Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu Rays: More of My Favorites

2:59 FISHING WITH JOHN
7:25 THE HOUSEMAID
11:59 STILL WALKING
16:15 12 ANGRY MEN
20:44 YOJIMBO

[@FilmCollectorArchive]

"12 Angry Men" is not only my favorite Criterion film, but one of my top 10 films of all time. An absolute masterpiece!!!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

David Harrington thank you for saying so! Yes, I totally agree with you. It is a masterpiece even outside the context of a “Top Criterions” video. It is an amazing film on so many levels, in terms of content and technique. So much to chew on... and I love how imperfect and characters are, even the Fonda character. It just adds to the vulnerability and suspense of the situation, because, as Juror No. 9 says, “a boy may die.” My next comment is so very trivial, but I always get a kick out of the way the film deals with eyeglasses which becomes such a crucial detail.

[@FilmCollectorArchive]

Daisuke Beppu I think we need to be friends...haha! 😀

[@DaisukeBeppu]

David Harrington if you are on Facebook, send me a private message anytime 👍

[@RiderRated18]

Definitely gonna seek out 12 Angry Men as it’s a movie that’s very high on my “Must Watch” List. There is happily a UK Criterion Blu Ray available so I’ll purchase that one very soon, another solid video Daisuke 👍

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Oh great. 12 Angry Men is a great one, and somewhat complicated in nature. Please let me know what you think about it. You always have a great take on films and so I'd love to hear your view.

[@FrankieBur1]

I've really enjoyed watching your videos, Daisuke. You have an obvious passion for cinema in all of its forms and perspectives. Keep up the good work!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Dear Frank, Thank you so much for your kind words. It is really appreciated. Believe me, it is my pleasure to be able to share this with you. I hope you are well, and best regards to you from Tokyo. Daisuke

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Frank, I apologize for not asking you earlier, but are there any films in the Criterion Collection that you like in particular? If so, perhaps I might be able to feature them in a future video. Please let me know anytime! Take care.

[@FrankieBur1]

Hello Daisuke and thanks for your kind response. Once more, you're videos are tremendous -- so full of passion and insight. So many UTubers who showcase their movie/media collections (Criterion and otherwise), unfortunately, don't really have the insight/passion of a true "cinema lover". Bravo! I've got a view minutes but quickly from the top of my head, some of my very favorite Criterions (blu-ray and DVD . . . I never collected Laser discs . . . in transitioned from VHS to DVD then to Blu-Rays) . . . Seven Samurai (brilliant on so many levels), M (equally brilliant), Wages of Fear (gut-wrenching), Man Bites Dog (what a great satire!) . . . 12 Angry Men, of course, is one of the greatest American movies ever . . . I will go into more depth about my collection (I used to have about 4-5 hundred VHS but gave them away when I was married 11 years ago . . . more details later) that now includes about 3,200 DVD/Blu-Ray and 1k or so CDs . . .I have about 80 percent of all Criterion Blu-Ray/DVDs now . . . It's Barnes and Noble "50 percent off sale" this month so I will make considerable more purchases ...about about 15 in the past two days . . . please forward you e-mail for more in-depth conversation about Criterion and all cinema (I also have large collection of USA and world-wide TV shows/documentaries dating to early 50s). my e-mail: [e-mail]

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you for your great reply, Frank. I really appreciate it. If anything, I wish I were as articulate as other reviewers on KZbin, because I find myself to be very inarticulate. And so reading your comment really put a smile on my face. Thank you so much. Now, as to your comments about your favorite Criterions.... this is really something else! Wow... VHS!! Wow, I would love to hear more about that! And, yes, your list "off the top of your head" is really fantastic. I am particularly impressed with the inclusion of MAN BITES DOG, which is not one that I usually see being mentioned in "favorites" lists... but this is really a shocking and effective satire, so you are right to mention it. I am particularly impressed with the number of titles that you have... my goodness. Yes, the B&N sale is going on right now (it is now early July 2018), and so I know that this is a great time to be a CC fan! I am very jealous because B&N does not have a store in Japan.

