The Criterion Collection

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Steelheadz

What titles do you guys suggest for me to get that are great movies to watch from Criterion.

• The Qatsi Trilogy (Koyaanisqatsi is my all-time favorite film and I believe it's one of those things all film fans should see at least once. The only thing is, the film might not be to everyone's taste, especially if you want only narrative fiction films rather than tone poem documentaries. This might have to be a try-before-you-buy title)
• The vast majority, if not all, of the Akira Kurosawa films. Most especially the historic samurai films (Seven Samurai, the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set, Rashomon, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha). Kurosawa is one of the biggest reasons I became addicted to Criterion in the first place--all these films (plus films like Ikiru, High and Low, and Dreams) are superb. We've had rumors of a complete Kurosawa box set, but we might not find out for another year or more.
• One director that was given a complete Blu-Ray set is Ingmar Bergman. I've only seen nine of the 30+ films in the set, but they are all well-directed and some (especially The Seventh Seal, The Virgin Spring, Persona) are absolute must-sees. It's an excellent set if you have the money to spare and really like the more slow-burning foreign films.
• The next biggest box set coming this October is the Godzilla Showa era collection, consisting of the first 15 Godzilla films. If you are a sci-fi nut like me and like goofy monster movies, this thing should be spectacular. Have seen some murmurs about the lack of English dubs (which are rare for Criterions anyway) and the artwork. You be the judge. Of course, the first original Godzilla is out on its own--has been for a long time--and it's a good edition on its own, especially since the film had such poor releases beforehand.
• The Guillermo Del Toro set. Just three films--The Devil's Backbone, Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth--but they are great stories with a lot of imagination and quality. If you've seen the director's other films (like the original Hellboy, Crimson Peak, or the Shape of Water), then this should be a no-brainer.
• Many other huge directors and names are commonly invoked in the collection--Charlie Chaplain, Harry Lloyd, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Terrence Mallick, Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg, Wes Anderson, and lately David Lynch. Any of their films are easy recommendations--although maybe some more than others. If you're really picky about them, I've listed my recommendations below.

On an individual basis, I consider these to be absolute musts:

• Ace in the Hole
• Bicycle Thieves
• Blue Velvet
• The Breakfast Club
• The Bridge
• Diabolique
• Dr Strangelove
• The Gold Rush
• The Graduate
• Harakiri
• The Kid
• M
• Modern Times
• Night of the Hunter
• A Night to Remember
• On the Waterfront
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (my all-time third favorite film these days)
• The Phantom Carriage
• Rebecca
• Silence of the Lambs
• Some Like It Hot
• Stalker
• Thief
• The Third Man (if you can find a copy, this has been OOP for a long time, unfortunately).
• 12 Angry Men
• Vampyr

These are personal favorites of mine that come highly recommended:

• The Blob (1958)
• Brazil
• Breaking the Waves
• Charade
• Eraserhead
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Following
• In the Heat of the Night
• Island of Lost Souls
• Ivan's Childhood
• Le Samourai
• The New World
• 1984
• Scanners
• Seconds
• Sullivan's Travels
• The Thin Red Line
• Things to Come
• A Touch of Zen
• The Tree of Life
• Videodrome
• The Wages of Fear

These are ones I'd recommend only if you're really adventurous:

• Antichrist (simultaneously one of the most beautiful and one of the hardest films to watch)
• Branded to Kill (it's pretty nutty)
• Fantastic Planet (a French cartoon where giant aliens have humans for pets. It's kinda messed-up)
• Funny Games (1998--quite grim and brutal)
• House (1977--it's the most bonkers haunted house movie you'll ever see)
• Straw Dogs (it's brutal)
• Films by John Waters or Pier Paolo Passolini--things in their films can't be unseen, you have been warned.

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

I hope Criterion's first 4K UHD release will be either King Kong (1933) or Wings of Desire.

I’m still hoping the rumors come true about them releasing the first UHD at the end of the year and we get any announcement about it on Monday

[Dragun]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

I hope Criterion's first 4K UHD release will be either King Kong (1933) or Wings of Desire.

I can't see Criterion releasing King Kong. WB would release it themselves.

[Banned User]

How about Criterion get Ran back and release their first UHD with it. One can always dream.

