The Criterion Collection

[nitin]

Posted this in the Kino thread since they released the blu, but as Criterion released the DVD:

Godard’s Alphaville was last night’s viewing and it is pretty much uncategorisable. I guess you could say that at a high level it’s a mix of sci-fi dystopia and film noir but it goes out of its way to not really follow the rules of either genre.

Parts of it were definitely way over my head and other parts were definitely overly pretentious (there are lots of ideas here and I am not sure too many are given more than cursory treatment). BUT plenty of it is just flat out fascinating, the mood in particular is hypnotising and visually it’s something to behold despite just largely being shot around Paris at night (and parading as the intergalactic city of Alphaville).

The biggest compliment I can pay it, even though I can’t say that it was more than a 7.5/10 overall for me, is that despite watching it for the first time 55 years after release, it feels like you are watching cinema being reinvented in front of you.

Kino’s blu is sourced from a largely spectacular 4k restoration via Studiocanal that really brings out Raoul Coutard’s carefully orchestrated cinematography. The sound is a little rough but I imagine that’s down to the way the movie seems to have been made.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by ahegele

i just remembered back when Criterion released a barebones disc of Blue is the Warmest Color they said it was a temporary and would soon have a packed edition with more supplements. Like, there was a disclaimer on its page at the site and everything.

No reason to bring it up, just funny how they completely abandoned that promise.

They didn't really abandon anything. Are you unaware of the history surrounding this film?

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by joy-division

Get the Artificial Eye copy instead if you are multi-region. Better subtitles plus commentary track

I know of that release but I'm not region-free so the Criterion it is. While I would've liked a commentary, I'd likely only ever listen to it once and the changes to the subtitles for the Criterion release seem minimal (if not, in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential).

[SteelyTom]

With the Criterion B&N sale coming up, I'm mulling over snapping up Leave Her to Heaven. However, reviews of the PQ/remastering seem mixed.

Do the technical merits of Criterion's version justify the twenty bucks?

[cbb223]

Anyone have an idea on whether the new Godzilla set will be part of the sale, and if so how much it might be? Had my eye on it for a while.

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by cbb223

Anyone have an idea on whether the new Godzilla set will be part of the sale, and if so how much it might be? Had my eye on it for a while.

All criterion products are eligible and it’s 50% plus an additional 10% if you have a membership

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

And if by some miracle the Varda set is available to pre-order at half off then I'll go ahead and do that too.

If I remember correctly, I don’t think pre-orders work. Varda box will be out right after the sale. You could get it in the November sale or watch for amazon, I preordered to see if they might have it half off close to release date—if not you can just cancel

[DWeickerSr]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

And if by some miracle the Varda set is available to pre-order at half off then I'll go ahead and do that too.

It may depend on how long the sale lasts.

This sale is starting a week or two later than prior sales. Most of their other Criterion sales ran for a month, so the Varda set is just at the end of the possible range.

[CQD84]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

If I remember correctly, I don’t think pre-orders work. Varda box will be out right after the sale. You could get it in the November sale or watch for amazon, I preordered to see if they might have it half off close to release date—if not you can just cancel

The store I go to for this sale has allowed the discount on August preorders for the last few years. Usually they don't allow it though until the final week of the sale.

[xRami]

Amazing Thread THX

[ahegele]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

They didn't really abandon anything. Are you unaware of the history surrounding this film?

Yeah i'm aware of the history of the film. That doesn't negate what i wrote. Yes, they likely didn't release another version it because of the controversies and lack of people willing to honestly talk about it for supplements but they DID announce a more packed version when the bare bones one came out - and yes - they abandoned it. It's not a controversial statement.

[borntorun_intheusa]

With Marriage Story coming out soon, I really hope we get the announcement of The Irishman soon. I saw it twice and have been dying to watch it again. I'm almost at the point of resubscribing to Netflix just to watch it again, haha.

[tangerinewolf]

Well, just as Criterion's blu-ray of War of the Worlds is being released on Tuesday, today a DVD store in Italy has just announced that Universal is planning a 4K UHD blu-ray release of War of the Worlds.

A new thread has just started today:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=329926

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by tangerinewolf

Well, just as Criterion's blu-ray of War of the Worlds is being released on Tuesday, today a DVD store in Italy has just announced that Universal is planning a 4K UHD blu-ray release of War of the Worlds.

A new thread has just started today:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=329926

Grain of salt reserved

[Jexes23]

Originally Posted by SteelyTom

With the Criterion B&N sale coming up, I'm mulling over snapping up Leave Her to Heaven. However, reviews of the PQ/remastering seem mixed.

Do the technical merits of Criterion's version justify the twenty bucks?

Seems to me like the transfer of the film is the same as TT version. If that’s true it’s an older remaster and the PQ is of course not going to be like most of the technicolor films with brand new 4k scans that Criterion has been putting out. In a perfect world you get a new transfer, but most people have been waiting to just have the film.

The biggest question is do you want the movie?

You have 3 choices, buy this acceptable version for 20 bucks, buy an almost identical copy of the film that is OOP for 100 bucks, buy a BD-R Spanish disc that once shipped will be around 20 bucks.

If you want the film, the Criterion is a clear no-brainer in my mind.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Grain of salt reserved

I love how it's announced 2 days before the CC comes out. Lost sales anyone...

[dwk]

Given the small size of both the UHD market and people that import, I doubt if Criterion's sales will be negatively impacted.

[tangerinewolf]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I love how it's announced 2 days before the CC comes out. Lost sales anyone...

I love The War of the Worlds, been waiting for a blu-ray release what seems like forever. I've already double-dipped with Imprint and Criterion. So now I'll triple it. No lost sales from me.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by borntorun_intheusa

With Marriage Story coming out soon, I really hope we get the announcement of The Irishman soon. I saw it twice and have been dying to watch it again. I'm almost at the point of resubscribing to Netflix just to watch it again, haha.

The deal they did was for four Netflix films, all supposed to be released in 2020. So far, we have only gotten one and there are only three months left. I hope it's not pushed until 2021.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by tangerinewolf

I love The War of the Worlds, been waiting for a blu-ray release what seems like forever. I've already double-dipped with Imprint and Criterion. So now I'll triple it. No lost sales from me.

Sounds good, but I will import a 4K since it is region-free and announced days before the CC release and the B&N sale. I guess we all win.