The Criterion Channel

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Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

So far I've watched Blind Alley, It's Such a Beautiful Day, and Out of the Past (not to mention the ones I've already seen before, like Smoke and Office Killer).

I recommend all, but I especially urge you to take an hour out of your life to watch It's Such a Beautiful Day. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Agree with you, good stuff.

Though I didn't quite make it through Blind Alley the one time I tried it out… it's in my maybe next time bucket.

Probably will watch something this morning yet… I've been watching other things elsewhere so shame on me.

Edit: Went with Last Train From Gun Hill for this morning, apparently already on blu-ray from Paramount. More good stuff.

[DaBargainHunta]

The Desperate Hours with Humphrey Bogart and Frederic March is another good one. It's very much in the same vein as Blind Alley (also expiring) and Key Largo (also with Bogie).

[MifuneFan]

My gf just gifted a subscription to the channel for my birthday, and I decided on Smoke (1995) for my first stream, since it's leaving in a couple days. I'd never heard of this film before, but I was completely captivated by it. First of all, the movie has an impressive ensemble cast, and I'd say this is among my favorite performances from Keitel, and Hurt. The script flows so well, and has some really great exchanges of dialogue in there. I enjoyed all of the interconnected stories, but I was particularly affected by the one for Cyrus. The scene at the end between Cyrus (Forrest Whitaker) and Rashid/Thomas (Harold Perrineau) was really powerful. Smoke also has one of the best finishes to a film I've seen in a long time, and I found myself wiping away a few tears (happy ones) when all was said and done.

[MifuneFan]

Wow, the DVD cover for Smoke is absolutely horrid. Doesn't fit with the film at all.

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

My gf just gifted a subscription to the channel for my birthday

By this time next year, I hope you report back that she has become your wife. Anyone who gifts a Criterion Channel subscription is a keeper!

I decided on Smoke (1995) for my first stream, since it's leaving in a couple days. I'd never heard of this film before, but I was completely captivated by it. First of all, the movie has an impressive ensemble cast, and I'd say this is among my favorite performances from Keitel, and Hurt. The script flows so well, and has some really great exchanges of dialogue in there. I enjoyed all of the interconnected stories, but I was particularly affected by the one for Cyrus. The scene at the end between Cyrus (Forrest Whitaker) and Rashid/Thomas (Harold Perrineau) was really powerful. Smoke also has one of the best finishes to a film I've seen in a long time, and I found myself wiping away a few tears (happy ones) when all was said and done.

One of my all-time favorite movies. I wish it had a Blu-ray release.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

The Desperate Hours with Humphrey Bogart and Frederic March is another good one. It's very much in the same vein as Blind Alley (also expiring) and Key Largo (also with Bogie).

For some reason I thought I'd seen that, or had it, and skipped right over it. I think I'll go watch that now and see if it rings a bell… Thanks!

The other two I will at least be checking out are Inside and Let Him Have It, assuming Criterion doesn't expire them a little early (that's gotten me a couple times).

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Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

One of my all-time favorite movies. I wish it had a Blu-ray release.

fwiw, I have a Mirimax/Studio Canal UK blu-ray of it, though I got it several years ago and it doesn't seem to be in print any more. There's also a German release that still seems to be available.

I caught it on cable many years ago…

[DaBargainHunta]

I watched The Innocents (adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw with added Truman Capote weirdness) and The Black Cat (like nothing else you've ever seen).

I highly recommend both, but especially The Black Cat (it's only an hour, so easy to fit in).

And I think that will be it for this month's expiring picks. There are more I want to watch, but not enough time.

Originally Posted by fdm

For some reason I thought I'd seen that, or had it, and skipped right over it. I think I'll go watch that now and see if it rings a bell… Thanks!

Let me know what you think.

Originally Posted by fdm

fwiw, I have a Mirimax/Studio Canal UK blu-ray of it, though I got it several years ago and it doesn't seem to be in print any more. There's also a German release that still seems to be available.

I caught it on cable many years ago…

Thanks! Is the German release region-free?

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This website says the German blu-ray of Smoke is region B locked.

The Desperate Hours was really good. Seems like I watched several trapped in places movies recently (like Last Train From Gun Hill and Blind Alley and Inside).

The Black Cat I think I might have seen… unfortunately those older horror films tend to bore me, though I've kind of gotten into the Tourneur ones, so maybe I'll come around some day.

Watched Inside last night, pretty grotesque but I just had to see it through, probably worth a miss, unless for some reason you actually like that sort of thing (lots and lots of blood and gore).

And then watched Mr. Klein to cleanse my palate some. Classic. Gonna try and hit my channel watchlist a bit more and whittle it down some this year. Mr. Klein was a good start.

