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Chiming in to say that I have now watched 12 of the Zatoichi movies. In order. I have been expecting some sort of decline but there isn't! In Zatoichi and the Chess Expert, Zatoichi was using his senses to earn money betting on dice. I was like "Aha! They are totally recycling this!" Zatoichi winning at will in dice is nothing new but then a bit more in the story and bam. He loses, doing the trick I felt was heavily recycled. (Sorry not a huge spoiler). This wasn't a huge deal but any recycling that I saw was just to set up later parts in the film. I feel the same still holds true from my previous post in that: These aren't going to be big budgeted and/or epic Kurosawa movies, their quality has not declined (subjective), and if anything, they start spreading out the releases so I assume certain aspects of quality will increase. One thing that has improved though is Shintaro Katsu's acting or at maybe it is just showcased more. He was great before but it is being refined and more nuanced. The good news is, is it is still the same character, watching later ones won't cancel out the earlier ones, but if anything I notice the smaller things about him more. There is a scene where he loses something and is searching around desperately. His attuned senses were helpless and he became a helpless blind man and you could see the agony for a second. My mind cried out "Noooooooo!" Impressive. The series has got a lot of pub recently but I had no idea of it until Criterion announced the release. It is a shame because these are gems.
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Dec 18, 2013 00:54
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New newsletter hints Ace in the Hole blu-ray. loving sweet.
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Dec 20, 2013 21:51
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Sheldrake posted:New newsletter hints Ace in the Hole blu-ray. loving sweet.
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Dec 20, 2013 22:13
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robix smash posted:It's maybe the most obvious one they've ever done. Yeah, when I actually get it when I see it without having to come here, you know you're getting a bit too on the nose.
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Dec 20, 2013 23:17
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Sheldrake posted:New newsletter hints Ace in the Hole blu-ray. loving sweet. I've almost bought the DVD the past few sales. Glad I've held off. I'll definitely snag the blu-ray.
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Dec 21, 2013 05:05
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Maybe the Ace is a red herring and they're really doing Caddyshack. We can only dream...
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Dec 21, 2013 08:31
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I really really liked Ace in the Hole the first time I saw it, but subsequent viewings soured me on it some. I can't recall exactly why right now though. I think it has some pacing problems maybe?
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Dec 21, 2013 08:55
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I've been away from the Criterion world for a little while. Has there been any news on an Eraserhead release?
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Dec 23, 2013 22:39
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I am crossposting from the Blu-Ray thread, this excellent post from Max22, just in case people missed itMax22 posted:Canadians! Cineplex is running an incredible deal for Boxing Week: This is a much, much better deal than the B&N sale for Canadians, although they don't seem to have many Criterions. I picked up Nashville + Eyes Without a Face.
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Dec 24, 2013 21:01
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Twin Cinema posted:I am crossposting from the Blu-Ray thread, this excellent post from Max22, just in case people missed it drat, I didn't even know they had a store like that. And I get points on my card too!
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Dec 24, 2013 22:04
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For Christmas I got a copy of the Zatoichi set (which I justified in ordering during the B&N sale by telling my wife to put it away for me), this is seriously a beautiful set. I didn't dig into any of it yet, but it's so nicely put together, it's just such a nice piece. Criterion really took it to the next level with this one.
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Dec 26, 2013 07:32
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zandert33 posted:For Christmas I got a copy of the Zatoichi set (which I justified in ordering during the B&N sale by telling my wife to put it away for me), this is seriously a beautiful set. I didn't dig into any of it yet, but it's so nicely put together, it's just such a nice piece. Criterion really took it to the next level with this one. Yeah, if anyone loves samurai/Japanese old set movies, it's really really hard to go wrong with the Zaotichi set. I grabbed it for $140 off Amazon, and it has (custom made?) artwork all over the box and the book that it comes with, and the book holding the dvds/blurays! It's really insane and pretty. Also, really looking forward to that Hidden Fortress too. Would anyone recommend picking up Ran/Kagamusha/Rashomon if I enjoyed Zatoichi? Going to try at least watch all of Zatoichi first before picking up another Criterion.
