The Criterion Collection

[Ferg]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

If you'd like to save money, there are four sales each year--two from Criterion itself (late winter/early spring and fall) and two from Barnes & Noble (July and November)--that have them at 50% off retail price.

I'm in Ireland unfortunately! I don't think Criterion or B&N ship to me!

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Ferg

I'm in Ireland unfortunately! I don't think Criterion or B&N ship to me!

Neither ship to the EU, but Amazon usually price matches B&N sales, so there is that option for you.

[Ferg]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

Neither ship to the EU, but Amazon usually price matches B&N sales, so there is that option for you.

I just checked and Barnes & Noble do ship internationally! Woohoo!

[BunyipPouch]

Originally Posted by Ferg

So, I've had a pretty eventful week (while this was down).

Got my first Criterions (Cat People and Diabolique) and freaked out at how good the transfer and accompanying booklet was, so I quickly ordered Husbands, Badlands, and Night of the Living Dead. Then I found out Criterion did a boxset of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, so I ordered that too.

Now I need Repulsion, Dr. Strangelove, The Wages of Fear, and Blue Velvet.

SO MUCH TO GET. I'm in a feverish panic about missing out on titles. What's going OOP soon, help!

I don't think Criterion usually announces things that are going OOP, unlike a lot of other boutique labels. That's why a lot of people were surprising a couple of months ago when a bunch of Paramount stuff (I think?) went OOP (Days of Heaven, Harold & Maude, La Dolce Vita, Rosemary's Baby, etc).

It's probably just better to get what you really want the earlier the better, just in case. Of course waiting for the Flash Sales and/or Barnes & Noble sales is ideal though.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by Ferg

I just checked and Barnes & Noble do ship internationally! Woohoo!

That has unfortunately been debatable.

Some people esp with older accounts have been successful. Many people trying to sign up for new accts or some even using older accts have not been able to have items shipped despite the B&N website still saying it is possible.

I can't remember is anyone was able to contact BN Customer Service last couple sales and get this corrected or possibly even have an order placed over the phone.

[Scottie]

Seems like Faya Dayi will be getting a Criterion release.

In her hypnotic documentary feature, Ethiopian-Mexican filmmaker Jessica Beshir explores the coexistence of everyday life and its mythical undercurrents. Though a deeply personal project—Beshir was forced to leave her hometown of Harar with her family as a teenager due to growing political strife—the film she returned to make about the city, its rural Oromo community of farmers, and the harvesting of the country’s most sought-after export (the euphoria-inducing khat plant) is neither a straightforward work of nostalgia nor an issue-oriented doc about a particular drug culture. Rather, she has constructed something dreamlike: a film that uses light, texture, and sound to illuminate the spiritual lives of people whose experiences often become fodder for ripped-from-the-headlines tales of migration. A Janus Films release.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by dtower182

Gonna make a point of getting those soon then! Thanks for the recommendations

Absolutely!

[aloop]

Originally Posted by Ferg

Now I need Repulsion, Dr. Strangelove, The Wages of Fear, and Blue Velvet.

The newer BFI release of The Wages of Fear has a slightly longer runtime, and a much better transfer.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

What was weirder...Frances McDormand howling, or Glenn Close doing 'Da Butt? I laughed at both.

Both are equally weird.

They should team up and do a new movie called "Howling Wolf-butt".

Hey, its a pink Super Moon tonight, so don't blame me for keeping blu-ray.com weird!

My avatar (Black Moon) says it all.

[Member-222782]

If I have the 2016 Arrow set of the Human Condition films, do I need the upcoming Criterion release?

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

If I have the 2016 Arrow set of the Human Condition films, do I need the upcoming Criterion release?

The Criterion release will have the following on-disc extras:

• Excerpt from a 1993 Directors Guild of Japan interview with director Masaki Kobayashi, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda
• Interview from 2009 with actor Tatsuya Nakadai
• Appreciation of Kobayashi and The Human Condition from 2009 featuring Shinoda

[DukeTogo84]

I wonder if Criterion will finally release Cure (1997). It would be perfect timing for October as well as the fact that it now has a brand new 4K transfer. Hope they finally go for it since they have held the rights for a very long time.

[BunyipPouch]

According to this, Alfonso Cuaron's Sólo Con Tu Pareja is getting a blu-ray upgrade soon.

Pretty neat, it's been on my DVD upgrade wishlist for a little while.

[ilenewoodsfan99]

Nice to be back!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by BunyipPouch

According to this, Alfonso Cuaron's Sólo Con Tu Pareja is getting a blu-ray upgrade soon.

Pretty neat, it's been on my DVD upgrade wishlist for a little while.

Maybe a re-release of Y Tu Mama Tambien without the DVDs will accompany it.

[theater dreamer]

Cool, I hope you enjoy those. Welcome to our little corner of the forum.

