Last Movie You Watched

[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.

[Karl Henning]

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.

Thanks!

[SonicMan46]

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

Hi James - thanks for the link - almost an impossible one to put together - below (left) is a list of the 30 films chosen - I've seen about two dozen and own the ones in bold - also have a number of others (second image, right) in my collection not on the list (not sure if the ones w/ a question mark would have been considered - suspect not?).  Dave

 

[SimonNZ]

Seen quite a few merely average / unremarkable documentaries recently, but these two stood out as a cut above and highly recommendable:

[Drasko]

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?

A few less known titles that I think are worth seeing:

Marketa Lazarova, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, La Jetée / Sans Soleil, In the Mood for Love, The Battle of Algiers, Naked, Repulsion, Senso, Harakiri

and a few more that are still DVD only:

Il Posto, I Fidanzati, The Cranes are Flying, Cria Cuervos, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, Double Suicide, Woman in the Dunes, Pandora's Box, Wise Blood,The Complete Mr. Arkadin (DVD set), Three Silent Classics by Josef Von Sternberg (DVD set)

[(poco) Sforzando]

A few less known titles that I think are worth seeing:

Marketa Lazarova, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, La Jetée / Sans Soleil, In the Mood for Love, The Battle of Algiers, Naked, Repulsion, Senso, Harakiri

and a few more that are still DVD only:

Il Posto, I Fidanzati, The Cranes are Flying, Cria Cuervos, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, Double Suicide, Woman in the Dunes, Pandora's Box, Wise Blood,The Complete Mr. Arkadin (DVD set), Three Silent Classics by Josef Von Sternberg (DVD set)

Thank you for that! I have a few of these already (love Il Posto and Senso), but as the hour is already past and I have overspent my budget, any further Criterions (Criteria?) will have to wait for the next big sale.

[James]

Hi James - thanks for the link - almost an impossible one to put together - below (left) is a list of the 30 films chosen - I've seen about two dozen and own the ones in bold - also have a number of others (second image, right) in my collection not on the list (not sure if the ones w/ a question mark would have been considered - suspect not?).  Dave

 

I don't think Matrix or The Terminator are based on comics, though they do have a comic book vibe (as do many sci-fi, fantasy & action pictures) but they aren't really 'superhero' oriented, I dig them though, especially the Matrix.

I think Total Film's list overall is pretty damn good.

[listener]

The FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (or Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck)  1966
Jack MacGowran, Ferdy Maine, Alfie Bass, Sharon Tate, Ian Quarrier,  Roman Polanski  (also directed)
photographed by Douglas Slocombe

[Drasko]

Thank you for that! I have a few of these already (love Il Posto and Senso), but as the hour is already past and I have overspent my budget, any further Criterions (Criteria?) will have to wait for the next big sale.

Well, between Criterion site flash sales and Barnes & Noble regular ones don't think you'll have to wait too long.


In the meantime here is about to start Belgrade Film Festival (FEST) and I've noted down few films I'd like to see if I can manage schedules. Usually I avoid big Hollywood titles since they will anyhow come to regular cinema distribution afterwards.

Hirokazu Koreeda - Our Little Sister
Lucile Hadžihalilović - Evolution
Alex de la Iglesia - My Big Night
Yórgos Lánthimos - Lobster
Hou Hsiao-Hsien - The Assassin
Luca Guadagnino - A Bigger Splash

[Karl Henning]

Thread Duty:

Last night, finished my first (probably only) viewing of Alien Resurrection.  At first, I felt more engaged by it than I had with Alien³, but I wondered even at that point if it were simply a matter of my having read fewer reviews, so that fewer key plot points had leaked to me.  ** SPOILER ALERT **  The opening "beetle" was . . . interesting.  The "xenomorph obedience school" was fairly well played, though we all knew it could not end well.  Meet the new Ripley, not quite the same as the old Ripley . . . the ambivalence has me wondering if the viewer quite cares about her (a) as we used and (b) as is necessary for engagement with the movie.  Do we really care about her, can we really care about her, are her motivations and goals really the same as ours?  As a half-alien, where are her loyalties?  Is she sufficiently alien that she's just a cold, survivalist, amoral killer?  She seems at her most nearly human when dropping in at the "1-7" clinic, which was probably the most Cronenberg-ish moment in the four movies I've seen.  They really could have escaped clean away if Ripley hadn't lingered to sniff out the nest, right?  Freaky-creepy, her sinking down into that nest.  The whole Spawn of Ripley bit, de trop?  Ripley's sarabande with the crittur is squirm-inducing (and maybe that is the entire point);  don't know what it's supposed to be about, what it does or does not mean to #8.  Nevertheless, she acts coolly to destroy it.  Its demise, like the contents of an egg being blown out a pinhole in the shell, is both profoundly undramatic, and underwhelming as SFX, isn't it?  The wreckage of Le tour Eiffel is ironic in timing, as I am now also watching the 1968 Planet of the Apes.

So, offhand, I do not see myself bothering to watch this one again;  while I will watch Alien³ once again before returning the box (sacrée vache, 50 hours of extras???) to my brother.