[bsend]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

[Show spoiler]

• The Qatsi Trilogy (Koyaanisqatsi is my all-time favorite film and I believe it's one of those things all film fans should see at least once. The only thing is, the film might not be to everyone's taste, especially if you want only narrative fiction films rather than tone poem documentaries. This might have to be a try-before-you-buy title)
• The vast majority, if not all, of the Akira Kurosawa films. Most especially the historic samurai films (Seven Samurai, the Yojimbo/Sanjuro set, Rashomon, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha). Kurosawa is one of the biggest reasons I became addicted to Criterion in the first place--all these films (plus films like Ikiru, High and Low, and Dreams) are superb. We've had rumors of a complete Kurosawa box set, but we might not find out for another year or more.
• One director that was given a complete Blu-Ray set is Ingmar Bergman. I've only seen nine of the 30+ films in the set, but they are all well-directed and some (especially The Seventh Seal, The Virgin Spring, Persona) are absolute must-sees. It's an excellent set if you have the money to spare and really like the more slow-burning foreign films.
• The next biggest box set coming this October is the Godzilla Showa era collection, consisting of the first 15 Godzilla films. If you are a sci-fi nut like me and like goofy monster movies, this thing should be spectacular. Have seen some murmurs about the lack of English dubs (which are rare for Criterions anyway) and the artwork. You be the judge. Of course, the first original Godzilla is out on its own--has been for a long time--and it's a good edition on its own, especially since the film had such poor releases beforehand.
• The Guillermo Del Toro set. Just three films--The Devil's Backbone, Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth--but they are great stories with a lot of imagination and quality. If you've seen the director's other films (like the original Hellboy, Crimson Peak, or the Shape of Water), then this should be a no-brainer.
• Many other huge directors and names are commonly invoked in the collection--Charlie Chaplain, Harry Lloyd, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Terrence Mallick, Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg, Wes Anderson, and lately David Lynch. Any of their films are easy recommendations--although maybe some more than others. If you're really picky about them, I've listed my recommendations below.

On an individual basis, I consider these to be absolute musts:

• Ace in the Hole
• Bicycle Thieves
• Blue Velvet
• The Breakfast Club
• The Bridge
• Diabolique
• Dr Strangelove
• The Gold Rush
• The Graduate
• Harakiri
• The Kid
• M
• Modern Times
• Night of the Hunter
• A Night to Remember
• On the Waterfront
• The Passion of Joan of Arc (my all-time third favorite film these days)
• The Phantom Carriage
• Rebecca
• Silence of the Lambs
• Some Like It Hot
• Stalker
• Thief
• The Third Man (if you can find a copy, this has been OOP for a long time, unfortunately).
• 12 Angry Men
• Vampyr

These are personal favorites of mine that come highly recommended:

• The Blob (1958)
• Brazil
• Breaking the Waves
• Charade
• Eraserhead
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Following
• In the Heat of the Night
• Island of Lost Souls
• Ivan's Childhood
• Le Samourai
• The New World
• 1984
• Scanners
• Seconds
• Sullivan's Travels
• The Thin Red Line
• Things to Come
• A Touch of Zen
• The Tree of Life
• Videodrome
• The Wages of Fear

These are ones I'd recommend only if you're really adventurous:

• Antichrist (simultaneously one of the most beautiful and one of the hardest films to watch)
• Branded to Kill (it's pretty nutty)
• Fantastic Planet (a French cartoon where giant aliens have humans for pets. It's kinda messed-up)
• Funny Games (1998--quite grim and brutal)
• House (1977--it's the most bonkers haunted house movie you'll ever see)
• Straw Dogs (it's brutal)
• Films by John Waters or Pier Paolo Passolini--things in their films can't be unseen, you have been warned.

Thanks for taking the time to write this out. There are a few films I am looking forward to checking out.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

It doesn't take much to derail the appreciation/support of a director in Hollywood, especially when one lacks box office success.

This is why I'm a little worried about James Gray. Ad Astra is a big project for him, and I seriously doubt it will break even theatrically. Could bomb. If it bombs, it will have a negative impact on his career because he hasn't had any real hits.

Dominik is done in Hollywood. Last I heard he was trying to get a McCarthy project off the ground.

[koberulz]

The review here of I, Daniel Blake frustrated me when I first read it because five of the six paragraphs are simply the reviewer railing against the idea of "socialised medicine", with a the final paragraph merely noting that the two main actors are good. Beyond that nothing about the film is discussed.

It was on TV here recently however, so I recorded it and have just watched it, and the review seems even worse now than before. How can you so utterly miss the point a film is trying to make? Two solid hours of "we need a better safety net", and you come away with "this shows that the idea of a safety net is terrible"?

The other issue with the review is that its tone makes the ending rather obvious (I re-read it just now and had actually forgotten that it outright spoils the ending).

So if anyone's thinking about getting this...don't base your conclusion on the site's review. It's not at all the film the review portrays it as.

[Hazel Motes]

I, Daniel Blake is a masterpiece.

[Hazel Motes]

My dream is that Terrence Malick's "Voyage of Time" is announced Monday as Criterions first UHD 4K. With all 3 cuts. Or however many there are.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Here's my review of I, Daniel Blake - I posted this on here (on the dedicated thread for the film) several years ago, but felt it was just as appropriate here - given the recent mention of the film:

I've been a big Ken Loach fan for years, and recently watched I, Daniel Blake on Blu. Incredible. What an amazing cinematic experience. This is definitely one of Loach's top films (of the ones I've seen), which is saying a lot - since he's been directing for 50 years.

