The Criterion Collection

[jw007]

Deep deep month.

Definitely in for Midnight Cowboy and Mishima here.

The more I look at the artwork for Midnight Cowboy, the more I like it though. It looks much better at a distance than close up. Artwork doesn't really matter to me though as this is one of my favorite films of all time.

I'm prob. going to blind buy Kaurismäki's The Other Side of Hope, only because I'm a huge Aki Kaurismäki fan.

I might also upgrade my DVD of Au Hasard Balthazar too.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Would the Mishima film interest one who has never read the author's work before?

I haven’t read the author’s work before or after seeing the film but still think it’s stunning. It is definitely Arthouse with a capital A though.

[bluesparrow]

Mishima is truly stunning, I don't think you need to have read the author's work. It's basically an avant garde attempt at depicting his mind and life by adapting some of his short fiction and depicting scenes from his life. A successful attempt, I assume, but either way at the very least it's a thrilling experience to watch. It also has perhaps one of the best film scores of all time.

Definitely Paul Schrader's best film in my opinion, as either writer or director. And I'm including the Scorsese films he wrote which are nothing to sneeze at.

MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS (Paul Schrader, 1985) Trailer - YouTube

[jlk5844]

GREAT month! Competing with February for best month of 2018 so far. Haven't seen any of the films but I've been really wanting to check out Au Hasard Balthazar because I'm a masochist and I'm trying to watch more films that are considered among the best ever made. That is a lock for the next sale, so happy about that. Also, Midnight Cowboy and Mishima, holy crap! Been wanting to watch the former for years and the latter sounds unique and intriguing, plus I love me a Philip Glass score ever since I saw the Qatsi trilogy (Koyaanisqatsi specifically has AMAZING music). Definitely getting those in July too. Never heard of Moonrise, seems like a nice find to rescue from obscurity, but I'll wait for a review. Not sure about Graduation and not really interested in the others. Also, seven titles...damn.

[malakaheso]

If I didn't know better, I'd assume that Mishima was ghost directed. It has an aesthetic ambition that isn't found in any of Schrader's other films. The closest is maybe Adam Resurrected? and even that isn't close.

Graduation? Why?

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

If I didn't know better, I'd assume that Mishima was ghost directed. It has an aesthetic ambition that isn't found in any of Schrader's other films. The closest is maybe Adam Resurrected? and even that isn't close.

Graduation? Why?

Some of that is the subject matter is completely different than Schrader's other films, although I'd argue "Cat People" is pretty interesting aesthetically. "Blue Collar", "Hardcore", "Affliction", "Auto Focus", "Light Sleeper" are films that are so focused on the misery of the characters that any kind of aesthetic diversion would undermine from the main thrust of those films IMO. I'd say that "The Comfort of Strangers" is one where Schrader shows his visual flair a bit as well.

[bluesparrow]

I think the difference is due to the idea that Mishima is meant to evoke someone else's aesthetic(Mishima himself) and not Schrader's.

If it felt like one of his pure originals I think it'd diminish the film. Schrader himself I think considers directors like Bresson, Dreyer or Ozu more of an inspiration on his particular ouevre. He wrote a scholarly book about transcendentalism in film examining their works.

Probably why Mishima is out the same month as Au Hasard Balthazar actually.

[malakaheso]

^^But he still had to make the decision to tell the story that way. And besides, Schrader takes massive liberties with other characters and stories. His Bob Crane may as well have been his invention. Mishima really is a typical Schrader character. He is a man who was doomed to fail because he can't reconcile his private desires/impulses/fantasies with those of the wider society. That was the failing of Lamotta, Bickle, Wade Whitehouse, Bob Crane and Mishima, at least based on how Schrader depicted them.


As for Bresson/Ozu/Dreyer, he may admire them, but his films pretty much have nothing in common with their films. He has pretty much open about the fact that he is still drawn to those film makers _because_ they are so different from what he does.

