The Criterion Collection

[UnionJackMix]

I just received my Agnes Varda set, I love how compact and heavy it is. DeepDiscount also shipped it in what I can only imagine is the original Criterion protective mailer so it is spotless. Can't wait to watch it. Is it correct this box had no blue sticker?

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

I half-expected Criterion to do a big box for Handmade Films in 2019 to coincide with the anniversary of Life of Brian. Really puzzling how they've only released Time Bandits so far, despite Arrow's restorations of The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa existing (plus the four Indicator released).

That would be excellent to have now, no matter the anniversary factor. I would like to see that with or without (more so with) the doc that was made about HandMade.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I just received my Agnes Varda set, I love how compact and heavy it is. DeepDiscount also shipped it in what I can only imagine is the original Criterion protective mailer so it is spotless. Can't wait to watch it. Is it correct this box had no blue sticker?

I dont think any of the big boxsets had blu-ray stickers. I assume it is because there is no DVD version.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by dwk

I dont think any of the big boxsets had blu-ray stickers. I assume it is because there is no DVD version.

You mean that usually they only apply a sticker to a release if there are two versions of it?

[dwk]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

You mean that usually they only apply a sticker to a release if there are two versions of it?

I don't think that is always the case (the Bruce Lee set was Blu-ray only and it had a Blu-ray sticker), but it might be for those big, oversized boxsets. Godzilla, Fellini, Bergman, Varda, WKW all appear to lack a Blu-ray sticker.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

You mean that usually they only apply a sticker to a release if there are two versions of it?

That's definitely not the case.

THe boxset do appear hit or miss. My old David Lean Box didn't, Varda didn't, Bergman didn't. America Lost and Found, the Scorsese boxes did. Hitchcock Box didn't but it was a bit of a different animal.

[Mike0284]

YouTube

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

I half-expected Criterion to do a big box for Handmade Films in 2019 to coincide with the anniversary of Life of Brian. Really puzzling how they've only released Time Bandits so far, despite Arrow's restorations of The Long Good Friday and Mona Lisa existing (plus the four Indicator released).

I got tired of waiting and got Withnail, Long Good Friday in this recent arrow sale. I totally forgot to pickup Mona Lisa too. I wonder why they are dragging their feet on these

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by bigbadwoppet

Since Criterion got on the blu-ray game, they've been more focused on adding new films to the collection than on updating their existing catalogue..

There’s usually an upgrade every month. April and June both have two upgrades. Plus they’re putting out individual releases from box sets. I don’t really see it as an issue. I think they’re doing a good job of updating their dvds. Of course they want to keep adding new films. Plus, If they releases more per month I’d go bankrupt

[DaBargainHunta]

Expiring from The Criterion Channel - The Morning After (1986) and Beware the Blob (1972)



The Morning After

Jane Fonda wakes up in a strange bed with no idea how she got there, and the person next to her has been stabbed to death with blood everywhere. That's the tantalizing opening to Sidney Lumet's The Morning After, which also stars Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia.

Jane Fonda's actions from that point on often seem completely illogical, so it's best to just go along for the ride (literally, later on, in Jeff Bridges' beat-up old '55 Chevy). Casual racism is presented as flirtatious meet-cute banter between her and Bridges - a stretch even for the coke-fueled '80s.

The use of color here is extraordinary, with backdrops and lighting presented in striking pastel shades. In reality, the decade never looked quite this color-coordinated, but a few snorts of white can apparently bring out the entire rainbow.

Jane Fonda was nominated for her 7th and final Academy Award for The Morning After, and by the end of it, her character is put through the wringer and it really is one hell of a complete performance.

DaBargainHunta's Decree: Overall, implausibilities aside, this is a great yarn. (Subtitles/Captions: Yes!)

Beware! The Blob

The first movie wasn't trying to be cheesy - it was innocent and earnest - but this little-known sequel purposely goes out of its way to be a schlock spoof. Remember when Jake "The Snake" crashed Macho Man's wedding by a sneaking a cobra into the reception, and Miss Elizabeth couldn't stop laughing when she was supposed to be crying? That's kind of what Gwynne Gilford's performance is like. It's some of the most dreadful acting I've ever seen.

