The Criterion Collection

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by yoloswegmaster420

If it’s anything like the cheap quality All About Eve got, I’ll be pretty annoyed. Hopefully they’ll listen to our complaints.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by jrsl76

Picked up the Godzilla set today. Even though I wish it fit with the other releases, I do have to say that this is a gorgeous release.

Even though the size isn't ideal for easy storage, I love this set so far. I just finished watching Invasion of Astro-Monster a few days ago. Took me a minute to realize that the Japanese cut of King Kong vs Godzilla is on the extras disc. Still, have a couple extras on the original Godzilla I need to watch minus the English dub which I don't really have any interest in watching, no knock against those who grew up with the dubs and like them but I'm not a huge fan of them. So far this has been one of my favorite Criterion releases ever and is easily for me the Criterion release of the year.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

I don’t mind them as much for box sets like Cassavetes, etc but I don’t get why for standalone releases. Such a pain to find a sealed one that’s not dented up in some way. And many times it’s just random titles that get digipaks. Prefer some uniformity.

I've often heard people complain about damage with digipaks. I guess I've simply been lucky. *shrug*

As far as uniformity -- to be honest, I gave up on that ages ago.

[Al_The_Strange]

I imagine that Roma digipack would look pretty good next to the Yu Tu Mama Tambien one. Seems like that would be quite uniform for an Alfonso Cuarón line-up. Just as it is for the David Lynch films.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I imagine that Roma digipack would look pretty good next to the Yu Tu Mama Tambien one. Seems like that would be quite uniform for an Alfonso Cuarón line-up. Just as it is for the David Lynch films.

I like that idea. Nice.

I'm re-arranging my collection as it is. So, I'll more than likely be taking your idea.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I posted this on the Criterion Channel thread but, from the looks of it, that doesn't get much traffic. So I thought I'd post it here.

I am hoping that someone can help me out. I was wondering if there is a way to identify the titles that have been released by Criterion as opposed to other films that are simply available on the Criterion Channel. There seems to be a definite difference in PQ for some films, especially those that have not been given the Criterion workup. I am hoping there is a quick way to differentiate between Criterion Releases and Non-Criterion Releases. I could always just check the website for any title, but if I could avoid that step it would be helpful.

Thanks.

The website, or a list of all Criterion releases like this one on Wikipedia is your best bet.

If the film is on that list, Criterion has released it. If it’s not, they haven’t.

[AaronJ]

Wow. I was doing some more reading about Brighter Summer Day, one of the 4 films I ordered yesterday (along with Carol, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Heaven's Gate) and goodness, between the film itself and the complex extras, it's going to take a good while to truly "experience" this film. Also, my near total lack of knowledge of the subject matter isn't going to help, either. Heh.

I'm really looking forward to it, and to the others. I've seen Heaven's Gate but it was decades ago, and I don't even know what cut it was. So, for all intents and purposes this will be a first time viewing. I've never seen Picnic at Hanging Rock, and it sounds like it's right up my alley.

I've seen Carol multiple times and I think it's just brilliant. Somehow, however, I didn't own it. I could have SWORN I did. That was just weird. Well, that problem's solved, anyway. Or will be very soon -- tomorrow, in fact.

Oh yeah, and with these new films -- each of them pretty much LOADED with extras -- and my already ridiculous piles of unwatched Blu-rays, it's a good thing I don't have too much else coming.


Oh, wait: Game of Thrones: The Complete Series, Collector's Edition

Oh, boy.

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

I imagine that Roma digipack would look pretty good next to the Yu Tu Mama Tambien one. Seems like that would be quite uniform for an Alfonso Cuarón line-up. Just as it is for the David Lynch films.

Except Solo Con Tu Paraja is not a digipak. That’s kind of what I meant by uniformity. If they did it for a certain director cool. But many directors have a mix. Oh well.

I will say that even the amaray cases I’ve had a lot of trouble getting new releases lately where the cover insert wasn’t damaged from not being set properly. I had to go to multiple stores to find copies of Betty blue and matewan that didn’t have damage to the artwork

[FragnitoM]

I was bored so tried counting how many criterion films I’ve seen theatrically (on their initial release only) and it was 37. Which is also how old I am. So I’m buying lottery tickets today.

