What are you watching on the Criterion Channel?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Electric, Jan 2, 2020.

  1. Watched Christine last night - not the one about the possessed car, but the more recent bio-drama about a depressive TV reporter who ends her career with a bang. Not a classic, but worthwhile.
     
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  2. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Thanks. Looks intriguing.



    Director, Campos, has another highly regarded film on Netflix now called The Devil All The Time. Wonder if it has any connection with Bresson (The Devil, Probably). :)
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
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  3. Koyaanisqatsi

    Koyaanisqatsi Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Stafford, UK
    Ever since I heard of creation of The Criterion Channel back in 2019 I am (im)patiently waiting for it to arrive in the UK :( I do have a handful of Criterion Collection Blu-rays however, so it will have to do for now.
     
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  4. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Peruse this YTPlaylist of Criterion titles when you get a minute. Not bad transfers on most.
     
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  5. Koyaanisqatsi

    Koyaanisqatsi Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Stafford, UK
    Thanks! Greatly appreciated.
     
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  6. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Can't compare to the CC library, of course, but it may do in a pinch.

    I see the channel is getting more creative with playlists! Perhaps they got a tip from TCM. :p

    All in on The Gamblers this weekend.

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. wwaldmanfan

    wwaldmanfan Born In The 50's

    Location:
    NJ
    Gun Crazy (1950) Dir. Joseph H. Lewis
    Film noir crime flick, with good B&W cinematography by Russell Harlan
    This film obviously influenced Arthur Penn, who directed Bonnie & Clyde
    [​IMG]
     
  8. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    [​IMG]
    The Maestro: Scores by Ennio Morricone 23 Films

    Not sure when I'll get through these. For me, the composer's score is seldom a reason to watch something (though I'm anxious to see how Burn! looks in this format!) but Morricone's process is interesting. The 4 minute Morricone on Morricone film on the channel just scratches the surface. The BBC doc above goes a bit deeper into his life and musical approach.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2021
  9. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Sadly, I am nearing the end of my Bergman marathon (a couple minor films left). I watched 28 of his films in the last several weeks. I pretty much wrapped it up yesterday after watching what is possibly his magnum opus. I loved the TV version of Fanny and Alexander. It sums up a genius career and touches on so many aspects of his past films. I'm glad I waited to watch it last. A perfect ending!

    FANNY AND ALEXANDER: Television Version
    Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, we witness the delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family, a sprawling bourgeois clan in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Sweden. Ingmar Bergman intended FANNY AND ALEXANDER as his swan song, and it is the director’s warmest and most autobiographical film, an Academy Award–winning triumph that combines his trademark melancholy and emotional intensity with immense joy and sensuality. Bergman described FANNY AND ALEXANDER, presented here in the five-hour television version, as “the sum total of my life as a filmmaker.” And in this, the full-length (312-minute) version of his triumphant valediction, his vision is expressed at its fullest.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Got a new favorite film among the many? Any surprises during your viewings?
     
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  11. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    Before I started I had only seen about 3 of his movies over a decade ago. I rated every film on IMDB as soon as I finished watching them. I enjoyed pretty much every one. There were only a couple I didn’t care for. The surprises were that I think some of his most widely acclaimed movies are not among his films that I think are his best. I’m talking about films like The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, and Cries and Whispers.

    Would anyone care to see my ranking? I was debating whether or not to start a separate thread to rank them and discuss. I feel I already want to change a few ratings because some of them stick with you longer and could be higher rated, but I pretty much stand by the ratings I initially gave them.

    I enjoyed the fact that he used a lot of the same actors throughout his career. Everyone of them is magnificent.

    It’s difficult to say, but I would call Fanny and Alexander his greatest work. It’s also not really fair to judge a five hour movie against one that is 85 minutes.

    He has risen near the top of my favorite directors. I can’t believe it took me so long. I am now reading two of his books to complete the Bergman journey.
     
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  12. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Nice. Film buffs all seem to go through a Bergman period that dovetails with a kind of personal development; including viewings and first rate supplemental reading that can only be replicated with a handful of directors. Always good to see another take on that journey. By all means, start a Bergman thread! Ranking does very little for me but people seem to love doing it. You'll definitely have my participation, either way!
     
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  13. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Ranking is not my thing, but if you did a film-by-film thread and allowed sufficient time for going back and rewatching I'd give it my best. It's been years since I've seen most of these films.
     
