The Criterion Collection

[MJD64]

Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid is one of Peckinpah's most fascinating movies. Although he seems to be spiritually more on the side of outlaw anti-authoritarian Billy, Garret comes across as the more interesting and pained character. Peckinpah obviously resents Garret for essentially becoming Judas and giving in to the establishment that he once opposed. However, I suspect Peckinpah saw a lot of himself in this character at this point in his career, having essentially sold his soul to movie producers and studios and compromising his vision on so many projects in order to get them made.

[yhzmr]

Originally Posted by mja345

Peckinpah definitely did it to regain marketability, but he is able to add enough of his personal touches to make it feel like a Peckinpah film IMO. Ali McGraw's very shitty performance is a problem though. When I think of Peckinpah in total assignment mode, I think of "The Killer Elite", "Convoy", or "The Osterman Weekend".

Ali McGraw was a gorgeous but shitty actress with the exception of the scene where McQueen is slapping her which caused her to react in a way she wasn't expecting.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by belcherman

The 2014 New Year's drawing featured a saxophone player in a porkpie hat. I thought at the that it might have been a clue for Round Midnight. It probably was a clue for something else, but I'd still love to see it get a Criterion release.

That was the clue for Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I feel like I should be a bigger Peckinpah fan than I am.

The only one of his films I've seen that I really like is The Wild Bunch.

Saw Straw Dogs for the first time a couple months ago and wasn't very impressed. Garrett & The Kid has a handful of cool moments, but overall...meh. Same thing with Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia.

...the guy just doesn't really touch me in the G-spot right.

I think The Ballad of Cable Hogue might be your kinda thing. Check it out.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

That was the clue for Here Comes Mr. Jordan.

Wrong year, and saxophone player .. He's talking about the sax player which is part of a band ensemble in the 2014 drawing. It's for All That Jazz



Here Comes Mr. Jordan is from the 2016 drawing

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by mja345

"The Getaway" is an awesome film. Has that typical Peckinpah feel, but is a little more accessible than "Alfredo Garcia" or "Pat Garrett", two films I also love. "Cross of Iron", IMO, is his second best film after "The Wild Bunch".

"The Killer Elite" is Peckinpah's worst film IMO. "Convoy" is unbelievably stupid, but a fun way to pass a couple hours. "The Killer Elite" is one of the most incoherent messes of the 70s. Sam must have been really deep in the bottle on that one or perhaps the studio butchered it. Not sure, but it's quite the slice of insanity.

The Killer Elite is pretty bland but I don't think it's too terrible. I do think it was a combination of studio interference (as always, I think Peckinpah said that Alfredo Garcia was the only film that didn't have some sort of studio interference) and Peckinpah not giving a crap. The worst for me though is Osterman Weekend. Now THAT'S an incoherent mess. Such a waste of a great cast. I agree that Cross of Iron is great though, probably his most underrated and least known film.

[PaperThinWalls]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

There were a lot of Criterion titles that were available on laserdisc and DVD but Criterion lost the rights like with The Third Man blu ray.

No. This isn't a Studio Canal situation like The Third Man. Criterion still has the rights to Pandora's Box. The current edition went OOP because they're no longer manufacturing its packaging. It's more similar to Vampyr which went OOP for a little bit but then came back in print after a packaging redesign.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by PaperThinWalls

No. This isn't a Studio Canal situation like The Third Man. Criterion still has the rights to Pandora's Box. The current edition went OOP because they're no longer manufacturing its packaging. It's more similar to Vampyr which went OOP for a little bit but then came back in print after a packaging redesign.

It's been unavailable and listed as OOP for over a year, you'd think that would be enough time for them to repackage and re-release it.

[PaperThinWalls]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It's been unavailable and listed as OOP for over a year, you'd think that would be enough time for them to repackage and re-release it.

You would think, but it seems to be that Criterion simply isn't interested or think it's worth putting out a new DVD edition for whatever reason. The Josef Von Sternberg set is going through the same thing.

BTW I believe it's on FilmStruck with Criterion branding.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by mja345

"The Getaway" is an awesome film. Has that typical Peckinpah feel, but is a little more accessible than "Alfredo Garcia" or "Pat Garrett", two films I also love. "Cross of Iron", IMO, is his second best film after "The Wild Bunch".

