The Criterion Collection

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Waiting to buy in the sales doesn't suit my viewing habits. The idea of buying in bulk twice a year just doesn't work for me.

I buy my priorities first, then wait for the sales on titles I'm less excited for. Otherwise I end up with piles of unwatched stuff. Which I currently have.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

I buy my priorities first, then wait for the sales on titles I'm less excited for. Otherwise I end up with piles of unwatched stuff. Which I currently have.

I'm the same way, unless a high priority title releases close to a sale, then I don't mind waiting a month or two.

My July targets are:

The New World (if it releases during the sale window, if not then Amazon)
A Touch of Zen
Wings of Desire
The Four Feathers
A Bright Summer Day
Fantastic Planet
Clouds of Sils Maria
Phoenix
Day for Night/Letter Never Sent (still iffy on these)
Wim Wenders box set (also a maybe)

Thank goodness I have gift cards.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Snicket

I'm the same way, unless a high priority title releases close to a sale, then I don't mind waiting a month or two.

My July targets are:

The New World (if it releases during the sale window, if not then Amazon)
A Touch of Zen
Wings of Desire
The Four Feathers
A Bright Summer Day
Fantastic Planet
Clouds of Sils Maria
Phoenix
Day for Night/Letter Never Sent (still iffy on these)
Wim Wenders box set (also a maybe)

Thank goodness I have gift cards.

Aside from The 400 Blows I don't consider myself a Truffaut fan, but Day for Night is excellent.

If you enjoy films about filmmaking or multilayered characters, this one should be a no-brainer for you.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

Somehow I need to temper my expectations on films. I finished Three Colors: Red last night and I was somewhat disappointed. Based upon everyone's reviews I expected it to be on par with Blue or even exceed it, however it fell short for me both in visual and story expectations. Whereas Blue captured me from the opening credits, Red left me waiting for the gut punch that never came.

I plan on an immediate re-watch to determine if unreasonable expectations hampered my viewing or if I simply did not connect for whatever reason with the film. 8/10

It's very different than Blue, more optimistic i think, how can you not be captivated by the opening sequence?

But then I remember you mention you didn't like Double Life of Veronique that much, this is more similar to that in it's metaphysical themes.

My first time going through this trilogy I was never captured by Red, and White was my favorite, it all changed with my second viewing which was several years later though.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Waiting to buy in the sales doesn't suit my viewing habits. The idea of buying in bulk twice a year just doesn't work for me.

This is exactly how I feel. Plus, I like supporting Criterion directly. I never did before, I was always an Amazon guy. But now, pretty much every Criterion I buy I get directly from them, and build up loyalty points along the way.

Heck, honestly, most of the stuff other than Criterion that I get is pretty cheap. I just bought American Hustle and Only God Forgives for less than $20. I can afford to spend a but extra on my Criterions.

[SkyAntoine]

I'm so weak...
At lunch today I received my two 20% B&N coupons. I went ahead and used them plus CardCash/CardPool gift certificates I've been saving for the July sale.

Got the following coming in so I don't have to wait until July:
Whit Stillman Trilogy
In a Lonely Place
Naked Island
The Player
Amiche
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
La Chienne

Blu-ray complete for another month!

[Arch Stanton]

Anyone else finding this new screenshot tagging system on here absolutely awful?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

Anyone else finding this new screenshot tagging system on here absolutely awful?

Not awful but I don't think it's useful, the only thing it does is now you need to make sure you are not clicking on a person face when you want to open a screen capture in full screen.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

I'm so weak...
At lunch today I received my two 20% B&N coupons. I went ahead and used them plus CardCash/CardPool gift certificates I've been saving for the July sale.

Got the following coming in so I don't have to wait until July:
Whit Stillman Trilogy
In a Lonely Place
Naked Island
The Player
Amiche
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
La Chienne

Blu-ray complete for another month!

You weak little man.

[filmmusic]

SAE has a 25% off sale in selected Bluray and DVD titles in case anyone is interested, and it includes 2 Criterions:

http://www1.screenarchives.com/title...SMAN-27-DISCS/
http://www1.screenarchives.com/title...6/SPEEDY-1928/

25% off select DVD and Blu-Ray titles, see list below!

Use code DVDBR2523

Quantities limited and subject to availability; no rainchecks.

Sale valid Thursday May 19th, 5pm ET through Monday, May 23rd, 5pm ET.



Check back every Thursday for our weekly featured sale starting at 5 pm ET.

[bwdowiak]

heading out in a little bit to see Murnau's Sunrise on the big screen w/ live music accompaniment. I've never seen it before, so I'm quite looking fwd to it.

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

You weak little man.

I beg your pardon! I'm at least 9 inches taller than that guy. I don't speak backwards, but I do speak Kentuckian which can sometimes create a language barrier.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Not awful but I don't think it's useful, the only thing it does is now you need to make sure you are not clicking on a person face when you want to open a screen capture in full screen.

