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Thread: MC's Criterion Challenge 2021 (by way of Letterboxd)

  1. #26
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Seeing the poster for Intolerable Cruelty reminded me of two things:

    1 - that movie exists

    2 - the crush I had on CZJ was immense
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  2. #27
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    I still have not seen that one.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  3. #28
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Guys, how do you search for silent films Criteron? Struggling here.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  4. #29
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Guys, how do you search for silent films Criteron? Struggling here.
    Probably best to just go by date, and go to the earliest ones.

    There's probably only a handful of silent stuff in the collection that are outside of the 1910s/20s. Maybe some stuff by Guy Maddin.
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  5. #30
    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Guys, how do you search for silent films Criteron? Struggling here.
    Some recommendations, off the top of my head:

    The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
    Body and Soul (Oscar Micheaux, 1925)
    The Gold Rush (Charles Chaplin, 1925)
    The Docks of New York (Josef von Sternberg, 1928)
    La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928)
    Die Büchse der Pandora (G.W. Pabst, 1929)
    À propos de Nice (Boris Kaufman/Jean Vigo, 1930)
    I Was Born, but... (Ozu Yasujiro, 1932)
    Every Night Dreams (Naruse Mikio, 1933)
    Japanese Girls at the Harbour (Shimizu Hiroshi, 1933)
    Window Water Baby Moving (Stan Brakhage, 1959)

    It's a little surprising how many major silent directors aren't represented on the Criterion Collection at all: nothing by Dovzhenko, Feuillade, Griffith, Keaton, Kuleshov, Murnau, Pudovkin, Stroheim, and only sound films by Eisenstein, Lang, Mizoguchi, and Lubitsch (unless you count Das Fidele Gefängnis, which is included as a bonus feature on the DVD of Trouble in Paradise).
    Last edited by baby doll; 01-07-2021 at 12:21 AM.
    Just because...
    The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, 2022) mild
    Petite maman (Céline Sciamma, 2021) mild
    The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, 2022) mild

    The last book I read was...
    The Complete Short Stories by Mark Twain


    The (New) World

  6. #31
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting baby doll (view post)
    Some recommendations, off the top of my head:

    The Phantom Carriage (Victor Sjöström, 1921)
    Body and Soul (Oscar Micheaux, 1925)
    The Gold Rush (Charles Chaplin, 1925)
    The Docks of New York (Josef von Sternberg, 1928)
    La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928)
    Die Büchse der Pandora (G.W. Pabst, 1929)
    À propos de Nice (Boris Kaufman/Jean Vigo, 1930)
    I Was Born, but... (Ozu Yasujiro, 1932)
    Every Night Dreams (Naruse Mikio, 1933)
    Japanese Girls at the Harbour (Shimizu Hiroshi, 1933)
    Window Water Baby Moving (Stan Brakhage, 1959)

    It's a little surprising how many major silent directors aren't represented on the Criterion Collection at all: nothing by Dovzhenko, Feuillade, Griffith, Keaton, Kuleshov, Murnau, Pudovkin, Stroheim, and only sound films by Eisenstein, Lang, Mizoguchi, and Lubitsch (unless you count Das Fidele Gefängnis, which is included as a bonus feature on the DVD of Trouble in Paradise).
    Damn off the top of your head?

    Thanks for this. Searching for variety has been hard.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  7. #32
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    ZOMGZ Criterion Channel works for me!!!!
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  8. #33
    Quote Quoting baby doll (view post)
    It's a little surprising how many major silent directors aren't represented on the Criterion Collection at all: nothing by Dovzhenko, Feuillade, Griffith, Keaton, Kuleshov, Murnau, Pudovkin, Stroheim, and only sound films by Eisenstein, Lang, Mizoguchi, and Lubitsch (unless you count Das Fidele Gefängnis, which is included as a bonus feature on the DVD of Trouble in Paradise).
    That's quite a list of names -- I'd say more than a little surprising.

    Also, I'd like to see Duke's review of Window Water Baby Moving.

  9. #34
    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    That's quite a list of names -- I'd say more than a little surprising.

    Also, I'd like to see Duke's review of Window Water Baby Moving.
    Luckily there are other companies, notably Flicker Alley, that are committed to distributing silent films. (Incidentally, when Criterion does put out silent films, they're often re-issues of discs put out by companies in Europe: their box set of Ozu crime films, for instance, is a repackaging of a BFI set of the same films, and I'm sure there are other examples of this sort of thing.) Maybe this is a financial thing (Criterion decided at some point that silent films don't sell) or maybe it's a lack of expertise in this area. The real problem--and one reason I'm reluctant to sign on to a Criterion challenge, other than being busy--is that people talk about the Criterion Collection like it's all of film history, or at least all of film history worth knowing. I remember seeing a listicle a few months back of classic films by black directors that aren't on Criterion but "should be," nearly all of which were available from other companies. Why do we need a Criterion edition a movie that's already available when we can't see Larry Clark's Passing Through or Bill Woodberry's Bless Their Little Hearts anywhere? [Correction: Woodberry's film is available from Milestone.] At the end of the day, it's just a brand.
    Last edited by baby doll; 01-07-2021 at 08:06 PM.
    Just because...
    The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg, 2022) mild
    Petite maman (Céline Sciamma, 2021) mild
    The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, 2022) mild

    The last book I read was...
    The Complete Short Stories by Mark Twain


    The (New) World

  10. #35
    I watched Love Streams for the first week.

