ResIpsa

I feel your pain. Getting ready to buy my third "installment" of Seven Samurai this week.

kndy

They may have changed things because I received e-mails that request me to cancel or that I'm willing to wait 30 days. I clicked the option to wait on all five items and interesting enough the following day, I received an e-mail that all my items have shipped. I guess we'll see..

Undeadcow

I picked up By Brakhage: An Anthology (now volume 1) and demand to know why no one here told me how awesome these films were. They're experimental so maybe not for everyone but I've really enjoyed it so far.

How is Science is Fiction?

Mosskeeto

The Brakhage can be interesting and he does have a serious following. I recently saw a program of his at a small venue and it's the only time I saw the theater maxed out with people sitting in the aisles.
Science Is Fiction is something I bought at the last sale and enjoyed watching with the knowledge that these are (for the most part) very early avant-garde films. A good purchase.
Review

InnocentBlood

my order that was supposed to have shipped on 11/22 shipped today instead can't wait for it to reach me.

EDIT - just realized that Charade and Hausu are the only titles still pending to be shipped on 11/22. ah well... patience is a virtue.

goosh

I should probably wait until the sale ends before saying I'm done, but I think I am. We'll see. My haul this time around includes all this for $205:
First Films of Akira Kurosawa
Antichrist
Breathless
Charade
House
The Magician
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Modern Times
The Night of the Hunter
Paths of Glory
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line

CardiffGiant

Well, you've definitely piqued my interest, but I might have to hold off until the next sale only because I have so many others that I've seen and still need to purchase. I followed up your recommendation with some reading on the film and it seems to have universal acclaim, which makes it so interesting that early audiences and critics seemed to dislike the film.

Anyway, if I can't find copies of the others I need to get in-store, I'll keep Night of the Hunter in mind.

I love all of the recommendations being tossed around, I forgot to mention that last year someone recommended Monterey Pop to me and I went ahead and purchased it (I had seen clips over the years) and I found it to be a great box set with great films and great supplemental materials.

bubba111

Has Criterion indicated they plan to eventually release their entire catalog on Blu-ray? Or are there certain films, such as those in the Eclipse series, that will not be transferred over? I don't really want to double-dip if a future Blu-ray will eventually appear (even if it is years from now).

My guess is that no one knows for sure, but I wanted to ask just in case Criterion has made some kind of announcement about which I am unaware.

Dining Dead

While I've always enjoyed Night of the Hunter, some of the acting is terribly dated and annoying (Ms. Spoon's constant shouting instead of speaking voice) and there are some really strange, painfully awkward moments from the child actors.

ccfixx

Your guess is correct... no one knows. I'm gonna place a 100% bet, though, that none of the Eclipse line of films will ever make it onto blu-ray from Criterion. If they're not even making it into the main, spine-numbered line of releases I can't see how Criterion would ever put the finances into a restoration for each one of them.


From Criterion's site...

CC

kthnxbai

One of my shipments has been delayed. Ugh.

ThomasB

Yesterday many stores in my area appeared to have few-to-no copies of Modern Times and The Night of the Hunter in the Blu-ray format. After discovering this midday, I called a store to order one copy of each. New stock arrived this morning, and the store filled my requests with copies from that shipment. The time between my request and their return call to confirm arrival was less than 24 hours. I know each customer will have a unique experience, but I write this update in order to suggest that, for those near a physical location, ordering at or to the store might be a better option at this point than risking a delayed or canceled home order.

ctyankee

My guess is that B&N ordered Modern Times and The Night of the Hunter based on non-sale demand - which seems reasonable from a retailer's perspective.

I passed on Modern Times as the release does not contain the original theatrical release. The Night of the Hunter I've been waiting on even during the months of speculation before it was announced as a release. No film is for everyone and The Night of the Hunter is no exemption. That said, for those that would really watch the film multiple times for sure ... all I can say is Wow! And I haven't even gotten to the supplements.

NoirFan

I'd say that there's a small possibility that one or several of the titles from the Late Ozu set might eventually get Blu-ray releases, but that's it.

Gobear

When does the sale end?

laidbacklarkin

wow !!! its amazing how much of a fan following 'Night of the Hunter' has. Based on the glowing reviews, I rented it from Netflix. And thought it was one of the most foolish films I had seen - meaningless, stupid, silly and downright ridiculous came to mind. At one point, I shut it off cos I saw no point in completing it. I don't intend to start a flaming war here but its amazing as to how something completely repelling to one is completely acceptable to another. But the sheer number of fans of this film still amaze me. Cinema is indeed a subjective arena just like audio and other abstract entities.

Undeadcow

11/21/10

ProfessorEcho

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER is not a film for literalism. The idea and execution are more along the lines of delineating a child's dream/nightmare than telling any kind of conventional narrative, all of which makes the awkward, surreal moments appropriate. You can't approach it as you would a more linear story with a corresponding reality behind it. There is nothing "real" in the entire film and that either inspires you to immerse yourself into its imbalanced world view or feel alienated by it. It's certainly not for all tastes and that's to its credit.

CardiffGiant

This is why I don't really blind buy anymore (unless it's something I'm fairly certain I'd want to watch) because tastes are so eclectic that it's hard to tell what another person will like. It's never an attack on the person recommending it, it's the realization of my own varying taste. All forms of art end up with this same subjectivity.

I was reading Ebert's review of Letters to Juliet the other night and he gave it a positive review, but basically acknowledged that it's not a good movie, but he likes it anyway. There are many films I feel that way about...I know it isn't good, but I like it anyway. Or, in the case of films like Pierrot Le Fou and 8 1/2 (for example), I love them, but I could understand another person's dislike for them.

Never thought I'd make a Letters to Juliet reference in the Criterion thread...

Al_Tahoe

No problem. How do you feel about Grown Ups?

Laser Movies

Picked up Modern Times and House today at a local B&N store. Again no problem with the $5 coupons. However looks like I might end up with 2 copies of Modern Times. I placed a ship to home order a few weeks ago and tried to cancel it since it had not shipped yet. After I canceled I received an email a short time later saying the order had already entered the shipping process. Now I have to decide what to do with the extra copy.

I may do one more store purchase before the sale ends Sunday. Thinking of finally getting Chungking Express even though it has a digipak case since I received an email from Criterion customer service today that said they would send me a free replacement case if I purchased it. That works out great for me since I did not want to buy another case from them.

ProfessorEcho

So true.

I don't think I could ever explain my love of ROLLER BOOGIE, but even if I could, I don't think I'd want to.

ThomasB

It is best to leave some things unsaid I learned that the hard way by trying to defend Speed Racer and Miami Vice. Words often fail. Where this discussion is concerned, I do count myself as a fan of The Night of the Hunter, but I also understand how it might not suit everyone's taste. I can't think of a single film that is universally loved.

larry47591

Good burger

ThomasB

Well played.