The Criterion Collection

[RojD]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

I'm having a hard time deciding which director I should watch first:

Abbas Kiarostrami
VS.
Satyajit Ray

Who should I watch first?

....

But I much prefer the more influential or the more important director. So who should I watch first if I pretended to be someone who's new to world cinema (Even though I'm not but I would like to watch the easiest and better director first) Thanks in advance to those who reply to my question.

I'm a huge Ray fan, but I think Kiarostami is a better filmmaker. I watched the Koker Trilogy recently and was blown away by how smart and contemporary it is. And how heartfelt. And how incredibly skilled all three films are. If you like movies that play with things like reality/illusion and documentary/fiction, these are real go-to's. They're so deft, too; nothing self-indulgent or heavy. And the Koker films are a great set up for his later work.

Ray has the same heart; The Apu Trilogy is a warm, touching set of movies. But Ray comes out of a more traditional approach to film that downplays its technical elements and uses character and action towards a point. Ray might be interested in showing the effects of modernization or problems South Asian women face, but he doesn't have Kiarostami's interest in formal or philosophical questions. And like the early Kiarostami trilogy sets you up for much of the rest of the director's body of work, The Apu Trilogy has much of the rest of Ray's concern.

Maybe both trilogies?

[Will G]

Originally Posted by RojD

I watched the Koker Trilogy recently and was blown away by how smart and contemporary it is. And how heartfelt. And how incredibly skilled all three films are.

I agree. I wasn't a big Kiarostami fan until I recently watched the Koker Trilogy. Wow...these films are amazing! Some of the most mysterious exotic film making I've ever seen. Deep humanism, complex storytelling & absolutely beautiful composition. The 7.2 user rating is mind boggling. This is easily one of the best sets Criterion has ever released.

[Richard--W]

Has this year's June sale B&N sale been cancelled?

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Has this year's June sale B&N sale been cancelled?

I thought the sale was in July.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

Has this year's June sale B&N sale been cancelled?

Originally Posted by Gacivory

I thought the sale was in July.

Yes. It always used to start around the Fourth of July holiday and run until the end of the month. For the last couple of years it has started just before the end of June (from memory, the 27th in 2019), and finished the first week of August.

[DaBargainHunta]

Murder By Contract (1958)



Wow, talk about a huge pleasant surprise! At a trim and taut 81 minutes, this movie doesn't waste any time - even if the contract killer at the center of it, Claude (Vince Edwards), seems to waste a lot of it planning the hit he's been assigned. He has to knock off an important witness before a trial.

The dryly comic supporting performances by Phillip Pine and Herschel Bernardi - the two actors playing Claude's "handlers" - are probably the highlight of the movie. With great chemistry and sharp dialogue, this is a treat to watch.

The Criterion Channel recently brought back and expanded the Columbia Noir section. I've greatly enjoyed the ones I've seen. This appears to be the only one expiring this month (I hope I'm not overlooking any others), so I made it a point to catch it in time - and I'm glad I did.

DaBargainHunta's Decree: No less than Martin Scorsese considers this one of his favorite b-movies. That was more than good enough for me to give this a chance! You should too... (Subtitles included? Yes and No! They're there but disappear completely toward the end. WTH, Criterion Channel? Talk about shoddy quality control. Thankfully, by that point, you don't need dialogue to follow along with what's happening. But still!)

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by dwk

Of course Kino has cancelled as many planned UHDs (Valkyrie and the Dollars trilogy[still annoyed at this one and I still don't have a 4K player]) as they still have planned, so it is a possibility that those planned titles don't pan out.

Why would you be annoyed the canceled what would've been a terrible sett? Until Fistful and TGTBTU get proper color re-grades, then it is worthless, and luckily (for once) they knew it. Although they could've re-graded easily (and cheaply) if they knew how to do it.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Why would you be annoyed the canceled what would've been a terrible sett? Until Fistful and TGTBTU get proper color re-grades, then it is worthless, and luckily (for once) they knew it. Although they could've re-graded easily (and cheaply) if they knew how to do it.

They were going to fix the color, the expense of fixing the color was one reason they canceled the release.

[Doc Moonlight]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Yes. It always used to start around the Fourth of July holiday and run until the end of the month. For the last couple of years it has started just before the end of June (from memory, the 27th in 2019), and finished the first week of August.

They're starting to open their stores again. Fingers crossed.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by Doc Moonlight

They're starting to open their stores again. Fingers crossed.

Yes, my local stores have just started doing curbside pickup. Hopefully, we can shop in-store come sale time!

