The Criterion Collection

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

My disappointment really just lies with how Criterion is changing. They evolve and they are evolving toward titles I don't care for all that much, and upgrading major studios' catalogs while neglecting their own. A few years ago, really up to the early 500s spinewise, they were really firing on all cylinders IMHO and now it seems like a much more mixed bag.

And it just can't be good when I hire out Criterion's Ashes & Diamonds DVD from the library, only to have it sell me on a purchase from Arrow.

But true enough there are 15-20 back catalog Blu-rays plus a few DVDs that I still need to get, so it's not like I need Criterion to be producing must-buy after must-buy.

I completely agree with you . In my opinion, the only month I "completely" like (release-wise) so far this year is April but that it. They have been releasing some really amazing titles in-between these waves (Letter Never Sent, World on a Wire, Belle de Jour) but that about it. I know they are a company and they need to make a profit of everything they release but I don't really like the direction they are taking. I also think you are spot-on in saying their most "powerful" wave of releases were the late-400s/early-500s. Now it just seems they are picking up less than stellar stuff to release. I don't mind them releasing these titles if they manage to even things up. The worst aspect so far is the serious lack of upgrades. They have such an amazingly rich back catalogue and go for films like Shallow Grave or Being John Malkovich which might be good in their own but perfectly adequate for OTHER studios. I hope June brings some serious upgrades to the table but this first "hint" isn't making things look pretty .

[retablo]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

I would say Three Colors, if Blue wasn't mistakenly mis-framed throughout... so I can't even play until Criterion acknowledges the error, much less a fix.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

The Thin Red Line
Three Colors Trilogy
Antichrist
Paris, Texas
Revanche

Pale Flower would be in this list if it not for the supplements.

[EddieLarkin]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

The Thin Red Line
The Seventh Seal
The Red Shoes
Days of Heaven
Pierrot le fou

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

Seven Samurai
The Killing
Vivre Sa Vie
Yojimbo+Sanjuro
Breathless

Once I get World on a Wire in the mail It will be in my top 5

[dirtylemons]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

01. The Seventh Seal
02. The Killing
03. The Night of the Hunter
04. Wings of Desire
05. Anatomy of a Murder

Actually, my best Criterion Blu-ray is 'The Third Man', but good luck getting it at a less than extortionate price.

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Found Last Temptation of Christ waiting for me when i got home. Not used to things being shipped so early!

Lucky, lucky, lucky. I can hardly wait to find that one waiting for me.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by retablo

I would say Three Colors, if Blue wasn't mistakenly mis-framed throughout... so I can't even play until Criterion acknowledges the error, much less a fix.

I thought Blue was framed differently to other transfers. How do you know that it is Criterion who have it mis-framed?

[retablo]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

I thought Blue was framed differently to other transfers. How do you know that it is Criterion who have it mis-framed?

The master from MK2 is misframed, so the Criterion AND AE discs are the same. There shouldn't be mics dropping into frame from the top, which were never present on other DVD or laserdisc editions.

Titles are way low
DVD left/Blu-ray right


Microphone
DVD left/Blu-ray right

[keldons]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

So buy another region-free player. You can get an Insignia for $50 right now as back-up.

where?

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

5? 5! Too hard!
I have more than that which I consider must-own. But they're must-own for me and video-audio quality and supplements barely factor in whether I consider them must-own. It's always the film for me.
But I'll try anyway
Thin Red Line
Battle of Algiers
Seven Samurai
Rules of the Game
Three Colours

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by retablo

The master from MK2 is misframed, so the Criterion AND AE discs are the same. There shouldn't be mics dropping into frame from the top, which were never present on other DVD or laserdisc editions.

Titles are way low
DVD left/Blu-ray right


Microphone
DVD left/Blu-ray right

That's not definitive, but it's certainly suggestive of a framing problem.
Have you or others contacted Criterion or MK2 about it?
Or has this already been covered extensively in other forums?

[BohemianGraham]

Wow, the thread has been busy. I've been busy watching my DVDs of a certain 1960s television series since Wednesday, and really wish someone would take the time to convert it to BD, since it was shot on 35MM film. But anyways:

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

I completely agree with you . In my opinion, the only month I "completely" like (release-wise) so far this year is April but that it. They have been releasing some really amazing titles in-between these waves (Letter Never Sent, World on a Wire, Belle de Jour) but that about it. I know they are a company and they need to make a profit of everything they release but I don't really like the direction they are taking. I also think you are spot-on in saying their most "powerful" wave of releases were the late-400s/early-500s. Now it just seems they are picking up less than stellar stuff to release. I don't mind them releasing these titles if they manage to even things up. The worst aspect so far is the serious lack of upgrades. They have such an amazingly rich back catalogue and go for films like Shallow Grave or Being John Malkovich which might be good in their own but perfectly adequate for OTHER studios. I hope June brings some serious upgrades to the table but this first "hint" isn't making things look pretty .