Unlike the original The Blob, which was more tightly structured, this sequel is split up into a series of loose vignettes of the blob terrorizing various townspeople - starting with a questionable racist depiction of a black scientist drinking beer from a giant jar, continuing with a troop of boy scouts in the woods (led by Eight is Enough's Dick Van Patten), a barber shop (with more bad acting), inside a car and various other locales, before finally ending up inside a bowling alley.

This was directed by Dallas's Larry Hagman and is often referred to tongue-in-cheek as "The Movie J.R. Shot."

DaBargainHunta's Decree: Make no mistake about it, Beware! The Blob is a bad movie - but it's a "so bad it's good" blast to watch. (Subtitles/Captions: Yes!)

[mmarczi]

Over the past year, from the July 2020 releases to the scheduled June 2021 releasees, Criterion has upgraded from DVD the following titles:

The Lady Eve (July)
Taste of Cherry (July)
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (August)
Naked City (September)
Brute Force (September)
Pierrot le fou (October; title back from OOP)
The Hit (October)
several titles in the Essential Fellini set (November)
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (December)
Mouchette (December)
The Ascent (January)
The Films by Luis Bunuel (January)
The Furies (April)
Masculin feminin (April)
The Human Condition (June)
Pickup on South Street (June)

Upgrades have admittedly slowed a bit so far in 2021, with three months including no upgrades that were previously only released on DVD, though it includes some upgrades from the World Cinema Project box sets (Touki Bouki and Trances). So depending on how you feel like configuring it based on upgrades with multiple titles at a time like the Fellini and Bunuel sets, they've been averaging about 1.5 upgrades per month, which is pretty reasonable given that they typically release only 4-6 titles per month.

Going back further:

Tokyo Olympiad (June 2020)
Six Moral Tales (May 2020)
Army of Shadows (April 2020; title back from OOP)
The Cranes Are Flying (March 2020)
Salesman (March 2020)
Antonio Gaudi (February 2020)
The Fugitive Kind (January 2020)
Le petit soldat (January 2020)
Tunes of Glory (December 2019)
Godzilla (November 2019)
Underworld/The Last Command/The Docks of New York (October 2019)
Haxan (October 2019)
Fists in the Pocket (September 2019)
An Angel at My Table (August 2019)
Magnificent Obsession (August 2019)
Do the Right Thing (July 2019)
BRD Trilogy (July 2019)
Through A Glass Darkly/Winter Light/The Silence (June 2019)
House of Games (May 2019)
Stanger Than Paradise (April 2019)
Night on Earth (April 2019)
The Magic Flute (March 2019)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (February 2019)
Notorious (January 2019)
Sawdust and Tinsel (December 2018)
several from Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (November 2018)
Sisters (October 2018)
The Naked Prey (October 2018)
Andrei Rublev (September 2018)
My Man Godfrey (September 2018)
Scenes From a Marriage (September 2018)
Heaven Can Wait (August 2018)
The Scarlet Empress (July 2018)
The Virgin Spring (June 2018)
Mishima (May 2018)
Au hasard Balthazar (May 2018)

[TheHighRoller]

Originally Posted by mande2013

As for LGBT films in the Collection, there are also some of the Fassbinder films like The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant and Fox and His Friends.

Querelle is iconic, I wish they released that. Kylie Minogue even referenced it in X2008.

Strange seeing Django / Franco Nero kiss a man. Kinda cool, too as that was still pretty out there at the time so a lot of respect for him doing that.

[Warm Gun]

Originally Posted by mande2013

As for LGBT films in the Collection, there are also some of the Fassbinder films like The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant and Fox and His Friends.

Arrow's versions are cheaper and slightly better looking, if you are region free.

[castor]

And Arrow's Fox and His Friends includes Chinese Roulette, which is a very good movie.

[ysally123]

just started and got myself the seven samurai

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by ysally123

just started and got myself the seven samurai

You would be hard pressed to find a better film to kick off your Criterion journey. Enjoy!

