Posts Tagged ‘Criterion’

Blu-ray Review: The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 9 April, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

Blu-ray Review: The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

It is quite often said by most science teachers in the English-speaking world that “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” While it tends not to be muttered as often as another expression that frequently finds itself inserted into the occasional conversation — “When one door closes, another door opens” — both sayings tend to apply in almost every aspect of reality as well as fiction. Take, for example, when somebody makes a powerful artistic motion picture that succeeds in captivating the minds of its viewers worldwide. It is both an action as well as the closing of a door; signifying that nobody can quite compete to this marvel of achievement. (more…)

Pier Paolo Pasolni’s Trilogy of Life: Criterion Collection DVD Review: Make Mine Bunuel

Posted: 2 April, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

Pier Paolo Pasolni’s Trilogy of Life: Criterion Collection DVD Review: Make Mine Bunuel

As one of those individuals that became the slightly pretentious artsy-fartsy feller during his teenage years whilst growing up in a small town, I frequently made trips to video stores (or at least ordered random titles from grey market mail-in video distributors) in search of something that I surely thought would add a little culture to my mundane, tormented existence. It was through these actions that I transitioned from one phase to another – discovering and subsequently learning to appreciate the work of oft-renowned filmmakers such as French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard, the stylish bullet ballet work of Hong Kong’s John Woo, and the gory Italian splatter flicks of one Lucio Fulci. Read the rest of this entry »

DVD Review: Purple Noon – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 19 March, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

DVD Review: Purple Noon – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as DVD Review: Purple Noon – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

Those of you who have only ever seen Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley may not be entirely aware of this, but Patricia Highsmith’s titular character, Tom Ripley, has been portrayed on several other occasions throughout the years by completely different (not to mention different looking) actors. Well, some of them have been actors. Apart from Damon, there were three other contestants in this unofficial race — including Dennis Hopper, John Malkovich, and, uh, Barry Pepper. Now, while each performer possessed his own unique grasp of the fictional fellow (well, two of ‘em, perhaps), the possibility of an intense argument has the potential to exist between several really drunk and heavy non-science fiction/fantasy/horror movie geeks as to which one of the aforementioned four were the least talented Mr. Ripley. (more…)

DVD Review: Ministry of Fear – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 18 March, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

DVD Review: Ministry of Fear – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as DVD Review: Ministry of Fear – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

When the decade most cultures refer to as the 1940s came around on good ol’ Planet Earth, the entire world had been affected by World War II. Trust wasn’t as easily granted unto others as it might have been only a few years before — especially to those with peculiar accents or whose methods seemed somewhat shifty in nature. It was during this dark period in history that filmmakers in Hollywood began to experiment with what would become a classic, much-revered genre in cinema: the film noir. Interestingly enough, most of the elements instilled into these shadowy thrillers were borrowed from the German Expressionist Cinema movement from several decades prior; specifically, the work of Austrian-born German filmmaker, Fritz Lang. (more…)

DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 17 March, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as DVD Review: The Qatsi Trilogy – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

Since the demise of the Silent Film in the final year of the 1920s, few filmmakers have dared to make a feature-length movie sans the element of sound. Sure, there have been numerable short subjects manufactured by up-and-coming students and/or individuals experimenting with the whole $film as art” process. There have even been homages to the Silent Era in both dramatic (such as Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist) and comical aspects (Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie comes instantly to mind), but most of those entries into the annals of cinema rarely remove themselves from doing little more than showing their respect for the long-gone era prior to those darned “talkies.” (more…)

Two-Lane Blacktop: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Monte Hellman’s Masterpiece

Posted: 30 January, 2013 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

Two-Lane Blacktop: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Monte Hellman’s Masterpiece

As anyone who has ever experienced a truly awkward moment of puberty is well aware, growing up is an inevitable part of life. However, in most cases, we do not simply jump from Point A to Point Z — there’s usually a learning process involved that teaches us the rest of the alphabet of maturity. Valuable skills are developed upon the way — wherein we (are supposed to) learn how to interact with the rest of humanity and how to function as the relatively-sane human beings our parents probably had hoped for in the process. And then there those of us who take a wee bit longer to bloom. Misfits who truly never master the are of communication. People who were, essentially, born to wander aimlessly — much like the main characters of Monte Hellman’s Two-Lane Blacktop. Read the rest of this entry »

The Game (1997): Criterion Collection DVD Review: Edgy and Uneven, But it Grows on You

Posted: 27 October, 2012 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

The Game (1997): Criterion Collection DVD Review: Edgy and Uneven, But it Grows on You

There’s nothing taking time out of your everyday boring routine to play a fun game with your friends. In the case of completely unlikable investment banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), his venture into The Game is not one he is too terribly willing to participate in — and his playmates are anything but friendly. When he was a young boy, Nick’s secretly unhappy father committed suicide on his 48th birthday. Now, having just turned 48 himself, Van Orton is just as miserable as his deceased father to anyone with half an eye. So, his young, reckless brother Conrad (Sean Penn) gives him a gift: a certificate for a game that is guaranteed to change his life. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

Les Visiteurs du Soir: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Medieval Tale of Love and Fate

Posted: 24 October, 2012 in Movies/TV
Tags: , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

Les Visiteurs du Soir: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Medieval Tale of Love and Fate

In late 1942, when the surreal French fantasy Les Visiteurs du Soir was first released in good ol’ gai Paris, the capital City of Lights was anything but happy. In fact, it was occupied by those ol’ no-good Nazis — and the prospect of freedom was but a farfetched dream for some. Thus, the very premise of the film — wherein two of the Devil’s emissaries are sent to an otherwise happy castle in 1485 to bring about despair to all — was something of a believable concept to those who were forcefully living within the Hellish confines of Hitler’s conquered empire. Of course, even the disciples of the Devil had more scruples than the militia of a madman. [Read the rest at Cinema Sentries.]

*Blu-ray Review* Le Havre – The Criterion Collection

Posted: 11 October, 2012 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0
alt=

Order Now!

Blu-ray Review: Le Havre – The Criterion Collection

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Le Havre – The Criterion Collection on Blogcritics.

Aki Kaurismäki is not one of those international filmmakers who will ever take mainstream American audiences by storm. Heck, there are published reviews for his avant-garde masterpieces by critics who incorrectly assume he’s Japanese, which should surely serve as a clear indicator as to how much research those who are supposed to be paying attention to films are actually doing. Frankly, though, I’m quite okay with that — as it gives Kaurismäki the opportunity to hold onto that underdog status most foreign filmmaker enjoy prior to the artistic undoing they endure once they — as Kaurismäki would no doubt put it — “Go America.” (more…)

Criterion announces December ’09 titles

Posted: 24 September, 2009 in Movies/TV
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Order now at Amazon.com!

CRITERION ANNOUNCES DECEMBER 2009 TITLES ON DVD & BLU-RAY

GIMME SHELTER,
A CHRISTMAS TALE (2008),
and the mind-boggling
AK100!

This December, Criterion salutes one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Akira Kurosawa, with a special deluxe gift box set commemorating his 100th birthday.  AK 100 , featuring twenty-five masterworks from the most popular and acclaimed Japanese director in history, also includes four rare films that have never been released on DVD, in addition to the unassailable classics: Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, and many more.  The month will also bring the dazzling Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter on Blu-ray, and A Christmas Tale, originally scheduled for release in November, will now be released on both DVD and BD in December.

(more…)

Older Entries