I had to put the Criterion A Day posts on hiatus until after the site redesign so the main page wasn't flooded with the posts! Once we redesign the site, that feature will return with its own little area.
In the meantime, we still have a lot of amazing Criterion releases out there so we'll do these Criterion Quickies posts regularly to give you some peaks at what Criterion is releasing!
This round we'll check out the new releases of Life During Wartime and Diabolique!
http://www.criterion.com/films/575-diabolique?q=autocomplete
http://www.criterion.com/films/27659-life-during-wartime
We'll start with the french thriller Diabolique. Revolutionary for its time with a shock ending that must have blown the minds of the entire country back then, Diabolique set the stage for many noir like mystery thrillers to come. Flawless direction and brilliant acting make Diabolique a must see release from Criterion. It's not only great as a classic film but it's better than most modern day thrillers.
The story revolves a wife and a mistress conspiring together to deal with their monster of a lover and that is only the beginning. What follows is a maze of twists and turns that will have you guessing until the very end, and even beyond that.
For this blu Criterion gives us a new digital restoration, scene commentary from French-film scholar Kelley Conway, a video introduction from Serge Bromberg, codirector of Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Inferno," a new video interview with novelist and film critic Kim Newman, the original theatrical trailer and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty.
The transfer is wonderful and really gives new life to the film. That and the special features really make for a great watch. I can't really recommend this one enough. It's riveting from the start and has a great little ending to it. Definitely add this one to your shelf.
Pop Culture Beast Rating
10/10
We'll jump to the present day for the next one. Todd Solondz's latest opus, Life During Wartime, is sort of a sequel to his brilliant film Happiness. I use "of sorts" because in this film, he uses the same characters from Happiness, just an entirely different cast. It has the same feel as Happiness, the same use of dark comedy to mask serious subject matter of forgiveness and change. This time around the we have actresses like Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy and Shirley Henderson stepping in and giving absolutely fearless and riveting performances, especially in the case of Allison Janney.
But the stars aren't the only thing shining in this movie. The absolutely gorgeous cinematography of Ed Lachman really takes this film to another level. Some of the shots are just breathtaking, especially with the clarity of blu-ray.
While it is dark at times, like its predecessor, wartime really has some laughs to it. It's a really smart script brought to life by an incredible cast. My only complaint, and the reason this doesn't get 10/10, is the abrupt ending. I feel like another 15 - 20 minutes would be well served to tie everything up.
Look, it's definitely not one for everyone. I don't think any Todd Solondz films are for that matter but if you are a fan, you'll love this one for sure. I really can't wait to see his next movie.
Criterion has again delivered a perfect transfer. The picture is beautiful and the color just jumps from the screen. As far as special features go, we get a few including a new digital transfer, an Audio Q&A with the director, a making-of documentary, interviews with the cinematographer, theatrical trailer and an essay from Film Critic David Sterrit.
All and all a great addition to any fans shelf.
Life During Wartime
Pop Culture Beast rating
9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment