The Criterion Collection

[Rzzzz]

Originally Posted by ticktock60

"O" - "T" - Hello!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure thats it. I was really hoping it was a clue for The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.....

[ShellOilJunior]

Mulvaney isn't replying because he has about 100 re-direct rules. Half of those could be deleted now that Le Samourai has a street date.

[Alfalfa]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

They have responded to me, multiple times in the past two months when there was no money in it for them. Once about an upcoming release, the other about a missing booklet for Hunger purchased during the Barnes & Noble sale. They responded each time within 24 business hours.

What address are you using? Mulvaney@criterion.com has always worked for me. Is it possible it's being filtered by your e-mail spam settings? Have you checked your spam folder?

First I used orders@criterion.com since it was an order I had a question about, then I tried mulvaney@criterion.com and then both one more time. I have checked the spam folder, nothing.

There was no problem with correspondence over mail before the order was made on both the addresses, Kelly from orders even asked me to send a mail when the package arrived.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

While I agree with you completely about the need for a full length commentary track, I really enjoyed the interview with Geoff Dyer, author of Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room. I thought that he gave a fair amount of insight into the film, and it was interesting to hear about his initial reaction to the film and how that reaction evolved into one of sheer admiration and reaching obsessive levels.

I agree. I really liked his insight on the film.

[the sordid sentinel]

Originally Posted by dwk

I don't recall the extras being particularly spoiler filled and the series never got a proper ending, so you should be ok, but to be on the safe side you might want to watch these three in-between:

• New interview in which Sensei Yoshimitsu Katsuse discusses and demonstrates the real Suio-ryu sword techniques that inspired the ones depicted in the manga and films
  
• New interview with biographer Kazuma Nozawa about Kenji Misumi, director of four of the six films
  
• Silent documentary from 1939 about the making of samurai swords, with an optional new ambient score by Ryan Francis

And save the booklet (which was more spoilery than the on-disc extras) and these three for after you've watched the last film:

• Shogun Assassin
  
• New interview with Kazuo Koike, writer of the Lone Wolf and Cub manga series and screenwriter on five of the films
  
• Lame d’un père, l’âme d’un sabre, a 2005 documentary about the making of the series

That documentary about the making of Samurai swords is one of the best extras I have ever seen. Really fascinating.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

That documentary about the making of Samurai swords is one of the best extras I have ever seen. Really fascinating.

Yeah it is. Although, it was really late the first time I watched it and the music put me to sleep.

About Lone Wolf and Cub, I'm not sure when it goes up (or if it already has), but Criterion has produced a new featurette about the Manga for Filmstruck

[Martin_31]

Originally Posted by dwk

Yeah it is. Although, it was really late the first time I watched it and the music put me to sleep.

About Lone Wolf and Cub, I'm not sure when it goes up (or if it already has), but Criterion has produced a new featurette about the Manga for Filmstruck

That kinda sucks since they're not on the disc.

[ravenus]

Saw the 3rd and 4th film in the Lone Wolf and Cub series, namely Baby Cart to Hades (BCTH) and Baby Cart in Peril (BCIP). These are a continuation of the adventures of the wandering assassin swordmaster Ogami Itto and his little son Daigoro, following a similar formula as previous films, with Ogami taking on assassination missions and in turn being attacked by other killers.

BCTH has some nasty rape / attempted rape sequences. Very early in the film two women are brutally raped and killed by mercenaries before they meet their fate by Ogami's sword. A little later a young girl barely escapes rape by her pimp before she kills him and seeks protection from Ogami. The lady of the brothel she was sold to respectfully asks Ogami to release her property, but he offers instead to take her punishment by torture. In the curious logic of manga stories, the brothel madam turns out to be the daughter of a nobleman who wants Ogami to kill a corrupt governor. Some interesting plot convolutions later, we reach the climax where Ogami takes on a veritable army of soldiers with his sword and weaponized baby cart (including a firing range worth of hidden guns). Some of the plot elements in the film (mainly in the form of an skilled and honorable opponent for Ogami that he becomes forced to fight in the end) reminded me heavily of Akira Kurosawa's action romp Sanjuro.

