The Criterion Collection

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Jef Costello

the packaging for the Jacques Demy Box is just way too huge and would eat up my already depleted shelf space. It really puts me off from buying one. Could they downsize this ?

If they knock it down to separate Blu-ray and DVD releases then they could knock couple of inches off it. I doubt they will tho.

[Tns49]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I finally opened and watched my copy of Howard's End tonight, and am at a loss as how to judge the quality of my disc. It played all the way through, but I was pretty appalled by the "video noise" (some speckling and banding) in several of the scenes, especially those with dark shadows. (I was unpleasantly reminded of the "laser rot" that eventually infected so many of my LaserDiscs.) ...

Could be laser rot. However whenever I watch this disk I have to bring my sharpness control way down or it looks terrible. Not sure what they did that causes this problem.

[Freeza]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I finally opened and watched my copy of Howard's End tonight, and am at a loss as how to judge the quality of my disc. It played all the way through, but I was pretty appalled by the "video noise" (some speckling and banding) in several of the scenes, especially those with dark shadows. (I was unpleasantly reminded of the "laser rot" that eventually infected so many of my LaserDiscs.) Although the disc wasn't unwatchable, I was left wishing that the movie looked as clear as the bulk of the more recently produced supplementary features.

I checked several websites, and there seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding this particular Criterion release. So I thought I would ask all of you, whom I trust more than the average viewer: should I simply be happy with the disc I have, or is there a "flawless" pressing of this film that might make an exchange worthwhile?

P.S. I purchased my copy directly from Amazon USA on June 13, 2013, so I'm guessing it's probably from a later pressing ...

It's the transfer or original elements. Aside from the issues you described, various scenes/shots also look as if the reflection of a venetian blind is being cast across the screen (very noticeable in the opening walking the grounds sequence).

It's said that those who have this issue have sets that aren't calibrated properly, but I'm not sure how that can be, when aside from my knowing mine is, that this is the only disc that does this, and the inconsistencies can vary wildly from shot to shot. Angle changes on a character and the issue disappears completely (noticeable in the scene where she arrives home after taking the wrong umbrella).

[Ausjdm]

Been talking to JW on Facebook about it but screw it I'll post here.

I saw interstellar, It was a head trip no doubt. Def, I still say as Tarantino makes movies as an amalgam of different movies to make his movies. Nolan seems to do the same with his. 2001, 2010, Solaris, the right stuff, blade runner, aliens, close encounters, Malick, all mixed to make interstellar. A massive movie, an ambitious movie. A perfect movie no, but I appreciate the depth and scope. Any movie that makes you think is a winner in my book.

[Show spoiler]Human spirit, Hope and love conquering all is powerful. I'm a sucker for that lol!

The IMAX at the air and space in dc was loud and huge. The ost was the most overly loud part, I sware zimmer used some 2001 cuts in it? I Felt almost sea sick afew times. My eyes ahh I couldn't blink I didn't wanna miss anything. 1-1/2 days I'm still thinking about the movie... Go see it if your a sci-fi fan no way you'll wanna miss the ride.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Any possibility of Akira Kurosawas RAN getting an update? The 2009 blu is 13 bucks right now, but I can hold off if it will get a better release in the future.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

Any possibility of Akira Kurosawas RAN getting an update? The 2009 blu is 13 bucks right now, but I can hold off if it will get a better release in the future.

Only if Criterion manages to reacquire the rights to it. Nothing has been said or even rumored about that being likely to happen.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Only if Criterion manages to reacquire the rights to it. Nothing has been said or even rumored about that being likely to happen.

poop. Ok, I'll place an order next pay day if the price is still low. Thanks for the heads up!

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Tns49

Could be laser rot. However whenever I watch this disk I have to bring my sharpness control way down or it looks terrible. Not sure what they did that causes this problem.

No, the disc is like that, it's some digital noise. It's really only at the beginning. If it has the rotting issue, it wouldn't play about 1h52 minutes in.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Been talking to JW on Facebook about it but screw it I'll post here.

I saw interstellar, It was a head trip no doubt. Def, I still say as Tarantino makes movies as an amalgam of different movies to make his movies. Nolan seems to do the same with his. 2001, 2010, Solaris, the right stuff, blade runner, aliens, close encounters, Malick, all mixed to make interstellar. A massive movie, an ambitious movie. A perfect movie no, but I appreciate the depth and scope. Any movie that makes you think is a winner in my book.

[Show spoiler]Human spirit, Hope and love conquering all is powerful. I'm a sucker for that lol!

The IMAX at the air and space in dc was loud and huge. The ost was the most overly loud part, I sware zimmer used some 2001 cuts in it? I Felt almost sea sick afew times. My eyes ahh I couldn't blink I didn't wanna miss anything. 1-1/2 days I'm still thinking about the movie... Go see it if your a sci-fi fan no way you'll wanna miss the ride.

