The Criterion Collection

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Taikero

The 39 Steps or A Night to Remember? Hmm.....

The 39 Steps is my favorite of the Hitchcock films on Criterion.

I really like A Night to Remember, and it's still the best Titanic film by a considerable margin, but The 39 Steps still owns it.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Taikero

The 39 Steps or A Night to Remember? Hmm.....

Look at the supplements for A Night to Remember. It may turn out to be the better quality buy.

Owl, you're such a hipster. The Cameron film is pretty great too (provided you forgive some of the terrible dialogue).

[Rich Pure Doom]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Look at the supplements for A Night to Remember. It may turn out to be the better quality buy.

Owl, you're such a hipster. The Cameron film is pretty great too (provided you forgive some of the terrible dialogue).

I love Titanic. That might be heresy in this thread but I really don't understand the hate it gets. It's ten times better than something like Avatar atleast.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Owl, you're such a hipster. The Cameron film is pretty great too (provided you forgive some of the terrible dialogue).

Oh no, I like James Cameron's Titanic, even if it is overwrought. It's a hundred times better than Avatar.

I simply prefer the stately British aesthetic of A Night to Remember. The attention to detail in that film is marvelous, even if the specifics of the sinking ship were later determined to be inaccurate.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

I am interested to know what, if any, other collections people buy.

I am fairly new to Criterion (since July 2013) but don't want to be missing out on great films just because Criterion have not released them.

I know about MOC & Kino, any others I should be taking a look at?

Thanks

Cinema Guild does good work.

Olive is decent - just don't expect knockout transfers like we get from CC or MOC.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Rich Pure Doom

I love Titanic. That might be heresy in this thread but I really don't understand the hate it gets. It's ten times better than something like Avatar atleast.

It's difficult to determine who is hating on it because it is simply the fashionable thing to do and who is hating on it for valid reasons. I mean, the syrup will not work for everyone, but you cannot deny that it is a superlative example of big budget spectacle and storytelling at its finest. I'll always be impressed by the way Cameron sets up the disaster that is to come, without it ever feeling like a dry exposition dump.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Oh no, I like James Cameron's Titanic, even if it is overwrought. It's a hundred times better than Avatar.

I simply prefer the stately British aesthetic of A Night to Remember. The attention to detail in that film is marvelous, even if the specifics of the sinking ship were later determined to be inaccurate.

Thanks for the clarification. They are really two very different films in tone, so I really never think of them together.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

I am interested to know what, if any, other collections people buy.

I am fairly new to Criterion (since July 2013) but don't want to be missing out on great films just because Criterion have not released them.

I know about MOC & Kino, any others I should be taking a look at?

Check out the Olive Films catalogue.

As much as I love The Criterion Collection, and as much as I've plagued this Criterion thread with my frequent posting all year, I have to say that I love Olive Films just as much.

Olive Films Blu-rays are no-frills affairs, and they usually have no supplements to speak of. Not even subtitles. The movies are presented competently, though, and the high definition transfers retain the original quality without any obtrusive tinkering from the digital elves.

The best way that I can compare the two is to say this...

Think of The Criterion Collection as the equivalent of an upscale hardcover book edition publisher with beautiful packages, generous footnotes, and gold-lined pages for books that are generally regarded as artistic milestones.

Think of Olive Films as a pulp paperback publisher whose titles appeal to people who love reading even more than they love collecting. The Olive Films Blu-ray titles are like the well-worn paperbacks by Ian Fleming that, while not universally regarded as monumental, are generally revisited just as much as the milestone classics. There are a few standout classics in the Olive Films queue, namely The Quiet Man, High Noon, and the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but most of the films are the old fun flicks that somehow slipped through the cracks when critics and historians were compiling their Top Movies lists.

The Olive Films release of the Humphrey Bogart film, The Enforcer, is probably my favorite Blu-ray title of 2013. It's such a crazy cool film, and it's a blessing that it has finally been released in high definition.

Olive Films rocks the house off the foundation when it comes to film noir titles from the 1940s and 1950s, and when it comes to old western movies.

