Andrei Tarkovsky - Sculpting in Time It's Tarkovsky, need I say more? But, I probably should, no less. It's a fascinating book, one of the best I've ever read, on any topic. Tarkovsky is as good a writer as he is a filmmaker, maybe because his ideas were all distilled into this one book, much like his film output is represented in only 7 features. He covers not only filmmaking, but all forms of art, and its very nature. It's not an easy read, I find I need to devote total concentration to comprehending his writing, and even taking time afterwards just to digest it. But, it's definitely worth it, as his writing is very intellectual and never short of fascinating.

Michaelangelo Antonioni - The Architecture of Vision I really love Antonioni's films, so it's interesting to read this, a collection of interviews and writings. But, at the same time, his style of speaking is very dry and straightforward, so it makes for a somewhat boring read. Though, this might also be blamed on the translation job, I'm not sure. I'm sure there's some kind of joke to be made about the dryness of his films in relation, but I'm too tired for that.

Roger Ebert - Great Movies It's surprising to see the negative stigma surrounding Roger Ebert, especially among cinephiles, mainly because no other critic has made as much of a case for film as art as much as Ebert has. That said, this collection of 100 essays is a great read. Ebert's writings are concise, but at the same time, very insightful. A sure recommendation for film buffs and casual viewers alike.

Roger Ebert - I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie This is a fairly funny book. It's a collection of Ebert's reviews of films that he, get ready for this, hated! This is the one time that I have no problem reading about films that I've never seen, because I don't plan on seeing many in this collection. Although it's great to hear him rip on some of my 'favorites' like I Am Curious, it is pretty annoying to see him tear into a film you like, like Blue Velvet. In fact, the reasons he cites for disliking Blue Velvet aren't even related to the film itself, so it's very off-putting to hear him dissing a great film for reasons that are purely personal. Luckily, most of the rest of the book is pure crap, so it's still pretty fun.

Donald Richie - The Films of Akira Kurosawa I never thought a filmmaker whose appeal is so broad like Kurosawa's would benefit much from an in-depth analysis, but thank goodness Mr. Richie has proved me wrong. Simply put, this book is a nearly-essential asset to understanding Kurosawa's work. Richie goes very deep into every single film, and the amount of information he presents is almost overwhelming. Highly recommended

Frank Thompson - Lost Films: Important Movies that Disappeared - It really sucks when you're reading about film and half the titles you come across you simply can't find anywhere, DVD or otherwise. So, I saw this book on the shelf and it was a great moment- films that NOBODY can see! This book covers almost thirty films from the silent era that have been completely lost, and in pretty good detail. Thompson has gathered from plenty of sources and gives plenty of information about each film's production, plot and critical reception. Although sometimes the films themselves aren't too interesting sounding, just the fact that a book like this (and others, I'm told) exists is great, and makes a great resource as well as a great argument for the preservation of film.

Geoff Andrew - The Director's Vision: A Concise Guide to the Art of 250 Great Filmmakers - I didn't much like this book. I suppose when you've got 250 filmmakers to cover, you really can't go too in depth, which is the book's largest flaw. Andrew chooses one film from each filmmaker to focus on, and that takes up half of the text on the page (which, by the way, isn't much, considering the photos on each page are huge), with the rest of the text covering mostly biographical info. C'mon man, I can get that stuff from IMDB!

Jonathan Rosenbaum - Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons - I didn't get a chance to read more than a few chapters of Rosenbaum's book, but it seems to be a pretty good read. I've always been into canons and lists, despite what some might say, so Rosenbaum's collection seems to be something that'd be right down my alley. He covers a very wide spread of film, judging from the table of contents. Hopefully I can get around to reading the rest of the book soon.

Frank Miller - A Dame to Kill For- I loved Sin City, so it's only natural I'd check out some of Miller's original works sooner or later. A Dame to Kill For isn't one of the stories adapted in the film, but it does, of course, take place in the world, and features a few of the same characters. What surprised me most was how true to the art Rodriguez's film really is. I've heard it plenty before, but once you see Miller's stories on the page for yourself, it's striking how well the essence was captured in the film.

Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - This book has nothing to do with film, but I'm including it for two reasons: 1. Because it's just a great read, and 2. because it might help to illustrate how watching too many films can potentially be a problem. Most of the time, when I read a novel, I'll tend to imagine it in my head like a movie, for the most part. I suppose this is normal, because that's just imagination bringing the story to life. But, after a while, usually, I begin to imagine the story as a real movie, if and how it would play out, how the narrative might work. This book struck me because of its narrative- it takes place entirely through the eyes of an autistic child. I really can't see it working well as a film, just because the story depends so much on its particular style of narration, the little quirks that the child has and how they affect the way he sees things and the way he reacts to the world around him. It's really a fascinating and very entertaining book, and as a welcome change of pace here, one that everyone can enjoy, film nerd or not.

I apologize in advance for gushing far too much, but my excitement is hard to contain. I stuck to only 6 Criterion releases during the previous DDD sale, and they all came in the mail today.

Renoir's Rules of the Game is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I can't wait to revisit the film. The packaging is elegant and suits the film perfectly. It's a great example of Criterion blending the old and classic with the new and cutting-edge. The amount of supplemental material on the first disc alone is a testament of Criterion's commitment to film, not to mention the packed second disc.

I popped in La Strada just to check out the supplements. A little on the lean side, with only an hour-long Fellini documentary, commentary and intro from Scorsese. But the film is beautifully restored. I forgot what a magical movie La Strada is. I had to turn off the film when Gelsomina was playing her trumpet at the convent, I was so overwhelmed with beauty.

Kagemusha isn't my favorite Kurosawa, but it is a terrific movie. I love Kurosawa's artwork and can't wait to watch the re-creation of the film through his paintings on disc 2. The book that comes with the set is elegant, once again featuring Kurosawa's paintings.

I really liked Jules and Jim when I saw it way back, via Fox Lorber's shoddy DVD. Some aspects of the story bothered me, so I didn't care for it as much as I could have, so it's always been somewhat of a disappointment. But, unlike most of the time when you feel the film has let you down, I feel like I've let Truffaut's work down by not liking it as much. But, scanning the film on disc 1 to check out the transfer, and pausing to listen to the song Jeanne Moreau sings in the house, I think I'm going to find it hard not to fall in love with the movie. Checking out the supplements on disc 2, there are SIX interviews with Truffaut, and numerous other goodies. When you add that to the two commentaries and the 30-minute documentary on the novel on disc 1, you've got one hell of a loaded package. It's no wonder Laura Truffaut was so pleased with the package.

Hoop Dreams is a landmark documentary, without a doubt. Not only is it important, it's infinitely fascinating to watch. As a single-discer, it's not as loaded with extras as the others, but what's here seems to be great. Especially true when you flip through the enclosed booklet and note the wealth of information contained and the care taken every step of the way.

Ugetsu is a great film, and even though it's the only film of his I've seen, it's great to have him represented in the collection. The film itself isn't perfect, and if you've seen the earlier Kurosawa films, you know how scratchy those prints are. But, the cleanup job here is phenomenal, and looks a million times better than the old VHS print I first saw. In addition, there's a 150-minute documentary on Mizoguchi. The packaging is, once again, beautiful. Each disc has its own small digipak case and the book (note I didn't say 'booklet') included is simply great as well, featuring reproductions of the short stories the film is based on.

YouWe can whine and whine all about how the discs are expensive and how much Criterion sucks for releasing X-movie, which you hated, but ignored Y-movie, which is the greatest thing ever put to celluloid. But, as the discs I got in the mail today confirmed, they are worth every penny.