The Criterion Collection

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I think even if you don't like the film, you would have to admit it's an incerdible achievement. It's not my favourite of the Best Picture noms, but it deserves to win the category, I think.

It's my third favourite so far after Birdman and Grand Budapest and narrowly edging out Foxcatcher.

I haven't seen Selma yet, and I will never see American Sniper.

I agree on the achievement of Boyhood. It's a great concept and quite an amazing idea. Really hope to get some time to see it this weekend.

Was a little disappointed with Grand Budapest, but really need to watch it again... I do enjoy Wes Anderson.

Still have yet to see Selma, probably a rental, and Foxcatcher... which I really want to see as well.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I agree with you about American Sniper. I have no idea what the film is really about, but I've noted all the controversy it's engendered, and I think Criterion could come up with some fascinating supplements. I definitely want to see the film and plan to buy it on blu-ray, no matter who releases it.

And I'm wondering if Birdman might be an interesting candidate for the Criterion treatment! I'll definitely be purchasing it when it comes out; I was very touched by Michael Keaton's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, and was reminded of how much I used to enjoy his acting.

My copy of The Grand Budapest Hotel should be arriving any day now, and I was very surprised when I saw that Boyhood was already for sale at Best Buy this afternoon. For whatever reason, I missed the pre-order date on that one.

Yeah, I would love to see what they could do with American Sniper... but the docs and features could be amazing with all that is surronding the film. I'd love to see a little more on Chris and his work with Veterans.

And yeah, couldn't believe it when I saw Boyhood in Best Buy today as well. Usually don't get those until after the awards.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Or Bickford and Twelvetrees in Panama Flo! I like the artwork of the early '30s movie paper and sometimes the more obscure the film and/or the stars were; the more inventive the artwork is. My son is taking a digital photography course so maybe he could help me get a few images together, if anyone would be interested. Criterion definitely needs to get more titles from this fascinating era but, I suppose, a lot of the titles are controlled by WB. But something like The Story of Temple Drake is a Paramount title so maybe something along those lines might work.

I haven't seen Panama Flo, but I'd sure like to! And The Story of Temple Drake is a fantastic film ... the scenes between Miriam Hopkins and Jack LaRue really crackle with electricity.

I'd be very interested in seeing examples of artwork that you admire. I bought The Sin of Nora Moran on DVD just because of the striking art on the package.

Have you seen William Wellman's Safe in Hell starring Dorothy Mackaill yet? Talk about sordid! I'd like to see what Criterion might do with that one. Another of my favorite pre-Code films is William Dieterle's The Last Flight; I think it and The Miracle Woman are David Manners' two best films and show what he was capable of when he was given a challenging role and strong direction.

[StLouisRibs]

I think it a little bit special that there's a very good chance that whatever wins Best Picture this year will be a Criterion release in the near future (Boyhood and Budapest simply have early publishing deals before the director's control over publishing takes effect)

I don't really like Boyhood but I do like the idea of Criterion having some recent Best Picture winner (the most recent being Silence of the Lambs, long since OOP)

It's probably going to be Birdman at this point so maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up about this possibility it could be one of the other two frontrunners

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

I think it a little bit special that there's a very good chance that whatever wins Best Picture this year will be a Criterion release in the near future (Boyhood and Budapest simply have early publishing deals before the director's control over publishing takes effect)

I don't really like Boyhood but I do like the idea of Criterion having some recent Best Picture winner (the most recent being Silence of the Lambs, long since OOP)

It's probably going to be Birdman at this point so maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up about this possibility it could be one of the other two frontrunners

That would be nice to have some recent Best Picture winners released. As for Grand Budapest, I haven't purchased it yet since I'm banking on a Criterion release in the near future.

[lordmorpheus72]

So La Cienaga came out today, but I've read that it may not be the best blind buy. Anyone have any suggestions on this film, or have any clairvoyance on if it'll be added to Hulu Plus??

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

So La Cienaga came out today, but I've read that it may not be the best blind buy. Anyone have any suggestions on this film, or have any clairvoyance on if it'll be added to Hulu Plus??

I caught it on TCM and I thought it was solid portrayal of a wealthy, prominent family that is living in the shadow of their former selves. I also have an inkling that beneath the surface of the film is an exploration of gender identity.

I don't really have anything off-hand that I can compare it to. I guess the mood of the film is similar in a lot of ways to Gomorrah, but not entirely for the same reasons.

I don't know if I would recommend it as a blind buy, but I do encourage you to check it out.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I caught it on TCM and I thought it was solid portrayal of a wealthy, prominent family that is living in the shadow of their former selves. I also have an inkling that beneath the surface of the film is an exploration of gender identity.

I don't really have anything off-hand that I can compare it to. I guess the mood of the film is similar in a lot of ways to Gomorrah, but not entirely for the same reasons.

I don't know if I would recommend it as a blind buy, but I do encourage you to check it out.

Thanks for the help and the info. I'm thinking I'll add it to the ol' Netflix queue first, and not do a blind buy on this one.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I haven't seen Panama Flo, but I'd sure like to! And The Story of Temple Drake is a fantastic film ... the scenes between Miriam Hopkins and Jack LaRue really crackle with electricity.

I'd be very interested in seeing examples of artwork that you admire. I bought The Sin of Nora Moran on DVD just because of the striking art on the package.

