The Criterion Collection

[mja345]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

RAY!

Change your avatar back!

It doesn't fit you!

Ray's a pipe-smoking, literary gentleman now. You have to bid farewell to him with a, "Ta-ta, old boy" and preface anything you say to him with, "If I may say, good sir" or preferably, "If I could interject with a query, old chap".

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by mja345

Is the avatar a symbol of the newfound erudite Ray Jackson? This post could comfortably be placed into the pages of The New Yorker.

Originally Posted by ThisKid

RAY!

Change your avatar back!

It doesn't fit you!

Good evening gentlemen,

I would be more than happy to engage you in some form of reasonably substantive, dialectical conversation pertaining to the thematic and/or stylistic content of Le Samourai or any other serious cinematic product of our time--preferably Criterion related, so as to avoid any unnecessary digressive quagmire--immaterial to the relevant issues of this particular thread.

Ergo, please refrain from making any superfluous references to my former identity, which as of this evening, no longer has any meaning for me.

I will not respond to any further queries pertaining to this matter.

Sincerely,

Raymond Andrew Jackson, Esq.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kFMwbHRQc

[ThisKid]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Good evening gentlemen,

I would be more than happy to engage you in some form of reasonably substantive, dialectical conversation pertaining to the thematic and/or stylistic content of Le Samourai or any other serious cinematic product of our time--preferably Criterion related, so as to avoid any unnecessary digressive quagmire--immaterial to the relevant issues of this particular thread.

Ergo, please refrain from making any superfluous references to my former identity, which as of this evening, no longer has any meaning for me.

I will not respond to any further queries pertaining to this matter.

Sincerely,

Raymond Andrew Jackson, Esq.

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kFMwbHRQc

Right then, something Criterion related...

How about the cinematic brilliance of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" where a transvestite decapitates a naked man with a sword and chases after a Nazi while the 20th Century Fox theme plays?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

Right then, something Criterion related...

How about the cinematic brilliance of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" where a transvestite decapitates a naked man with a sword and chases after a Nazi while the 20th Century Fox theme plays?

With respect, my own aesthetic sensibilities have recently shifted more toward the refined--some might say cerebral--material of the great European masters of the 20th century--namely Jean Luc Godard and Víctor Erice.

Have you seen El Espíritu de la Colmena?

Really a breathtaking piece of work.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I've finally gotten to my initial viewing of Le Samourai in HD and I am frustrated and in awe, the film left me thinking and rethinking its contents in a way I haven't for any of the other Melville films. While it's not quite the genre perfection of Le Doulos it is richer and more nuanced which is an interesting feat considering how Le Samourai strips away so much ornamentation. The film sings but it is a desiccated skeleton of genre, all the flesh eaten away, the petrified bones resonating in a thunderous and pure symphonic thrum.

If I may say, good sir - nicely done.

In the words of the enigmatic David Lynch - "dreams are the answers to questions we don't know how to ask".

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Good evening gentlemen,

[Show spoiler]I would be more than happy to engage you in some form of reasonably substantive, dialectical conversation pertaining to the thematic and/or stylistic content of Le Samourai or any other serious cinematic product of our time--preferably Criterion related, so as to avoid any unnecessary digressive quagmire--immaterial to the relevant issues of this particular thread.

Ergo, please refrain from making any superfluous references to my former identity, which as of this evening, no longer has any meaning for me.

I will not respond to any further queries pertaining to this matter.

Sincerely,

Raymond Andrew Jackson, Esq.

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kFMwbHRQc

Good Lord. What are you up to...

[jedidarrick]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Good evening gentlemen,

I would be more than happy to engage you in some form of reasonably substantive, dialectical conversation pertaining to the thematic and/or stylistic content of Le Samourai or any other serious cinematic product of our time--preferably Criterion related, so as to avoid any unnecessary digressive quagmire--immaterial to the relevant issues of this particular thread.

Ergo, please refrain from making any superfluous references to my former identity, which as of this evening, no longer has any meaning for me.

I will not respond to any further queries pertaining to this matter.

Sincerely,

Raymond Andrew Jackson, Esq.

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-kFMwbHRQc

While noticing your new identity, I began to wonder if this was all real or if it was just some elaborate charade. That thought made me think of my favorite Orson Welles film, F for Fake. That film taught me that the importance of something, whether it be a person, artwork or idea, lies not in whether aforementioned thing is real or not, but in whether it has an influence on any observers. If something has an impact, does it matter whether that thing is real or not?

I also saw your avatar and thought that we should all pour one out for Willem Dafoe's deleted character in Justice League. Though based on the reaction to the film, we might as well celebrate his deletion from the film, as his reputation might be salvaged as a result of his deletion from Justice League.

[mja345]

I don't believe Ray will be able to see any of these posts as I'm sure, in keeping with his newfound identity, he is going to be relaying messages to this board in long-form letters sent on parchment, written with a quill pen, that the moderators of this forum will generously bestow upon us. He's likely deep in a paragraph by paragraph analysis of "The Brothers Karamatzov", which will be followed by a delightful reading of Thomas Mann's "Tonio Kroger" for a bit of levity preceding his nightcap of a glass of warm milk.

[tisdivine]

Originally Posted by Akijama

Warner have discontinued A Clockwork Orange and Papillon. A potentially Criterion related news.

