The Criterion Collection

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

I believe Broadway Danny Rose would like to have a word with you...

And believe me, I'd like to have a few words with it.

(I haven't seen it since theaters, so I'm still in "WTF??" mode, but now, thirty years later, I realize he was stylistically trying to go for a New Jersey Mythos, before MTV made it cool. That don't make it a "classic", though.)

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by EricJ

And believe me, I'd like to have a few words with it.

(I haven't seen it since theaters, so I'm still in "WTF??" mode, but now, thirty years later, I realize he was stylistically trying to go for a New Jersey Mythos, before MTV made it cool. That don't make it a "classic", though.)

Whoa!

I strongly disagree. Broadway Danny Rose is a classic that I rate alongside Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Crimes and Misdemeanors.

I am also very fond of Love and Death and The Purple Rose of Cairo.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by Yami

There are pages up for the cast/crew of Take the Money and Run on Criterion's website so it may be coming.

Woody Allen
Mickey Rose
Janet Margolin
Marcel Hillaire

Etc

Wow, that would be AWESOME. I am a huge Woody Allen fan (obviously), but I don't love most of his early work (pre-1975). Take the Money and Run is my favorite, so would love to see it come to the collection.

Also, I'll echo Scoop as a really fun film!

[Herry Dunston]

I know we're on a different subject, but..

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Speaking of whom, am I the only one who prefers the two WKW Kinos over the two Criterions?

All are spectacular, mind you.

Same here. I understand why Chunking and Mood are praised, but I felt more attached to Fallen and Happy than those two. I think it IS the characters, the setting and their choice of music that really got to me from those films.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by lemonski

You can't be serious. The giant right hand turn in the plot is idiotic, it makes no logical sense whatsoever. The best thing about Match Point is Scarlett Johanssen is smoking hot in it.

I saw quite a few parallels to Hitchcock in Woody Allen's Match Point. My recent viewing of Strangers on a Train, in particular, made me think of this as I was reading the discussion here last night. Match Point is not as good as a Hitchcock film, of course, but it did strike me as a fun homage.

I concur with you about the best thing about Match Point, obviously.

Why isn't Match Point on Region A Blu-ray yet?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Annie Hall isn't one of my favorites. Strongly recommend Hannah and Her Sisters. It's my favorite Allen picture, and just one of my favorite films ever. It's the perfect mix of drama and comedy, and the ensemble is among the best of the best.

I still love Annie Hall, though it's been awhile since I last watched it. It's still not my favorite Allen film, though. I prefer, at the very least, Manhattan (I didn't used to like this more than Hall, but it grew on me with repeated viewings), Hannah and Her Sisters, and Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Funny, though, since I moved up to New Hampshire, and Allen films tend not to play at the cattle-plexes around here, I haven't seen one of his films since The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. I've gotten out of the habit of seeing his films, and so they tend to be off my radar when they come out on disc as well.

[Tin Drum]

I saw Annie Hall recently at the Film Forum in NYC and it was great to see it with an audience that got the jokes.

Wonderful film.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Herry Dunston

I know we're on a different subject, but..




Same here. I understand why Chunking and Mood are praised, but I felt more attached to Fallen and Happy than those two. I think it IS the characters, the setting and their choice of music that really got to me from those films.

Yeah, Fallen Angels is a work of art. To me, it is Wong Kar Wai's finest hour solely due to the visuals. It confuses me when I read people rate it so low.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Rizor

I'd rank them thusly:

1. In the Mood for Love
2. Happy Together
3. Chungking Express
4. Fallen Angels

I think In the Mood for Love is his masterpiece, largely because it shows a great deal of maturity and focus on WKW's part as a filmmaker. His '90s films bound with energy, but they're also undisciplined.

I won't disagree with that, but sometimes it's the "undisciplined, bounding with energy" films that are more interesting. Part of the reason why I put Chungking Express at the top of the list is because it was so audaciously different, and he was pulling some interesting tricks with what I call "fracturing time" that reminded me of how Will Eisner (in his "Spirit" comic strip) used to use panel layouts in a unique way to expand or compress time.

(And, of course, Chris Doyle's stunning cinematography helps, as it does with their other collaborations.)

If Kino ever got around to releasing Days of Being Wild, I'd rank that as my second favorite WKW film.

Ya know, Days of Being Wild is the one film of his that I have a hard time getting through. There are some things I like about it (mostly Maggie Cheung's performance), but in most respects, I find it a not-very-interesting story of disaffected youth.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

So much great conversation going on in here guys, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around Lore. It's probably the "purest" piece of cinema I have seen this year. What director Cate Shortland managed to accomplish--transform the war torn German countryside into a labyrinth of sensations, both pained and sweet--is nothing short of miraculous. Had it been distributed by IFC, it would have been spined by CC.

I've seen it available on Netflix, but wasn't sure about adding it to my queue. I'll have to give it a shot.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Dragun

Criterion released "Annie Hall" and "Crimes and Misdemenors" on LaserDisc. Maybe MGM/UA licensed them to Criterion before releasing their own versions?

MGM/UA licensed a lot of titles to Criterion back in the laserdisc era. As did a lot of other studios. Since LDs were a niche market, many of the studios were happy to license out their titles. Because DVD was a hit format right out of the gate, the studios started wanting to exert more control over their catalogs, so the licensing dried up.

[UncleBuckWild]

Not sure if this has been posted earlier... currently B&N has a special Buy 2 Get a 3rd Free on Criterion Blu-ray titles.

