THE CRITERION COLLECTION Discussion Thread

BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
ABOUT CRITERION from the Criterion website so you get an idea what it is all about!

Our Mission:
Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. Over the years, as we moved from laserdisc to DVD, Blu-ray disc, and online streaming, we’ve seen a lot of things change, but one thing has remained constant: our commitment to publishing the defining moments of cinema for a wider and wider audience. The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Renoir, Godard, Kurosawa, Cocteau, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Fuller, Lean, Kubrick, Lang, Sturges, Dreyer, Eisenstein, Ozu, Sirk, Buñuel, Powell and Pressburger. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. Every time we start work on a film, we track down the best available film elements in the world, use state-of-the-art telecine equipment and a select few colorists capable of meeting our rigorous standards, then take time during the film-to-video digital transfer to create the most pristine possible image and sound. Whenever possible, we work with directors and cinematographers to ensure that the look of our releases does justice to their intentions. Our supplements enable viewers to appreciate Criterion films in context, through audio commentaries by filmmakers and scholars, restored director’s cuts, deleted scenes, documentaries, shooting scripts, early shorts, and storyboards. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made our library of Director Approved DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and laserdiscs the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.


I know that there are a lot of film lovers on this forum that love classic movies, cult movies, iconic movies or simply movies they have enjoyed a lot and many are collecting movies in various formats. DVD, Blu-ray, Laserdisc, streaming or downloads.

Many of those movies you have may actually be Criterion's or of course, you even collect Criterion's on principle.

So here it is, the discussion thread for films that have been released as Criterion's. Talk about those movies, the quality of restoration, the special features etc, or simply the movie itself.
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Comments

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    I'm always on the lookout for Criterions! Usually when they announce their next release schedule (for example, they'll announce the January 2016 lineup on the 15th or 16th of this month), I go through and try and watch all the ones I've yet to see, and from there, I pick which ones I'd like to buy at some point.

    Here's my list of Criterions, too, for anyone interested:
    - '12 Angry Men'
    - 'Antichrist'
    - 'The Big Chill'
    - 'Brazil'
    - 'Che: Part One and Part Two'
    - 'Crumb'
    - 'The Darjeeling Limited'
    - 'Dressed To Kill'
    - 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'
    - 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'
    - 'The Game'
    - 'The Great Beauty'
    - 'Harakiri'
    - 'Hearts and Minds'
    - Kwaidan' (releases Oct. 21st)
    - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'
    - 'Moonrise Kingdom'
    - 'The Royal Tenenbaums'
    - 'The Samurai Trilogy'
    - 'Seven Samurai'
    - 'Shoah'
    - 'The Sword of Doom'
    - 'Thief'
    - 'Three Outlaw Samurai'
    - 'Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'
    - 'Traffic'
    - 'Videodrome'
    - 'Yojimbo'/'Sanjuro' Box Set

    Which ones do you own, @BondJasonBond006?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @Creasy47

    30's
    The 39 Steps
    Modern Times
    The Lady Vanishes

    40's
    The Great Dictator
    My Darling Clementine
    The Red Shoes

    50's
    12 Angry Men
    3:10 To Yuma
    The Blob
    Godzilla
    On The Waterfront
    Seven Samurai

    60's
    8 1/2
    Charade
    Cul-De-Sac
    La Dolce Vita
    A Hard Day's Night
    It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World
    Rosemary's Baby

    70's
    All That Jazz
    Badlands
    Days Of Heaven
    Eraserhead
    Harold And Maude
    Picnic At Hanging Rock
    The Rose

    80's
    Blow Out
    Dressed To Kill
    The Last Emperor
    A Room With A View
    Tootsie

    90's
    Cronos
    The Double Life Of Veronique
    Following
    The Game
    Howard's End
    The Icestorm
    My Own Private Idaho
    Rushmore
    Shallow Grave
    The Thin Red Line
    Three Colors

    2000's
    Che
    The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
    The Darjeeling Limited
    Fantastic Mr. Fox
    The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
    Mulholland Drive
    The Royal Tenenbaums
    Traffic
    Y Tu Mama También

    2010's
    Moonrise Kingdom
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    'Picnic at Hanging Rock' is another one that's high on my 'To Buy' list. I was blown away with it the first time I saw it, and I've been wanting it ever since. I actually was deciding between that and 'Hearts and Minds,' but had to go with the latter so I could get some more documentaries in my collection. I'm also looking to get 'A Brief History of Time,' 'The Thin Blue Line,' and possibly 'For All Mankind' at some point, as well.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @Creasy47

    Picnic At Hanging Rock is a fascinating movie for sure. I actually got that one only this year and haven't seen it yet (those Bondathons get in the way :)) ) and I'm doing an Avengers Marathon too which includes everything from Iron Man to Ant-Man and that's a lot.
    In-between I watch some horror flicks as well. I wish I had more time...but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I think you are married with kids too, if I'm not mistaken.

