The Criterion Collection

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm not a sports fan in general, except when it comes to running.

I enjoy going to ball games in person with friends or attending Super Bowl parties and the like, but I've never watched a football, baseball, or basketball game while at home by myself. Not even once.

I do love quite a few sports movies, though. There's something about competition that is conducive to strong cinematic stories.

People can jeer at recent live-action Disney movies all they want, but The Rookie (2002) and McFarland, USA (2015) are both surprisingly good.

Downhill Racer is an amazing Criterion title if you're looking for a sports movie with a different sort of vibe.

I'd love to see Criterion issue a definitive edition of Rocky, although that title is pretty much spoken for.

I can't watch a baseball game on TV at all, it's like watching paint dry. Watching it live it a much more enjoyable experience where you get caught up in the atmosphere. I think that's why baseball movies work so well because as someone alluded to before, there's an aura about the game being "America's past-time", even though I am not American whenever I think of baseball, I think of the whole Americana thing that surrounds it.

North of the border, Slap Shot is still revered as one of the best sports movies of all time.

Originally Posted by Bolo Seagull

As for sports films that deserve a Criterion edition, my man Warren Oates gets my vote.

[Show spoiler]

I would LOVE to see this film released on blu-ray. Criterion have released a few Hellman films, so it would fit right in but I can also envision Arrow releasing this (maybe because I recently watched Oates in the Arrow release of Dillinger).

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by BagheeraMcGee

This set you propose would not be complete without The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.

I Just read the description. It sounds awesome

[Hoke Moseley]

Eight Men Out is the best baseball movie for me, and desperately needs a better blu-ray. It would be great if Criterion could put it out alongside other long overdue Sayles films, like the rumored Lone Star.

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Eight Men Out is the best baseball movie for me, and desperately needs a better blu-ray. It would be great if Criterion could put it out alongside other long overdue Sayles films, like the rumored Lone Star.

Sayles deserves a box set. Lone Star, Matewan, a remastered Eight Men Out, Brother from Another Planet, Secret of Roan Inish, City Of Hope and Passion Fish would all be welcome as far as I'm concerned.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Eight Men Out is the best baseball movie for me, and desperately needs a better blu-ray. It would be great if Criterion could put it out alongside other long overdue Sayles films, like the rumored Lone Star.

Eight Men Out is brilliant, and a great story of a real event.

Though Joe Jackson should not be banned from the HoF. That's ridiculous, and doesn't even match up with what happened.

[In the 1919 WS] Jackson's 12 base hits set a Series record that was not broken until 1964,[13] and he led both teams with a .375 batting average. He committed no errors, and threw out a runner at the plate.

I'm sorry. If THAT is throwing a Series, then I want 25 guys on my team, EVERY YEAR, who are determined to throw the Series. Joe was not a bright or educated guy by all accounts. Someone offering him money probably didn't even compute for him. He came from abject poverty.

Jackson was born in Pickens County, South Carolina, the oldest son in the family. His father George was a sharecropper; he moved the family to Pelzer, South Carolina, while Jackson was still a baby.[3] A few years afterwards the family moved to a company town called Brandon Mill, on the outskirts of Greenville, South Carolina.[4] An attack of measles almost killed him when he was 10. He was in bed for two months, paralyzed while he was nursed back to health by his mother.[5]

Starting at the age of 6 or 7, Jackson worked in one of the town's textile mills as a "linthead", a derogatory name for a mill hand.[4] Family finances required Joe to take 12-hour shifts in the mill, and since education at the time was a luxury the Jackson family couldn't afford, Jackson was uneducated.[4]

His lack of education ultimately became an issue throughout Jackson's life. It even affected the value of his memorabilia in the collectibles market; because Jackson was illiterate, he often had his wife sign his signature. Consequently, anything actually autographed by Jackson himself brings a premium when sold, including one autograph which was sold for $23,500 in 1990 (equal to $44,000 today).[6] In restaurants, rather than ask someone to read the menu to him, he would wait until his teammates ordered and then order one of the items that he heard.[7]

I'm sorry. I know we weren't really talking about this, but it's a SERIOUS personal gripe of mine. Baseball is my favorite sport, and Joe was one of the greatest players who ever put on a glove.

In one year it will be 100 freakin' years! And he didn't even do anything! Come the freak, on!

OK, OK, I'll stop now. I need a drink. I'm so pissed off right now that ... OK. Go on.

[jw007]

Overall, a very strong month of Criterion releases. I read over the last 10 pages how many people are polarized by Bull Durham. Though I've only seen the film once (and I totally forgot what the story is about exactly), its going to be nice to see this get the Criterion blu-ray treatment.

What nobody seems to be talking about is Soderbergh's Sex, Lies & Videotape though. I gladly welcome more Soderbergh films, especially his version of Solaris, but I def. am intrigued by this release.