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Dec 29, 2013 13:22
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I would recommend Ran, Kagemusha, and Roshomon, but I don't know if they're really like Zatoichi, given that Zatoichi seems more like a fun samurai movie, and all three of those are really more like art-house movies or epics. So it might not be your cup of tea, but I'll give you some guidance in case you're interested. Ran is probably the easiest to recommend of the three. First off, the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. Kurosawa is a master of getting the right shots, and there are so many strong and powerful images throughout the film that just stay with you, like when the old king is walking outside of the burning fortress and he looks like a ghost. As a story, it's an interesting story about the collapse of a dynasty. An old king splits his kingdom up into three, and gives it to his sons. His youngest calls him an idiot for doing so because they will collapse, and so he gets banished. Of course, there's a power struggle between the other two sons and a civil war. The old king gets to see the collapse of his empire, and he also has to face the terrible things he has done when he was in charge. It's great. Kagemusha is sort of like a test-run for Ran. Kagemusha is about a criminal who is hired to be a double for the leader of a clan, in exchanged for not being crucified. One night, the leader is shot, and he tells his generals that if he dies, keep his death a secret for three years and stay put. Don't move on Kyoto. Well, he dies, and they keep his death a secret from everyone, including his double. Well, one night, the double decides to bust out and run off with some loot. He finds the dead body, and figures out the game. He decides to act as the double, and it becomes an interesting film about the nature of a man and about power. Where does leadership come from and what makes one fit to lead? It's a great film, and actually was supposed to feature the actor who played Zatoichi as the kagemusha. But he pissed off Kurosawa by bringing his own film crew on the set to capture him at work, and that was no more. Rashomon is probably the most difficult of three, and the most different. Where the other two are military epics, Rashomon is a smaller drama about the nature of the truth. We're given 4 or 5 different perspectives on a rape and a murder, and there is nothing consistent beyond those two facts. Different people are to blame in some scenarios, things that were heroic in one scenario are played out as cowardly in another. And in each telling, we are shown a different human failing. I like it, but it can be difficult to appreciate. Really, I would say Yojimbo or Sanjuro would be closer to the style of film Zatoichi is.
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Dec 29, 2013 15:32
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Rashomon is a fascinating film that, while I absolutely feel is worth viewing, is a little rough around the edges compared to Kurosawa's other films. Mifune's acting in particular is a little too over the top, even for him. Still love it though. Kagemusha is a little long in the tooth; you could edit out about 30 minutes without it affecting the story too heavily and the pacing would probably be so much better for it. Can't go wrong with Ran though. The only thing bad about it is that the transfer isn't that great (also, isn't a Criterion sadly).
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Dec 29, 2013 16:13
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Oh yeah I forgot Ran is a Studio Canal release. What are some good non-Japanese Criterions to buy? All the ones I have are Japanese, and if I add Yojimbo/Sanjuro, then yeah, even more. Might be nice to have some variety, and to see some other styles of filmmaking.
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Dec 29, 2013 16:33
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Nate RFB posted:Kagemusha is a little long in the tooth; you could edit out about 30 minutes without it affecting the story too heavily and the pacing would probably be so much better for it. Actually, there already is a version that edits about 30 minutes of the film. The version that Fox released internationally runs about 160 minutes. Here's a brief overview of some of the differences: There's an added screen of text (in Japanese... for the international release...) that goes over the historical context. There's a scene where some general we never see again in a snowy castle hears about the Shingen's death. There's a subplot involving Nobunaga sending one of the Jesuit doctors along with Shingen's father to check up on him to see if he's dead or alive that was cutout. A few scenes were reordered, and cuts were made to make sure that things made sense and weren't redundant. A few other scenes were just edited differently. In all honesty, Criterion should have included that cut, just because it is a different version. It's pretty clear that it wasn't just a hack job by some editor to get it down to an arbitrary length, but rather, just a different edit of the film. For non-Japanese Criterions, here's a few I like: Sweet Smell of Success is a really great story about completely detestable people that's just oozing great writing. 12 Angry Men and Anatomy of a Murder are brilliant films about court cases. Brazil is motherfucking Brazil, so you should totally watch it. Blow Out is a great thriller with a near perfect ending. And John Lithgow. What more do you need? Well, John Travolta. And I know technically it's Japanese, but since like 75% of it is in English and there's a lot of British actors, I think we can make an exception, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is also a film I love. It's about a Japanese prison camp in WWII. David Bowie plays a British soldier who's sent there and his homoerotic charm and rebellious nature causes order to collapse in the camp. It surprised me too, since you don't typically see the Japanese deal with that part of their history in a lot films. Like, they are portrayed in a brutal light. And it's loving David Bowie! As you can tell, I lean towards American and British films, so there's a lot of other stuff out there too.
