In their defense, this is one of their oldest discs. Early Criterion discs, with a few lovely exceptions, generally show their age a great deal. Of course, this defense does not leave us with a progressive special edition of this set, so the point is righteously moot to any righteously angry Fields fan. I'm very glad they did not tackle Brakhage three years before they did.

A thought, though...considering their new relationship with Paramount, its possible that the Fields shorts disc could be remastered, and pushed into a box, along with some other Fields silents, or simply re-mastered as a companion piece to an Eclipse box. Paramount does own a couple of Fields' surviving silent features. Just a slight possibility; though Criterion has already announced plans to release a few silent films from Paramount.

I'm not a Michael Bay fan, and I agree that high grosses doesn't equal quality, but just because a movie isn't good doesn't mean it's not important as well. Case in point, Pink Flamingos. It's not a good movie by any standards, and gets by only on its shock value. But it's considered important, due to its pushing of the cinematic envelope.

When I watched Samurai Rebellion I had a lot of shows on my DVR and I was trying to get through them real quick, so the problem could have been that I didn’t have enough patience with it.
I thought Solaris was interesting, but when Kelvin arrives on the space station, the movie, for me, seemed to really slow down. But, I’m willing to give this and Samurai Rebellion a second watch.

Umberto D. I probably shouldn’t have put on that list since the movie didn’t disappoint me, but it did leave me feeling somewhat depressed after it was over. I don’t feel like that’s a movie I want to revisit.
I also shouldn’t have put Mafioso on that list. I wasn’t disappointed by the movie, but I didn’t really find it funny. Could be I didn’t “get” the humor, but I’m willing to give this a second watch too.
Actually I will give each of the movies on my list a second watch except for The Honeymoon Killers, Man Bites Dog, and Knife in the Water. Those three movies I did not like.

Regarding the Criterion DVDs, the ones I am disappointed with are:
The Night Porter – As I stated before, I thought the print was bad and there were no extras.
Samurai Trilogy – Poor print and lack of extras.
The Hidden Fortress – Lack of extras. (Yea, we got an interview with George Lucas and the trailer, but I would’ve liked more)

Now, I’m not saying these movies are bad, the movies are excellent, but they have very poor DVD editions. I would really like to see The Hidden Fortress get the same treatment the reissues of Yojimbo and Sanjuro got.

Just a reminder that La Dolce Vita is actually from Koch-Lorber Films and not Criterion.

I was wholly unimpressed with Tanner '88.

I blind bought Two-Lane blacktop last month during the D 20% off sale and also ended up watching it last month. I was very unimpressed with the film. The extras were good and all but I just couldn't get into the movie. I dont like Easy Rider either though so I dont know maybe I would have had to have been alive in the 60's or 70's to appreciate it.

I agree that a sub-par film, technicially speaking, may be important due to its subject matter, theme, or lasting impact on future cinema, but that is still not the case with any of Bay's movies. If it was, I would overlook the horrible direction, but one of my complaints is exactly that there is no worthwhile content/message in addition to his poor direction and that his films are basically derrivative of Tony Scott's mind-numbing exercises.

Where John Waters pushed the envelope, Bay has done nothing of the sort. Even if one were to make the argument that his mindless drivel was a "pushing of the envelope" to some sort of unadultarated mindless form of cinema, I would simply reply, "See Top Gun."

Crazed Fruit

I doubt that you have to be older than 28 to appreciate Two-Lane Blacktop, but it may take a bit of work if your usual film preferences run more toward The Fast and the Furious than L'Avventura. The writer's commentary is particularly good on this release, and capable of providing much deeper appreciation for the film, I think, so consider giving that a listen if you haven't already.

Interesting interview with Rudy Wurlitzer from May's Arthur Magazine. I'd like to check out his books, but they seem to be difficult to find.

Equinox.

That's a weird one for me. Equinox is a film I saw on my local TV station's "Chiller Double-Feature" which ran from about 11 PM Saturday night to 3 AM Sunday morning when I was about 10-years old (thanks to permissive parenting). That film stuck with me more than any of the 100 or so other late-night horror films I saw during that period, but I didn't remember the name of it and couldn't figure it out even after the internet came along and I inquired of people and plugged the details into Google. When Criterion released Equinox it was as though they were scratching an itch I'd had for twenty-five years.

I felt the same way. I also blind bought this, but couldn't bring myself to break the shrinkwrap, so I rented it.

I though it was OK....more meh than wow. Couldn't imagine rewatching it, so I was relieved that I hadn't opened it, and could return.

Wow, this topic has an unnecessary amount of elitism in it. :(

I watched Godard's Alphaville (which, I admit, I had downloaded on a torrent) last night and thought it was amazing. But I sadly will not be picking up the Criterion because there's no point in upgrading my torrent to a $25 CC that includes zero features. I desperately hope this movie gets a re-release.

My least favorite Criterion film itself is The Seventh Seal. It is a bottom five movie of all-time for me. The Ice Storm is not very far behind in second place.

