Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > DVD Discussions > DVD Talk
Reload this Page >

The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

DVD Talk Talk about DVDs and Movies on DVD including Covers and Cases

The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Old 09-06-16, 01:14 PM
  #101  
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
 
Trevor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: spiritually, Minnesota
Posts: 36,866
Received 670 Likes on 448 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I wish we had the ability to "like" posts in this forum software. Often, I'd love to acknowledge a poster for their excellent post or funny line, but quoting everything just to say "lol" or "I support this view" would get messy and show my lack of communication skills.

This annual thread especially would get a lot of from me. Carry on.
Old 09-06-16, 05:18 PM
  #102  
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,209
Received 66 Likes on 35 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Trevor
Exactly. If I find the DVD that is.....
If you can't - TCM has Sullivan's Travels on demand for a few days... and they watch a Pluto short in that.
Old 09-06-16, 05:23 PM
  #103  
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,209
Received 66 Likes on 35 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Trevor
I like the way you think, and that might have to do.

But I wonder if any of the Trek captains have been in a Criterion film? That'd be good enough for me.
I have a dim memory from.. March? Last year? of Trek episodes that are [loosely] based on/inspired by CC films. Then you could watch the film and the episode as a bonus feature-lite.

EDIT: I see no captain's films in the CC. Lots of remakes and semi-s in the rest of the cast's films... Takei was in Return to River Kwai and Godzilla Raids Again; Wil Wheaton was in a TVM remake of The Man Who Fell to Earth; Majel was in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (which is in Eureka's MoC, but not the CC); Shatner was in The Naked City TV show... there are Trek people in CCesque films like Rocky, Ali, MASH and Judgment at Nuremberg; DeForest is in a slew of westerns, but none of CCs. Then I found out that...

RENE AUBERJONOIS in McCabe and Mrs Miller.

Good enough?

EDIT 2: Haven't dug through the episode guide since it seems unlikely, but Shatner was in episodes of the US Steel Hour, and IMDb has the CC "Golden Age of TV" picture up for the whole show. Which is a kinda-sorta Captain link to the Collection.

Last edited by ntnon; 09-06-16 at 11:36 PM.
Old 09-06-16, 05:31 PM
  #104  
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
 
Trevor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: spiritually, Minnesota
Posts: 36,866
Received 670 Likes on 448 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by ntnon
If you can't - TCM has Sullivan's Travels on demand for a few days... and they watch a Pluto short in that.
That'd be an awesome way to check off a checklist item, thanks!
Old 09-06-16, 07:18 PM
  #105  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
mrcellophane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 1,716
Received 72 Likes on 42 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Trevor
I think I'm going to have at least one missed item on my personal checklist this month. With a bit of thinking, I have HBO, Disney, and 3D covered; but I can't think of a way to cover Star Trek this month.
From what I can tell, none of the actors playing captains are in any Criterion films. However, Rene Auberjonois (Odo on DS9) is in McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Walker.

If you type any actor's name into the search bar on Criterion's website, there will be an "Explore" result if they are listed in any film.
Old 09-06-16, 07:32 PM
  #106  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Whiskey Warfield's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Houston
Posts: 1,653
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Here I go into more uncharted territory. I hope this isn't as awful as Head.

#28 Andy Warhol's Dracula
Old 09-06-16, 09:12 PM
  #107  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Whiskey Warfield's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Houston
Posts: 1,653
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Criterion is batting 100% awful so far.

This movie has the least sexy nudity I have ever seen. I have never seen so many bored people have sex boringly. Everyone has a different accent. For all the ridiculously-overdone blood-withdrawal seizures Dracula goes through, he sure likes to let mouthfuls of blood pour out for no reason when he does get a chance to feed. He literally breaks free of the girls' necks, throws his head back and silently gargles as it all runs out down his chin. He accidentally drinks a non-virgin's blood in one scene (he does this twice, btw) and literally turns green - as in they used a green filter over his face - as he jerks all over and vomits into a bathtub.

