Pretty great month.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Translation: nintin visited the Magic 8 Ball website and asked about these titles.

Admit it. There is no shame here in this thread.

I just got sucked into that site, asking questions like a madman. I felt like William Shatner in Nick of Time. I just barely escaped

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by captainron_howdy

The FWWM blu in the set is perfectly fine. It also has the missing pieces, & I can't see myself buying Barry Lyndon for the third time. No matter how great of a disc it is, or FWWM for the 4th time.

I'm really happy with my nine-disc box set, Twin Peaks: The Original Series, Fire Walk With Me & The Missing Pieces.

I love the fact, however, that Fire Walk with Me is being released as a separate title to stand alone on its own terms, though.

I'm going to hold on to my butt until reviews of the transfer on this Criterion title come down the pipes, and, if there's an improvement, then I'll likely double-dip during the November sale.

[Purplenoon]

Originally Posted by jshaide

Going back and forth on the War Trilogy set. Can anyone sway me in either direction?

Absolutely not to be missed.

[captainron_howdy]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Well FWWM is pretty much a waste, since it's virtually the same disc.

But Barry Lyndon is an A+, just because it's in the correct aspect ratio now (not to mention a new 4k scan). You say Personal Shopper is the only movie "worth it", but you don't even know what The Lure is, so how do you know it's not also "worth it"? Vampyr is fantastic, as is Othello. Pretty great month.

Because I saw Personal Shopper in the theater. I own Vampyr on dvd & Barry Lyndon on bluray and those aren't 2 films I watch that much, ESP Barry. There's plenty other Kubrick films I'd rather watch, honestly almost all of them probably. I'm also not the biggest Orson Welles fan either, sorry. & I know "The Lure" will be something I despise because I watched the trailer & can tell it is definitely not for me.

Thanks again.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by llj

I bought Two Lane Blacktop on the weekend.

Excellent movie, and I've no doubt it is one of the best American films of the 70s for sure. Yes, I'm biased because I love road movies of all types, but objectively I really do think this is a beautifully crafted movie.

Warren Oates is hilarious here, and sadly relatable (for me, anyway) on some level too, even though many may consider his character an object of pity. He may be ostensibly the "antagonist" but he's also the beating heart of the film. Pure Oates!

My only complaint is that at 102 minutes or so, I almost wish it were longer! Apparently the original cut was around 3 hours, then chopped to 2 hours, then 102 minutes. Don't get me wrong, it's a fairly leisurely paced movie as it is (on the commentary track, it is mentioned that many people at the time dubbed this "Slowest Racing Movie Ever" ) but I could have spent another hour watching these untalkative, yet mesmerizing characters.

I already really liked Monte Hellman's The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, but finally watching this cements me as a Monte Hellman fan now. Criterion has to get Cockfighter!

I could spend hours watching Two Lane Blacktop too.

China 9 Liberty 37 also needs a proper release.

[AaronJ]

THANK GODS that Vampyr has been upgraded. I'm all over that. I'm getting Personal Shopper as a blind buy, it looks so good. Whether I'll pick up Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is questionable, as I want to see the review.

Barry Lyndon is a great film, but I don't like it if that makes any sense.

[Canada]

My next Criterion pick up will be

[dwk]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

China 9 Liberty 37 also needs a proper release.

I might be wrong, but I think this is with Warner Brothers, so I think it is possible.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Canada

My next Criterion pick up will be

[Show spoiler][IMG]http://static.rogerebert.com/uploads/movie/movie_poster/the-piano-teacher-2002/large_3mwPshgjfjRj4ZpJxIo44djDt7c.jpg[/IMG

]

Yeah, fun movie all the way around. Nothing but fun.

Actually I need this.

[Canada]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Yeah, fun movie all the way around. Nothing but fun.

Actually I need this.

I would hardly call it a fun movie, but whatever floats your boat.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Canada

I would hardly call it a fun movie, but whatever floats your boat.

Umm, joke. I would never call that a "fun" movie.

[78deluxe]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Translation: nintin visited the Magic 8 Ball website and asked about these titles.

