I'm digging the PCM mono on The Third Man.Cacator posted:The Man Who Fell to Earth doesn't seem to come with the original novel like the old one did. I'll be picking up Chungking Express and The Last Emperor for sure, and I already have The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Third Man (sold the first edition, bought the reissue) but chances are I'll be buying these ones too Kino is releasing that as their first BluRay.
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Aug 16, 2008 00:06
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I Am Awful posted:Oh no, spine numbers. I would miss them if they stopped. Ah poo poo this just occurred to me, instead of displaying spine numbers they might have that wacky "b" logo.
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Aug 16, 2008 03:03
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I Am Awful posted:Oh no, spine numbers. I would miss them if they stopped. Me too, actually. That makes me feel incredibly nerdy.
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Aug 16, 2008 04:28
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I've been blindbuying Criterions like mad lately. We get in a lot of used DVDs where I work so we get first crack at them before they're priced and put out on the floor. So far I have M in my hands, along with Trafic, Sword of Doom and Eyes Without a Face in my hold box. Of them, I've only seen Sword of Doom, so hopefully these will be worth the money (although it isn't that much, I paid 10 bucks for M).
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Aug 16, 2008 06:07
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IndieRockLance posted:I've been blindbuying Criterions like mad lately. We get in a lot of used DVDs where I work so we get first crack at them before they're priced and put out on the floor. So far I have M in my hands, along with Trafic, Sword of Doom and Eyes Without a Face in my hold box. Of them, I've only seen Sword of Doom, so hopefully these will be worth the money (although it isn't that much, I paid 10 bucks for M). There are very few Criterions I wouldn't own if they were only 10 bucks.
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Aug 16, 2008 06:34
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Jack Does Jihad posted:There are very few Criterions I wouldn't own if they were only 10 bucks. There's an interesting topic: what are the worst films in the Criterion canon?
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Aug 16, 2008 07:20
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Magic Hate Ball posted:There's an interesting topic: what are the worst films in the Criterion canon? In my opinion: Jubilee Terminal Station Armageddon/The Rock The Bank Dick Fiend Without a Face The Tin Drum Coup de Grace The Night Porter Sweet Movie/W.R. The Children Are Watching Us A nos amours I can't in good conscience call these "bad" films, but I really dislike them: The Milky Way Amarcord Tout va bien Masculin Feminin The River The Lady Eve Gertrud Heaven Can Wait Samurai Spy Haven't seen it yet, but I've heard nothing but bad things about Border Radio. Also the Paul Robeson films are reportedly not that great.
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Aug 16, 2008 07:48
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Pfft, The Rock is awesome.
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Aug 16, 2008 07:51
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FitFortDanga posted:Amarcord Agreed. I'd also nominate The 400 Blows but I doubt I will find anyone agreeing with me in this thread. Nanook of the North is kinda dull, really staged, and borderline offensive, so I'm glad someone restored it but I don't think it's a very good film. Rounding out my list: Chasing Amy Slacker Sans Soleil (but I loved La Jetée so this one doesn't count if we're counting by release)
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Aug 16, 2008 08:23
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STEVIE B 4EVA posted:Agreed. I'd also nominate The 400 Blows but I doubt I will find anyone agreeing with me in this thread. Certainly not me. STEVIE B 4EVA posted:Nanook of the North is kinda dull, really staged, and borderline offensive, so I'm glad someone restored it but I don't think it's a very good film. It's charming, though! STEVIE B 4EVA posted:Rounding out my list: I almost put those first two on my list too, but I didn't quite feel strongly enough about either one. I also have problems with Sans Soleil, but it's far from "worst of Criterion" to me.
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Aug 16, 2008 08:35
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FitFortDanga posted:I can't in good conscience call these "bad" films, but I really dislike them: What don't you like about Amarcord? I think it's pretty charming. The only sequence I don't care for is the Uncle Tito bit, but everything else is pretty much magical (especially the giant boat scene).
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Aug 16, 2008 08:42
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The Milky Way I can't really see being liked by non-Catholics or basically anyone not familiar with Catholic dogma or theology. I liked it, thought it was interesting, but definitely not a beginner Bunuel and it's not so outwardly entertaining. Similar with Sans Soleil, La Jetee is unforgettable but I think you have to be in the right mood for Sans Soleil.
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Aug 16, 2008 08:57
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Magic Hate Ball posted:There's an interesting topic: what are the worst films in the Criterion canon? I haven't seen enough to specify more than a few which ones I outright hate, but some of them have absolutely awful transfers: Branded to Kill The Scarlet Empress Life of Brian Aside from weird color timing, it's mostly early Criterions that have poo poo transfer. There are some more but I can't think of them. I think there's one that is interlaced? STEVIE B 4EVA posted:Agreed. I'd also nominate The 400 Blows but I doubt I will find anyone agreeing with me in this thread. Nanook of the North is kinda dull, really staged, and borderline offensive, so I'm glad someone restored it but I don't think it's a very good film. This is kind of how I feel. It comes down to personal taste. I've hated all of the Godard I've seen, and The 400 Blows didn't do much for me, but I know there are people who adore that stuff and I'm glad they have it in the catalog. Most Criterions I don't like have something interesting in them, whether it's a special feature or an aspect of the film I never noticed. It's rare that I walk away with nothing. I think most people can agree that The Lovers is a loving waste of time though. I also can't imagine anyone seriously liking Koko: A Talking Gorilla. I guess hardcore Koko buffs or people that really dig documentaries like it. Such a small niche. Jack Does Jihad fucked around with this message at 09:30 on Aug 16, 2008 |
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Aug 16, 2008 09:26
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FitFortDanga posted:Jubilee I'll agree with these, but I do love W.R. for some reason. To contribute: Cleo from 5 to 7 was unforgivably boring, I Know Where I'm Going! is one of the stupidest films I've seen, Criterion or otherwise, Viridiana is the only Bunuel I hate, Under the Volcano is completely obtuse beyond enjoyment, and Fat Girl is ugly dumb poo poo. I'll also jump on board with the 400 Blows and Scarlet Empress indifference. On the other hand, I've almost seen half of the collection so far, and that I only loathe about a dozen of them doesn't discourage me that much.
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Aug 16, 2008 16:51
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I Am Awful posted:Viridiana is the only Bunuel I hate Explain yourself. Now.
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Aug 16, 2008 19:00
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CrashMan posted:Explain yourself. Now. Compared to all of the other Bunuel's I've seen, it requires no deeper thought or interpretation. The metaphor and message is heavy handed and belabored. I didn't buy the characters, which is disappointing since Bunuel usually does a great job of turning caricatures into believable people. It also felt glacially slow, and unfunny for the most part. Exterminating Angel, Obscure Object, Discreet Charm, Diary of a Chambermaid... all great movies that I enjoyed a lot. Viridiana just left me feeling pissy. Sheldrake fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Aug 16, 2008 |
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Aug 16, 2008 19:52
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Jack Does Jihad posted:I've hated all of the Godard I've seen, and The 400 Blows didn't do much for me 400 Blows is by Truffaut, not Godard. (Not intended to be a dick correction or anything) I'm also in the camp that likes it; I still need to check out the rest of the series, though. FitFortDanga, I am Awful posted:Tin Drum I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I also read the book beforehand. Just curious, what did you dislike about the film?
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Aug 16, 2008 20:12
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morestuff posted:400 Blows is by Truffaut, not Godard. (Not intended to be a dick correction or anything) I'm also in the camp that likes it; I still need to check out the rest of the series, though. Yeah I know. I mentioned it because the guy I quoted said he didn't like 400 Blows either. I'm well aware that Truffaut made it. Prolly should've clarified that sentence or something. I Am Awful posted:Exterminating Angel, Obscure Object, Discreet Charm, Diary of a Chambermaid... all great movies that I enjoyed a lot. Viridiana just left me feeling pissy. For some I find myself enjoying his 60's films way more than his 70's. I still need to see Tristana though.
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Aug 16, 2008 20:32
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FitFortDanga posted:No... it features acts that are still shocking by today's standards, but they're so poorly executed that it's too fake to take very seriously. Is Salo even worth watching then? After reading the summary, it seems like the whole film is just act after act of debauchery.
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Aug 16, 2008 20:35
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Tout Va Bien is the only Criterion that I've regretted blindbuying 
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Aug 16, 2008 21:09
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Magic Hate Ball posted:What don't you like about Amarcord? I think it's pretty charming. The only sequence I don't care for is the Uncle Tito bit, but everything else is pretty much magical (especially the giant boat scene). I will just quote my review from 2003: Lusty teenagers trying to score. An elderly man boasts of his sexual prowess. Exaggerated (one might say "bad") acting. Big close-ups of breasts and bottoms. Obscene gestures. Urination jokes. Masturbation jokes. Fart jokes. Is it the latest installment in the Porky's series? No, it's just dumb ol' Amarcord. Fellini presents a series of anecdotes that are neither amusing nor charming, nor particularly interesting. A scene of the young boys dancing, in the fog with imaginary partners while basking in the former glory of a grand hotel, is not only cloyingly trite (and seems somewhat out of character) but it also comes off like a clumsy, desperate grab at the viewer's heartstrings. Fellini limps from one tale to the next, employing an assortment of stylistic touches along the way. Characters who speak to the camera, "puffballs", weather as metaphor, the episodic nature of the narrative, mysterious appearances of animals, a dwarf nun and a blind accordianist. Collectively, it all appears to be a random meaningless mishmash of non-sequiturs. There were some nice shots, good compositions, and I found the more direct commentaries on fascism a bit intriguing (and the only laughs in the film). But the rest of it was just... stupid. Cacator posted:The Milky Way I can't really see being liked by non-Catholics or basically anyone not familiar with Catholic dogma or theology. Yeah, a Catholic background seems to be a prerequisite. Like I said, I can't call it a bad film, but I had absolutely no interest in what was going on or whatever people were talking about. Jack Does Jihad posted:I also can't imagine anyone seriously liking Koko: A Talking Gorilla. I guess hardcore Koko buffs or people that really dig documentaries like it. Such a small niche. I was entertained by how little I was convinced... in most cases, it seemed like Koko was simply performing rote memorized responses to pre-determined stimuli. And usually the trainer would have to do something MANY times before she got the response she was looking for. I Am Awful posted:To contribute: Cleo from 5 to 7 was unforgivably boring, I Know Where I'm Going! is one of the stupidest films I've seen, Criterion or otherwise, Viridiana is the only Bunuel I hate, Under the Volcano is completely obtuse beyond enjoyment, and Fat Girl is ugly dumb poo poo. Cleo - I didn't think it was boring, and I liked the style and real-time narrative. I just didn't give a poo poo about the title character. IKWIG! - Stupidest, how come? It's very conventional, but I find Wendy Hiller to be a really compelling actress. Viridiana - So you rate this below Chambermaid? That's pretty weird, but to each his own. It's one of my favorites. Under the Volcano - Alcoholism is a boring theme. Fat Girl - I seem to be in a very small minority, but I liked it. morestuff posted:I enjoyed [The Tin Drum] quite a bit, but I also read the book beforehand. Just curious, what did you dislike about the film? I was just utterly detached from it, no involvement whatsoever. I guess this falls more under the "not a bad film, but I didn't like it" category. Coup de Grace, however, is way loving boring. BrandoButter posted:Is Salo even worth watching then? After reading the summary, it seems like the whole film is just act after act of debauchery. See it so you can say you've seen it, if for no other reason.
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Aug 16, 2008 21:10
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FitFortDanga posted:Under the Volcano - Alcoholism is a boring theme. If I liked this book will I like the movie? Or is that not a fair question?
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Aug 16, 2008 21:37
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morestuff posted:I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I also read the book beforehand. Just curious, what did you dislike about the film? It was mostly the shrillness of the main character character. I do find it kind of alarming that the older I get, the less sympathetic I get towards bratty children characters (I remember I caught myself rooting for Captain Hook during the '03 Peter Pan), but, truthfully, this kid just made me want to throw him against the wall. Fit Fort Danga posted:Cleo - I didn't think it was boring, and I liked the style and real-time narrative. I just didn't give a poo poo about the title character. I'll agree the idea behind Cleo was fine, but I just didn't like the character and resented spending my time have to watch her. And I know my opinion of Viridiana is in the minority, but I was honestly shocked by how much I disliked it. I Know Where I'm Going! annoyed me twofold; first, it has the completely selfish main character who is petty and thoroughly self absorbed, but not in a charming or interesting way. I was unable to relate to her dogged determination, in the slightest. As such, the Naval Officer's affections rang false for me, as he seemed a genuinely nice guy, but insisted on being nice and sweet to a person who constantly belittled him past the point of any reasonable person. Hell, don't get me wrong, this formula has worked before in comedy, but my second problem with the movie is that it's not funny or charming when it's so painfully trying to be. It has a vast array of Scottish characters pop up on screen, proudly declare they're Scottish and charming, do a little jig, and then wander off. A lot of this felt like nationalistic flag waving, and it did nothing for me. I couldn't take it. If I had to compare it to another movie, I'd have to say Guy Ritchie's Swept Away seems like a spiritual cousin; pigheaded woman worn down by a charming man in a movie that's well enough made, but repulsive and mind boggling on several other levels at the same time. Mike_V posted:Tout Va Bien is the only Criterion that I've regretted blindbuying Dammit, I was about to blind buy that one myself. 
