The Criterion Collection

[malakaheso]

^Doubt it. I'd love to see his 70's films in HD.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by JackBros

I'm wondering if someone more knowledgeable than me can tell me the odds of Criterion releasing more Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger films, be it a nice boxset similar to the Dietrich/Von Sternberg one or single releases like Swing Time. One of the reasons I've been holding off on picking up Swing Time is the hope it'll be released in an eventual boxset but they've been pretty quiet about anymore of their films. I really want a Top Hat Blu-ray and all their other great films on Blu-ray for that matter, such a shame that many of the pairs films only have dvd releases if that.

A box is unlikely, they would have done a box set to begin with rather than release one and do a box set later. If they have any of the others it’s probably only Top Hat but at this point it’s more probable that Warner Archive will do them (which is just as well as they’ll include the short films that were on the DVDs, which I find more desirable than the kind of extras Criterion would put on theirs - might be good but nothing you couldn’t get elsewhere.)

[chewbabka]

So I went to BN to try to exchange my Rebecca with damaged disc 2 hub b/c it said online they had it in stock. Couldn't find it, so an associate there checked their returns drawer and we discovered that some bum had bought Rebecca, photocopied the art insert, put that and the earlier MGM disc in a 1-disc Scanavo case, and "returned" it as "unplayable."

People like this are why we can't have nice things.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by chewbabka

So I went to BN to try to exchange my Rebecca with damaged disc 2 hub b/c it said online they had it in stock. Couldn't find it, so an associate there checked their returns drawer and we discovered that some bum had bought Rebecca, photocopied the art insert, put that and the earlier MGM disc in a 1-disc Scanavo case, and "returned" it as "unplayable."

People like this are why we can't have nice things.

Once again my philosophy of people bears fruit:

Never underestimate anyone’s potential to be a jerk.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

But I'm a Cheerleader is a scathing satire of gay conversion therapy camps - and a damn enjoyable movie.

Natasha Lyonne plays a cheerleader whose parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian. That's where Ru comes in - as a "coach" who is part of the "intervention" set up by her parents (played by Mink Stole and Harold and Maude's Bud Cort). The camp is run by a frightening woman with barely suppressed rage (played by Cathy Moriarty) who reminds me of Faye Dunaway trying to channel Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Eddie Cibrian (as a guy in daisy duke shorts named Rock - yeah, he's definitely straight!), and other familiar faces show up at the camp. Even the bald guy from Night Court (now with hair) eventually pops up. This has a great cast, including a fun cameo or two.

Artificially bright colors are purposely used for the camp, costumes, furniture, and misc. objects the characters interact with, giving the film a very striking aesthetic (here's one example).

(How conversion "therapy" is still legal is beyond me. Common sense will tell you that it's a straight-up scam at best and something far more insidious at worse. Shame on RuPaul's character for going along with the con!)

DaBargainHunta's Decree: This is the definition of a hidden gem. It's wildly, wildly entertaining! (Subtitles: Yes!)

I have to say this sounds great. In the 80’s I remember seeing actor William Atherton on a talk show claiming that conversion therapy had ”cured” him and he was now a gloriously happy heterosexual. I'm not gay, but even I knew he was spewing a crock of shit.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by chewbabka

So I went to BN to try to exchange my Rebecca with damaged disc 2 hub b/c it said online they had it in stock. Couldn't find it, so an associate there checked their returns drawer and we discovered that some bum had bought Rebecca, photocopied the art insert, put that and the earlier MGM disc in a 1-disc Scanavo case, and "returned" it as "unplayable."

People like this are why we can't have nice things.

[JackBros]

Originally Posted by Akibiyori

A box is unlikely, they would have done a box set to begin with rather than release one and do a box set later. If they have any of the others it’s probably only Top Hat but at this point it’s more probable that Warner Archive will do them (which is just as well as they’ll include the short films that were on the DVDs, which I find more desirable than the kind of extras Criterion would put on theirs - might be good but nothing you couldn’t get elsewhere.)

