The Criterion Collection

[PowellPressburger]

kind of a wish list item, Criterion should try to get Looking For Me Goodbar from Paramount.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by jcs913

CG, speaking of twitter, I saw a post on there about Mulholland Drive from Criterion. Now that would be a nice surprise...

Me if it happens:

The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet would be spectacular as well. In any case, we can't get too excited. Didn't Lynch have some kind of disagreement with Criterion? I heard it had to do with Eraserhead.

[Hendershot737]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

The Elephant Man UK Blu-ray

Why not import? Unless you don't particularly care to then sucks for you.

Your bedside manner must be wonderful.

[BasicGreatGuy]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

kind of a wish list item, Criterion should try to get Looking For Me Goodbar from Paramount.

Would be an excellent addition, especially since it has never been released on DVD. Funny you mention the movie. I watched it the other night, for the first time in several years.


Edited to add: In regards to "wish list" items...how about John Ford's "Upstream" (1927) which was found last year in Australia (I believe). It had been considered forever lost for decades.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

The Elephant Man UK Blu-ray

Why not import? Unless you don't particularly care to then sucks for you.

Well, you know, I'd rather wait and see what good comes out of a domestic release. It doesn't hurt to be patient, you know? I've done a good share of video game importing, so I pretty much know what to do when the need arises for any sort of importation.

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by jcs913

CG, speaking of twitter, I saw a post on there about Mulholland Drive from Criterion. Now that would be a nice surprise...

...And that would make a quadruple-dip for me. Though the Studio Canal blu package is pretty excellent; but I don't really see any other extras to put on besides a commentary and the original pilot.

But I doubt it.

[BasicGreatGuy]

"World on a Wire" Criterion trailer. Looking forward to this release.

YouTube - ‪World on a Wire - U.S. Trailer (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany 1973)‬‏

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

For me the importing is more due to price, encode or special features. Includes other releases without Digital Copy crap. Again I do enjoy doing the research before buying the best release for me out there. Obviously I don't have the money to buy many at a time so it's more of a pick and choose situation. Along with many titles have a greater priority for purchase in comparinsons which have a lower one.
Look at the last page for my DVDProfiler/Invelos link (it's not 100% accurate) and majority of titles are imported instead of a domestic release. Or multiple titles of a film to create an overall complete edition but othertimes I really like the film in question.

EDIT: I consider my owned collection on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray to be complete and utter shit. A -10000/10. There are far too many movies I'm wanting to own along with my own personal regards my collection is never going to be finished. Far too many to buy and not enough money along with better shelves severely limit my own choices.

I, too aim for the best quality and most complete packages. However, I find importing The Elephant Man can wait at this point in favor other releases that may out-do the current edition.

A release from Criterion would be cool, and that's all I said. No need to come off sounding snooty on the last page, but if that's how you wish to get on the subject of importing, so be it. If snooty-ness wasn't your intent, I apologize for taking you that way.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Basically you are saying, as this is the Criterion thread, that they get the scraps the studios do not believe are money makers. That is the sad part about it, as the studios pump out millions to projects that are useless, when they know all the money is in home entertainment. As dumb after dumb movie comes out every friday, quality catalog titles sit untouched, because they don't want to take a risk??

Of course. What do you think the studios are? Basically, the studios are money managers and marketers. (Some would say the studios are "banks", but they're really not anymore because they go outside for funding.) Most, if not all of them are part of public companies. They're only concerned with making money and making it quickly. Today's movies, as bad as they are and in spite of technological improvements are very expensive to make. $100 million is no longer considered to be an expensive movie and most marketing budgets are higher than the negative cost.

In the days of classic Hollywood, when the studios were still largely run by their founders, they were also interested in making tons of money (although most didn't), but the founders were also interested in their reputations and legacy and would permit a certain number of quality pictures each year.

While there's a lot of money in "home entertainment", it's certainly not "all the money". And films that don't first do well in theatres don't do well in the aftermarket.