[@RareDivers]

Oh man, I absolutely love Hirokazu Kore-edas work! Probably my favorite director ever. Seen all expect for Air Doll and After The Storm. All his early films from Maborosi to Air Doll were released on Blu-ray in Japan finally. Annoyingly though, I just spent a lot getting the original special edition DVDs from Japan barely a year ago. Woops :P After Life is probably my favorite, but Still Walking was a fantastic choice by Criterion. The shot of them on the beach with the grounded ship in the distant background is incredible. Kagemusha was the first Kurosawa film I ever saw. What struck me was the cinematography. The story was quite good, and it had completely had my attention. But shots like the one with the thief in full armor sitting in front of the billowing flag just mesmerized me. It was then that made me want to see more Kurosawa films. I have not seen all, but Throne Of Blood stands out as a favorite so far. Ikiru is an often overlooked masterpiece of his as well. Great video! Excited to see what is next!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Zyrother, my man. Why does it not surprise me at all that you mention AFTER LIFE!! This too has to be one of my absolute favorites of the films of Koreeda. It is really delightful. I remember that I was in university at the time and it had a limited release in the United States. I must have gone to see that film in the theater 5 times. I love the actor Arata in that film, and I love its mix of sentimental love story and faux documentary. It is a really fascinating mix. Also it has Susumu Terajima, an actor who is THE MAN!!! He is so cool and so sensitive. And the actress Erika Oda as the newcomer Shiori is at once naive and highly believable and thus quietly radiant. Yes, KAGEMUSHA! This is an essential one. I think that it works slightly more effectively if one has a general grasp of the details of history regarding Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, etc. But one does not need to have that history knowledge to enjoy the film. And as you rightly point out, there are moments that are unforgettable. Tatsuya Nakadai is dynamite in that film. Also, THRONE OF BLOOD and IKIRU are really fantastic. I love your comments as always, Zyrother. Thank you again! You have fantastic tastes.

[@RichardReads]

12 Angry Men is one of my all time favorite films. Great video!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you very much, and I apologize for the lateness of my reply. I hope you are well.

[@glennggm]

Great video! I also love 12 angry men. I'm going to watch fishing with John soon thanks to you. Loving your videos!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Hello GlennGGM... and thank you so much. Please let me know what you think about Fishing with John. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@kenada83]

Thanks for posting this. Some of those titles moved to the top of my watch list.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

My friend, Joe. Thank you for watching and replying. I hope you are well. I would love to hear your "Top 10" recommendations or so if you have the chance. Take care my friend.

[@matthewledoux9662]

Hello Daisuke great video again as always. I love coming over to your channel to find those hidden gems I haven't seen in the Criterion Collection and as always you never fail to disappoint. I've just finished watching Still Walking and Oh My God. This movie would have never made it to my blu ray player if it hadn't been for your recommendation and I just wanted to say thank you. I'm not even going to try to explain how this movie made me feel because I just don't have the words or the nerves right now to express my feelings toward this glorious movie, what an absolute masterpiece. After watching this movie I immidiately looked to see if any of his other films are in the Criterion Collection and it's sad to say but I think this is the only film in the catalog. I'm not sure if Criterion has any plans to release any more of his films in the near future but that would be great! I live in the U.S. and it's kind of difficult to come across his films but what a treasure this movie is. Again Daisuke thank you for the great recommendation my friend, I hope all is well and take care. Peace

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Hello matthew, and I am so happy to hear about your reaction to the film STILL WALKING! Yes, it is a very excellent work. The works of Kore-eda are sometimes to be found on other labels like Arrow Academy. www.arrowfilms.com/search/?pi=1&q=hirokazu&d=hirokazu Also, many of his works have been made available on blu rays in Japan, which are Region A. I really love the film AFTER LIFE and LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON. Also, SHOPLIFTERS is an amazing work. If you are able to see more of Kore-eda's works, please let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts about them! Cheers my friend and thank you always for your great enthusiasm!

