The Criterion Collection

[SammyJankis]

Restoration Spotlight: A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY - YouTube

This is amazing.

[pedromvu]

For anyone near Montreal, on August 11th there is going to be a free projection of Harold Lloyd For Heaven's Sake with live organ score, doubt it would be a new restoration but still, I am currently here due to work, can't miss it since it is one I haven't seen.

http://vireeclassique.osm.ca/en/even...der-the-stars/

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by 812crew

Some special features recommendations I've seen recently, if anyone's on the fence about a particular title and likes good features:

Manchurian Candidate - the Errol Morris interview - I love listening to him talk about movies (his interviews on his own films are equally good), but this was cool to hear him talk about something he wasn't involved in. My only frustration with these are how short they are. From a production standpoint: they book him, light him, mic him, and interview him. There's gotta be more than 14 usable minutes! Let the guy talk for a while!

The Killing - the Sterling Hayden interview - I almost skipped over this one, but I'm really glad I didn't. Sterling Hayden is one of those storytellers you could listen to forever. He's incredibly confessional in these interviews, and a far more contemplative and introspective person than I would have ever imagined.

Speedy - The Harold Lloyd home movies narrated by his granddaughter - There's nothing particularly amazing about this feature, but I really enjoyed seeing Harold Lloyd clown around with his kids. As his granddaughter mentions, many of these home movies were shot on 35mm by his crew, so they're of very high quality. There's also some where he talks, for those who've only seen him in his silent roles.

Paris Texas - The Allison Anders Interview - This is a great feature that makes you appreciate Wim Wenders a lot. Allison Anders wrote to him when she was in college, often sending him letters about her life / her thoughts / her dreams of becoming a filmmaker. One day he shows up at her college and watches her film. Then invites her to work as a PA on Paris Texas. Some of this feature includes her reading her diary from those days of PA-ing.

nice post!

I like to hear about which special features are worthwhile. Sometimes it is a daunting and occasionally boring task to go through some of them.

I'll look for the one on the Paris, Texas disc, for sure now.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by barfyman

Does anyone else really hope that the next Altman film Criterion does is California Split? Been wanting to see a proper version of that for a long time now. The DVD has some cuts due to licensing and is out of print so it's a perfect candidate.

I love Altman, but with all due respect, the last thing we need right now is another Altman release.

We've had three in the last year alone.

I can think of quite a few possible releases and/or upgrades that would be much higher on the priority list than more Altman.

That being said, if there is another Altman title...my vote would be The Long Goodbye.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I love Altman, but with all due respect, the last thing we need right now is another Altman release.

We've had three in the last year alone.

I can think of quite a few possible releases and/or upgrades that would be much higher on the priority list than more Altman.

That being said, if there is another Altman title...my vote would be The Long Goodbye.

[Show spoiler]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

nice post!

I like to hear about which special features are worthwhile. Sometimes it is a daunting and occasionally boring task to go through some of them.

I'll look for the one on the Paris, Texas disc, for sure now.

I hear ya. It's rare to see posts about them.

I'd appreciate some opinions on great Criterion commentaries. This weekend I went through The Linklater commentary on Dazed and Confused and Tarantinos True Romance one and I've been itching for more.

[jacobsever]

All of my OOP titles.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

[Show spoiler]

Transfer is mediocre at best and the special features are grossly inadequate.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Transfer is mediocre at best and the special features are grossly inadequate.

The last time I saw The Long Goodbye was in SD, so I'll likely be happy with the Kino release (even if it isn't optimal). I do wish it had a commentary, though, as there's probably a lot of fun Philip Marlowe history to unpack.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Knaldskalle

Funny, I thought Cabin In The Woods was brilliant, but Scream did nothing for me.