The unfortunate fact is that in spite of the impression one would get from analyzing this site, most people are uninterested even in 20 year old movies, never mind movies from the silent era. We live in a hyperactive, dumbed-down society and in spite of the appreciation for intelligent films from all over the world in this particular thread, most people are only interested in the latest dumb buddy comedy or action movie. (The Hangover II probably came in at $90 million opening day - think that's ever going to be a Criterion movie?) So when a studio does release a great classic, especially one that needs restoration, they are taking a great risk and frankly, I'm surprised that as much quality film gets released as it does. I simply can't imagine that very many copies of even Metropolis or The General or Modern Times get sold and those are some of the most famous silent films ever made.

Having said that, I have no problem with the studios licensing companies like Criterion the "scraps". I wish they'd do more of that. The problem is when they sit on a title and refuse to license it to anyone else in spite of the fact that they won't release it.

The other issue is that not every film needs to be released "now". And studios have only so many resources, so they can only handle X films per year for home video. And while few on this site want to believe the reality, Blu-ray is not that large a market as yet. Through 5/14, it's only $600 million (compared to $2.335 billion for DVD) in the U.S. And BD is only 10.4% ahead of last year, so there's not a lot of growth. (Last year at this time, it was 84% ahead of 2009).

When I see some Blu-rays for $7-$8 at my local retailer (usually not great films and obviously not Criterion releases, but still), I have to believe that the studios are not even caring about profit, but simply seeking cash flow.

Chaplin is also a special case because his films are not owned by any of the major studios, AFAIK.

[dwane5]

Originally Posted by jcs913

They are even worse than the Twins...

On a side note before I leave for a little: If anyone is interested in a copy of The Third Man, digibook packaging, but no booklet, send me a PM. I got a good deal on a backup a while ago, but need to thin out the collection a little. I think you can still get a replacement booklet from Criterion for $5 or so, you have to inquire with them. They seem to sell for about $80+, so I think $60 shipped within the US is fair.

criterion does not sell booklets on OOP movies.

sure would like to have this one day tho.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by dwane5

criterion does not sell booklets on OOP movies.

sure would like to have this one day tho.

Actually they sell the artwork for some OOP titles and you have to inquire if they have any booklets left. Have you checked with them on The Third Man already?

[dwane5]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Actually they sell the artwork for some OOP titles and you have to inquire if they have any booklets left. Have you checked with them on The Third Man already?

yes and here was the response....

"Hi Dwane,


Thanks for your email!


Unfortunately when a title goes out-of-print, we no longer have the ability to get any new booklets. I am sorry!


Thank you for your support of The Criterion Collection!


Best,


Jon Mulvaney
"

[SlickDamian]

I apologize that this completely off topic, I'm just curious to know, what do the people in this thread think of True Grit (2010)?

And speaking of 2010 movies, I think that 127 Hours is a future cult classic, and would be a sweet addition to the collection.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

Criterion isn't the be-all end all release Distributor for films. Sure it's nice when they release a title but theirs alone shouldn't be the only one owned if the fan of the film wants to have more comprehensive releases. Why own multiple copies of films with different extras? Why not?

I don't believe Criterion to be the end-all-be-all. From there, it all really depends on the buyer. Some fans want the best single release, others don't. I do not have the means to get multiple releases which is why I try to time my purchases right. There's nothing wrong with doing otherwise. And if it means anything, I hunted the Japanese pre-restoration post-original DVD release of Eraserhead online and finally struck a cheap copy on eBay. Why? I wanted to see what it looked like prior to the restoration.

Personally, I'd also go out of my way for exclusive extras and the like. Except for commentary tracks. I'm not wild about 'em.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by dwane5

yes and here was the response....

"Hi Dwane,


Thanks for your email!


Unfortunately when a title goes out-of-print, we no longer have the ability to get any new booklets. I am sorry!


Thank you for your support of The Criterion Collection!


Best,


Jon Mulvaney
"

Interesting, considering they still carry the artwork for the OOP titles. Also strange as my buddy got the replacement case and booklet for The Man Who Fell to Earth a month or so ago. I guess things have changed, or Mulvaney was annoyed that day. Anyways, I guess the film will have to suffice...