[dvining]

Originally Posted by bonehica

You would be hard pressed to find a better film to kick off your Criterion journey. Enjoy!

Not Jellyfish Eyes?

[DaBargainHunta]

Expiring from The Criterion Channel - Nowhere to Hide (1999)



Nowhere to Hide is the third South Korean movie I've watched in recent months, after Save the Green Planet! and The Foul King - both of which were absolutely incredible. Does the streak continue here? Not exactly.

The beginning of the movie feels like a kid playing with the old computer in the school library and going nuts with the outdated video editing program. I almost turned it off several times. From there, we're presented with several different visual styles and even genres. The use of weather is stunning, with one particularly memorable fight scene taking place in violently pouring rain.

Incoherent and messy, with a story that's completely bare bones but still sometimes hard to follow, this definitely a case of more style than substance. Yet, I was almost always entertained - thanks in part to the main character Woo (Joong-Hoon Park), whose off-kilter charisma draws you in.

DaBargainHunta's Decree: Nowhere to Hide feels more like a music video or video game cutscene at times, so it's not something I can openly recommend, but I'm kind of glad I watched it.


TONIGHT? I never got around to The Optimists or Posse like I hoped. I'm probably not going to have time for either tonight. I may tackle something shorter - Kirikou and the Sorceress and/or He Who Gets Slapped - but I'll see how I feel.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

TONIGHT? I may tackle something shorter - Kirikou and the Sorceress and/or He Who Gets Slapped - but I'll see how I feel.

Not sure how much time is left before everything expires, but both of these are fantastic.

[AdmiralNoodles]

Originally Posted by mmarczi

Over the past year, from the July 2020 releases to the scheduled June 2021 releasees, Criterion has upgraded from DVD the following titles:

The Lady Eve (July)
Taste of Cherry (July)
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (August)
Naked City (September)
Brute Force (September)
Pierrot le fou (October; title back from OOP)
The Hit (October)
several titles in the Essential Fellini set (November)
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (December)
Mouchette (December)
The Ascent (January)
The Films by Luis Bunuel (January)
The Furies (April)
Masculin feminin (April)
The Human Condition (June)
Pickup on South Street (June)

Upgrades have admittedly slowed a bit so far in 2021, with three months including no upgrades that were previously only released on DVD, though it includes some upgrades from the World Cinema Project box sets (Touki Bouki and Trances). So depending on how you feel like configuring it based on upgrades with multiple titles at a time like the Fellini and Bunuel sets, they've been averaging about 1.5 upgrades per month, which is pretty reasonable given that they typically release only 4-6 titles per month.

Going back further:

Tokyo Olympiad (June 2020)
Six Moral Tales (May 2020)
Army of Shadows (April 2020; title back from OOP)
The Cranes Are Flying (March 2020)
Salesman (March 2020)
Antonio Gaudi (February 2020)
The Fugitive Kind (January 2020)
Le petit soldat (January 2020)
Tunes of Glory (December 2019)
Godzilla (November 2019)
Underworld/The Last Command/The Docks of New York (October 2019)
Haxan (October 2019)
Fists in the Pocket (September 2019)
An Angel at My Table (August 2019)
Magnificent Obsession (August 2019)
Do the Right Thing (July 2019)
BRD Trilogy (July 2019)
Through A Glass Darkly/Winter Light/The Silence (June 2019)
House of Games (May 2019)
Stanger Than Paradise (April 2019)
Night on Earth (April 2019)
The Magic Flute (March 2019)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (February 2019)
Notorious (January 2019)
Sawdust and Tinsel (December 2018)
several from Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (November 2018)
Sisters (October 2018)
The Naked Prey (October 2018)
Andrei Rublev (September 2018)
My Man Godfrey (September 2018)
Scenes From a Marriage (September 2018)
Heaven Can Wait (August 2018)
The Scarlet Empress (July 2018)
The Virgin Spring (June 2018)
Mishima (May 2018)
Au hasard Balthazar (May 2018)

Ok, what about Laserdisc?