I was also curious and this is what i found googling

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=3538

Why the cardboard is a problem i could not tell yah. Packaging has always been of little importance to me, i am much more interested in the movie, and if i really like it, the extra's.

This is a great thread. I only own The Third Man Criterion on blu-ray. I will order the replacement case. Thanks for the info.

When Criterion began releasing Blu-rays they sold them in cardboard cases. A significant number of people didn't like the cases and eventualy Criterion switched to a plastic one. This leaves people with their collection in two different kinds of cases which bothers some people. To fix this Criterion is now offering plastic cases for the movies that were originaly only available in cardboard.There's no " need for replacement ", it's just a matter of taste.

Less than a week until we learn
 

what the April releases are ...

Thanks for the info. Do stores still sell these crappy cardboard blu-ray cases for Criterion or are they basically gone nowadays? For example if I buy some Criterion BluRays on Amazon am I likely to get a good platic case?

Me too...and this is coming from someone who ordered a couple the other week

Re: Amazon, at this point it seems like it's honestly still a crapshoot. I received Chungking Express for Xmas, which had been ordered only days prior and it was the cardboard case. Likewise for 400 Blows, which I ordered just two weeks ago. If I had to guess I'd say Amazon's quantities of the cardboard cases are almost completely phased out at this point, but not quite...

To put it this way - I ordered my first Criterion BD about two months ago, and every one I've received that was originally cardboard has been the cardboard version, except for The Third Man

Would those be the movies that were on that teaser picture on Criterion's website?

http://www.thehdroom.com/news/Blu-ra...rog__More/6153

Via TheHDRoom, rumored Criterion April releases include M, The Leopard, Make Way For Tomorrow, and The Red Shoes. Amazing news all around if true, but we'll see. The "Make Way For Tomorrow" part in particular is fishy considering the previous DVD-only announcement, but we shall see.

Maybe, but some films referenced in the image we already know about and have been announced. And, of course, some of the films referenced in the image may not come out 'til the end of the year. No one can really say right now.

CC

Just remember this when ordering for now, there were only ever 9 Criterion releases in the cardboard digipacks. All other Criterion releases, with the exception of "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," have come in clear plastic cases.

The following are the 9 digipack releases...
- The 400 Blows
- Bottle Rocket
- Chungking Express
- The Last Emperor
- The Last Metro
- Last Year At Marienbad
- The Man Who Fell To Earth
- El Norte
- The Third Man

CC

Well, I wouldn't say that. Nobody's seen the original nine (except Third Man) in plastic cases anywhere. We have no reason to believe they actually have shipped to any retailer in plastic cases yet. For now, Amazon and every other retailer are still selling those titles with cardboard cases.

Yeah I don't think that is correct. They are just rumoring that off of the picture that Criterion put out as you can see by them saying "are rumored to INCLUDE" meaning some of the titles, which means in the long run, they don't know what they are talking about. Their first mistake was saying "Make Way For Tomorrow" when it will be a dvd only release in Feb, and the only reason they said that title is because it was on the picture, and also they don't have any clue that some of the clues have already been announced. So that "rumor" is false. All those releases will happen soon, just not in that order.

I personally don't see "M" coming so soon in April. May or June is more like it. "The Red Shoes" is one I do see coming in April as well with Vivre sa Vie and another title. Those 2 have been rumored for over a year now. I could be wrong though. Just my opinion (oops, I mean "rumor"). See how that works? Those were on that clue picture as well. I just don't have a website to "rumor" stuff about. :)

Next week we will know.

Thanks again. I ordered The Seventh Seal, Kagemusha and Repulsion today from the Barnes & Noble sale. About $20 each shipped which isn't too bad. Guess I'll get a good case for them all since they are not on the list.

Very nice, someone dropped a nice amount of coin on you!
Looking to get more criterion soon. At over $30 a blu it gets pricey =(

Just went to check my Best Buy to see if they set 8 1/2 out early, which they did.

I already pre-ordered it through BN with Che, and Paris, Texas for the B2G1 deal.

However, I'm thinking about picking it up from BB anyway, and when I finally get it in from BN (about 2 weeks after it being released), just return the one from Barnes & Noble to Best Buy.

Think that would work?
Does BN ship their dvds without BN price labels on them if you order online?

Why does this always happen?
 

I have spent much of my adult life waiting for the Great Movies to be available to consumers, whether it was VCR/Beta, or DVD or now Bluray (after the HD vs BLURAY wars!) I think that the psychology of releasing the worst movies first is really so arrogant and non-consumer- friendly that it makes we consider vigilante action! We all know what movies should receive premier treatment, yet we wait and wait and wait for them only to find that a new technology has begun the process all over again! I search in vain for release dates for Schindlers List or Saving Private Ryan or Lord of the Rings (yes, Peter Jackson version not an attempt to remarket the Ralph Bakshi animated version!) Take any director or collection (e.g. the Criterion Collection) and the representative films that are dribbled out are a blatant exploitative scarcity management consumer assault!
For example, Criterion Collection films- there was a 50% sale before Christmas and i looked at all the wonderful titles available in regular DVD. I realized that, at the rate that they are being released, I would be dead before they were released on Bluray!! Should I buy them on DVD now therefore or wait?
Then why not release the Directors greatest films FIRST or release the best films at the SAME TIME? Let's see DIABOLIQUE released at the same time as WAGES OF FEAR, or MR HULOTS HOLIDAY and MON ONCLE released concurrently with PLAYTIME!! What about the Ingmar Bergman catalog, five or six at a time?
Yes, I know about how few factories there are, about how long it takes to remaster the films, etc etc. BUT I really believe that there are a LOT of fans like myself quite willing to spend their money on new titles if the TITLES WERE WORTH SEEING let alone OWNING!! I really do think that a good deal more revenue could be generated if there were not this policy of scarcity management. And, please, no mealy-mouthed responses! You all know I am right, dont you, sports fans!! Thanks for listening.

Blasphemy!


I saw 8.5 hear in NYC at Best Buy as well. Tempted but held off on the purchase too big of a spread between the Best Buy price and Amazon. Very odd that they broke the street date maybe they have some side deal with Best Buy.

Frankly, your complaints are pretty ignorant. Criterion is a small company, and restoring old films for Blu-Ray is a big job. There's nothing wrong with the titles they pick or the amount of time it takes for them to be released :shrug:

Got Pierrot Le Fou, Repulsion and 8 1/2 for $68 shipped including tax from BN.com. I want some of the first titles Criterion released on Blu-ray, but I don't want to risk it getting them in digipaks. I'm especially excited about 8 1/2, as it's the only one of the three movies I ordered that I've never seen yet. I've been saving it for when it came out on Blu-ray since everybody seems to rave about it.