I've always wanted to get into Criterion. I haven't watched most of the films they release. What are some good BD titles to get into it? A good mix of a good movie plus varied and interesting extras? Also have never sat through a DVD commentary so any releases with particularly good commentaries?

Thanks!

I can only comment on titles I own, but probably my three favorites are THE WAR ROOM, BLOW OUT, and VIDEODROME, the last of which features a pair of commentaries, although I confess I haven't gotten around to listening to either yet.

Most Criterion titles come with a nice selection of extras, although commentary tracks are a little more rare (as they are with other studios as well).

THE THIRD MAN is a great Criterion if you can find it...sadly, it's out of print.

Really depends what type of movies you like. Criterion has released plenty of more well-known titles (recent and classic) on Blu-ray like Dazed and Confused, Benjamin Button, Blow Out, Paths of Glory, Godzilla, 12 Angry Men, Anatomy of a Murder, Being John Malkovich, On the Waterfront, Thief, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Traffic and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as multiple films by Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam and Alfred Hitchcock. Of course, that shouldn't stop you from digging into lesser-known titles too, but any of those would be a good place to start.

As for the bonus features, etc...well, just check out the review database (shameless plug). Just FYI, though, Criterion commentaries tend to be a little drier and are often cut together from multiple interviews. Depending on the material, they can either be educational, entertaining and/or boring as hell.

And, of course, since we both mentioned Blow Out, that wouldn't be a bad starting point (especially if you like Travolta).

Brazil gets my vote for best Criterion release.

Brazil is my favorite movie, and has by far the most fascinating extras, including a completely different cut of the film, a compelling documentary on the Battle For Brazil, and a Terry Gilliam commentary track. I think it sets a gold standard.

But my favorite Criterion release is still Seven Samurai. That Michael Jeck commentary alone is just really freakin' great.

This--there's a wide variety of Criterion titles.

Thanks to Criterion I got into Kurosawa's films. I started with Seven Samurai and then moved on to Yojimbo/Sanjuro, Ran, High and Low, and Rashomon.

I love them all to certain degrees and I still have plenty of Kurosawa films to see but I'm slowly checking them off one by one. I've just taken to blind buying them whenever I get a chance.

This films got it all: Pimps,Pros, Brothel?..check. Bank Robbery and then chase?..check. Hot Sex Scenes?...check. Beautiful European Countryside sceneries?.. check. Woodcutting?...check.

I don't know which title this is lol

Don't automatically assume that everything Criterion releases is gold.

Well, here's a list of my favorite movies (don't judge, I'm artistically shallow ):

- The Matrix
- The Butterfly Effect
- Dead Poets Society
- Fiddler On The Roof
- School Ties
- Rocky IV
- Under The Tuscan Sun
- Speed Racer
- The Master
- The Forbidden Kingdom
- Man of Kung Fu

i would get the upcoming Fantastic Mr. Fox. this is a Wes Anderson release and they do it up well. check out the review here: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/62711/fantastic-mr-fox/

sounds fantastic and can't wait to get it again.

based on these it seems you like some more main stream movies? i would stick with the easier to handle Criterions (that is what i generally lean towards myself):

Blow Out
Videodrome (though it is on the bizarre side, but good performance, as always, by James Woods)
Thief
maybe Slacker
Rosemary's Baby
Repo Man
The Game
Broadcast News
Shallow Grave

of course for some of the classics i love:

On the Waterfront
The Third Man

if you like Wes Anderson, you might enjoy:

The Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
The Last Days of Disco (though not Anderson)
Frances Ha (though not Anderson)

since you like The Master, check out:

Malick's The Thin Red Line

and i just love:

Ang Lee's The Ice Storm

If you look closely it says "The Game" written in thin stick letters. I own it and it has a beautiful audio/video presentation (near reference quality video). I haven't looked at the special features for it yet though so I can't comment on them.

I picked this up during a 50 percent off sale, but it's still in shrink wrap...maybe it's time to check it out.

BTW, the Criterion website is a great way of browsing what movies you might find interesting...each one has a video clip, plus lists all the features of the disc and additional info/comments.

The problem is that too many sound interesting I've seen quite a bit of highdefdigest reviews in the past few days.

I LOVE The Game. Seems a bit sparse in extras, though. One of my favorite movies also.

'best' is so subjection but here's some of my faves:

Brazil
Films of David Lean (box set)
The Qatsi Trilogy
Quadrophenia
Trilogy of Life
Rules of the Game

In what world is Videodrome an "easier to handle" Criterion title?

Don't get me wrong, Videodrome is one of my favorite movies. But it's fucked up.

Deb, do you have Hulu? They have an excellent selection of Criterion titles. No extras, but you can at least view before buying.

I do have Hulu Plus Which should be my first one?

Salo

...

Salo is on Hulu Plus??? I've been wanting to watch it for years!!!

You got me all excited for nothing


Hey $30 at Amazon and 1.5 hours of extras, I think I just found my first one Thanks!

I don't know the exact list, but there's lots of good stuff on Hulu Plus under the Criterion label, including some titles that they haven't released on home video yet.