Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

That's mostly what my Criterion viewing has been as well for the same reason.

For my goals. I've been enjoying myself so far, so yeah I've reached my goal. And newly discovered gems, I would say my favorite movie so far has been The Jungle Book, just because of the animals. I loved Scanners as well.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Ha!

RENE AUBERJONOIS is (really, really briefly) in (the movie within the final minutes of) THE PLAYER, too!

What an odd, clever, cliched, satirical, cameo-studded Hollywood film.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I watched Written on the Wind tonight. Robert Stack and Rock Hudson and Lauren McCall all star in it. For all that it's only an hour and a half long, it sure took a while to get to the point. I was also a bit confused by the summary given by Criterion, "Bathed in lurid Technicolor, melodrama maestro Douglas Sirk’s Written on the Wind is the stylishly debauched tale of a Texas oil magnate brought down by the excesses of his spoiled offspring. Features an all-star quartet that includes Robert Stack as a pistol-packin’ alcoholic playboy; Lauren Bacall as his long-suffering wife; Rock Hudson as his earthy best friend; and Dorothy Malone (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance) as his nymphomaniac sister."

The oil magnate doesn't show up until about 27 minutes into the film and the sister not until 35 minutes. The oil magnate is only in the film for maybe a half hour or so. Totally had the impression it would be about him, but he's more of an after thought.

I did get more into the movie, especially the last 30 minutes or so. That's when the plot picked up and started to become interesting.

I don't think I'd watch this one again, but it was alright, not a total dud.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Going through the gallery on the Written on the Wind. Some interesting facts about Douglas Sirk, the director. Mini biography/filmography interspersed with stills. Does anyone else hate flipping through galleries, especially long ones? Some interesting information is buried in here, but it takes forever for the player to access the next still. Hit the button, wait. Hit the button, wait. Wish they had put it in some sort of auto play format...

It is interesting and that's about the only thing getting me through this.

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That is the most verbose summary of Dallas I've ever read.

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Dallas stole the plot summary from Written on the Wind.

Watched Gimme Shelter tonight. Saw it before, so I watched with commentary. A few interesting bits. I wasn't a huge fan of the original documentary but then again, I'm not a huge Rolling Stones fan. It's amazing that they happened to be filming the band when the incident happened, though; it's hard to imagine that the final film without that happening would have been this long lasting.

I decided to start The Royal Tenenbaums. I am liking it more than Life Aquatic but not more than Moonrise Kingdom. I do like the music Anderson chose!

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Just finish The Royal Tenenbaums. I really enjoyed the second half of it. I had to laugh at myself-my previous post I typed that I wasn't a huge Rolling Stones fan but I was enjoying the music of Tenenbaums. Yeah, they have at least one or two songs in the film. They do fit in well with the 70s theme, though! I would definitely watch this again. Still think Moonrise Kingdom is a bit better, but this is a close second.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

For me, Gimme Shelter was more interesting as an idea than as an actual film. However, the Criterion disc presentation included so many elaborating supplements, from the commentary to omitted footage, analyses, etc., that I found the Criterion disc more compelling than the film proper alone. It's probably the one instance I can think of where, after watching/listening to/reading all the supplements, I've become so convinced of their collective value that I strongly encourage viewers to go through all of that content before settling on a verdict on the film itself.

Which brings me to ask the group, and it's especially topical for this particular challenge, whether you've found yourself affected enough by disc supplements that you link them with the film? That is to say, whenever you discuss the film, your thoughts incorporate the supplements? Perhaps it's something where the supplements "unlocked" the movie for you? Or perhaps you just found the supplements fascinating in themselves?

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

While technically not the Criterion version, I know the first time I listened to the audio commentary on Gojira, I was surprised by how much Ishiro Honda had intended the movie not so much as a monster movie, but more as an anti nuclear allegory. Listened to it last night, just didn't number it, and it still moves me today.

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Well I'm glad you like it! Those films kind of stick with me and I like them more over time, too. No one has mentioned Bottle Rocket yet either. That was Wes' first and I remember enjoying it too, but it was quite a while ago that I last watched it.

Funny you ask that in the context of Gimme Shelter because I felt that way about A Hard Day's Night. The interviews, etc. were fascinating and revealed a lot about the Beatles and what they were going through at the time of that movie filming. Also the hype around the movie was interesting too. It almost made the movie seem more like a documentary. I'm really glad I spent the time with the supplements for sure.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

The most compelling criterion i watched is the Roberto Rosselini War Trilogy - Rome Open City, Paisan, Germany Year Zero.

these three films produced during and after WWII really put you in the day to day life of a german occupied city during and after the war. Germany Year Zero gives you a context for the aftermath of the war day to day in Germany. These films captured a point in time that only a documentary could replicate equally. Haven'f finished the supplements yet.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm not a huge supplement person. Trailers and still galleries aren't something that are exciting for me. Commentaries are so hit and miss. For every good one there are 15 dull or boring ones. I mean, we've all probably listened to someone drone on and on and on...

Interviews can be interesting but can lean a little more towards being nothing but a glowing ad for the movie. If I'm sitting through an interview, I want to learn something about how the movie was made or a behind the scenes tidbit, not that they loved working with the director because he's the greatest!

Featurettes are the same way. So, I tend to skip the features unless the description really catches my eye or someone has recommended them to me. I know Criterion has made an effort to really make them in-depth and tried to fill a disc with features, interviews and the like. And as someone who loves history, that's what I want to see...yet, I still need an interest to be really excited about what else is on the disc and to sit down and watch whatever else is there past the film.

