Reposting because, for some reason, it was taken down the first time

Everyone’s talking about the Kubrick Collection… Meanwhile, my preorder has arrived.

I've held off buying any of the Eclipse line because I always held out hope they'd get Blu-ray upgrades someday. And that day is finally here! But the first movie I'll watch will definitely be The Princess Bride in honor of Rob Reiner and to check out the book packaging. Been wanting that one for a while.

All the Eclipses are blind buys, and the only reason I got them was the the Blu-ray upgrade, especially the Carlos Saura set which I'm very glad is back on print.

I had hoped to pick up the Kubrick set but maybe I dodged a bullet with all the packaging complaints I keep hearing about. If they're gonna keep doing this fancy packaging, they need proper disc holders. Stop with the cardboard sleeves.

I ordered the cases on Amazon but now I have 7 extra. I would offer to share them but this sub won’t allow such things.

My humble criterion collection that I have built up over 5ish years (i know, not a lot for that amount of time). Would love some recs based on what I already have!

1. First move to watch = “The Wages of Fear”

2. Tati set had been on my wish list for a while, along with Wings of Desire.

3. “Sorcerer” was a blind buy though been high on my watchlist for some time now.

4. Hoping to add Midnight Cowboy 4k release early next year.

I absolutely love when art reuses other pieces of art in their own way. That's why I love stuff like collage art and sampling. One of my favorites as a concept is 24 Hour Psycho by Douglas Gordon, where he takes Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock and extends it to play over 24 hours

Super nice guy, promoting his new photography book at the Leica soho store, but it was just him and a table. If you didn’t want to buy the book (I did buy it) he had free postcards to sign. Took time chatting with everyone. Wall-E is one of my favorite movie of all time and I asked if he had the criterion in which he said “I’m very proud of it, one of my best achievements, I own all the copies of this film.”

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First thing to watch is Harlan County USA.

I've been looking to acquire this film. I'm excited to finally own it, and in 4k.

It's not a blind buy, but I've only seen it once.

I should have pulled the trigger on Festival by Murray Lerner on Blu-Ray. I regret not getting it, I hope to get that next.

Okay so not the haul itself, but I’m going to have spider nightmares for a week.

I only got two movies, and it being Halloween I thought “oh hey I’ll get some creepy fun movies.” So I got Kuroneko because so many of you recommended it. And then I got The Incredible Shrinking Man (TISM). Both blind buys cause I do swing that way.

I thought TISM would be a fun sci fi romp with some not so gently place social commentary, along the lines of Them!, and of other similar movies from the era. That was my first mistake. I decided to watch it tonight, as the weather here is proper cozy for a Halloween movie, and I allowed myself to sink into the film, only vaguely knowing of the horrors that lay ahead. My second mistake.

When Scott begins to shrink, I was first really impressed with the innovation and the camera work, and how the special effects and camera angles really sold every aspect of the film. I long ago learned to not discount older movies, and yet I never thought of the horror to come. I let my guard down.

The cat scene was tense, but fun, and Scott climbing up the wooden crate was a masterwork in creating a harrowing scene with few set pieces, a great actor, and killer music. This was everything I wanted out of a film—prescient, masterfully executed, and just plain fun.

And then the spider showed up.

I vaguely knew that there was a spider. You can’t sneeze for finding pics online when googling the movie. As a recovering arachnophobe, I thought this movie might help, idk, through exposure therapy or some shit. The only thing that got exposed though was my primal fear of our murderous-yet-highly-crucial eight-legged friends. I pride myself on rarely getting scared in movies. The Shining is my cozy comfort winter watch. The Exorcist makes me crave pea soup.

How far we fall from the tower of arrogance.

I screamed. Several times. Had I been watching with someone, I would have clung to them. While the movie ended with Scott waxing poetic I merely stared dead-eyed at the screen, heart feebly attempting to restart itself (it didn’t work I’m actually a ghost typing this). Congrats to criterion for putting out a stellar edition of the first movie to traumatize me since The Fox and the Hound.

I have been humbled by TISM. Anyway, fantastic movie, anyone else watch it/enjoy it? Anyone else happen to get this or Kuroneko during the sale?

TLDR; tax-paying adult in his mid-30’s scared silly by a 70-year old movie. Highly recommended, 10/10.

Never seen it before but worth a shot for $5!

