The Criterion Collection

[hoytereden]

Most of Owl's reasons resonate with me. My main issues boil down to costs and priorities. We're needing to replace our roof and after patching and putting it off for years it's time to face the music. The silver lining is that I finally wore my wife down in the epic battle to replace our state of the art (circa 2006) HDTV. Her stipulation was I have to be good regarding my monthly purchases of BDs and movie posters. So even though I'll be cutting back (we'll see how that goes ) I have lots of unwatched BDs to catch up on.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Does he need to be region free for that? What region is Antarctica?

It certainly isn't on that Region Coding map.

Honestly, I would've loved to stay Region A, but dammit. There are a good number of titles that may never see the light of day here. The Lady Without Camelias, Fill the Void, Goodbye First Love, Bastards, Queen of Earth, Pasolini, etc. But mostly The Lady Without Camelias. I could not let the possibility of owning that film pass me by.

[Polaroid]

Oooh a screening of Multiple Maniacs at my local cinema... tempted to go! Midnight viewing as well.

[dwk]

Marc Walkow confirmed on twitter that Criterion has Juzo Itami's entire catalog.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

People on this forum hassle me occasionally about my refusal to go region free.

People do mention that, but usually in response to when someone says "Why doesn't / I wish <insert label name> release <insert movie title>?" when there's an excellent release available in another region, sometimes since several years (Onibaba for example). I think hassle may be too strong a word for the suggestion.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

People on this forum hassle me occasionally about my refusal to go region free.

[Show spoiler]The main reason why I stick with Region A Blu-rays is because there are more than enough Region A Blu-rays out there to keep me busy (and broke).

The second reason is that it's a self-imposed limitation on Blu-ray spending. Yes, there are a few Region B Blu-rays that are cheaper than their domestic counterparts, but I would overspend on the sheer number of newly-available choices if I made the leap.

The third reason is that I just don't want to hassle with buying an all-region player, with making adjustments to players, and with having to worry about replacing all-region players in the future. Right now, I'm comforted in the knowledge that, if my $70 Region A Sony Blu-ray player malfunctions, then I can just go a half mile down the street to Target or Best Buy and get another one for cheap.

The fourth reason is that I'm generally happy with the Region A versions of my favorite movies. The Scream Factory Blu-rays of my favorite horror movies look great to me, although people on here scream about "compression artifacts" and such when compared to the UK Arrow discs. I'm a little chapped that the Region A Kino Blu-ray of Nosferatu (1922) apparently has an incorrect frame rate, but I still enjoy watching the disc.

The fifth reason is that, while there are several Region B Blu-rays that strike my interest, most of my absolute favorite essential "Holy Grail" movies that I want on Blu-ray eventually make their way over to these shores.

The sixth reason is, well, the thrill of the hunt. I like checking the Criterion site on the 15th of each month to see if movies like The Lost Weekend, The Blue Dahlia (1946), or Criss Cross are going to show up in Region A editions. If they don't, then I've got them on DVD right now, and I'll survive.


People say "You're not a serious movie fan if you're not all-region.", but I think that is a ridiculous argument. I'm just a serious movie fan who doesn't mind waiting a little longer for certain titles

.

All good reasons, Owl. Completely respect them. Can't imagine why anyone would take umbrage with a fellow enthusiast remaining Region A.

My biggest concern going region-free was your third reason: The player itself.

I did quite a bit of research and determined that a player with a hardware modification was the way to go, as opposed to a firmware mod that may be reset with a firmware update. Having said that, I have not connected the player to the Internet; I don't use or need the apps on the player, and figure that avoiding any firmware update should help keep the player up and running. So, far, so good. A doddle to operate and switch regions.

[stonesfan129]

I'd like to see some newer titles redone by them. I recently got The Game with Michael Douglas. My dad had this on VHS for the longest time and it's a great movie. Previously I got Thief and A Hard Day's Night. Both are top notch. Thief is a huge improvement over the DVD I had previously.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Somewhat Criterion related. I just saw Silence and it struck me afterwards with the kind of voices it echoed: later Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, Bergman, and Lean. It's all a piece of Scorsese, surely, but it reminded me of masters that had such command and willingness to expose themselves in the most revealing of ways. It's incredible that he was able to put this thing out - a film that's clearly not audience friendly, as evident by its recent box office and the woman that loudly groaned in my theater halfway through - through a major studio. It handles its material in its own pace, never once adhering to our expectations, even for a Scorsese picture. It's such a dense piece, arguably the densest in Scorsese's oeuvre. I haven't felt as immediately taken with a modern film like this in some time. It reminded me of the aforementioned directors and made me grateful that something like this can emerge that emulates what you love so much from those golden days of cinema.