There are no protagonists here. I guess(?) what passes for the hero likes to take his time raping two incestual sisters before telling them they're trash and bring him the virgin. Oh, and let us not forget the epic "chokes her on his dick" throat rape scene. This movie is horrible in every way - the cinematography is good, I guess, but you have a feeling that was done on purpose to make sure you can see this garbage clearly.

I know Criterion is better than this, but from now on, no more experimental-"art"-over-my-head bullshit.

Last edited by Whiskey Warfield; 09-06-16 at 09:22 PM.
Old 09-06-16, 09:25 PM
  #108  
DVD Talk Legend
 
BobO'Link's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 10,368
Received 625 Likes on 459 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Screwadu
Here I go into more uncharted territory. I hope this isn't as awful as Head.

#28 Andy Warhol's Dracula
IMHO it's not. If you *do* enjoy it then follow it up with Flesh for Frankenstein.
Old 09-06-16, 11:32 PM
  #109  
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,209
Received 66 Likes on 35 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Screwadu
[With Andy Warhol's Dracula,] Criterion is batting 100% awful so far.
I forget if it was the Criterion-y Dracula or Frankenstein (or both) that was/were on Amazon Prime a couple of years ago, but I watched it/them then. Mostly because I like Pop Art and I like monsters, but it seems doubtful I'll be able to find affordable copies of either disc.

And, subsequent to watching either/both (I should look it up, but I can't find the energy), I now don't mind as much probably never owning them... I was underwhelmed.

(Though curiosity will draw me back one of these days, and reappraisal has been known to change my mind..)
Old 09-07-16, 12:34 AM
  #110  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
 
Travis McClain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posts: 7,758
Received 176 Likes on 116 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

My most recent viewing, Man Bites Dog. From my Letterboxd diary:

SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE READING EMAIL

Spoiler:
Man Bites Dog is fourth on Steve Buscemi's Top 10 Criterion list. He notes, "It’s not for everybody, but it genuinely shocked me while I laughed my ass off." I don't know how shocked I was while watching it tonight, 24 years after Buscemi first saw it, but I did laugh aloud several times and that's highly unusual for me.

There are plenty of obvious discussions to have after viewing a film like this, and I'd be interested to participate in most of them. In his essay for Criterion, "Man Bites Dog: Cinema of Entrapment", Matt Zoller Seitz expounds on the ethics of the documentarian: "The filmmakers become ensnared in a double-bind: If they allow events to unfold 'naturally' without getting in the way, they are complicit in murder; if they do interfere, they are breaking the rules of verité."

I'm curious about how the mockumentary milieu appeals to that part of us that wishes to live vicariously through fictitious characters and how it functions differently from straightforward narrative fiction. What's the difference between watching Benoit here versus watching Christian Bale's performance as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, for instance? I feel certain there is a difference unique to this milieu, but I'm not entirely sure I understand what it is.

I mean, yeah, there's clearly a greater effort to impersonate reality. The movie pretends not to know it's a movie, hoping we'll play along. I confess, I was underwhelmed by This Is Spinal Tap when I saw it a few years ago, and I think a big part of that was that I just wasn't compelled to play along. For whatever reason, though, I was willing to play along with Man Bites Dog. Benoit lecturing on the proper ballast ratios for weighting corpses cracked me up within the first few minutes of the film. I think in some way, just as the film played at being a documentary, I was coaxed into playing at being a viewer of that documentary, all the while really being a viewer of the mockumentary.

I was taken out of the experience by the gang rape sequence. It's within the established parameters of the film so I can't say it's "out of place", necessarily, but regardless of context, this is the kind of thing that's simply too upsetting for me to witness. This is where Matt Zoller Seitz's questioning of the ethics of documentarian reaches its apex; they're not merely aiding or abetting Benoit. They're active co-assailants.

I will say, though, that the macabre absurdity of the birthday dinner sequence pulled me back into the film for its final act. The staging of Benoit's accidental (yet entirely obvious) shooting is flawless. The framing, the panning, and the composed stoicism on the blood spattered faces of Valérie Parent and Jenny Drye are perfect. I have no idea how many takes it took for them to get the footage we see, but their work paid off brilliantly.