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

Murder By Contract (1958)

[Show spoiler]

Wow, talk about a huge pleasant surprise! At a trim and taut 81 minutes, this movie doesn't waste any time - even if the contract killer at the center of it, Claude (Vince Edwards), seems to waste a lot of it planning the hit he's been assigned. He has to knock off an important witness before a trial.

The dryly comic supporting performances by Phillip Pine and Herschel Bernardi - the two actors playing Claude's "handlers" - are probably the highlight of the movie. With great chemistry and sharp dialogue, this is a treat to watch.

The Criterion Channel recently brought back and expanded the Columbia Noir section. I've greatly enjoyed the ones I've seen. This appears to be the only one expiring this month (I hope I'm not overlooking any others), so I made it a point to catch it in time - and I'm glad I did.

DaBargainHunta's Decree: No less than Martin Scorsese considers this one of his favorite b-movies. That was more than good enough for me to give this a chance! You should too... (Subtitles included? Yes and No! They're there but disappear completely toward the end. WTH, Criterion Channel? Talk about shoddy quality control. Thankfully, by that point, you don't need dialogue to follow along with what's happening. But still!)

I caught Murder by Contract on the channel and I was was blown away. I loved the lean, hard style of it. It was really ahead of its time and I can see its influence on Suzuki, Scorcese and Tarantino. I also thought the two handlers were great, kind of like the comic characters in a Shakespeare tragedy.

A really pleasant surprise and maybe the best work that Vince Edwards ever did.

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Why would you be annoyed the canceled what would've been a terrible sett? Until Fistful and TGTBTU get proper color re-grades, then it is worthless, and luckily (for once) they knew it. Although they could've re-graded easily (and cheaply) if they knew how to do it.

Why dont you show them how? You have no problem correcting everyone on here, the world would be a much better place if we all were able to obtain your limitless knowledge

[acroyear2]

So if the Criterion 30% off sale ends on June 15th I guess that means there will only be a short window (a few hours) between the September announcements and the ability to purchase them at the discounted price?

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

I'm having a hard time deciding which director I should watch first:

Abbas Kiarostrami
VS.
Satyajit Ray

Who should I watch first?

Toss a coin? Both are excellent film-makers. In Ray's defense I'd say he was a more varied film-maker who was not repeatedly tackling existential questions. The Apu Trilogy, Jalsaghar (Music Room), Mahanagar (Big City), Charulata, even the flawed Nayak (Hero) are wholly different films with different considerations. Ray was a man with varied interests and his films reflected that. He even made family-friendly crime thrillers and fantasy films (often based on his own written stories, which were very popular in his home state). Hoping to see Ray's other masterpieces like Devi (Goddess), Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest), Kanchenjunga and Ghare Bhaire (Home and the World) also get stunning restorations and HD releases.

I'm pretty sure I can handle slow cinema now since I watched Jeanne Dielman and all the Tarkovsky films already without losing attention too much (I dozed off on Ivan's Childhood and Andrei Rublev sadly. I will have to revisit them soon). But I much prefer the more influential or the more important director.

How did you fall asleep during Ivan's Childhood?
Compared to other Tarkovsky films, it's uncharacteristically fast paced and action-packed.
How would you define influential and important? Many of Ray's films were watched and admired by audiences in his state, and not just arthouse film fans looking for some rarefied experience. Every film-maker has his/her own importance and influence, and it's better to go by one's own instincts and preferences than by some dubious consensus.

[jw007]

What are good Criterions to watch during times of chaos, disorder, and civil unrest?

[BamaDullard]

Originally Posted by jw007

What are good Criterions to watch during times of chaos, disorder, and civil unrest?

Harlan County, U.S.A and Do the Right Thing are two that immediately come to mind, assuming you don’t want escapism.

[Ray Jackson]

Yi Yi is one of them films that every time I watch it I feel this unbearable sense of pressure, like I’m supposed to love it.

But I just kind of like it.

...and that’s about it.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by BamaDullard

Harlan County, U.S.A and Do the Right Thing are two that immediately come to mind, assuming you don’t want escapism.

That's still my favorite Spike Lee film. Amazing cinema.

I guess I don't want escapism.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Yi Yi is one of them films that every time I watch it I feel this unbearable sense of pressure, like I’m supposed to love it.

But I just kind of like it.

...and that’s about it.

Yi Yi.

Ya Ya.

Yes Yes.

I think I own it.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by jw007

What are good Criterions to watch during times of chaos, disorder, and civil unrest?

Battle of Algiers
Memories of Underdevelopment