The Josef von Sternberg box set is huge obviously, but I can't see myself watching these films more than once, so I'm going to have to lay back on buying that one.

Personally, the highlight for me is the Powell/Pressburger A Matter of Life and Death, which blows me away that its coming to the collection. I'm a huge fan of their films!

The only title I'm not interested in for the July announcements is Dragon Inn.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by bluesparrow

You guys are right about baseball movies. There's something kind of mythic and ethereal about baseball that lends itself well to movies. Field of Dreams, Moneyball, The Natural, Bull Durham, Eight Men Out.

Good point.

I also think that the game of baseball is the most natural and "spiritual" of all games out there. There is no time clock, its played on a natural grass surface (at least nowadays, compared to the astroturf of yesteryear), there is a lot of interaction with wildlife (birds, squirrels, cats, groundhogs) that sometimes jump on the field, the outfield walls are sometimes covered in ivy (Wrigley field), there are various "curses" and superstition throughout its history, etc. Not to mention its America's Pastime and has been around a long time (centuries). This all contributes to the mysticism that is baseball.

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by Bolo Seagull

As for sports films that deserve a Criterion edition, my man Warren Oates gets my vote.

Yes! I'd be very happy to get Cockfighter. I am surprised it hasn't been released already since Criterion has released other Monte Hellman films.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by JasonMichael

Yes! I'd be very happy to get Cockfighter. I am surprised it hasn't been released already since Criterion has released other Monte Hellman films.

I have no idea what that is.

Is it what it sounds like? Because if so, then I am a definite "No" on this one.

[Thomas Irwin]

Originally Posted by BagheeraMcGee

Sayles deserves a box set. Lone Star, Matewan, a remastered Eight Men Out, Brother from Another Planet, Secret of Roan Inish, City Of Hope and Passion Fish would all be welcome as far as I'm concerned.

The Brother from Another Planet is definitely one I've been waiting for. I'd love to see Criterion release that one. I've never seen any of the others yet.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by BagheeraMcGee

Sayles deserves a box set. Lone Star, Matewan, a remastered Eight Men Out, Brother from Another Planet, Secret of Roan Inish, City Of Hope and Passion Fish would all be welcome as far as I'm concerned.

Might as well throw in Limbo, Sunshine State, and Return of the Secaucus Seven while we're at it!

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by jw007

What nobody seems to be talking about is Soderbergh's Sex, Lies & Videotape though. I gladly welcome more Soderbergh films, especially his version of Solaris, but I def. am intrigued by this release.

I think there's less talk about sex, lies, and videotape because everyone already knew it was coming for over a month.

I'd also love to see Solaris get a (US) blu-ray release.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by jw007

Good point.

I also think that the game of baseball is the most natural and "spiritual" of all games out there. There is no time clock, its played on a natural grass surface (at least nowadays, compared to the astroturf of yesteryear), there is a lot of interaction with wildlife (birds, squirrels, cats, groundhogs) that sometimes jump on the field, the outfield walls are sometimes covered in ivy (Wrigley field), there are various "curses" and superstition throughout its history, etc. Not to mention its America's Pastime and has been around a long time (centuries). This all contributes to the mysticism that is baseball.

The only sport that might transfer to film better than baseball is boxing, IMO.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

The only sport that might arguably transfer to film better than baseball is boxing, IMO.

Yes, Raging Bull is one of those films.

But tell me what other great boxing films exist (other than Rocky)?

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, Raging Bull is one of those films.

But tell me what other great boxing films exist (other than Rocky)?

The question is, name me a bad boxing movie?

The Champ, Body and Soul, Champion, The Set-Up, Fat City, Cinderella Man etc...the list is endless. Even Gladiator '92 kicks ass.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, Raging Bull is one of those films.

But tell me what other great boxing films exist (other than Rocky)?

Ali is absolute brilliance. Of course, as I've said, I remember that fight in real time. And I don't think that Will Smith could have played Ali any better than another person. It was brilliance from the top to bottom.

[Cremildo]

Body and Soul, Champion, Ali and Million Dollar Baby are the best boxing-themed movies I've seen.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

Body and Soul, Champion, Ali and Million Dollar Baby are the best boxing-themed movies I've seen.

How in god's name did I leave out Million Dollar Baby?! I saw that with my mom, and we both actually cried.

[mja345]

"Cockfighter" has a Japanese BD that I've had for a while. Could definitely use a restoration though, as it's not the greatest transfer.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

The question is, name me a bad boxing movie?

The Champ, Body and Soul, Champion, The Set-Up, Fat City, Cinderella Man etc...the list is endless. Even Gladiator '92 kicks ass.

I'd also include The Harder They Fall. I keep hoping for a Criterion release of it. Bogart's last film and it's excellent.