The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I just bought it

I really preferred owning Fallen Angels, because I've only seen Happy Together once (in school, actually) and didn't love it..but I've been wanting to give it another chance (because that was years ago), so a little while ago I decided to wait and get the set. $29 is a decent enough price for me not to regret that.

I don't think Wong Kar Wai's films are best viewed in a school setting. The more intimate and "locked in" with Happy Together, the better.

I think I've seen the set even cheaper tho (DeepDiscount or importcds)

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I just bought it

I really preferred owning Fallen Angels, because I've only seen Happy Together once (in school, actually) and didn't love it..but I've been wanting to give it another chance (because that was years ago), so a little while ago I decided to wait and get the set. $29 is a decent enough price for me not to regret that.

Wait, what kind of a class did you see Happy Together in?

[Noetic Hatter]

Okay, after all that waffling, I ended up blind ordering Sunday Bloody Sunday. (and Showgirls and They Live)

Those discs, accompanied with Rio Bravo DVD and Footloose (2011) BD I ordered earlier in the week will be enough for now.

Goodest of times.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I don't think Wong Kar Wai's films are best viewed in a school setting. The more intimate and "locked in" with Happy Together, the better.

I think I've seen the set even cheaper tho (DeepDiscount or importcds)

- At Importcds it looks like it's considered a 'heavy' item and the shipping cost comes out to $5, which makes it about $3 more expensive than the $28.99 I got off a fulfilled-by-amazon seller.

I totally agree about the school setting being wrong. I remember during the beginning of it people around me in class kept whispering about how awkward they felt, and I was seriously disturbed by how immature and double-standard-y they were.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by metaridley

Wait, what kind of a class did you see Happy Together in?

An 'intro to film' class, over a couple years ago

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Noetic Hatter

Those discs, accompanied with Rio Bravo DVD and Footloose (2011) BD I ordered earlier in the week will be enough for now.

I look for Rio Bravo every time I am in a store that sells used Blu-rays (or new Blu-rays, of course), but I haven't found it yet. The review for the Blu-ray is quite good, and I'd like to upgrade my old DVD. Rio Bravo drew the blueprint for so many trapped-in-one-location-with-bad-guys-all-around flicks, such as Night of the Living Dead, Straw Dogs, Assault on Precinct 13, and Skyfall.

Footloose (2011)...

You know, I rented this new version of Footloose from a Redbox rental booth last year and... I liked it. It does not merit a purchase for me, but it was a good, solid rental choice. Latching onto my previous post about the portrayal of the South in movies, this new Footloose is one of the few current movies that does a fairly decent job of depicting a Southern (Southeastern, at least) rural setting. I also like how the movie had an underlying theme about how we as a society are entirely too overprotective of our schoolchildren in the post-9/11 and post-Columbine America. Enjoy that flick.

[mallomar]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

What's everyone else's favorite 2012 film?

(yeah, I love asking these off-topic questions on here)

Oslo August 31st, which is technically a 2011 film, I think, but appears on several 2012 lists for some reason (probably to do with the US release date or something). It's based on the same French novel as Malle's The Fire Within. Would love to see Criterion pick it up as a companion piece, or upgrade the Malle film to blu, for that matter.

[Blu-Velvet]

Back on line again after spending the evening watching BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD and all the extras so I'd have one more major nominee watched before the Oscars Sunday. And yes, there's certainly been a lot of activity in this thread since this afternoon!

I thought 2012 was a reasonably strong year for theatrical releases, with SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and MOONRISE KINGDOM standing out as favorites, but I liked all of the Best Picture Oscar nominees to various degrees (still need to see LIFE OF PI and AMOUR). I thought THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL was fun and deserved at least one or two acting nominations. PROMETHEUS was okay, better than I expected, as was THE WOMAN IN BLACK up until the last 20 minutes, when it looked like they were just rushing to get it over. Even THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN was decent, although not really necessary.

As for Blu-ray releases of 2012, my favorite Criterions would probably be THE GOLD RUSH and the David Lean/Noel Coward box set, and easily the best releases of the year would be a tie between the Universal Classic Monsters Essential Collection and Universal's Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection.

As others have noted, however, 2012 has been the best year so far for catalog titles on Blu-ray, too many favorites to list, with 2013 already shaping up as a serious rival.

[Noetic Hatter]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I look for Rio Bravo every time I am in a store that sells used Blu-rays (or new Blu-rays, of course), but I haven't found it yet. The review for the Blu-ray is quite good, and I'd like to upgrade my old DVD. Rio Bravo drew the blueprint for so many trapped-in-one-location-with-bad-guys-all-around flicks, such as Night of the Living Dead, Straw Dogs, Assault on Precinct 13, and Skyfall.

