The Criterion Collection

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by oildude

House is definitely not for everyone. Impressions about this movie seem to come in cycles. A few months ago if House was mentioned at all the feedback was mostly cautionary and not a recommended blind buy. Now, it seems to be getting a lot of praise. I think it has rewatch value mainly because you will want to show it off to others as the strangest movie in your collection.

I eventually bought it when I had a chance to get it really cheap, but I have to be in the right mood to watch it. You can youtube almost all of it last time I checked. It is also available on hulu plus. The atmosphere and the frantic over the top weirdness of it all reminds me of what would happen if you grabbed a mix of shows like Scooby Doo, Sid and Marty Croft 1970s fare like HR Pufenstuf and the Banana Slpits, Pee Wee Herman, the Monkees, and threw them all in with the Shining, Poltergeist, House that Dripped Blood, Amityville Horror, and non-nudie girls-getting-whacked horror flicks. Now that would be a movie!

Yeah, I am a pretty open cinephile, willing to take a look at almost everything I can find (Not to be confused with me liking eveything, as after seeing something, I am commonly harsh in my criticism ) but I never have had that need to get House. It definitely looks like one hell of a ride but with other titles like The Complete Jean Vigo or The Battle of Algiers being released every month, it is hard for me (And my resources) to catch up .

[tenia]

Quick question :

Do Criterion ship goodies (like posters and T Shirts) outside of the USA and Canada ?


Also, in the end, here are the latest order for the end of the year (since now I've got no movies budget left ) :

@ Planet Axel :

Fanny & Alexander
Three Colors Trilogy
12 Angry Men

Not bought at B&N because I will get F&A either tomorrow or Tuesday, the trilogy end of the week and 12 Angry Men probably in 10 days, but it was much more expensive (even a bit too much for 12 Angry Men).

@ B&N (in 2 orders to avoid customs) :

1st order :
Kuroneko
Dazed & Confused (upgrade)
Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas
Walkabout

2nd order :
The Rules of the Game
Island of Lost Souls
The Phantom Carriage
Beauty and the Beast

3rd order (for pre-orders) :
Gojira
Branded to Kill
Tokyo Drifter


Orders were made on Nov 1st using the 10% off coupon, before pre-orders' mispricing have been corrected.

Everything has already shipped except The Rules of the Game (and pre-orders of course). Note for myself : since the 7 releases titles have been shipped into 5 different packages , don't make multiples orders next time : it is useless.

They shipped Beauty and the Beast, Island Of Lost Souls and The Phantom Carriage in a 3 hr interval, but in 3 different packages.

Why not.

That's better for me anyway. But it seems as they have money to throw away.

[ACMutd]

Are there any must have Criterion Collection movies? I mean I would assume all of them are, but what would be the must haves of the must haves?
I already have a few:
Repulsion
Fear and Loathing
Darjeeling Limited
Bottle Rocket
The Killing
Paths of Glory

[Zen_Amako]

I've decided to stop upgrading Criterions I already own on SDVD. Their DVDs are already very good and the BD usually has the same transfer, just in 1080p.

I picked up Days of Heaven since it was on sale. The movie itself is good, but I found the edge halos a little distracting.

[ycbbh]

Originally Posted by ACMutd

Are there any must have Criterion Collection movies? I mean I would assume all of them are, but what would be the must haves of the must haves?

They would probably be the 'greatest hits' of world cinema like M, 8 1/2, Seven Samurai, Wages of Fear, Seventh Seal, etc.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by ACMutd

Are there any must have Criterion Collection movies? I mean I would assume all of them are, but what would be the must haves of the must haves?
I already have a few:
Repulsion
Fear and Loathing
Darjeeling Limited
Bottle Rocket
The Killing
Paths of Glory

Night of the Hunter
400 Blows
Paris, Texas
Seven Samurai
M
8 1/2

...to name a few.

[ACMutd]

Thanks! My mother wanted a Christmas list from me, even though I told here I didn't want anything. >_>

[oildude]

I think I am going to sign up for the hulu plus trial. Browsing their site, they have many of the films in the Eclipse series available for viewing. The more I look into this series, the more I want to explore further than my initial purchases. However, for the most part these would be blind buys. Certain sets keep tempting me, like Oshima's Outlaw Sixties; however, I am not sure I would like all the films in that set and would prefer to screen them first. Finding clips or online versions of these Oshima films and others - such as the Postwar Kurosawa or Silent Naruse - has not turned up much. They are all available for viewing on hulu plus.

Also, it will give me a chance to view some recommended mainline movies I have never seen, such as the Hiroshi Teshigahara set withoug investing in more DVDs, which I am reluctant to do anymore as long as there is a chance of a future blu-ray release, even if it is a few years off.

Is anyone using hulu plus beyond the trial? If so, please share your impressions. Quality? Buffering issues? At $7.99 a month, it seems like a great deal.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by Zen_Amako

I picked up Days of Heaven since it was on sale. The movie itself is good, but I found the edge halos a little distracting.