[@PopcornFlicks]

Mr. Beppu I am new to your channel and to be quite honest I'm also new to the whole world of Criterion and classic films. Before, the only few criterions i owned were incidental purchases because i recognized the movie (Rosemary's Baby, Cronos, The Devils Backbone). So I must say i find a lot of value in your videos! I've been trying to become a more well rounded cinephile and your channel is a crash course into classic film! I have heard of Akira Kurosawa but have yet to see any of his films. Yojimbo is definitely at the top of my criterion wish list along with 12 Angry Men now. I'll look into Still Walking and the Handmaiden eventually. I really enjoyed this video!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you very much! I click on your name and I see that you too have a KZbin channel, and so I subscribed immediately. I cannot wait to see your videos. Your collection looks amazing and much more well-rounded than mine. I am thrilled that you are delving into Criterions! Of course, Criterion is not the only place to get "classic" films, and if you are into streaming, FilmStruck is a great service to be able to get a lot of Criterion titles for a fixed price (if you want to see the films before actually buying them), but I personally don't have FilmStruck because it is not available where I live. Also, yes, Kurosawa is definitely a great one. Yojimbo is fantastic and I would also recommend SEVEN SAMURAI and IKIRU and RASHOMON as being the "greatest hits". While I am not a Japanese film expert like other people on the internet, I do like my share of Japanese films. And if you have any recommendations for me, please let me know! I am always on the lookout for a good film. Best regards from Tokyo. --Daisuke

[@bgp2k]

Yojimbo was my first Kurosawa, too! Great list; loving the channel.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Dear basedghost nac, thank you so much! What a nice coincidence. I wonder if you feel the same as I do--namely, that I think Yojimbo was a great start into the world of Kurosawa because it has such high energy and great action, but it also has the cinematic flourishes that mark Kurosawa's cinema. Cheers my friend, and thank you again.

[@bgp2k]

Daisuke Beppu I actually have to admit that I am quite late to the party. I had Yojimbo and Ran lying around for a while now but didn’t watch them until last week, when I finally gave Yojimbo a try. And yes, I really had a great time and it actually got me even more hyped to check out his remaining filmography. I don’t have a comparison, so it’s hard to say if some of the others are a better introduction to Kurosawa but I think that Yojimbo is very accessible, even for today’s standard.

[@samuelstephens6163]

Yojimbo is really great, and I loved Sanjuro as well, especially the scene of the stream sending the lotos petals. For some reason I group these two with Three Outlaw Samurai and Sword of Doom. I think because they're all part of that same inner village of the mind, where all the drama happens. Sword of Doom is very intense, with one of the most fateful endings I've seen (it lives up to its title, is what I'm trying to say). The acting in Three Outlaw Samurai I remember being very excellent.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you so much! And yes, Sword of Doom!!! And Three Outlaw Samurai!!!! Yes!!!!

[@kekoasylva5544]

I’m gonna watch still walking today, I absolutely love Hirokazu’s films for the nice family movies but still keeping serious themes

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Oh great! I hope you enjoy it.

[@zyrrhos]

Only two films from Korea on DVD/Blu-ray. That's criminal. I'd love to see "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" or "3 Iron" from Ki-duk Kim on Criterion.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Yes, I agree that it would be great to see more in the collection.

[@eriktrevena3431]

Damn, this made me get all kinds of hype for Yojimbo all over again.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Oh wow, thank you! Yes, I LOVE the film YOJIMBO.

[@84paratize]

