I guess I could steal another poster's bit of wit and say the only Criterion that ever disappointed me was "Good Burger." :)

I know that everyone has different opinions, but would you mind explaining what you have against this one? I can understand someone not liking Jubilee and stuff like In the Mood For Love, but I don't get why someone wouldn't enjoy Ace.

i didn't like Branded to Kill

I didnt like ace in the hole either. And Wilder is one of my all time favorite directors. I loved 39 steps though.

I didn't like The Royal Tenebaums.

I may not agree with all of Criterion's tastes, but I would only be "disappointed" in one of their editions if the DVD itself wasn't up to their usual standards (extras, etc.)

I agree that I am always disappointed when a Criterion disc contains only the theatrical trailer -- not that it's any different from a normal DVD containing only the trailer, but normal DVDs are only ten bucks.

Add me to the club who didn't like Withnail & I. I found How to Get Ahead in Advertising in a pawn shop for $3, bought it and thought it was hilarious and awesome, and eagerly bought Withnail & I, expecting more awesomeness but just found it pretentious and unfunny.

That was one of my beefs with The Night Porter. If I remember correctly it was nonanamorphic, the transfer looked like crap, and it contained no features, not even a trailer.

I was a bit underwhelmed by Jigoku. I still liked it, but I was expecting a bit more from a film about Japanese Hell. Plus, my friend hyped it up BIG TIME which didn't help matters. Other than that I really haven't bought a Criterion that I didn't like.

Armageddon

What a waste of opportunity not to have released this original anamorphically.

I want the 'internal release notes' on this DVD - stating whom at Criterion thought that they should not release this in the 16x9 format. I wonder if that person still works there ???

Most of the early Criterions (like Armageddon) were not anamorphic. Apparently it wasn't till later that they thought it would be critical to have every release anamorphic.

Ace in the Hole just never really got me involved. It's not a film I hate but i just felt that it was boring for me. Again it's not that I would call it a bad movie it's just something I didn't connect to for some reason.

Chasing Amy, duh. Garbage Kevin Smith film did not deserve the Criterion treatment!

Armageddon came out before they released anamorphic titles though, right? I can see it and the Rock being re-released.....

Jubilee is cool, but it's like Border Radio, the synopsis Criterion provides hint at them being movies most won't appreciate and try to provide historical context for their importance...I like both, but I think their marketing is a little misleading.

Anything by Michael Bay.

E

I fell asleep during Green for Danger so I guess that would be most disappointing recent Criterion purchase. Not that it was a bad film, but I certainly didn't become engrossed in it the way some reviews insisted I would.

Mr. Hulot's Holiday was a bit underwhelming, too, now that I think about it. Also Down by Law disappointed, considering I'm a great fan of both Jim Jarmusch and Tom Waits. Le Samourai was only so-so. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was quite a bore.

Conversely, Criterions that surprised me by how much I ended up liking them included Picnic at Hanging Rock, Onibaba, Knife in the Water, and Forbidden Games.

Hopscotch. It certainly wasn't a terrible movie, but I have a hard time seeing why Criterion would justify this as an "important" or "influential" film. It's certainly watchable, but I found it underwhelming considering it had such a great cast involved. The Bay movies at least were released so Criterion could get at some other choice titles, but what was the excuse for this one, other than the fact that the OOP VHS tape used to cost a small fortune?

The Rock is anamorphic, at least.

I know Michael Bay doesn't necessarily fit the Criterion mold, but The Rock is one of my top 3 DVDs ever.

They had the director available after his other director approved titles.

I consider it one of the TOP 5 movies ever made.

I'm an admirer of Max Opuls but I understand your position.
Lola Montes or Letter from an Unknown Woman are better.
And I'd kill to get either of them on Criterion.

So... who do you want me to kill?

I can't say I've ever been disappointed. Days of Heaven didn't quite live up to the monumental expectations I had but the Criterion is a magnificent set.

post #26 - we're slipping here folks.

:thumbsup:

The only real dissapointments for me were both Jane Campion films. They did absolutely nothing for me.

The rest of the Criterion purchases I've made were quite satisfying; though I was underwhelmed by the presentation of The Pornographers (fine film, throwaway barebones DVD).