Every so often I'll find one of those YouTube videos that Criterion have showing a well-known film actor or director picking out DVDs from the so-called Criterion Closet. Phelpsian Hero Louis Garrel was one of the first I'd seen in this "series."
What I like best about the Criterion Closet videos is the running commentary the "shopper" provides. Their comments about a given film and what it means to them or when they first saw it. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Many of the films I haven't seen so in addition to it being an interesting way to point out great films, it's a fine sales pitch for Criterion, as well.
Anyone else here enjoy this series? I haven't seen that many, so what are your favorite Criterion Closet entries?
Louis Garrel: ("If you don't take this one [Persona] you're a stupid guy.")
I was not familiar with that series, though I am a fan of Criterion's output. I'm afraid that first guy didn't have too many interesting things to say beyond "My friend worked on this so I should probably take it," "This was recommended to me," and "This movie is fantastique." If I were given access to the Criterion Closet, my tote would definitely look like that second guy's: ripping at the seams.
I was not familiar with that series, though I am a fan of Criterion's output. I'm afraid that first guy didn't have too many interesting things to say beyond "My friend worked on this so I should probably take it," "This was recommended to me," and "This movie is fantastique." If I were given access to the Criterion Closet, my tote would definitely look like that second guy's: ripping at the seams.
Garrel apologizes in advance for his English, so I'd cut him some slack for that; he makes the joke about having a good teacher but not knowing what the Hell happened afterwards. Garrel is a superb actor. I'm looking forward to seeing his performance as Jean-Luc GODARD in the film Redoubtable.
Yeah, I gotta get me one of those Criterion tote bags.
Every so often I'll find one of those YouTube videos that Criterion have showing a well-known film actor or director picking out DVDs from the so-called Criterion Closet. Phelpsian Hero Louis Garrel was one of the first I'd seen in this "series."
What I like best about the Criterion Closet videos is the running commentary the "shopper" provides. Their comments about a given film and what it means to them or when they first saw it. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Many of the films I haven't seen so in addition to it being an interesting way to point out great films, it's a fine sales pitch for Criterion, as well.
Anyone else here enjoy this series? I haven't seen that many, so what are your favorite Criterion Closet entries?
Frankly, I was never thrilled by that format: too anecdotal. Besides, I can't stand young French actors. I prefer the "Three Reasons" format.
Hard to believe there was a time when AMC--then called American Movie Classics--would broadcast BRUTE FORCE with regularity.
God I miss when it was a movie channel.
I guess the change occurred in 2000 or so. The one good thing about the changeover is we got Man Men, though AMC had done a retro-themed TV series well before that, Remember WENN, which I never watched.
AMC once did a TARZAN retrospective, all the films, starting with the silentS, right up to the most recent, hosted by Brendan Frazier, whose latest role at that time was GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE.
A lot of those, such as the ones with Lex Barker, hadn't been shown in years.
Oh how I loved viewing and listening to William Friedkin, stumbling across the 'odd title' on the shelves in that closet. (Has his voice mellowed with age?) Only one title he mentioned I hadn't seen, 'Brute Force', so now I'll have to get it. I was surprised when he came across 'SUNDAY, BLOODY, SUNDAY' and mentioned that it came out the same year and was nominated against his own 'French Connection'. I wanted him to continue to elaborate on the two of those films, but he didn't. Personally, I still think that in every Oscar category SUNDAY was pitted against 'FRENCH CONNECTION', SUNDAY should have won. I wish Friedkin had come across two other films in the Criterion Closet. Bergman's 'CRIES AND WHISPERS' as well as Truffaut's 'DAY FOR NIGHT', both were nominated for various Oscars against his own 'THE EXORCIST' in 1973. I'd like to have heard what he, personally, thought of those film masterpieces.
Barry Levinson. I enjoy his thoughts on every film he discusses.
Agreed. We learn that some American states (here, in the town of Baltimore) don't have the same distribution policy when it comes to 1940's American films.
Agreed. We learn that some American states (here, in the town of Baltimore) don't have the same distribution policy when it comes to 1940's American films.
I've wanted to start a thread about this topic, but this thread is "intimate" enough that it could be discussed here.
I wonder just how widely seen European films were during, say, the 1955-65 period. This also begs the question: What were the "peak years" of American interest in European cinema? Aside from elite critics, I wonder if those interested in jazz, bohemia, modern art, and those tired of the Hollywood offerings flocked to these films in what were perhaps small but enthusiastic numbers. I'm sure the major US cities--take your pick--often had movie houses that showed "world cinema", but it would be interesting to know how this worked back then.
Terry Gilliam looks...mature. Wow. I guess the last thing I ever saw him on was that 1998 Monty Python reunion when he knocked over Graham Chapman's urn.
He chooses the Bergman box and has an anecdote about ol' Ingmar .
I've seen all of these. Very entertaining stuff. My favourite is actually the one with our own Joachim Trier -- he actually bothers to go somewhat in-depth about why the movies he picks out are so great.
It would be awesome if they could get some of the 'movie brats' in there -- Scorsese, De Palma, Coppola, Spielberg, Lucas....but fat chance, I know.
Other directors I would love to see in the cupboard include Lars von Trier, Peter Jackson, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, David Fincher, Tim Burton, Brady Corbet, M. Night Shyamalan, Danny Boyle, Paul W.S. Anderson, Kathryn Bigelow, Andrea Arnold, Christopher Nolan, Paul Verhoeven, Luc Besson, Alex Garland, Ryan Gosling, George Miller, Ulrich Seidl, Michael Haneke, Michael Mann, Ridley Scott, Denis Villeneuve, Cary Fukunaga, Joe Dante, Pablo Larrain, Olivier Assayas, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Paul Greengrass, Mel Gibson, Park Chan-Wook, Juan Antonio Bayona, Maren Ade, Gareth Edward, Rian Johnson, Terrence Malick, Quentin Tarantino (what a great segment THAT would have been!), Roland Emmerich, Zack Snyder, Ron Howard, Pedro Almodovar, Gus van Sant, Luca Guadagnino, Xavier Dolan, Paul Schrader, Peter Bogdanovich, Greta Gerwig, Jean-Luc Godard(!!!), Susanne Bier, Steven Soderbergh, James Gray, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sofia Coppola, Hayao Miyazaki(!!!), Mike Flanagan, Michael Bay, Darren Aronofsky and on and on and on. I just had to stop writing.