Very sad that Blake had to keep looking for work & at the same time couldn't accept a job (even though he wanted to) due to the contradictory requirements of the system he was forced to deal with, re: his health status. That being said, I know there are people out there who are lazy & fully capable of working, but take advantage of the system. I get that, and I know these people need to be weeded out. But, I'm also sure there are people out there like Blake who genuinely want to work, but have obstacles put in front of them - as was presented in the film.

(And, though I'm in the U.S., I suspect the system here has a lot of similarities to the one in the UK. So, it is very relatable - no matter where you're from.)

It's also unfortunate that Blake was in the situation he was in at all, since at his age most people should be able to at least start thinking about retirement - not having to continue to work. However, many people have to work until they die - which is unfortunate.

One of the most touching aspects to the film was the genuine friendship that Blake formed with Katie, the young & poor single mother. Very nice to see the scenes when Blake was helping her out by assisting her around her house, watching her kids when she couldn't be home, etc. It was also touching to see how he bonded with her kids. IRL & in film, it's rare to see an older guy form a friendship with an attractive younger woman - without expecting anything in return from her. You got the impression that Katie almost saw Daniel as a father figure, and he may have seen her as the daughter he never had.

[Show spoiler]The later scenes where Katie was forced to become an escort/prostitute (for financial reasons) were sad, but not at all unexpected.

The final scene where Blake died of a heart attack/stroke (just before he was going to present his case before the board) were quite heartbreaking and shocking - but, in retrospect, not at all unexpected either.

Though this film was quite depressing/sad, it's still one of the most extraordinary movies I've seen in the past ten years, and definitely one of my top 5 films of 2016.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by a priori

The Sweet Smell of Success was my top 'pleasant surprise blind-buy' of the recent Barnes & Noble Sale. Never has sleaze been so fun to watch and a long past milieu captured so palpably. (Plus, one of the most delicious character names in cinema: J.J. Hunsecker.)

Agreed - incredible film. I first saw SSOS when a local art-house movie theater was showing this on the big screen, circa 2002. Excellent noir-ish movie that perfectly captures a bygone era extremely well. Highly recommended.

[knuckles96]

Originally Posted by Hazel Motes

My dream is that Terrence Malick's "Voyage of Time" is announced Monday as Criterions first UHD 4K. With all 3 cuts. Or however many there are.

all i want in life is more malick

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

This is why I'm a little worried about James Gray. Ad Astra is a big project for him, and I seriously doubt it will break even theatrically. Could bomb. If it bombs, it will have a negative impact on his career because he hasn't had any real hits.

Dominik is done in Hollywood. Last I heard he was trying to get a McCarthy project off the ground.

Dominik is currently filming his long gestating Marilyn Monroe film, Blonde.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Dominik is currently filming his long gestating Marilyn Monroe film, Blonde.

And Gray already has a new, smaller project lined up.

They're both fine, career-wise.

[Xtempo]

got 1984 for $25 though I should have waited for the sale but I kinda want to watch it now.

[traths]

Originally Posted by a priori

The Sweet Smell of Success was my top 'pleasant surprise blind-buy' of the recent Barnes & Noble Sale. Never has sleaze been so fun to watch and a long past milieu captured so palpably. (Plus, one of the most delicious character names in cinema: J.J. Hunsecker.)

The best part about that movie is the dialogue.

[koberulz]

To me, Daniel Blake is almost about the importance of computer literacy. His life would have been much easier with even a basic level of computer knowledge, meanwhile his neighbor is making connections all over the world via Skype and reaping the benefits.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Dominik is currently filming his long gestating Marilyn Monroe film, Blonde.

For Netflix though, right? No studio would touch it.

CREM: Let's wait and see how AA does first. He has another film lined up, but if AA crashes and burns, he might have difficulty getting future films made.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

For Netflix though, right? No studio would touch it.

CREM: Let's wait and see how AA does first. He has another film lined up, but if AA crashes and burns, he might have difficulty getting future films made.

So you’re saying it doesn’t count? A movie at Netflix is better than not working. But that just might be me. I guess he thought good enough for Scorsese, good enough for him.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

So you’re saying it doesn’t count? A movie at Netflix is better than not working. But that just might be me. I guess he thought good enough for Scorsese, good enough for him.

Not to mention Curaon or the Coen Brothers. A lot of people are working with Netflix these days. With the studios seemingly focusing so much on tentpole superhero flicks, avenues like Netflix are going to become more important when it comes to giving opportunities to filmmakers.