The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

This pleases me, as most people tend to think of The Monkees as the pop stars who did Daydream Believer and I'm a Believer. Peter Tork, my favourite Monkee, penned Can You Dig It? and Long Title Do I Have to Do This All Over Again? Mike Nesmith penned Circle Sky, Carole King did Porpoise Song and As We go Along, and Harry Nilsson did Daddy's Song. I enjoy Head, the film, which is why I purchased the set initially. I love how The Monkees deconstruct their own image, yet are still unable to break out of their metaphorical box. They are receiving more love today, but it's still too little. too late/

I don't remember too much about the film, but I liked the scene involving the band running towards a bridge and subsequently jumping off, disrupting everything.

Fun fact: Davy Jones performed in my town several years ago. Of course if I was familiar with him and his band, and if I knew about the event, I would have gone,

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

This pleases me, as most people tend to think of The Monkees as the pop stars who did Daydream Believer and I'm a Believer.

Round about 30 years ago during a music party, when it came my turn to play something, I started playing "Early Morning Blues and Greens", and it was delightful to see the other folks break out into smiles when they realized what it was I was playing. Turnabout became fair play when, slightly more recently at another music party, someone started playing "The Door Into Summer", and quite a few of the others joined in. I didn't have my guitar that time, so I didn't, but it was nice to hear others doing Monkees tunes.

[Feiereisel]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I am watching and rewatching all of my Criterions in order to decide if I should keep them or not. Maybe I'll enjoy the America: Lost and Found set more, but it's possible that I will not.

I would probably rank the films in the following order.

Like
The Last Picture Show
Five Easy Pieces

Neutral
Easy Rider
The King of Marvin Gardens
Head

Dislike
Drive, He Said
A Safe Place

I don't think I actively disliked any of the films in the BBS box set, though did find some less engaging than others. Even so, they're each personal, unique, pieces of work.

I think there's also a lot to be said for the supplemental material, too, which creates a parallel narrative about BBS Films that the viewer experiences as they work through the films.

(My BBS box set ranking, for the record: Five Easy Pieces, Last Picture Show, King of Marvin Gardens, Easy Rider, Head, A Safe Place, Drive, He Said)

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

ER dates badly, it's very much a film of it's time and I can see how it and Head would be hard to get into unless maybe you lived through that era.

I came of age during the 1980s, so the hippie vernacular during the first half of Easy Rider gets a chuckle out of me with each viewing, because I keep thinking about the "Hey man, is that Freedom Rock?" commercial from when I was a teenager.

Once Jack Nicholson shows up, though, Easy Rider kicks into an emotionally-compelling overdrive. I think that, for me, this is because Nicholson reminds me of myself as the guy in the middle of the road who tries to understand both extremes of life.

This strikes me as a film that is just as relevant in this day and age as it was during the 1960s, because it often seems that those who take time to learn about both sides of an argument are an endangered species.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

That's not the correct discount.
39.99 (-30%) =27.99
-10% Member = 25.19
-20% Coupon = $20.15 + tax

That's what I just paid for My Darling Clementine this evening. I'll be going back next week with my other 20% coupon to get (hopefully) the Tati set.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The life of a Monkees fan is a life of hardship and pain and scornful looks. But, while I hate to get too Nietzschean, it makes one stronger.

I was a big fan of their TV series and enjoyed their music but when they were referred to as "The American Beatles"......... and then sarcastically as "The Prefab Four"........yeah, it was tough to admit you liked them back then.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I don't remember too much about the film, but I liked the scene involving the band running towards a bridge and subsequently jumping off, disrupting everything.

Fun fact: Davy Jones performed in my town several years ago. Of course if I was familiar with him and his band, and if I knew about the event, I would have gone,

Technically, that's two scenes: The beginning and the end of the film

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Round about 30 years ago during a music party, when it came my turn to play something, I started playing "Early Morning Blues and Greens", and it was delightful to see the other folks break out into smiles when they realized what it was I was playing. Turnabout became fair play when, slightly more recently at another music party, someone started playing "The Door Into Summer", and quite a few of the others joined in. I didn't have my guitar that time, so I didn't, but it was nice to hear others doing Monkees tunes.

The Door into Summer is my absolute favourite Monkees song. I still need to read the Heinlein novel though.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I was a big fan of their TV series and enjoyed their music but when they were referred to as "The American Beatles"......... and then sarcastically as "The Prefab Four"........yeah, it was tough to admit you liked them back then.

I am admittedly a new fan, I was born in 1985, but me mam played the records, and Much Music used to air the series. I own it on DVD now though, I keep it between my Sherlock and Doctor Who blu-rays. I'd kill for bd upgrade, as the series would benefit from it.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I came of age during the 1980s, so the hippie vernacular during the first half of Easy Rider gets a chuckle out of me with each viewing, because I keep thinking about the "Hey man, is that Freedom Rock?" commercial from when I was a teenager.

Once Jack Nicholson shows up, though, Easy Rider kicks into an emotionally-compelling overdrive. I think that, for me, this is because Nicholson reminds me of myself as the guy in the middle of the road who tries to understand both extremes of life.

This strikes me as a film that is just as relevant in this day and age as it was during the 1960s, because it often seems that those who take time to learn about both sides of an argument are an endangered species.

Just a few years after it came out even I, who loved it when it first came out, was cringing at a lot of the dialogue. I always thought about having a drinking game for everytime the term "Man!" is spoken. Under the table in nothing flat!
You're right about Nicholson- this was his coming-out party as an actor! He stole the show and I can remember the first time seeing it and leaving the theater we were all talking about his character and how pissed we were about what happens to him! He was the voice of reason in the film.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Thanks for the information. I am definitely more interested in watching it now.

