Oh no! Not the Criterion Flash Sale!

NEWS FLASH! If you also enjoy The Criterion Collection releases, you should stop reading this right now and get yourself over to Criterion.com to obtain some great films on DVD and Blu-Ray for 50% off before time runs out on the current 24 hour flash sale. At the time of posting, there are less than 2 HOURS LEFT! Sorry for the last minute notice. Make sure you pick up a copy of Night of the Living Dead on Blu-Ray if you haven't done so already. You don't need to be a zombie fan to enjoy this movie, and the presentation is amazing!

I first developed a love for The Criterion Collection after picking up a copy of Children of Paradise back in the early days of the new millennium, which led me to think favorably of the Criterion brand and inspired me to pick up all sorts of odd releases that were available at the time. What I enjoy about Criterion releases are the excellent presentation, and the many informative features that help deepen the viewer's appreciation and understanding of the film being watched.

Here's what I picked up from the Criterion Flash Sale:

Brazil
I'm surprised it's taken me so long to get this film. It's Terry Gilliam! It's dystopian! Why have I been on the fence so long about buying and watching it? Well, along with the other titles on this list, all it took was a reduced price to finally tip me over. I expect to find out why others enjoy this film so much.
 

Blood Simple
This is the Coen brothers' first film, and I'm intrigued to see what's been described as "film noir for a new generation." I don't know why I haven't seen more of their films, since I've enjoyed all the films of theirs I have seen. I'm particularly fond of The Big Lebowski.
 

Quadrophenia
I wasn't expecting to add this movie to the shopping cart, since I wasn't enthusiastic about Tommy, but the soundtrack and the positive reviews encouraged me to give this one a chance.
 

The In-Laws
I've been considering this one for awhile since so many reviewers have described it as the funniest film they've ever seen. Since it involves the team of Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, I am inspired to find out if I agree with them or not.
 

The Lady Vanishes
This was the first of Hitchcock's early films I watched, and while I don't always choose to upgrade a classic film when a restored version is released, I think it's imperative to have the best quality Hitchcock films available whenever possible, though it's always best to do so at reduced cost.
 

Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry
Les enfants du paradis was my gateway to French film, and led me to discover other French film directors. I came across Sacha Guitry when I picked up La poison because it had well-known actor, Michel Simon. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor in that movie, so I'm hoping to find more films I enjoy in this collection.
 

Eclipse Series 4: Raymond Bernard

I have not seen any of Raymond Bernard's films before, but was interested in seeing what has been described as the best adaptation of Les misérables on film, as well as his depiction of WWI.


A new media shelf will be arriving soon, which will only enable me to continue buying more movies than I possibly have time to watch.

Season of Horror 2: The Baby (1973)

There's something that intrigues me when I see a film described as "one of the most bizarre horror movies ever committed to celluloid," especially when it's from the 1970s. It makes me wonder if it will somehow top all of the other bizarre horror movies I've seen from that era, and it's what led me to pick up the movie I'm watching tonight, The Baby.

I recently acquired the special edition release from Arrow Video, which has great picture quality and some interesting special features. This movie was also described as "a twisted, psychedelic nightmare of suburban depravity," which might help sell it, but I disagree that there's anything psychedelic about this film, and any scenes of depravity are minimal. If that's what draws you to this film, you may want to skip it, but if you want to see an unusual film that's good for an evening's entertainment, this may fit the bill. It's not a scary film, but is tense and suspenseful, and will probably creep you out.

My baby. What have you done to my baby?