Worst film Criterion Has put out
I don’t think Schizopolis is one of the worst films on criterion. It’s an edgy experiment that to me shows the real ambition of Soderberg
I think we’re about to see it with Homicide. Absolutely no reason for inclusion in the collection. I think it’s Mamet’s worst as a director (and yes, I found State & Main to be at least enjoyable). A banal thriller with delusions of grandeur.
Robert – please don’t take this the wrong way buddy – I mean this only as a way to better familiarize you with the search box function. I just saw this thread and wanted to point it out in the event you were not aware of the capabilities of the search box. Just enter a topic and you’ll see if anything on the subject have previously been made. In this case – http://www.theauteurs.com/topics/260/comments would have shown. I see you are relatively new to the site and I too at first was anxious to engage new topics for discussion, however before starting a new thread it would be apreciated if you first use the search box to see if one on the same topic has already been generated. Please don’t get me wrong Robert, I welcome you to the site and am glad to see you wanting to share your opinions. This is only meant to inform you and hopefully keep the number of duplicate threads to a minimum. It’s truely a wondeful site and in time I think will become the definitive place for film discussion.
And come on, Taste of Cherry and Schizopolis are your picks for the worst films on Criterion Collection? While these are not my favorite films they are at least original and rare without Criterion, how about all the mainstream films that already get released by the biggest studios in Ameirca? I love Wes Anderson, but he doesn’t need Criterion to release his works, Michael Bay’s trash, Robocop, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- none of these were necessary titles for Criterion, they would still have just as many fans and haters on any format or distributer. I take pride in the Criterion Collection as a source for rare, or original titles that are not as easy accessible as WB, New Line, Focus Features, Dreamworks, Tristar/columbia, etc etc. So even titles that don’t make the cut as your favorite films, make a significant mark on the history of cinema, whether by means of it’s country or use of nothing to make something. I thought Schizopolis was brilliant, not a magnificent film, but a great glimpse at the nothingness we speeak so fluently.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button——Why not any other film from David Fincher? Even Alien 3 would have been better!
Contenders :
This Is Spinal Tap
RoboCop
Time Bandits
Armageddon
Monty Python’s Life of Brian
Dazed and Confused
My pick : The Lady Vanishes
Woah! This is Spinal Tap and Dazed and Confused both completely belong here. This is Spinal Tap, while being one of the first films of its kind, was a completely enthralling experience with fantastic performances; it has really set the bar for other mockumentaries out there.
Also, Dazed and Confused, while not being so big when it came out, has become a cultural phenomenon. If not that, then at least the film is deservedly well-made; it is one of the only films I’ve ever seen to completely immerse me into its time period, to feel like it was literally shot on the day that the film takes place. It takes an impressive amount of work for me to feel that way.
Also, Linklater is an absolutely masterful filmmaker, and, while I feel as though Dazed and Confused is not his best, or even his second best (Waking Life, Tape, and Before Sunset are better), I still find the film completely and utterly a film worth watching, and worth having in the Criterion Collection.
To be completely honest, other than, perhaps, Armageddon, I can’t find a film that I’ve seen that has absolutely no worth in the Criterion collection. Even ones that I wasn’t so fond of, such as Juliet of the Spirits, I still understood why it was brought in (because Fellini rocks, and it is an important film using backwards psychology).
Savvy
Robert
I didnt know if this thread already existed but i thought it would be different than the hundreds of best criterion or what deserves to be criterion, so with the exclusion of Micheal bay and Kevin smith what are the worst films criterion has put out and i say that with complete love for criterion
Taste of Cherry
Schizopolis