    I'm thinking of going with Kagemusha this week; it's been on my list to watch for over a decade and I always put it off.

  11. #36
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Finished Blood Simple. Been wanting to watch that for a long time.
    Second film is Wildlife, representing the 2010s. Wife gets to pick that category, so she's taking care of the low hanging fruit.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  12. #37
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Second film is Wildlife, representing the 2010s. Wife gets to pick that category, so she's taking care of the low hanging fruit.
    How have I never even heard of this movie before now?
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  13. #38
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting megladon8 (view post)
    How have I never even heard of this movie before now?
    I hadn't either until I showered her the 2010 list.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  14. #39
    Cinematographer Mal's Avatar
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    heh, I've been avoiding it. Don't care for Mulligan, especially don't care what Dano does for directing.

  15. #40
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Blood Simple

    This was really like seeing it for the first time. I think I was 14/15 when I saw it and I remembered nothing except the presence of McDormand and Walsh.

    But, I did remember not liking it much.

    Happy to report that I kind of loved it this time. The Coens' dialogue is always so great. Snappy, full of character, wonderful moments of dark comedy.

    I loved the moments that felt unscripted but were obviously carefully planned. One stand out is when Hedaya and Getz are speaking while Hedaya is sitting on the back porch, and an electric bug zapper snaps and crackles beside him. There are a couple of great uses of the zapper to both visually and audibly punctuate the drama of the conversation.

    Walsh is a wonderful sleezeball. And true to form for him, he elevates everything he does. Fantastically gross, scummy and evil.

    The tension of the finale is still so brutal. I loved it.

    Great movie. Great start to this series.
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  16. #41
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Re: Blood Simple

    [
    ]
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  17. #42
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting DFA1979 (view post)
    Re: Blood Simple

    [
    ]
    Agreed, that was horrific.
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  18. #43
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting megladon8 (view post)
    Agreed, that was horrific.
    I love how Blood Simple and Raising Arizona both firmly represent the two sides of the Coen Brothers filmography before Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink made them really famous.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  19. #44
    I went with Stray Dog for week two. Despite a few earnest (if flimsy) attempts to philosophically lump everyone -- criminals, law enforcement, civilians -- together into a big sweaty stew of people "just trying get by," this is one of Kurosawa's more boilerplate genre movies (in this case detective noir, not typically my favorite). Even still, not a scene goes by without some sort of visual brilliance: intricate blocking, dutch angles, and superimpositions galore. I was scared Mifune would spend the entire movie looking handsome and little else, but he's allowed some moments later on that add range to the performance. Very striking opening credits, weak final scene. Not top tier Kurosawa, but as far as I can tell the man never made a bad movie. Easy to recommend to fans of detective noir. Three stars.

  20. #45
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Wow that's weird. I was just coming in here to say that Jen and I selected Stray Dog for our Kurosawa title!
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  21. #46
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
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    Stray Dog is a badass film.

  22. #47
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Week 2 I think I have to go with a classic: The Hidden Fortress. A truly entertaining and very influential movie.

    Also makes me bummed that KF couldn't be around for this. He's one of the reasons I got into Kurosawa's work.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  23. #48
    I'm the problem it's me DFA1979's Avatar
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    Stray Dog is cool. I haven't seen it in years so it begs for a rewatch. I still need to see The Bad Sleep Well and Throne of Blood.
    Blog!

    And it's happened once again
    I'll turn to a friend
    Someone that understands
    And sees through the master plan
    But everybody's gone
    And I've been here for too long
    To face this on my own
    Well, I guess this is growing up

  24. #49
    Quote Quoting megladon8 (view post)
    Blood Simple

    This was really like seeing it for the first time. I think I was 14/15 when I saw it and I remembered nothing except the presence of McDormand and Walsh.

    But, I did remember not liking it much.

    Happy to report that I kind of loved it this time. The Coens' dialogue is always so great. Snappy, full of character, wonderful moments of dark comedy.

    I loved the moments that felt unscripted but were obviously carefully planned. One stand out is when Hedaya and Getz are speaking while Hedaya is sitting on the back porch, and an electric bug zapper snaps and crackles beside him. There are a couple of great uses of the zapper to both visually and audibly punctuate the drama of the conversation.

    Walsh is a wonderful sleezeball. And true to form for him, he elevates everything he does. Fantastically gross, scummy and evil.

    The tension of the finale is still so brutal. I loved it.

    Great movie. Great start to this series.
    Yay! Also, its main theme is one of my favorites:


  25. #50
    The Pan megladon8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting StuSmallz (view post)
    Yay! Also, its main theme is one of my favorites:

    Yes, the theme is nice. Definitely had it in my head the rest of the night.
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

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