(Hopefully, this won't get me kicked out of the thread.)

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Cinema Guild does good work.

Olive is decent - just don't expect knockout transfers like we get from CC or MOC.

Not heard of Cinema Guild before, I'll check them out.

Olive, I have heard about & will also take a look.

Thanks

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Check out the Olive Films catalogue.

As much as I love The Criterion Collection, and as much as I've plagued this Criterion thread with my frequent posting all year, I have to say that I love Olive Films just as much.

Olive Films Blu-rays are no-frills affairs, and they usually have no supplements to speak of. Not even subtitles. The movies are presented competently, though, and the high definition transfers retain the original quality without any obtrusive tinkering from the digital elves.

The best way that I can compare the two is to say this...

Think of The Criterion Collection as the equivalent of an upscale hardcover book edition publisher with beautiful packages, generous footnotes, and gold-lined pages for books that are generally regarded as artistic milestones.

Think of Olive Films as a pulp paperback publisher whose titles appeal to people who love reading even more than they love collecting. The Olive Films Blu-ray titles are like the well-worn paperbacks by Ian Fleming that, while not universally regarded as monumental, are generally revisited just as much as the milestone classics. There are a few standout classics in the Olive Films queue, namely The Quiet Man, High Noon, and the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but most of the films are the old fun flicks that somehow slipped through the cracks when critics and historians were compiling their Top Movies lists.

The Olive Films release of the Humphrey Bogart film, The Enforcer, is probably my favorite Blu-ray title of 2013. It's such a crazy cool film, and it's a blessing that it has finally been released in high definition.

Olive Films rocks the house off the foundation when it comes to film noir titles from the 1940s and 1950s, and when it comes to old western movies.

(Hopefully, this won't get me kicked out of the thread.)

Thanks for all that info, much appreciated

Whilst I love the extras that come with a Criterion (though not all titles have some) I really just want to watch films. I am sure that when I go and look at these collections I'll find plenty to keep me occupied (and my credit card on life support )

[SilentDawn]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I think he means $21.96 for both films. Yeah, I'd take all of them too..,

Man, I just read the Zatoichi review and I am mad at myself for not biting during the sale. Oh well, I've got a bunch of streaming content to get around to anyways. Those 25 films will have to wait...

They are AMAZING Abdrewes, Pick that set up ASAP!

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

I am interested to know what, if any, other collections people buy.

I am fairly new to Criterion (since July 2013) but don't want to be missing out on great films just because Criterion have not released them.

I know about MOC & Kino, any others I should be taking a look at?

There are several labels that do as good or better than CC for contemporary film. If you're looking for catalog titles, Flicker Alley, BFI, Artificial Eye, & Arrow (the last 3 UK) are good. If you're looking for classic horror there are another set of labels specializing in this genre.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Oh no, I like James Cameron's Titanic, even if it is overwrought. It's a hundred times better than Avatar.

I love both of them. I'd say that Titanic was the better film, but Avatar was the better movie-going experience. Certainly one of the best movie-going experiences I'd had since seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time back in 1968.

I simply prefer the stately British aesthetic of A Night to Remember. The attention to detail in that film is marvelous, even if the specifics of the sinking ship were later determined to be inaccurate.

I love A Night to Remember, and have since I first saw it long ago. But I actually like Titanic more.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

It's difficult to determine who is hating on it because it is simply the fashionable thing to do and who is hating on it for valid reasons.

Or is hating it because of "My Heart Will Go On".

I mean, the syrup will not work for everyone, but you cannot deny that it is a superlative example of big budget spectacle and storytelling at its finest. I'll always be impressed by the way Cameron sets up the disaster that is to come, without it ever feeling like a dry exposition dump.

I even loved the fact that Cameron included the framing story, because when you think about it, the fascination with the story of the sinking and the search for the wreckage has actually become part of the story.

The only real problem I had with it is that Cameron clearly lifted scenes right from A Night to Remember.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Check out the Olive Films catalogue.

