Last Movie You Watched

[Jaakko Keskinen]

"What's this "eighty-five" thing?"

"A couple of us sneaked a look at his personnel file the day he arrived. It's his IQ."

Always liked that exchange in Alien 3. Helped by Pete Postlethwaite's flawless delivery. If it were not for Charles Dance's character, Postlethwaite's character would probably be my favorite in the film. By coincidence, Pete also played my favorite Jurassic park character in The Lost World.

[Karl Henning]

"What's this "eighty-five" thing?"

"A couple of us sneaked a look at his personnel file the day he arrived. It's his IQ."

Always liked that exchange in Alien 3. Helped by Pete Postlethwaite's flawless delivery. If it were not for Charles Dance's character, Postlethwaite's character would probably be my favorite in the film. By coincidence, Pete also played my favorite Jurassic park character in The Lost World.

I did not enjoy hearing that clean on first viewing, because had I read it beforehand.  As it was, I heard a number of characters call him that, and I kept thinking, "When does the explanation come in?" 

[SonicMan46]

After watching Flynn in Robin Hood, had to put on another one of his swashbuckling films:

The Sea Hawk (1940) w/ Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Flora Robson, Claude Rains, Alan Hale; director, Michael Curtiz; musical score, Erich Korngold - Flynn had improved as a 'fencer' - the sepia scenes while crossing the Panama Isthmus were meant to reflect the sweltering heat & humidity - and the beautiful Brenda Marshall, not a great actress (often better known as Mrs. William Holden) - an excellent documentary.  Dave

[Brian]

CRITERION COLLECTION FLASH SALE! 50% off everything in stock through noon tomorrow (Feb 24) if you order directly from Criterion.

I just bought the following Blu-Rays:



Have only seen The Graduate of these four, and that I saw just once five years ago.

[(poco) Sforzando]

CRITERION COLLECTION FLASH SALE! 50% off everything in stock through noon tomorrow (Feb 24) if you order directly from Criterion.

I just bought the following Blu-Rays:



Have only seen The Graduate of these four, and that I saw just once five years ago.

Oh, yum! Thank you for this info; I will have to buy out my wish list. The Graduate is of course the film that launched Dustin Hoffman's career, and Mike Nichols still considers it his best film. Olivier's Richard is pure high camp these days, but is one of the great Shakespeare films all the same. Highly recommend also the Apu Trilogy quoted a few posts above. And Babette's Feast is also the favorite film of Pope Francis, but don't hold that against it: it is one of the great food films, an exquisite parable about creativity and the artist, with a beautiful starring performance by Stephane Audran.

[SonicMan46]

CRITERION COLLECTION FLASH SALE! 50% off everything in stock through noon tomorrow (Feb 24) if you order directly from Criterion.

I just bought the following Blu-Rays:

Have only seen The Graduate of these four, and that I saw just once five years ago.

Hi Brian - just received the Criterion email about the 'sale' this morning - put in an order for the 4 films below (averaged $20 each!) - I have all either as commercial DVDs or burned DVD-Rs off the TCM channel - the BD ratings HERE are all excellent, as expected from this label - Dave

[(poco) Sforzando]

Hi Brian - just received the Criterion email about the 'sale' this morning - put in an order for the 4 films below (averaged $20 each!) - I have all either as commercial DVDs or burned DVD-Rs off the TCM channel - the BD ratings HERE are all excellent, as expected from this label - Dave

That Night of the Hunter is a great B+W transfer from Criterion, and I think a great film too with Robert Mitchum in a memorable role as the villain.

[SonicMan46]

That Night of the Hunter is a great B+W transfer from Criterion, and I think a great film too with Robert Mitchum in a memorable role as the villain.

Looking forward to its arrival - excellent movie w/ Mitchum & Lillian Gish superb - some great B&W cinematography as you state - Dave

 

 

[(poco) Sforzando]

Looking forward to its arrival - excellent movie w/ Mitchum & Lillian Gish superb - some great B&W cinematography as you state - Dave

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, with the creepiest kids ever. I just ordered: All That Jazz, Graduate, the Qatsi Trilogy, Red Shoes, On the Waterfront, The Emigrants/The New Land, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Who knows, maybe more tomorrow!

[SonicMan46]

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, with the creepiest kids ever. I just ordered: All That Jazz, Graduate, the Qatsi Trilogy, Red Shoes, On the Waterfront, The Emigrants/The New Land, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Who knows, maybe more tomorrow!

Great choices!  Own about half of your new selections - hope that you enjoy!  Dave

[(poco) Sforzando]

Thanks, SonicMan46 Dave!

As a digression: so now that we have 12+ hours to buy at 50% direct from Criterion, what are the top 5-10 Criterion releases you might recommend to someone who wants to spend a little money?

I'll start:
Fellini Satyricon
Weir, Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Jacques Tati set (or PlayTime if you only want one)
Bergman, Smiles of a Summer Night
Renoir, The Rules of the Game
Roeg, Walkabout
Bergman, The Seventh Seal
Leigh, Topsy-Turvy
Fellini, La Dolce Vita
Dardenne Brothers, The Son

(These are not necessarily my favorite films, but releases where I think Criterion has done a particularly bang-up job.)

