Which Criterion Collection films on Blu-Ray would you recommend?

[HardwoodLegend]

I don't own any Criterion Collection films on Blu-Ray, but Barnes & Noble is having a 50% off sale on these things. So, I figured I would cop 3 or 4 to add to my movie library to appear cinematically sophisticated and enlightened whenever my movie buff friends visit.

Here's a list of the films in their library:

http://www.criterion.com/library/expanded_view?b=Criterion&m=bluray&p=1

[SpecialQue]

12 Angry Men
The 39 Steps
400 Blows
8 1/2
Anatomy of a Murder
Antichrist
Army of Shadows
Badlands
The Ballad of Narayama
The Battle of Algiers
Beauty and the Beast
Being John Malkovich
Belle de Jour
Brazil
Children of Paradise
Chronicle of a Summer
Cronos
Crumb
Days of Heaven
Dazed and Confused
Diabolique
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

More to come later if you like, but those I highly recommend.

[HardwoodLegend]

12 Angry Men
The 39 Steps
400 Blows
8 1/2
Anatomy of a Murder
Antichrist
Army of Shadows
Badlands
The Ballad of Narayama
The Battle of Algiers
Beauty and the Beast
Being John Malkovich
Belle de Jour
Brazil
Children of Paradise
Chronicle of a Summer
Cronos
Crumb
Days of Heaven
Dazed and Confused
Diabolique
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

More to come later if you like, but those I highly recommend.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Damn, you've seen/own all of those? You a film student or just a general cinephile? I own the bolded in barebones DVD. Both highly enjoyable, but not sure I want to double-dip.

Badlands
Diabolique
Gomorrah
Rashomon
Rosemary's Baby

Those are the five I'm considering right now. Haven't seen any of them, but the reviews I've read sound promising.

The 'America Lost and Found' boxset looks good too.

I don't know why I love the Criterion Collection so much. The films they choose, the packaging & cover art, etc. Wish they were more affordable.

[SpecialQue]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Damn, you've seen/own all of those? You a film student or just a general cinephile? I own the bolded in barebones DVD. Both highly enjoyable, but not sure I want to double-dip.

Badlands
Diabolique
Gomorrah
Rashomon
Rosemary's Baby

Those are the five I'm considering right now. Haven't seen any of them, but the reviews I've read sound promising.

The 'America Lost and Found' boxset looks good too.

I don't know why I love the Criterion Collection so much. The films they choose, the packaging & cover art, etc. Wish they were more affordable.

I'm a huge cinephile. I'm actually working my way through that "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list (I'm about 750 movies in) and typically watch a movie every day with my girlfriend.

Rashomon's amazing. I'd put that as a priority, along with practically any other Kurosawa that you haven't seen yet. I haven't seen Gomorrah yet but if I had to rank the four I've seen I'd go:

Rashomon
Diabolique
Badlands
Rosemary's Baby

They're all great, in my opinion. Diabolique is a slow build, but worth it.

I think Hulu has the entire Criterion Collection available for streaming, so there's that option.

[Qwyjibo]

I only grabbed 3 from this sale. The Gold Rush, Modern Times and 12 Angry Men.

Solaris is a must-have if you are into more thoughtful sci-fi. The Thin Red Line is ****ing gorgeous too.

[HardwoodLegend]

I'm a huge cinephile. I'm actually working my way through that "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list (I'm about 750 movies in) and typically watch a movie every day with my girlfriend.

Nice. Going through the list now to see what I've seen.




Rashomon's amazing. I'd put that as a priority, along with practically any other Kurosawa that you haven't seen yet. I haven't seen Gomorrah yet but if I had to rank the four I've seen I'd go:

Yeah, I'm a huge Sergio Leone fan, and I know Kurosawa was a huge influence on his cinematographic sensibility. Tragic that he didn't live longer to make more films.

[HardwoodLegend]

I only grabbed 3 from this sale. The Gold Rush, Modern Times and 12 Angry Men.

Solaris is a must-have if you are into more thoughtful sci-fi. The Thin Red Line is ****ing gorgeous too.

How many B&N Criterion sales have you hit up? I hope another one comes soon too.

'Solaris' is another I've been thinking of since I saw the remake and actually liked it.

[Qwyjibo]

How many B&N Criterion sales have you hit up? I hope another one comes soon too.

'Solaris' is another I've been thinking of since I saw the remake and actually liked it.
This is the first one for me. I think it's usually one per year they do but Amazon.com should have one later in the year too. I'm in Canada so I don't get free shipping from B&N so I can't go crazy ordering a ton of movies.

[HardwoodLegend]

Either of you seen 'The Leopard'?

Claudia Cardinale has been my favorite classic screen siren ever since seeing 'Once Upon a Time in the West', so I would probably buy this for her presence alone. But, the reviews are full of the highest praise. Sounds like it's Italy's 'Citizen Kane' or something.

[Jackass18]

Wow, it's incredibly hard to narrow that list down to 4 movies, but I think I'd recommend:

The Gold Rush
M
Seven Samurai
The Third Man

but, you can't really go wrong with most of those movies

[El Kabong]

Some others not mentioned that I really like

The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Night of the Hunter
Repo Man
The Seventh Seal
Videodrome

There's also a nice boxset which is good if you're a fan of Jack Nicholson called America Lost and Found: The BBS Story which has the following movies in it
Head (The Monkees feature film, Nicholson co-wrote it)
Easy Rider
Five Easy Pieces
Drive, He Said
A Safe Place
The Last Picture Show
The King of Marvin Gardens

[KevinNYC]

Rashomon's amazing. I'd put that as a priority, along with practically any other Kurosawa that you haven't seen yet. I haven't seen Gomorrah yet but if I had to rank the four I've seen I'd go:

Rashomon
Diabolique
Badlands
Rosemary's Baby

They're all great, in my opinion. Diabolique is a slow build, but worth it.


Those four movies are great. Gomorrah is a good movie, but not an all-time classic. The non-fiction book it's based on is really good too. It's a very, very, anti-glamourous gangster movie. This isn't the power fantasy of Scarface. The gangsters in this movie are very grimy and depressing. The guy who wrote the book grew up in Naples and basically his life was shaped in a bad way by the pervasive power of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mob. The Camorra has tried to kill the author over the book and the Italian government had to assign him security.

If I had to recommend one movie to watch, it would The Seven Samurai. Give yourself the luxury of afternoon one day to watch that.

On the Waterfront and Days of Heaven I would also add to the list.
Sweet Smell of Success is one of my all-time favorite movies about New York.

After The Seven Samurai and Rashomon, I recommend Kuorsawa's Yojimbo, which is a lot of fun.

I've been wanting to watch The Leopard based on the reviews as well, but I have less attention span these days.

[KevinNYC]

Also it's not on Criterion, but if you interesting in all time classic art movies, check out Pather Panchali. A wonderful film.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dvd-pather-panchali-runki-banerji/3626853?ean=43396018181

[LJJ]

Yi Yi is a very good contemporary drama.

[KevinNYC]

Solaris is a must-have if you are into more thoughtful sci-fi. The Thin Red Line is ****ing gorgeous too.

I don't remember any dialogue or even the story of The Thin Red Line, but if I close my eyes,
I can still see images from it. Especially when they are going up hill in that tall grass.

[The Real JW]

Being John Malkovich
Bottle Rocket
Che
Dazed and Confused
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Seven Samurai
Traffic

bolded: personal all-time favorites

[HardwoodLegend]

Jurassic Park
Die Hard

There are mock Criterion Collection cover arts out there for these two films if they were included.

http://i.imgur.com/EDWOMgSl.jpg

*Spielberg

http://i500.listal.com/image/1314383/500full.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/dc6ed6a5fcfaf67b0979d432f1aadcb1/tumblr_mqcjny9ekb1rt8levo1_500.jpg

[HardwoodLegend]

'Clue' fake cover is cool

http://i500.listal.com/image/1314386/500full.jpg



'The Hudsucker Proxy'

http://i500.listal.com/image/1314407/500full.jpg

'The Wizard'

http://i500.listal.com/image/1314435/500full.jpg

'Drive'

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdhlhhhDx31qebry0o1_400.png

[HardwoodLegend]

Criterion's I got from the B&N sale:

Badlands
Belle de Jour
Blow-Out
Rashomon
Repo Man
The Wages of Fear


Criterions bought at a great discount with $30 in Best Buy Reward Zone certificates:

Amarcord
Naked


Can't wait 'til November. Criterion gets better and better with the quality of their product.