As my flash sale orders start coming in I thought I’d share one that I recently upgraded. This is Spinal Tap was one of the first DVDs I ever bought, and the third Criterion disc I picked up (the first was RoboCop and second was Silence of the Lambs). I originally bought it in January 1999 (27 years ago!) Super happy to have this in 4K now!

First watch is likely Beast of No Nation. The lady friend has never seen it (or anything else for that matter) and it seems like it would be up her alley. We’re both Idris Elba fans, me ever since season one of The Wire aired, her after I showed her The Wire a couple years ago and subsequently discovering Elba is a swiftie (I know lol).

Like most, I was anticipating the release of the Kubrick set since the announcement. Since I started collecting I knew I needed to own his entire filmography in 4k.

Coup De Torchon is a blind buy. Any neo-noir with a decent reputation is a much watch for me. Add in descriptors like dark, nasty,existential I am all in.

On my want list for the near future:

- Wild At Heart
- The Grifters
- Deliverance!
- Christiane F.
- Nashville

1. First movie to watch is 'Night Train to Munich'. (Currently watching as I post this.)

2. The Big Chill has been on my Wishlist for a while.

3. All are blind buys except for The Big Chill.

4. Plan to get 4k upgrades with Barnes & Noble sale next month. As well as her new releases.

Think I’ll regret it and a 4K set will be announced soon after? Cassavetes films are a little rough around the edges. I question how much a 4K restoration would improve things. Thoughts?

1. Barry Lyndon, never seen it and I love Kubrick.

2. Been looking forward to getting 8 1/2 since seeing it for the first time a year ago

3. Barry Lyndon is a blind buy, I know I’ll love it though

4. Next sale I’m looking to add some more modern films. Possible “About Dry Grasses” or maybe “Wall-E”

So happy with the purchase, I wasn’t able to buy last time. I have yet to see Barry Lyndon and outside of a theatre viewing I can’t think of a better first experience with it.

1. Honestly idk, probably It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

2. Rebecca

3. Yes, they all are

4. Le Cercle Rouge but it was out of stock

This is everything I got using my $50 codes I had saved up. Still waiting for my other order to ship but you know…. Kubrick.

1. ⁠Gonna watch Blow Out first. Need a juicy thriller

2. ⁠I’ve been eyeballing the trilogy of life for a while now

3. ⁠Safe, I’ve heard it’s amazingly haunting and I’m big into films that discuss situations like the aids crisis

4. I’ve got another 8 including the Stanley Kubrick set coming so I’ll post again

1)Columbine.

2)Slacker and columbine.

3)Hood trilogy. Well presented and collect criterion trilogies.

4)Kubrick and Wim Wenders Road Trilogy.

Could only afford the one for the flash sale. I took a course on literary adaptations in grad school and was required to both read and watch The Dead. Both the short story and the movie are hauntingly beautiful and worth the read/watch.

Election, Anora, After Hours, and The Game

I’m most excited to own SHOAH. I know it will be a moving experience and I’m ready to have deep feels and let it out.
I love David Bowie and so I’m also happy about Christiane F. (before there was Trainspotting).
Walker was a blind purchase, but I read about the whole production and it seems like an often overlooked film.
The first watch however, is gonna be The Damned.
Cheers.

So I've been thinking of realistic ideas for future Criterion boxsets. Yesterday, I did a post of a Paul Verhoeven Dutch boxset. Today, I'm focusing on a Bob Fosse boxset. Considering Bob Fosse only directed 5 movies, perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to get a collection together but there are two hurdles to getting it done.

• Sweet Charity (1969) is currently licensed to Kino Lorber. However, maybe a deal can be struck since Kino Lorber is listed as a licensee for the Kubrick boxset so there is somewhat of a relationship there.
• Disney owns the rights to All That Jazz (1979) via Fox and so far, the only Fox movies to be upgraded in the collection in 4K are the Wes Anderson titles. So maybe Criterion would have to twist Disney's arm to relicense it.

The collection would include all of Bob Fosse's work as a director including:

• Sweet Charity (1969)
• Cabaret (1972)
• Lenny (1974)
• All That Jazz (1979)
• Star 80 (1983)

I’ve seen some releases get DVD,4K, and Blu Ray. Why do they release only a few titles on DVD? Do you buy any of them and how is the quality?

Rififi will be the first watch, have plans for it in November. Have seen No Country and Memories of Murder but the rest are blind buys. The blind buys are all part of movie syllabi I have planned for the next few years and felt significant enough to pick up. Missed out on the Kubrick set but got plenty to keep me occupied until the next sale.