The Criterion Collection

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by John Klein

Oh I know but my local B&N doesn't carry much stock in Criterion Blu-Rays and even with the members only discounts, Amazon prices are still cheaper. My B&N sells them at the absolute full price.

That's odd. Because during the Criterion 50% off sales, I sometimes have my store special order titles for me that they normally don't have in inventory, and I always get the 50% off sale price, minus my extra 10%, and I get to use my 20% off membership coupons as well, which usually brings the price of a $39.99 Criterion blu-ray down to $14.39. I don't ever see Criterion blu-rays discounted that steeply through Amazon ...

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by jmclick

That's odd. Because during the Criterion 50% off sales, I sometimes have my store special order titles for me that they normally don't have in inventory, and I always get the 50% off sale price, minus my extra 10%, and I get to use my 20% off membership coupons as well, which usually brings the price of a $39.99 Criterion blu-ray down to $14.39. I don't ever see Criterion blu-rays discounted that steeply through Amazon ...

Amazon sometimes sells Criterions for less then $20, you just have to get lucky. I caught one right before the price jumped back up.

[Arch Stanton]

Do Criterion sales usually have a knock-on effect with UK Amazon sellers like AllYourMusic and see price reductions or is that just with B&N? Not sure I can wait till July to get my hands on all the stuff I want.

[kylec123]

Originally Posted by PrestonXI

Careful shoppers can find Criterions for $20 or less BRAND NEW throughout the year.

For example, I recently picked up three brand new Criterion Godard films for less than $20 each (including shipping) on eBay.

Yeah, It's definitely doable.

Also, Nice Display Pic.

[Namuhana]

I received both Gilda and Inside Llewyn Davis in the mail today. I just put Gilda on and the presentation is very pleasing. And the interview with Mueller is pretty good, too.

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I just came from a buy/sell shop and saw a like new copy of The Thin Red Line for $24 and a like new copy of House for $22.

I had $22 in trade to use, but I already own The Thin Red Line and don't have any interest in adding House to my collection.

But, to be honest, I don't often see Criterion blu-rays in used stores.

...it's rare in my town.

I've found it really depends on what part of town I look in. I rarely have luck in the suburbs, but in the midtown area, where all the modern-day hippies and scene kids live, I have found quite a few Criterions, some Kino releases, and even a few Cohen Media Group releases. The suburbs are only good for Disney movies and 80s/90s chick flicks.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by John Klein

Amazon sometimes sells Criterions for less then $20, you just have to get lucky. I caught one right before the price jumped back up.

That was one of Amazon's Deal-of-the-Week promotions, which ran for seven days, and was only good on 8 Criterion skus, out of the almost 400 that are now available. And if memory serves, that was the first time Amazon featured any Criterion titles in a Deal-of-the-Week since I began buying them many years ago (outside of a very rare Lightning Deal or two during the annual Christmas shopping season).

But hey! If you're happy, I'm happy.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by jmclick

That was one of Amazon's Deal-of-the-Week promotions, which ran for seven days, and was only good on 8 Criterion skus, out of the almost 400 that are now available. And if memory serves, that was the first time Amazon featured any Criterion titles in a Deal-of-the-Week since I began buying them many years ago (outside of a very rare Lightning Deal or two during the annual Christmas shopping season).

But hey! If you're happy, I'm happy.

Oh wow, I had no clue Amazon had that sale. Although I do remember them having Criterion titles on sale before but I only remember once before and that is it. I do know though that sometimes, some of the titles do drop down to $20-$23 due to Amazon's price fluctuations, they quickly go back up though since people buy them quickly causing the price to go back up.

Costco on the other hand, they sell Criterions for $20 even.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by John Klein

Oh wow, I had no clue Amazon had that sale. Although I do remember them having Criterion titles on sale before but I only remember once before and that is it. I do know though that sometimes, some of the titles do drop down to $20-$23 due to Amazon's price fluctuations, they quickly go back up though since people buy them quickly causing the price to go back up.

Costco on the other hand, they sell Criterions for $20 even.