Same, Cabin in the Woods was a blast, I REALLLLLLY dislike Scream. Cabin in the Woods is deliriously nuts in the last act, and the gradual reveal through the first act is a lot of fun. Scream just seems like the product of a smug college student throughout. Words can't express how much I dislike the last act. I think it's only worthwhile for the opening.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

The last time I saw The Long Goodbye was in SD, so I'll likely be happy with the Kino release (even if it isn't optimal). I do wish it had a commentary, though, as there's probably a lot of fun Philip Marlowe history to unpack.

The Arrow one is more than worth it if you have a panasonic player or a region free one. It's as big of a difference as The Burbs US vs UK.

[nitin]

The script for Scream is horrible.

[mja345]

I'd say that a very small percentage of horror films are actually frightening once you're conditioned to the genre, so I have no problem with a horror movie being humorous. I think self-conscious, meta work is difficult to pull of in any genre, whether it's horror or western or comedy, etc. A movie can deconstruct a genre without being meta and overly ironic. Being meta and overly ironic is part of what has made a lot of current films so insufferable. But I think there's a huge difference between being humorous versus being meta and ironic.

It's a lot more ballsy to make a horror film like "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", which no one will feel good walking out of, as opposed to a horror movie that acknowledges the absurdity of most movies in the genre. Horror, because most films in the particular genre are so daft, invites a sense of irony and humor. I say that as a fan of horror movies. Most of the movies end up working like comedies, which is the reason there are all these podcasts that are comprised of highlighting all these ridiculous horror films. Even the fourth "Friday the 13th", which I think has the most menacing Jason and is the best film in the series IMO, has ridiculous moments like Crispin Glover being stabbed with a corkscrew.

I'd argue that the decline in Quentin Tarantino's work has been related to him being far too self-conscious of the fact that he is deconstructing genres. "Pulp Fiction" was a deconstruction of crime films, but felt organic. "The Hateful Eight", which I thought was a pile of shit, felt way, way too self-conscious in its deconstruction of the Western. Genre deconstructions become very annoying when they seem self-conscious.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I love Altman, but with all due respect, the last thing we need right now is another Altman release.

We've had three in the last year alone.

I can think of quite a few possible releases and/or upgrades that would be much higher on the priority list than more Altman.

That being said, if there is another Altman title...my vote would be The Long Goodbye.

I don't really get this. Altman made a lot of good movies and has been criminally underrepresented on Blu Ray up till now. Don't really see why it matters as long as it happens - what's the difference releasing a bunch of Altmans this year as opposed to spreading out five or six over a few years?

The Long Goodbye already has a fair release as well elsewhere too. Let's tackle those that haven't seen the light of high def day.

[zakzak]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

God almighty...it never ends.

I'm legitimately terrified about the 4k remaster of Heat that's apparently in the pipeline even as we speak. I have an awkward feeling that the debate over the color scheme will be unprecedented in its length and divisiveness.

Lives will be ruined.

Friendships will be destroyed.

Accounts will be perma-banned by the dozens.

...nothing will ever be the same.

Are we talking about a 4K Remaster of Heat (1995) in a Criterion forum??!!!
Whoa!!

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

The last time I saw The Long Goodbye was in SD, so I'll likely be happy with the Kino release (even if it isn't optimal). I do wish it had a commentary, though, as there's probably a lot of fun Philip Marlowe history to unpack.

I've only seen the Arrow release but it doesn't sound like the Kino is dramatically different. They're likely both sourced from the same MGM master with Arrow maybe doing a little more frame-by-frame damage repair.

If I didn't already have the Arrow I wouldn't have any qualms about grabbing the Kino.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching both films in The Complete Lady Snowblood Criterion Blu-ray set.

Lady Snowblood is outstanding, and, even upon my first viewing, I consider it to be one of the most fun and fast-paced films in the Collection. This film breezes through stylistic changes so easily, and, as such, it's easy to see why Quentin Tarantino is taken with it. Even today, when these storytelling methods are the norm, Lady Snowblood rises above most contemporary fare. Suicide Squad, which I saw this past weekend, seemed considerably more forced with its cinematography than this 1973 film. Meiko Kaji is mesmerizing as the title character, who is born into a life dedicated to exacting revenge on those who wronged her parents and brother. The movie is quite a bit more graphic than I expected, and I have to tip my hat to the wonderful insanity of the Kitahama Okono slaying.

Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance is not quite outstanding, and I found myself looking at my watch quite a few times, but it does benefit from some truly amazing camerawork. An early scene, where Lady Snowblood is hacking up police offices as she walks down a slight incline during a single camera take, is a thing of beauty. The final fight scene is wild and really quite terrific.

Having had no previous exposure to these two films, I believe that the Criterion Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent. I also really enjoyed the two short extras that shed light on the creative process that led to these two movies.

I am really looking forward to receiving my Arrow Blu-ray box sets of Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection and Stray Cat Rock: The Collection now.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

The Arrow one is more than worth it if you have a panasonic player or a region free one. It's as big of a difference as The Burbs US vs UK.

I unfortunately don't own a region free player. :/

Originally Posted by octagon

I've only seen the Arrow release but it doesn't sound like the Kino is dramatically different. They're likely both sourced from the same MGM master with Arrow maybe doing a little more frame-by-frame damage repair.

If I didn't already have the Arrow I wouldn't have any qualms about grabbing the Kino.

I'll have to stay put with my Kino then. Although, the Arrow extras do seem substantive enough to warrant a purchase.

I'll just hold out for that unlikely 4K release down the line...

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Transfer is mediocre at best and the special features are grossly inadequate.

The Long Goodbye is 1970s soft. It's fine, if not jaw-dropping, in its PQ. Yeah, it's light on the extras but I'd rather see other Altmans get released on blu before TLG gets the wacky C. First on my list would be Popeye.

[diskspinner]

A question & A story

Is there recommendation for a release that UK has but US does not or UK version is better than US...something like The Third Man 4k remaster? I think I read about some mixed feelings about Ran 4k...I am region A locked...

I have about 25 GBP sitting in my amazon uk account...Now how did that happen...

[Show spoiler]When pound hit a low during Brexit, I bought some amazon uk GCs with my US fund, in anticipation that I needed to order Pink Floyd's Division Bell Box set & The Third Man 4k remaster. So I ordered them, but even after a week or so they did not ship and one (fine) morning, I saw the Pink Floyd set has dropped by more than 20 GBP but it was not in stock (expected to ship in 12-14 days, it said)...I took a risk, cancelled & reorder same 2 items...which saved me about 25 GBP. The risk paid off and I received those 2 items I cancelled & reordered.

[cakefactory]

If you're looking for classic movies, the UK Lost Weekend is a pretty good release? Ran is yellowy but it's still a lot better than the US one (or so I've heard, I'm still with my Criterion DVD, still praying for a miracle of a totally good release!). Cinema Paradiso, The Long Goodbye (just mentioned) are two more UK classics I think are greatly superior to US releases. Onibaba is another (probably coming from Criterion someday). Nosferatu is way better than the Kino. I like La Vie en Rose a lot.

I mainly import genre movies cause I'm an idiot

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

A question & A story

Is there recommendation for a release that UK has but US does not or UK version is better than US...something like The Third Man 4k remaster? I think I read about some mixed feelings about Ran 4k...

These are Region Free:

(parenthesis are used in cases where a US release exists, but UK bests it.)

[Show spoiler]Arrow's Caligula (Better quality)
Arrow's Camille 2000 (Better quality)
The Italian Job
Capricorn One (It's just cheaper importing)
Salon Kitty (Ditto)
Shadow Dancer (Ditto)
Candyman
Dances With Wolves Theatrical
Sense and Sensibility
Miami Vice Theatrical
Hidden
Man on a Wire
Toy Story Trilogy (Cheaper)
Junebug
Downfall
City Girl
The Hitchcock Collection (way better price)
Certified Copy (If you don't care for the CC extras and want to save $)
Ashes of Time Redux
Lourdes
Vincere
Cry Baby
Philadelphia (Way Cheaper)