Man Bites Dog entered my Flickchart at #388/1848


Man Bites Dog
-X- Decade - 1990 (1992)
-X- Spine range - #101-200 (#165)
-X- Theme - Cult Movies
-X- Theme - First Films
-X- Language - French
-X- Essay - -X- Man Bites Dog: Cinema of Entrapment, Matt Zoller Seitz
-X- Trailer - Man Bites Dog Theatrical Trailer

Box Sets/Top 10 Lists
Steve Buscemi's Top 10
Flying Lotus's Top 10
Bill Plympton's Top 10
Old 09-08-16, 01:04 AM
  #111  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
 
Travis McClain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posts: 7,758
Received 176 Likes on 116 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Finally watched My Own Private Idaho. From my Letterboxd diary:

SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE READING EMAIL

Spoiler:
I've been meaning to see My Own Private Idaho ever since I first began participating in the annual DVD Talk Criterion challenges in 2010. It's been named on four of their celebrity-curated Top 10 lists, including Steve Buscemi's, which I'm presently working my way through to start this year's challenge.

The moment when I knew I was entirely invested in the movie was when Mike and Scott are on the stolen bike, having the following exchange:
SCOTT: Hey, Mikey, how long have I been here on the streets on this crusade?
MIKE: Huh. Well, I came back to town around three and a half years ago, and that's when I met you. So it's been...
SCOTT: It's been three years, Mike.
MIKE: Yeah, almost four years. That's a long time.
SCOTT: What I'm getting at, Mike, is that we're still alive.
MIKE: Yeah, well, that's obvious, isn't it?
SCOTT: Yeah. It's incredibly obvious!


Scott then goes on to say that, "They could drop a big old bomb on this city" and asks if Mike knows what they'd do. Mike answers, "Take shelter?" The sense of whimsy and naivete that dominate this scene is an elixir, reminding me why I watch movies in the first place. I've had those moments, and though mine aren't preserved in recordings of any kind, it's always nice to witness those moments reenacted, even if they aren't actually about me.

I had very little awareness of movies or pop culture figures like Keanu Reeves or River Phoenix at the time of the film's production and release. I'd seen Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but that was it. I didn't even know that it was any kind of big deal that he was the actor playing young Indy until years after I'd seen it. I can easily appreciate now all the acclaim I've ever heard for him as an actor, particularly after reading just now how the most pivotal part of the entire picture, the campfire scene, was entirely his revision of writer/director Gus Van Sant's script.

Mike's confession of romantic feelings for Scott was painful to watch. It's one of the most authentic such conversations I can recall offhand having ever seen in a movie. I don't know how long the scene runs in real time, but it's a world unto itself. It was one of those magical times where I felt myself living in that setting, its emotional truth so recognizable to one of my own.

In her essay, "Private Places" for Criterion, Amy Taubin relays Van Sant's account of that scene and Phoenix's work on it:

When I interviewed Van Sant at the time of the film’s release, he said that he’d originally thought the scene would be much more casual. “The character of Mike was originally kind of asexual. Sex was something that he traded in, so he had no real sexual identity. But because he’s bored and they’re in the desert, he makes a pass at his friend. And it just sort of goes by, but his friend also notices that he needs something, he needs to be close, so he says, ‘We can be friends,’ and he hugs him. That was all it was going to be. But River makes it more like he’s attracted to his friend, that he’s really in love with him. He made the whole character that way.”


Indeed, that anchors the entire film so much that the bohemian surrealism that dominates Act I almost feels necessary. One of the complaints I've had about some of the other films on Buscemi's list that I've watched is that they've felt episodic. I think had the campfire scene played out as Van Sant had intended, this film might also have felt that way for me. With Phoenix looking downward while pouring out his heart in as few words as possible, though, all the Henry IV rabble rousing becomes the necessary preamble to get us to a place in the film, in our understanding of his relationship with Scott, and also in our own relationship with these characters where we can really understand what this means for Mike.

