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).

Agreed on this one and the Jane Campion.

And God Created Woman
Fiend Without a Face
The Blob
Honeymoon Killers

Jubilee - A stationary camera at Trafalgar Square in 1977 would have been more enjoyable.

The Royal Tenenbaums - Ben Stiller AND Owen Wilson in the same movie made me feel "Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones".

Sweetie - Wanted to see a Jane Campion film, wasn't impressed.

Grey Gardens/The Beales of Grey Gardens - This film and many other documentaries need a lower priced outlet similar to the Eclipse line. It falls into that category where you are relatively amused to have watched it but its replay is improbable.

Dead Ringers, Solaris, and Slacker.

Third Man

I have around ten Criterion DVDs in my collection and the one that I least liked is Peeping Tom. It was a hyped as the British Psycho but it never got me to appreciate the movie.

Salo

Bought it for like $700 off Ebay. I watched about half an hour then turned it off and tossed it in the trash.

I don't believe this for an instant, but if you were stupid enough to make a $700 blind buy and then throw away the DVD instead of selling it to make your money back, you're either very stupid or you're very rich.

One Criterion I don't particularly like (even though I saw the film years prior to the Criterion release) is <b> KWAIDAN</b>. I know it has a great reputation, but it just does nothing for me. I even netflixed it a year or so ago to give it another chance, and I reacted to it the same way.

Now <b>ONIBABA</b> is a whole other story. I absolutely love that film.

Okay . . .

The Vanishing. After seeing the American version and feeling it didn't know when to quite, I wanted to see the original for years. I guess my expectations were set too high.

Chasing Amy. Mostly because I thought the picture quality looked dreadful.

Being the un-cultured primate that I am, I was not too thrilled with LA STRADA.

I guess I just don't get the Fellini thing.

Well, if you had already seen the awful remake, the ending of the original would already have been ruined for you (and that was the ultimate kicker of the film at the time). Doesn't mean that you would have liked the film anyway, but if you knew everything going in, it didn't have a chance.

Blasphemy, I looove M. Hulot's Holiday. So good. The only film I really haven't been crazy about was Jubilee and I'm holding onto my copy to give it another chance. I guess there were a couple of other ones that I wasn't totally ecstatic about, Hopscotch is ok and I Am Curious is interesting and important, but I don't know if I really need to see it again.

I found Peeping Tom disappointing, but really disliked the Honeymoon Killers.

Of all the Criterions I've seen...

Hated:
The Seven Samurai
Diabolique
Brazil
The Seventh Seal
Crisis

Loved:
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Videodrome
The Royal Tenenbaums (my favorite movie)
The Spirit of the Beehive
Grey Gardens

How can anyone hate Seven Samurai? I really wanted to enjoy Jubilee as well, but I just couldn't make it happen.

The only Criterion i didnt enjoy or find some value (and I own many of the mentioned hated) is Kagemusha. Seriously. i know it's Kurosawa and I am a fan but it dragged for me. ugh. maybe I will give it another chance.

How could anyone hate The Seventh Seal? That movie is amazing!

The Third Man, Brazil, Seven Samurai, The 39 Steps, M, The Seventh Seal, 8 1/2, La Strada, Faces, Bicycle Thieves, and If....

However, I loved The Rock, Armageddon, and Chasing Amy! Why do they release so many old movies?



(Yes, this is sarcasm)

Because all the great movies were made years ago!

Beastie Boys ranks right up there with Michael Bay films... What were they thinking???

I just watched this again a couple weeks ago and was entranced the whole time. I'd seen it several times before, but this last time I just got into it like I never have before. An insanely great movie.
It was because of this and seeing A Canterbury Tale for the first time, that I went overboard in the last DVD Planet sale. I grabbed 6 or 7 Criterion titles that I had no intention to whatsoever when the sale started- it was just that I was so impressed, entertained, and (it's going to sound pretentious but I'm going to say it anyway)...nourished by SS and ACT, I was hoping to repeat the experience several times over.

Since collecting DVDs, there have been a few films Criterion has put out that I was greatly looking forward to, but just didn't click with me for one reason or another
Diary Of A Chambermaid
Passion Of Joan Of Arc
Fiend Without A Face
Picnic At Hanging Rock
That Obscure Object Of Desire
The BRD trilogy (Fassbinder)

I would humbly suggest that perhaps Criterion isn't your kind of label.

For me, Summertime was not quite what I expected. It was alright, but I haven't bothered to revisit it since I originally purchased it.

Mmm hmm... Me too...

I was dissapointed with Symbiotoxyplasm... er whatever. I couldn't finish it.

Give it another chance.

Crazed Fruit, I bought as a blind buy due to my love of Japanese Movies. I suppose it was important due to the time it was released and what it had to say about Japanese Post war youth, but it just seemed like a bad movie to me.

Fiend Without a Face was a mildly entertaining Netflix rental, but certainly not worthy of a purchase, even for genre fans. I hated A Woman is a Woman - what a flimsy, cutesy excuse for a film. Felt more like a half-assed series of in jokes than anything else, and this is coming from a fan of 60's Godard.

I don't know if I'd necessarily say that. I'm a big 50's sci-fi fan and I loved Fiend Without A Face. It reminded me of other classic cheese-fests like The Brain from Planet Arous.

The Last Wave didn't work for me either.

I ebayed it as soon as I finsihed watching it, and haven't thought about it since.

mdnitoil,
Summertime appears to be out of print. You could probably make a decent profit unloading it.

I'm disappointed that so many people seem incapable of appreciating Chasing Amy. I watched it again yesterday and it still holds up ten years on.

I agree with you killercannabis. I also loved The Blob for the same reason.