The Criterion Collection

[javy]

Originally Posted by TajSamKojiJesam

Pale Flower is absolutely masterful, I think of it as one of the absolute best crime films out there. Have you seen any other movies by Masahiro Shinoda?

No, but I've had my eye on that Criterion DVD of Double Suicide for a while now.

[TajSamKojiJesam]

I actually consider Double Suicide to be one of the best films ever made, and, from outside of the collection, his films Himiko and Ballad of Orin are also really excellent.
Shinoda is for sure one of my favorite directors, he doesn't get discussed that much when it comes to Japanese cinema but I think he made a lot of really good stuff.

[GaragePoet]

so, having just moved in w/ a new roommate, we were trying to decide on a movie to watch the other night. i still haven't ascertained what his specific tastes are, so i was having trouble making suggestions. he recommended one of the films neither of us have seen, so i pointed him in the direction of my Criterions (a vast majority of which were blind buys which i haven't had the time to watch yet)... i warned him that not all of them would be good choices for sheer "entertainment value." he ended up choosing Hunger, which i've heard can be a rather unsettling film to watch. the first half was, in fact, rather uncomfortable. it started to pick up in the middle, but all thru the movie i was worried about what my new roommate was thinking, and whether he'd ever feel safe choosing a movie from my collection again! fortunately, he enjoyed the film quite a bit and it ignited a conversation about several of my other Criterions which he is now more excited to watch. definitely a score on the new roommate. if i can manage to meet a lady w/ the same enthusiasm, all will be well...

on another note, does anyone know when the next Criterion sale is expected? i'd pre-ordered Silence of the Lambs and Night of the Living Dead when they went on sale at walmart.com, but then had to move suddenly. there's apparently no way to change your shipping address on an order, so they suggested i cancel and re-order (at the higher price). my other option is to wait until the item ships, then contact the carrier and change the address w/ them. what i would really rather do is cancel my order altogether and purchase from a company w/ more reputable customer service. so either from B&N or Criterion directly, when is the next 50% sale due? (i apologize, i realize this must be an inquiry which is made often in this forum)

[bsend]

B&N Criterion sales are usually July and November.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by GaragePoet

so, having just moved in w/ a new roommate, we were trying to decide on a movie to watch the other night. i still haven't ascertained what his specific tastes are, so i was having trouble making suggestions. he recommended one of the films neither of us have seen, so i pointed him in the direction of my Criterions (a vast majority of which were blind buys which i haven't had the time to watch yet)... i warned him that not all of them would be good choices for sheer "entertainment value." he ended up choosing Hunger, which i've heard can be a rather unsettling film to watch. the first half was, in fact, rather uncomfortable. it started to pick up in the middle, but all thru the movie i was worried about what my new roommate was thinking, and whether he'd ever feel safe choosing a movie from my collection again! fortunately, he enjoyed the film quite a bit and it ignited a conversation about several of my other Criterions which he is now more excited to watch. definitely a score on the new roommate. if i can manage to meet a lady w/ the same enthusiasm, all will be well...

on another note, does anyone know when the next Criterion sale is expected? i'd pre-ordered Silence of the Lambs and Night of the Living Dead when they went on sale at walmart.com, but then had to move suddenly. there's apparently no way to change your shipping address on an order, so they suggested i cancel and re-order (at the higher price). my other option is to wait until the item ships, then contact the carrier and change the address w/ them. what i would really rather do is cancel my order altogether and purchase from a company w/ more reputable customer service. so either from B&N or Criterion directly, when is the next 50% sale due? (i apologize, i realize this must be an inquiry which is made often in this forum)

Criterion should most likely be having a flash sale sometime next month, they usually do it on the first tuesday right after a major release, so I'm placing my bets on the 13th or the 20th.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by bsend

B&N Criterion sales are usually July and November.

There is usually a Criterion.com flash sale in February, but unlike the B&N sale it is only 24 hours - so you have to pay attention, especially since new releases tend to sell out.

I believe a few pages back people were speculating on the exact dates. But should be late February.

[zackisthewalrus]

Just a question for the group out of pure curiosity - out of the films released in 2017, which ones do you think Criterion will try to pick up?

[sawdustandtinsel]

Originally Posted by zackisthewalrus

Just a question for the group out of pure curiosity - out of the films released in 2017, which ones do you think Criterion will try to pick up?