Exactly. Why pay for what you can steal? F*ck the man! -ohbfrank-

If it weren't a 10-year-old disc with no features, I would gladly buy it. Before the DeepDiscount sale expires, I'm going to place a large order that will include among many others Band of Outsiders, Contempt, Pierrot Le Fou, and Breathless. Ironically, I like Alphaville better than the majority of these films... But I'm gonna wait for the hopefully-forthcoming re-release.

I guess I'm f*cking over Blockbuster/Netflix, eh. I don't blind-buy CC's so the rental business loses out when I "rent" them for free via torrent.

All of them were incredibly boring, and the plots were hard to follow. Brazil was just stupid and weird.

You, my friend, have a lot more will power than I do. I've blind bought DVDs on several occasions, considered renting them first before I opened the shrink wrap, but always, inevitably, open the DVD anyway. I'm a weak, weak man...

As I type this, I've got Criterion's Overlord, Army of Shadows, and Monsters and Madmen opened but unwatched on my shelf.

Criterions are just so darn pretty looking, you have to open them as soon as they arrive.

I <i>have</i> to open all the DVDs I buy during he car ride home, I love looking at the booklets / disc art.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

is it me, but the restoration Second Sight release doesn't impress me. I'm really hoping Criterion has a release of their own later in the year - and preferrably on blu-ray.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

Those caps look decent. Are you saying you saw the disc and it was unimpressive, or are making that assumption just based upon the caps? The Second Sight Ophuls I'm most disappointed with is Reckless Moment. Perhaps it's my player, but the video was jagged and choppy at times.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

yes 'decent' but not wow - but of course the pics aren't in motion, for a 4k scan/restoration it just looks lacking (and yes, I making an assumption, which I know isn't really fair) - I thought the 35mm print I saw of the restoration looked better - or maybe I'm just used to blu-ray hidef screen caps from DVDBeaver and blu-ray.com

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

if only they had been longer and rated R :(

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

I've at the very least been able to appreciate everything from the CC i've seen with one glaring exception: Godard/Bunuel/Fellini and the rest of the New Wave surrealism they love so much. Just can't do it...ESPECIALLY Godard. And i've tried, believe me. The impenetrable nonsensical bullshit is only acclaimed because it gives movie nerds a platform from which they can look down on the unwashed masses that can't understand any of it....even though they can't either, but pretend to in order to be in the cool crowd and use big words when they talk about all the symbolism and the meaning of pure cinema and whateverthefuckelse they think it's about. Godard is by far the most over rated film maker in history. Even he didn't understand what the fuck he was doing...which somehow makes him a genius? :lol:

I must confess to also be a bit full on all the Japanese releases. I've loved more than a couple of them...but it's getting to be a bit much. I don't fully understand the fascination with Japanese cinema on the whole. It's interesting and certainly unique, but not everything is a masterpiece. That said, i can't freaking wait to get the Nikkatsu Noir Eclipse box ;)

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

and Anchor Bay's version came out about 3 years after Criterion's (same with Mona Lisa) - these are quite clearly exceptions to the rule...in fact they are the only two titles you can say this about.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

Unlike chris_sc77, I did like this movie, so maybe I'll do this tonight.

I posted long ago in this thread, but I saw a couple more that I disliked, so I'll post again:

Sadly, I did not like 8½. I really liked (even loved) the first 25 minutes or so, but after that it started to drift and I became less and less interested in what was happening.

I couldn't for the life of me tell what was really meant to be going on in Playtime. I thought the Greek pillar pedal trash-can gag was really funny, but my friend and I were just baffled by it until we finally gave up about an hour or so in.

Criterions I have and love include Brazil, Stranger Than Paradise, The Ice Storm, Charade, Dazed and Confused, How to Get Ahead in Advertising, The Silence of the Lambs and the Wes Anderson discs. Most recently, I watched Quai Des Orfevres and thought it was very good. On the other hand, the amount of Criterions I have that I haven't watched is kind of embarrassing, so there's another thing I should do tonight.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

This line of thought is typical of those who don't "get" just about any kind of movie, or are bound and determined (or doomed?) to pursue a literal, definitive, explainable meaning to nearly every film they watch. Personal interpretation? Screw that! "There must be a conspiracy of snobs pretending to get it just to make me feel stupid." You'd get a lot further with these films if you didn't adopt such a defensive attitude to your own inability to understand them (that's something that may change with age, you can't possibly know for sure). I didn't really "get" the first two Bunuel pictures I ever saw, which left me disappointed more in myself than the films, especially since I was hoping to review one for the daily I wrote for at the time and had to skip the effort altogether. A few years later I saw his EXTERMINATING ANGEL (via a crummy print a friend taped off a late-night New York cable TV show called Beatnik Theatre no less), and I guess at that point in my life, that picture made sense to me, and encouraged me to learn more about Bunuel, his methods and his ideologies (and by that I mean read, something some people seem to think should automatically be unnecessary if you just buy a bunch of Criterion DVDs).

