The Criterion Collection

[mrjohnnyb]

I just recently purchased the silent classic Georges Méliès's A Trip to the Moon as licensed by Flicker Alley. I made the purchase on moviesunlimited.com for the total price (including shipping) for $26.74.

For the many film historians and afficionados that frequent this thread, this is a price that you may not wish to pass up.

[A Sith Lord?]

It's unfortunate that TCM has arguably the worst picture quality of any HD channel I know.

It's like watching SD upscaled to HD. Even their in-studio content is awful.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by MasturB

It's unfortunate that TCM has arguably the worst picture quality of any HD channel I know.

It's like watching SD upscaled to HD. Even their in-studio content is awful.

I only have an SD TCM channel and I'm perfectly fine with it. PQ, and especially the AQ, is always great, IMO.

[smoss469]

I only have the normal channel as well and no complaints here either. I can't make myself cough up another $10/month for 1 HD receiver when I already think most cable service is vastly overpriced. I mean c'mon, I still have to pay a monthly fee for the same receiver I've had for YEARS and have already paid for many times over? My frugal side dies a little each month when I pay that bill.

[StLouisRibs]

Originally Posted by MasturB

It's unfortunate that TCM has arguably the worst picture quality of any HD channel I know.

It's like watching SD upscaled to HD. Even their in-studio content is awful.

That's because it is SD upconverted to HD. AFAICT, the big benefit is that films that aren't 4:3 will fill the screen more (as it won't need to be letterboxed on all sides), with little gain otherwise.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Does anyone know the logic criterion is using behind which titles get clear cases and which ones get cardboard digipak's in slipcovers? Once upon a time it seems they were reserved for ones with booklets so thick they were basically books. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

Does anyone know the logic criterion is using behind which titles get clear cases and which ones get cardboard digipak's in slipcovers? Once upon a time it seems they were reserved for ones with booklets so thick they were basically books. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

It seems to be that releases which contain a Blu-ray and multiple DVD's (i.e. 2 or more) will now be in a digipack style packaging and releases with 1 Blu-ray and 1 DVD will be in the clear cases.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I only have an SD TCM channel and I'm perfectly fine with it. PQ, and especially the AQ, is always great, IMO.

Same here. In addition, I do a bunch of dvd recording (obscure early '30s films mostly, my favorite stuff) usually using EP or LP modes. I know that's heresy on a Blu-ray forum but given the source material I don't see a huge difference in PQ and it sure beats the alternative: Overpriced MOD dvd discs with little or, in most cases, no extras.

[octagon]

I love TCM-HD and am generally very happy with PQ/AQ but they don't seem to be quite so picky about the materials they use.

They used to be awfully reliable when it came to things like aspect ratio and subs vs dubs and the like but it seems like more clinkers are getting through lately. For instance, I DVRed something relatively recently - I wanna say Korean and cop drama but the name escapes me atm - and the subs were almost entirely cut off. Somebody somewhere obviously reframed it without thinking 'say, these might be useful'.

That kind of thing doesn't happen a lot but it happens more than it used to.

Still love 'em though.

[Meek12345]

Originally Posted by octagon

I love TCM-HD and am generally very happy with PQ/AQ but they don't seem to be quite so picky about the materials they use.

They used to be awfully reliable when it came to things like aspect ratio and subs vs dubs and the like but it seems like more clinkers are getting through lately. For instance, I DVRed something relatively recently - I wanna say Korean and cop drama but the name escapes me atm - and the subs were almost entirely cut off. Somebody somewhere obviously reframed it without thinking 'say, these might be useful'.

That kind of thing doesn't happen a lot but it happens more than it used to.

Still love 'em though.

The Korean movie you are thinking of is Memories of Murder. I recorded it off of TCM HD also. I almost gave up watching the movie because of the cut off subtitles. However, I did my best to decipher the subtitles I could see and the movie was very interesting. Another great movie by Bong Joon-ho is The Host. I wonder if Criterion would ever consider adding his movies to their collection. I beleieve that there are only two Korean films in the CC right now (Secret Sunshine and The Housemaid).

Also, I have had problems with my TCM recordings ending too soon. I missed the last minute or two of Gate of Hell and Pather Panchali recently. So, you all might want to add a few minutes to your recording times. Also, can someone please let me know how the two movies mentioned above end?