Footloose (2011)...

You know, I rented this new version of Footloose from a Redbox rental booth last year and... I liked it. It does not merit a purchase for me, but it was a good, solid rental choice. Latching onto my previous post about the portrayal of the South in movies, this new Footloose is one of the few current movies that does a fairly decent job of depicting a Southern (Southeastern, at least) rural setting. I also like how the movie had an underlying theme about how we as a society are entirely too overprotective of our schoolchildren in the post-9/11 and post-Columbine America. Enjoy that flick.

Well, the Rio Bravo 2-DVD set was only $12 new -- and as you say, it's worth owning. If I ever come across the BD for cheap, I will buy it. Someone will reissue it one of these days.

Re: Footloose -- not a great movie. Beyond what you say about the people -- and I agree -- it just makes me happy. And I have an irrational crush on Julianne Hough, which makes me see her movies. I already have the DVD, but the BD is supposed to look and sound really good. (I will probably go see the Nicholas Sparks one, too, despite the abysmal reviews it's getting.) I already own Rock of Ages on BD, of course. It was the first Blu Ray I bought upon receiving my player for Xmas.

[Lutz]

2012 also had the great genre movies The Skin I Live In and Cosmopolis.

[SimBelm]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

What's everyone else's favorite 2012 film?

(yeah, I love asking these off-topic questions on here)

Tabu, followed by Sightseers.

Favourite 2012 Criterion release would probably be Pearls of the Czech New Wave, and Sans Soleil.

[tonylopez]

Finally got around to watching ISLAND OF LOST SOULS today. I enjoyed it very much. I love all types of films but I have a soft spot for the horror genre. This is a good adaptation of the novel "THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU". Laughton is fantastic as Moreau. I was surprised by all the sexuality in the movie from the panther women to Moreau's wanting a creation of his to straight up rape Ruth to even the subliminal facts like Laughtons own sexuality. The make up is for the most part fantastic and so are the sets. There are images in this film that just burn into your memory. I love in the "House of Pain" its vague in how Moreau actually conducts these experiments, not showing the goings on, leaving your mind to wonder the worst. These extras are just perfect. The discussion between Landis, Baker and Burns is fun. I always love hearing from David J Skal and Richard Stanley is great to hear from. I like how he envisioned the material and would have loved to have seen it. Trailers from that era I can watch for days on end. Even hearing from members of Devo and watching their short film just shows Criterion really hit a home run with this release. I was blown away by IofLS and I highly recommend it.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Monty70

The phrase "cute as a button" comes to mind. The scene of her dancing around the pool table in Vivre sa vie is a favorite of mine.

Nana's dance - YouTube

Vivre Sa Vie is worth getting for that scene alone.
But it's really worth getting because it's a beautiful film and Karina gives a great performance.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

What's everyone else's favorite 2012 film?

(yeah, I love asking these off-topic questions on here)

Even though Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is really a 2011 film, I saw it early in 2012, so it's my favourite new release of last year. A perfect film.
Sort-of-in-order after that:
The Master
Holy Motors
Brave
The Dark Knight Rises

Probably my best cinema experience last year was seeing Lawrence of Arabia in 4K on the massive screen at The Astor in Melbourne.
Either that or seeing The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX. An incredible and overwhelming cinematic experience.

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

What's everyone else's favorite 2012 film?

(yeah, I love asking these off-topic questions on here)

Favorite film:
The Kid with a Bike (excited for the CC)

Best Theatrical Experience: (tie)
The Master - had the entire AFI to myself to soak in 70mm
The Amazing Spider-Man - didn't like the movie, but my friend's eight year-old made it fun
(Hon mention): Argo was my only Cinerama this year; good crowd, great presentation

What I wish I hadn't missed:
Life of Pi
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Zero Dark Thirty (may see it today)

What I wish I had missed:
Intouchables
The Hobbit

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by IronWaffle

Favorite film:
The Kid with a Bike (excited for the CC)

This for the win, all day long. Even though I believe officially it is considered 2011, I did not see it until recently and have to say, no film has left me with such a feeling in a long, long time. Actually, TKWAB has really been responsible for me getting back into film (have been more and still am a diehard music geek). I find I am in a weird middle ground where a lot of Hollywood fodder is good but nothing I would purchase for home (examples would be Zero Dark Thirty, Argo). I find a lot of the independent films created in the last year do nothing for me wither (Wes Anderson, I am looking at you at your quirky, awkward style). Also, I can buy into films like Holy Motors that are style with little substance, story or heart.

