The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Beaver's review of A Matter of Life and Death:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-r...th_blu-ray.htm

Looks great. Day one for me (July 24th; hopefully, the B&N event will still be in full swing ).

Nice review but why does he think Heaven Can Wait ('78) is a US remake of it?

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Nice review but why does he think Heaven Can Wait ('78) is a US remake of it?

I always thought that Heaven Can Wait '78 was a remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Nice review but why does he think Heaven Can Wait ('78) is a US remake of it?

Don't know...perhaps an angel plucked him from the review before he finished it.

[shadedpain4]

I mentioned this elsewhere, and apologies if it's old news in this thread, but apparently

[Show spoiler]Olivier Assayas' Cold Water

will be one of the announced titles next week.

[bigbadwoppet]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Missing is being released in the UK by Indicator/Powerhouse: https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=23436

I have a number of their titles, and the quality is excellent. Should also be region-free. With no hint of a Criterion upgrade, a likely pick up on release for me.

I wouldn't mind waiting for a Criterion upgrade if they didn't give priority to releasing manure such as John Waters' Female Trouble instead.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Penn's role works for his use in the film. I never really got the criticism that his role isn't understood or it should be fleshed out. It's one of my worries for the extended cut; so much of the film works because of its fleeting nature and unwillingness to contextualize.

And that script is something. It doesn't differ that much from what Penn mentioned in that interview, however.

If you read the script, then you'll see what was cut. It still works in the theatrical, but depending what they put back, there's so much more.

[willieconway]

The Player is absolutely fantastic and the picture is borderline 3D at times. Wow.

[Namuhana]

That first screenshot in the Bull Durham has certainly piqued my interest.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by willieconway

The Player is absolutely fantastic and the picture is borderline 3D at times. Wow.

"The Player" is such a great film. I've heard some critique it as a half-baked Hollywood satire, but IMO it's such a brilliant commentary what how much ego plays a part in the human experience. It's one of the best commentaries I've seen on how human beings reward some of the worst among us based on a collective ignorance and lack of empathy. I find the film to be a more devastating critique on society each time I watch it.

[malakaheso]

I wish I saw that in it. I found it to be a toothless satire that was visually uninteresting.

Then again, I'm probably in the minority in that I don't believe that Altman made a great film after the 1970's.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

I wish I saw that in it. I found it to be a toothless satire that was visually uninteresting.

Then again, I'm probably in the minority in that I don't believe that Altman made a great film after the 1970's.

I'm in the camp of not being much of a fan of what he did post-"Kansas City", which I think was his last really interesting film. His five films that resonate for me, post-1980, are "Come Back to the Five and Dime...", "Streamers", "Secret Honor", "The Player", and "Short Cuts". "Secret Honor" is even more brutal and scathing in light of the current socio-political climate in America IMO.

[malakaheso]

Secret Honor is easily the best of that lot to me. Very good film. I just don't think it compares to his best 70's films though.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by mja345

"The Player" is such a great film. I've heard some critique it as a half-baked Hollywood satire, but IMO it's such a brilliant commentary what how much ego plays a part in the human experience. It's one of the best commentaries I've seen on how human beings reward some of the worst among us based on a collective ignorance and lack of empathy. I find the film to be a more devastating critique on society each time I watch it.

Yeah I agree. I love The Player. Such a great film

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Secret Honor is easily the best of that lot to me. Very good film. I just don't think it compares to his best 70's films though.

So Secret Honor is more visually interesting that The Player??? Come on. It's practically a stage play.

My top 5 favorite post-70s Altmans are Vincent & Theo, Popeye, Short Cuts, The Player and Prairie Home Companion. I like a few more, so I guess I'm sort of in the bag for Altman.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

So Secret Honor is more visually interesting that The Player??? Come on. It's practically a stage play.

In terms of content it's far more interesting. It's also a more daring film. I probably do prefer how it looks too, if I'm being honest, possibly because of how restricted the setting is.

We have very different views on post-70's Altman, clearly. Vincent and Theo is one of my least favourite Altman's.

[I KEEL YOU]

I can't seem to find where he said Secret Honor is "visually interesting". Did I miss something? Just because it's reminiscent of theater doesn't make it any worse of a movie. Glengarry Glen Ross (the movie) is practically a stage play as well, but it's still a masterpiece.

To each his own, but for me, Secret Honor is the best Altman movie he made outside of the 70s, and I really hope to see a blu ray release of it. It really showcases the extremes of Altman. After making several movies about many people that aren't centered around one or a few people, he made this film that only ever has a single person in it. Oh yeah, it would be epic if they included a 2 hour or so highlight of the Nixon-Frost interview in the bonus materials.

[demonknight]

Originally Posted by bigbadwoppet

I wouldn't mind waiting for a Criterion upgrade if they didn't give priority to releasing manure such as John Waters' Female Trouble instead.

Female Trouble is awesome. The joke of early Waters is that it’s offensive and bad.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

In terms of content it's far more interesting. It's also a more daring film. I probably do prefer how it looks too, if I'm being honest, possibly because of how restricted the setting is.

We have very different views on post-70's Altman, clearly. Vincent and Theo is one of my least favourite Altman's.

See, it became a relentlessly dull visual experience for me with the restricted setting.

I prefer Oliver Stone's Nixon to Secret Honor as it didn't just focus on his "demons." Altman's politics during the Streamers and Secret Honor era were just way too single-minded and loud for me.

[Scottie]

REVIEW

[thatguamguy]

I can't imagine thinking the visuals of "Secret Honor" are dull, the camerawork is practically a course in "how to tell a story with camera moves". (In fact, given the history of the production, it might well have been literally that.)

"Fool For Love", those are boring visuals.

I can remember a time when any list of Altman's best post 70's work was guaranteed to include "Cookie's Fortune" but I guess that's been out of print long enough to go back to being underrated. Once somebody gets the rights to put out the blu in America, I think people will be reminded again.