If the screenshot is just of a close-up then it's impossible to open the image at all. You just end up on Bogart's profile page.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I read the phrase "Amazon's superior customer service" and almost choked on my tea. Thanks a lot Adam!

Have you ever had to deal with B+N over a problem? They're a nightmare. I'm not sure what Amazon are like in the US but for all of their faults (of which there are many, ethics wise) their customer service is by far the best in the business over here.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Have you ever had to deal with B+N over a problem? They're a nightmare. I'm not sure what Amazon are like in the US but for all of their faults (of which there are many, ethics wise) their customer service is by far the best in the business over here.

Actually, I've always gotten excellent service from AmazonUK (They once sent me a MOC Late Mizoguchi set free of charge when i told them their packaging was sub par), but Amazon.com is different story. I'll spoiler my example so as not to bore people.

[Show spoiler]
Back in Feb i called them wondering why a new release that i had pre-ordered hadn't shipped yet even though it was in stock. They explained to me that if i wanted things more quickly, i should just join Prime. I explained that i didn't want it by release day, just wanted to know why it wasn't shipping in a reasonable time frame. They said they couldn't do anything for me unless i joined Prime. After the phone call they sent me a survey asking if i my question had been answered to my satisfaction. When i selected "no", it asked if i would like a call back so they could make things right. I said yes, they called me, and prompting yelled at me for calling therm back when nothing more could be done. They then sent me this e-mail:



Delightful!

You're right though, B&N customer service is nothing to write home about either.

[ShellOilJunior]

You should join Prime. I've never had issue with Amazon's customer service. The few times packages have been late I've sent them a note and they've given me promo credit (Haven't had to do this in a long time). Packages arrive in excellent condition and they no longer use Prestige (Thank the lord).

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Actually, I've always gotten excellent service from AmazonUK (They once sent me a MOC Late Mizoguchi set free of charge when i told them their packaging was sub par), but Amazon.com is different story. I'll spoiler my example so as not to bore people.

[Show spoiler]
Back in Feb i called them wondering why a new release that i had pre-ordered hadn't shipped yet even though it was in stock. They explained to me that if i wanted things more quickly, i should just join Prime. I explained that i didn't want it by release day, just wanted to know why it wasn't shipping in a reasonable time frame. They said they couldn't do anything for me unless i joined Prime. After the phone call they sent me a survey asking if i my question had been answered to my satisfaction. When i selected "no", it asked if i would like a call back so they could make things right. I said yes, they called me, and prompting yelled at me for calling therm back when nothing more could be done. They then sent me this e-mail:



Delightful!

You're right though, B&N customer service is nothing to write home about either.

As if it were possible someone didn't knew already about prime, with all their buttons leading you to try it or join, I don't like how they have been pushing prime lately.

I don't deny it might be a great deal for some, but I would expect the same quality of service I had 5 years ago when prime wasn't as big even if I don't have prime, that is deliveries within 5-7 business days.

Keep in mind sometimes a package is in a warehouse close to you so it takes several days without being shipped but it still arrives in the expected time frame, just get's lower priority.

But yeah, still much better than B&N, if it weren't for Criterion I would never use that.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

You should join Prime. I've never had issue with Amazon's customer service. The few times packages have been late I've sent them a note and they've given me promo credit (Haven't had to do this in a long time). Packages arrive in excellent condition and they no longer use Prestige (Thank the lord).

$100 a year for better customer service? No deal.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

[Show spoiler]I'm so weak...
At lunch today I received my two 20% B&N coupons. I went ahead and used them plus CardCash/CardPool gift certificates I've been saving for the July sale.

Got the following coming in so I don't have to wait until July:
Whit Stillman Trilogy
In a Lonely Place
Naked Island
The Player
Amiche
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
La Chienne

Blu-ray complete for another month!

That is so cool. I'm lacking 34 titles as of this week, and don't really expect to be Criterion blu-ray complete until Christmas. My original goal was the end of July, but I just haven't been motivated to spend a lot of "fun money" lately. Instead, I've been doing a lot of hiking, and have been cataloguing my movie stills collection, which is proving to be an enormous task. In the meantime, it's been fun watching my bank account swell.

That said, I do have a list of a dozen titles I'm especially looking forward to picking up in July at the Barnes & Noble sale:

The Emigrants/The New Land
The Manchurian Candidate
Only Angels Have Wings
Bicycle Thieves
The Kennedy Films ...
In a Lonely Place
The Player
La Chienne
Clouds of Sils Maria
The New World

and the Jacques Demy and Jacques Tati sets, which are the only two Criterion box sets I'm currently missing.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Letter Never Sent is on the tentative blind buy list that I'm putting together for July at B&N.

Did you not like it?

...I heard it was pretty good.

It's excellent, with some of the greatest depth of field cinematography ever put on film.

I couldn't begin to think about selling off Letter Never Sent and the two Sam Fuller masterpieces. After all these years, I find myself questioning if Shell is really a Criterion fan. If he needed the money that badly, he could have contacted you for advice on "other options".