This is where my discovery of the Dardennes, along with Kieslowski over the last 6 months has pretty much ripped my head and heart wide open. Neither of these film makers sacrifice heart or story yet add a unique, individual stamp to their films, and all of which hold up to rewatching extremely well. These films have also been the kick in the butt I need to finally dig into some of the masters that I have never really had a chance to dig into until lately (Bunuel, Goddard, Bresson, etc). While I have yet to uncover anything by any other film maker that has really made me want to gobble up their collection like I have with KK and the Dardennnes, I am going to soldier on.

PS - I just received the Kid with a Bike on Blu Ray yesterday and it is amazing! Cannot recommend it enough.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by octagon

I never go to theaters anymore and my idea of rushing to see a new release is putting it at the top of my NetFlix queue so I have yet to see a lot of 2012 films.

That all said, Chronicle or Haywire would probably be my favorites so far.

I really liked Chronicle and I was able to buy into it which I think it what really impressed me about it.

I really don't know why I liked Haywire so much. It wasn't really all that good but it was very well-executed and there was something its 70s euro feel that really appealed to me.

I really liked Chronicle, and am excited that Josh Trank is doing the new Fantastic Four movie. Hopefully it is as good as Chronicle.

I thought Haywire had some great action and fighting scenes, but I had a hard time getting past some of the bad acting.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by mookoo

I actually loved Prometheus.. I still remember how I felt when they landed on that big, desolate planet. Amazing

I read this comment twice, and both times I thought you said "I still remember how I felt when I landed on that big, desolate planet." I was wondering what you were trying to tell us

[IronWaffle]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

This for the win, all day long. Even though I believe officially it is considered 2011, I did not see it until recently and have to say, no film has left me with such a feeling in a long, long time. Actually, TKWAB has really been responsible for me getting back into film (have been more and still am a diehard music geek). I find I am in a weird middle ground where a lot of Hollywood fodder is good but nothing I would purchase for home (examples would be Zero Dark Thirty, Argo). I find a lot of the independent films created in the last year do nothing for me wither (Wes Anderson, I am looking at you at your quirky, awkward style). Also, I can buy into films like Holy Motors that are style with little substance, story or heart.

This is where my discovery of the Dardennes, along with Kieslowski over the last 6 months has pretty much ripped my head and heart wide open. Neither of these film makers sacrifice heart or story yet add a unique, individual stamp to their films, and all of which hold up to rewatching extremely well. These films have also been the kick in the butt I need to finally dig into some of the masters that I have never really had a chance to dig into until lately (Bunuel, Goddard, Bresson, etc). While I have yet to uncover anything by any other film maker that has really made me want to gobble up their collection like I have with KK and the Dardennnes, I am going to soldier on.

PS - I just received the Kid with a Bike on Blu Ray yesterday and it is amazing! Cannot recommend it enough.

Yes, I do believe it is a 2011 film, but it only hit my area (DC/Balt.) last summer.

Like you it was my first brush with the Dardennes, though I was vaguely familiar with them. I'm tempted to rush into their other films but want to take my time. I'm taking a similar approach to Ozu, who I think you will appreciate. As with the Dardennes and Kieslowski he has a wonderful attention to character -- whether it is in directing the actor or in the mise-en-scene and how the frame's content informs the character. In all cases I can think of with these three, character comes first (y'know, like on them TBS shows) with theme closely behind. Plots may be deceptively simple, but the stories they choose or so specifically zoomed in to particular people in specific places and times, that complexity doesn't need to be shoe-horned in with twists, turns, clever and not-so-clever contrivances. I find them the most honest storytellers. And if you do try Ozu and like his work, seek Kor-Eda (in fact you may want to see his Still Walking, a CC title, before Ozu).

Off-topic, but worth mentioning. The best find I've had on Netflix streaming is a BBC program called Accused. It's only six episodes, but it is well worth seeking out. It is as close to this kind of filmmaking as I've seen tackled on TV short of Kieslowski's Dekalog (which I mention almost as often as BohemianGraham mentions The Monkees' Head).

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

Non-Criterion, but I see just now that the Wong Kar Wai double feature set is $29-ish on amazon, which is not just the cheapest it's been, but the cheapest way to get both titles ...in case anyone wanted it (I know he was talked about a few days ago). I've been planning on getting these titles for a while now, so I think this may be a good choice..

I think Fallen Angels is a pretty solid Wong Kar-Wai film and Happy Together is gorgeous and exceptional. I don't think Abdrewes was exaggerating in his praise.
It's every bit as beautiful and heartbreaking as In The Mood For Love. Tony Leung is one of my favourite actors and it is in no small part to do with Happy Together and In The Mood For Love.
If you've liked other Wong Kar-Wai films, then the Kino double should be on your list.