The Criterion Collection

[Moe Szyslak]

Watched Videodrome for the first time. It was awesome.

Moving on to Antichrist...

[returnofthemack]

Originally Posted by Moe Szyslak

Watched Videodrome for the first time. It was awesome.

Moving on to Antochrist...

let me know what you think of antiichrist. its one of the titles im considering picking up at the barnes and noble 50% off sale in july. i bought a bunch of the SAL B&N $25 gift cards for $15 so i can get criterions for about $10 dollars a piece. im thinking of picking up 5 titles.

any advice on titles i should pick up? i really dont want anything made before 1960. what are some of the best movies criterion has put out that i might not know about?

these are the ones on my list that im considering

fear and loathing in las vegas

red desert (the only title im planning on getting for sure)

house

chronos

two lane blacktop

antichrist

last temptation of christ

devils backbone (if the sale goes through the 30th of july)

these are the criterion titles i already own

thin red line

repo man

videodrome

the blob

repulsion

the game

rosemarys baby

badlands

[Abdrewes]

Mack, you have some pretty wild tastes, so I'm not sure if I can make that call. I think you like cult movies, so House, Repoman, Videodrome, Fear and Loathing & the Blob should fit the bill...

Have you considered Robinson Crusoe on Mars?

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by returnofthemack

any advice on titles i should pick up? i really dont want anything made before 1960. what are some of the best movies criterion has put out that i might not know about?

these are the ones on my list that im considering

fear and loathing in las vegas

red desert (the only title im planning on getting for sure)

house

chronos

two lane blacktop

antichrist

last temptation of christ

devils backbone (if the sale goes through the 30th of july)

I really love Last Temptation. It's one my top 20 movies, my favorite of Scorsese's. I'm really into biblical epics and this one completely takes the category apart. Keitel and Defoe are great together. The score is awesome. To me it's a brave movie that stands out in a unique way amid Scorsese's output and would make a nice pairing with Antichrist.

[FrankBlue]

So far, I purchased four Criterion Collection movie titles during the huge Amazon.com "Criterion Blu-ray sale" period.

The 39th Steps
Metropolitan
The Last Emperor
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by sc1957

Yes, of course this is true. That's because Empire of the Sun is not a film about the Chinese. It's a film about the people of the British colony in China. You shouldn't dislike a film because it's not about the topic you think it should be about.

Having said that, I own and enjoy both films.

Somewhere on the Internet, someone has posted a long essay on how Empire should mostly be considered a fantasy, precisely because the story is filtered through the eyes of a child.

Yes, i know Spielberg wanted to filter the story through an English child's eyes. But even then, the film (however spectacular) felt hollow to me. Could you direct me to that essay anyways?

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by cferreiro

Im thinking of blind buying either people on sunday or chronicle of a summer. Anyone seen both and would recommend one over the other. Also taking into consideration the overall package of extras and rewatchability...?

I've seen both and prefer People on Sunday. It's my favorite silent film. I hadn't ever seen it, and blind bought it, and was blown away. It's a really beautiful portrait of interwar era Germany and the hustle bustle of young people in a big city. Chronicle of a Summer covers some of the same terrain and represents a landmark of cinema verite. But for some reason it didn't hit me in such a compelling way as People on Sunday did. Maybe it's because I prefer the German language to French, perhaps it's because Chronicle feels (and is) more of a sociological experiment/study, whereas People has a more poetic, lyrical, and romantic tone.

In terms of replay value, both are richly rewarding, but here again I'd say People, which I can watch over and over again because it's simply so beautiful, with great urban scenes and scenes of the young and the attractive and Weimar culture.

Anyways, I hope this helps. If you like silent films, I'd say go with People.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

I just watched Citizen Kane for the first time. Everything about it was so ahead of its time. The only part that felt dated to me was the narration during the beginning. While I love old films, that overly loud monotone narration commonly found in movies from that time period has never done it for me and always manages to take me out of the experience. Orson Welles blew my mind.

The way he portrayed the different ages... When I saw him playing an old man after seeing him as a young man I had to seriously think for a second there whether that's actually him playing the old man. Obviously it didn't take me long to realise it was but I could hardly believe it. I love movies from the beginning but even I can admit actors didn't start showing believable range for quite a long time and the range in Orson Welles acting abilities was unbelievable.

That kind of quality of acting didn't become the norm for a while after. He really set the standard didn't he? I'm not sure I've seen enough movies to say it for sure, but would it be inaccurate to say he practically moved cinema forward and played a big part in what acting would become?

It's not my favourite movie ever made but I can certainly see why and nor would I argue with anyone who calls it the greatest film ever made. It's definitely one of the best films I've ever seen. That's for sure.

Prior to this, the only other Orson Welles film I've seen was Touch of Evil which I LOVED. I've got the studio canal release of The Third Man in the mail which I'm now super excited for. Half of me hopes I don't fall in love with The Third Man because I know I'll feel compelled to get Criterion's release.

[Jett Rink]

[Show spoiler]I just got done chatting with Barnes&Noble about the July sale. They either really don't know anything yet or are not willing to divulge information. All I/we can do is hope that they have it.

