The "Best / Worst" might simply need a dedicated topic where we could explain our choices, because it will be lost in all the on-going discussions here.

However, when I chose Something Wild as Worst Cover, I don't think of it as something really ahead of the reste of the market. I do think it is an awful cover art. Too simple, and quite vulgar too, the worst thing being that they chose to keep this artwork for the booklet too, and the interior is bland.

As a whole, it makes the artwork fully dull.


However, as a whole, I really don't think that covers play that much on me when choosing to buy this or watch that, and I don't think it should.
There have been a lot of movies, tons in fact, released with awful artworks. Missing them because of these artworks is something I would never allow me to do.

Think of the issue the other way around : would you allow yourself not to watch tremendous things as Kurosawa's or Bergman's movies (I tried to choose something quite unanimous) because of dull artworks ?


So, as a whole, if I fully understand the point being made behind this query, I also understand joenostalgia's point :

If you consider Mystery Train's artwork to be so bad that you won't even watch the damn film... how do you manage to watch non-Criterion films?


But again, movie itself should be enough to drag you into buying it / watching it.

I've bought 12 Angry Men and watched it within the hour. I haven't even looked at the artwork inverting the 11th and 12th juror, or the booklet, or whatever.

The movies are magical, and are what you watch for 1h30. Not the cover arts.


It's funny, because we had about the same discussion on DVD Classik and Homecinema-fr, with all the slipcovers or steelbooks adorators, or the people that can't stand buying BDs with DVD-sized cases.

They are people reluctant to buy Ben Hur or The Leopard in their wonderful HD transfer because of such things. They are people eager, instead, to buy Clash of the Titans in a Japanese releases just for the Steelbook.

This is the opposite of the spectrum of course, but it is also something I will never fully understand.

In the end, they end up buying BDs they can't even watch, either due to the region locking or the lack of understandable soundtracks or subtitles.


This being said, of course, appealing covers have for a long time been the Criterion trademark, and I completely understand that dull ones might prevent some to blind buy them or whatever. But I think this is kind of wrong.

I get a kick how how the booklet information is more cherished since it's in paper form when all they could have done is put the booklet info on the actual bluray itself. I remember during the early days of DVDs (when they used to have a lot of extras on the first-released version) that all Essays would be in the DVD.

I like the booklets, but I dont like reading them till after watching the movie because those booklet essays usually always have some spoiler info about the movie.

And it's a shame that more video companies dont copy Criterion's style of doing creative covers, especially when people buy videos just for the packaging (which I think is a little cuckoo):

The issue is that reading essays on you TV is not very practical.
Moreover, some might find it a bit silly. Either you go digital, or you stay with paper, not somewhere in the middle.

We still have in France editors like SNC who keep putting production notes on DVD instead of creating a booklet. It is, honestly, much boring reading it on TV than on paper, also because you're using your TV for it.

I think El Norte is worth a look, though I still wonder about CC's thinking in having it among the earliest BD releases. Maybe because it was among the earliest to engage the immigration issue? It's got a clear statement to make, and it uses melodrama to make it, but a big thing I've learned from watching silents the last few years is that melodrama can be done well and can be effective. And it's effective in El Norte. (I still want to watch Sin Nombre to see how the two play off each other.)

Lucky you, ROclockCK....you have a great pleasure ahead. I loved Mystery Train and have enjoyed it almost as much in retrospect as while I was watching it. It's all about transitions, people arriving and leaving, just like Memphis is about logistics -- arriving and leaving. And there's something about Memphis (in the film, anyway), that affects change. That's how Sun Records and its music were able to come out of there. As to what causes that change, well, it's mystery. You might not understand it, but you see it.

....and for a total experience, try some carry-out barbecue while you're watching it.


(btw, the cover art is a riff on Sun Records' design style, and music is big part of the movie)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...8Haok7L4hXJ2-D

Considering you have people on this forum who won't buy a film without a stupid slipcover, or if the case isn't uniform in size to the rest of their collection, despite actually liking the film, I'd say people who aren't as impressed with certain Criterion covers aren't that bad at all.

I would really like having that one on Blu-ray. I saw an HD broadcast of it on Radio Canada last summer (French version) I keep hoping it mean's a Blu-ray is not so far away

I love it. Watched it multiple times since I bought it. I can't recommend it enough. It's beautifully shot by Nava and it deals with a still very contemporary issue.

Yeah. Always read them after watching. Although it seems a lot of the time it is just summarizing the film I just watched. I've stopped reading the essays because of this and the fact the writing isn't very good or necessarily correct.

Any thoughts on The Last Metro? considering blind buying it. It would be my first Truffaut.

Never seen it, but for a first Truffaut film, there's really nothing better than The 400 Blows. I'd recommend getting that.

Anyone know if B&N is going to have any special deals/sales on criterions (after the current one) for black friday or anything else?

It's good but not in the same league as 400 Blows, Jules and Jim or even Wild Child, imo.

I've seen mention of a 40% off blu-ray sale during the last two weeks of december. I think I it was on facebook, somebody said a B&N employee told them.

I enjoyed it. The Last Metro tells a real story about Nazi persecution of Jewish artists and how the artists persevere, while (in my opinion) The 400 Blows is the story of a whiny brat.

I received 4 20% off coupons, a $10.00 off Godiva chocolate coupon and a few others in the mail yesterday

Was wondering if anybody has shopped at Books a Million before. One just came in town and they have a nice Criterion selection, but they are quite pricey. Curious if they have any kinds of sales like Barnes and Noble. I doubt it, but figured I'd ask. Thanks.

All Blu-Ray's of "Carlos" from The Criterion Collection suffer from a mastering error with regard to the sound mix on the second disc.
On Disc 2, "Episode III" the left surround channel is mixed so low- that it's inaudible. Criterion has yet to respond, and I have confirmed this issue is in fact present on all Blu-Ray copies of the film. Once again Criterion has not responded or commented on the error. They should, and very quickly. Being the best means, being judged the harshest.

BAM is closer to me and wife goes there a lot, but I've never noticed any decent movies there other than the typical $5 DVD throwaways (priced at $15+ of course). Certainly they haven't had any BN type deals. I'm not even sure I've even seen a Bluray of any type, but I'm not in a Upscale market so each store may well tailor there inventory.

Has anyone else given these a read?

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6163/photo57u.jpg

All around 100 pages or so. University of Illinois Press. Found them pretty cheap on Amazon, and figure they'd be a pretty fun/educational read.

It's been getting a lot of hate on here, so I will just say that I actually really like the Something Wild cover art. For me it works because it fits the film so well. I almost voted for it for my favorite. But hey, to each his own!