What are some good Criterion DVDs to get? (1 Viewer)

[StephenA]

I own the following Criterion:

Chasing Amy
Robocop
Armegeddon
The Rock

What should I add? A couple that I wanna add are Seven Samurai, Brazil, and Traffic. Are these good?

 

[Patrick McCart]

8 1/2!

Notorious is great, too.

 

[Chris Sypal]

t should I add? A couple that I wanna add are Seven Samurai, Brazil, and Traffic. Are these good?

You betcha! About anything of Kurosawa's that put out by Criterion are recommended (especially his more popular titles, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, and Hidden Fortress.) Also recommended are the Wes Anderson/Owen Wilson films, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums (the latter can be found for around $20).

Mot everything the Criterion puts out is highly recommended, but the above are some of the well known.

 

[SteveGon]

Well, which Criterion titles you should buy depends on what kind of movies you like. But since you asked...
The Third Man - One of the all-time great movies, TTM is a witty and stylish film noir featuring a stellar cast that includes Orson Welles. Criterion's edition features an excellent restoration and great extras. Very highly recommended!
Sullivan's Travels - Classic comedy by the great Preston Sturges. Criterion's edition features a nice array of extras and a good-looking transfer.
Rififi - The classic heist flick, nicely restored. A must-see. Criterion's edition features a new and interesting interview with director Jules Dassin.
Do the Right Thing - Spike Lee's classic slice-of-Brooklyn-life movie. A two-disc set with terrific extras.
Those will set you back quite a bit so I'll stop now...

 

[Dan Brodin]

Another vote for:


The Third Man

-Dan

 

[Steve_Ch]

Another vote for Third Man. I have quite a few CCs, from Chasing Amy to Seven Samurai to Brazil.., but the quality of the restored Third Man print simply blew me away, far exceeded my very high expectation. The movie is simply wonderful.

 

[Darrel Johansen]

Why do you specifically want Criterion? Not to be a snob or anything, but the movies you listed are mostly available on non-Criterion labels as well. No argument that usually Criterion make great transfers and some intelligent extras, but, again, your list contains only recent, well-known blockbuster movies. Criterion is known mainly as a company that restores movies of significant film historical value. That is more of a reason to investigate the Criterion catalog. A small list of movies which I appreciate being distributed by Criterion which are a little off the beaten path but which you might enjoy are Walkabout, The Last Wave, Summertime. Another great Kurosawa movie recently released on Criterion is Rashomon.

Besides these there are many, many others that have a much narrower audience. Check my list below and read the description of the Criterion titles I have on DVD, or better yet, search for reviews on the web. the IMDB database has good reviews, and I believe Amazon.com links to their reviews for DVDs they sell, Criterion and others.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Royal Tenenbaums

 

[StephenA]

I asked Darrel, because I'm getting into movies and DVDs very seriously now, and want to know what some good Criterion discs are. I like all different genres and types of movies, including blockbusters and lesser known movies. And since Criterion tends to put out good or great discs of lesser known movies, I wanna know which are good ones to get.

 

[Dean Kousoulas]

Do The Right Thing: Great film, Great Discs

 

[Mark-W]

I keep watching The Third Man over and over,
and the radio dramas on it are an excellent!
Mark

 

[Bill J]

Definitely get Traffic, it is easily one of my favorite Criterions.
I also recommend For All Mankind, which is a personal favorite.

 

[Matt Pelham]

For extras, you can't go wrong with Brazil or Spartacus.

For movie, I would give my highest recommendation for the Third Man.

 

[Darrel Johansen]

Stephen,

Looking at your collection, I see you have Ben Hur. You might also consider the Criterion Spartacus. I don't see too many movies older than about 20 years, but if you liked Citizen Kane, you might also enjoy some of the Hitchcock classics that are on Criterion (and other) labels (Rebecca, The Lady Vanishes). Reaching outside the Criterion, if you like Leon, check out La Femme Nikita and/or Run Lola Run --both great foreign action films non-Criterion. For Criterion style, check out The Vanishing. Fellini has some great titles --Juliet of the Spirits is one on Criterion.

You've got some good current Anime. I like those that you have, and have Metropolis and Blood, The Last Vampire, both excellent anamorphic animation --though not on Criterion.

I saw at least one music DVD. For a little fun, try the Criterion This Is Spinal Tap.

Darrel

 

[Seung Kim]

You can't be wrong with Silence of the Lambs.

 

[Nathan_W]

Sorry to butt in on this, but I was wondering if Armageddon is anamorphic or just letterboxed?

Thanks!

 

[Ryan_TD]

Rolling Stones - Gimmie Shelter
The Last Temptation Of Christ
Traffic
The Rock

 

[Ed Faver]

I have loads of Criterions, both DVDs & LDs. CC remains one of the primary attractions to this hobby for me. My picks include:

The Third Man
Traffic
Rebecca
Notorious
Rushmore
The Royal Tenenbaums (a REAL bargain at $20 retail)
Last Temptation of Christ
My Man Godfrey

and, one of the all-time greats, with a #1 on its CC spine,
Grand Illusion

 

[Nathan_W]

Armageddon is NOT anamorphic

Darn. Thanks Tony.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

another vote for do the right thing and rushmore. and if youre willing to drop ~$80 for one movie at ebay, you cant go wrong with spinal tap.