The Criterion Collection

[ranitasus]

To each his own guys...to each his own I personally ADORE Seven Samurai, but I don't expect everyone to like it or be entertained by it.

[Rhylliam]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

Why invest the three hours needed when I was bored to tears in just 45 minutes? It's a massive waste of time.

Haha, well then you kiddo, should not be buying Criterion blu-rays.

Finally watched Wings of Desire tonight. Had the blu for months, & have never seen the film. What a good watch, and looks just fine in HD. That disc is loaded too! Almost 3 hrs of extras.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Si1entElegy

I believe this is the first negative comment I've read about the movie.

Hello.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by Rhylliam

Haha, well then you kiddo, should not be buying Criterion blu-rays.

I like some of the entries in the catalogue. I own Che, Benjamin Button (sacrilege to most, surely), Solaris, and The Thin red Line. I also plan to pick up Carlos to contrast it with Che when I show it to others.

[octagon]

You're bored by Seven Samurai but liked Solaris?

I would not have expected that.

[brake]

Hey guys, do you guys know if Criterion Blu-rays are included in Amazon's black friday sales?

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by octagon

You're bored by Seven Samurai but liked Solaris?

I would not have expected that.

I do indeed. I like science fiction and Solaris is up there in that genre to me.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

Care to contribute anything other than furthering the opinion that Criterion fans are insufferable and full of pretension? How about addressing my argument that I'm not wrong instead of posting spammy one-liners?

I'm just having a bit of fun
Criterion fans might be insufferable and full of pretension, including me, so I haven't an argument against that.
As for Seven Samurai, I think a few of us here are surprised you disliked such a revered film. For decades, it has been considered one of the ten greatest films ever. It consistently tops the lists of film buffs, critics, and directors.
It's also surprising to pass judgment after only watching 45 minutes. If you know you're not liking it, you might be right to stop before you waste too much time. However, it seems like a shame not to give it a proper go.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

It's also surprising to pass judgment after only watching 45 minutes. If you know you're not liking it, you might be right to stop before you waste too much time. However, it seems like a shame not to give it a proper go.

I didn't judge it as a whole as that would be nonsensical. I just don't like what I saw and I can't see myself sitting through the rest of it. I've heard that Kagemusha is more accessible, so I may enjoy that more.

I still need to see The Last Emperor, which I recently learned was in English when I popped it in to see how it looked on the format. That shocked me quite a bit as I'm so used to biopics about non-Americans being subtitled.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

I didn't judge it as a whole as that would be nonsensical. I just don't like what I saw and I can't see myself sitting through the rest of it. I've heard that Kagemusha is more accessible, so I may enjoy that more.

I personally find Seven Samurai more accessible than Kagemusha, but I'm a big fan of both films and Kurosawa, so I can't advise you on that.
Kagemusha is a long film, but I guess you'll know after 45 minutes if you want to continue...

[aggienader08]

Originally Posted by JLTucker

I didn't judge it as a whole as that would be nonsensical. I just don't like what I saw and I can't see myself sitting through the rest of it. I've heard that Kagemusha is more accessible, so I may enjoy that more.

I still need to see The Last Emperor, which I recently learned was in English when I popped it in to see how it looked on the format. That shocked me quite a bit as I'm so used to biopics about non-Americans being subtitled.

Sorry I just have to chime in here. Are you aware that:

1.) The Last Emperor won Best Picture in 1987
2.) It is indeed in English, but there are several scenes in Chinese, I believe Mandarin or Putonghua, with English subtitles as well.
3.) That it too would be considered slow in comparison to Seven Samurai.

It's very odd that you won't give Seven Samurai , the most revered and talked about film of all time, a solid sit through. Was there something other than the story and character progression that you didn't find appealing enough to make it through?

[drbikeshorts]

Are there any current online coupon codes available for the Barnes & Noble sale?
I've decided to pick up another four Eclipse sets, since I've already finished the awesome Nikkatsu Noir films.

[dr.mabuse]

Could anybody tell me how long it usually takes Criterion to answer an email?
It's just because I contacted them a few weeks ago about a replacement case and never recieved an answer.

I nearly gave up on them until a member from another forum told me, that they actually do send replacement cases to international customers and normally also reply to emails.

So I sent them another one, but haven't heard of them until now.

Because if I'd now they usually take their time to answer emails, it would be fine to me. I just want to be sure that they mail didn't get lost or anything like that.

[BHolst]

Originally Posted by cferreiro

Barnes and Noble are rubbish at replacing cases, or packaging their discs properly for that matter. My Night of the Hunter case arrived torn at the back and I spent atleast 2 months trying to get a replacement....did i mention that their customer service via email is also rubbish? They wanted me to call them from Australia.

Yesterday evening it was 48 hours since I had created the ticket with B&N's customer service and I still hadn't heard from them (so they had missed their aim of me hearing from them within 24-48 hours).

This morning I had received a shipping confirmation mail from them, but everything I ordered had been shipped

I opened the mail and they had shipped a replacement copy of People On Sunday

Considering that I once spent an hour on the phone (calling from Sweden!) just to get to a somewhat OK resolution of an issue they had caused, this was almost mindblowing in comparison. Previous requests for replacements has always resulted in the answer "We don't send replacements outside of the US, you will have to re-order the item!".

I wonder if this was handled by a summer temp or a newly hired person that hadn't had a proper introduction into the customer service part of B&N or if this is their new policy for damaged items?

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by EricJ

They were (or had) good songwriters--
There were no shortage of made-for-kids-TV rock groups in 1967 but the mix of Boyce & Hart, Carole King, Neil Diamond and Mike Nesmith songs gave them a much more distinct sound for the pop 60's than we would have expected from the Archies, the Partridge Family, or any other group Don Kirschner tried to pre-fabricate.
(Among other things that made Nesmith legendarily punch a hole through a wall was that Kirschner did want them to record "Sugar, Sugar'. )

But this's a Bob Rafelson set, and Rafelson was the "revolutionary" party pooper.
Obviously, the director of "Five Easy Pieces" didn't want to be stuck to a kiddy-show gig, and spent most of his time either complaining about the show's "manufactured" image--and how the screaming teens were too "suckered" to tell the difference between the Real Beatles and the Fake Ones--or sarcastically dumbing the TV show down to a deliberately sub-moronic level as contemptuous abstract self-satire.
The other TV episodes, directed by James Frawley ("The Muppet Movie") and written by Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso (who wrote practically every comedy in the 60's including Get Smart) let the semi-improv performers cut loose and gave the show an innocent Marx-esque sense of humor....
But no, Rafelson was crabby counter-culture, and when he got fellow "revolutionary" Jack Nicholson to write the "gags" for the movie, the self-contemptuous messaging was thick, heavy, and well-fumigated.
(Like I said before: Hated your job, Bob? Bite us--We liked the songs.)

To answer the poster's question however, yes:
The complete real TV series came out on two boxsets from Rhino, "good" episodes included (

[Show spoiler]‪Monkees -- Monkee See Monkee Die Part 1‬‏ - YouTube

), and it helps to have some background knowledge of the series and early songs to know that don't worry, they were a lot better than THIS.

Bob is still bitter about the Monkees now isn't he? I got that impression from the supplimentals on the BD and other interviews.

Nez didn't punch a wall because of "Sugar, Sugar," it was because Don released the original version of "She Hangs Out" on the radio, and the track had only had Davy's vocals. None of the other group members knew about it, and Davy had no idea that the song would be released. It was pulled rather quickly after the incident with Nez.

Don's next group after he pissed off the Monkees was the Archies, because fake cartoons are easier to control than real people.

The show also had a ton of really good guest stars, like Frank Zappa (who's also in the film), Julie Newmar, Stan Freberg, Lon Chaney Jr., and many other famous character actors from various TV shows and Films from the 50s and 60s. The Wild Monkees, the "biker" episode also had 4 Playboy Playmates.

Mike wasn't the only Monkee who wrote great songs. Peter and Micky had a few great ones. Quite a few of Mike's songs became hits for others. The song "Different Drum," that made a young Linda Ronstadt as star with the Stone Ponys? Mike wrote that.

Other than that, EricJ, I agree with what you said. I personally love Head, even though it was created to destroy the group, I try to look for the goodf out of the bad. FYI folks, Peter Tork was the only one to show up on set the first day, the other 3 were having a strike because Bob refused to give them any writing credit on the script. The filming of head was notably strained after that, with Bob reportedly blasting The Electric Flag and telling the boys that that was real rock music. Shortly after, Peter officially left the group due to all the bitterness and fighting amongst themselved and with Bob.

I hope someone takes the time to put the TV series on BD, I'd kill for it. Yes, eve 33 1/2 Revolutions Per Monkee, which is a convoluted mess.

[octagon]

Criterion Order Support Page

1. How do I reach you if I have an order problem or question and I can’t find the answer here?
You can reach our customer service department by e-mail or mail.

•By e-mail: orders@criterion.com
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Please note that order support e-mails are answered Monday to Friday during business hours EST. Please include your name and e-mail address.

If you are contacting us about a specific transaction, please try to include as much information as possible, such as order number and date, what items were in the order, and the total amount paid.

I had to get a cracked case replaced (I had bought it from them) and while I had to remind them with a followup mail the process was fairly smooth overall. They sent a replacement case and that was that.

[dr.mabuse]

Originally Posted by octagon

Criterion Order Support Page



I had to get a cracked case replaced (I had bought it from them) and while I had to remind them with a followup mail the process was fairly smooth overall. They sent a replacement case and that was that.

Thanks! But I sent an email to mulvaney@criterion.com, mainly because I bought the BD from a retailer and because of this info on their websit:

To report a technical problem with your DVD or Blu-ray disc; for television, public performance, and nontheatrical sales;
for queries, threats, or bribes related to our future release schedule;
for praise and/or criticism of our releases or the state of the film world in general;
to report that a DVD booklet has been mauled by a dog or baby;
for clarification of the information on our FAQ page;
to whinge about region encoding;
or for any and all Criterion-related anecdotes or curiosities, please e-mail Jon Mulvaney at mulvaney@criterion.com(he lives for this stuff!).

[rezpekt]

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

Does anyone know if there is a possibility from Criterion to release 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days? I saw the film months ago and was totally blown-away by it. Such powerful performances; just the scene from the hotel room deserved to won the Palm d'Or . It also would be the first time Criterion releases something from Romania. Let's make their statement about a "world-cinema" collection true !

I think Criterion said: "maybe". IFC has the US rights so there is a possibility.

Update: yeah, I checked again and it looks like it is coming.

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by octagon

You're bored by Seven Samurai but liked Solaris?

I would not have expected that.

Makes sense to me because the photography in Solaris is so good. The viewer is constantly scanning each shot trying to take in all of Tarkovsky's little visual clues about the plot, the characters, and the meaning of the film.

It's been a few years since I last watched Seven Samurai, but from what I recall the characterizations and the plot are pretty hammy and clumsy (in typical Kurosawa fashion, I might add... his actors always seem to overact except for like Drunken Angel/Ikiru). I certainly understand why JLTucker would find the movie disappointing; I don't think it's nearly as good as everyone else does (or at least, upon my last viewing three years ago).

I still think Drunken Angel is the best goddamn film Kurosawa ever made.

Also, a Criterion release of 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days would make me a very happy man!

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Bob is still bitter about the Monkees now isn't he? I got that impression from the supplimentals on the BD and other interviews.

Nez didn't punch a wall because of "Sugar, Sugar," it was because Don released the original version of "She Hangs Out" on the radio, and the track had only had Davy's vocals. None of the other group members knew about it, and Davy had no idea that the song would be released. It was pulled rather quickly after the incident with Nez.

Don's next group after he pissed off the Monkees was the Archies, because fake cartoons are easier to control than real people.

The show also had a ton of really good guest stars, like Frank Zappa (who's also in the film), Julie Newmar, Stan Freberg, Lon Chaney Jr., and many other famous character actors from various TV shows and Films from the 50s and 60s. The Wild Monkees, the "biker" episode also had 4 Playboy Playmates.

Mike wasn't the only Monkee who wrote great songs. Peter and Micky had a few great ones. Quite a few of Mike's songs became hits for others. The song "Different Drum," that made a young Linda Ronstadt as star with the Stone Ponys? Mike wrote that.

Other than that, EricJ, I agree with what you said. I personally love Head, even though it was created to destroy the group, I try to look for the goodf out of the bad. FYI folks, Peter Tork was the only one to show up on set the first day, the other 3 were having a strike because Bob refused to give them any writing credit on the script. The filming of head was notably strained after that, with Bob reportedly blasting The Electric Flag and telling the boys that that was real rock music. Shortly after, Peter officially left the group due to all the bitterness and fighting amongst themselved and with Bob.

I hope someone takes the time to put the TV series on BD, I'd kill for it. Yes, eve 33 1/2 Revolutions Per Monkee, which is a convoluted mess.

Which episode of the series is Frank Zappa in?