Ive had A Clockwork Orange digibook in my Amazon cart for months but just couldnt buy bc I kept hoping CC would get it and 2001. Which I have no probs selling my current 2001 for a CC version lol

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jedidarrick

While noticing your new identity, I began to wonder if this was all real or if it was just some elaborate charade. That thought made me think of my favorite Orson Welles film, F for Fake. That film taught me that the importance of something, whether it be a person, artwork or idea, lies not in whether aforementioned thing is real or not, but in whether it has an influence on any observers. If something has an impact, does it matter whether that thing is real or not?

[Show spoiler]I also saw your avatar and thought that we should all pour one out for Willem Dafoe's deleted character in Justice League. Though based on the reaction to the film, we might as well celebrate his deletion from the film, as his reputation might be salvaged as a result of his deletion from Justice League.

This is interesting.

Personally I lean towards Descartesian existentialism and the primacy of conciousness--the assertion that a human being is thrown into a concrete, inveterate universe that cannot be thought away, and therefore existence precedes consciousness, and is the ultimate reality.

Have you seen Sans Soleil?

Does reality precede our memories?

Or is it a product of them?

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JamGQOhCe_k

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by mja345

I don't believe Ray will be able to see any of these posts as I'm sure, in keeping with his newfound identity, he is going to be relaying messages to this board in long-form letters sent on parchment, written with a quill pen, that the moderators of this forum will generously bestow upon us. He's likely deep in a paragraph by paragraph analysis of "The Brothers Karamatzov", which will be followed by a delightful reading of Thomas Mann's "Tonio Kroger" for a bit of levity preceding his nightcap of a glass of warm milk.

I've always thought that the 1958 adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov would make an excellent addition to the Criterion Collection.

I've written Jon Mulvaney several letters about it.

But no, I don't use a quill pen and parchment.

[Show spoiler]

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I've always thought that 1958 adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov would make an excellent addition to the Criterion Collection.

I've written Jon Mulvaney several letters about it.

But no, I don't use a quill pen and parchment.

[Show spoiler]

Sir, are you the type of gentleman who, when reading a particularly subversive piece of literature or watching a rather delightful bit of cinematic triumph, puts his pipe down, tilts his head back, guffaws, and says something to the effect of, "What a beautifully rich deconstruction of bourgeois sensibilties, yet done in a magnificently esoteric manner. Bravo!"?

As I've always said, a towering intellect only continues to reach such heights if it is nurtured by curiosity and, in moderation, a sense of reckless abandon, which ultimately isn't reckless, but, many would argue, rational.

[ThisKid]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

[Show spoiler]

Oh typewriters. I have one.

But it's an electronic one. I've used to write many notes.

One of them being a complaint letter to my Drama teacher asking her not to put me with a student in a group again.

I also finished McCabe and Mrs Miller. Slow at first, but it was brilliantly done.

That last twenty minutes has to be one of the greatest endings to a Western film, ever.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Does reality precede our memories?

Or is it a product of them?

Impressive.

New gig at Harvard. ✓
New Suit & Tie. ✓
Ghastly Glasses. ✓
Impeccable Vocabulary. ✓

... Is this the calm before the storm?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Impressive.

New gig at Harvard. ✓
New Suit & Tie. ✓
Ghastly Glasses. ✓
Impeccable Vocabulary. ✓

... Is this the calm before the storm?

No I've just finally come to terms with who and what I am.

The old Ray was a very confused individual--unable to find peace within himself. I must apologize for my behavior, which I acknowledge was often inappropriate, obnoxious and uncouth. Fortunately I've been able to accept the awkward nature of my intellectual gifts and no longer feel the need to hide behind a crude veneer of redundant Salo references and childish gifs.

I'm not afraid of pain anymore.

I'm ready to live life without fear and without regret.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfSSQ3Vejao

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

[Show spoiler]No I've just finally come to terms with who and what I am.

The old Ray was a very confused individual--unable to find peace within himself. I must apologize for my behavior, which I acknowledge was often inappropriate, obnoxious and uncouth. Fortunately I've been able to accept the awkward nature of my intellectual gifts and no longer feel the need to hide behind a crude veneer of redundant Salo references and childish gifs.

I'm not afraid of pain anymore.

I'm ready to live life without fear and without regret.

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfSSQ3Vejao

Right.

I'm about to watch Rashômon.

Let's see if I could actually believe your part of the story as it ends.

Not to worry though, I would still take your word over Mifune's.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

No I've just finally come to terms with who and what I am.

The old Ray was a very confused individual--unable to find peace within himself. I must apologize for my behavior, which I acknowledge was often inappropriate, obnoxious and uncouth. Fortunately I've been able to accept the awkward nature of my intellectual gifts and no longer feel the need to hide behind a crude veneer of redundant Salo references and childish gifs.

I'm not afraid of pain anymore.

I'm ready to live life without fear and without regret.

[/SPOILER]

Ray, this may appeal more to your former self, but having a giant intellect is similar to having a massive johnson. Sometimes, you just have to take it out and let everyone be overwhelmed by it. Certainly don't be ashamed of it. It's in that Zen place where Christopher Hitchens meets John Holmes that one finds his greatest peace.

[malakaheso]

Does Criterion still have the rights for And The Ship Sails On?

I wish somebody would release it on blu-ray in the Anglosphere, esp with the original English soundtrack if possible.

[ThisKid]

Just like to remind somebody that although they have changed, their past memories are still encased forever on the internet, ready for anybody to bring up at any random time.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Pickpocket is one of the greatest films ever made.

If you want to understand the mind of Ray Jackson, where he comes from and why he is what he is, watch Pickpocket.

...or Over The Top.

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XONJ-jZ396w

[Jameron4eva]

Can't wait for the Breakfast Club release. I have the 30th, but the extra features man.