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Aug 16, 2008 22:52
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FitFortDanga posted:
Old Japanese films are really my thing, and I have to say that Samurai Spy is one of the worst I've ever seen. There are so many other great 60s Samurai films that haven't been released yet (Tenchu for example) and Samurai Spy is one of the ones they chose? I wish they would have just held off on the whole set and released them under Eclipse, they bare-bones anyways.
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Aug 17, 2008 01:11
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The Bank Dick is a great comedy, but W.C. Fields is not for everyone. If Fields is not your thing because of his unlikable character, see The Man on the Flying Trapeze. Actually a terrific display of pathos on Fields' part, with some explanation on why he's so henpecked. No idea why The Bank Dick was even a Criterion, considering it was bare bones. You'd think it would have ended up with Image at the time.
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Aug 17, 2008 03:53
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IndieRockLance posted:I've been blindbuying Criterions like mad lately. We get in a lot of used DVDs where I work so we get first crack at them before they're priced and put out on the floor. So far I have M in my hands, along with Trafic, Sword of Doom and Eyes Without a Face in my hold box. Of them, I've only seen Sword of Doom, so hopefully these will be worth the money (although it isn't that much, I paid 10 bucks for M). Eyes Without a Face is creepy and awesome. Well worth the $10. And what is with the Virdiana and 400 Blows hate? The sequels to 400 are what suck. I borrowed that box set from a library; Jean-Pierre Léaud was a charming actor as a kid but he acted the same exact way when he got older. So I guess I would say that the Doinel Box set sucks.
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Aug 17, 2008 06:02
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RaydaArab posted:And what is with the Virdiana and 400 Blows hate? The sequels to 400 are what suck. I borrowed that box set from a library; Jean-Pierre Léaud was a charming actor as a kid but he acted the same exact way when he got older. So I guess I would say that the Doinel Box set sucks. I actually like Léaud in everything else I've seen him in. I just didn't really care about his character in The 400 Blows.
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Aug 17, 2008 06:31
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RaydaArab posted:Jean-Pierre Léaud was a charming actor as a kid but he acted the same exact way when he got older. So I guess I would say that the Doinel Box set sucks. Well, this is just wrong. People need to quit posting things that are wrong. 
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Aug 17, 2008 07:01
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Out of the ones I've seen, the worst by far is Sweet Movie. There's just not a whole lot interesting about it, and all I can remember from when I watched it are the "shocking" scenes (big gold urinating penis). There are a whole lot of movies in the collection that I think are pretty boring, but they're generally more forgettable than actually bad, like Kicking and Screaming and most of Rohmer's Moral Tales.
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Aug 17, 2008 11:28
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Probably the weakest Criterion I've watched was My Life as a Dog. It's not terrible or anything, it's just a completely by-the-numbers depressing european film about childhood. There's nothing it does that Bergman and several others have done much better. And speaking of bad transfers, I just watched Richard III (I've been on a Shakespeare kick lately) and in a lot of spots it looks absolutely horrible, like it was restored from Super 8. Henry V and Hamlet both looked pretty great, so I don't know why this one turned out so badly.
