r/criterion

PTA is probably my favourite director of this century mainly because his work on The Master, Phantom Thread and There will be blood which I believe is the best film of the 21st century yet.

Phantom Thread is sublime. It's effortless. It's beautiful. Rich in storytelling. It's just so well done.

It's the only film in PTA's body of work I think rivals his magnum opus (There will be blood) and yes The Master is slightly behind

The perfomances of the 2 main leads was enchanting and funny at times.

PTA's strength is his character work and dialogue(his camera work too ofc). As I am someone who loves TV. Those are my favourite or aspects I consider extremely important in Film/TV of which PTA does so well in his filmography.

Part of why Phantom Thread continues to age like fine wine is mainly due to the story format. It's character driven. And if done well. Becomes naunced and rich in storytelling which rewards you greatly upon rewatch which is why films like There will be blood still are so brilliant today.

Loved phantom thread. It's one of my all time favourite romance films. Along side Portrait of a lady on fire, Before Sunset/Sunrise etc.

Ive been wanting to watch the Samurai Trilogy and Blue Velvet for a long time. Almost bought the 4k of NotLD and magically this appeared right in time for me to binge horror movies all month.

I’ve been actively trying to find a copy of this for like two months. Finally had to bite the bullet that blu ray wasn’t an option, but the eBay seller looks to have done me right. Everything looks immaculate. I’m super stoked to watch it this weekend on my continued tour of “non Samurai” Kurosawa titles.

There are your standard "reference" 4K movies, and there is a movie like Sorcerer.

Yes, the image is vivid, rich, clear as day, and yes the sound is deep and immersive. Much like 2001, or Lawrence of Arabia, and so on.

And while those movies really shine in 4K, Sorcerer does more than that. It was made for 4K.

The tone of the movie itself is purely visceral. The drenching heat of the South American setting, the constant hiss of insects and the sweat-soaked clothing of the main characters; the perilous splintering of rotten wooden beams beneath the weight of truck tires; the blinding fireball of a torched oil field. It is a movie you are meant to feel. And yes, you would still feel it on streaming, or DVD, or a bootleg VHS for that matter--but on 4K, you feel it down to your bones, exactly the way you were meant to.

Sorcerer was the first blind buy for me. It felt like a frivolous and foolhardy thing to do at the time--spending upwards of $30 on a movie you might not even enjoy, one you could simply stream for just a tenth of the price. But now I see there is a true value and joy in it, and I liken it to this: Would you rather try your first martini at some neighborhood tavern down the street, or at the lobby bar of the Plaza Hotel in New York?

It's the same drink, either way. And both experiences would be memorable, for certain. But which of them would be truly unforgettable?

Seeing Sorcerer for the first time in 4K, I know it will be etched into my movie-loving brain forever, more so than if I had seen it in any other format. It's just a fact. That, I believe, is proof that the blind buy is not just a silly and over-the-top thing that we do. It is the opportunity to discover something exceptional in its purest, most fully realized form, and to experience it for the first time in a way that you will never forget.

I’ve been wanting these for a while. Pretty stoked.

Gilda couldn’t make it through High and Low. Bummer. It’s a favorite.

I gave it four and a half bags of popcorn when I last watched it two years ago. After this rewatch, I give it five bags of popcorn and two bags of soda 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🥤🥤