That's pretty much my take (and my wife's as well) on the film. As for the sound, I swear that the blast-off scene was the closest thing I've experienced to Sensurround since seeing the actual Sensurround films in the 70s.

[sixpackrt]

My most wanted Criterion would be an edition of the 1984 German film Abwarts. I know this is totally random and no one will respond but I would just die if they announced this one. I live in the US and NO ONE basically knows this film at all. Actually I have spoken to many Germans online who don't even know the film. But yeah... Okay thanks for putting up with me!

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I do not think of The Big Chill as a critique of the Reagan Administration, but the movie is filled with observations, not necessarily critical, of the "yuppie" culture of that era. These observations are not specific to the early 1980s, though, and I think that they could apply to any generation. In fact, the same vibe can be conveyed if one watches Richard Linklater's Slacker, and follows it up by watching the cast reunion footage in the supplements of that film. Those early-1990s Austin kids probably now lead adult lives that are quite different than they imagined back then.

I think of The Big Chill more or less as a "universal appeal" story about how the ideals of our youth are molded or softened by the realities of surviving and working in the adult world.

Incidentally, I happen to be a defender of the Reagan Administration. That's another discussion for another thread on another forum somewhere, though.




I actually preferred the first two films to their source novels, because the movies eschewed the heavy-handed teenage girl point-of-view in favor of 1970s-esque dystopian sci-fi cinema, in the vein of movies like Soylent Green. Mockingjay - Part 1, however, seemed like a return to the heavy-handedness of the books.

I still think that it's a good movie, but I was underwhelmed, especially after the excellent pacing of Catching Fire.

My favorite part of Mockingjay - Part 1 was the scene where Philip Seymour Hoffman was reacting to the above-ground bombings, and it was obvious that he was terrified and struggling to maintain his composure. That little scene was a great demonstration of the talents of this late actor.

Well, they are dystopic novels for teenage girls for the most part. I don't think they were being heavy handed. I think the fact they're trying to show that Katniss isn't an ice cold killing machine, and is pretty much forced to become this figurehead for a revolution she unintentionally caused is a key plot point. I don't see how they could have not done this in the film. Basically she's barely holding it together, because she is a teenage girl. A teenage girl who had to grow up way too fast, but she's still one. The next film will probably go back to the previous films stylistically, as it's going to have way more action. This film's building up for all out war, and is trying to humanise the characters. I do think they're being too sympathetic to President Coin though. That's my criticism of the film.

[Scottie]

Adding to The Hunger Games discussion, I just came back from seeing it and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. I was not put off by the pacing as nothing was too lingered on at any given point in time. I'm looking forward to Part 2.

[BohemianGraham]

Watching the supplements for Senso at the moment, and it's interesting how they're saying Senso is less carefully constructed and is far more bitter than The Leopard. Personally, I can't really compare either film and determine which is the superior film. I enjoy them both equally. They both focus on the same time period, were directed about 9-10 years apart by the same director, have a big Hollywood star as the male lead, were adapted from novels, and both have terrible English cuts/dubs.

Does anyone prefer one over the other?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Watching the supplements for Senso at the moment, and it's interesting how they're saying Senso is less carefully constructed and is far more bitter than The Leopard. Personally, I can't really compare either film and determine which is the superior film. I enjoy them both equally. They both focus on the same time period, were directed about 9-10 years apart by the same director, have a big Hollywood star as the male lead, were adapted from novels, and both have terrible English cuts/dubs.

Does anyone prefer one over the other?

Funny you should mention that, I actually just watched Senso last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I probably enjoy the concept of The Leopard a bit more than the concept of Senso, I enjoy the limited focus in the latter more. Furthermore, I personally found the ending very satisfying (although I probably should not have).

I agree that the dubs are terrible, but I find the synchronization to be pretty well-done.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Funny you should mention that, I actually just watched Senso last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I probably enjoy the concept of The Leopard a bit more than the concept of Senso, I enjoy the limited focus in the latter more. Furthermore, I personally found the ending very satisfying (although I probably should not have).

I agree that the dubs are terrible, but I find the synchronization to be pretty well-done.

I think my issue with the dubs is the fact they basically cut so much out of the both films. Senso had a half hour cut out, and The Leopard had 20 minutes (if you go by the US cut), and they reedited. In the US, as you see on the supplements, they kept trying to turn it into a Western type film, and marketed it poorly, and it was just criminal.

[JJJ225]

I inadvertently put "post-" Reagan in my initial thoughts on The Big Chill. I did, however, think the film was later in his presidency; in reality the film was made after about a year of campaigning and 1-2 years of his presidency. So while the film may not be necessarily critical of his presidency, I do think it's critical of the national mood and optimism that helped get him elected.