[embersyc]

I bought these from the sale:

The Game
Tokyo Drifter
The Samurai Trilogy
Yojimbo & Sanjuro set

[HardwoodLegend]

I bought these from the sale:

The Game
Tokyo Drifter
The Samurai Trilogy
Yojimbo & Sanjuro set

You interested in that Zatoichi boxset releasing in November?

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/1647-99179e44c01d4318de1256db1c8600f5/Film_679_ZatoichiSet_original.jpg

All 25 films on 27 discs. I wonder what B&N's original price listing will be. They tend to start out $10 lower than the Criterion website, so it might originally be $169 and then go for $85 at the sale.

[embersyc]

You interested in that Zatoichi boxset releasing in November?

http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/1647-99179e44c01d4318de1256db1c8600f5/Film_679_ZatoichiSet_original.jpg

All 25 films on 27 discs. I wonder what B&N's original price listing will be. They tend to start out $10 lower than the Criterion website, so it might originally be $169 and then go for $85 at the sale.

Wow, hell yes, love Zatoichi, although I've probably only seen 2 or 3 of the movies.

Does the set include the Beat Takeshi Zatoichi movie too, or just the classics?

[HardwoodLegend]

Wow, hell yes, love Zatoichi, although I've probably only seen 2 or 3 of the movies.

Does the set include the Beat Takeshi Zatoichi movie too, or just the classics?

Just the classics.

I had no idea 25 films were made or I had forgotten over the years. I think I have around 5 or 6 of the Animeigo releases on DVD.

If I'm right on my prediction for the B&N pricing, that comes out to $3.40 per film. Niceee.

[HardwoodLegend]

I worry about picture quality of the transfers when it comes to that many discs though.

[HardwoodLegend]

Barnes & Noble is doing a Buy 2, Get 1 Free Criterion Sale!

If the titles you buy are $29 and less, it's basically like doing another 50% off sale.

Don't know how long this sale will last... just found out about it today in case you're interested.

[Qwyjibo]

Barnes & Noble is doing a Buy 2, Get 1 Free Criterion Sale!

If the titles you buy are $29 and less, it's basically like doing another 50% off sale.

Don't know how long this sale will last... just found out about it today in case you're interested.
They had the exact same sale right before the 50% off one. It's a solid deal, even with shipping + duties to me in Canada. I still end up saving a little bit of money.

I think all the Criterions I like I already have or are out of print though. I'm just waiting for City Lights to come out in November.

[KevinNYC]

They had the exact same sale right before the 50% off one. It's a solid deal, even with shipping + duties to me in Canada. I still end up saving a little bit of money.

I think all the Criterions I like I already have or are out of print though. I'm just waiting for City Lights to come out in November.

If you're really diving into Criterions, I highly recommend Quadrophenia.

[DeuceWallaces]

I wish some of the better domestic noir stuff was Criterion. There aren't many of my favorites besides Kiss Me Deadly and the Killing right now :(

[HardwoodLegend]

They had the exact same sale right before the 50% off one. It's a solid deal, even with shipping + duties to me in Canada. I still end up saving a little bit of money.

I think all the Criterions I like I already have or are out of print though. I'm just waiting for City Lights to come out in November.


I wonder if this sale will extend all the way 'til the November 50% off.

Before the July sale, I hadn't purchased a Criterion since waaay back on DeepDiscountDVD when they used to do their sales. I think my last purchase was even before the advent of Blu-Ray.

How often have you done blind buys with Criterion? I think it's worth the risk with the quality of films they put out.

[Qwyjibo]

If you're really diving into Criterions, I highly recommend Quadrophenia.
Ehhh, I collect movies but I'm not to the point where I'll blind buy simply due to the Criterion label. I've watched a few that I found were merely ok and that I'd probably never watch again. So not worth $20-40 for me. Download first, buy later for the ones I don't have.


How often have you done blind buys with Criterion? I think it's worth the risk with the quality of films they put out.
8 1/2 was the only blind buy simply because I love those types of reality-bending movies. Then again, I own only 13 Criterion releases.

