(BETA) DVD Talk Forum

(BETA) DVD Talk Forum (https://beta-forum.dvdtalk.com/)
-   DVD Talk (https://beta-forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk-3/)
-   -   DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread (https://beta-forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk/651109-dvd-talk-criterion-challenge-spine-12-discussion-thread.html)

Travis McClain 08-15-20 11:54 PM

DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
The list thread is now up for this year's Criterion Challenge! I've rewritten the overview and cleaned up some obsolete links. I've slimmed the checklist a little in places by changing things like "First director" to "Director 1", etc. but haven't changed any of the checklist requirements. I've been looking ahead at TCM's September schedule, and there's a lot of eligible content that month, for those who have subscriptions to that channel. Foreign language choices are paltry, but I think you could probably complete 80%+ of the checklist just from their offerings. I'm excited. This has become my favorite challenge of the year.

A new resource I added was a link to a Letterboxd list I've curated of every movie that has been named in any of the monthly calendar schedules posted by Criterion for each month of the Channel since it launched last April. It is not a comprehensive list of everything that has been on the Channel, though, since there was no formal published list of all the permanent titles included at launch in addition to the programmed content. I'll update again when the September, 2020 lineup is announced but as it stands, there are 1699 features and shorts. I tried to recreate it on iCheckMovies but had some problems and then it got deleted and I gave up.

Does anyone have anything to consider tweaking before this goes live in two weeks?

shadokitty 08-16-20 12:03 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I’ll get a lot of use from HBO Max. There are a lot of Criterion on there under the TCM section.

Travis McClain 08-16-20 12:06 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by shadokitty (Post 13789875)
I’ll get a lot of use from HBO Max. There are a lot of Criterion on there under the TCM section.

Ah! I forgot about the Criterion content on HBO Max!

Travis McClain 08-19-20 05:43 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
The November release slate was finally posted yesterday.

11/10 Girlfriends (1978, Claudia Weill)
11/17 Moonstruck (1987, Norman Jewison) [currently streaming on Prime; Hulu]
11/17 Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999, Jim Jarmusch)
11/24 The Irishman (2019, Martin Scorsese) [currently streaming on Netflix]

There will also be a new box set, Essential Fellini, on 11/24. All fourteen of the movies in it have already been issued individually in the Collection.

davidh777 08-20-20 01:26 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
Can we get a mod to rename the list thread as the “list thread”.

I like how the challenge is now numbered by spine. :)

pacaway 08-25-20 12:35 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
Ready and waiting...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/dvdtalk...4aa2ecd96f.jpg

Trevor 08-28-20 09:32 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I sent a report in to get the list thread titled.

Gobear 08-31-20 08:05 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I started off with Der Golem, a German silent I've heard about but had not seen before. Luckily I was able to catch it on the Criterion Channel before it goes away. It looks spectacular, and I can't wait to get the Kino Blu. I was afraid it might be anti-Semitic seeing that is was made in Germany when You Know Who was getting the Nazi Party off the ground, but for the era it is surprisingly sympathetic toward the persecuted Jewish community of medieval Prague.

shadokitty 09-01-20 03:04 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I did a double credit viewing for my first movie. One of my favorites, King Kong (1933).

Shack 09-01-20 07:03 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I started the Challenge with Persona (1966). I really thought I had seen it before, but it was a terrific first view. I had planned a lot of Kurosawa for this month, but will dip into quite a lot of Bergman too. Feels like it’s been that kind of year.

popcorn 09-01-20 02:09 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I'm going to start by cracking plastic on anything I haven't opened yet. First up: Bamboozled and sex, lies, and videotape.

LorenzoL 09-01-20 05:42 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by Gobear (Post 13798290)
I started off with Der Golem, a German silent I've heard about but had not seen before. Luckily I was able to catch it on the Criterion Channel before it goes away. It looks spectacular, and I can't wait to get the Kino Blu. I was afraid it might be anti-Semitic seeing that is was made in Germany when You Know Who was getting the Nazi Party off the ground, but [b]for the era it is surprisingly sympathetic toward the persecuted Jewish community of medieval Prague.]/b]

I watched it last night too before it went away. I'm not sure if it's sympathetic to the Jewish plight since they make the Rabbi looks like a Sorcerer when he was creating the Golem. It left me conflicted that's for sure as I didn't buy it being "Jewish" friendly at all.

