The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Interesting choice of words considering the ones in your numbered list are considered by many as some of the greatest films ever made... Ironically, if you have never seen Following, that may fall into your bold....

Oh haha. Well, I'm a Nolan fan and I've seen all his movies but Following, so that's definitely being purchased

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Branded to Kill seems like a safe bet for you based on your collection.

Are you considering others you haven't listed below?

Nope, just those haha. Thanks for your input, though!

[jthefrank]

Originally Posted by andy0510

Hello everyone...
Recently I've just gotten tired of new release blurays and so my eyes are looking over at Criterion catalogs.
I've never seen and rarely heard of most of the films, so I never wanted spend money on them. The only Criterion other than Button I watched was Brazil on DVD.
The amazon sale got me interested and ordered Rosemary's Baby.
Is it a good intro to Criterion? Another movie I'm interested in is Quadrophenia
Thanks.

Easy places to start might be Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Rushmore, The Thin Red Line, Blow Out, Dazed and Confused, and maybe Videodrome.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I want to ask for a few Criterions for Christmas and I don't know which ones are a waste of money or not. I'm definitely asking for Brazil, Following, and Purple Noon, but as far as the other ones go, I'm unsure. Any help is appreciated.

1. Alambrista
2. And Everything Is Going Fine
3. Beauty And The Beast
4. Branded To Kill
5. Children Of Paradise
6. David Lean Directs Noel Coward
7. Gray's Anatomy
8. In The Realm Of The Senses
9. Les Visiteurs Du Soir
10. Naked
11. Stagecoach
12. Three Outlaw Samurai
13. Tokyo Drifter
14. Vanya On 42nd Street
15. Walkabout
16. White Material
17. World On A Wire

I own Walkabout, White Material, World on a Wire, Naked, In the Realm of the Senses and Alambrista.

I like all of the films except World on a Wire takes some getting used to (its actually a 2 part mini-series German tv show, not a proper film).

I do know that I would highly recommend you first rent David Lean directs Noel Coward and the Soderbergh releases Gray's Anatomy and Everything is Going Fine (unless you like Soderbergh's work, disregard my opinion though), before purchasing these.

Pretty much all of the other films are French and Japanese classics (except Stagecoach which is a Ford American classic), so you can't go wrong with those.

[Kevin Holly]

Originally Posted by runnersdialzero

I usually hate movies with no narrative but Tree of life worked for me for some reason. The acting is amazing and the cinematography is stunning. How Malick can make something like kids playing the yard breathtaking, I'll never figure out.

But I can definitely see why people wouldn't like Tree of Life. Many call him pretentious. And I can see that as well. I don't agree but I can see it.

The Master felt like PTA was trying to be Kubrick, Malick and Altman all in one movie and I think it was a terrible failure of a movie. And I'm a huge PTA guy. Hated that movie.

Oddly enough, I am the opposite. I usually like movies with "no narrative" but I hated The Tree of Life. And I loved The Master.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Kevin Holly

Oddly enough, I am the opposite. I usually like movies with "no narrative" but I hated The Tree of Life. And I loved The Master.

The Master is a mesmerizing film!

And I also disliked The Tree of Life ("hate" is a strong word though).

I would like to request that Criterion releases P.T. Anderson's first film on BD, Hard Eight. Who else loves Hard Eight?

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Oh haha. Well, I'm a Nolan fan and I've seen all his movies but Following, so that's definitely being purchased

I don't think you understood my first comment. Why do you think any of those films are possibly 'a waste of money'?
As for my Nolan comment, there is a reason why none of the major studios decided to cash in on his 1st major work.It's the only one never released on BD yet. Isn't it also ironic Criterion is releasing it the week after TDKR comes out?? Just a few thoughts since you have never seen it..

For a joke, I looked on Amazon and you can stream it for free if you have Prime. It may save you some $$$

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jw007

I own Walkabout, White Material, World on a Wire, Naked, In the Realm of the Senses and Alambrista.

I like all of the films except World on a Wire takes some getting used to (its actually a 2 part mini-series German tv show, not a proper film).

I do know that I would highly recommend you first rent David Lean directs Noel Coward and the Soderbergh releases Gray's Anatomy and Everything is Going Fine (unless you like Soderbergh's work, disregard my opinion though), before purchasing these.

Pretty much all of the other films are French and Japanese classics (except Stagecoach which is a Ford American classic), so you can't go wrong with those.

Well, I think Brief Encounter sounds great in the David Lean collection, but I don't know if it's a waste to get it for just that one. Also, I really enjoy Soderbergh's work, specifically Magic Mike, Out Of Sight, and Traffic. The Ocean films are pretty good, too. I have Che, Erin Brockovich, and The Good German, which I all think sound great, but I haven't seen them yet. I'm highly interested in getting Bubble, The Girlfriend Experience, The Limey, and Underneath, but I'm no rush to get them right now.

I'm just not sure how these documentaries are going to turn out haha. Thanks for responding, though.

Originally Posted by jcs913

I don't think you understood my first comment. Why do you think any of those films are possibly 'a waste of money'?
As for my Nolan comment, there is a reason why none of the major studios decided to cash in on his 1st major work.It's the only one never released on BD yet. Isn't it also ironic Criterion is releasing it the week after TDKR comes out?? Just a few thoughts since you have never seen it..