I guess I'll keep an eye out in the WAC thread then. While it is a little sad, I've heard nothing but good things about WAC releases, been looking to pick up several myself. Thanks for the info.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I have to say this sounds great. In the 80’s I remember seeing actor William Atherton on a talk show claiming that conversion therapy had ”cured” him and he was now a gloriously happy heterosexual. I'm not gay, but even I knew he was spewing a crock of shit.

I never knew that. I looked him up, and it appears he's been married to the same woman for 39 years. That's a long time to to live a lie. Sure hope she's getting something out of it.

[DaBargainHunta]

Storm Center (1956)



Random thought #1: Apparently no other movie, ever, has used the title "Storm Center." I find that somewhat shocking. Random Thought #2: I recently watched a couple of Bette Davis movies from the '30s. This was released in 1956. Did she really age 50 years in two decades or was she purposely made to look older for this movie?

Storm Center is about the "Red Scare" of the 1950s where innocent, law-abiding American citizens were branded communists with very little cause and without any proof. While this is a somewhat heavy-handed treatment of the subject, Bette Davis is as good as ever playing a small-town librarian who refuses to pull a book about communism from the local public library - even though she vehemently disagrees with its contents - because she is staunchly against the censorship of thoughts and ideas.

Once Bette is branded a "commie," the movie pulls back to show how this affects the entire town - the politicians, parents, and especially a misunderstood little boy she doted on who was a veracious reader in a time when it was more acceptable to have a baseball glove in your hand than a book. (I'm lucky my parents were never like this. They always encouraged me to read.) Even though the movie isn't exactly subtle, it ends up packing a surprising wallop by the end.

DaBargainHunta's Decree: Bette Davis is typically described as stern and no-nonsense onscreen, and while she certainly plays that to great effect here, she also adds layers of warmth and vulnerability to her character and performance. (Subtitles: Yes!)

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

I never knew that. I looked him up, and it appears he's been married to the same woman for 39 years. That's a long time to to live a lie. Sure hope she's getting something out of it.

I ran into Atherton in Hollywood in the late 80's and was going to post about it here, but no matter how careful I tried to compose my post, I figured someone might still be offended by it, which was not and never would be my intention. I sent you a PM about it instead and if you are offended by it, I give up!

[Magic Dishwasher]

This is a little random and won't be helpful for everyone, but Target.com has matched Amazon's $23 price for most Criterion blurays, and there's a Target Circle Buy-One-Get-One-50%-Off deal on movies right now. That discount on top of the 5% off with a Target red card makes for a pretty nice savings on two Criterions -- about $10 cheaper than buying at Barnes and Noble.

[flyry]

I hope Ghost Dog is a November release

[NeoNical]

Originally Posted by flyry

I hope Ghost Dog is a November release

Since the announcement of Ghost Dog sounds so recent, I don't see it coming THAT soon but hey, it may happen...

[flyry]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Since the announcement of Ghost Dog sounds so recent, I don't see it coming THAT soon but hey, it may happen...

Well word leaked back in February. Idk how long these things take, but crossing my fingers.

[Ray Jackson]

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 187 times: Buffalo 66’ NEEDS to get a Criterion release.

From now on I’m going to make at least one post about Buffalo 66’ every 4-6 weeks.

And if you think I’m kidding, then you don’t know a damn thing about Ray Jackson.

I’m a pit bull.

I’m relentless when I want something.

I’m an angel-headed hipster looking for an angry fix.

I’m borderline psychotic when it comes to three things: original Nacho Cheese Doritos, vintage 80s erotica and Buffalo 66’.

...FACT.

The opening 10 minutes or so where he can’t find a place to go to the bathroom is arguably the greatest 10 minutes in the history of cinema.

“Don’t tell me to relax!...Get your Freaking Face out of my pants!“

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

187

combined with the avatar I'm scared...

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 187 times: Buffalo 66’ NEEDS to get a Criterion release.

From now on I’m going to make at least one post about Buffalo 66’ every 4-6 weeks.

And if you think I’m kidding, then you don’t know a damn thing about Ray Jackson.

I’m a pit bull.