[andy0510]

Hey guys I need a suggestion on what to buy... It's really killing me.
- 12 Angry Men (I've watched it once in law class)
- Quadrophenia (Never watched)

12 Angry Men I know I'm getting a high quality film but I kinda feel bad for buying a film I've seen already.
Quadrophenia I don't know what I would be getting into but based on the trailers it's the kind I would like. Oh I've listened to the album and this has 5.1 surround which is a huge plus.

[SammyJankis]

I haven't seen Quadrophenia, but I watched 12 Angry Men the other night (trying to get my girlfriend into.. better films) and it's just as compelling as ever. Truly one of the most rewatchable films ever, and one of the most impressive debuts from an important filmmaker.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

I haven't seen Quadrophenia, but I watched 12 Angry Men the other night (trying to get my girlfriend into.. better films) and it's just as compelling as ever. Truly one of the most rewatchable films ever, and one of the most impressive debuts from an important filmmaker.

You and I are in the same boat and soon we're going to need a bigger one Before dating me she would watch something if it was on it if she stumbled across it without actually looking and it sounded good. She's not really into foreign films or older movies (60's and earlier I guess) unless its a Marilyn Monroe flick or a successful comedy (humour that's still effective today and not badly dated).

[afvet89]

Picked up 3 movies during the sale. Kuroneko, Sansho the Baliff, and Medium Cool. Now I have six Criterions .The other 3 are 12 Angry Men, The Phantom Carriage and M. Love them all! Now I want some more.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

You and I are in the same boat and soon we're going to need a bigger one Before dating me she would watch something if it was on it if she stumbled across it without actually looking and it sounded good. She's not really into foreign films or older movies (60's and earlier I guess) unless its a Marilyn Monroe flick or a successful comedy (humour that's still effective today and not badly dated).

It's a difficult task. She really has no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to Hitchcock, Kubrick, Scorsese, etc - not even going to bother mentioning the foreign greats. Got her into Linklater's Before films, which she loved, so that's a good sign (Before Midnight this Friday!). Made her watch that Lumet film and Annie Hall the other night. Going to do it gradually before she watches some Malick and Bergman.. *gulp*

[brandon_260]

Charlie Chaplin's The Circus is today's choice for Criterion's 101 Days of Summer on Hulu. I haven't seen it yet, but as I've only recently been getting into Chaplin's work outside of The Great Dictator, I'm going to make some time for it later tonight.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Charlie Chaplin's The Circus is today's choice for Criterion's 101 Days of Summer on Hulu. I haven't seen it yet, but as I've only recently been getting into Chaplin's work outside of The Great Dictator, I'm going to make some time for it later tonight.

It's one of Chaplin's few "Just funny" features, with no speechmaking a la Great Dictator or Monsieur Verdoux, and no dramatic piling on of the pathos a la City Lights or The Kid. (Although we do get a brief hint of "Metaphor of the artist", but it's not as intrusive.)
And as for Just-Funny, it is. But wait, since when did they have The Circus even as a regular title?

[SilentDawn]

I am so impatient, cant wait for House and The Red Shoes to come tomorrow. Plus I also have The 400 Blows, Badlands and The Night of the Hunter on Tuesday!! These are all blind buys by the way, so please tell me if I picked up some good criterions!!

[Andrew13]

Originally Posted by SilentxStatik24

I am so impatient, cant wait for House and The Red Shoes to come tomorrow. Plus I also have The 400 Blows, Badlands and The Night of the Hunter on Tuesday!! These are all blind buys by the way, so please tell me if I picked up some good criterions!!

Haven't seen House, but Badlands and The Red Shoes are two of my all time favorites. The 400 Blows is also excellent, probably Truffaut's best film. I wasn't as enthralled with Night of the Hunter has others, but I'm very much in the minority there. Nice haul!

[Andrew13]

Thinking of blind buying 'Fear and Loathing' and 'Kagemusha' before the sale ends. Good idea? Terrible idea?

Also, do we know for sure when the Amazon sale is ending? Is it this Saturday?

[Page14]

Originally Posted by andy0510

Hey guys I need a suggestion on what to buy... It's really killing me.
- 12 Angry Men (I've watched it once in law class)
- Quadrophenia (Never watched)

12 Angry Men I know I'm getting a high quality film but I kinda feel bad for buying a film I've seen already.
Quadrophenia I don't know what I would be getting into but based on the trailers it's the kind I would like. Oh I've listened to the album and this has 5.1 surround which is a huge plus.

I sort of follow that line of thinking too. I started watching the Criterion line approximately a year ago. So far, I haven't been too disappointed in any of the blurays I bought, whether it was a film familiar to me or a blind buy. So when it comes time to buy a new bluray, I've gained a little trust in Criterion and tend to go for blind buys of movies that look interesting to me, rather than go for the movies I've seen numerous times before ... even though they might be classics. (I only have so much money I'm willing to spend ... and I can't buy them all at one time). Eventually, I plan to buy the classics I've already seen, but in the meantime, I'm getting a kick out of "discovering" great, new films (to me) too.