The Criterion Collection

[Jr7936]

just got my dietrich set in the mail from target.com. all the films are blind buys so hopefully I like them

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Lordy

You did well taking a chance on The Phantom Carriage, it's quite good. Female Trouble....well good luck with that one.

Funny thing is, I popped in Female Trouble just to see how it'd be. Then I let it run. These John Waters movies are like trainwrecks--so horrifying, but too hard to look away. So once it started, I couldn't push stop. To be fair, I think it strikes a good middle ground between the filth (which was probably cranked up too much in Pink Flamingos) and the comedy. Parts of FT genuinely made me laugh--the acting and dialogue is so over-the-top, it strikes me as quotable. Not much to the plot and pacing is screwy, but I think it's one of the better movies of the lot.

Phantom Carriage, I'll tackle when I can. Glad to hear it's well-liked. I had the perfect counterpoint for my Criterion haul come in this afternoon...



...so today, I'll probably do a wonderful double-bill with The Virgin Spring and Last House on the Left.

[Old Geezer]

So I was going to show restraint and pass on the sale this time: Darn you Marlene! I couldn't resist so now I have purchased:

Dietrich & von Sternberg
Rebecca
Mildred Pierce

and the sale has just started. More to come I'm sure.

[regeyer]

I just joined FilmStruck. Holy moly. I think I'm set for life.

I have access to pretty much every Criterion DVD and/or Blu-Ray ever released through my public library. And, because most people don't care about Criterion releases, there is almost never a wait. I can usually reserve a title, have it shipped to my local branch, and be watching it in less than a week. But FilmStruck just makes everything so convenient. It's certainly worth $10.99 a month.

I'm not saying I won't purchase a Criterion title again. But it will have to be a film that I adore and the PQ of the Blu-Ray will need to be better than that of the streaming version.

[monorail91]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

The Film Forum has released their new calendars for August - November, and there's a couple of Janus releases included:

Fists in the Pocket - New 4K restoration
Complete Jean Vigo - New 4K restorations
Wings of Desire - New 4K restoration

Additionally there's a new 4K resto of Chinatown, which I feel has Criterion's name all over it.

Fists!!! This could be our first Italian disc since Clogs (early 2017)!

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by Lordy

You did well taking a chance on The Phantom Carriage, it's quite good. Female Trouble....well good luck with that one.

He did well taking on Female Trouble too, it's excellent.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

The Film Forum has released their new calendars for August - November, and there's a couple of Janus releases included:

If I were still in NY, I would be all over "Ball of Fire" and Hal Ashby's "The Landlord", two movies I wish were on blu-ray.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I just joined FilmStruck. Holy moly. I think I'm set for life.

I have access to pretty much every Criterion DVD and/or Blu-Ray ever released through my public library. And, because most people don't care about Criterion releases, there is almost never a wait. I can usually reserve a title, have it shipped to my local branch, and be watching it in less than a week. But FilmStruck just makes everything so convenient. It's certainly worth $10.99 a month.

I'm not saying I won't purchase a Criterion title again. But it will have to be a film that I adore and the PQ of the Blu-Ray will need to be better than that of the streaming version.

Oh blu-rays are definitely better, and I do not mean that just because the file is bigger it is automatically better, with things like Amazon and Netflix it is at times difficult to find differences between those and physical versions, and with 4K some look even better than discs.

Unfortunately Filmstruck streaming quality is not up to par with the bigger companies, I would put them below Hulu, it is particularly noticeable with grainy films.

If you are fond of blu-ray quality, you will not feel like it is ok to not own the physical version because you have the streamed version (and maybe that is the intention, imagine if they followed their mission of having the best quality available in streaming too, then it would be a harder decision to continue buying their discs)

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I just joined FilmStruck. Holy moly. I think I'm set for life.

I know the Roku app had streaming problems a while ago, according to others here (not sure if it still does). Does anyone have any experience with the Fire TV app?

