The Criterion Collection

[Matt89]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

I think it's less that Criterion are releasing titles already available in the UK, and more that the UK titles are already excellent and that Criterion's releases are usually inferior, lmao. There's also this Anerican attitude that things don't exist outside their own home. I remember seeing people react to the likes of Peeping Tom and Don't Look Now like, "OMG FINALLY!!!" as if they hadn't already received releases by StudioCanal and Arrow respectively.

Exactly this.

And yeah they’ve announced some great stuff like Risky Business, Le Samourai, Par Garrett and Billy the Kid, Blue Velvet, etc. (all I plan on picking up in their next sale - and really they’re the only titles I’ve been interested in that they’ve announced lately) but yeah many of their announcements are for titles that already have UHD releases - many of which have better encodes and better editions, be it Arrow or Second Sight - when UHDs are region free anyway.

All I’m saying is that personally, a lot of the stuff they’ve announced lately hasn’t interested me - they’re either titles I already own on 4K from UK boutiques (like The Last Emperor) or just titles I’m not entirely interested in. That’s all.

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by bergman864

Not everyone who wants to own these movies buy them from the likes of Diabolik, OrbitDVD, etc. They still buy from places like Amazon, Target, etc. That's the reality.

And, while it's not an issue for Arrow since they don't often include a blu-ray, but not everyone is Region Free and the added blu-ray is useless to them.

I've seen quite a few people on this site express their frustration with the lack of a blu-ray. They'd be even more upset to purchase an import where they can't play one of the discs, especially if that disc includes the extra.

Not everybody who's into collecting is region free and a region free player is an added expense to just upgrading a TV and/or 4K player.

That's always going to be the reality for a lot of people who buy discs. They're not all on blu-ray.com.

Some absolutely fair points there. My point was when talking about blu to blu, or 4k to 4k comparisons. Anyone buying this movie strictly for the 4K version would benefit more from the Arrow than the Criterion. But if the blu-ray aspect if a must have, absolutely the Criterion would be a good plan.

[M A]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

New to 4K with Criterion's announcement:

[Show spoiler]

1. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
2. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
3. After Hours
4. The Apu Trilogy
5. Blood Simple
6. Blow Out
7. Blue Velvet
8. Bound
9. Branded to Kill
10. Citizen Kane
11. Days of Heaven
12. Dazed and Confused
13. Devil in a Blue Dress
14. Double Indemnity
15. The Fisher King
16. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
17. For All Mankind
18. Hard Day's Night
19. I Am Cuba
20. The Last Waltz
21. Lone Star
22. Lost Highway
23. Malcolm X
24. McCabe & Mrs Miller
25. Mean Streets
26. Menace II Society
27. Mildred Pierce
28. Moonage Daydream
29. Mother
30. Mulholland Drive
31. Night of the Living Dead
32. Okja
33. One False Move
34. The Others
35. Pat Garett and Billy the Kid
36. The Piano
37. The Power of the Dog
38. Raging Bull
39. Real Life
40. The Red Shoes
41. The Roaring Twenties
42. The Ranown Westerns (5-films)
43. Risky Business
44. Shaft
45. Sound of Metal
46. Thelma and Louise
47. Three Colors Trilogy
48. Time Bandits (Arrow release came after)
49. To Die For
50. Trainspotting
51. Triangle of Sadness
52. Uncut Gems
53. The Virgin Suicides
54. Walkabout
55. Werckmeiser Harmonies

(Previously released in the US by a studio: Wall-E, The Last Picture Show)

Previously released/announced internationally (not necessarily English friendly):

1. Breathless
2. Le Cercle Rouge
3. Don't Look Now
4. Farewell My Concubine
5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Arrow)
6. in the Mood for Love
7. La Haine
8. The Heroic Trio / Executioners
9. The Last Emperor (Arrow)
10. Peeping Tom
11. Perfect Days
12. Picnic at Hanging Rock
13. The Princess Bride
14. The Rules of the Game
15. Le Samourai
16. The Seventh Seal
17. The Trial
18. Videodrome (Arrow)
19. Wings of Desire

So 55 new to 4K at the time of their announcement. 19 previously released/announced internationally, only 3 of which were from Arrow. Don't recall anyone saying Arrow were getting Criterion's sloppy seconds when they announced Time Bandits months after Criterion announced theirs.