Such a powerful film. Would love to see a Criterion edition of it but doubt it will happen, at least not for a few years.

[ThatOneGuy]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Such a powerful film. Would love to see a Criterion edition of it but doubt it will happen, at least not for a few years.

Boyhood got a very fast release from Criterion (I think like a year after its release) so a new film getting a Criterion release quickly is a possibility.

[MifuneFan]

New wave of seemingly random phantom pages are up. Feel free to connect dots if there are any. I'm sure it means nothing, but let those dreams fly folks.

Donna Deitch
Michael Radford
Ron Shelton
Joan Micklin Silver
Euzhan Palcy
John Sturges
Norman Jewison
Ridley Scott
Bryan Singer
Jerome Robbins

If I had to take one stab at any of that. I would say, Jerome Robbins co-directed West Side Story, and that was speculated to be the other flag shown in the New Year's Day drawing (it being a Puerto Rico flag with musical notes).

[thatguamguy]

Speaking as a fan, I can't imagine what Ron Shelton movie would fit into Criterion.

Ridley Scott only has two movies which aren't on Blu in America, "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "A Good Year". I believe both have overseas releases, but I can't imagine either one at Criterion. He has plenty of movies that could fit in the collection, but they're already released in quality versions.

Bryan Singer, I could definitely imagine "Public Access" as a Criterion release. I don't think I'd buy it, but it's not bad, and it could fit.

Very interesting list. No idea what it means. Fingers crossed for "Crossing Delancey", I suppose.

[MifuneFan]

A lot of times the phantom pages never add up to anything. There's so many in their database that likely will never convert to an actual release of any kind.

[jshaide]

I have a weird intuitive feeling that the Norman Jewison page is for a future MOONSTRUCK release. I have no idea why I feel so strongly about that being a reality.

[Page14]

Happy Birthday Janis Joplin. FWIW, I'll be watching The Rose tonight, in her memory ... if time permits.

... Or maybe The Complete Monterey Pop Festival would be more appropriate.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

A lot of times the phantom pages never add up to anything. There's so many in their database that likely will never convert to an actual release of any kind.

In that case, a Ridley Scott page makes sense. Still curious about who felt like they might need a Ron Shelton page.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

If I had to take one stab at any of that. I would say, Jerome Robbins co-directed West Side Story, and that was speculated to be the other flag shown in the New Year's Day drawing (it being a Puerto Rico flag with musical notes).

It feels like such a pointless release to me. The very cheap and loaded MGM anniversary disc is a strong release for it. I can't think of what they would add to it.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

In that case, a Ridley Scott page makes sense. Still curious about who felt like they might need a Ron Shelton page.

Scott has tons of producing credits, though. Perhaps there is something to that.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by jshaide

It feels like such a pointless release to me. The very cheap and loaded MGM anniversary disc is a strong release for it. I can't think of what they would add to it.

Jerome Robbins + Norman Jewison could equal FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, but that sounds like would be equally pointless.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

Speaking as a fan, I can't imagine what Ron Shelton movie would fit into Criterion.

Ridley Scott only has two movies which aren't on Blu in America, "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "A Good Year". I believe both have overseas releases, but I can't imagine either one at Criterion. He has plenty of movies that could fit in the collection, but they're already released in quality versions.

Bryan Singer, I could definitely imagine "Public Access" as a Criterion release. I don't think I'd buy it, but it's not bad, and it could fit.

Very interesting list. No idea what it means. Fingers crossed for "Crossing Delancey", I suppose.

Speaking of Ron Shelton I can't believe Tin Cup isn't on blu ray yet. I can see Shout! Factory releasing his great Bull Durham as part of their new Shout! Select series though. Hopefully his great and extremely underrated obscure film Dark Blue will get Shout! Select treatment as well. One of Kurt Russell's best performances.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

[Show spoiler]New wave of seemingly random phantom pages are up. Feel free to connect dots if there are any. I'm sure it means nothing, but let those dreams fly folks.

Donna Deitch
Michael Radford
Ron Shelton
Joan Micklin Silver
Euzhan Palcy
John Sturges
Norman Jewison
Ridley Scott
Bryan Singer
Jerome Robbins

If I had to take one stab at any of that. I would say, Jerome Robbins co-directed West Side Story, and that was speculated to be the other flag shown in the New Year's Day drawing (it being a Puerto Rico flag with musical notes).

Arigato! You give people the gift of hope!

If this means anything... Scott's Thelma and Louise could be among the major contenders for that Criterion TLC.