Gobear 09-01-20 09:01 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by LorenzoL (Post 13798725)
I watched it last night too before it went away. I'm not sure if it's sympathetic to the Jewish plight since they make the Rabbi looks like a Sorcerer when he was creating the Golem. It left me conflicted that's for sure as I didn't buy it being "Jewish" friendly at all.

Rabbi Loew uses magic to create the golem, but he is definitely a hero in the film, saving his community several times, first from the Emperor's persecution and again when the golem goes on a rampage.

Travis McClain 09-02-20 03:09 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I streamed through that German Expressionism collection a few months ago and found myself similarly conflicted. I was frustrated that Criterion provided no supplements aside from that truncated introductory video because I had a lot of questions. I spent a couple hours online trying to chase down leads after each movie. The Golem: How He Came Into the World was especially vexing.
Spoiler:
It's an old Jewish myth, so it's not something that was invented for the screen. The question is, why put that myth on the screen in Weimar Germany? There's a whole historical thing of Jews being branded as unholy wizards, and Rabbi Loew pretty much is a wizard here, meddling in unholy things. However, he does it to protect his people from the persecution that the film acknowledges was taking place. Moreover, that persecution comes at the hands of the emperor, whose motives are established as unsavory and cruel. And the gentiles at the imperial court are unmistakably horrible human beings, so there isn't a message of superiority in that aspect. But in the end, the message I saw was that the true scandal wasn't that Famulus directed the Golem to murder Florian out of jealousy; it was that Miriam went to bed with Florian, provoking that jealousy. The huge Star of David over the final frames--and over the busted gate of the ghetto--left me with the sense that audiences were meant to be left with the message that the Jewish people would not be contained much longer, and that their big, bad protector would be just as destructive to them, and could be felled by a child.

There's also the matter of the Faustus/Miriam/Florian triangle. The transgression is that the Jewish Miriam and gentile Florian slept together. Faustus sics the Golem on Florian, who kills him brutally. Faustus graciously extends to Miriam his willingness to cover up her sin, agreeing to keep her secret if she submits to be his wife. There is no mention of how he's the one who ordered a hit and has Florian's blood on his hands. What's more is that the film does not avenge Florian. No in-story gentiles seem to even know or care about his death. It certainly isn't the flashpoint for escalating violence. My speculation is that this is because the Weimar audience is expected to feel Florian got what he had coming, for betraying his own kind and sullying himself by sleeping with the Jewish Miriam.


As an aside, one thing that fascinated me that has nothing to do with its actual content is that this movie was made a full century ago...and was a prequel! The Golem was made in 1915, and a comedic short, The Golem and the Dancing Girl, was made in 1917. Both are classified as lost, unfortunately. It's a shame for several reasons, one of which being that seeing them could offer a great deal of insight into the intended messaging of this film. Also, jumping ahead to the end of that same collection, I want to point out that The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) includes the titular villain from Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and police Inspector Lohmann from M (1931), making that a shared universe. And worth noting that Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler was so long that it was broken into two parts for theatrical release, long before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Avengers: Endgame. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.

Travis McClain 09-02-20 03:23 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I started my challenge in the middle of the night with Cries and Whispers. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't do much for me. There are some elements I appreciate (Harriet Andersson desperately clutching for breath; the production design; those costumes) and some things I found intriguing (the theme of estrangement, the characters' relationships), but mostly I felt like Bergman relied too heavily on specific moments. Ingrid Thulin and Liv Ullmann committed fully to their performances, but unfortunately they come off as hammy in places. I don't know if it's because their characters are too thin to support such performances, or if it has to do with how they're shown to us, but I had to suppress a giggle a couple of times and that's exceptionally rare for me. After awhile, it seemed as though Bergman's interest was solely in startling rather than engaging.

I did, however, enjoy and appreciate a 54 minute long interview on the disc conducted by Maria Mowbray of Bergman and Erland Josephson. It's not a fluff piece with softball questions designed to make the venerable icons look good. Mowbray confronts them directly about their legacies of using others and getting away with far more than they deserved. It doesn't feel like an interview so much as a prosecution, and it is fascinating.