See, I disagree. This is all personal opinion. I honestly think it's silly to like every single thing a company puts out. I mean, we'd be broke if we liked every thing Criterion released. Criterion has more than enough out there to please people. For those of you who feel that a 30 dollar version of X film is too much, and not worth it, that is again, your opinion. There are others who feel that those films are more than worth it, while your favourite film out of the collection might not be. There are quite a few films Criterion has released that I don't like. I simply don't buy them, and go watch the ones I do like. To be honest, Criterion isn't the only one who's behind in releasing their back catalogue of titles, most of the studios aren't doing this either. Just because Criterion isn't upgrading titles does't mean your DVDs are going to go poof. There are still a lot of films out there that don't even have a VHS release, let alone a DVD and/or BD release.

Also, I don't see how other companies releasing films people think Criterion should have is a bad thing, as they might have other special features that Criterion doesn't have. Purchasing a region free player and getting access to other regions for films is far easier and cheaper than it was before.

Originally Posted by billzfan

List your 5 must-own Criterion blu-rays because of their video-audio quality and special features

I'm counting sets, as some films only come in the sets:

1. BBS: America Lost and Found
2. The Leopard
3. Night of the Hunter
4. Yojimbo/Sanjuro set
5. The Seventh Seal

This of course, is subject to change, with the exceptions of BBS and The Leopard of course. BBS will always be number one, even with its inclusion of A Safe Place. Head, Five Easy Pieces, and The King of Marvin Gardens more than make up for it.

Originally Posted by octagon

A) Let me save BG some typing - it's been uttered

B) I love Walter Matthau but if they're going to go the 'whimsical' route I think I'd rather they talked Sony out of The Survivors. This is likely little more than nostalgia talking but I would have no trouble adding that to a shopping list. Which is not to knock Hopscotch...I saw it once decades ago and don't really even remember all that much of it...I'd probably give it another look (B&N coupon gods willing, of course).

I think Cactus Flower would be more whimsical, to be honest. Or even The Fortune Cookie (and we get Jack Lemmon too!) Hopscotch was ok, but it's not something I'd have to buy right away if they upgraded it to be honest. I liked it when it was on TCM a few months ago, but it's not an OMGWTFBBW GOTTA HAVE THIS NOOOOOOOW type release. I was commenting on it because you had.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

My disappointment really just lies with how Criterion is changing. They evolve and they are evolving toward titles I don't care for all that much, and upgrading major studios' catalogs while neglecting their own. A few years ago, really up to the early 500s spinewise, they were really firing on all cylinders IMHO and now it seems like a much more mixed bag.

Criterion, it seems, is just going back to the way they were handling releases in the Laserdisc days. Back then, many studios also didn't care about the format, giving Criterion the opportunity to release many classic movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Taxi Driver and King Kong. When DVD turned out to be a hit, the studios suddenly wanted their titles for themselves to release, so Criterion was basically left with many foreign and/or unknown titles and a few times where the studio wasn't really interested. Now, with Blu-ray, they're allowed again to have bigger access to classic titles from some of the major studios, and Criterion jumps at the opportunity to release those. Sure, maybe we could have gotten Anatomy of a Murder and Twelve Angry Men from MGM anyway, but if I see how Universal handles their classic titles, then it's quite obvious that Criterion needs to release even more titles.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Well said. Stuff like Tiny Furniture they can acquire cheaply, requires little in the way of production cost, and has a built-in audience among the Collectors. Same with a lot of the IFC stuff. But I also realize this stuff sets the table for more obscure films, extensive restorations, etc. Just seems that the bulk of Criterion's releases are becoming slimmer content-wise, and the overall quality of films released is being watered-down a bit by these low-overhead titles. But again that's just my subjective idea of what Criterion "should be."

[...]

That said, it does feel like Criterion are stretching a bit to keep up this pace they've set. I'd rather they release 5 films in a month when they have 5 great films rather than 5 films for the sake of it. Would that many people care if they announced 2 films some month, as long as those 2 were, say, a Chaplin and an Antonioni?

Agreed, agreed with this post. Particularly my bolded emphases, which I believe go hand-in-hand. And this is more about the packages themselves than it is about the films.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Would that many people care if they announced 2 films some month, as long as those 2 were, say, a Chaplin and an Antonioni?

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I don't see this as wanting to like every Criterion is putting out, but rather wanting to see value in what they put out. You can say others welcome a $30 BD of Film X but the reality is that most of its audience will be blind-buyers and Criterion completists if this thread is any indication. I understand that its good that these easy sales prop up the company, but its kind of cynical when we all know there is so much better out there that, like you say, may not even have a DVD or Region 1/A release. But yeah, I have no problem leaving these titles on the rack. I buy what I like, which is less and less from Criterion. I'm happy to big-up their home runs, though (Belle de jour, World On A Wire).