I will agree to a small extent about would-be film aesthetes writing as though they "get" a particular film when you know full well they really don't. Their writing usually employs all manner of florid misdirection to disguise the simple truth, even while the writers make other, very legitimate criticisms of the film at hand. Of course, truly knowing that someone is doing this means you actually DO get the film and they don't. Just assuming they don't get it only reveals that you don't get it either. ;)

Who ever said everything is? :confused:

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

I didn't really care much for 8 1/2 either. I need to see it again but I'm pretty sure I'll feel the same about it.

Same. Except I only have Rushmore right now. I have owned all the Anderson CC discs at one point though.

Me too. I did make headway earlier tonight with Blast of Silence.

I wish I had this one. :(

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

^ get the mgm release of how to get ahead in advertising. both the mgm and cc are oop, but the mgm is cheap :D

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

Yeah, I don't know why. I believe the discs are basically identical, with the exception of the packaging and menus -- both are anamorphic, both just have the trailer. I found my Criterion copy of How to Get Ahead in Advertising at a pawnshop for $3. It was awesome.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

If you've only seen his later work, you should definitely check out his early, Neo-Realist films like La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, Variety Lights, Il Bidone and I Vitelloni. They're much more accessible and straightforward than 8 1/2, Satyricon and the like. Stylistically, it's really like night and day.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

it's not so much being straightforward...i don't need a linear plot to enjoy a film...it's the surrealism that I get lost in and just can't deal with I guess. There's nothing defensive about it, I just think a lot of the so-called masterpieces are pretentious for pretentiousness' sake, deliberately obtuse to confuse the viewer...and i find that annoying. It's in that "well i don't understand any of this so it MUST be brilliant!!" category.

One example of a film i did enjoy immensely in that vein was That Obscure Object of Desire, so i'm not totally averse to Bunuel as i do think that he, unlike Godard, is actually doing and saying something meaningful most of the time, even if it gets a bit difficult to figure out what it is. Godard is just a hot mess imo...as is much of the French New Wave. it was all quite experimental...which is fine...but that doesn't make it good.

I do love the Italian neo-realism, so I intend to see some earlier fellini...i was so turned off by what I did see that i just never bothered. Believe me when I say i'm not averse to thinking during a movie, and in fact prefer it....but I also don't need to suffer through impenetrable gobbledygook about nothing for the sake of being about nothing as a statement on the vacuousness of humanity. It's quite possible to make statements, make us think, etc, AND be coherent, ya know?

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

as has been noted in this very thread numerous times, Criterion is particularly good at writing their little synopses for covers that make nearly everything sound like a masterpiece of epic importance to cinema - and they do it particularly well with the Japanese fare they are very much in love with.

and again, not that I don't like any of it...I do...I just think the output is a little to skewed towards Japanese film - though that probably has as much to do with what they can get the rights to in the U.S. as much as anything. I would prefer they stop hyping everything they can get the rights to as so dang important though.....sometimes a movie is just something that deserves to be in print and fans of the director/actor/genre etc will appreciate it. I do tire of their habit of trying to make every release so MONUMENTAL.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

Well, I for one am eternally grateful to Criterion for introducing me to Yasujiro Ozu who has since become one of my favorite directors of all time. I doubt I ever would have discovered him (or Teshigahara or Mizoguchi) without Criterion's support. I never knew I loved Japanese cinema so much....

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

I don't like Godard either. I remember watching La Chinoise and thinking how incredibly stupid and arrogant the students were in their ideas and what they had to say about Maoism. Later in the movie they actually contrast this stupidity which made me think that maybe the beginning wasn't 100% serious and the poor opinion of the students was actually the point. After seeing Breathless, The Little Soldier and his History of Cinema I'm leaning towards the opinion that his movies include a lot of glaring pseudo intellectual, poorly thought out and UNEDUCATED views on politics and society. While the characters in his movies can be charming, the movies are well designed and have a lot of energy I find the narrative infuriatingly grating.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

I've just started getting into Godard. So far, I've watched Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Contempt, A Woman is a Woman and Band of Outsiders. Of those, I really enjoyed Pierrot le Fou, Contempt and A Woman is a Woman. I thought Breathless and Band of Outsiders were just okay, even though those might be his most influential. Contempt had B.B, a good score and a real sense of melancholy, while Pierrot le Fou and A Woman is a Woman had eye-popping color and Anna Karina. I enjoyed the unpredictable genre-hopping of Pierrot and the whimsy of A Woman is a Woman. Next on my list are My Life to Live, Alphaville and Made in U.S.A. After reading some comments, I'm not expecting much from Made in U.S.A., but it does feature Karina and the plot seems to be influenced by The Big Sleep, one of my favorite noirs. I figure it's at least worth a watch.

I wonder if Criterion will ever put out Week End? Apparently, there was a poor quality DVD released that shortly went out of print.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

this has me thinking, we should have a 'Criterion' challenge ;)

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

WOW.....thats an awesome movie. I guess each person has different tastes.

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

Interesting...

Re: Disappointing Criterions
 

The Hidden Fortress. One of the Kurosawa films that needs a re-issue. Only extra is the featurette with modern day directors about it's influence. Maybe a trailer. We need an "It is Wonderful to Create" alongside it, in addition to whatever else they can get.