Travis McClain 09-03-20 03:37 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I've just updated my Letterboxd list of every movie named in the monthly lineup posts for the Criterion Channel since its launch last April. Anything on this list is eligible for the challenge.

mrcellophane 09-03-20 03:43 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by Travis McClain (Post 13799864)
I've just updated my Letterboxd list of every movie named in the monthly lineup posts for the Criterion Channel since its launch last April. Anything on this list is eligible for the challenge.

Thanks for the great resource! I've noticed that a lot of film distributed by Oscilloscope have either been on or are currently on Criterion Channel. I may need to break out some of the BDs that I recently purchased from one of their sales.

Giles 09-03-20 07:22 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
sorry, sorry - slipping here - just stickied the list

Shack 09-04-20 11:13 AM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by Travis McClain (Post 13799864)
I've just updated my Letterboxd list of every movie named in the monthly lineup posts for the Criterion Channel since its launch last April. Anything on this list is eligible for the challenge.

Thanks so much for this. It's a great reference.

Travis McClain 09-04-20 03:09 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
Heads up! Deep Discount just started a Criterion sale. It's not a universal discount, but it goes up to 45% off.

EDIT TO ADD
Use promo code DEEP10 for an additional 10% off your order.

Credit to this Blu-ray.com forum thread.

davidh777 09-04-20 04:22 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I watched the Before... BD trilogylast year and bought it on digital this summer. I’m watching the first now but darn it, I think I’m going to have to watch the others as well. I thought I might be able to get away with just a taste.

Travis McClain 09-04-20 04:31 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by mrcellophane (Post 13799870)
Thanks for the great resource! I've noticed that a lot of film distributed by Oscilloscope have either been on or are currently on Criterion Channel. I may need to break out some of the BDs that I recently purchased from one of their sales.

I dig that the Channel has been a hub for content from various boutique labels. I've enjoyed some movies enough to track down on disc, and several have come from those other labels, including Oscilloscope's release of The Love Witch. Those kinds of things are what make the Channel as enjoyable as it is for me. Honestly, I've been wondering of late whether maybe it would be worth considering revamping this challenge as a wider Boutique Distributor Challenge. By default, a lot of content is already eligible by way of the Channel. Maybe it would attract more of our fellow forum participants if they saw that stuff from Arrow, Cohen, Kino Lorber, Oscilloscope, Powerhouse, and the now-defunct Twilight Time were also part of what they could be talking about in September. Thoughts?

Fist of Doom Jr 09-04-20 06:12 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
Well, I've watched a movie a day so far: Y tu mamá también, The Squid and the Whale, and Silence of the Lambs. If we add "Watch a film depicting masturbation, complete with fake sperm" to the checklist next year, all these qualify. Just an FYI.

The Third Man is on deck tonight. IIRC there's no self-pleasuring, thankfully.

Travis McClain 09-04-20 07:11 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 

Originally Posted by Fist of Doom Jr (Post 13800394)
Well, I've watched a movie a day so far: Y tu mamá también, The Squid and the Whale, and Silence of the Lambs. If we add "Watch a film depicting masturbation, complete with fake sperm" to the checklist next year, all these qualify. Just an FYI.

The Third Man is on deck tonight. IIRC there's no self-pleasuring, thankfully.

I hear there is in the Snyder cut of The Third Man.

Travis McClain 09-06-20 04:37 PM

Re: DVD Talk Criterion Challenge Spine #12 Discussion Thread
 
I started the Western Noir collection on the Channel a few days ago. I'm more into noirs than westerns, but I like the idea of Westerns even if my like:dislike ratio of specific westerns is lopsided. Blood on the Moon is a fairly routine western episode, though I did enjoy seeing a young Barbara Bel Geddes, whom I know as Miss Ellie. There's something fun about seeing someone you know from their twilight years in their prime. Station West was fantastic, with snappy dialogue; an amazing femme fatale in Jane Greer; and an affable balladeer in Burl Ives. I Shot Jesse James has some interesting themes of masculinity and honor. The relationship dynamics are well crafted. It's solid, but I didn't fall in love with it. The last one I've gotten to is The Walking Hills, which feels like the common ancestor of Reservoir Dogs and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. A group of (mostly) strangers goes off in search of a legendary lost wagon train and its gold, after a young man reports having stumbled across a wheel matching the description of the era in the area where it was last known to have been. Duplicity and machinations spark friction and suspicion. So far, I've had an every - other - one reaction of favoritism, but I did like Blood and Jesse James.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:31 AM.


Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.