The Criterion Collection

[retablo]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Is anyone anxious for THE FOLLOWING to get a spine?

A better question is: does Nolan deserve a spot in the collection? I just don't think his films (Batman aside) have much re-play value.

I may be in the minority but I hope Criterion doesn't have him in their plans. I think there are other directors (*ahem* Rivette) they should go with first.

No, he does not. His films are soulless yet passable (The Prestige being my favorite), but if Heath wouldn't have died, TDK wouldn't have been near the hit. It's just not a great film.

[Harry Caul]

In my opinion from the younger generation it's Darren Aronofsky or David Fincher who deserve a spot before Nolan.

[BohemianGraham]

Anyone else have The Leopard? I watched it last night, and thought it was an absolutely gorgeous film, both PQ wise, and story wise. Burt Lancaster was fantastic as usual, and it's such an interesting period in Italian history. I highly recommend it.

I watched the original Italian version, although the set comes with the English cut for people who hate subtitles. The print for that doesn't look as nice as the Italian one, I glanced at it briefly testing out my new computer's blu-ray drive, so it could have just been because it was on a 23" HD monitor and computer set-up, rather than a proper TV.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by retablo

No, he does not. His films are soulless yet passable (The Prestige being my favorite), but if Heath wouldn't have died, TDK wouldn't have been near the hit. It's just not a great film.

I don't want to go off on a tangent from a tangent (and yet here I go) but that seems awfully unlikely. Batman Begins was a pretty big hit and people were going batshit (see what I did there? batshit? I freaking kill me) for years waiting for the next one. I seriously doubt the added buzz created by Ledger's death had all that much impact on either the prerelease frenzy or the popular reception.

Critical reception, on the other hand, that was probably affected. His performace was every bit as remarkable as critics said buuuut there's a pretty good chance they wouldn't have paid nearly as much attention to it had he not died. It could very well have been disregarded as just another (grudgingly acknowleged as above average) comic book role.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Anyone else have The Leopard? I watched it last night, and thought it was an absolutely gorgeous film, both PQ wise, and story wise. Burt Lancaster was fantastic as usual, and it's such an interesting period in Italian history. I highly recommend it.

I watched the original Italian version, although the set comes with the English cut for people who hate subtitles. The print for that doesn't look as nice as the Italian one, I glanced at it briefly testing out my new computer's blu-ray drive, so it could have just been because it was on a 23" HD monitor and computer set-up, rather than a proper TV.

The Leopard caught my eye a couple sales ago and I finally added it along with 8 1/2 during the recent Amazon sale. All this recent talk about Italian cinema had me leaning toward checking them out sooner rather than later.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

My attitude toward this ongoing contemporary mainstream director argument is, let the major studios put out those films. Transfers aren't really an issue, supplements appeal to a very limited set of people, and directors like Nolan don't need discovering or reevaluating (yet); nothing in this profile hints at a need for Criterion's specialty approach, so let them concentrate on restoring and reviving established works of importance. Nolan can wait.

That's pretty much where I am too. I would love to have them release Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby but in the long run I'll be better off letting them go after Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac (and hopefully The Tenant) while I wait for what is almost certain to be perfectly good 'big releases' from Paramount. Aside from the ridiculous wait and the possibility Paramount might actually hose one of the releases it seems like a pretty clear win/win.

[Harry Caul]

Originally posted by Bohemian Graham

Anyone else have The Leopard? I watched it last night, and thought it was an absolutely gorgeous film, both PQ wise, and story wise. Burt Lancaster was fantastic as usual, and it's such an interesting period in Italian history. I highly recommend it.

And not to forget large parts of the Godfather I and II are very clearly influenced by Visconti's Gattopardo. And if comes to the recreation of bygone era there's not a lot that has or ever had the vision Visconti had.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by octagon

The Leopard caught my eye a couple sales ago and I finally added it along with 8 1/2 during the recent Amazon sale. All this recent talk about Italian cinema had me leaning toward checking them out sooner rather than later.

That's exactly why I bought it, along with the fact Burt Lancaster's in it. 20 bucks during the Amazon US sale a couple weeks ago, when it retails for 46 here in Canada, is awefully hard to resist. It's long, 3 hours or so, but it doesn't feel at all like it's a long movie because the story is so captivating. The English cut is just that, a cut, with 40 minutes missing from it, from what I've read.

[rezpekt]

It's been a month since the Amazon sale started and many titles are still much cheaper than usually. High five Amazon!

[IndyMLVC]

So does Criterion still have the rights to Traffic?

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Not anxious for Following.

Nolan is respectable, but I don't see any of his films besides Memento being Criterion style films. That said, I don't see Broadcast News, Something Wild, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, most of the Wes Anderson films, and plenty of others as particularly fitting of my perception of the Criterion mission either.
.

