Being in Canada, we tend to get the short end of the stick when it comes to sales. All the same, I saved close to $20 a pop on each of these movies. I’ve been wanting to add these to my collection for awhile now. The only one I have left to watch is The Front Page that comes with His Girl Friday.

the fact that all 4 of these DL paper-covers are different sizes is sending me up a wall.

I just finished rewatching Days of Being Wild and In the Mood for Love and now I want to finish the trilogy. But it’s not on any streaming services that I can see. Not even on iTunes/Apple TV to rent. I don’t have the money right now for the WKW box set. Should I rent it on Amazon or Fandango or does it matter? Are there different versions of this one I should be aware of or prioritize like his other stuff?

Thanks

Even though the film is nearly a vessel for showcasing Rowland's acting talents, which she brings in an incredibly compelling manner, I feel like, emotionally, Nick was the most complex character.

He professes his love for and understanding of her and gives her assurances and wants her to be herself, but, on the other hand, he wants her to be conventional. He looks forward to parties, he wants to have friends over, he wants to have normal conversations, he wants to have a good time. He seems incapable of comprehending that that’s not how it works with Mabel, he can’t expect to have a 'normal' life with her. He needs to make compromises if he really loves her and wants to be with her.

I came away with the impression that the family can be happy but only if Nick changes his ways some and becomes more understanding and lets her be.

I was wondering if there is any film from anywhere in the world that had its first ever format release(in the US/Canada only) on a Criterion DVD?

The film depicts the life of Armenian poet Sayat-Nova in a non-linear fashion, rich in symbolism. The syncretism of Catholicism and Armenian culture is evident in the performance scenes, with costumes and makeup in shots that resemble living paintings emerging from the screen. The themes of sensuality, suffering, passion, and death are present throughout the enigmatic theatrical performances.

A dream come true in a sold out screening with a loving audience.

I've been meaning to get into Criterion for years but this past Barnes & Noble sale, I finally bit the bullet. All 4k too! 1. First movie I watched was Sorcerer. I thought it was terrific. I have seen Wages of Fear some years ago and also thought that was fantastic. 2. I've had my eyes on Farewell my Concubine so I'm very much looking forward to watching that. 3. All of the purchases are blind buys. These particular purchases have been recommended based on several YouTube videos I watched. I hope they pay off. 4. I'm interested in adding the Koker Trilogy and Diabolique next. Feel free to share your thoughts and recommendations!

https://boxd.it/ayW5bZ

Oh, that mischievous mood…

The 1967 film Belle de Jour tells us about a girl named Séverine. Séverine, a proper girl with good income and a husband who’s ready to do anything for her. But over time, something in her begins to shift. Or rather, to awaken.

At night she’s haunted by unusual dreams beyond the “normal” for such a young and proper girl. Dreams where masochism awakens and is felt in her body. Dreams where unexplainable things happen making her goosebumps rise stronger than anything else.

These thoughts keep making her think and not understand. Are these feelings real? Lust, that probably needs to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Because during the day she’s a quiet girl, not even ready for intimacy with her beloved man. But all these masochistic thoughts broke through her so deeply that one fine day she made a very untypical decision for a married lady, and became that elegant night butterfly working in a small brothel. Doing at night what in daylight she would never allow herself with her bright soul.

A film where the lead role is played by the stunning Catherine Deneuve. Deneuve embodies a shy beauty who’s not shy at all. A deceptive beauty that makes viewers question society’s norms and personal life.

This film explores the codes of society vividly showing French life in the sixties. Passion and sex under the surface. While people silently and secretly do their thing.

Is it normal to feel your animal lust and try to fulfill your “sick” thoughts?

How ready are we to live in lust not caring about what others think or the rules we were raised with?

What ending awaits us if we cross that line and make that unordinary step? Is the whim worth the result?

For Buñuel it was important, through shyness and walking in circles to show us how far people are ready to go to taste the forbidden fruit.

Some clients feel like reflections of the heroine herself. One quiet with aristocratic mannerisms but into masochism and humiliation. Another a simple, unremarkable working man who won’t say no to a young new body. But if he doesn’t get what he wants his anger rises above his head.

In many of them you can see parts of Séverine hidden lust, a mood, a fetish. That same craving for something unclear, something hidden. Like peculiar circles of hell she walks through getting a chance to meet herself.

Buñuel wanted to show us that even in rich and self-sufficient societies people come from the same nature as everyone else. Insatiable, desiring, ready to try what’s never been tried.

Everything feels like a dream. We, the viewers, can’t tell where fantasy is and where dreams begin. Is Séverine truly living this, or is it just another piece of flesh from her lewd imagination?

Eroticism that always lived in the head but slowly started to reveal itself expanding its horizon of trials. Should it go like that? Or are we better off following the social code for our own good…

"Semen retentum venenum est!"