I’m relentless when I want something.

I’m an angel-headed hipster looking for an angry fix.

I’m borderline psychotic when it comes to three things: original Nacho Cheese Doritos, vintage 80s porn and Buffalo 66’.

...FACT.

The opening 10 minutes or so where he can’t find a place to go to the bathroom is arguably the greatest 10 minutes in the history of cinema.

“Don’t tell me to relax!...Get your Freaking Face out of my pants!“

Maybe throw in The Brown Bunny as a special feature

[mja345]

Ray, is that your roundabout plea to get "The Brown Bunny" on BD as a bonus feature on "Buffalo '66" so you can see Gallo getting his dong worked?

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 187 times: Buffalo 66’ NEEDS to get a Criterion release.

From now on I’m going to make at least one post about Buffalo 66’ every 4-6 weeks.

And if you think I’m kidding, then you don’t know a damn thing about Ray Jackson.

I’m a pit bull.

I’m relentless when I want something.

I’m an angel-headed hipster looking for an angry fix.

I’m borderline psychotic when it comes to three things: original Nacho Cheese Doritos, vintage 80s erotica and Buffalo 66’.

...FACT.

The opening 10 minutes or so where he can’t find a place to go to the bathroom is arguably the greatest 10 minutes in the history of cinema.

“Don’t tell me to relax!...Get your Freaking Face out of my pants!“

Buffalo '66 already has a very good Blu-Ray release. It doesn't have a lot as extras go, but the movie itself is far better than the DVD release.

[nitin]

A couple of rewatches of films I was probably not in the right mood for on first viewings:

Soderbergh’s Sex Lies and Videotape is still more cerebral and detached than it probably should have been to really hit home emotionally, especially since that more cerebral approach perhaps also needed the John Mullany character to be more multi faceted than the one note character he ends up being.

But there is still lots to like here, the writing is laced with some nice humour and wit and although James Spader gets a lot of the plaudits, I think the two MVPs here performance wise are Andie MacDowell and Laura San Giacomo. Their complex sisterly dynamic forms as much of the core of the film as the Spader-MacDowell dynamic that ultimately takes centre stage.

Soderbergh’s direction has some inspired editing choices but largely his skill here is with the actors and the writing and he lets those aspects take centre stage, the best example obviously being the centrepiece scene depicted on the Criterion cover.

Criterion’s blu looks largely stunning (some scenes look noticeably noisy though) and the sound is also greatly improved over Sony’s blu and does not sound as muffled.


Polanski’s Cul De Sac had a working title of Waiting for Katelbach and really that tells you all you need to know. A full blown cinematic version of absurdist theatre, this is both a grim comedy and a hilarious tragedy, played out in a remote British island setting with a three character dynamic that is equal parts hilarious, pathetic and ultimately tragic.

Donald Pleasance gives a performance I had not thought he was capable of giving based on other later movies I had seen him in, perfectly embodying a level of snivelling emasculation against his psychologically domineering wife and the American gangster that invades their home and which is evident in his every tic and utterance, but which also convincingly switches to intellectual snobbery during the last act party scene when he is more comfortably in an upper class English setting.

He is ably matched by gravelly voiced Lionel Stander who has some hilarious reactions to the couple’s antics but is equally as pathetic in his delusion of his boss Katelbach arriving to save him. Françoise Dorleac rounds out the main trio in a performance that makes much more out of a thinly written character than should have been possible. She comes across as irresistible as Pleasance’s character sees her but thankfully plays out the more conniving part of her character in a way that still keeps you on her side rather than in a traditional femme fatale mould.

Polanski directs the hell out of this, it’s perhaps a little too long but the blocking framing, editing and lighting are amazing throughout and meticulously planned, but every now and then there will be an edit or a cutaway that perfectly syncs with the more anarchic feel of the writing to create a convincing sense of anything being possible in the next scene.

Criterion’s blu looks okay enough but unspectacular. Fine detail and depth in particular are a bit lacking and reveal the age of the HD master. This could really benefit from a new scan of the OCN but I doubt that is happening anytime soon.