Minor correction: The Others, Three Colours Trilogy, and Triangle of Sadness were all announced to be coming from others before Criterion announced theirs. Doesn't affect the point of your post, though

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by M A

Minor correction: The Others, Three Colours Trilogy, and Triangle of Sadness were all announced to be coming from others before Criterion announced theirs. Doesn't affect the point of your post, though

Thanks. Are you sure about The Others? The UK/international thread for it was made on July 26th, 2023, while Criterion announced theirs on July 17th. I believe SC had stated plans for physical releases when they first mentioned a 4K restoration of the film, but I don't think their 4K was formally announced until that date above. Minor fail on my part for The Three Colors. I searched, but didn't see any release besides Criterion, but the French release was only in...French..as Trois Couleurs.

[Ben_C]

The main thing for me with a Criterion release of The Long Good Friday is that it’ll give extra exposure to one of the all-time great British films in another territory.
Hope it’s a good release, and I hope plenty of folks buy it and enjoy it, because it’s an absolutely incredible film.

[M A]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Thanks. Are you sure about The Others? The UK/international thread for it was made on July 26th, 2023, while Criterion announced theirs on July 17th. I believe SC had stated plans for release when they first mentioned a 4K restoration of the film, but I don't think their 4K was formally announced until that date above. Minor fail on my part for The Three Colors. I searched, but didn't see any release besides Criterion, but the French release was only in...French..as Trois Couleurs.

Yep. There's actually a third thread and it was posted there almost a month before Criterion announced theirs.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by M A

Yep. There's actually a third thread and it was posted there almost a month before Criterion announced theirs.

I see, thanks. I think the thread was made off a placeholder listing, rather than a formal announcement, but I'll switch it to the other list all the same.

[cgpublic]

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

1. At no point did I tell anyone not to buy anything.

It sure seems that way to me in your reply to the OP when he provided the reasons for his personal decision to buy and or wait for a Criterion release:

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

Every single person on the planet with an internet connection is "in a position to import". The issue is, most of the people buying these titles are well versed in boutique releases. By releasing a title someone else already did, you risk the market already being cannibalized.

As I noted in my reply, you are projecting your personal purchasing criteria as an absolute for every buyer. It's not, and that fact should be self-evident.

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

2. They are not opinions. Objectively, most titles available through both labels are superior from Arrow. That is not an opinion, it's a fact.

My advice is reconsider the above statement in the context of the English language. Perhaps it would be to your benefit to understand the difference between opinion and fact before you suggest everyone follow your example.

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

3. If you're going to use the 4 dollar arguement, I guess we wait til Arrow does a sale, making it cheaper than the US Criterion Release when its 50% off. so there goes that point as well.

That point doesn't hold much water as there is a Criterion 50% sale planned in two weeks and an Arrow sale TBD. But as I shared my original post, it's your suggestion that the Arrow disc is the better decision right now, in spite of the fact the OP noted the importance of the included Blu-ray and a local retail outlet in his preference for the Criterion.

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

4. You seem to be looking for an argument. As we are on a niche collecting board, talking about a niche label, on a niche format, I'd assume people would want the best product for the money. Anyone can buy anything they want, and at no point did I say otherwise.

As I shared earlier, we don't have an argument because each of us is entitled to buy whatever we want, as I did when I purchased the Arrow.

Therefore, we should be also be free of the second-guessing absolutism that what's right for me is right for everyone else, especially when a poster provides a number of very good reasons for their decision, only to have them dismissed as un-important.

If you want to pay a premium for the swag and potentially better encode, good for you, and if someone else wants to purchase locally and receive the Blu-ray, good for them.