[HardwoodLegend]

Picked up 'On the Waterfront' and 'The Thin Red Line' Blu-rays at 56% off in Amazon.com's Goldbox Sale a couple days ago.

Looking forward to seeing 'On the Waterfront' in its proper 1.66:1 ratio. Last time I saw it was on DVD in 1.33:1.

[eurobum]

A few BD recommendations:

Au Revoir Les Enfants
Brazil
Days of Heaven
Down by Law
Following
For All Mankind
La Haine
Naked
Paris, Texas
The Qatsi Trilogy (if only for Koyaanisqatsi)
Rushmore

Anything Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Bergman to name a few masters.

[HardwoodLegend]

A few BD recommendations:

Au Revoir Les Enfants
Brazil
Days of Heaven
Down by Law
Following
For All Mankind
La Haine
Naked
Paris, Texas
The Qatsi Trilogy (if only for Koyaanisqatsi)
Rushmore

Anything Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Bergman to name a few masters.

I think you and SpecialQue probably watch more movies than anyone else on here.

How many of them have you streamed on Hulu?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm a completist when it comes to Kurosawa, Godard, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kubrick and Polanski. Eventually, I hope to have all of their works even if I don't fully enjoy every single one.

[HardwoodLegend]

24 Hour 50% OFF Flash Sale on criterion.com !!!

[DeuceWallaces]

Watched crit version of The Third Man last night and it looked really good.

[SpaceCityHakeem]

God i wish The Third Man wasn't out of print.
Gorgeous blu ray and great movie.
I recommend Repo Man to anyone who hasn't seen it.
I own the Criterion disc and it's great.

[HardwoodLegend]

Anybody get anything for this November sale?

I collected:

John Cassavetes: Five Films
Eyes Without a Face
La haine
Paris, Texas
Vivre sa vie


Now all that's left is to get the Zatoichi set on the 26th. Membership discount + an extra 20% off coupon. Can't beat it.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uploads/post-269895-0-98922100-1376630508.jpg

[HardwoodLegend]

A quick behind-the-scenes look at some of The Criterion Collection staff restoring Alfred Hitchcock's 'Foreign Correspondent':
http://gizmodo.com/how-criterion-collection-brings-movies-back-from-the-de-1501343511

[KevinNYC]

A quick behind-the-scenes look at some of The Criterion Collection staff restoring Alfred Hitchcock's 'Foreign Correspondent':
http://gizmodo.com/how-criterion-collection-brings-movies-back-from-the-de-1501343511

Nice. I know one of the folks who produces the audio commentaries there. He's a neighbor of a friend. Was looking to to see if he turned up, but no.

I don't think I've ever seen Foreign Correspondent. I'll have to check it out.

[HardwoodLegend]

Nice. I know one of the folks who produces the audio commentaries there. He's a neighbor of a friend. Was looking to to see if he turned up, but no.

I don't think I've ever seen Foreign Correspondent. I'll have to check it out.

I wish I had a skill to contribute to their process. Seems like a fun job. You should ask that guy what films are coming soon.


Shout-out to SpecialQue for recommending 'Belle de Jour'. So happy I blind bought that. Can't wait for more Bunuel on Blu-ray.

[Shabba Ranks]

1. the marriage of maria braun (out of print )
2. bottle rocket
3. ran
4. the game
5. the man who fell to earth (out of print)
6. hard boiled ( out of print )
7. the darjeeling limited
8. the night of the hunter ( must see )
9. M
10. This is spinal tap

[Qwyjibo]

Picked up the re-release of Breathless.

Next B&N sale, I think I'll grab Foreign Correspondent. The Criterion.com sales don't do much for us Canadians with their shipping charges. That's the only release right now that I want for now.

[HardwoodLegend]

Have you seen 'World on a Wire', Qwyjibo?

It's a release I've had my eye on. It gets recommended a lot for those into reality-bending themes.

[KevinNYC]

You should ask that guy what films are coming soon.

It's not a friend of mine, he's a friend of a friend. I only see him at parties.

[Qwyjibo]

Have you seen 'World on a Wire', Qwyjibo?

Haven't yet. It's one that I've considered getting since I love slower sci-fi movies (like Solaris).