The film's exploration of the nature of family is also one that resonates with me. I learned as a child that DNA =/= family. I've been fortunate over the years to develop several relationships that hold for me the value that I know to be deserving of that designation, all while having no relationship whatsoever with plenty of people with whom I share genetic markers. So, yeah, I see some of myself reflected by Mike and also by Scott in this respect.

Of course, I don't have any life experience comparable to being a transient sex worker. I only know enough to know my imagination isn't qualified to guess what that's like. I can only say that, from what I've grasped, there's a good deal of authenticity to the depiction shown here. I appreciated the candor of the characters, none of them playing into the tired narrative of lost souls needing to be rescued. They're searching for their own ways and answers, handling their situations as best they know how. It's as simple as that. For a film with so much sexual content, My Own Private Idaho isn't even about sex. Business, yes, and love, but not really about sex.

One last note: Udo Kier has stolen every scene I think I've ever seen him in, in anything. There's something about his fearlessness on-screen that makes every character he plays feel unpredictable. I never knew just how comfortable to feel about Hans, and even now that I've finished watching it, I still don't know how comfortable I feel about him. It's not easy to take supporting roles and make them that nuanced and that interesting, but Kier has done it time and again.

My Own Private Idaho entered my Flickchart at #174/1849


My Own Private Idaho
-X- Decade - 1990's (1991)
-X- Spine range - 201-300 (#277)
-X- Language - English
-X- Theme - Out at Criterion
-X- Theme - Road Trips
-X- Theatrical Trailer (streaming on My Own Private Idaho's page on Criterion.com)

Box Sets/Top 10 Lists
Michael Atkinson's Top 10
Steve Buscemi's Top 10
Jonathan Caouette's Top 10
James Franco's Top 10
Old 09-08-16, 09:47 PM
  #112  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
LJG765's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,939
Received 74 Likes on 60 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I took a bit of time off after the last couple challenges, but I started off the challenge tonight. I watched The Wizard of Oz. One of my favorites.

I plan on spending a bit of time this weekend figuring you what I want to watch for the challenge; if I'm just going to randomly pick what catches my eye or if I'm going to try to have a theme or not. I am trying to get a couple movies through the library, but they aren't available normally, so it'll be hit or miss if I get them. Fingers are crossed though! (Jellyfish Eyes and Billy Liar).

I figure until then, I have several options available to me, most of which I've watched, but that just means I know if I'll like them or not!
Old 09-08-16, 09:57 PM
  #113  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,290
Received 208 Likes on 130 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I have had no time to do anything this week but work and sleep, but tonight I was able to take a breather and watch Speedy. I need to pick it up in November; it's a sweetly funny film and a marvelous snapshot of New York before Robert Moses mangled it. Harold Lloyd was not only funny, but also a terrific athlete and extremely handsome; he could have easily been another Douglas Fairbanks or Richard Barthelmess.
Old 09-09-16, 02:11 AM
  #114  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 8,384
Received 162 Likes on 120 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Gobear
I have had no time to do anything this week but work and sleep, but tonight I was able to take a breather and watch Speedy. I need to pick it up in November; it's a sweetly funny film and a marvelous snapshot of New York before Robert Moses mangled it. Harold Lloyd was not only funny, but also a terrific athlete and extremely handsome; he could have easily been another Douglas Fairbanks or Richard Barthelmess.
I watched Speedy last night, and loved it. I'd say it was easily my favorite movie so far of the Challenge. I may even pick up some Harold Lloyd movies for the Comedy Challenge in November.
Old 09-09-16, 08:38 AM
  #115  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
mrcellophane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 1,716
Received 72 Likes on 42 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Gobear
I have had no time to do anything this week but work and sleep, but tonight I was able to take a breather and watch Speedy. I need to pick it up in November; it's a sweetly funny film and a marvelous snapshot of New York before Robert Moses mangled it. Harold Lloyd was not only funny, but also a terrific athlete and extremely handsome; he could have easily been another Douglas Fairbanks or Richard Barthelmess.
Originally Posted by shadokitty
I watched Speedy last night, and loved it. I'd say it was easily my favorite movie so far of the Challenge. I may even pick up some Harold Lloyd movies for the Comedy Challenge in November.
I want to see that one! Last weekend, I watched The Freshman which was a blast. There's an earnestness around Lloyd that I'm drawn to. The Criterion essay that accompanies the film points out that Lloyd's characters are often outsiders who desire to be part of the mainstream and achieve that goal. He's more optimistic than the other silent comedians of the time.