Have you seen William Wellman's Safe in Hell starring Dorothy Mackaill yet? Talk about sordid! I'd like to see what Criterion might do with that one. Another of my favorite pre-Code films is William Dieterle's The Last Flight; I think it and The Miracle Woman are David Manners' two best films and show what he was capable of when he was given a challenging role and strong direction.

I've seen all of those. The Last Flight deserves to be better known and also has a perfect role for Helen Chandler who, both here and in real life, was a rather fragile woman who couldn't handle life very well.
Safe in Hell is amazing in the wild story it tells in just 65 minutes! Would make a great double feature with Baby Face.
A fun David Manners film is The Crooner.
The Sin of Nora Moran is a perfect example of a great poster for a "Poverty Row" studio (Majestic) film with limited star power to draw in an audience. The cost of designing that poster might have been higher than the budget of the film itself!
I've drifted way off-topic here but the point is that there is so much material out there from this fascinating era that I hope Criterion is able to snag a few.

[jmclick]

Well, isn't that interesting? Although there are no release dates, there is a page on this very site listing the future Criterion release of Boyhood and another for The Grand Budapest Hotel ... do these necessarily mean anything?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by jmclick

Well, isn't that interesting? Although there are no release dates, there is a page on this very site listing the future Criterion release of Boyhood and another for The Grand Budapest Hotel ... do these necessarily mean anything?

No they are user submitted.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I think even if you don't like the film, you would have to admit it's an incerdible achievement. It's not my favourite of the Best Picture noms, but it deserves to win the category, I think.

It's my third favourite so far after Birdman and Grand Budapest and narrowly edging out Foxcatcher.

I haven't seen Selma yet, and I will never see American Sniper.

I completely agree. Even if you don't like it, which is possible, you still have to respect the process.

Grand Budapest was typical Anderson for me. Meh.

American Sniper was a very well made film and Cooper is great. The "controversy" is a complete fabrication. While the film ignores its subject's truth issues, I don't consider that to be significant--it's a film. I really don't get why some people unequivocally refuse to see it. I'm a democrat and I by no means thought it was a "Republican" film; the controversy is very silly. Kind of like the Zero Dark Thirty controversy.

Can't wait to see some of the other nominees. Seems like a lot of solid films, albeit no true longstanding "great" films (a speculative opinion).

[RojD]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Ok, so a little pre-Oscar, Criterion blu-ray question. Of the best picture nominated films for the upcoming Academy Awards, which one would you like to most see Criterion do a nice release of, if rights and such were not an issue? (And knowing that Grand Budapest will get a treatment since it's Wes Anderson)

American Sniper
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

I'd like to see them go a little left field and maybe do something nice with Clint Eastwood and American Sniper. Or a really nice Imitation Game release. It seems to be more up the Criterion alley, though they do veer all over at times. I haven't seen Boyhood, but really enjoy Richard Linklater. But really, I'd think The Theory of Everything would be a nice companion piece to A Brief History of Time .

Thoughts anyone??

Fun idea. I know next to nothing about distribution rights, but here are some thoughts.

Criterion: Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Maybe Foxcatcher in 30 years since they're bagging films like The Big Chill now.

Kino: I give them Whiplash and Selma, the latter as a not-altogether-successful-try with good production value.

Warner: The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. Why not?

Fox: American Sniper

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

American Sniper was a very well made film and Cooper is great. The "controversy" is a complete fabrication. While the film ignores its subject's truth issues, I don't consider that to be significant--it's a film. I really don't get why some people unequivocally refuse to see it. I'm a democrat and I by no means thought it was a "Republican" film; the controversy is very silly. Kind of like the Zero Dark Thirty controversy.

It's not the politics that make me want to not see it (though that doesn't help) it's the content. I also didn't watch Zero Dark Thirty.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by RojD

Criterion: Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Maybe Foxcatcher in 30 years since they're bagging films like The Big Chill now.

I would love to hear why you would equate The Big Chill to Foxcatcher.

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

It's not the politics that make me want to not see it (though that doesn't help) it's the content. I also didn't watch Zero Dark Thirty.

Zero Dark Thirty is excellent.

I know it's not on topic, but I really struggle how anyone could really view American Sniper as pro-war. The character of Chris Kyle is pro-war, but he's also presented as flawed and damaged by his experience. The idea that the film is a pro-war tale of heroism is a superficial reading, and, judging by the film's box office power, I'd say that a lot of people have read it this way. But that says everything about the audience and nothing about the artist. I can't believe I feel the need to defend a Clint Eastwood film, and one of that I don't even particularly love.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Zero Dark Thirty is excellent.

There are a lot of technically excellent films with content I am not interested in seeing.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

There are a lot of technically excellent films with content I am not interested in seeing.

I'd call Zero Dark Thirty far better than "technically excellent," which sort of seems like a backhanded compliment. What content do you find so objectionable?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

I'd call Zero Dark Thirty far better than "technically excellent," which sort of seems like a backhanded compliment. What content do you find so objectionable?

Torture. That's a movie I actually started watching and turned off.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

It's not the politics that make me want to not see it (though that doesn't help) it's the content. I also didn't watch Zero Dark Thirty.

That's fair enough! Although it's devoid of having any sort of political statement IMO. Like you, there are films I also have no interest in for a variety of reasons. At least you're not judging it without seeing it; a lot of that is going around.

[jhiggy23]

On topic, my local arthouse theater is playing Two Days One Night, which seems primed for a CC release. Thoughts?