I am not exaggerating when I say that Head probably sticks out the most for me from the set because of how cool and trippy it is at times. I also enjoyed the soundtrack, specifically The Porpoise Song.

And besides, what other movie has both Frank Zappa and Victor Mature in it!

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Feiereisel

I don't think I actively disliked any of the films in the BBS box set, though did find some less engaging than others. Even so, they're each personal, unique, pieces of work.

I think there's also a lot to be said for the supplemental material, too, which creates a parallel narrative about BBS Films that the viewer experiences as they work through the films.

(My BBS box set ranking, for the record: Five Easy Pieces, Last Picture Show, King of Marvin Gardens, Easy Rider, Head, A Safe Place, Drive, He Said)

I would rank them in the following order:

1. Last Picture Show
2. Five Easy Pieces
3. King of Marvin Gardens
4. Easy Rider
5. Head
6. Drive, He Said
7. A Safe Place

The Last Picture Show is an American classic in my opinion, with stellar performances by Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman, Five Easy Pieces was better than I remember. I was originally put off by the main character's narcissism and by the ending, but I see now what the story was getting at in terms of the alienation of the character, and I think now that any other ending would have been false. The King of Marvin Gardens was much better than I remember and Nicholson's performance is one of his best. Easy Rider, what can I say? Another American classic, but mostly for reasons other than artistic merit. Head was an entertaining goof. I think the anti-war stuff was a little heavy-handed, and it probably helps if you're stoned, but it was a fun ride if you're not expecting it to make sense. Drive, He Said and A Safe Place were interesting, but I don't think I'll ever, ever, watch either again.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I'm sure several folks will argue Tiny Furniture is worse. I'm far from being a Lena Dunham fan, but, when Tiny Furniture first came out, this thread became really gross and nasty. Very sexist and in the case of some posters, misogynistic. Tiny Furniture, for me, was ok. Worth a watch, but not, OMFG I must own this so I can watch it again and again, but it, and Lena Dunham, certainly do not deserve a lot of the misogynistic crap tossed at it. It's not a good film, but, it's still better than A Safe Place, which, unfortunately, I'm going to have to watch again because I decided to watch all my Criterions in Spine order, as much as possible. I'll probably end up posting to this thread or reading a novel or two on my Kobo while I watch it, which still technically counts?

Tiny Furniture is a polarizing, divisive film between the sexes. I watched it but didn't hate it. I do "hate" the cover artwork for the Criterion release though as its terrible. It's not a movie I'll probably revisit any time soon but in my opinion the very WORST Criterion release (blu-ray or dvd) is HANDS DOWN Border Radio, hands DOWN! It's just unwatchable in my opinion. I borrowed that from the library and its simply horrendous.

[jw007]

Well, truly I don't care how dated Easy Rider is, as to me its the most re-watchable and probably most important movie in the BBS box set. It's also the most entertaining. It's a glorious technicolor road movie full of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. It created a legion of rebels, followers and filmmakers. It changed the history of moviemaking that led Peter Bogdanovich to create his masterpiece of The Last Picture Show. So for me, this is how I rank the films in the box set in my personal, biased opinion:

1. Easy Rider
2. The Last Picture Show
3. Five Easy Pieces
4. Head
5. Drive, He Said
6. The King of Marvin Gardens
7. A Safe Place

[Page14]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I am watching and rewatching all of my Criterions in order to decide if I should keep them or not. Maybe I'll enjoy the America: Lost and Found set more, but it's possible that I will not.

........

I'm always interested in seeing people's opinions of these films because they were all made during my "late grade school/early high school" years. I haven't seen all the films yet, but I bought the box set because of the films that I did see way back when, which were all very impressionable on me in one way or another ... the kinds of films you won't forget (... at least that I won't forget).

I'd have trouble putting these in best to worst order because I really like them all, for different reasons. But if I made a list starting with the most memorable (in my mind at the time anyway ... haha), it would go something like this:

Easy Rider
The Last Picture Show
Head
Five Easy Pieces

I haven't seen the other 3 films yet.

[JulesAndJim]

1. Head
2. A Safe Place
3. The Last Picture Show
4. Five Easy Pieces
5. Drive, He Said
6. King of Marvin Gardens
7. Easy Rider

Love them all, though.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The life of a Monkees fan is a life of hardship and pain and scornful looks. But, while I hate to get too Nietzschean, it makes one stronger.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Just a few years after it came out even I, who loved it when it first came out, was cringing at a lot of the dialogue. I always thought about having a drinking game for everytime the term "Man!" is spoken. Under the table in nothing flat!
You're right about Nicholson- this was his coming-out party as an actor! He stole the show and I can remember the first time seeing it and leaving the theater we were all talking about his character and how pissed we were about what happens to him! He was the voice of reason in the film.

One of Jack's most memorable lines of dialogue: ("Nik nik nik.....")

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySgOds3bzcc

[biglou114]

Just got back from a screening of Alex Ross Perry's latest, 'Listen Up, Philip' at the Music Box in Chicago. Jason Schwartzman did a Q&A, and aft wards spent time with fans outside, and was kind enough to to deface this Criterion for me.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414209094.326769.jpg

[jhiggy23]

Just watched The Innocents. Really didn't care for it. I thought it was okay, but nothing special.