Cold War
Roma
Personal shopper
Two days, one night
Clouds of sils Maria
Phoenix
Boyhood
Before midnight
Inside llewyn Davis
Moonrise kingdom
Fantastic mr Fox
Curious case of Benjamin button
Darjeeling limited
Pans labyrinth
The squid and the whale
Before sunset
Life aquatic with steve zissou
Punch drunk love
Pan’s Labyrinth
Bowling for Columbine
Y tu mama Tambien
Mulholland dr
The Royal tenenbaums
Ghost World
Traffic
Topsy-turvy
The virgin suicides
All about my mother
Being John malkovich
Election
Armageddon
Rushmore
The Thin Red Line
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Ice Storm
The Game
The Rock

[AaronJ]

Wow, that's WAY more than me. I mean, I'm not sure how long my list would be, but I know it's nowhere near 37.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

I was bored so tried counting how many criterion films I’ve seen theatrically (on their initial release only) and it was 37. Which is also how old I am. So I’m buying lottery tickets today.

Mine’s more minuscule than yours considering about 67% of my collection are films before I was born (‘95), I was too young to of seen them theatrically or they didn’t play at a theater within a driveable distance:
Moonrise Kingdom
Phoenix

[Reddington]

In advance of the upcoming release of All About Eve and Now, Voyager I've been reading up on Bette Davis. I've always enjoyed her performances, but never really focused on her career and films. However, the more I read, the more fascinated I am with her. I'll certainly be picking these two titles up Day 1 (and on sale at B&N, too!), and checking out her entire filmography.

I also found this clip on an interview she did at the NFT in London in 1972, which is fantastic!

https://youtu.be/S0WZAFuqw28

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Except Solo Con Tu Paraja is not a digipak. That’s kind of what I meant by uniformity. If they did it for a certain director cool. But many directors have a mix. Oh well.

I will say that even the amaray cases I’ve had a lot of trouble getting new releases lately where the cover insert wasn’t damaged from not being set properly. I had to go to multiple stores to find copies of Betty blue and matewan that didn’t have damage to the artwork

I wasn't aware of Sólo con Tu Pareja. Wasn't even considering DVD releases. That being said, I did think back and realize that all of Terrence Malick's Blu-Rays are a mix.

Yeah, the amaray cases have mucked up some of the booklets for me lately. That annoys me more than uneven cases.

[nitin]

It’s taken some 15 years but my top 3 films of all time has finally been disturbed and Chinatown drops from number 2 to number 3.

Replacing it at number 2 is Satyajit Ray’s monumentally staggering The Music Room (Jalsaghar). Similar in theme to Visconti’s great The Leopard but, for me anyway, the execution is even more emotionally resonant because the scope is less epic and more personal.

The land baron who is just unwilling to acknowledge let alone embrace the looming societal and environmental changes that were on the horizon in the late 1920s/late 1930s East India is superbly portrayed by Chhabi Biswas who is in nearly every shot of the movie. The character is hubristic, narcissistic, and pathetic, yet Ray and Biswas manage to still evoke so much empathy and conflicted feelings in the viewer.

This was my first Ray film and the technique is absolutely phenomenal, there is some fabulously applause worthy cinematography and foreshadowing throughout and when the movie segues into its three varied musical interludes, it does not feel like at like the musical numbers in Hollywood or Bollywood musicals, but an organic extension and contribution to the mood and narrative already constructed.

My favourite of these musical interludes was the second one, more so for how it played in the narrative and character development as Biswas’ character’s mind is for once not on his beloved music but the fate of his wife and son. This sequence features some of the best use of subjective POV technique in any film, I particularly loved the way the singer’s voice sounds like a wailing cry for help towards the end of the musical interlude as Biswas’ character gets up to leave having realised the potential fate of his wife and son.

A perfect 10.