[SonicMan46]

Trumbo (2015) - Susan & I are now streaming this film from Amazon, about Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter caught up in the McCarthy communist blacklisting era - opening paragraph from the Wiki article below (check link if interested) - Bryan Cranston who played the main role is up for an Oscar for best actor this coming Sunday - highly recommended if interested in this topic - Dave

James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter and novelist, who scripted films including Roman Holiday, Exodus, Spartacus, and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. One of the Hollywood Ten, he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry, and was subsequently blacklisted by that industry. He continued working clandestinely, and his uncredited work won two Academy Awards; the one for Roman Holiday (1953) was given to a front writer, and the one for The Brave One (1956) was awarded to a pseudonym.[1][2] The public crediting of him as the writer of both Exodus and Spartacus in 1960 marked the end of the Hollywood Blacklist,[3] and his earlier achievements were eventually credited to him.

[George]

First viewing of this one. Not great, but still fun and enjoyable.

[Brian]

Thanks, SonicMan46 Dave!

As a digression: so now that we have 12+ hours to buy at 50% direct from Criterion, what are the top 5-10 Criterion releases you might recommend to someone who wants to spend a little money?

I'll start:
Fellini Satyricon
Weir, Picnic at Hanging Rock
The Jacques Tati set (or PlayTime if you only want one)
Bergman, Smiles of a Summer Night
Renoir, The Rules of the Game
Roeg, Walkabout
Bergman, The Seventh Seal
Leigh, Topsy-Turvy
Fellini, La Dolce Vita
Dardenne Brothers, The Son

(These are not necessarily my favorite films, but releases where I think Criterion has done a particularly bang-up job.)

Of these I've only seen two (Picnic at Hanging Rock and Topsy-Turvy) - the Jacques Tati set is on my long-term shopping list - the others I probably need as well. The Son I should have ordered - having loved Two Days, One Night in theatre and purchased THAT Criterion the first moment it was on sale.

Overall my favorite Criterion release is the invaluable restoration of Colonel Blimp, but there are innumerable others for any/all tastes - the Chaplins, Hoop Dreams, and there are outstanding extras with Nashville, On the Waterfront, and Red River (which comes with the original novel!).

[(poco) Sforzando]

Of these I've only seen two (Picnic at Hanging Rock and Topsy-Turvy) - the Jacques Tati set is on my long-term shopping list - the others I probably need as well. The Son I should have ordered - having loved Two Days, One Night in theatre and purchased THAT Criterion the first moment it was on sale.

Overall my favorite Criterion release is the invaluable restoration of Colonel Blimp, but there are innumerable others for any/all tastes - the Chaplins, Hoop Dreams, and there are outstanding extras with Nashville, On the Waterfront, and Red River (which comes with the original novel!).

Guess not too many others want to play my little list game, but you have until noon today, Brian! Picnic at Hanging also used to come with the novel, but I think that's changed. Actually I think The Son, The Promise, and The Kid with a Bike at least as strong as TD, ON. (Rosetta didn't work as well for me.) Agree that Col. Blimp is a superb restoration. But you've just given me a couple more titles to order! And then again, there are always those semi-annual 50% sales at Barnes and Noble.

[Karl Henning]

I've watched too few to be a useful participant in the sport!

What's up with The Third Man being unavailable?  Although I suppose I am lucky that I can check it out from the library . . . .

The result of the present sale, though, is that I sprang for Bluray editions of Gilliam's Brazil and Fisher King.

[(poco) Sforzando]

What's up with The Third Man being unavailable?  Although I suppose I am lucky that I can check it out from the library . . . .

Revised comment:

It could be out of stock because it's not selling well and they're not making additional copies, or it could be a problem with Criterion losing the rights — in which case the item is marked OOP because Criterion is no longer licensed to sell it. (For example, Akira Kurosawa's Ran used to be on Criterion, but they seem to have lost the rights and it's now available from Studio Canal.)

Putting out films that might go OOP seems to be a risk the company is willing to take and happens frustratingly often — as you can see from all the greyed entries on this Wikipedia page, which is of true value to all Criterionistas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Criterion_Collection_DVD_and_Blu-ray_releases

In this case, the best you can do is hunt for a used copy on eBay, Amazon, or a good used media shop. I favor Academy on W. 18th St. in NYC, just west of 5th Avenue, and comb through their DVD/BluRay bins once or twice a year. (They also sell CDs and LPs.) Of course if the store is savvy they'll jack up the prices for those OOP films, which Academy of course knows to do. All the same, I got Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, OOP on Criterion, for just $25 last year, and thought I had done well.

[(poco) Sforzando]

the others I probably need as well.

And you do, you do. Even though those were not necessarily my all-time favorite films, each is a favorite, and if you feel like buying any more before the 12 o'clock (Eastern, I assume) bell, I'd steer you to Smiles of a Summer Night, Ingmar Bergman's delicious romantic comedy, and Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game, which a friend of mine (who is by no means a film aficionado) called the only film in his (very limited, IMO) experience that can approach the complexity of Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. Or Fellini's phantasmagoric Satyricon . . . . or that austere meditation on death and eternity The Seventh Seal . . . .  or . . . .

[James]

Total Film
The 30 best superhero movies (it was difficult) http://buff.ly/1RmJ0xP 

[NikF]

I don't know why Criterion no longer have The Third Man available, however I suspect that it's similar to the case (as mentioned above) of Kurosawa's Ran, in that they've no longer the rights. Having said that, it could be a market driven decision, because I do know that the StudioCanal Blu-Ray is available and despite what it says on the box (French and UK) is region free.
As for how it looks, I've seen the Criterion on a home cinema system (don't recall the specification) and last year we saw the Deluxe 4k StudioCanal in the cinema. Two different scenarios, but I found the StudioCanal to be cleaner, almost to the point of it being distracting. I don't remember much else, apart from hearing a number of harrumphs when exiting the cinema.