In a year for about 2.5 months, B&N is the best store buy new criterions...other 10 months, other places may have some sale here & there...

90% of my criterions are purchase from B&N...picked up during 50% or 40% off sale.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

In a year for about 2.5 months, B&N is the best store buy new criterions...other 10 months, other places may have some sale here & there...

90% of my criterions are purchase from B&N...picked up during 50% or 40% off sale.

Does it happen online as well? The B&N store that is close to me only sells a very small amount of Criterions and none that I actually want, save maybe The Lord of the Flies.

Only place besides Amazon I buy my Criterion films from is Costco and that place is far as hell from me.

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by John Klein

Does it happen online as well? The B&N store that is close to me only sells a very small amount of Criterions and none that I actually want, save maybe The Lord of the Flies.

Only place besides Amazon I buy my Criterion films from is Costco and that place is far as hell from me.

Yup, but I'd go the route that jm suggested and have them sent to the store so you can see them before you buy. I've never purchased anything from their website, but there's been a few complaints on the thread about the condition that some items were in that were ordered from there.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

Yup, but I'd go the route that jm suggested and have them sent to the store so you can see them before you buy. I've never purchased anything from their website, but there's been a few complaints on the thread about the condition that some items were in that were ordered from there.

Oh I know, I ordered the DVD version of Seven Samurai from them on the internet and I got it with the plastic holding the disks shattered. Returned it and got a fixed version that quickly got replaced by the Blu-Ray version since Costco was selling it for $20.

[Al_The_Strange]

Got a whole bunch of Criterion movies in my pile to review to see if I want to keep them or not. I never quite learned my lesson about blind-buying stuff.

So right now, I'm revisiting Repo Man, because I barely remembered much about it. My first viewing might have left me too bewildered, and I dismissed it as a random, plotless affair.

Second time around, man, this has way more color and movement than I remember. Filming is pretty decent, the actors show lots of personality, the punk vibe is intriguing, and there are a lot of bizarre, episodic encounters. It is a better experience rewatching this, and I'll definitely be keeping it.

This movie also has one of my favorite covers and one of my favorite essay books.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Finally catched this as it was just released here, and almost agree with everything you wrote.

The movie was great especially the first 2 acts, score was great, cinematography was great, bear scene was awesome, it reminded me of Grizzly Man even though there is no graphic violence there I picture that crucial moment had to be something as hard to watch as this.

I basically have the same problems with the third act, I think some parts near the end seem specifically constructed to extend the action scenes as opposed to the beginning where it all flows more naturally.

Also agree with most that the flashbacks are not done gracefully in my opinion, I think it shows that just having a great cinematographer is not enough, some of them felt forcing the film to be more artsy but I just didn't think they work that well, maybe because the thematic in the end is pretty simple, it is a survival movie.

While I liked the cinematography and some of the shots reminded me to The New World and The Tree of Life, I think in a lot of parts the shots were much more traditional in style, I couldn't stop thinking about Marketa Lazarova in several parts, and thought that if the film dared to really push a more artistic approach like that, it could have been much better, and sorry but as great as Chivo is, I still prefer that black and white cinematography of Marketa.

I'm going to have to watch The Revenant again on my own, because my views may change regarding the 3rd act. Some people I know said it was the best ending possible for the main characters (the protagonist and antagonist), and far better than if it had ended with a showdown or duel in the settlement.

I also must revisit Marketa Lazarova again, because I've forgotten just how beautiful the photography is in that picture. I recall being bored to death watching that film, but maybe I was tired the night I viewed it.

Thanks for responding to my old post though.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

I'm going to have to watch The Revenant again on my own, because my views may change regarding the 3rd act. Some people I know said it was the best ending possible for the main characters (the protagonist and antagonist), and far better than if it had ended with a showdown or duel in the settlement.

I also must revisit Marketa Lazarova again, because I've forgotten just how beautiful the photography is in that picture. I recall being bored to death watching that film, but maybe I was tired the night I viewed it.

Thanks for responding to my old post though.

