Sunday, November 26, 2023
Okay, okay, I admit it
I received an unusually generous check from some ones (yes, more than one person) near and dear for my birthday and I went a little nuts with discs. You'll notice, as well, although there are Criterions in the lot, because of the B&N sale, not all my acquisitions are Criterions, nor were they all movies I have on my ever expanding list of movies I'd like to add to my collection. I check prices on these things and buy where it's cheapest. As you know, there are lots of avenues for price comparison besides Amazon.
You see, that's the problem when you really love movies. We humans haven't stopped making movies or putting them out as physical media (discs and such), so my list, no matter how many items on it I acquire and eliminate from that list, continues to expand.
I know, everyone's a bit crazy, lately, stirring up the idea that physical media that one can collect within one's own home is going the way of the dodo bird in favor of streaming subscriptions. Our Oligarchic Overlords probably wish this were true, probably dream of it being true, "what a wonderful world it would be" (for the Oligarchs), but I'm telling you, people, anyone who has even a meager collection of physical media (and that's a lot of people, Virginia, a-lot-a-lot) isn't going to be easily seduced into subscribing to streaming services. The thing is, if you can pay for a movie or a TV series or a documentary once and watch it for the rest of your life whenever you want without ever paying for it again, why would you belong to a subscription service that's going to pick your pocket ever year or so for that same product and make it so hard to unsubscribe that you'll wish you'd never started watching movies? Why would you, as well, let some other entity besides yourself decide whether and when a particular product is going to be made available to you, or how that product is going to be delivered? Need I mention the recent fiasco (second paragraph of the section to which I've linked) over the questionable "amelioration" of content in The French Connection?
You wouldn't. I won't. And, that's that.
You see, that's the problem when you really love movies. We humans haven't stopped making movies or putting them out as physical media (discs and such), so my list, no matter how many items on it I acquire and eliminate from that list, continues to expand.
I know, everyone's a bit crazy, lately, stirring up the idea that physical media that one can collect within one's own home is going the way of the dodo bird in favor of streaming subscriptions. Our Oligarchic Overlords probably wish this were true, probably dream of it being true, "what a wonderful world it would be" (for the Oligarchs), but I'm telling you, people, anyone who has even a meager collection of physical media (and that's a lot of people, Virginia, a-lot-a-lot) isn't going to be easily seduced into subscribing to streaming services. The thing is, if you can pay for a movie or a TV series or a documentary once and watch it for the rest of your life whenever you want without ever paying for it again, why would you belong to a subscription service that's going to pick your pocket ever year or so for that same product and make it so hard to unsubscribe that you'll wish you'd never started watching movies? Why would you, as well, let some other entity besides yourself decide whether and when a particular product is going to be made available to you, or how that product is going to be delivered? Need I mention the recent fiasco (second paragraph of the section to which I've linked) over the questionable "amelioration" of content in The French Connection?
You wouldn't. I won't. And, that's that.
4 by Agnès Varda
- Commentary: Under construction.
- La Pointe Courte
Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Philippe Noiret Lui Silvia Monfort Elle Marcel Jouet Raphäel Scotto Albert Lubrano Albert Soldino Albert Soldino Anna Soldino André Lubrano Dédé Soldino Rossette Lubrano La femme d'Albert
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1955 - Cléo from 5 to 7
Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Corinne Marchand Florence 'Cléo' Victoire Antoine Bourseiller Antoine Dominique Davray Angèle Dorothée Blanck Dorothée Michel Legrand Bob, le pianiste José Luis de Vilallonga José Loye Payen Irma Renée Duchateau Hat Vendor Renée Duchateau Taxi Driver Serge Korber Maurice Robert Postec Dr. Valineau Jean-Luc Godard Silent Film Actor
One of Roger Ebert's Great Movies.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1962 - Le Bonheur
Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jean-Claude Drouot François Chevalier Marie-France Boyer Émilie Savignard Claire Drouot Thérèse Chevalier Olivier Drouot Pierrot Chevalier Sandrine Drouot Gisou Chevalier Marcelle Faure-Bertin Marc Eyraud J. Forestier Paul Vecchiali Paul
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1965 - Vagabond
Commentary: Under construction.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sandrine Bonnaire Mona Bergeron Macha Méril Mme Landier Yolande Moreau Yolande Stéphane Freiss Jean-Pierre Setti Ramdane Assoun Francis Balchère Police Jean-Louis Perletti Police Urbain Causse Farmer Christophe Alcazar Farmer Joël Fosse Paulo Patrick Schmit Truck Driver Daniel Bos Demolition Worker
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 1985
Wikipedia doesn't have a write-up of this film series. I've included the Wikipedia links for the individual movies in their write-ups, above. As well, here is the Criterion presentation of this film set which includes mini-descriptions of each film.
Release Date of the set: 2008
The director of each of the above films is, of course, Agnès Varda.
Labels: Criterion7