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Dec 29, 2013 16:51
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Keep those recommendations coming. It's nice to explore a side of filmmaking that aren't trying to be summer blockbusters, or Oscar bait.
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Dec 30, 2013 00:36
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Gift cards are cool. Went ahead and splurged on a few Criterion blu rays. Come onnnnnnnnnn down AntiChrist, M and Videodrome. Haven't had a chance to watch any of them yet, but the Videodrome packaging alone is so worth it.
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Dec 30, 2013 03:16
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caiman posted:I've been away from the Criterion world for a little while. Has there been any news on an Eraserhead release? Yeah, I've also been wondering about this, since it is my favorite movie and they've had the license for years.
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Dec 30, 2013 06:33
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Ineffiable posted:Keep those recommendations coming. It's nice to explore a side of filmmaking that aren't trying to be summer blockbusters, or Oscar bait. Japanese samurai-related Criterions: Harakiri -- Impeccable storytelling the Samurai Trilogy -- Beautiful photography and duels Sword of Doom -- Super violent! Three Outlaw Samurai -- Quick pace and great style Rebel Samurai boxset -- 2 great films and 2 good ones Other: 8 1/2 -- The best movie about movies ever Chungking Express -- Sweet and a LOT of fun to watch Fanny and Alexander -- Epic inside look at family, through the eyes of a 10 year old boy Ikiru -- Understanding life through death Late Spring -- Very powerful without being grandiose The Night of the Hunter -- Stylish and haunting Red Beard -- What it means to be human. I cry every time I watch it Le Samourai -- Everything about it oozes cool La Strada -- Warning: You WILL fall in love with Giulietta Masina after watching this! Ugetsu -- Quite possibly the best ghost story ever made Z -- THE best political thriller ever made Those are just some of the titles I couldn't live without. Enjoy!
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Dec 31, 2013 01:14
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Cemetry Gator posted:I would recommend Ran, Kagemusha, and Roshomon, but I don't know if they're really like Zatoichi, given that Zatoichi seems more like a fun samurai movie, and all three of those are really more like art-house movies or epics. So it might not be your cup of tea, but I'll give you some guidance in case you're interested.
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Dec 31, 2013 02:00
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Looks like we're getting an M. Hulot boxset in the new year. Time for me to sell the M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle and Playtime.
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Jan 1, 2014 18:50
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Scanners, Picnic at Hanging Rock and the California Raisin movie!
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Jan 1, 2014 18:57
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When they tease stuff at the start of the year like that, do they for certain have those movies lined up to go? I've been waiting forever for a blu of Picnic at Hanging Rock.
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Jan 1, 2014 19:07
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Some people are saying that it means A Hard Day's Night will be a Criterion release, but apparently Miramax sold those rights to Lionsgate in 2010, so I'm less sure. Still, it hasn't seen a Blu-ray release in the US (only Canada and Mexico), and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the film, so there's a possibility that it may in fact be a Criterion release after all. But if that's a Hulot box set, consider me interested.
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Jan 1, 2014 20:05
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From peeking at other forums, here's what we're probably getting from those hints... Jacques Tati box set - clearly Mr. Hulot peeking out of the box Jacques Demy box set (The Umbrellas of Chernobog, Donkey Skin, Lola, and Bay of Angels) - the angels Scanners Picnic at Hanging Rock A Raisin in the Sun Red River Birdman of Alcatraz (convict with "11" on shirt) Tootsie (there are tootsie rolls on the blanket) Red Sun I'd like to think the four beetles mean A Hard Day's Night, but they would have to license from Lionsgate since it's part of the Miramax library. It just seems like something Lionsgate would do themselves, but they haven't exactly been enthusiastic about pre-1980s cinema. I would love to see Criterion release it, though. Egbert Souse fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Jan 1, 2014 |
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Jan 1, 2014 20:06
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Jazz on a Summer's Day?