Yeah, but that's due to the cinematography, though.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by oildude

I think I am going to sign up for the hulu plus trial. Browsing their site, they have many of the films in the Eclipse series available for viewing.

After I dropped NetFlix streaming I was planning on looking into Hulu Plus as well but how I'm thinking I might drop NetFlix disc as well and switch to Blockbuster's monthly subscription.

In addition to Criterion BDs it looks like they have a lot (if not all, I haven't looked that closely yet) of their DVD releases including the Eclipse sets.

I don't know what their turnaround is like though. For all their other issues NF does get their stuff out the door in a timely fashion.

Still, I have to get around to signing up for the BB 30 day trial one of these days.

[bugsy_pal]

Love your idea... - although I'm not sure if there is a unifying thread as with the first set, where all of the films were produced through BBS. "Harold and Maude" would be a good addition.

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood

I was thinking how sweet an america lost and found set #2 would be. with a continued mix of popular classics and obscure classics, some ideas:

The Trip
Paper Moon
The Last Movie
Hair
Blume in Love
The Last Detail
Play Misty for me
Carnal Knowledge
Psych-Out
Duel
Play it Again, Sam
American Graffiti

[Monty70]

Originally Posted by GOMEZFAN69

I just watched this yesterday and am curious what you like about it.

OK, I'll try...

The film catches the absurdity of life perfectly. (as well as being completely original) The setting is one of the most unique (and beautiful) places I have ever seen. The characters are interesting, well developed, and the performances are great. (especially Stander and Pleasence) I find the story very entertaining, not to mention funny in a sick way. Polanski's direction is fluid and controlled. And to cap it all off, the score in awesome. (I love me some bass melody in six)

I used to have the film on a South American import dvd and can honestly say that the first time I saw the film my reaction was lukewarm to it. Something interested me about it though. Over the years I have to come to adore the film.

F.Y.I. Cul-de-Sac is Jack Nicholson favorite film. (for what that's worth)

[bugsy_pal]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Watched 3 Women last night...... I thought my current wife would really dig the "twist" and "transformation" that occurs.....

Turns out she just thought the movie was "pointless" errr... unfortunate. First she didn't care for "The Tree of Life" and now this....

Good thing there aren't any laws against watching films alone

By "current wife", do you mean that there have been others? Or do you mean that you will be replacing her in the near future?

Don't be too hasty - my wife and I don't always agree on the movies we watch. We have seen "3 Women" or "Tree of Life". We did watch "The New World" which I had some reservations about, but my wife loved. We watched "Nashville" together some years back and could not get through it - I like Altman but that one just didn't do it for me.

I'd just like to get through our backlog of non-English cinema and film noirs. But other things take precedence... we're currently working through back-episodes of Breaking Bad, which I had no feelings for when I ccaught the odd episode on TV, but which I am now hooked on.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Monty70

And to cap it all off, the score in awesome. (I love me some bass melody in six)

Absolutely. I also enjoyed the film for many of the reasons you mentioned and we are definitely on the same page about the score.

[Show spoiler](Speaking of which, for years I thought 'Komeda' was the media/production company that put out the Rosemary's Baby soundtrack. What can I say, my attention to detail is not always what it should be. I have no idea why I admit stuff like this but there you go)

[Daigle]

Just watched Le Cercle Rouge. Is all Melville this good?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Daigle

Just watched Le Cercle Rouge. Is all Melville this good?

And Bob le Flambeur and Le Samourai are even better.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Daigle

Just watched Le Cercle Rouge. Is all Melville this good?

From what I have seen, yes. Le Samourai, Army of Shadows, and Leon Morin, Priest, although the last one is quite different, more of a dialog driven drama.

If you like Melville, also try Clouzot. Diabolique and Wages of Fear are really good.

[sskclickgeneral]

Originally Posted by oildude

From what I have seen, yes. Le Samourai, Army of Shadows, and Leon Morin, Priest, although the last one is quite different, more of a dialog driven drama.

If you like Melville, also try Clouzot. Diabolique and Wages of Fear are really good.

I found diabolique to be terrific. I actually just put wages of fear on my wishlist (as a blind buy like all my other criterions)

[sskclickgeneral]

I thought of 2 titles that need a release that I feel would suite Criterion well.

The Penalty (1920)
Directed By: Wallace Worsley



Men Behind the Sun (1988)
Directed By: Tun Fei Mou

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by bugsy_pal

Love your idea... - although I'm not sure if there is a unifying thread as with the first set, where all of the films were produced through BBS. "Harold and Maude" would be a good addition.

Yes, the BBS set was basically a director-overview Eclipse set for Bob Rafelson, except that they wanted to focus on the history of the production company, and also "Easy Rider" was too sellable for Eclipse material. ("Head", sadly, OTOH...)

Remember, this's Criterion, and you have think "Anal-retentive one-director filmography".
Now, if CE was asking about a Peter Bogdanovich boxset, I'd....still be asking what the heck "Paper Moon" was doing up there.
(That one was more a product of the mid-70's sudden fascination with old movies and the 30's Depression. Wasn't just The Sting that started it, you know.)