[pro-bassoonist]

Jules and Jim Blu-ray REVIEW





Pro-B

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

The Korean movie you are thinking of is Memories of Murder.

Yup, that was it. I barely made it past the credits but it did look pretty interesting. I should see if Netflix has the disc.

Originally Posted by octagon

A Face in the Crowd (by a fairly wide margin too)
A Streetcar Named Desire
On the Waterfront
Gentleman's Agreement
[this space available]

Update

A Face in the Crowd (by a fairly wide margin too)
A Streetcar Named Desire
On the Waterfront
Panic in the Streets
Gentleman's Agreement

I just finished it and I have to say, it's gotta be one of the best B-movie Late, Late show type things I've seen in a good long time.

It's really well executed (go figure, it's Elia Kazan) and unlike a lot of pot-boilers, everybody - from the leads to the bit parts to the 'local flavor one-liners' - is really, really good. Fox did a really nice job with the disc too. If it wasn't so late I'd be dipping into the features now.

[Clare2904]

I must admit when it comes to PQ I am one of those that can never tell much difference between DVD quality & BR (unless on a split screen so I can physically see). Whilst I want to have the best experience possible, if a film has a little bit of grain or is not absolutely pristine in appearance I don't let that take away from the overall film.

In some cases I am just glad I have the chance to view some old films at all.

[moviebuffed]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

I must admit when it comes to PQ I am one of those that can never tell much difference between DVD quality & BR (unless on a split screen so I can physically see). Whilst I want to have the best experience possible, if a film has a little bit of grain or is not absolutely pristine in appearance I don't let that take away from the overall film.

In some cases I am just glad I have the chance to view some old films at all.

^this^

[brandon_260]

I just came back from Nymphomaniac and it has got me so excited to check out what else is left for me in Lars von Trier's filmography. I had already seen Dance in the Dark, Antichrist, and Melancholia, but I think this was the final push that I need to finally crack open my Dogville DVD that has been unnecessarily sitting on my shelf for what feels like a year. It's also got me even more excited for Criterion's release of Breaking the Waves.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Jules and Jim Blu-ray REVIEW





Pro-B

Looks great Pro-B...

One of the better upgrades in a long time!! Upgrade Bicycle Thieves and it will be one of the best years ever for upgrades!!

I know people will complain about the digipack, but please look past that. Many seem to either forget, or never knew, that most Criterion dvd releases from years past were mostly in a digipack, so this is consistent with what Criterion has put out for many many years. This release is worth it.

For anyone on the fence about 'blind-buying' this title. IMO, this is the kind of title that defines what Criterion is all about. This is one of the best films ever made and definitely should be in any film-lovers library..

[brandon_260]

I am very excited Criterion has upgraded George Washington and Jules and Jim so far this year, but I'm still holding out for Hiroshima, Mon Amour. Throw the release of Persona into the mix, and I think I could easily call 2014 Criterion's best year.

Has anyone seen the French blu-ray or a screening of the new Hiroshima restoration? I'm sure it's a thing of beauty.

[thebard]

Originally Posted by MasturB

It's unfortunate that TCM has arguably the worst picture quality of any HD channel I know.

It's like watching SD upscaled to HD. Even their in-studio content is awful.

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

That's because it is SD upconverted to HD. AFAICT, the big benefit is that films that aren't 4:3 will fill the screen more (as it won't need to be letterboxed on all sides), with little gain otherwise.

I agree with this. It's always bothered me. There's no improvement in quality from the SD feed, it just happens to use more screen real estate.

If you view without overscan or on a projector, you can also clearly see that the image is slightly windowboxed, like they use low-quality gear that doesn't scale properly.

[smoss469]

My new stance, avoid any future Digipack releases if possible. I know losing 1 sale won't hurt them but at least I'm voting with my wallet.

I've already pre-ordered some that might be released in Digipacks but after that, no more if I can help it.

[Scottie]

I just watched Costa-Gavras' "Missing" via a DVR recording and I must say that I cannot recommend it enough.

I really hope that Criterion decides to upgrade it because it's one of the most engrossing historical event-based films that I've seen in quite a while.