[blg]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I apologize that this completely off topic, I'm just curious to know, what do the people in this thread think of True Grit (2010)?

And speaking of 2010 movies, I think that 127 Hours is a future cult classic, and would be a sweet addition to the collection.

I haven't seen True Grit yet (have it pre-ordered), but I thought 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Winter's Bone, and Blue Valentine were all excellent movies.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Ray_Rogers

See, I agree fully on this. But for me when it's after the fact, especially for THE THING which is BD50 with all extras in the UK in comparison to the USA which is BD25 and only the commentary, it's helpful for those who do import to wait for the news for a release of a title. I did exactly the same when HIGHLANDER (USA Blu) was released. Found it to be very lacklustre so I jumped for the UK release which I haven't regretted. Back to the Future Trilogy more because of actual disc label art and zero Digital Copy. ALIEN Anthology more due to the insane low price of the UK release. TOTAL RECALL because of BD50 VC-1 instead of MPEG2 BD25 in the USA including lossless audio for UK compared to lossy on the USA. I still own the Special Edition DVD which I have as the second disc for extras.
Goes for several other titles in my wishlist and my owned part of my collection. Doesn't mean I'll be able to afford them right away or necessarily wanting "X, Y or Zed" title but it does help, for myself, to do the research first before buying a film I do want to own on this current format. Many times I combine different format releases but it's easier explained through what I wrote in regards to each title in my collection. Would be far more helpful if I took pictures of what I owned so it's easier to comprehend visually. All about being a patient purchaser.
Main reason, as I already stated numerously boring and now a damn broken record, is I won't buy the current Blu-ray for THE GAME. I do have the Universal HD DVD along with a Criterion LD-to-DVD "preservation". Same exact case for The Elephant Man. Waiting for the best release on Blu-ray and eventually it'll be through The Criterion Collection. Once that happens I'll buy it once it goes in a good price range and consider that title taken care of until Holographic Versatile Disc or whichever format is next. Same adheres for dozens of other titles.
The above falls under the "Why buy it on DVD from Criterion if it's not OOP when I could wait for them to re-release it onto Blu-ray?" Main reason why I'm not going to purchase a title I'm really wanting from Criterion on DVD unless if it's part of the Out of Press/Print titles. Sure it's going to take awhile but I can be moderately patient for the titles I've been wanting to buy. IF.... completely was announced out of thin air and glad I didn't go through with clicking Order Now on Amazon for the DVD last week.
I would make a list but this is getting to be already a damn long post.

EDIT: If I can find that long list of Criterion titles I posted which I'm willing to purchase on Blu-ray, I'll make a list again in a following post here along with strikethroughs for titles which are in the process of a future wave.

I'm longwinded myself, no problem. There are actually quite a few Blu discs that I don't want to purchase for the same reasons as you, even though they're pretty cheap. I'd rather drop $30 plus importing fees on The Thing with a better transfer and extras than a literal bare-bones okay transfer for ten.

Alien Anthology from Amazon UK is an absolute steal at this point. I need to hop on that one soon. How much was the shipping charge? I assume it follows the same format as Amazon USA, correct?

[Guitar Joe]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Someone a few pages ago said it best, does Nolan need to be discovered or re-discovered right now?

Certainly not for any of his movies from Memento on, but I think it would be good for Criterion to put out Following so more people can see where he got his start.

[Guitar Joe]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I know, that is why it interested me. I also remember ramblings about Criterion and Lynch not getting along anymore, which adds to the mystique. Maybe they made nice... Man, that would be great as I love my SC region B edition, but a Criterion release would be worth a double dip.

I've never heard about any problem between Lynch and Criterion. Can you or someone else summarize what happened between them?

[capnnarcolepsy]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

...And that would make a quadruple-dip for me. Though the Studio Canal blu package is pretty excellent; but I don't really see any other extras to put on besides a commentary and the original pilot.

But I doubt it.

a link to the original pilot was actually what they tweeted about. any Lynch they wanna put out, i'm all for.