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Jan 1, 2014 20:27
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What's with the deer in the bushes? Or the Samara-looking creature having a picnic? Are we getting more Japanese horror movies after the success of their release of Hausu?
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Jan 1, 2014 22:42
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I was wondering if they would ever do Red Sun, a movie with Alain Delon and Toshiro Mifune seems impossible for them to pass up. I saw part of it on TV once, it looked alright.
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Jan 2, 2014 01:06
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Edible Hat posted:What's with the deer in the bushes? Or the Samara-looking creature having a picnic? Are we getting more Japanese horror movies after the success of their release of Hausu? It might be The Straight Story, given what's being said elsewhere. Certainly makes sense since I can't see Disney being that interested and they already have some other Lynch films. Also, I'm going to go ahead and predict that 2014's Chaplins will be The Kid and Limelight. The Kid was already hinted before City Lights got a surprise release. Limelight is the last major sound film of his that hasn't been released yet. That would just leave a catch-all for his remaining First National films, A Woman of Paris, and A King in New York.
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Jan 2, 2014 05:57
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Egbert Souse posted:Birdman of Alcatraz (convict with "11" on shirt) Riot on Cell Block 11
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Jan 2, 2014 19:39
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A Criterion Straight Story would be wonderful. I have a question only tangentially related to thread's topic: why hasn't The Mother and the Whore ever been released on DVD? I managed to watch it through my means, but watching it on Blu-ray would be excellent. It seems to be up Criterion's alley. I understand Jean Eustache's son has been really protective of his father's movies, but the only information I have on its possible release on a better format than VHS is years-old.
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Jan 2, 2014 20:34
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FitFortDanga posted:Riot on Cell Block 11 It's part of the Republic library licensed to Olive Films, though. Birdman of Alcatraz is owned by MGM (United Artists library).
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Jan 2, 2014 20:37
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Jack Gladney posted:When they tease stuff at the start of the year like that, do they for certain have those movies lined up to go? I've been waiting forever for a blu of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Absolutely ready to go, like when they hinted at Y Tu Mama Tambien in 2010 and then it came out right away. edit: my mistake, they announced it as one of the eventual IFC titles on September 1, 2009 and then included it in the 2011 and 2012 clues edit2: wow, factchecking my own joke sure takes the humor out of it STEVIE B 4EVA fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Jan 3, 2014 |
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Jan 3, 2014 03:52
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Is there a chance that Criterion, or anyone else, will release Stalker on blu-ray?
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Jan 3, 2014 07:32
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Ego-bot posted:Is there a chance that Criterion, or anyone else, will release Stalker on blu-ray? God, I hope so.
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Jan 3, 2014 15:33
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Ego-bot posted:Is there a chance that Criterion, or anyone else, will release Stalker on blu-ray? I think it'd be more likely to be Kino seeing as they've already done The Sacrifice and Nostalghia and have the DVD rights. I really need to check out that Nostalghia bluray; the Sacrifice one was unreal.
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Jan 3, 2014 17:31
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I don't know if this is kosher to ask here, but anyone want to trade something for a (watched once) copy of Sanjuro? It's not the Yojimbo two-pack version, it's the individual film version. I just didn't care for it nearly as much as I expected to, and don't see myself going back to it. Edit: It's the DVD version and I am not looking for Blurays. Anonymous Robot fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Jan 5, 2014 |
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Jan 4, 2014 07:48
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Egbert Souse posted:The Umbrellas of Chernobog I really wanna see this version.
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Jan 4, 2014 18:47
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Anonymous Robot posted:I don't know if this is kosher to ask here, but anyone want to trade something for a (watched once) copy of Sanjuro? It's not the Yojimbo two-pack version, it's the individual film version. I just didn't care for it nearly as much as I expected to, and don't see myself going back to it. I'm pretty sure trading is A-OK here. I can't help you out as I already own Sanjuro and love it, but I too have a trade offer: I have two copies of Rashomon on BLU and am looking to unload one, still sealed. Anyone?
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Jan 5, 2014 01:59
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