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  14. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    The ranking for Bergman would be more of a tier ranking. It's not really possible to put them in an order other than saying which movies I rated 10/10 vs movies I rated 7/10 etc. I only started rating on IMDB this last year so I can keep track of all these movies I am watching on Criterion. I have an excellent memory, but I watch so many that after awhile I can forget if I've seen a movie and what I thought of it. I also thought rating or ranking Bergman could be helpful to anyone who doesn't know where to start. I think he is generally misunderstood. It's a pretty lengthy filmography and many people are already timid to break into Bergman. One thing I learned by watching his films is he isn't nearly as difficult or pretentious as he is made out to be. I have asked several people if they like Bergman and pretty much everyone has the same answer. Nobody really knows anything about him except they think he is heavy and depressing. Most only know of The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. He is so much more than that and I am glad I discovered that. Someone I talked to didn't believe me that he made a few comedies.

    A film by film would be excellent. Maybe after I finish the books and the last couple movies I will consider starting that up. I don't start many threads and that would be a big one. I don't think it would get much interest, but I could be wrong.
     
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  15. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    The farting scene from "Fanny and Alexander" can dispel that myth. :)
     
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  16. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    [​IMG]
     
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  17. NickySee

    NickySee Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York, NY
    My "Gamblers" viewing is spilling into another weekend. Must say, the films are certainly varied in substance and style, despite the similar subject matter. Kudos to CC for that.

    [​IMG]
    But I had difficulty sticking with Karel Reisz' The Gambler. James Caan never looked better, imo, and if anything that particular brand of Caan cavalierness, especially as a college professor who carries himself like a stud, is put to the maximum test here. For we have a script that basically asks us to stick with this obvious loser of a compulsive gambler, who gets a kick out of self-sabotage - and, more contemptuously, destroys the integrity of the relationships with people in his life. If he went off by himself to indulge in this behavior, well, the film would probably be less than it is now. But he deliberately insults those in his corner when he flouts the trust they have in him by continually upping the ante on his gambles. He's the classic bad f***. And Reisz can't get around it by investing this wayward professor with the existential sophistication of a Peanuts holiday special. What does this character actually care about? If, as I strongly suspect, it's nothing why are we asked to join him? The most interesting relationship (to me) is the one between Caan and his basketball star student, who is the only character who refuses to buy Caan's philosophical-emotional justification for taking risks. When Caan sells him out, though, there's nowhere for the film to go (that famous last scene seems more superfluous than puzzling). Be curious to hear what anyone who's watched it thinks.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2021
  18. gonz

    gonz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michiana
    Watching wings of desire tight. First time.
     
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  19. gonz

    gonz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michiana
    *tonight
     
  20. gonz

    gonz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michiana
    Made it half way through, too tired to finish. Interesting movie. Cinematography is fantastic. Will finish tonight.
     
  21. Electric

    Electric The Medium is the Massage Thread Starter

    Might not be the last time you don't finish it in one sitting. ;)
     
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  22. budwhite

    budwhite Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.

    Location:
    Götaland, Sverige
    I watched that version on swedish television during the christmas holidays in one sitting when I was around 20, back in 2004 maybe.

    Amazing in every way.
     
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  23. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    I loved this! This is sure to put a smile on your face. My first Pierre Etaix film and I plan on watching the others on Criterion. It was in a collection of screenplays written by Jean-Claude Carrière who also collaborated with Buñuel. A very funny and charming film.

    Le grand amour

    Directed by Pierre Etaix • 1969 • France

    Despite having a loving and patient wife at home, a good-natured suit-and-tie man, played by writer-director Pierre Etaix, finds himself hopelessly attracted to his gorgeous new secretary in this gently satirical tale of temptation. From this simple, standard premise, Etaix weaves a constantly surprising web of complexly conceived jokes. LE GRAND AMOUR is a cutting, nearly Buñuelian takedown of the bourgeoisie that somehow doesn’t have a mean bone in its body.

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. Claus LH

    Claus LH Forum Resident

    Went through the Dirk Bogarde collection and loved re-visiting Dirk's greatest moments, a reminder of his brilliance as an actor.
    We ended with Tavernier's "Daddy Nostalgia" which, while quite interesting, has a dreadful-looking image. It looks like something went to hell in the scan conversion (?), with jagged lines across what may be an old SD master...literally barely watchable. My wife doesn't notice these things, but I felt like my teeth were being pulled out every time a WS pan wobbled by...the other masters in the collection were pristine, so why this sad-looking thing was the only option is anyone's guess.
     
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  25. wwaldmanfan

    wwaldmanfan Born In The 50's

    Location:
    NJ
    Hard Eight (1997) Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
    His first feature film
    [​IMG]
     
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