Offer ends on September 30, 2013.

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Ya know, Days of Being Wild is the one film of his that I have a hard time getting through. There are some things I like about it (mostly Maggie Cheung's performance), but in most respects, I find it a not-very-interesting story of disaffected youth.

I didn't see Days of Being Wild until very recently and I was drawn in by the mood of the piece. Maybe I just like the feel of Wong's 60s Hong Kong? I didn't really care for Leslie Cheung's protagonist though I occasionally sympathized with him. I typically dislike the "legless bird" characters in WKW's films - that self-destructive, self-loathing leading man who leaves a trail of broken hearts in his path (Leslie Cheung again in Happy Together, Leon Lai in Fallen Angels to some extent). The only exception is Tony Leung's character in 2046 which is almost a deconstruction of that WKW archetype. It helps that Leung just has a kind face and brings so much likability to his characters that it's impossible to hate him even when he's playing a total cad.

Back to Days of Being Wild, I loved Maggie Cheung's performance and Tony Leung's small cameo brought a smile to my face. It helps that I'd already fallen in love with those characters from In the Mood for Love. I love Christopher Doyle's cinematography. I find the music choices in the film to imbue it with a sense of haunting melancholy and nostalgia. And I love shots of characters standing in the rain, filled with hopeless longing.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I've seen it available on Netflix, but wasn't sure about adding it to my queue. I'll have to give it a shot.

Very much worth a look. Her film may be the most assured visual work I have seen thus-far in 2013--it is a sensual masterpiece.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Not sure if this has been posted earlier... currently B&N has a special Buy 2 Get a 3rd Free on Criterion Blu-ray titles.

Offer ends on September 30, 2013.

I checked a few minutes ago. I put Kes, The Killing, and To Be or Not to Be in my cart, and the final result was $71.

I removed them from my cart, but I might go back and order them later in September.

I'm at that point where I've got all of the titles that I direly needed from Criterion's backcatalogue, and everything else is pretty much second-tier priority. Most of my purchases during the big November sale will be from stuff that comes out between now and then.

[Rizor]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Hell, I'm still trying to figure out why Take the Money and Run isn't available on the format yet. From anyone.

Shit. I'm still trying to figure out how only 4 of his pre-2005 films are available on BD in the US. MGM/Fox should really be releasing 4-5 films per year in a box set instead of only 2 titles each January. And why hasn't Mill Creek or Echo Bridge released all of his 90's Disney-owned titles on BD yet? I'd rather not import the foreign BDs for $20-something each. Then there are the Dreamworks titles.

I'd love it if someone like Criterion just picked up the rights to them all and put out a big box set. The releases will all undoubtedly be barebones. I just want them released on Blu-ray!

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I checked a few minutes ago. I put Kes, The Killing, and To Be or Not to Be in my cart, and the final result was $71.

I removed them from my cart, but I might go back and order them later in September.

I'm at that point where I've got all of the titles that I direly needed from Criterion's backcatalogue, and everything else is pretty much second-tier priority. Most of my purchases during the big November sale will be from stuff that comes out between now and then.

The current B&N prices aren't sensible... if the popular titles were priced under $30 this would've been a better deal.

Nevermind, I'll try to resist for now... November seems far away.

[Judex]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Not sure if this has been posted earlier... currently B&N has a special Buy 2 Get a 3rd Free on Criterion Blu-ray titles.

Offer ends on September 30, 2013.

Nice, I'll probably order afew that I wasn't able to pick up during the 50% off sale. Hopefully Autumn Sonata will sell for $29-$30 when it's released.

[Herry Dunston]

Originally Posted by Rizor

I didn't see Days of Being Wild until very recently and I was drawn in by the mood of the piece. Maybe I just like the feel of Wong's 60s Hong Kong? I didn't really care for Leslie Cheung's protagonist though I occasionally sympathized with him. I typically dislike the "legless bird" characters in WKW's films - that self-destructive, self-loathing leading man who leaves a trail of broken hearts in his path (Leslie Cheung again in Happy Together, Leon Lai in Fallen Angels to some extent). The only exception is Tony Leung's character in 2046 which is almost a deconstruction of that WKW archetype. It helps that Leung just has a kind face and brings so much likability to his characters that it's impossible to hate him even when he's playing a total cad.

I see what you mean by your legless bird compliant. To be fair, Leon Lai's story wasn't what I truly loved about Fallen (although I prefer his story than its similar counterpart in Chungking), it was Takeshi Kaneshiro's story that made consider it to be my favorite movie. Personally, I love Wong Kar-Wei when he doesn't present characters as passive-aggressive, and the Ho Chi Moo's story was entertainingly wild, almost a subversion from his other stories.

And that's what I love about Happy Together, because it does have characters being upfront with their emotions when they can be. Both these films may not be exquisite on the visuals, but I'm a man of content rather than presentation (and even with the presentation, I'll always have a fondness for Piazzolla's songs).

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by EPlay

Andrew Dice Clay was terrific in Blue Jasmine. I could empathize with his character the most, unlike the rest of the self-centered users in the film. While Cate Blanchett was amazing and the use of flashbacks skillful, I ultimately couldn't like this film very much.

Great! I'm really looking forward to this movie. I haven't seen all of Woody's films, but the ones i have seen I've liked. And I love Andrew "Dice" Clay... not ashamed to say it. lol! I really love Ford Fairlane.