Apparently his new film is closer to so called 'slow cinema' stylistically though, and he is now revising his Transcendental Style book, which I have mixed feelings about. He seems a few steps behind the eight ball on that one.

[mja345]

But Mishima's life story, as one of the more significant Japanese writers of the last century, allowed Schrader to approach that story differently. You're not going to approach a story about a sitcom star who decided to make porn or a guy searching for his daughter in LA's underbelly or a police officer in a small town in the same way as a story about a figure like Mishima. Even if Mishima shares similarities with some of his other characters, the subject matter is on a much more macro level given Mishima's history as opposed to many of Schrader's other films, which deal with characters on a much more micro, personal level. Given Mishima's significance and impact on the country of Japan, I think the film called for a much different approach than his other work.

[theater dreamer]

The July sale is going to absolutely destroy my wallet. Oh my.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by mja345

But Mishima's life story, as one of the more significant Japanese writers of the last century, allowed Schrader to approach that story differently. You're not going to approach a story about a sitcom star who decided to make porn or a guy searching for his daughter in LA's underbelly or a police officer in a small town in the same way as a story about a figure like Mishima. Even if Mishima shares similarities with some of his other characters, the subject matter is on a much more macro level given Mishima's history as opposed to many of Schrader's other films, which deal with characters on a much more micro, personal level. Given Mishima's significance and impact on the country of Japan, I think the film called for a much different approach than his other work.

He could have just made a standard biopic, or a much more conventional one. The fact that he didn't seems 'obvious' to us now, but that's hindsight talking. We had to see the film first.

[Dragon Ranger]

I'm happy for fans of the announced titles but this is what I am still waiting for above all else.

[jlk5844]

So lemme get this straight, is this upcoming Godzilla set comprised strictly of those above ^ titles, or is it every single Godzilla movie minus the 1998 and 2014 American blockbusters and maybe even Shin Godzilla (2016)?

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

He could have just made a standard biopic, or a much more conventional one. The fact that he didn't seems 'obvious' to us now, but that's hindsight talking. We had to see the film first.

Right, but you can make a film like "Mishima" when the subject has a sense of importance. Making a biopic of Bob Crane, for example, in the style of "Mishima" would be bizarre. I think Schrader obviously had something like "Mishima" in him, but was waiting for the right subject to unveil it. He's clearly someone who is mostly focused on the dark side of everyday existence, and that kind of subject matter rarely lends itself to a film with the aesthetic style of "Mishima".

[Dragon Ranger]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

So lemme get this straight, is this upcoming Godzilla set comprised strictly of those above ^ titles, or is it every single Godzilla movie minus the 1998 and 2014 American blockbusters and maybe even Shin Godzilla (2016)?

I believe it's the above titles only from the Showa era. The others are all licensed to various other studios in the west hence why so many have been put out by different labels.

[harry keogh]

Received my flash sale orders yesterday. Amazon could learn something about free shipping.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by harry keogh

Received my flash sale orders yesterday. Amazon could learn something about free shipping.

Mine should be out for delivery today!

Though I did goof and accidentally ordered a DVD copy of Othello instead of a BD; I contacted Criterion and they'll exchange it for me.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

Though I did goof and accidentally ordered a DVD copy of Othello instead of a BD; I contacted Criterion and they'll exchange it for me.

I made the same mistake with Hidden Fortress and they are allowing me to exchange it without charging me shipping for the replacement BD, which was nice of them.

[sawdustandtinsel]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

The July sale is going to absolutely destroy my wallet. Oh my.

Yep, and you just know they're gonna drop that Bergman box right in the middle of the sale.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by sawdustandtinsel

Yep, and you just know they're gonna drop that Bergman box right in the middle of the sale.

I was going to go semi-crazy with this last sale, but ended up missing it entirely. Well, didn't miss it as much as I was having issues with my bank. You would think that an entity as massive as Chase would have their **** together -- which to be fair they usually do -- but it was bad timing.

Anyway, yeah, July could be pretty nuts.