As much as I love The Criterion Collection, and as much as I've plagued this Criterion thread with my frequent posting all year, I have to say that I love Olive Films just as much.

Olive Films Blu-rays are no-frills affairs, and they usually have no supplements to speak of. Not even subtitles. The movies are presented competently, though, and the high definition transfers retain the original quality without any obtrusive tinkering from the digital elves.

The best way that I can compare the two is to say this...

Think of The Criterion Collection as the equivalent of an upscale hardcover book edition publisher with beautiful packages, generous footnotes, and gold-lined pages for books that are generally regarded as artistic milestones.

Think of Olive Films as a pulp paperback publisher whose titles appeal to people who love reading even more than they love collecting. The Olive Films Blu-ray titles are like the well-worn paperbacks by Ian Fleming that, while not universally regarded as monumental, are generally revisited just as much as the milestone classics. There are a few standout classics in the Olive Films queue, namely The Quiet Man, High Noon, and the original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but most of the films are the old fun flicks that somehow slipped through the cracks when critics and historians were compiling their Top Movies lists.

The Olive Films release of the Humphrey Bogart film, The Enforcer, is probably my favorite Blu-ray title of 2013. It's such a crazy cool film, and it's a blessing that it has finally been released in high definition.

Olive Films rocks the house off the foundation when it comes to film noir titles from the 1940s and 1950s, and when it comes to old western movies.

(Hopefully, this won't get me kicked out of the thread.)

I certainly see where you're coming from, but for the couple of Olive titles I have, I miss the extras. I'm a tad annoyed that I have to hold onto my Artisan DVDs of High Noon and Rio Grande because the Olive BDs don't have the extras.

I know. First world problems.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Or is hating it because of "My Heart Will Go On".

I'll chime in here... When I first saw Cameron's Titanic I LOVED it. I think many guys hated it because they didn't like the attention that Leonardo DiCaprio got for it. Many men, don't like to have their emotions stirred up and their attack on the film might have been an act of suppression, too.

On a side note, I had a friend who made a bet with me that The Phantom Menace would break Titanic's box office record. I got the best of that wager.

[K1NG J0RDAN]

I'm interested in the Martin Scorsese World Cinema Project set but unsure about that $120 price tag on amazon. It's $100 on criterion's site but that's still steep considering the bargains many of us just got from BN.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by K1NG J0RDAN

I'm interested in the Martin Scorsese World Cinema Project set but unsure about that $120 price tag on amazon. It's $100 on criterion's site but that's still steep considering the bargains many of us just got from BN.

I saw your other posts so I know that you are first exploring the Criterion Collection. With that being said, my advice would be to check out some other titles and wait for the price to drop on the Scorsese box set. The Terrence Malick films are not only artful, but very enjoyable too. I'd go that route in the meantime. Maybe check out some of the French New Wave directors like Truffaut, Melville, Louis Malle, and Bresson. I've enjoyed just about everything from them that I've dipped into so far.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by K1NG J0RDAN

I'm interested in the Martin Scorsese World Cinema Project set but unsure about that $120 price tag on amazon. It's $100 on criterion's site but that's still steep considering the bargains many of us just got from BN.

Wait for the 50% Criterion flash sale in February.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

[Show spoiler]Hey UncleBuck

Take a look in this thread (see below). Criterion's Shimizu and Nikkatsu Noir box sets are excellent:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=201637

Pro-B

Ahh, these amazing Eclipse boxsets, it's hard to pick the best ones, it's like when you go to a candy shop except that experience is much smoother.

I've note down your recommendations, both sets seem cool / last week i was gonna get the When Horror Came to Shochiku, but it was out of stock.

[momaw]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Hey UncleBuck

Take a look in this thread (see below). Criterion's Shimizu and Nikkatsu Noir box sets are excellent:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=201637

Pro-B

I'd second that Nikkatsu Noir set. It was fantastic. It's the only Eclipse set I've watched multiple times. Don't get me wrong, the other sets I own are great, but when I'm looking to rewatch one of those sets, it always calls out to me the loudest.