To expand on what’s already been said about out of print titles, none of us know if and when any titles might go out of print in the future, as Criterion doesn’t give a heads up ahead of time. After this batch of six Paramount titles, someone at Criterion (Mulvaney? I forget) said there were no more titles scheduled to go out of print at that time. Medium Cool and The Friends of Eddie Coyle were out of stock on Criterion’s website (displayed as currently unavailable), and there were rumors that they might be next. We were advised that was not the case, and more stock would be in the folllwing month.

I bought On the Waterfront, my first Criterion blu-Ray, six years ago. Before this recent batch that went out of print, to the best of my recollection (and please correct me, gang, if my recollection is off), the only title Criterion lost distribution rights to in the six years I’ve been buying them was Costa-Gavras’ The Confession. I was fortunate enough to buy that one before it went out of print, and I owned five of these most recent six, with Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude being the exception. I was lucky to grab a used copy at a Movie Trading Company in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was just dumb luck that I had already bought the others. I’d wanted the Ashby film, but kept putting it off.

Those four sales-the two from Barnes & Noble and the Criterion site, will be your best friend. B&N used to have coupons that stacked with the half off, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. Somebody can confirm this-the annual membership still gives you 10% off in store, no? If you can justify getting one over the course of the year, that will cover the cost of tax on Criterions you buy in store. Of course, Barnes & Noble’s in store stocking is pretty hit and miss.

For me, anyway, the 24 hour Flash Sales that Criterion has twice a year are my main go to. I’ll still buy some copies the rest of the year-Amazon will occasionally lower the price of select Criterions. But my Flash Sale buying nets $50 gift cards pretty quickly. Each dollar you spend on merchandise at their online site earns a point, and after 500 points, they e-mail you the certificate code. I’ve always gotten mine within about ten minutes of hitting it. The site gets slammed hard during the sale. There’s a lot of traffic that occasionally causes the server to overload, so it’s best to get in when the sale goes live. Keep your eyes peeled here for an idea when those sales will happen. They always hit on Tuesdays.

Here are the most recent ones:

February 23rd, 2021
October 20th, 2020
February 25th, 2020
October 15th, 2019
March 5th, 2019
October 17th, 2018
February 13th, 2018
October 17th, 2017
February 28th, 2017
October 18th, 2016
February 23rd, 2016
October 7th, 2015

Your best bet is to just buy the titles you most want. I have a pretty long list that continues to build. Fortunately, Criterion doesn’t have limited editions that sell out quickly. Once announced, you’ll have ample time to add any film or box set you want to your collection.

You might also look at signing up for the Criterion channel, and preview some of the films you’re interested in adding to your physical media collection.

There’s also a Criterion buy/sell/trade board here where you can find new and gently used Criterions. I’ve had some good luck there.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Also, feel free to PM me if you like. I check the board daily, and am happy to help out if I can.

Originally Posted by Ferg

So, I've had a pretty eventful week (while this was down).

Got my first Criterions (Cat People and Diabolique) and freaked out at how good the transfer and accompanying booklet was, so I quickly ordered Husbands, Badlands, and Night of the Living Dead. Then I found out Criterion did a boxset of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, so I ordered that too.

Now I need Repulsion, Dr. Strangelove, The Wages of Fear, and Blue Velvet.

SO MUCH TO GET. I'm in a feverish panic about missing out on titles. What's going OOP soon, help!

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by BunyipPouch

According to this, Alfonso Cuaron's Sólo Con Tu Pareja is getting a blu-ray upgrade soon.

Pretty neat, it's been on my DVD upgrade wishlist for a little while.

I almost bought it a few times. So glad I was actually patient. Thanks for the info!

[theater dreamer]

Ferg, one last thing. A number of our members get Criterions during sales at Target. I think that they either have their own sales occasionally, or they price match. Somebody who buys them there can elaborate. This is useful because the Redcard earns, from memory, another 5% off. So, a single Criterion with 50% off the $39.95 MSRP, which is then $19.98, gets another $1 off with that card.

[CMNPlanet]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Maybe a re-release of Y Tu Mama Tambien without the DVDs will accompany it.

That's already scheduled for June.

[Feiereisel]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Ferg, one last thing. A number of our members get Criterions during sales at Target. I think that they either have their own sales occasionally, or they price match. Somebody who buys them there can elaborate. This is useful because the Redcard earns, from memory, another 5% off. So, a single Criterion with 50% off the $39.95 MSRP, which is then $19.98, gets another $1 off with that card.

To briefly expand on this: Criterions are often included in Target's "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" media sales. It's a good way to scoop up releases that fall between the BN and site sales, especially when preorders are included.

The math varies a bit given Target's inconsistent pricing for Criterions, but it often works to the buyer's advantage. Target usually asks about 25-30 dollars per Criterion, which totals to 3 standard Criterions for somewhere between 55-60 bucks--well in line with both BN and the Criterion site sales. So, while the stock can be inconsistent, the favorable pricing and the additional 5% RedCard discount make it a solid bargain. The mix-and-match aspect of the offer is also pretty agreeable.