    Your list is very interesting and seeing that you also have Wes Anderson's work delights me.

    I'm actually inspired by this and will re-watch one or two of his movies soon.

    I don't have any documentaries but if it concerns history like Hearts And Minds (just checked this out on wiki) it could be interesting to me.

    The Vietnam war and its fallout always puzzled me and I think maybe I'll get this.

    I'm going to do a review of sorts on one of my Criterion's. Maybe there's one you're interested in particularly?

    One I certainly will discuss/review here is The 39 Steps which I have seen this year for the first time, which is astonishing considering I'm a big fan of Hitchcock's.
    And it has immediately become one of my favourites, as far as I can tell after seeing it once.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    Speaking of the Avengers, I was surprised to read yesterday that 'Ant-Man' was the conclusion of Phase 2, not 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron.'

    No marriage and kids for me just yet! Wrapping up my second degree in college at 24 now, but I've been in a relationship for almost two years now.

    Happy to find another Wes Anderson fan, as well! I love his work: his art style, the editing, the symmetry, the color of his movies, it's so fascinating and the plots and returning actors are always so delightful. He just announced that his next movie will be another stop motion one (ala 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'), but this time it'll be about dogs! If you're going to rewatch some of his work, check out 'The Royal Tenenbaums' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.' My favorite of his is 'The Grand Budapest Hotel,' and since he has a deal with Criterion, that should be out on blu-ray and DVD through them in 2016 at some point.

    I've always been a huge fan of history in general, but in terms of war, I've only recently been heavily into the Vietnam War (after discovering and rewatching the beautiful 'Full Metal Jacket' 1,000x). 'Hearts and Minds' is definitely a must see, but it does contain some raw footage where you see American soldiers having sex with Vietnamese prostitutes and other shots of corpses and people being murdered. Very intense.

    If you're going to review a select one, go with 'Eraserhead.' I've always loved the idea of it, it looks very, very creepy and unique, and I'm a David Lynch fan; however, I tried to sit through it one time and it wasn't for me. Then again, I could've just not been in the mood for it at the time, which has happened before.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    I only have two Criterions: Sanjuro & Armageddon. Strange combo, eh?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    chrisisall wrote: »
    I only have two Criterions: Sanjuro & Armageddon. Strange combo, eh?

    Classic samurai film and a Michael Bay movie. Strange combination, indeed!

    Pick up 'Yojimbo' while you're at it!!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Pick up 'Yojimbo' while you're at it!!
    I've seen that a billion times... what I haven't seen in a VERY long time is the Samurai Trilogy...
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @chrisisall, get that one, then. And 'Harakiri.' And 'Seven Samurai.' And 'The Sword of Doom'...
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Pick up 'Yojimbo' while you're at it!!
    I've seen that a billion times... what I haven't seen in a VERY long time is the Samurai Trilogy...

    The Samurai Trilogy is on my very short list for buying. I'm almost ashamed I don't have it yet :))

    I actually do have Armageddon as a Criterion too, I only listed the Blu-ray Criterion's I have above.
    I will add the DVD's as well at one point. Thanks for unintentionally reminding me :D
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    In terms of samurai Criterions, I need to find some poor soul who will be kind enough to get me the 'Zatoichi' boxset on blu-ray for Christmas. Adding that to my collection is a dream, but it always costs way too much.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    'The Sword of Doom'...
    Criterion DVD ordered!
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    'The Sword of Doom'...
    Criterion DVD ordered!

    Should've gone with the blu-ray, but excellent choice, either way! I love, love, love that movie.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    In terms of samurai Criterions, I need to find some poor soul who will be kind enough to get me the 'Zatoichi' boxset on blu-ray for Christmas. Adding that to my collection is a dream, but it always costs way too much.

    It is expensive good God, I'd have to pay 270 CHF (which equals 280 USD or 183 British Pounds).
    Just checked this out and hot damn, that box is beautiful with book and all.
    Wow.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I love, love, love that movie.
    I'm pretty sure that it's one of the very few I've never caught. When I saw it on your list above it didn't sound at all familiar to me. So of course I HAD to get a copy then.
    :D
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited October 2015 Posts: 40,368
    @BondJasonBond006, isn't it gorgeous? In November, Barnes & Noble is having a 50% off sale, which will put it at $103 and some change. I may sign up for a free membership (which will get me free shipping), and around this time, there are usually some 15-20% off coupons floating around, which could put it down to $85, which is reasonable enough for 20+ blu-rays on Criterion. I have to get it ASAP, I've wanted it for a long time now.