Criterion’s blu is from a somewhat compromised source with a fair bit of blooming in the whites, some minor but noticeable image instability and the occasional light damage. But for an Indian film, most of which have very poorly cared for original materials, it is a fantastic presentation and frequently looks jaw dropping. The audio is also surprisingly pretty good if a little thin.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Wow. I was doing some more reading about Brighter Summer Day, one of the 4 films I ordered yesterday (along with Carol, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Heaven's Gate) and goodness, between the film itself and the complex extras, it's going to take a good while to truly "experience" this film. Also, my near total lack of knowledge of the subject matter isn't going to help, either. Heh.

I'm really looking forward to it, and to the others. I've seen Heaven's Gate but it was decades ago, and I don't even know what cut it was. So, for all intents and purposes this will be a first time viewing. I've never seen Picnic at Hanging Rock, and it sounds like it's right up my alley.

I've seen Carol multiple times and I think it's just brilliant. Somehow, however, I didn't own it. I could have SWORN I did. That was just weird. Well, that problem's solved, anyway. Or will be very soon -- tomorrow, in fact.

Oh yeah, and with these new films -- each of them pretty much LOADED with extras -- and my already ridiculous piles of unwatched Blu-rays, it's a good thing I don't have too much else coming.


Oh, wait: Game of Thrones: The Complete Series, Collector's Edition

Oh, boy.

A couple weeks ago, I was reading up about how Heaven's Gate was a complete financial disaster and all but killed the western genre for a while. Still won't keep me from wanting to actually watch it.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

Originally Posted by Reddington

In advance of the upcoming release of All About Eve and Now, Voyager I've been reading up on Bette Davis. I've always enjoyed her performances, but never really focused on her career and films. However, the more I read, the more fascinated I am with her. I'll certainly be picking these two titles up Day 1 (and on sale at B&N, too!), and checking out her entire filmography.

I also found this clip on an interview she did at the NFT in London in 1972, which is fantastic!

https://youtu.be/S0WZAFuqw28

I'm recording a bunch of her movies on TCM, and also getting her Criterion movies when they come out in a few days. Just love her.

[zoodermin]

I just saw The Irishman and I loved it. Impeccable performances from all three leads and a masterful direction by Scorsese. Schoonmaker's editing is astonishing as the pacing and rhythm of the film is just right. Three and a half hours that doesn't feel like it. And a story that will leave you thinking long after you finish the film. I really hope Criterion will get to release this film in the near future. Roma being released gives me hope that it could happen.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by zoodermin

I just saw The Irishman and I loved it. Impeccable performances from all three leads and a masterful direction by Scorsese. Schoonmaker's editing is astonishing as the pacing and rhythm of the film is just right. Three and a half hours that doesn't feel like it. And a story that will leave you thinking long after you finish the film. I really hope Criterion will get to release this film in the near future. Roma being released gives me hope that it could happen.

Yeah, The Irishman was awesome and to see it in a theater was truly special.

A Criterion release would be a dream come true, fingers crossed it happens.

[thebalconyfool]

Originally Posted by Reddington

In advance of the upcoming release of All About Eve and Now, Voyager I've been reading up on Bette Davis. I've always enjoyed her performances, but never really focused on her career and films. However, the more I read, the more fascinated I am with her. I'll certainly be picking these two titles up Day 1 (and on sale at B&N, too!), and checking out her entire filmography.

I also found this clip on an interview she did at the NFT in London in 1972, which is fantastic!

https://youtu.be/S0WZAFuqw28

Great interview clip. I've been a big Bette Davis fan for a long time now, what an incredible and yes, very fascinating woman. Have fun dipping into her filmography, you're in for a real treat! She was one of a kind.

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by Reddington

In advance of the upcoming release of All About Eve and Now, Voyager I've been reading up on Bette Davis. I've always enjoyed her performances, but never really focused on her career and films. However, the more I read, the more fascinated I am with her. I'll certainly be picking these two titles up Day 1 (and on sale at B&N, too!), and checking out her entire filmography.

I also found this clip on an interview she did at the NFT in London in 1972, which is fantastic!

That's a great clip, and man, what a force of nature. There were some tough, amazing actresses from that era - Stanwyck, Hepburn, Lombard, Dietrich, Loy, Harlow, Crawford - so many others. But Bette always seemed like the toughest of them all.