I don't understand the Nolan hate. He makes a lot of movies that are different then the typical genre movies that flood the box office. If anything I commend him for taking the chances he does. Memento, Inception and The Prestige were all good and very imaginative films with excellent casting and directing. Also may I add his direction of Insomnia was superb.
I get the feeling that hating Nolan is just the in thing right now and usually it just comes off sounding like some overly critical movie reviewer. Then again I've always been a 'glass half full' person. I try to find what I like in a movie and not overly condemn what I don't. I will critique things I don't like in a movie, but usually find something to like about most movies.

Originally Posted by retablo

No, he does not. His films are soulless yet passable (The Prestige being my favorite), but if Heath wouldn't have died, TDK wouldn't have been near the hit. It's just not a great film.

While I agree the film's plot was full of holes. Heath gave a amazing performance of a character that audiences love. I don't think his death had any real impact on the popularity of the film. It has enough elements that are good enough to stand on its own. Plot wasn't one of them. My biggest disappointment about Heath's death is how it hurt Terry Gilliam's film so badly.

[Hendershot737]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Don't know how my comments amount to "Nolan hate" - because I wouldn't buy a Following Blu-ray? I like Nolan's films in general. There are plenty of Criterion Blu-rays that I don't intend to buy that aren't judgments about their quality, but instead on what I will watch repeatedly.

The fact is Nolan is a popular director with a very rabid slice of the moviegoing public but we spend way too much time exhaustively discussing if he "deserves" to be in the CC. Why aren't we having this conversation about Sofia Coppola*?

* Don't say it's because she's on the Beastie Boys video anthology, either.

The Virgin Suicides would be a nice addition. Just sayin'

[blkhrt]

Just posted on Criterion's twitter and facebook:

[Harry Caul]

Originally posted by Hendershot737


The Virgin Suicides would be a nice addition. Just sayin'

Because as much as I like Virgin Suicides, it doesn't compare to how much I love Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Suicides will allways be the small sibling of Hanging Rock.

Kieslowski Red? Still no sign of his Decalogue, that would be the greatest thing ever.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

Just posted on Criterion's twitter and facebook

That's definitely a scene from Krzysztof Kieślowski's Red.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

That's definitely a scene from Krzysztof Kieślowski's Red.

Yep. I guess the only question (and maybe it isn't even a question) is if we will get all three movies at the same time.

[rezpekt]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Benjamin Button probably made them lots of money and got lots of people who didn't know about Criterion interested in their catalog, but it also created the expectation that you'd see more of that type of film in the collection, not realizing inclusive films like Button tend to be one-offs. Criterion will always be at its best restoring films that have earned their reputations and presenting obscure/overlooked contemporary films, not contemporary major studio stuff.

Benjamin Button is a regular Paramount release with Criterion branding. Everything was done by Paramount. And it was Paramount's idea. Probably helped Criterion to license some films from Paramount.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Insert any other popular contemporary director in my last post instead of Coppola, it's the same point. I don't think many popular contemporary Ango/American directors need Criterion releases.

Benjamin Button probably made them lots of money and got lots of people who didn't know about Criterion interested in their catalog, but it also created the expectation that you'd see more of that type of film in the collection, not realizing inclusive films like Button tend to be one-offs. Criterion will always be at its best restoring films that have earned their reputations and presenting obscure/overlooked contemporary films, not contemporary major studio stuff.

I guess I'm just not sure that a movie has to made outside of the US for it to be considered obscure/overlooked. Sure people (now) know who Coppola is, but Virgin Suicides was in fewer than 300 theaters and made more worldwide than it did in the US.

Not that I want to dwell on the the example. My point is just that a lot of things can count as obscure/overlooked, and Benjamin Button has very little relationship to a movie like Virgin Suicides.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Seeing as it is the last film of the trilogy (albeit a loose trilogy), I'd say the clue answers that question as well. Great news!

I wonder if it will be a box set or individual releases. Maybe a combination of both.

[Hendershot737]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Insert any other popular contemporary director in my last post instead of Coppola, it's the same point. I don't think many popular contemporary Ango/American directors need Criterion releases.

Benjamin Button probably made them lots of money and got lots of people who didn't know about Criterion interested in their catalog, but it also created the expectation that you'd see more of that type of film in the collection, not realizing inclusive films like Button tend to be one-offs. Criterion will always be at its best restoring films that have earned their reputations and presenting obscure/overlooked contemporary films, not contemporary major studio stuff.

I do agree that I prefer Criterion to focus on the overlooked/obscure. But if Criterion were to decide to release a film by *insert contemporary & popular director here*, I wouldn't necessarily complain.

But I do love Criterion best when they present to me films I've never heard of and/or films overshadowed by the Big Studio releases. Big studios do a fine job releasing their own stuff, so I do like the "little guys" out there getting the Criterion attention. Most of the movies in my CC I probably never would have heard of, or at least it would have been more difficult for me to come across them.