The Criterion Collection

[Ray Jackson]

I watched Point Blank last night on TCM.

That's a heck of a picture.

...way better than the crappy Mel Gibson remake.

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched Point Blank last night on TCM.

That's a heck of a picture.

...way better than the crappy Mel Gibson remake.

I don't know about Payback being crappy, but I love Point Blank

[Mike0284]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched Point Blank last night on TCM.

That's a heck of a picture.

...way better than the crappy Mel Gibson remake.

Originally Posted by Mandalorian

I don't know about Payback being crappy, but I love Point Blank

The Director's cut of Payback is the only version you should watch.


This is probably one of my favorite movie scenes.

YouTube

[koberulz]

I'll be able to use my 15% sign-up voucher at B&N during the sale, yeah?

Don't really want to waste it on a standard-price Blu...unfortunately 'price' isn't a sort option. Any recommendations on something more expensive? Shoah is the only massive outlier currently on my list.

[Kristian Idol]

Election is $23 at Walmart, which may be close enough to 50% off for some of you...

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched Point Blank last night on TCM.

That's a heck of a picture.

...way better than the crappy Mel Gibson remake.

"Point Blank" is a stone cold classic. It appears to be a straightforward revenge tale initially, but has so many complexities beneath the surface.

Since you dug "Point Blank", check out "Get Carter" (1971) and "The Reckoning", which Indicator recently released in the UK. Similar films to "Point Blank". I'd wholeheartedly recommend "The Reckoning" to anyone in this thread who hasn't seen it. It's one of the best film discoveries I've had in the past couple years. Nicol Williamson's performance is off the charts great in it.

[MJD64]

Just watched Personal Shopper and found it fascinating. One can certainly read a lot into it, and Kristen Stewart is excellent here; that combination of quiet intensity and restless awkwardness works to perfection. Beneath the guise of a moody ghost story, the film felt like a real commentary on how disconnected we are as a society in the 21st century. The title character of Maureen works a job she hates for an employer she almost never sees, has a boyfriend she interacts with mostly through Skype, and has her most revealing and intimate exchanges through text messaging, with the added irony that she isn't even sure whom she's communicating with. She's also a medium attempting to reach out to her recently deceased brother (in several eerie scenes that put a lot of actual horror movies to shame); she puts more effort into communicating with the dead than the living.

Again, this film is open to much interpretation and there's further compelling material here to explore. It's also gorgeously shot and further proof of what an excellent and understated actress Kristen Stewart is. Bring on November so I can add this to my collection on Blu!

[Reddington]

Point Blank is a great. Lee Marvin is phenomenal. Such a tough guy.

[BaronVH]

Originally Posted by koberulz

I'll be able to use my 15% sign-up voucher at B&N during the sale, yeah?

Depends on employee. Sometimes they allow coupons, and sometimes they don't. Look at the fine print. Usually is says you can't, but even then they have let me stack coupons. I am always up front with them, and many times they allow it.

[latehong]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched Point Blank last night on TCM.

That's a heck of a picture.

...way better than the crappy Mel Gibson remake.

Actually, John Boorman joked about it on DVD commentary. Lee Marvin came to Boorman and said he would do the picture on one condition. When Boorman asked what it was, Marvin picked up the script (earlier draft) and threw it out of the window. Boorman imagined, Mel Gibson might have been walking below then and picked up that script and made his movie!

That being said, I agree with Mike0284. The director's cut of Payback is much better film. Not a surreal psychedelic existential neo noir masterpiece like Point Blank, but still a pretty decent 6-70s style hard-boiled crime film true to the original novel by Donald Westlake. Gone are the blue-tint, voice-over narration and Tarantinoesque songs of the theatrical cut. The scene order is changed, the ending is changed, and it even deletes one major character. It's a completely different beast. If you haven't seen it, give it a try.

But forgive my ignorance, why are we talking about Point Blank on the Criterion thread?

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by latehong

But forgive my ignorance, why are we talking about Point Blank on the Criterion thread?

Just the ebb and flow of conversation about good cinema.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by BaronVH

Depends on employee. Sometimes they allow coupons, and sometimes they don't. Look at the fine print. Usually is says you can't, but even then they have let me stack coupons. I am always up front with them, and many times they allow it.

I had a read through and it just seems to exclude specific items?

[Markgway]

Re. Payback. The Theatrical Cut is clearly a better movie than the Director's Cut.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I recently saw Ten and I couldn't help but think of malakahaso when I read the opening to this Ebert review.

Cheers!

On another note, Othello looks fantastic. Just watched it a few days ago. It goes without saying that it's essential for Welles fans.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Markgway

Re. Payback. The Theatrical Cut is clearly a better movie than the Director's Cut.

I have only ever seen the theatrical cut, but all the stuff that stood out as really bad or completely out-of-place, I then read that was stuff the studio forced on the movie and was cut out of the director's cut. Doesn't mean it's better, but I can't imagine it being worse.

[Namuhana]

Question: there are two cuts of Black Sunday on FilmStruck; which should I watch: the American or international? I'm assuming the international cut is uncensored, but I just wanted to make sure.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by BaronVH

Depends on employee.

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Even when coupons are accepted automatically there are some managers/stores that have been known to deny them on 50% off items.

I'm in Australia, so it'll either work or it won't.

Is it November yet?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Just to point out real quick: I never said that. Just posting the piece the user was referencing.

Yes, I didn't mean to imply you said she did, just that the original claim was not true. Sorry you got caught in the cross fire.

[javy]

Originally Posted by MJD64

Just watched Personal Shopper and found it fascinating. One can certainly read a lot into it, and Kristen Stewart is excellent here; that combination of quiet intensity and restless awkwardness works to perfection. Beneath the guise of a moody ghost story, the film felt like a real commentary on how disconnected we are as a society in the 21st century. The title character of Maureen works a job she hates for an employer she almost never sees, has a boyfriend she interacts with mostly through Skype, and has her most revealing and intimate exchanges through text messaging, with the added irony that she isn't even sure whom she's communicating with. She's also a medium attempting to reach out to her recently deceased brother (in several eerie scenes that put a lot of actual horror movies to shame); she puts more effort into communicating with the dead than the living.

Again, this film is open to much interpretation and there's further compelling material here to explore. It's also gorgeously shot and further proof of what an excellent and understated actress Kristen Stewart is. Bring on November so I can add this to my collection on Blu!

I'll be picking up Personal Shopper during the sale too. Can't wait to check it out.

[tisdivine]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

November -- not yet. 53 hrs more or less until the sale is live. Officially BN operates on ET, but often the sale is not fully live until b/w 1 and 2am.

Since opening salvo is when the online coupons sometimes will work I might even suggest loading your wishlist now and being online when the all the prices change. As soon as your prices change, load the cart and apply a hoped for Whole Cart Discount Code keeping your fingers crossed. I'm not sure if they'll be Whole Cart coupon at all even as a hope -- though I am seeing a possible code that I've put in the deals section. At most it will be active for the first 2-3 hrs of the sale.

So is Nov 1st the exact date this year or still just tentative? Have about 5-6 older titles to pick up and Jabberwocky, Le Samaurai & Desert Hearts during the month.