The Criterion Collection

[ZeTi]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just finished watching Solariszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Thank goodness I haven't opened Stalker yet so I can take it back.

Rookie mistake right there .... you don't watch Tarkovsky, you experience it.

[llj]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I've actually never seen The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which I consider an absolute failure on my part. I mean, Powell and Pressburger AND Deborah Kerr?!

I suck.

It's been a while since I last watched it...I was still in college, in fact.

I remember being quite moved by its tale of a guy who can't change with the times but everything and everyone around him relentlessly does.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just finished watching Solariszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Thank goodness I haven't opened Stalker yet so I can take it back.

You need to be in the proper mood when watching a Tarkovsky film.

For what it's worth, Stalker is much better than Solaris, in my opinion.

[alull]

Originally Posted by iScottie

You need to be in the proper mood when watching a Tarkovsky film.

For what it's worth, Stalker is much better than Solaris, in my opinion.

And which mood is that? Curious. I have an unopened copy of Solaris in my library.

[llj]

Heh, this talk about "slow" movies...

Abbas Kiarostami once said that he didn't mind it if people fell asleep watching his movies.

[witchmania]

Originally Posted by llj

Heh, this talk about "slow" movies...

Abbas Kiarostami once said that he didn't mind it if people fell asleep watching his movies.

On the subject of so-called slow cinema, it'd be amazing if Criterion released some Lav Diaz. It'd probably be tough to release one of his 9-hour epics (although he's made them even longer than that, come to think of it) but something like his recent film, The Woman Who Left might work out. At under 4 hours, it clocks in as slightly shorter than Norte, The End Of History, which got a blu-ray release in the UK.

Norte is one of my favourite films of recent years, and actually, Criterion could improve upon the UK release of that quite a bit just by revamping the subtitles (which were riddled with typos), but some decent extras to contextualise the politics of the film would be very welcome.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by alull

And which mood is that? Curious. I have an unopened copy of Solaris in my library.

A pensive, introspective, or analytical mood.

[Knaldskalle]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just finished watching Solariszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Thank goodness I haven't opened Stalker yet so I can take it back.

*deep breath*

I'm sorry you didn't like Solaris. I think it's a profound movie about what it means to be human, ultimately. Stalker is even more impenetrable, so I think returning it may be the right decision if Solaris wasn't for you.

Both are among the greatest movies ever made, in my opinion, but I realize that they're not for everyone. Perhaps at a later point in life they'll speak more to you?

[jw007]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just finished watching Solariszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Thank goodness I haven't opened Stalker yet so I can take it back.

*another deep breath*

Believe it or not, when I first watched this film, I almost actually fell asleep about halfway through...but then I realized I hadn't properly done my homework on the genius that is Andrei Tarkovsky. After reading lengthy articles and researching the film more, my eyes were glued on every second of the film the next time I saw it.

Solaris is beautiful science fiction on all levels. It's such a masterpiece that Steven Soderbergh felt it was necessary to remake this film (which is a fine movie in itself too).

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by jw007

Solaris is beautiful science fiction on all levels. It's such a masterpiece that Steven Soderbergh felt it was necessary to remake this film (which is a fine movie in itself too).

Solaris was not an original screenplay, what Soderbergh made was another adaptation of Stanislav Tem's source novel of the same name.

For what it's worth Tem disliked Tarkovsky's adaptation and I think did not bother to see Soderbergh's film. His thoughts can be read here:
Tarkosvsky film
Soderbergh film (reaction to reviews, not the film itself)

This remark by Lem made me LOL:

Incidentally, the same thing later happened to the Strugatskys when Tarkovsky made Stalker based on The Roadside Picnic and dished up the sort of stew nobody understands but the stew is duly sad and gloomy instead.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by llj

Heh, this talk about "slow" movies...

Abbas Kiarostami once said that he didn't mind it if people fell asleep watching his movies.

Some directors actually take pleasure in seeing walk outs. Pricks!

True story: When Harvey Keitel was considering the main role for Ulysses Gaze, Theo Angelopoulos insisted that he see one of his films first. He flew to NY and set up a screening and Keitel fell sleep in the first 40 or so minutes I think. Hah!

Those directors know the deal. They are too committed to their artistic vision to care though.

[The Great Owl]

Rest in Peace, Jeanne Moreau

I've enjoyed watching Jeanne Moreau in Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954), Elevator to the Gallows (1958), The Lovers (1958), La Notte (1961), Jules and Jim (1962), The Fire Within (1963), The Train (1964), Viva Maria! (1965), The Bride Wore Black (1968), and La Femme Nikita (1990).
My four favorite films starring Moreau are Touchez Pas au Grisbi ("Hands off the Loot"), which is a cool-as-ice French gangster film, Elevator to the Gallows, which is a superb French film noir with an amazing Miles Davis score, The Bride Wore Black, which was the inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, and La Femme Nikita, which was one of the first foreign films that I saw many years ago.
I've only scratched the surface of her filmography, but she is pretty amazing in all of her movies that I've seen.

[nitin]

My 2nd favorite actress of all time

RIP La Moreau.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

I just finished watching Solariszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Thank goodness I haven't opened Stalker yet so I can take it back.

Look up Bela Tarr. You may enjoy his films.

[qw0aszx]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Look up Bela Tarr. You may enjoy his films.

Or James Benning.

[SammyJankis]

She's one of the most prominent figures when I first got into film. I don't even know what film of hers to watch tonight. There are just too many to name.



RIP

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched Still Walking last night for the first time.

I was hoping to be surprised, but it was about what I expected.

The Ozu influence is pretty glaring.

Not trying to say anything bad about this film...it's good.

But these little family dramas with simple stories, shot in very simple ways are just not very compelling to me. Everything about the movie felt familiar. Like I had seen many elements of it before in numerous other films.

The simple fact is, there are some styles that you respond to and some that you don't.

One person might watch Pierrot Le Fou and be bored out of their mind.

...because Godard just isn't for everyone.

I'll probably watch it one more time in a few weeks, just to be sure.

Don't do it, Ray. There's an unwritten list of directors whose blu-rays should not be flipped online in used condition after 1 viewing. Kore-eda san is on that list.

[LPM0317]

Originally Posted by qw0aszx

Or James Benning.

And maybe Lav Diaz?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MifuneFan]

Watched Ozu's Floating Weeds yesterday. One of my all-time favorite films, and truly a perfect summertime film. While there are central themes of family, and the dynamic between a parent and child is present, Floating Weeds doesn't portray that in the traditional way seen in most of his other films. We see a family structure played out in two ways, both with the troupe of actors, as well as the lead actor's real family, and the fate of both are in some ways linked to each other. Besides that, the film just looks and feels different from every other Ozu film I've seen. The seaside setting, the whimsical Fellini/Nino Rota-esque music, the amazing use of bright and vibrant colors throughout (especially red), it's all just a nice breath of fresh air if you're only accustomed to seeing his family movies set mostly in drab big cities. The compositions in this film are a thing of beauty. There are literally hundreds of shots from here that could be framed on a wall.

Anyway, didn't intend to write that much, but I really hope Criterion can put out an upgrade of this, along with the silent original The Story of Floating Weeds. It is my most wanted title from them, yes even more than Le Samourai.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by alull

And which mood is that? Curious. I have an unopened copy of Solaris in my library.

I personally wouldn't go into it expecting some film, exciting, exhilarating ride because you'll be setting yourself up for disappointment.

The film requires a lot of patience and attention. It's incredibly deep and thought provoking to the point that it can't find the right words to describe it.