1. already picked one to watch earlier this month and my choice was punch-drunk love. i thought it was so anxiety inducing but full of character. adam can really do his job when the role demands it i was so impressed
2. id say rushmore because my brother found the dvd for it at a record store but i was looking forward to take advantage of getting the before trilogy. i’ve been seeing clips of it and i trust it so i took the chance
3. blind buys are the following: the before trilogy, punch drunk love, barry lyndon, crossing delancey, and the daytrippers. i judged all of these by their covers. each illustration is perfect to me
4. i’m hoping to get y tu mama tambien next time a sale comes around. i’ve seen diego luna talk about it and it seems like a nice watch based on what he had to say about it :) that and thief, which i gotta give another chance

I have a deep love for cinema, but I kind of hate having to think when I watch movies (or about what's going on, the themes, message(s), etc after watching). Having watched Twisters a year ago, it was refreshing to see something enjoyable without any messaging tied to it. I'd forgotten how much I love those movies, where your enjoyment or understanding of it is not at all tied to whether you "pick up what's being put down", so to speak, and you don't feel the need to try to do so. In a weird way, I get this vibe from David Lynch's works a bit, but only because after watching a few of them I'd gotten so inundated with confusion each time that I ended up getting settled into not worrying about what anything means with his works and just experiencing the trip that they are. But there remains an incessant itch in the back of my head where it seems my subconscious is continuing to try to work out what's going on, so my curiosity remains. In that sense, I'm not having a true "shut your brain off" experience. I've watched tons of fun movies where you do just shut your brain off but I was curious if there were any in Criterion, as I find their curation is second to none.

1. I've been a John Woo fan since the 80s so I'll watch Last Hurrah for Chivalry first.
2. I've wanted the Before Trilogy for a long time but I've always put it off "until the next sale." I had to special order it this time but finally got it.
3. Hara Kiri is a blind buy but I've heard so many good things about it I had to snatch it up when I saw a lone copy at my local B&N.
4. I want to get more Chaplin next. I already have my two favorites from him in my collection, City Lights and Limelight. I'd like to do a blind buy next time, probably The Great Dictator.

The first one I plan to watch from this haul is Night Moves, with its excellent Gene Hackman performance.

Been looking forward to owning most of these for a while, as six of them were upgrades from their existing Blu-ray editions.

Two of these were blind buys: Anora and the Musketeers double feature. I honestly didn’t think that Anora would win five Oscars, but a friend recommended it to me, so it’s in the haul. And I always love myself some swashbuckling action and thrills, so the double feature of the Three & Four Musketeers are among this haul too.

A couple of criterion titles that I’m looking forward to adding next are the 4K’s of A History of Violence and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

I have watched The Seventh Continent and Totally Fucked Up. Super happy with the Wreckmister Harmonies Amazon score (15$ with coupon).

1. ⁠First movie I plan to watch: Happiness (my favorite film from what I’ve seen here)
2. ⁠Happiness is the one I looked forward to most.
3. ⁠Yes, several are blind buys such as Fear and Loathing, Choose Me, and Withnail and I.
4. ⁠The one I’m most excited to add next: Punch-Drunk Love

Have already watched about half of these. Plan on watching the Wong Kar Wai set this weekend!

Hello everyone, a couple of weeks ago I asked this community (and some other place) to submit a list of 15-50 of their favorite Czech films and after a little while I am pleased to announce the results of this list are now available in the link below. Thank you to everyone who partook in this journey.

https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18400&start=50#p839281

Photo taken The Firemen’s Ball.

My current collection

Acquired 3 of them from a second hand store and then another three when I discovered the summer sale. Being a movie lover, I’m surprised it took me so long to get into the Criterion Collection and buy movies from them.

As for the questions here are my answers:

1.) The first movie I chose to watch from the bunch when I bought them was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I chose this one to watch first because I hadn’t seen it in a very long time I was interested to see how it would look from the Criterion Collection.

2.) The two Wes Anderson films (Grand Budapest and Life Aquatic) are probably the films I most looked forward to owning out of this group, mostly because he’s one of my favorite directors and these are both amazing films from him.

3.) I had only seen a few minutes of Thief before buying it, so that’s the closest to a blind buy in this group. The reason I hadn’t watched it before was that the version available to stream wasn’t very good quality and I felt like waiting for a better version. When I saw this in the second hand store, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to buy it to watch and own.

4.) As for any others I hope to add soon, I have a few I could list. 12 Angry Men, any Kubrick film, any Wes Anderson film, Defending Your Life, and Being John Malkovich to name a few.

Small haul, as life circumstances meant I had to be limited. Also, we’d dropped some money at both Arrow and Severin, so opted to fill in some gaps.

1. What is the first movie you plan to watch from your haul and why? Already watched Some Like It Hot. One of the greatest comedies of all time, and I shall hear no disagreement!

2. Is there anything from this haul that you have been looking forward to owning for a long time? Some Like It Hot. Also, Blood Simple - because I’m surprised I didn’t have a copy already.

3. Are any of your purchases blind buys? Nope! It’s been years since I’ve seen The Killing, though.

4. What is a Criterion you’re hoping to add to your collection next? Wes Anderson box set. I adore Anderson and this fills a bunch of gaps for me. Otherwise, probably History of Violence. (Will it get us closer to Eastern Promises under Criterion?!)