Shadokitty, I have Volume One of Kino's Harold Lloyd Collection and enjoy it. It looks like you can get it fairly cheap, and it's definitely worth your time!
Old 09-09-16, 08:51 AM
  #116  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
mrcellophane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 1,716
Received 72 Likes on 42 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Yesterday evening, I got home after a long day (and week), made dinner, and plopped myself in front of the television. After an episode of Steven Universe, I put in Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street. Recently, I was listening to a podcast in which someone stated that there are films you watch to be entertained and others because they are good for you. I figured that Vanya would fall squarely in the latter category, but it was both gratifying and entertaining to watch.

The film follows a rehearsal of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (really a David Mamet adaptation) in a dilapidated theater. If anyone is a fan of Wallace Shawn and/or Julianne Moore, they are absolutely brilliant in this. The Criterion essay points out that Moore was on the cusp of stardom at the time of the film, but everyone involved are primarily stage actors who don't mind delving into the complex thoughts and feelings of their characters. I'd never seen or read Uncle Vanya so it was a treat to see the action unfold, and I was captivated by the story and the interplay of relationships. The story deals with the concessions we make to live and the complications that arise when those concessions and sacrifices are not acknowledged. It's really a wonderful film, and I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Old 09-09-16, 09:21 AM
  #117  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,290
Received 208 Likes on 130 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by mrcellophane
Yesterday evening, I got home after a long day (and week), made dinner, and plopped myself in front of the television. After an episode of Steven Universe, I put in Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street.
Vanya on 42nd Street is a marvelous film adaptation of one of Chekhov's strongest and saddest plays. Even though the play is set in Czarist Russia, Andre Gregory's direction and David Mamet's screenplay drill down to the play's emotional core of regret for lives that have been wasted and love unreturned in a way that makes a play about 19th-century upper-class Russians a universal story. Setting the play in a decayed theater is a perfectly apt Chekhovian metaphor.

I wish Gregory and Shawn could have included the story of the film's production in a sequel to My Dinner With Andre. I own the DVD of Vanya, and I keep debating if I should upgrade it during each B&N Criterion sale, but I end up spending the money on new discs instead.

Originally Posted by mrcellophane
The story deals with the concessions we make to live and the complications that arise when those concessions and sacrifices are not acknowledged.
I think you just described the plots to most of Russian literature. :-)

Originally Posted by mrcellophane
It's really a wonderful film, and I wholeheartedly recommend it!
Da!

Fun bit of history: The ruined theater where Vanya was recorded had been the home of Flo Ziegfeld's musical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies. A short time after Vanya, the New Amsterdam Theatre was bought by Disney, refurbished, and turned into a Broadway showplace that is currently hosting the stage production of Disney's Aladdin.

Last edited by Gobear; 09-09-16 at 02:39 PM.
Old 09-09-16, 10:27 AM
  #118  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
mrcellophane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Norman, OK
Posts: 1,716
Received 72 Likes on 42 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Gobear
Fun bit of history: The ruined theater where Vanya was recorded had been the home of Flo Ziegfeld's musical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies. A short time after Vanya, the New Amsterdam Theatre was bought by Disney, refurbished, and turned into a Broadway showplace that is currently hosting the stage production of Disney's Aladdin.
Yes! I looked that up afterward because Wallace Shawn tells his guests about the Follies. However, his statement is so noncommittal and offhand that I wondered if he was poking a bit of fun at himself and giving misinformation. I believe I saw The Lion King at the New Amsterdam during my one visit to NYC in 2000.