    @chrisisall, happy to know that I was the driving force behind you picking it up! I hope you enjoy it and let me know your thoughts on it. If you do any more spontaneous Criterion purchasing throughout the day, go ahead and pick up another one for me, too. ;)
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @Creasy47

    My VoD service has 5 Zatoichi episodes from 1962/1963 online, imagine that. Therefore I'm going to watch one tomorrow. I may like it.
    I'm sure it's nothing like Charlie Chan but just to mention that I absolutely love such movie series of the past.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @BondJasonBond006, I hope you enjoy them! If you want to catch the rest of them (legally, that is, as opposed to having to stream them online), get a Hulu account. I would say that roughly 95% of the movies in the 'Zatoichi' box set are on there, along with countless other Criterions.

    I'm watching 'Hausu' for the first time right now, the 1977 Japanese Criterion, and I've got to say it's one of the strangest bits of cinema I've ever laid my eyes upon. Not finished with it yet, so I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but damn, is it weird.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @BondJasonBond006, I hope you enjoy them! If you want to catch the rest of them (legally, that is, as opposed to having to stream them online), get a Hulu account. I would say that roughly 95% of the movies in the 'Zatoichi' box set are on there, along with countless other Criterions.

    I'm watching 'Hausu' for the first time right now, the 1977 Japanese Criterion, and I've got to say it's one of the strangest bits of cinema I've ever laid my eyes upon. Not finished with it yet, so I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, but damn, is it weird.

    Yeah, I'm old-fashioned I actually buy music and movies and stream legally :)) but of course every now and then to check something out I download it elsewhere, which strangely enough is not at all illegal in Switzerland! Only if I would provide someone else the file it would make it illegal.

    Netflix has changed my life really (it started in Switzerland in September 2014). And there is also Amazon Prime and Watchever which I all pay for. Hulu, sadly doesn't stream into German-language territory.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    Lucky, lucky you!

    I haven't been a big Netflix fan lately; they have some great, complete television shows on there, but that's about it. The rest is littered with generic movie releases and tons of B-grade garbage, definitely not worth the price (and now the new price hike, putting its most popular plan at $10/month). Hulu is where it's at for Criterions, at least, can't say much on the rest of it since it only has a few original programs and the rest is reality television.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    Criterion has announced their January 2016 lineup, and my wallet is going to be hurting:


    - The Complete Lady Snowblood
    - Bitter Rice
    - Inside Llewyn Davis
    - Gilda
    - The American Friend

    http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=17773
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Criterion has announced their January 2016 lineup, and my wallet is going to be hurting:


    - The Complete Lady Snowblood
    - Bitter Rice
    - Inside Llewyn Davis
    - Gilda
    - The American Friend

    http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=17773

    Gilda will definitely end up in my collection :)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @BondJasonBond006, I'm definitely getting 'The Complete Lady Snowblood' and 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' and I'm sure I'll be getting 'The American Friend,' too, and probably 'Bitter Rice.' 'Gilda' is the only one I have yet to see, I'm ashamed to admit!

    I just watched 'Wild Strawberries' for the first time and absolutely loved it, one of the better films I've seen in a very long while. It's about time I got around to watching and appreciating Bergman's work; the only other movie I've seen of his is 'The Magician,' and it was good - not bad, not great.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Hunger
    The Game
    Twelve Angry Men
    The Following
    Wages of Fear
    Rosemary's Baby
    Last Temptation of Christ
    Being John Malkovich

    I've also got Mulholland Drive on pre order.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,882
    I only have one, and it's the the Robert Mitchum film, The Friends Of Eddie Coyle. I didn't make the mistake of doing it, but Critereon should have put a spoiler warning on the front of the booklet, as anyone who chooses the read the booklet first, is going to have a major plot point spoiled.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I only have one, and it's the the Robert Mitchum film, The Friends Of Eddie Coyle. I didn't make the mistake of doing it, but Critereon should have put a spoiler warning on the front of the booklet, as anyone who chooses the read the booklet first, is going to have a major plot point spoiled.

    Usually, buyers of Criterion's already know the movie, but it is unfortunate anyway if in a booklet there is a major plot spoiler.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    @Creasy47

    There is something about that Coen Brothers. Somehow I can't find myself enjoying their films.
    Fargo was one of those films that left me breathless in 1996 and every new film of them disappointed me since, True Grit maybe the only one that I found almost as good.
    No Country For Old Men is a mystery to me. How on earth could that boring nothing win Oscars. Bardem is ridiculous in that movie and without the wig his character would fall apart. But I know I'm probably the only human walking this earth with that opinion :))

    I do like some of their earlier work though, Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink.

    I am willing to give Inside Llewyn Davis a try. The story sounds interesting enough.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    You just may be the only one with that opinion! I loved both 'Fargo' and 'No Country For Old Men.' 'True Grit' was impressive in many ways, but it wasn't my favorite.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a masterpiece IMO.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    chrisisall wrote: »
    O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a masterpiece IMO.

    I have actually never seen that one. But if you consider that a masterpiece I will check it out!
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