It's not a bad thing, but realistically we know that Criterion is special and that's why we all love them and want to see them do films we love -- because by and large they will do the best possible job. Unfortunately they seem to be scaling back on the "Criterion treatment," too, but I am getting over that and just reading more books these days.

Yeah, it seems that way for now. All media has proven transitional, so it will be interesting to see where Blu-ray is in five years. Saturating the market like DVD or a niche market alternative to VOD?

Incidentally I am pale with fear at what Universal's Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula restorations will look like.

Going by this thread, as you said, yes, people would have an issue with just 2 titles. Look at the complaining that went on for December and January, where people complained that 4 titles were too few. I've given up complaining about Criterion's releases, as to me, it's pointless, because no matter what they do, people complain, and there's so much other stuff out there besides Criterion. It's that they release too many, they don't release enough, their quality has gone down, they upgrade too many, they don't upgrade enough, the cover art is ugly, etc., etc., etc. I find that this thread spends more and more time complaining about the negative things and/or complaining about complainers , then it does discussing the actual films, or the positive things Criterion does.

I know Criterion is far from perfect, but I just feel that people are being a bit selfish, impatient, and sometimes snobby about what they release. It's just an independent label. It's not the be all and end all of cinema. I do agree that some of the extras have been rather thin as of late, and I think it's because of the demand people are placing on them, to be honest. There are a few that I'll pay the big bucks for, despite the lack of extras, because I'm that big of a fan of the film.

I also find that on this entire forum, everyone has a different concept of value, which I don't see eye to eye with. For me, value is getting enjoyment out of a film, which is why I'll still buy DVDs and when I stop being so lazy, import.

[DLizzle]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

but I am getting over that and just reading more books these days.

Seems like a slow transition

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

See, I disagree. This is all personal opinion. I honestly think it's silly to like every single thing a company puts out. I mean, we'd be broke if we liked every thing Criterion released. Criterion has more than enough out there to please people. For those of you who feel that a 30 dollar version of X film is too much, and not worth it, that is again, your opinion. There are others who feel that those films are more than worth it, while your favourite film out of the collection might not be. There are quite a few films Criterion has released that I don't like. I simply don't buy them, and go watch the ones I do like. To be honest, Criterion isn't the only one who's behind in releasing their back catalogue of titles, most of the studios aren't doing this either. Just because Criterion isn't upgrading titles does't mean your DVDs are going to go poof. There are still a lot of films out there that don't even have a VHS release, let alone a DVD and/or BD release.

Also, I don't see how other companies releasing films people think Criterion should have is a bad thing, as they might have other special features that Criterion doesn't have. Purchasing a region free player and getting access to other regions for films is far easier and cheaper than it was before.

I do think many people will find value in all these films and in no way I said they are bad or "underserving". I also don't try to get every release and if they release something I don't really like I simply, just like you, don't buyt it . My point is that some of these films can easily fit in other studio's line-up. Films like Being John Malkovich have enough supporters to be looked as profit by bigger studios while others may not. I would like to see a more balanced line-up. I don't mind new spines if they also upgrade one or two titles per month too. Last's year line-up felt a lot more balanced, in my opinion. Take for example November. They released the Three Colors Trilogy and 12 Angry Men as new spines but also gave us Fanny and Alexander and The Rules of the Game as upgrades! This is the kind of balance that seems left out so far this year.

[ssjmichael]

Originally Posted by keldons

where?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpa...egories&ks=960

[retablo]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

That's not definitive, but it's certainly suggestive of a framing problem.
Have you or others contacted Criterion or MK2 about it?
Or has this already been covered extensively in other forums?

It's certainly not scientific, no... but I've owned the film in every format and even projected the film on 35mm, and can testify that the blu isn't correct.
I've posted these pics on Criterions FB, and also emailed Mulvaney. They are supposedly "looking into it", but the problem lies in the fact that it wasn't Criterion's mistake — it was MK2's, who supplied the master to Criterion and AE. So it wold be a fix on MK2's part, then a further fix on Criterion's.

Surprisingly, no one is talking much about it. I've tried generating interest — its funny that a audio glitch on one rear channel causes an uproar, but when an entire film is mis-framed no one seems to care, lol.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by retablo

Surprisingly, no one is talking much about it. I've tried generating interest — its funny that a audio glitch on one rear channel causes an uproar, but when an entire film is mis-framed no one seems to care, lol.

I think this may have something to do with the fact that, as you mention, it's not Criterion's fault but another party's; and most people realizing thus that there's less a likelihood of at least a timely fix, since Criterion itself is at someone else's behest.