I'm pretty sure they'll try to release Columbus, kogonada has worked as a video essayist with Criterion. While this might be a long shot, Lady Macbeth doesn't have a blu-ray Region A release date set yet, I could see Criterion possibly going for that one as well.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by sawdustandtinsel

I'm pretty sure they'll try to release Columbus, Lady Macbeth doesn't have a blu-ray Region A release date set yet, I could see Criterion possibly going for that one as well.

Haha, they could do a 2-BD set with Polanski's film or even a box pack with the Polanski + Kurosawa Macbeths.

@Javy: Apropos Shinoda, nice impressions of Pale Flower, it's a film I liked tremendously, kinda defines elegant melancholy (Link to my brief opinion of it HERE). I liked parts of Samurai Spy but I thought Shinoda was not comfortable with the various plot convolutions and action sequences, and therefore it was a lesser Chanbara and lesser Shinoda film as well.

[TajSamKojiJesam]

It's been a few years since I've seen Samurai Spy, and back then I found it impossible to follow, but since then it's grown on me and I appreciate it for its awesome style. Shinoda also did a very similar (and good) samurai film called Assassination (1964), also very fast and very hard to follow.

[RojD]

Glad to see Joan of Arc and Vampr released, but I'm getting impatient for more silents on blu. Pretty serious about going region free for that.

What region free bluray players do people here use?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by RojD

Glad to see Joan of Arc and Vampr released, but I'm getting impatient for more silents on blu. Pretty serious about going region free for that.

What region free bluray players do people here use?

I use the Seiki SR4KP1. There's supposed to be some kind of issue w/ sharpness. I've developed a pretty discernible eye and I just don't see it. I got mine for $70 a couple years ago. Can't go wrong for that price.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by zackisthewalrus

Just a question for the group out of pure curiosity - out of the films released in 2017, which ones do you think Criterion will try to pick up?

For possible contemporary film releases the first place to check is IFC. Criterion has first dibs on anything they distribute.

[javy]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Haha, they could do a 2-BD set with Polanski's film or even a box pack with the Polanski + Kurosawa Macbeths.

@Javy: Apropos Shinoda, nice impressions of Pale Flower, it's a film I liked tremendously, kinda defines elegant melancholy (Link to my brief opinion of it HERE). I liked parts of Samurai Spy but I thought Shinoda was not comfortable with the various plot convolutions and action sequences, and therefore it was a lesser Chanbara and lesser Shinoda film as well.

You mentioned the score in your review, and yeah, I was captivated by it as well. Very dark, surreal, and disturbing even.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I use the Seiki SR4KP1. There's supposed to be some kind of issue w/ sharpness. I've developed a pretty discernible eye and I just don't see it. I got mine for $70 a couple years ago. Can't go wrong for that price.

Yeah, it's a solid player. I'm not crazy about the menus and the way pop-up info is displayed (there's no easy way to see how much time is left on whatever's playing, for instance) but as a dedicated region-b player it's more than adequate.

[StarDestroyer52]

My copy of Westfront 1918 just shipped today from Amazon and will be here tomorrow.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by RojD

What region free bluray players do people here use?

I have a Sony S1500RF. Had it about 18 months and it has performed flawlessly. Got it from Bombay Electronics for $150. Along with 220-Electronics, they seem to be the preferred dealers for region-free machines that are hardware-modded. I purchased on Amazon as it was Prime-eligible and I liked the additional peace of mind in doing it that way - but they have their own site.

One thing: I have never connected mine to the Internet, so I've never had any of the "firmware update" issues that some people seem to have.

[WrathOfHan]

Originally Posted by zackisthewalrus

Just a question for the group out of pure curiosity - out of the films released in 2017, which ones do you think Criterion will try to pick up?

I could see these eventually hitting the collection:

A24's stuff (Ghost Story/Good Time/It Comes at Night/Sacred Deer)
BPM
Call Me by Your Name
Columbus
Faces Places
A Fantastic Woman
mother!
Phantom Thread
Raw
The Square
Thelma

There's probably other foreign films I'm forgetting.

[dmt]

Now that Warren Miller has passed away, Criterion should release all 68 films from each year 1950-2017! That would be epic...

[WeeBey]

It’s now very nearly 100% certain WB will be releasing 2001: A Space Odyssey on UHD. It was on my wish list for 2018 as the first UHD Criterion release. Oh well, I’m not bothered, I know WB will do a fine job. Getting the movie out is the important thing.

Still, for 2018, I hope Criterion gets a shot at Eyes Wide Shut and The Shining.