Of course, as Great Owl says, this is not to say the film is specific to that time period. Such changes in national psyche are cyclical. Again, that's what makes the film still great and relevant today.

[jw007]

I finally opened up my blu-ray edition of Secret Sunshine last night and watched it. There were times when I couldn't believe I was being emotionally manipulated by this amazing film. In one scene, and I will not reveal which one, I found myself laughing in the beginning and by the end of the scene I found tears rolling down my cheeks. I don't recall myself ever having such a 180 degree turnaround of emotions in any one scene in a film in recent memory.

I've also been in a "Korean phase" as of late, so this South Korean film really was the perfect timing in my life. I recently discovered this phenomenal Korean restaurant nearby and on my third trip there in just a few weeks, in front of the waitstaff, I smiled and proclaimed it to be the best restaurant in my immediate neighborhood.

The next time I return to this Korean restaurant, I am going to tell them that I just saw this absolutely marvelous movie from 2007, Secret Sunshine, which was totally engaging from beginning to end. The director, Lee Chang-dong, was asking questions rather than providing answers. This film is about ordinary lives rather than extraordinary lives. And Mr. Chang-dong believes that an ordinary life requires questioning, since someone who is beyond ordinary doesn't need questioning. In a press conference for the film, Chang-dong said "the idea behind that choice of title being that even in an altogether ordinary life, there can be a metaphysical quest."

Personally, I found the story, adapted from Yi Chong-jun's novel, to be devastating and horrifically depressing at times. Yet, at the same time there was an air of powerful optimism, and some of that may stem just from the technical shooting of the bright sunshine that permeates the production and infiltrates one's mind with a "sunny" disposition. Yet, the sunniness is terribly deceptive at the same time and the very last shot is that of a putrefying puddle in a backyard, to show just how ordinary a life can be. By the way, I don't believe I'm giving away a spoiler when I mention this shot, because it has nothing to do with the outcome of the story.

The great part about this film is the focus on religious fanaticism; in this story it is Christian evangelicalism. Chang-dong stated that "it is not a film about religion; it's a film about people, whether they are religious or not." The Korean citizens of Miryang, a small town in South Korea, and many of whom were cast locally rather than have extras come all the way from Seoul (though some may have), really added a striking amount of authenticity to the story. The religious characters who enveloped the Korean widow "Shin-ae" (played by Jeon Do-yeon) were very realistic and the timing for them to come into her life couldn't have been better for Shin-ae's tragic turn of events. Yet, Shin-ae's inability to ingratiate herself with these local religious townspeople of Miryang is one of the many complexities she faced. I was riveted by these religious citizens and found myself snickering at them and how pathetically "fake" they appeared... and then I found myself admiring them at the same time and how devout and faithful they were in the cruel world that Shin-ae inhabited. Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), who played the mechanic that Shin-ae befriended, was another ordinary individual, living a mundane daily lifestyle, working in an auto shop by day and eating take-out food and having fun on the karaoke machine at night. He was almost a protector of Shin-ae, as he witnessed her devastating plight firsthand. He followed her around like a lapdog but was imperfect himself and could not always express himself openly with her. He seemed insecure, and in one sequence he had his TV set on while he was sleeping, almost like a companion to his lonely existence.

The great thing about Secret Sunshine is that the director Lee Chang-dong doesn't add unnecessary melodrama as a device to an already melodramatic story. In one pivotal scene, he could have chosen a closeup or even a medium shot in a very powerful part of the story, but he kept the camera distanced from the character/s and let us feel, as viewers, the alienation and dread from afar, just as Shin-ae was feeling.

The video and audio quality of this digitally-shot film is remarkable and the interview of Lee Chang-dong is excellent in the supplements. Overall, this is a film I feel belongs firmly in my library and I have no reservations of giving Secret Sunshine **** (4) and 1/2 stars out of 5.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Funny you should mention that, I actually just watched Senso last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I probably enjoy the concept of The Leopard a bit more than the concept of Senso, I enjoy the limited focus in the latter more. Furthermore, I personally found the ending very satisfying (although I probably should not have).

I agree that the dubs are terrible, but I find the synchronization to be pretty well-done.

How does Senso compare to The Leopard? I think The leopard is stunning and discovered Senso in collection but not seen.

Is it worth a blind buy?

[pro-bassoonist]

The Shooting / Ride in the Whirlwind Blu-ray



Releases such as this one are the reason why I consider Criterion the best in the business. Spectacular presentation and fantastic supplemental features.

Do not miss it!

Pro-B

p.s. For those interested, Jerry Schatzberg's Puzzle of a Downfall Child is also out on Blu-ray via Carlotta in France.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

How does Senso compare to The Leopard? I think The leopard is stunning and discovered Senso in collection but not seen.

Is it worth a blind buy?

Senso is definitely easier to get into.