When I first watched ML I did in 2 sittings to break it up a bit, then repeated viewings became easier!

[Page14]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Got a whole bunch of Criterion movies in my pile to review to see if I want to keep them or not. I never quite learned my lesson about blind-buying stuff.

So right now, I'm revisiting Repo Man, because I barely remembered much about it. My first viewing might have left me too bewildered, and I dismissed it as a random, plotless affair.

Second time around, man, this has way more color and movement than I remember. Filming is pretty decent, the actors show lots of personality, the punk vibe is intriguing, and there are a lot of bizarre, episodic encounters. It is a better experience rewatching this, and I'll definitely be keeping it.

This movie also has one of my favorite covers and one of my favorite essay books.

Repo Man was a blind buy for me too. I remember a good friend of mine going ballistic over it way back in the 80s, and telling me he thought it was the kind of movie I would like too. So 25+ years later, I finally watched it and he was right!

[ravenus]

The story-lines for Yasujiro Ozu's 1949 film Late Spring and 1962's An Autumn Afternoon (incidentally. his last work) read virtually identical - A dependent father realizes he must get his daughter married before she ages past eligibility and ends up an old maid. While contemporary woman's libbers may take umbrage, Ozu's films are a product of their time and social milieu, and the women in his films are strong in their own way.

Anyhow, the similarity between these 2 films is not merely in the outline. Several sequences mirror each other to the extent that Autumn could be considered a remake of Spring. But that interchangeability is true for much of Ozu's output; his specialty is variations on the theme. The major difference between these particular films comes in the socio-political backdrop. Autumn plays out in post-WW2 Japan. Defeated and later occupied by American forces, traditional Japanese society is in the throes of change. It is never emphasized in the narrative, but we see the influence that Western culture is beginning to have. The pre-war generation still gathers in sake bars, talking about old times and arranging reunions (and making fun of their colleague who has taken a young wife about who wears the pants in the house). Their progeny represents a more consumer spirit, acquiring refrigerators and golf clubs. It is also less patriarchy bound, a wife can bully her husband (for his own good or otherwise) without social scorn.

But in both periods, marriage and family remain an important institution, and the father must give up his selfish need to be looked after so that his daughter can have suitable companionship and start her own family. In Autumn, the tone with which this message is delivered is a bit bleaker, especially with the depiction of the father's old school teacher, whose lonely spinster daughter is unhappily chained to the care of her run-down depressed dad.

Ozu's favorite actor Chishu Ryu once again plays the worried patriarch and does so with his characteristic subtlety. In place of his other favorite Setsuko Hara, the daughter is portrayed by Shima Iwashita, which is a good thing since a) Hara at this stage would have been a little too old for the eligible daughter part b) The daughter, while loyal to and worried for her father, is depicted as being more assertive about herself than in Ozu's previous work, another sign of the times. I don't recall if this was the case with the other Ozu films I've seen, but one thing that struck me during the viewing of Autumn was how every scene begins with a couple of frames of the location or set where the scene takes place: the patriarch's house, his office, the bar he frequents, the house of his married son, the street where his school teacher lives. Never does a scene in a different location begin without first establishing the place. As expected with Ozu, the visuals are entirely a function of the framing, with no camera movements at all.

The video for the Criterion blu-ray is sourced from a new 4K master and expectedly looks great for its heritage. Most of the colors used in the film are muted greys, browns, greens, but the occasional vivid splash from shop hoardings or neon signs stands out beautifully. Detail is excellent and a patina of fine grain indicates the absence of overt manipulation. The mono track is clear and fine. Extras include some featurettes and a commentary, which I have yet to get to.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Criterion is a US-based label. What gets released in other countries is irrelevant to me because I do not have the ability to watch them.

I fixed this for you

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

I fixed this for you

Why do you assume that I was speaking about myself?

[monorail91]

Terrific Blu-ray extras on Gilda. Haven't watched w/ commentary yet but the video supplements are great, especially the bizarro TV special about Rita Hayworth as a "love goddess." (Not that she's not, but weird term to use multiple times!...)