Criterion

David Lean’s IN WHICH WE SERVE, THIS HAPPY HOUR, BLITHE SPIRIT, and BRIEF ENCOUNTER Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 21st, 2012 at 7:00 am

David Lean has been canonized as one of the great directors, an honor that he’s earned, even if his body of work is inconsistent. If his later years were less good, and some of his earlier films are weak, it doesn’t matter. He directed Lawrence of Arabia and Bridge on the River Kwai. The Criterion collection has brought together his first four films, and they were all adaptations of Noel Coward’s work (hence the title David Lean “Directs Noel Coward”). The films are In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit and Brief Encounter. And our review of the Blu-ray set of David Lean Directs Noel Coward follows after the jump.

THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI and BELLE DE JOUR Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: March 2nd, 2012 at 10:29 am

One of the great things about The Criterion Collection is that they often release masterpieces you’ve never heard of. Hideo Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai is a thoroughly entertaining film about three unlikely compatriots forced to band together against a feudal lord. And then there are the classics that everyone’s heard of. In this case it’s Luis Bunuel’s Belle de Jour, which stars Catherine Deneuve as a wife who fantasizes about being a prostitute. Both are on Blu-ray and our reviews follow after the jump.

WINGS Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Jackson    Posted: February 29th, 2012 at 1:00 pm

It is a sad fact of film history that, for much of its existence, the movie studios did not appreciate the value of their creations as archive-worthy artistic endeavors—let alone public interest in props, costumes and other tools of the trade (which only truly came to the forefront during the famous 1970 MGM auction).  As such, many—and, in the case of silent films, the majority—movies have been lost for good.  Every now and then, one such lost work resurfaces, but those that do are fewer than not.  It is almost inconceivable to us now that, of all movies, the very first Oscar winner for Best Picture (then “Best Picture, Production”), William A. Wellman’s Wings, could at one time have been lost, but such was indeed the case.  Fortunately for future cinephile generations, Wings is also among the few lost films that have been found.  Hit the jump for our review of the Blu-ray.

DESIGN FOR LIVING Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Jackson    Posted: January 6th, 2012 at 5:00 am

When those of us who have grown up watching modern cinema view pre-Production Code movies, it can be easy for us to ask, “What’s the big deal?”  By today’s standards, much of what was considered “morally questionable” enough to spur the introduction of the Code in the 1920s would be considered laughably tame.  Every now and then, however, one has the opportunity to watch a pre-Code film that causes one to understand (with a nod to differing historical norms, of course) how certain movies could indeed generate such uproar.  Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living (based on Noel Coward’s play of the same name) is just such a film. Hit the jump for our review of the Criterion Blu-ray for Design for Living.

FANNY AND ALEXANDER Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: December 28th, 2011 at 6:16 am

Ingmar Bergman is one of the most respected names in cinema, which comes with a price. When in The Seventh Seal he had a knight and the embodiment of death play a chess game, he unfortunately crystallized what Americans feared was the nature of “Foreign Films.” They seemed pretentious and humorless, about suffering and existentialism. So it’s understandable if the body of work is approached with some hesitation.

But – though it starts slowly – Fanny and Alexander, his 1982 farewell to directing cinema, begins with a Christmas celebration that features sex and fart jokes. Seriously, jokes plural. Our review of Criterion’s Blu-ray of Fanny and Alexander follows after the jump.

THE RULES OF THE GAME Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Jackson    Posted: December 27th, 2011 at 6:00 am

It is hard to believe that a film considered to be among the greatest of all time was not only ridiculed upon its initial release but also at one time lost for nearly twenty years.  But such was the case with Jean Renior’s The Rules of the Game, the negative for which was destroyed in World War II and the film not reconstructed until 1959 at which point it was recognized for the masterpiece that it is.  Hit the jump for my review of the Criterion Collection Blu-ray release.

3 WOMEN and THE FOUR FEATHERS Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 17th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

The Criterion Collection has some of the most anal-retentive fans in the history of collecting. So I wonder how fans might stock 3 Women and The Four Feathers. Perhaps just by the number in the catalog, but with 3 Women – the Robert Altman film from 1977 starring Sissy Spacek and Shelly Duvall – does it get to go in a number section or in the T’s? And if you have a number section, shouldn’t Four Feathers – the 1939 adventure spectacle from Zoltan Korda, starring John Clements and Ralph Richardson – go in it? However you file them both are now out on Blu-ray and our reviews follow after the jump.

CARLOS, HARAKIRI, and KURONEKO Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 15th, 2011 at 7:00 am

Criterion most recent output is a treasure trove for fans of films and the collection. 2010’s Carlos is Olivier Assayas’s portrait of the terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez who took the moniker Carlos to hide himself when he plotted violence throughout much of the 1970’s, while 1962’s Harakiri and 1968’s Kuroneko are two Japanese films that delve into the rich traditions of Japanese cinema: the samurai film and the ghost story (respectively). All are presented in pristine condition by the Criterion collection on Blu-ray. Check out our reviews of Carlos, Harakiri and Kuroneko after the jump.

THE COMPLETE JEAN VIGO and ORPHEUS Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: October 17th, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Jean Cocteau and Jean Vigo are two of the great towers of French cinema. Pre-New Wave, the two inspired filmmakers like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard with their different approaches. Vigo was an upstart filmmaker who died young and left an indelible impression, while Cocteau was a poet, playwright, painter, and all around artiste. All of Vigo’s films are collected in the Criterion Collection’s release The Complete Jean Vigo, while Orpheus – arguably Cocteau’s masterwork – has been upgraded for Blu-ray. Our review of The Complete Jean Vigo and Orpheus on Blu-ray follow after the jump.

CUL-DE-SAC Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 9th, 2011 at 10:08 am

A Cul-de-sac is defined as a road that leads nowhere. And in Roman Polanski’s film of the same name, this is never made literal. It’s easy to imagine the simplified version that would have some visual metaphor for this road, but the title is more indicative of the narrative. Donald Pleasence and Francios Dorleac play a married couple whose home (a castle!) is invaded by a gangster (Lionel Stander). The film combines Polanski’s dark sense of humor with his fascination with claustrophobia, and though it doesn’t reach the heights of his best work, it’s must-see nonetheless. Our review of the Criterion Blu-ray of Cul-de-sac follows after the jump.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and LEON MORIN, PRIEST Criterion Blu-ray Reviews

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: August 20th, 2011 at 9:00 am

Jena Cocteau and Jean-Pierre Melville are two of the most important French filmmakers of the 20^th century, and worked together on the film Les Enfants Terrible, with a script from Cocteau and direction from Melville. And though Cocteau has been lauded as one of the great artists of the 20^th century, Melville is has only recently been discovered. It was a repertory release of Le Samourai in the 1990’s that led to many of his works being championed and released by the Criterion Collection. Cocteau’s greatest film, Beauty and the Beast, and Melville’s kinky film about attraction to the unattainable Leon Morin, Priest are now on Blu-ray thanks to the Criterion Collection. Our reviews of both follow after the jump.

SOMETHING WILD Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 27th, 2011 at 7:00 am

Jonathan Demme was one of the brightest spots of filmmaking in the 1980’s. Like early Spielberg, his sensibilities for Americana were funky but authentic. He liked weird people, but not in an ironic or grotesque way. He loves people, and it shows in every bit of his casting. Though the academy would reward him for The Silence of the Lambs, and unintentionally turn him into a serious director for a while, his loosey-goosey charms were never more apparent than in Something Wild, which the Criterion collection has released. It stars Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith, and introduced the world to Ray Liotta. Check out our review of the film on Blu-ray after the jump.

SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Jackson    Posted: May 10th, 2011 at 1:12 pm

When looking at the careers of legendary directors, writers and actors in retrospect, it can be interesting to analyze just what path they took before reaching greatness.  Today, Ingmar Bergman is internationally known as one of the great auteurs of all time.  But while he was already an established director for nine years in his native Sweden, it was not until his fifteenth film as director that Bergman achieved international acclaim in 1955.  That film was Smiles of a Summer Night.  Hit the jump for my review.

DVD Deal: Criterion’s DAZED & CONFUSED $9.99

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 22nd, 2010 at 9:33 pm

If you’re a fan of Dazed & Confused and don’t own the Criterion DVD, you need to hit Amazon right now.  That’s because my favorite online retailer has Richard Linklater’s masterpiece on sale for $9.99  Included in this amazing edition is:

• All new high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Richard Linklater and cinematographer Lee Daniel
• Audio commentary by Linklater
• “Making Dazed,” a 50-minute documentary by filmmaker Kahane Corn
• A 72-page book featuring new essays by Kent Jones, Jim DeRogatis, and Chuck Klosterman, plus character profiles, and memories of the film from cast and crew. And the original film poster designed by Frank Kozik
• Rare on-set interviews and behind-the-scenes footag
• Footage from the 10-year anniversary celebration
• Audition footage
• Deleted Scenes
• Original trailer

This is one of my favorite films and if you’ve never seen it, buy this asap.  You won’t regret it.  Here’s the link: Dazed & Confused – (The Criterion Collection)

THE DARJEELING LIMITED Criterion Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: November 14th, 2010 at 4:55 pm

It seems the Criterion Collection will not rest until every Wes Anderson film is under their banner, and with their release of The Darjeeling Limited, they are one title away from having all of his films in their collection. Few modern filmmakers seem to have pursued this goal, and few modern filmmakers seem as deserving. And yet The Darjeeling Limited strikes as a transitional work, a filmmaker trying to re-find his voice after having gone through a cycle of films that worked through the main concerns of a filmmaker. The film stars Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and co-screenwriter Jason Schwartzman as three brothers on a spiritual quest in India to find themselves (and their mother) after their father has passed away. My review of The Darjeeling Limited on Blu-ray after the jump.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design