Call me crazy, but I draw the line when posters attempt to project their personal decisions on others with the knowledge of someone else's preference who is not asking for advice, just simply stating why.

Live and let live. That's all.

[BluProofie]

Don’t care about this discourse, just want them to announce The Beast(2023), Evil Does Not Exist and Godzilla Minus One already

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Don’t care about this discourse, just want them to announce The Beast(2023), Evil Does Not Exist and Godzilla Minus One already

The Beast will be announced on a separate day than the 15th(or thereabouts), since it most likely will be a Janus Contemporaries).

[DukeTogo84]

Since everyone seems to be such a good mood this morning, all I can say is that I hope Criterion gives us Hunter in the Dark on BD. I'm pretty sure it probably will never get a release though...

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

Call me crazy, but I draw the line when posters attempt to project their personal decisions on others with the knowledge of someone else's preference who is not asking for advice, just simply stating why.

Live and let live. That's all.

I never did that, but you keep putting words in my mouth.

Have fun with that.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyways, back to Criterion.

Looking forward to Repo Man. Hopefully some other surprises.

[SpookyDollhouse]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

I The Beast will be announced on a separate day than the 15th(or thereabouts), since it most likely will be a Janus Contemporaries).

It's also pretty much guaranteed to premiere on the channel first

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

The Beast will be announced on a separate day than the 15th(or thereabouts), since it most likely will be a Janus Contemporaries).

Then they need to hurry that shit up!

[Somebuddy]

Originally Posted by JoelGoodsen

It is also overshadowing the fact that Criterion were supposed to release SubUrbia (1996) years ago and it never happened

That would be amazing if Criterion released this

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by dwk

I assume they've held off on some stuff, like the Powell & Pressburger titles, while they wait for newer restorations. It makes perfect sense to wait if you know something is in the restoration piipeline. Even if it is a few years off.

They just released Peeping Tom (and The Tales of Hoffmann in 2022) and will presumably release The Small Back Room soon, I’d like to see them handle Bluebeard’s Castle, but some of the new restorations only just premiered last year and are currently touring the US in Cinema Unbound. Hopefully Oh Rosalinda! and Honeymoon (barebones UK releases by Network) at some point too.

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Don’t care about this discourse, just want them to announce The Beast(2023), Evil Does Not Exist and Godzilla Minus One already

Not seen anything official on GZ-1, I love both those two films but I can’t be too excited when I know it will be a low effort release (even though Drive My Car seemed to have some effort put into it) - but if they could include Gift I would get it as most people can’t see it with a live score (although it’s an evolving one.)

Originally Posted by Matt89

All I’m saying is that personally, a lot of the stuff they’ve announced lately hasn’t interested me - they’re either titles I already own on 4K from UK boutiques (like The Last Emperor) or just titles I’m not entirely interested in. That’s all.

The Last Emperor also maintains the corrupted 2.00:1 aspect ratio on the BD.

Originally Posted by jedidarrick

This debate is also overshadowing the fact that Life of Brian has new screencaps on the website.

Interesting when a film series ends up split between multiple distributors, like Meaning of Life being with Universal, great seeing laserdisc upgrades and wonder who will tackle Holy Grail.

Wonder if Eureka will handle Repo Man 4K in the UK, or a different label like Arrow, 88 or Criterion. Another recent Umbrella BD that seems pointless upgraded so soon after.

[postmodel]

I just hope we get some Desperate Living to round out the early Waters.

[Matt89]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

The Last Emperor also maintains the corrupted 2.00:1 aspect ratio on the BD.

Omg it does! I just checked their website. Lmao what a joke.

This is exactly what I mean with them announcing 4Ks but putting out inferior editions.

[JoelGoodsen]

Originally Posted by Somebuddy

That would be amazing if Criterion released this

Warner Archive, Arrow or Criterion could potentially release it at this point.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by postmodel

I just hope we get some Desperate Living to round out the early Waters.

I’d like them to release his early shorts or later New Line titles like Pecker and Cecil B. Demented. Or Hairspray 4K? I remember Mondo Trasho being confined by music rights.