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Aug 17, 2008 19:03
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FitFortDanga posted:Well, this is just wrong. People need to quit posting things that are wrong. Sounds like somebody in this thread has never seen Irma Vep. Leaud is fantastic, but I admittedly skipped out on watching the other films in the Truffaut box. My least favorite Criterion so far is possibly Amarcord, although it's the only Fellini I've seen so there might be a few more joining it soon! I didn't really hate Amarcord, just found it very blah aside from the pretty colors. I think it would be much harder to pick out my ten favorite Criterions, there are at least 40 that I have liked enough to consider for the spots.
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Aug 17, 2008 19:12
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Horseface posted:Probably the weakest Criterion I've watched was My Life as a Dog. It's not terrible or anything, it's just a completely by-the-numbers depressing european film about childhood. There's nothing it does that Bergman and several others have done much better. Some scenes had to be patched in from 35mm prints because the negative was cut down for general release. From the parts of the DVD I skimmed over at a library, it looks fantastic - as it was shot in VistaVision. But I did notice a bit or two with bad quality.
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Aug 17, 2008 19:41
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Mike_V posted:Tout Va Bien is the only Criterion that I've regretted blindbuying The Dziga Vertov Group stuff is definitely a minority taste, but who can resist Godard channeling Frank Tashlin in a radical leftist film?
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Aug 17, 2008 23:12
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Crandle posted:The Dziga Vertov Group stuff is definitely a minority taste, but who can resist Godard channeling Frank Tashlin in a radical leftist film? Don't get me wrong, the film was beautiful. The first third of the film was generally enjoyable. However, it got painfully didactic and preachy as it went on. I think it's worth watching once, just not buying.
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Aug 18, 2008 00:33
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RaydaArab posted:Eyes Without a Face is creepy and awesome. Well worth the $10. That's good to hear. I bought it based on the blurb on the back since I thought it sounded cool. And 10 bucks ain't bad for that. Hell, 17 for Trafic isn't bad either. Although I have to say I enjoyed Antoine & Collette, but mainly because I identified so heavily with Antoine in that movie.
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Aug 18, 2008 01:52
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I've seen comparably few Criterions, but my least favorite is by far Au Hasard Balthazar. I recognize why it's considered meaningful, but I just despise it.I Am Awful posted:Compared to all of the other Bunuel's I've seen, it requires no deeper thought or interpretation. The metaphor and message is heavy handed and belabored. I didn't buy the characters, which is disappointing since Bunuel usually does a great job of turning caricatures into believable people. It also felt glacially slow, and unfunny for the most part. I won't say Viridiana doesn't contain layers of meaning beneath its surface, but what is stated and immediately obvious needs to be heavy-handed in order to combat the domineering force (the church) that it is hoping to discredit. If Bunuel had hidden any more pejoratives behind metaphor, Viridiana would have been far less effective.
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Aug 18, 2008 02:58
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The worst part about The Rock on criterion was not that it merely exists. I happen to enjoy it quite a lot. The problem is that the disc itself was pretty much bare bones as far as extras go and the transfer was sub par.
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Aug 19, 2008 07:39
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The fact that people in this thread are hating on Au Hasard Balthazar and Viridiana is depressing . In other news, all of my orders finally shipped yesterday, so thats exciting. It looks like they'll arrive just in time for my birthday, which is cool. And for those on the fence between a PS3 and a standalone Blu-ray player... Criterion use a PS3.
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Aug 19, 2008 08:42
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soggybagel posted:The worst part about The Rock on criterion was not that it merely exists. I happen to enjoy it quite a lot. The problem is that the disc itself was pretty much bare bones as far as extras go and the transfer was sub par. I'd rate the video transfer as pretty good, particularly for a 2001 release: http://whiggles.landofwhimsy.com/writings/dvdimage-rock.html http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare10/the_rock_.htm There's plenty of actual "sub par" Criterion transfers, starting with all the 4:3 LB ones.
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Aug 19, 2008 12:18
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zandert33 posted:Old Japanese films are really my thing, and I have to say that Samurai Spy is one of the worst I've ever seen. There are so many other great 60s Samurai films that haven't been released yet (Tenchu for example) and Samurai Spy is one of the ones they chose? I wish they would have just held off on the whole set and released them under Eclipse, they bare-bones anyways. There's no reason why the Rebel Samurai set should not have been Eclipse. I wish they'd hurry up and put out a samurai Eclipse set - I'd really like to see it. And sometimes I think I'm the only person who liked Samurai Spy.
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Aug 19, 2008 20:36
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