bluemagic

Well, sort of counterpoint to the other thread here in the forum:

Which Criterion's are NOT worth the cost? I know the collection is very large but what about the more obscure titles that people never seem to talk about? Like Alphaville, for example. Aside from Salo (which we've bagged on several times), what are the Criterion discs that are poorly done, bad movie choices, or generally, make you ask that fateful question, "What was Criterion smoking that day?"

(insert Armageddon joke here)

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"I've done some...questionable things, but nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for."

- Blade Runner

Pasolini

if you have an older Panasonic DVD player, do not get High & Low -- it will not (or 'may' not) play on it.

as far as the rest -- i own 27 criterion dvd's currently. Even though they are cheaper, i tend to disfavor the 29.99 msrp ones because there are no special features - esp. the David Lean films (Summertime, Great Exp., Oliver Twist). Its not that they are bad movies, i just don't see the point of paying that much for movies that they show restored on AMC or TCM all the time, in letterbox.

I will never buy "Fishing with John" because it just doesn't do much for me. I love the Lounge Lizards, I love fishing, and I love the actors he has on the show, but all three together do nothing for me. Besides, aren't these on Bravo or IFC?

The first one i bought, Andrei Rublev, is still the #1 criterion dvd in my book - great restoration of a great movie.

CapRockBrewingCo.

I probably wouldn't get Fishing With John either but any others really depend on personal taste. The only Criterion (out of the 20 or so that I have) that I didn't totally care for was Picnic At Hanging Rock. With that being said, I should probably give it another chance one of these days.

Craig

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conscience

bluemagic, which ones do you have...
I don't own many, but I am happy with the ones I have.

Of the ones that are just...GREAT..
are

Silence of the lambs
Brazil
Hard Boiled
Rushmore
Wages of Fear
Carnival of Souls
Sid and Nancy
Salo - you know why!

QUESTION:
Oh and I got this Criterion booklet with a criterion disc and it had the cover for Spartacus in it. Does anyone know when this is coming out...it has to be soon. because They had a pretty indepth paragraph on the supplements.

Sykes

quote:<HR>Even though they are cheaper, i tend to disfavor the 29.99 msrp ones because there are no special features - esp. the David Lean films (Summertime, Great Exp., Oliver Twist). Its not that they are bad movies, i just don't see the point of paying that much for movies that they show restored on AMC or TCM all the time, in letterbox.<HR>

Summertime, Great Expectations, and Oliver Twist have never aired on AMC or TCM (although Bravo has televised Summertime). The only way to see these sensational David Lean movies (particularly the Dickens offerings) is on Criterion DVD.

Also, all three films were originally shot full-frame, 1.37:1. They are not widescreen!



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"Editing is the foundation of the film art." --V. Pudovkin.

[This message has been edited by Sykes (edited June 13, 2000).]

bluemagic

quote:<HR>Originally posted by conscience:
bluemagic, which ones do you have...
I don't own many, but I am happy with the ones I have.
<HR>

Well, here are the ones I have, pretty small collection:

Armageddon
Brazil
Charade
Hard Boiled
The Killer
Life of Brian
Robocop
Seven Samurai
Silence of the Lambs
The Third Man
Time Bandits

They're mostly the mainstream/popular ones, I think.

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"I've done some...questionable things, but nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for."

- Blade Runner

Peat

I own the following Criterion films, my three favorites are in bold, and my three least favorites are in italics. If you'd like me to comment on a couple particular titles you're interested in, list them and i'll write a paragraph about each.


Seven Samurai
The 400 Blows
Hard Boiled
Walkabout
Silence of the Lambs
Samurai
Shock Corridor
Robocop
Dead Ringers
Blood For Dracula
Alphaville
And the Ship Sails On
This is Spinal Tap
High and Low
Time Bandits
Armageddon
Fishing With John
Lord of the Flies
The Most Dangerous Game
Black Orpheus
Brazil
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Night Porter
Autumn Sonata
Life of Brian
The Third Man
The Last Temptation of Christ

-Kevin

Dr. D

I had 50+ Criterions before I started trading them away. To me, most of them are worth seeing once but only a few of them have replay value to me. I usually like comedies and lighter fare, so a lot of their collection are a bit "heavy" for my tastes.

Ones to own (great replay value):
Rushmore, Silence of the Lambs, Seven Samurai

Other ones I think that are well worth seeing:
Seventh Seal, Yojimbo, Long Good Friday, Dead Ringers, Grand Illusion, High and Low, Third Man, 39 Steps

Ones I wouldn't have been sad if I missed:
Unbearable Lightness...
Red Shoes, Taste of Cherry, Black Orpheus, And the Ship Sails On, Alphaville, Shock Corridor, Naked Kiss, Summertime, Blood for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, Walkabout, Lord of the Flies

KoolSoulBrotha#1

Hmm... I've got

Rushmore
Black Orpheus

Both are wonderful and have much replay value for me.

Go to Hollywood video. Many of the films done by criterion can be found in the Foreign sections as 2 buck rentals on vhs (ack. yeah, I know, but at least you'll know if you like the movie)

bluemagic

quote:<HR>Originally posted by Peat:
Walkabout
Shock Corridor
Alphaville
And the Ship Sails On
The Most Dangerous Game
The Night Porter
Autumn Sonata

-Kevin<HR>

Sure I'd like to hear about the ones listed above! Thanks!


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"I've done some...questionable things, but nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for."

- Blade Runner

sfsdfd

The Night Porter (a/k/a "Attack of the Nazi She-Bitch") is the tale of a twisted little romp between a quiet, reserved hotel owner and a quiet, reserved woman who spends a night in the hotel. Turns out the hotel owner used to run a Nazi prison camp and the woman was a prisoner he, uh, took a liking for, and the kinky couple decides to recreate their relationship years later. The thing is, (there's always a thing, isn't there?) the hotel owner's former Nazi buddies are trying to protect him (and themselves) by bumping off anyone who could identify them as grand-high poobahs in the Third Reich, and they're not to keen on this little sex kitten.

That's the movie in a nutshell. The plot moves slowly, but it's a good depiction of the difficulty people often have breaking their habits, and the sense of claustrophibic panic which suffuses the last third of the movie is quite original.

I definitely wouldn't call this a title to avoid.

- David Stein