[DaBargainHunta]

This is mainly about the Blu-ray disc, but my thoughts still apply to the version on the Channel - minus the 3D, of course.

Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018)



The plot, as such, in Long Day's Journey Into Night is fairly incomprehensible, but the movie is a visual feast with its bright and bold use of colors, an almost hour-long unbroken tracking shot, and some of the best 3D I have ever seen. A great disc by Kino Lorber!

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After just having watched it on my dvr (recorded back when TCM was presenting a good number of films related to the Women Make Film documentary series), and then going to the channel to see if I could squeeze in something expiring before hitting the sack, the first thing I checked was the Sundance Class Of '92 category to see if there might be anything there instead, I was quite a bit surprised to see the film I had just watched, Danzón, included among the titles. Pretty good, a bit slow (I've been kind of allergic to a bit slow films late at night lately, so could just be me, I think some of it has to do with not being able to listen to them loud enough…).

Anyway didn't quite manage to watch anything expiring this month yet though, but may as well have watched Danzón on the channel, so close enough, figured I'd give it a mention.

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Sticking with titles I haven't seen or don't own (as much as I can, hah!), I decided to watch a going away next week film called 5 Card Stud. Didn't really grab me, took me two early mornings to finish it up. I guess I've seen so many really good westerns over the last few years, let's just say that this one doesn't really fit in with them; also it was fairly predictable. Interesting cast though.

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Watched a couple more the last few days.

First up was Elia Kazan's The Visitors, which I liked well enough. Back from 1972.

And watched Poison Ivy. Kind of had a taste of a Basic Instinct vibe with the soundtrack music, and maybe a little bit with the story, but pretty much a different cliché. It was ok.

[DaBargainHunta]

I watched The Red Pony last night. Even though Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum are given top billing, the actual star is 9-year-old Peter Miles. Mitchum is great though, playing against type as the gentle, patient ranch hand.

[Show spoiler]Yes, the horse dies.

[MifuneFan]

Watched Black Widow (1954). Never got the Twilight Time BD, so I wanted to see it before it leaves the channel. Pretty good movie. It has a somewhat predictable murder mystery plot, but I enjoyed the performances from Van Heflin and Ginger Rogers, and the dialogue is great too. Nice and colorful film too, although perhaps a bit too teal/blue at times like some other Fox restorations. The BD is still available from SAE, so I may end up buying it now.

[mrjohnnyb]

My recommendation for a film leaving at the end of this month is Thelma (2017) directed by Norway's Joachim Trier. It's a well-done psychological-horror-thriller about a young woman with psychokinetic powers.1/2

[DaBargainHunta]

I watched Five Star Final with Edward G. Robinson. Good pre-code flick about a sleazy tabloid newspaper.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

My recommendation for a film leaving at the end of this month is Thelma (2017) directed by Norway's Joachim Trier. It's a well-done psychological-horror-thriller about a young woman with psychokinetic powers.1/2

Thelma was on my short list of films to try and check out before end of month. You nudged me into checking it out first. Pretty interesting, and I concur.

Also watched Margot At The Wedding, which was even more interesting, and amusing. If you haven't seen it you (all) might want to give it a look.

[DaBargainHunta]

I caught up with a bunch of Mitchum movies:

- The Big Steal: Tempting to compare this to the other Mitchum-Greer pairing, Out of the Past, but this one is more comedic - and more fun!

- Rachel and the Stranger: There's old-fashioned and then there's this, but I was charmed by the end.

- Crossfire: Interesting b-movie noir with a message that ended up breaking into the a-list with multiple Academy Award nominations - including Best Picture.

- 5 Card Stud: I will respectfully disagree with fdm's opinion on this one. It was probably the best of the Mitchum movies I watched this month, and one of his most interesting characters and roles ever.

I wanted to get to Not as a Stranger with Mitchum, but it's on Hoopla - and the transfer there actually seems good (a miracle for that service) - so I'll watch it there. Ditto for The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which is on Kanopy. (Both Hoopla and Kanopy are free with a library card if your library supports them.)

I'm going to hopefully try to watch Teknolust with Tilda Swinton tonight, and maybe Conceiving Ada if I have time. There's a third movie by the same director, Leeson - a quasi-"documentary" - but I doubt I'll be able to see that before it expires.

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I started to watch The Last Tycoon, also starring Mitchum among several others, last night, but realized pretty quickly that I'd recently seen it, so… headed to my dvr after that. See if I can squeeze in anything tonight.

I'm a big fan of Mitchum too, but regarding 5 Card Stud, maybe it just reminded me a little of his character in The Night Of The Hunter - never particularly cared for that movie either.