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

I know the Roku app had streaming problems a while ago, according to others here (not sure if it still does). Does anyone have any experience with the Fire TV app?

Yes, highly recommended. I can’t say it never crashes, but it’s much more reliable than the Roku app. I’ve used both, although I haven’t used the Roku app lately.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Oh blu-rays are definitely better, and I do not mean that just because the file is bigger it is automatically better, with things like Amazon and Netflix it is at times difficult to find differences between those and physical versions, and with 4K some look even better than discs.

Unfortunately Filmstruck streaming quality is not up to par with the bigger companies, I would put them below Hulu, it is particularly noticeable with grainy films.

If you are fond of blu-ray quality, you will not feel like it is ok to not own the physical version because you have the streamed version (and maybe that is the intention, imagine if they followed their mission of having the best quality available in streaming too, then it would be a harder decision to continue buying their discs)

Admittedly, I have not viewed much on FilmStruck as of yet. My internet connection is excellent, so I usually don't have any problems due to a lack of bandwidth.

I watched a small portion of Seven Samurai, which I own on Blu-Ray. I'm a huge fan of this film and, in my opinion, this is the best movie ever made. In my brief viewing on FilmStruck the PQ seemed to be very good. Not as good as the Blu-Ray, but much better than I expected.

I watched June Night this evening and I was not impressed with the PQ. To my knowledge, this has not been released on Blu-Ray. So this might be as good as it gets for now.

I have no doubt that, at least for the immediate future, the PQ of the Blu-Ray releases will be superior to the streaming available on FilmStruck. So for those films that are favorites, buying the Blu-Ray will certainly be preferable. But for checking out a film I've never watched before, FilmStruck is a great option for me.

Plus, there are many Criterion releases that, while I enjoyed watching them, are not something that I would rewatch. $20, counting the 50% discount, for a film that I'll watch once is too much, IMO.

Of course, as streaming continues to improve, the reality is that it will likely equal and eventually surpass Blu-Ray quality. So unless Criterion gets on the 4k bandwagon, movies on FilmStruck could eventually have better PQ than the Blu-Ray releases.

For now, I'll enjoy using FilmStruck and buy the Blu-Ray version of those films that I just have to own.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

I know the Roku app had streaming problems a while ago, according to others here (not sure if it still does). Does anyone have any experience with the Fire TV app?

I'm using a FireTV Stick. No problems.

[tisdivine]

Generally Im not a silent film person. To give an idea I LOVE Hitchcock so I bought The Lodger and after about 20 minutes I was wanting to do something else. I cant explain it. However Im so curious about

The Phantom Carriage
Passion of Joan of Ark

I know the sale would be a good time to try them but $40 is still $40. Do you guys think I would have better luck with these?

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

Generally Im not a silent film person. To give an idea I LOVE Hitchcock so I bought The Lodger and after about 20 minutes I was wanting to do something else. I cant explain it. However Im so curious about

The Phantom Carriage
Passion of Joan of Ark

I know the sale would be a good time to try them but $40 is still $40. Do you guys think I would have better luck with these?

Joan of Arc is the better film I think to suggest as a blind buy. There isn't a wasted moment in it and it never feels slow not to mention its one of the greatest films ever made. Plus you owe it yourself to see the cinematography in action in Joan of Arc especially the use of close-ups.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by CQD84

Nope. You have to call the store and have an employee reserve titles for you.

They’re really trying to go out of business, aren’t they?

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I'm using a FireTV Stick. No problems.

I just got this but haven't been able to experiment with it yet. Can I d/l FilmStruck and use it on this?

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by jshaide

I just got this but haven't been able to experiment with it yet. Can I d/l FilmStruck and use it on this?

Yes, there is a FilmStruck App you can download. I'm using Filmstruck on Fire Stick, laptop, and my jailbroken Fire Tab.

[JezelleGHartman]

How long is the BN sale for ?

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by JezelleGHartman

How long is the BN sale for ?

August 6th

[SammyJankis]

R.I.P Robby Müller. One of the best.