So...I guess in a long winded way, I mean to say that I appreciate having the features available if I really like the movie and as long as whoever put them together made them worthwhile and interesting!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Over the last few days, I've finally watched all of the 12 Angry Men supplements. Though a commentary track isn't among them, which is disappointing, the rest of the content is interesting enough that I don't feel cheated like I did when I first read the menu. Some of the material is specifically about the 1957 film; how it and Marty (which preceded it) were among the first TV leaps of any story from TV to the big screen; how United Artists dropped the ball with promoting it and it only barely made back its even-then small budget of $400k by performing well outside the U.S.

Other content explores the original TV version, an episode of The Alcoa Hour; the episode itself is presented in its entirety. Ron Simon does a terrific job outlining the similarities and differences between the two versions. I caught most of what he talked about just from viewing it myself, but I couldn't have guessed why this one was that way and that one was this way.

Much of the supplements, though, are less about the film and more about three of its principal crew: director Sidney Lumet, writer Reginald Rose, and cinematographer Boris Kaufman. In recent years particularly, I've found myself increasingly interested in being able to see where a movie fits into the filmography of those who helped shape it. Despite the auteur theory granting sole creative vision and credit to the almighty director, the truth is that film is a collaborative medium. For instance, in interview footage, Sidney Lumet claims credit for bringing his TV background to making selections about how to film, from composition to lenses. Cinematographer John Bailey, though, rejects that by pointing to Kaufman's previous works and technical understanding of which kinds of lenses created specific kinds of shots. I couldn't recognize one kind of lens from another, but I'm willing to take a professional cinematographer at his word that he can.

All in all, I'm highly thrilled by the Criterion presentation of one of my all-time favorites. I learned new things. I saw some new things. I'm glad I splurged and treated myself to this Blu-ray awhile back!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

The name of the film is Hitchcock/Truffaut. It covers the famous 1962 interview François Truffaut conducted with Hitch and the resulting 1966 book that is canon in the world of film & media studies. I wanted to see this so bad that I originally watched a French copy I got off Amazon. It's definitely worth multiple watches.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I got another Criterion in last night. The Manchurian Candidate. I was going through some piles and found this little guy still shrink wrapped.

I skipped all the supplementals because they were just interviews. I would have liked to have had some sort of documentary behind the science of it.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I just finished The Blob. Going in, I wasn't thinking it was going to be great, just another B-movie. Those can be hit or miss for me; I either love them or hate them. I loved this one. What really sold me on it was the ending scene between Steve and Jane and her little brother in the diner. I think that scene alone is what gave it such long staying power and Criterion worthy. Even the effects weren't that bad. The acting was done quite seriously, too, which helped.

Not scary at all, but it didn't need to be. I would recommend, especially towards the end of the month if you haven't watched it before and want something horror themed.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Ok, remember how I hate galleries? I decided to sit through The Blob's as I wanted to see the picture of the prop of the actual blob. Flipping through and I see one of the main reasons galleries suck. First page, "Italian poster". Next page, the poster. 3rd page, just the words, "French Poster", next page, the poster. The poster pages have at least 1/2 of the screen free. Why not just put the subtitle on the same page? Nope, we have to flip through at least 10 pages of 2 word titles on them. Grr!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I think Something Weird Video does the best galleries because they're super crazy long, I want to say I've watched one that was 45 minutes, but they have related radio ads/trailers going with it.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I thought I was watching Mulholland Dr. for the first time last night. But as it played I recognized enough scenes to realize I probably have seen it before. But I think it'll take more viewings to understand it. I think I liked it, but the last quarter or so was just crazy.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I had the exact same feeling when I watched it earlier this year!

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Leslie Howard as Sir Percy/Pimpernel does an excellent hero/disguise transformations in terms of body language and mannerisms. Merle Oberon as Lady Blakeney is vocally off, and in her occasional attempts at being French (hand waving during painting) rather comical. But her dawning realisation of her husband's dual role is great, while she also perfectly captures both the loneliness of the exile and the conflict between love and hate when Sir P becomes distant. For that, the script, Chauvelin and the Prince, the 1935 Pimpernel is one of the best adaptations to my mind.

The Return suffers considerably from losing Howard, but (as I know I've said at least once before) has one of the best exchanges I can remember on film. It only ranks because of context, but I'll quote it anyway:

Sir P, having dispatched the other guard: "Well Done, O'Brien."
Remaining guard: "Good Luck, Percy."

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Had my first ever screwed up blu-ray yesterday. The Criterion BD of The Lady Vanishes froze up on me about 3/4 of the way through. Tried it in three different players. Luckily, I was able to finish the fine film via YouTube, but hopefully Criterion will replace my disc.

Wasn't there some big hullabaloo with then and disc rot or something awhile back?

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Pierre Etaix's Le Grand Amour has definitely risen to the top dozen of my favourite CC films, probably top five. Fantastic. Funny, surreal, clever, witty... yet realistic.

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I hope disc rot is not the case! I just got recently during the last B&N Criterion sale.

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I'm making my way through Diablo Cody's Top 10 list. Down to one, Grey Gardens, which I have watched before. Just have to pick it up at the library on Monday. Watched Do the Right Thing and Dazed and Confused from it yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised by Dazed as I have seen it once before but wasn't that impressed by it. This time around I enjoyed it a lot more than I remember.