Another interesting video and some good choices (although I've yet to see Fishing With John). I was particularly glad to see you champion The Housemaid, which is widely considered to be one of the top 2 or 3 Korean films ever made. I don't know if you are aware of the Korean Film Archive or not but they also put out a nice Blu-ray edition of that film. And it is quite sad that there are not more Korean films in the CC. Now, a few questions for you if you care to answer them: 1. I was a bit surprised that you haven't mentioned any films by Bergman or Tarkovsky in your videos so far (unless I missed that) - are you not a big fan of them? 2. Do you have any plans to make a 'Best of Masters of Cinema' video like you've done for the Criterion Collection? 3. You briefly referred to watching some of these films when you were younger. It might be interesting to do a video about your background of how you got into cinema and eventually DVD/Blu-ray/Criterion etc collecting.. if you're so inclined :) Cheers again!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Tim! Thank you so much for this invaluable information about THE HOUSEMAID and the Korean Film Archive release. Yes, I neglected to mention that this film is incredibly important in the history of Korean cinema. I am far from being an expert in Korean cinema, but this is my plea to Criterion to release more films of Korea, as they are sadly very underrepresented in the current collection. 1. Regarding your question about Bergman and Tarkovsky, you are extremely astute to catch this. I have purposely avoided speaking about Tarkovsky and Bergman because I feel that my thoughts have yet to be totally composed and ready for a proper video or Facebook comment. This is to say that I adore these films, an in particular THE MIRROR, ANDREI RUBLEV, and SOLARIS, as well as WILD STRAWBERRIES and SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (which is to be upgraded to blu!) and CRIES AND WHISPERS, as well as WINTER LIGHT. I suppose that once my thoughts have been properly ordered, I will see to making some comments about them, to the extent that I am able to add any contributions to the discussion (which I do not think I can do). 2. Regarding Masters of Cinema, at the moment I am working my way through the Eureka collection, and so once I finish, which I hope to be very soon, I will do a "Favorites" video on that series. At the moment, my feelings suggest to me that i might mention films like SUNRISE and NOSFERATU and MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA, as well as ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS, but I am constantly surprised and thrilled by these films. Just recently I saw the film THE OFFENCE and I was just blown away. So, let me have this simmer and I will be sure to get back to you. 3. Regarding my own experiences, yes, if you like, I can do a short video about my background. Again, let me ponder this one and get back to you. I really appreciate your comments and attention, Tim. Truly. Best regards, my friend.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

I love how Kurosawa composed shots. There are shots in Yojimbo that are magnificent. They make Mifune a mythic character. I'm starting to get into a lot of Japanese cinema i only recently discovered Lone Wolf and Cub. I fell in love with the series. I haven't seen the Samurai Trilogy with Mifune or the Zatoichi films. I have to see those.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you and yes! Many of the shots are exceptionally composed. The way that geometric shapes and angles are applied in an orderly fashion which nice replicates the sense of symmetry in the story! Yes. And if you get a chance to watch the Samurai Trilogy or the Zatoichi films, I would love to hear your thoughts on them anytime my friend! I know you would have great comments about them.

[@Ryanrod23]

I may wanna try to Go Fishin' today after I give instructions to the housemaid ! Thanks!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you very much Rod. I really appreciate it. Let me know if you see the HOUSEMAID! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@Ryanrod23]

Daisuke Beppu I will .. hopefully will have some time July 4th!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you! I can't wait. Have a great 4th of July.

[@chandanrawal4137]

How do you like the french song "Paris" of the film Touki Bouki (1973) ?

[@DaisukeBeppu]

I like how it was used throughout the film.

[@lucalone]

did you know that for a handful of dollars is officially a remake of Yojimbo? Kurosawa really sued Leone and won in court^ it is official ^ and he was right because it is a remake.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Thank you so much and yes! It is a very interesting part of the history of those films. Very interesting indeed. Cheers and best regards.

[@ggfffgggds]

Is it just me or does Gone Girl have some similar themes to The Housemaid? (Just watched it)

[@DaisukeBeppu]

That is a great comparison. I never thought about it before. Oh, and isn't the Housemaid great! It's so bonkers--I love it!

[@ggfffgggds]

@@DaisukeBeppu yeah it gets comedic at times due to how horrifically dark it gets. That ending though 😂

[@DaisukeBeppu]

@@ggfffgggds Haha! Oh yes!! Gosh, what a way to end... ! Such a perfect ending in many ways to this hyperrealized super melodrama from hell. Such an amazing work on so many levels!

[@Infametheus]

Do you have a Letterbox profile?

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Infametheus, wow, thank you so much! My Letterboxd name is “DBeppu” but I have only been a member since very recently and I use it only about once a week. Still thank you so much for your interest!

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Infametheus, oh yes I apologize for not saying it earlier, but of course if you will permit me, please let me also follow you on Letterboxd if that is OK 😃

[@Infametheus]

@@DaisukeBeppu yeah go ahead. I followed you my name on there is MVP

[@birddogfreemann]

2:59, Criterion needs to redesign this cover.

[@DaisukeBeppu]

Good point.