The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
- aox
- Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:02 pm
- Location: nYc
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I watched for the first time Bad Day at Black Rock today thanks to the channel. I don't know how that has slipped through the cracks all of these years, but that was one of the best movies I had seen in a while. I love the outsider in a rural small town setting (e.g. In the Heat of the Night; Yojimbo; Dogville; Harlan County, USA) and this utilized it really well. Open to any recommendations that follows a similar motif.
- hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I ordered this last week as part of Warner Archives "4 for $44 (or more for $11 each)" sale. I'm not a John Sturges fan and stayed away for a while, but I finally saw it during the pandemic and surprisingly enjoyed it. It can be too on the nose and clunky, and there are probably other faults that stuck out, but the strengths were more than enough to carry me along. In terms of the script and filmmaking, it felt a lot tighter and more potent than anything else I've seen from him.aox wrote: ↑Tue Dec 01, 2020 5:25 pmI watched for the first time Bad Day at Black Rock today thanks to the channel. I don't know how that has slipped through the cracks all of these years, but that was one of the best movies I had seen in a while. I love the outsider in a rural small town setting (e.g. In the Heat of the Night; Yojimbo; Dogville; Harlan County, USA) and this utilized it really well. Open to any recommendations that follows a similar motif.
- ando
- Bringing Out El Duende
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:53 pm
- Location: New York City
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
"...I'm not ready for this" encapsulates what I felt when I bought and initially starting watching Kon Ichikawa's An Actor's Revenge (1963) a few years back. Now that it's the forum's film club pick and currently streaming on the channel I've got no excuse not to watch it. Neither should you.
- schellenbergk
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:03 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
The “W.C. Fields Shorts” collection is up!
I dipped into “The Pharmacist” and the picture looks great. Has it been restored? But the sound was absolutely terrible. I couldn’t bear it, shut it off.
Anybody know why “The Dentist” was excluded? It seems an odd omission. Fields only made six short films, so why show five of them and leave out the best one?
I dipped into “The Pharmacist” and the picture looks great. Has it been restored? But the sound was absolutely terrible. I couldn’t bear it, shut it off.
Anybody know why “The Dentist” was excluded? It seems an odd omission. Fields only made six short films, so why show five of them and leave out the best one?
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Can anybody confirm the runtime of this new scan on the Channel? 178 mins is listed across the internet, but the only copies I've seen have been 172. I'm curious if those are missing footage or a misprint.criterionsnob wrote: ↑Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:04 pm'My Sex Life . . . or How I Got into an Argument' opens with the CC logo and looks to be a beautiful HD scan!
- modernmalaise
- Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 10:12 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
It ran at 180 minutes. Included restoration notes at the end, all I could remember from that is it stating it's the 2014 Eclair restorationtherewillbeblus wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:48 pmCan anybody confirm the runtime of this new scan on the Channel? 178 mins is listed across the internet, but the only copies I've seen have been 172. I'm curious if those are missing footage or a misprint.criterionsnob wrote: ↑Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:04 pm'My Sex Life . . . or How I Got into an Argument' opens with the CC logo and looks to be a beautiful HD scan!
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Thanks! I haven't watched the R1 DVD in almost a year from a lib rental, so it's possible that it's actually 178 mins and the digital file I have is just shorter..
- The Fanciful Norwegian
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Teegeeack
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
It's most likely just 4% speedup. Even the HD copy that circulates on backchannels runs at 25fps, the master probably being made with European TV in mind. I don't know about the Fox Lorber disc but given their history I wouldn't be surprised if it was a PAL-to-NTSC job.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
That's helpful, thanks- even if it does kill my dream of extra footage swimming around. I could watch a six-hour version of that movie.The Fanciful Norwegian wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 4:53 pmIt's most likely just 4% speedup. Even the HD copy that circulates on backchannels runs at 25fps, the master probably being made with European TV in mind. I don't know about the Fox Lorber disc but given their history I wouldn't be surprised if it was a PAL-to-NTSC job.
- yoloswegmaster
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:57 pm
- Roscoe
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:40 pm
- Location: NYC
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I'm intrigued by the listing for 4 restored jewels of the 1920s, including HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, which is in dire need of a clean up and a new score, and I hope that's what we'll be getting in January.
- HinkyDinkyTruesmith
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:21 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Aside from HE WHO GETS SLAPPED (one of my favorite silents), the John Stahl collection is exciting. Although two of the films are only so-so and have blu-ray releases, the other two, BACK STREET and especially WHERE TOMORROW COMES, are both masterpieces and have never received proper releases.
- ando
- Bringing Out El Duende
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:53 pm
- Location: New York City
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Well, I'm gonna have fun with Afrofuturism.
- jwd5275
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 12:26 pm
- Location: SF, CA
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Hope springs eternal that we could get a Sjostrom in Hollywood set...
- Jean-Luc Garbo
- Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:55 am
- Contact:
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I was really impressed by how Elephant Man looked on the channel. Is that how the Criterion blu looks or was this a streaming version from Studiocanal?
- Roger Ryan
- Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:04 pm
- Location: A Midland town spread and darkened into a city
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
The Blu-ray transfer looks as good to me as the streaming version, if not a little better due to streaming compression (I know, Criterion discs themselves suffer from compression issues, but this title holds up better than some).Jean-Luc Garbo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 7:05 pmI was really impressed by how Elephant Man looked on the channel. Is that how the Criterion blu looks or was this a streaming version from Studiocanal?
- ando
- Bringing Out El Duende
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 6:53 pm
- Location: New York City
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
Japanese Noir looks great but I've been into the Jane Fonda retrospective, supplementing it with films not included like Coming Home and Agnes of God. Like her or not most films she appeared in are worth seeing at least once.
- Michael Kerpan
- Spelling Bee Champeen
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
- Location: New England
- Contact:
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I strongly recommend that people check out Nomura's Stake Out -- possibly his best film (along with Zero Focus). Too bad they didn't include Yoji Yamada's Flag (Banner?) in the Fog (Mist) (Kiri no hate) -- based on another novel by Seiicho Matsumoto (whose stories were the source for many of Nomura's best films).
- yoloswegmaster
- Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:57 pm
- Shrew
- The Untamed One
- Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:22 am
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
March Criterion Channel Titles
Some interesting stuff, but most notable to me: Ann Hui's Boat People!
Some interesting stuff, but most notable to me: Ann Hui's Boat People!
- willoneill
- Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:10 am
- Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
My favorite part of the Criterion Channel is all of the great Canadian content that's never accessible to Canadians.
- therewillbeblus
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
The Black Westerns program sounds interesting. Someone in mid-March should report back here if Hail the Conquering Hero opens with a Criterion logo
- chatterjees
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:08 pm
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact:
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
5 films by Bimal Roy - Do bigha zamin (1953), Devdas (1955), Madhumati (1958), Sujata (1960), and Bandini (1963) - what are the chances of these getting physical media releases? has a surprising inclusion of a film on their channel ever got translated into a physical media release before? Do we have any example? A box set may be asking too much but I would kill for a Do bigha zamin blu-ray.
- Blutarsky
- Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:09 pm
Re: The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion
I am most excited for A New Leaf. I am hoping since May did supervise Mikey and Nicky two years ago her preferred version will see the light of day on Criterion.
- senseabove
- Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am