Admit it. There is no shame here in this thread.

Seems pretty likely to me.

Previous Criterion DVD releases. MGMs went OOP like Rebecca.

Oh...and they always want more of my monies....

I've expected the trio to move to Criterion since I found out they went OOp months ago. We shall see.

[Ray Jackson]

I now have three Criterion blind buys sitting on my shelf, waiting to viewed for the first time:

Ghost World
Mystery Train
Stalker

I'm experiencing a strange sensation deep down in my Wonder Woman Underroos.

I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a movie geek can feel after a blind buy.

...a movie geek at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.

[ajburke]

Count me among those who love Two-Lane Blacktop. A few years ago, well into my Blu-ray collecting days, I discovered that my dad had (and still has) a widescreen VHS copy of this movie. Upon discovering it, I watched three or four times in a week, which is something I never really do with any movie. It's just a great, hypnotic, re-watchable flick.

[joy-division]

Any reason why Quadrophenia is a Criterion release but Tommy isn't?

Quadrophenia may be my favourite The Who album, but there is no doubt in my mind that Tommy is a much better film Is it a rights issue?

And speaking of Quadrophenia, do you thnk Brighton Rock should be given the Criterion treatment?

[nitin]

Originally Posted by goingunderground

I have a similar question: How does the Criterion upgrade of the War Trilogy compare to the BFI version, which is the one I own?

BFI has a more recent restoration of Germany Year Zero which looks better. Criterion has proper black levels on Rome Open City. Paisan is a wash. Extras are different but Criterion's are a lot more extensive. BFI however also has L'amore in the set.

[Al_The_Strange]

My next greatest adventure in Criterion blind buys is MULTIPLE MANIACS! MUAHAHAHAAA!!!

What can I say? I'm a conservative.

I've always sought to push the envelope (much to the chagrin of my mother, although my interest in all things schlocky and perverse probably stems from her love for Creepshow and other Stephen King adaptations). My desire to see more exploitation, gorefest, and schlock was probably catalyzed from 2007 onwards when the Grindhouse double-feature came out, followed by many of interesting and entertaining spin-offs (Hobo With a Shotgun, Machete). Naturally, Pink Flamingos popped up in the path of the strange and perverse--I had to see Multiple Maniacs to see more of John Walters' madness.

It struck me as soon as I started the feature: I'm looking at another world. I guess that should be a given for any movie, but this is a different level of escapism--I vicariously watch movies that are crazy, over-the-top, violent, and perverse precisely because it paints a bizarre world where it's all the norm. Something so unbelievable and hyperbolic, it becomes escapist fantasy in its own right. And it's most prevalent in a John Walters movie, because both Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos (and maybe even freakin' Hairspray) are all stories where there's a schism between the civilized and the savage. MM practically starts with civilized people gawking at a freakshow where anything goes (and somebody even gets shot). They are clearly disgusted, but they linger and can't look away. This effect extends beyond the screen too--unless you turn it off or walk out, you're also one of those helpless rubes who's disgusted but can't look away. But it also struck me that to all the freaks and maniacs, everything they do is normal. They enjoy all the perverse things they do. And they flaunt it, as if suggesting to the squares that they know how to have more fun, and they live in a world where rules don't apply and anything goes.

There's probably a lot more under the surface of MM, especially when it comes to the religious stuff (which largely went in one eye and out the other for me this time). But some of the absurd dialogue did elicit a laugh or two out of me, and the film does have its gross parts. I think PF tops it, and has a slightly more interesting story. I kinda do want to see that one again in the context of the "other world of perversity" theme that runs through my head now--it kinda makes sense given that PF goes on to have its own sense of law and justice in its conclusion. And its entire plot revolves around posers who try to become part of that other world, but fail.

When it comes to schlock, Frank Henenlotter is my jam. John Walters seems to work on a metal level though, and that makes his work interesting as it is gnarly.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

There's probably a lot more under the surface of MM

I'm pretty sure the film is a perfect example of "what you see is what you get".

It's simply meant to be as exploitative as possible while simultaneously being unlike anything ever made or after before it.