BCIP begins with little Daigoro wandering off and getting lost. In the course of trying to find his way back to his father, Daigoro encounters a lone warrior, who is surprised at his calmness when faced with a sword. Later on, the warrior allows Daigoro to be engulfed by fire in a field, just to observe his fortitude. I was beginning to wonder how he would have justified his own inaction had the boy died in the fire, when he goes one step further by trying to kill Daigoro, again only to assess his acceptance of death (talk about not knowing what to do with your time). Of course at the crucial moment, Daddy Ogami turns up to stop his boy from being turned into sashimi. Turns out the warrior is an exiled Yagyu clan member who nurses a grudge against Ogami, so now it's perfectly okay that he does despicable deeds. There is another sub-plot about Ogami taking on a contract to kill a female assassin Yuki, who used to be a 'sword-mistress' but went on the run after being raped by her instructor and is now killing her former employer's people to force him to send out said instructor to duel with her (direct action is not a virtue among warriors, it would seem). Yuki is identified by colorful tattoos across her back and breasts, which she flashes to distract her opponents before slicing through them. Initially the film seems to end with Yuki's death but after the massacre of the previous film, the production may have felt obliged to put up another Ogami vs an army scenario. This time a batallion of Yagyu warriors led by their leader track him down to a quarry type location and there's another huge scrap. Good fun. The crew for BCIP is different from the previous films with Kazuo (Rashomon, Ugetsu) Miyagawa taking over cinematography (though you won't be as impressed here as with those films) and a new director Buichi Saito (Kenji Misumi did the first three).

The LW&C films must have been made in very quick succession because even the child actor playing Daigoro doesn't change much between instalments. He's quite adorable, even if he mostly just has to stare in an unconcerned or mildly curious fashion. He doesn't appear to acted in anything else of note further on, and was apparently held some years ago for gun-running. Bummer.

[blu-bry]

I watched my new copy of "Rebecca" last night, and I'm very eager to hear what others have to say about this new transfer. I couldn't help but feel something was a little off in the motion at times. It almost gave me that, so called, "soap opera" feel that people talk about with the motion control on some T.V. sets. I didn't notice it until they move to Manderlay.
It was very subtle, but something seemed not very film-like about it. It made me think of the season 2 episodes of Twilight Zone where they were experimenting with tape rather than film.
I own the Criterion DVD and the MGM blu-ray, so I'm a fan, but I would like to hear if anyone else detected anything or if it is just me. At one point it even looked like George Sanders voice was just slightly out of sync with his mouth.

[The Great Owl]

Yesterday, I placed Amazon pre-orders for Le Samouraï, Vampyr, The Philadelphia Story, and Barry Lyndon.

It finally seems real that Le Samouraï is coming out, and I'm getting pretty fired up to see what Criterion has done for the transfer.

I'm looking forward to retiring my old Vampyr DVD as well.

I'm flying totally blind into Barry Lyndon, funnily enough. I've always been a huge fan of most of Stanley Kubrick's other works, but, for some odd reason, it has never occurred to me to watch this one. Based on the glowing word-of-mouth reviews, however, I've decided to give it a go.

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Yesterday, I placed Amazon pre-orders for Le Samouraï, Vampyr, The Philadelphia Story, and Barry Lyndon.

It finally seems real that Le Samouraï is coming out, and I'm getting pretty fired up to see what Criterion has done for the transfer.

I'm looking forward to retiring my old Vampyr DVD as well.

I'm flying totally blind into Barry Lyndon, funnily enough. I've always been a huge fan of most of Stanley Kubrick's other works, but, for some odd reason, it has never occurred to me to watch this one. Based on the glowing word-of-mouth reviews, however, I've decided to give it a go.

Ha, you and I are swapping blind buys. I'm going in for Le Samourai the same way. I assume you'll tell me the same, but regarding Barry Lyndon, you are in for an amazing treat.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm flying totally blind into Barry Lyndon, funnily enough. I've always been a huge fan of most of Stanley Kubrick's other works, but, for some odd reason, it has never occurred to me to watch this one. Based on the glowing word-of-mouth reviews, however, I've decided to give it a go.

