See, this kind of crap is what I don't understand. why is it that the other 234 movies are "shit?" would it be so difficult to say "I'm just not interested in anything else they've put out..."???? The CC derision so many non-fans spout around here is really hard to figure....so you don't like the movies, big deal....I would never own Man Bites Dog, but I wouldn't call it shit either. It's called to each his own....why is that so hard to respect?

to the OP: I think you should buy the following two films from the CC: The Third Man and Le Cercle Rouge. the latter is the very personification of Cool.....a great great movie.

Well, I'm counting the majority of my DVD's which have TONS of extras. So, I guess that could be true, I figure... I also purchased the DVD's because I quite enjoy the filmmakers work, or something like that.

I would second the recommendations for

The Third Man - a great Film Noir movie and the disk is packed with really cool extra stuff.

The Red Shoes - a beautiful moving film with a real classic film quality to it.

Diabolique - A great suspense film. The disk is pretty barebones if I recall correctly.

Some others that I really enjoyed are

Black Orpheus if you are looking for something a bit different. This is retelling of the Opheus/Eurydice myth set against the Mardi Gras/Carnaval in Rio De Janiero. The movie has a really happy care-free feel to it and the Bossa-Nova music is great.

M - Creepy, intelligent movie starring Peter Lorre as a serial killer. The movie is great and very inventive. Be aware that this movie was filmed in 1931 and some parts of it are nearly silent which threw me off a bit. The transfer on the Criterion isn't great in my opionion and I've heard mutterings that this may get a re-release.

Thone of Blood - Kurosawa's version of MacBeth which many consider to be the best film adapation of the play. I can't speak highly enough of this film. The transfer of the film is superb. It also has a commentary track but I didn't have a chance to listen to it when I rented it. I plan to buy this in the near future.

The Rules of the Game - Great film about the french upper class during a hunting weekend at a mansion. Gosford Park is basically a remake of the movie. Some pretty funny dialogue and there is a lot going on in the film. The film transfer and supplements are excellent.

Hope this helps.

I would just like to suggest the mind trip Naked Lunch. It was just released a few months ago, and it's very...interesting. I love the film, it's just great in my opinion.

dang, i just ordered Traffic last week and finally got it today (amazing movie, forgot how good it was) and I didn't get free shipping. it came out to 31.00 even. anyways, TRAFFIC is great film to start with, because man, I am just like you. I'm just the casual collector that is just starting to expeiriecne world cinema and Criterion is a great way to start. To date, I only have 2 Criterion films: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Traffic. Soon I will be gettin the Kurosawa box set, but until then, Traffic is a PERFECT way to start.

MG26