Criterion Film Club: Suggestions and General Discussion

[zedz]

This is a toothsome selection. Heaven Can Wait is weirdly polarizing, and would probably make for good discussion, but we've trod that ground before (I'm one of its boosters). I would love to see some interest taken in Miss Julie, so that gets my vote. Domino and others, if you liked Miss Julie, you should also track down Sjoberg's extremely striking Karin Mansdottir. It's another Strindberg adaptation, but Sjoberg's adaptation of it is even more formally ambitious than Miss Julie.

[Mr Sausage]

Alright, once again we have another vote. The five titles were randomly generated from the whole. This conversation will cover the weeks Dec. 22 - Jan. 6.

Same rules apply.

[Mr Sausage]

Our winner, Miss Julie.

[domino harvey]

If Mailer wins we all lose

[domino harvey]

Mayerling is actually 57% off right now at Amazon, so cheaper than BN and if you're overseas, you'll actually get it

[Mr Sausage]

If Mailer wins we all lose

I'll be absenting myself from that discussion, in the unlikely event it wins.

[Gregory]

I wish I could vote not for Beyond the Law (Mailer Eclipse) but the real Beyond the Law, in which Charlie Sheen goes undercover among a dangerous band of outlaw bikers. My discussion question would be about the ways the film draws from the Aeneid.

[domino harvey]

Two people voted for the Mailer. I demand a witch hunt to ferret out and properly ostracize these interlopers

[jindianajonz]

This is probaly the most lackluster decision we've had- none of the choices really stand out to me.

I picked Quai Des Orfevres, because I do like Clouzot, although this one really didn't have much of an impact on me when I first watched it. I can vividly remember a lot of scenes from Diabolique and Wages of Fear, even though it's been even longer since I saw them, but I can't even remember what this one is about.

Blow Out would probably be my second choice. It's enjoyable and has great use of sound, but I'm not sure I'd have too much to say about it.

Head seems was more interesting for it's premise than anything in the film.

I have no idea what Mayerling is, and with my collectors mindset I'm wary of starting on the essential arthouse line (ducks tomatoes)

It's really odd that there are only four movies to pick from this time around; what's with that?

[Lemmy Caution]

I voted for the Mailer since I just picked up the set last week and it'd be a good reason to get started on it. The only other one I'd be interested in re-watching would be Quai Des Orfevres. I'm amazed Head is in the lead. What a mess that film is.

[swo17]

This is probaly the most lackluster decision we've had- none of the choices really stand out to me.

:-&

I'm not sure what that last emoticon is supposed to signify--it was generated randomly.

[jindianajonz]

Maybe it's time we sell the spunky and loveable random title generator for scrap and upgrade to the coldly efficient yet completely charmless Title-o-matic 6000X

[colinr0380]

I picked Quai Des Orfevres, because I do like Clouzot, although this one really didn't have much of an impact on me when I first watched it. I can vividly remember a lot of scenes from Diabolique and Wages of Fear, even though it's been even longer since I saw them, but I can't even remember what this one is about.

It's kind of a Dostoyevskian 'guilt over a murder' film. It's got my vote as it has been a while since I watched it but I remember being blown away by how effective it was.

If anyone wants a taste, here's an early scene from the film economically showing the evolution of a song from idea to fleshed out performance! I don't know how anyone could forget the gorgeous Suzy Delair and her 'Petite Tra-la-la' performance!

[Matt]

This is probaly the most lackluster decision we've had- none of the choices really stand out to me.

These votes and discussions aren't here to validate narrow tastes, they're here to expand horizons and spark discussion. If you look at a list and have only seen 2 out of 5 (there are, in fact, 5 there. I counted), that should be a prompt for you to take a chance and watch a film you might not normally select for yourself, not an opportunity to criticize the process. Maybe you'll hate the film, but you might come up with something interesting to say about it.

[jindianajonz]

Oh, i don't meant to criticize the process at all- the process has been working great so far (Sorry I doubted you, spunky and loveable random title generator!) I was just stating that while every past vote has had one or two "oh, that'd be fun to watch" reactions from me, this time I don't feel that way. Nothing wrong with the process; it was bound to happen sooner or later, and will surely happen again.

I fully agree that it's a great opportunity to reevalute something I may not have otherwise gone back to, which is why I'm going with the Clouzot- i enjoyed his other films, and Colin's comment is making me even more excited to revisit it.

[Murdoch]

Two people voted for the Mailer. I demand a witch hunt to ferret out and properly ostracize these interlopers

Who wouldn't be tempted to vote for it after the "watch at your own risk" discussion of its objective badness in the Eclipse thread? Also, I'm a sadist.

[matrixschmatrix]

I'd watch any of these- as a bad movie fan, the Mailers are tempting, though not tempting enough actually to vote for or watch without specific impetus. That said, Quai des Orfèvres is amongst the most forgettable Criterion movies I've ever watched, and the main reason I'd be up for watching it again is just to remind myself of what actually happens in it. Blow Out seems like easily the best movie here, and would certainly bear discussion, but it's probably too prominent to need this treatment. Shame that when the system throws up an Eclipse title it's such a lousy one.

[swo17]

Shame that when the system throws up an Eclipse title it's such a lousy one.

Haven't most of these votes included an Eclipse title?

[movielocke]

with 155-ish eclipse titles, you'd expect one to pop up fairly often since they represent about 17% of the eclipse+criterion titles.

[swo17]

Yes, which translates to roughly 61% of all rounds including at least one Eclipse title.

[Mr Sausage]

The documentary vote had two eclipse titles from two different sets, and there has been at least one eclipse in all but maybe two voting rounds.

[matrixschmatrix]

True, I suppose that there just haven't been many that called as strongly as Swo's hand picked one did- which is of course perfectly logical- but also apparently means that I've mentally edited them out.

[Drucker]

We even discussed one (Gremillion!)

[matrixschmatrix]

That was the swo-picked entry I was referring to.

[movielocke]

Yes, which translates to roughly 61% of all rounds including at least one Eclipse title.

which reminds me, there are not enough math oriented films in the criterion collection.