I held off for years on Barry Lyndon, not because I didn't expect it to be great, but because it was the last Kubrick I hadn't seen, and I wanted to look forward to that for a while. I found a copy of the book and read it (I try to read all the books he has adapted, although I'm not prepared to pay the high prices I've seen for "Red Alert") within the last two years, and then that prompted me to finally watch the movie. I've watched it twice since then. I'm not gonna say it's my favorite, because it's hard to compare it to the ones I've known since childhood, but it's a great film all around.

[HaroldnMaude]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Yesterday, I placed Amazon pre-orders for Le Samouraï, Vampyr, The Philadelphia Story, and Barry Lyndon.

It finally seems real that Le Samouraï is coming out, and I'm getting pretty fired up to see what Criterion has done for the transfer.

I'm looking forward to retiring my old Vampyr DVD as well.

I'm flying totally blind into Barry Lyndon, funnily enough. I've always been a huge fan of most of Stanley Kubrick's other works, but, for some odd reason, it has never occurred to me to watch this one. Based on the glowing word-of-mouth reviews, however, I've decided to give it a go.

If it is a blind buy, it might be better to wait for the B&N sale. The people I know who are big Kubrik fans, are not big fans of this film.
My opinion is that it is the least of Ryan O'Neal's 70's performances. (Honestly I think he's even better in The Main Event.) Marisa Berenson is gorgeous though, & gives a stronger performance than the material her role in Cabaret allowed.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

If it is a blind buy, it might be better to wait for the B&N sale.

I don't understand the Amazon pre-orders, personally, since the savings will undoubtedly be greater during the November B&N sale...but to each their own.

The people I know who are big Kubrik fans, are not big fans of this film.

I'd be skeptical of any self-proclaimed "big Kubrick fan" who doesn't value Barry Lyndon. It's the best thing the man did.

[scottpcusa]

I'm going to see Stalker on the big screen a week from today! I am getting prepared by reading "Roadside Picnic" and "Zona: A Book About A Film About A Journey To A Room". This will be my second time seeing the film. I bought the Blu-Ray during the Criterion sale at B&N, but I haven't opened it yet. I'm looking forward to immersing myself, once again...and on a deeper level...into this film. Hopefully having read the two books will be beneficial to my experience, as well.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

If it is a blind buy, it might be better to wait for the B&N sale. The people I know who are big Kubrik fans, are not big fans of this film.
My opinion is that it is the least of Ryan O'Neal's 70's performances. (Honestly I think he's even better in The Main Event.) Marisa Berenson is gorgeous though, & gives a stronger performance than the material her role in Cabaret allowed.

The pre-orders are $25.99 now, and Amazon will inevitably lower the prices. After Amazon Prime ships them to me, the difference in prices will be negligible at best. I'll keep checking, though, just be sure.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

I'd be skeptical of any self-proclaimed "big Kubrick fan" who doesn't value Barry Lyndon. It's the best thing the man did.

Hardly a majority opinion.

[HitchcockLang]

Originally Posted by HaroldnMaude

The people I know who are big Kubrik fans, are not big fans of this film.

I'm a big Kubrick fan and I adore Barry Lyndon. I don't think it's his best as another commenter said, but I think it is an extremely strong work. Sure, it may be a bit more stately in pace than Dr. Strangelove or The Shining, but it is a work of art that is breathtaking to behold.

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by HitchcockLang

I'm a big Kubrick fan and I adore Barry Lyndon. I don't think it's his best as another commenter said, but I think it is an extremely strong work. Sure, it may be a bit more stately in pace than Dr. Strangelove or The Shining, but it is a work of art that is breathtaking to behold.

My thoughts as well. While it's admittedly subjective, I wouldn't say it's his best work, but fantastic none the less. And if it falls behind Dr. Strangelove, 2001 or Paths of Glory, that's ridiculously good company to be in. I can't imagine a Kubrick fan who doesn't love it.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

Hardly a majority opinion.

Whether or not you agree that it's his best work, the point stands: very few "big Kubrick fans" are dismissive of Barry Lyndon.