"The Killer Elite" is Peckinpah's worst film IMO. "Convoy" is unbelievably stupid, but a fun way to pass a couple hours. "The Killer Elite" is one of the most incoherent messes of the 70s. Sam must have been really deep in the bottle on that one or perhaps the studio butchered it. Not sure, but it's quite the slice of insanity.

I would definitely put The Killer Elite in the good, dumb fun category and a good way to waste a couple of hours. It has Duvall, Caan, Gig Young, Bo Hopkins, Paulie from Rocky, and ninjas. From what I've read, both Caan and Peckinpah were coked to the gills during production, which might explain its lack of cohesion or coherence. Don't try to make sense of it and just enjoy. Did I mention that it has ninjas?

A truly great Peckinpah film that doesn't get mentioned too often is Cross of Iron. I am so tempted to order the Japanese blu, but I keep waiting for a region A release with all the features of the U.K. release.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

sure, but it isn't like one has to go to great lengths to make the connection I made. I've said this before, but after a work of art has left the hands of its creator, its meaning belongs to the viewer and not the artist.

I've seen considerably more far-fetched symbolism attached to other films.

what I said is just my read.

[diskspinner]

I am finally caught up watching my collection of criterion films.



Just before last criterion flash sale, I was almost there with 6 films unwatched in criterion blu-rays, but I added few more in the flash sale... finally finished watching all of them.

Now I plan to start re-watching the movies that liked a lot and the movies that did not excite me first time...and may be I will prepare a purge list this year.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I would definitely put The Killer Elite in the good, dumb fun category and a good way to waste a couple of hours. It has Duvall, Caan, Gig Young, Bo Hopkins, Paulie from Rocky, and ninjas. From what I've read, both Caan and Peckinpah were coked to the gills during production, which might explain its lack of cohesion or coherence. Don't try to make sense of it and just enjoy. Did I mention that it has ninjas?

A truly great Peckinpah film that doesn't get mentioned too often is Cross of Iron. I am so tempted to order the Japanese blu, but I keep waiting for a region A release with all the features of the U.K. release.

Haha, it definitely feels like a coke film. Makes sense in that context. I can just see Caan and Peckinpah shooting ideas back and forth while doing blow.

Sam: Jimmy, great idea. Let's throw some ninjas into the film. What do you think? (snorts a line)

James: Ninjas, Sammy? Does that make sense? (snorts a line)

Sam: Yeah (sniffle). You learn martial arts during your rehab. Just go with it.

[senseabove]

Well, guess that confirms it beyond a doubt:

Fire Walk with Me, with the Criterion box branding on the iTunes store

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

I am finally caught up watching my collection of criterion films.



Just before last criterion flash sale, I was almost there with 6 films unwatched in criterion blu-rays, but I added few more in the flash sale... finally finished watching all of them.

Now I plan to start re-watching the movies that liked a lot and the movies that did not excite me first time...and may be I will prepare a purge list this year.

The River is the oldest unwatched CC title that I own. "Old" as in I've owned it the longest w/o a watch.

[atlantajoseph]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Well, guess that confirms it beyond a doubt:

[Show spoiler]

Fire Walk with Me, with the Criterion box branding on the iTunes store

Interesting. Seems like an odd choice though, unless it's part of a set with Lynch films that still need region A BD releases.

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Looks like you dropped the "h" in the mans last name.

So, what?

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by senseabove

Well, guess that confirms it beyond a doubt:

[Show spoiler]

Fire Walk with Me, with the Criterion box branding on the iTunes store

This seems rather pointless. Unless they plan on doing a whole new cut to fix the movie, why not just spend $40 more for the whole series and the movie?

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

This seems rather pointless. Unless they plan on doing a whole new cut to fix the movie, why not just spend $40 more for the whole series and the movie?

Yeah. Would've loved Lost Highway. Can still be hopeful I guess

[20th Century Boy]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

It's not really meant to be an accurate depiction of Billy the Kid. For me, it's incidental that the two main characters are based on real people. It's more of an acid western and I enjoy it for that aspect.

I dunno. I feel like if you're gonna toss your hat in the ring of the Kid or the Lincoln County War, the participants and events should be more than incidental to whatever film you're making. If he didn't want the baggage he could've just stuck with The Wild Bunch strategy of making fictional characters take on themes of actual events (WB is part Billy the Kid & Garrett, & Butch Cassidy stories anyway.)