Well I've heard mixed reviews on several of the films. Also, I'm not specifically saying that the ones I listed are a "waste of money", but more of a, what should I prioritize in getting, if I ask for any of them. I see your rationale for Following, though, but regardless lol.

[ZooTv]

Has there been any talk of an Insomnia (1997) blu release?

[exolstice]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I don't think you understood my first comment. Why do you think any of those films are possibly 'a waste of money'?
As for my Nolan comment, there is a reason why none of the major studios decided to cash in on his 1st major work.It's the only one never released on BD yet. Isn't it also ironic Criterion is releasing it the week after TDKR comes out?? Just a few thoughts since you have never seen it..

Following is an entertaining movie. I've watched my DVD copy more than once, so I figure a Criterion Blu-ray version is definitely worth owning. I saw it for the first time via rental, not long after seeing Memento in theaters, which I love.

Most Nolan films are considered good to great amongst cinephiles so I don't see a problem with Criterion releasing his first film. It fits into their pattern of releasing first films by important directors.

[georgec]

Anyone else pining for a Spoorloos (The Vanishing) upgrade? That would be awesome.

[dsman71]

Originally Posted by ZooTv

Has there been any talk of an Insomnia (1997) blu release?

there is already a great release from Lionsgate (I think thats who put it out)

[captveg]

Originally Posted by dsman71

there is already a great release from Lionsgate (I think thats who put it out)

Warner released a BD of the 2002 Nolan remake Insomnia.

The 1997 original Insomnia is not on BD in the US.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by exolstice

Following is an entertaining movie. I've watched my DVD copy more than once, so I figure a Criterion Blu-ray version is definitely worth owning. I saw it for the first time via rental, not long after seeing Memento in theaters, which I love.

Most Nolan films are considered good to great amongst cinephiles so I don't see a problem with Criterion releasing his first film. It fits into their pattern of releasing first films by important directors.

I think it's safe to say it is his weakest film, no? Not entertaining, weakest.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I think it's safe to say it is his weakest film, no? Not entertaining, weakest.

It's my favorite by him.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I hope you're just joking, because seriously, that just makes you as trollish as Armond, and you are perpetuating the stereotype that the people on this portion of the forum are pretentious snobs. I'm sorry I don't blow my wad when I watch a Malick film or connect to them, but that doesn't mean I'm any less intelligent. It means I have different tastes, which shouldn't be a bad thing but on this forum it apparently is.

Guess all the films I'm picking up today, such as Black Orpheus, Vivre sa vie, and In the Mood for love are just trash equal to Transformers or something, because Malick is apparently the only good film maker out there.

Typing on a smartphone doesn't make your argument look intelligent with stupid Autocorrect.

My post was to be taken playfully. But seriously, he's a hell of an interesting character (however misguided). Many of his trashings contain nuggets of truth and kudos to him for having such a distinct voice. Hey and don't trash on the Bay, some pretty intelligent critics like his work.

Unrelated but speaking of auteurs many love to hate: Mubi.com has some pretty good essays on the late great Tony Scott.

[octagon]

Heh, it's not like Cul de Sac is at the top of too many Polanski lists

[octagon]

Originally Posted by ZooTv

Has there been any talk of an Insomnia (1997) blu release?

Originally Posted by georgec

Anyone else pining for a Spoorloos (The Vanishing) upgrade? That would be awesome.

I wouldn't say pining but I'd love to get my hands on a decent release (Criterion or otherwise) of either of these. If I could only have one I'd probably go with Spoorloos but not by a lot.

[jw007]

So who here in this forum ever goes to their local library and rents Criterion films before purchasing them?

I recently returned Black Moon after realizing it got poor reviews (and streamed some of the film online and realized I shouldn't have bought it).

But guess what!?

My awesome local library system (Carnegie Library of Pgh) happens to have a TON OF CRITERIONS in stock and Black Moon is one of them.

So I had one of the other branches send in the DVD to my neighborhood branch and I'm going to pick it up later to watch! AND ITS FREE of course!

It's a wise idea!

Now if only they had BD's to rent! But hey, at least if you watch the DVD first, you can get a better idea if you're gonna invest $ into the BD edition.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I think it's safe to say it is his weakest film, no? Not entertaining, weakest.

Wow, I couldn't imagine a Nolan film worse than The Dark Knight Rises. His worst by a mile. It's the film where I noticed what he's piss poor at sometimes: everything regarding time and space (who edited the thing) and lighter emotions (does everything have to be laden with mythology, gloom and portent)

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jw007

So who here in this forum ever goes to their local library and rents Criterion films before purchasing them?

I recently returned Black Moon after realizing it got poor reviews (and streamed some of the film online and realized I shouldn't have bought it).

But guess what!?

My awesome local library system (Carnegie Library of Pgh) happens to have a TON OF CRITERIONS in stock and Black Moon is one of them.

So I had one of the other branches send in the DVD to my neighborhood branch and I'm going to pick it up later to watch! AND ITS FREE of course!

Now if only they had BD's to rent! But hey, at least if you watch the DVD first, you can get a better idea if you're gonna invest $ into the BD edition.

It's safe to say you should give it a rent first. I kinda liked it, but then again I'm not like everybody else: I give automatic points for strangeness.