The Criterion Collection

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by malakaheso

It means what it means: that generic, bland, non-challenging foreign films are often given a pass by certain types of film buffs that wouldn't give a pass to these films if they were American.

Well, I don't buy that for five seconds, frankly. *shrug*

[mja345]

Originally Posted by jw007

I love that film too. It's been on my upgrade wish list for years now.

Can anyone think of other David Mamet movies that we'd like to see in the collection?

As far as ones he directed, "The Spanish Prisoner" would be cool. "Oleanna" is also a thought-provoking film.

[MeMynonsense]

^ Wag the Dog could also use an HD bump. Despite not being a directorial vehicle it oozes Mamet’s acidic wit. Think a WAV release would make more sense but who knows.

[PaperThinWalls]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

I don't really care about extras.

Okay? So? Maybe llj or whoever is interested in the film does?

[tenia]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Well, I don't buy that for five seconds, frankly. *shrug*

For so many flaws Dheepan has, I too wouldn't go as far as calling it generic bland and non-challenging.
This being written, the movie does remain too superficial on the context it uses. You might expect something deeper, but it sadly doesn't deliver there.

[scottpcusa]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Well, I don't buy that for five seconds, frankly. *shrug*

Originally Posted by tenia

For so many flaws Dheepan has, I too wouldn't go as far as calling it generic bland and non-challenging.
This being written, the movie does remain too superficial on the context it uses. You might expect something deeper, but it sadly doesn't deliver there.

I haven't yet watched Dheepan but I do recommend Criterion's blu-ray of The Secret of the Grain to anyone who is interested in films about the contemporary struggles of immigrants. It's a fantastic film.

[Hoke Moseley]

Agreed that The Spanish Prisoner would be a great addition. I'd be happy with anything else though, and would love to see the amazing "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants" as an extra.

As far as stuff he's written.... The Untouchables obviously needs a new transfer, but who knows when that's gonna happen.

[zakzak]

Originally Posted by stonesfan129

I wish Criterion would remaster Heat (1995). The audio mixing is awful on the 2009 Blu-ray and I read that the new remaster has some film transfer issues.

Hear, hear !

[zakzak]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Agreed that The Spanish Prisoner would be a great addition. I'd be happy with anything else though, and would love to see the amazing "Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants" as an extra.

As far as stuff he's written.... The Untouchables obviously needs a new transfer, but who knows when that's gonna happen.

While we're talking about Mamet, they should just do this already :



As for The Untouchables, no way Paramount would let go of that title that easily but one can hope. That staircase/baby carriage scene is truly insane.

[English Patient]

Originally Posted by jw007

I love that film too. It's been on my upgrade wish list for years now.

Can anyone think of other David Mamet movies that we'd like to see in the collection?

I'd love to see his 1999 version of the Rattigan play The Winslow Boy - it's perfect for Criterion, especially since Criterion released the 1951 version of The Browning Version (another Terrence Rattigan play) on DVD. The Winslow Boy is a beautiful, quietly moving period drama, with superb performances, and it's such an offbeat entry in Mamet's filmography - wholesome, family-friendly and G-rated.

[javy]

I don't know if this is fan-made or whatever but it's put together very nicely all the same. One of my favorite movies and one of my top twenty Criterion releases. This film takes my breath away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzz...ature=youtu.be

[BagheeraMcGee]

In addition to all the other superb Mamet offerings, allow me to add "Things Change" to the list.

Don Ameche, Joe Mantegna and Robert Prosky are all terrific in the film. This is public knowledge.

[DVD Phreak]

Is the Criterion closet open to the public, anyone know? Or maybe someone semi-famous, like a Youtuber? Turner Classic Movies used to have segment called "TCM Fanatics" that showed ordinary movie fans showing their love of the movies. Criterion needs to do something like this and put a film fan in front of the camera and talk about the films they love.

[SammyJankis]

Speaking of Cannes, Robin Ostlund's The Square just won the Palme d'Or.

And Coppola won Best Director, making her the second woman ever to win the award.

[BenOswald]

Originally Posted by starman15317

I saw Dheepan last March and I have to say that I was disappointed by it. It was not what I was expecting.

This says more about yours and our broader cultural expectations of a particular movie. I honestly don't how and why people bag on this film. It's not an "immigrant" film any more than Eyes Wide Shut is a "sex film" or a Western is about cattle. Eyes Wide Shut & Dheepan remind me of each other because everyone had this expectation going in that each movie should fit a certain mold and were panned when they didn't fit the zietgeist. All of Jacques Audiard meld genres in order to support the complexity of the film and life in general, much like Bong Joon Ho in Mother & The Host. I think people wanted a sympathetic romp about immigrant hardship, but when the complexities of Dheepan (and concurrently, his female partner's) experiences trying to balance their future and reconcile the past take measured turns, viewers are put on their heels and the quick reaction is rejection and mis-understanding.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by DVD Phreak

Is the Criterion closet open to the public, anyone know?

No, but a few years ago they had a websale and, in some random orders, they included a golden ticket for prizes (stuff like a free shirts or a free blu-ray) and the grand prize was a virtual trip into the closet, but they never publicly stated who won or what they got.

[joie]

' "The Square", a Swedish movie about the curator of a museum filled with grotesquely pretentious conceptual art was awarded the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday.'-- Reuters

Sofia Coppola won something, too.

[joy-division]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

I don't really care about extras.

But you like Criterion?

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by joy-division

But you like Criterion?

There are lots of films I don't own on Blu-ray because there are essentially no extras. Films I really like. It's IRRITATING.

[InTheMood]

Originally Posted by BenOswald

This says more about yours and our broader cultural expectations of a particular movie. I honestly don't how and why people bag on this film. It's not an "immigrant" film any more than Eyes Wide Shut is a "sex film" or a Western is about cattle. Eyes Wide Shut & Dheepan remind me of each other because everyone had this expectation going in that each movie should fit a certain mold and were panned when they didn't fit the zietgeist. All of Jacques Audiard meld genres in order to support the complexity of the film and life in general, much like Bong Joon Ho in Mother & The Host. I think people wanted a sympathetic romp about immigrant hardship, but when the complexities of Dheepan (and concurrently, his female partner's) experiences trying to balance their future and reconcile the past take measured turns, viewers are put on their heels and the quick reaction is rejection and mis-understanding.

At least my point was that it really is a "sympathetic romp".