I've not seen the DVD, but I can report that the BD looked wonderful on my television. The detail during closeups is very crisp, and Julianne Moore's hair practically glows.
Old 09-09-16, 06:45 PM
  #119  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
LJG765's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,939
Received 74 Likes on 60 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by mrcellophane
Yesterday evening, I got home after a long day (and week), made dinner, and plopped myself in front of the television. After an episode of Steven Universe, I put in Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street. Recently, I was listening to a podcast in which someone stated that there are films you watch to be entertained and others because they are good for you. I figured that Vanya would fall squarely in the latter category, but it was both gratifying and entertaining to watch.
I watched this last year and it really was one of the best ones I saw that challenge. I was pleasantly surprised as I had watched My Dinner with Andre and hated it. I did try to get the 3rd, but I was unsuccessful. I should give it another go and see if I can find it this month. If anyone is on the fence, definitely give Vanya a chance!
Old 09-09-16, 09:42 PM
  #120  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 819
Received 72 Likes on 51 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I think I have found the most unqualified movie ever to be put out by Criterion. I should have known better than to watch a Hulu Exclusive but I assumed if it had the Criterion brand it would be OK. I also should have known better when the movie was from 1987 and when looking up the actors on IMDB there were only two with pictures of them. The movie was I Was a Teenage Zombie. I am waiting on Solaris, Things to Come and Science is Fiction from the Library so I thought, hey, the Horror Challenge is coming lets watch something Horror. If anyone has seen this please let me know if you think it belongs here. If you haven't seen it, I would strongly suggest that it isn't worth your time. End of rant.
Old 09-09-16, 11:08 PM
  #121  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,290
Received 208 Likes on 130 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I fired up my Warner Archive DVD-R of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams which I am definitely going to upgrade in November. Kurosawa's use of color here is nothing short of spectacular, especially in the Peach Orchard and Crows segments. This movie is going to look magnificent on Blu.
Old 09-10-16, 12:18 PM
  #122  
Senior Member
 
numbercrunch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: new orleans
Posts: 836
Likes: 0
Received 88 Likes on 62 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

watched the criterion blu ray of Easy Rider. In my opinion the cinematography is incredible and jack nicholsen comes in at the 45 minute mark to save the movie
Old 09-10-16, 04:36 PM
  #123  
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
 
Trevor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: spiritually, Minnesota
Posts: 36,866
Received 670 Likes on 448 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

Pardon the interruption, but of interest to Challengers might be a discussion we're having in the Challenge Compendium thread about whether to add a new Challenge. Can everyone please take a second and vote in the poll? Thanks!
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk/63...ding-13th.html
Old 09-10-16, 11:45 PM
  #124  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,290
Received 208 Likes on 130 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

If I can just be super gay for a second: I absolutely adore Valley of the Dolls! It is a terrible movie by any standard: melodramatic, poorly written, badly directed, but the performances are terrific. Susan Hayward is one tough bitch as Helen Lawson (Ethel Merman), kicking out poor Patty Duke as drug-addicted Neely O'HARA (Judy Garland)! The Fox 2-disc DVD was totally marketed towards gay men, with a ton of features that emphasize VotD's status as a gay camp classic. I'm so buying the Blu in November.
Old 09-10-16, 11:55 PM
  #125  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
LJG765's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 2,939
Received 74 Likes on 60 Posts
Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread

I decided my goal for the month would be to try and finish off a top 10 list. Picked Diablo Cody's as it had several I've been meaning to see and only 2 that I have watched before. I can get 8 of the 10 from my local library and thought I could find the other 2 online, but am having trouble with finding Sid & Nancy. Can anyone confirm if Hulu has this one? I don't seem to be able to do a search without creating an account. Thanks!

The other one I watched tonight, Schizopolis which was fairly bizarre. I don't even know how to describe it. There's one scene (I'll put the rest in spoilers)
Spoiler:
where the husband comes home and the whole conversation with the wife is told through description. Basically things like, "bland greeting." "overenthusiastic description of dinner."
It was probably the one scene I enjoyed as I could actually see what the director (Soderbergh) was trying to do with it.

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.