The Criterion Collection

[deepbreathsanddeath]

I spent 3 (or 4?) episodes hating Hugh Dancy and while I understood why he behaves that way, I was surprised to find myself thinking "Jesus, what a little b****...". I'm not normally like that but he was just coming off extremely wimpy, annoying and over dramatic. I grew to like him and the show more after I slogged through four or five episodes. It definitely picked up in the second half of the season.

Personally I find Bates Motel far more engrossing and fascinating which I never expected. I only gave it a chance because I love Vera. As far as performances go, I'd say Freddie and her are better than Hugh and Mads for their respective shows, not necessarily in general.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

I spent 3 (or 4?) episodes hating Hugh Dancy and while I understood why he behaves that way, I was surprised to find myself thinking "Jesus, what a little b****...". I'm not normally like that but he was just coming off extremely wimpy, annoying and over dramatic. I grew to like him and the show more after I slogged through four or five episodes. It definitely picked up in the second half of the season.

Personally I find Bates Motel far more engrossing and fascinating which I never expected. I only gave it a chance because I love Vera. As far as performances go, I'd say Freddie and her are better than Hugh and Mads for their respective shows, not necessarily in general.

Dancy is playing Graham as an emo basketcase, and that's simply not the character. I don't blame the actor...it's the writing...but still, I can't get behind it. The series takes place before Graham's breakdown...why is he already such a complete loon? And not only that, but he is, as you say, a wimpy loon. A whiny loon. The "Will Graham" of the series is far too neurotic. He's an emotional cripple who I honestly can't see ever doing something like, say, marrying a woman and being a stepfather to her son. And they throw in these references to the books, like a little wink to the Harris fans, but half the time they make no sense within the continuity of the series because of how the characters have been rewritten. Like the whole aftershave bit. Yeah, anyone who's read Red Dragon gets the reference...but they also realize that it doesn't make sense with this version of Graham. Seriously, who's buying this guy aftershave every Christmas? He has no one in his life but his dogs.

Also, they completely lost all credibility and believability very early on with regard to their "Killers of the Week." Ultimately, it's CSI filtered through Thomas Harris's characters (several of whom have had sex changes in order to facilitate easy network-TV romantic subplots)...and that's not anything I'm particularly interested in seeing.

This is the third swing at Will Graham on screen, and no one's really gotten hold of that character and made me believe their performance yet. Hannibal has had much better treatment than Graham. And Mads continues that legacy, with writing that's quite respectful of the Lecter character. Apparently, the producers of the show are aiming squarely at Lecter fans...not Harris fans. They're treading very lightly with the titular character, but everyone else seems to be fair game...and they're doing more harm than good with most of them.

[theprestige85]

Criterion has blu rays of Nolan, Arnold, McQueen, Dardennes, Kieslowski, Cassavetes, Loach and Del Toro. Would be nice if they had some Nicholas Winding Refn films like the original Pusher trilogy and Bleeder.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by theprestige85

Criterion has blu rays of Nolan, Arnold, McQueen, Dardennes, Kieslowski, Cassavetes, Loach and Del Toro. Would be nice if they had some Nicholas Winding Refn films like the original Pusher trilogy and Bleeder.

What do the other directors have to do with Refn?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Well, I got the Zatoichi set for $75 at B&N by stacking sales, coupons, and membership. So that might help to explain some of the deals one can get.

If you are applying a 20% coupon and enjoy buying some of the box sets, then yes, I can see that it is worth it.

Originally Posted by jayembee

I just renewed my membership the other day and bought two BDs. The membership savings for just those two discs was almost half of the membership cost.

The savings recoups the cost... ONLY versus what the B&N regular price is. NOT versus what you can buy the disc for elsewhere. Hypothetically, if you bought two discs for $18 and I can buy them somewhere else for $19, then the only thing you really recouped was 2 bucks.

Originally Posted by jayembee

Sure, maybe one can get the same cost breaks by buying from Amazon. On the other hand, you're also paying shipping costs there (unless you pay the premium for Amazon Prime), you don't know what condition they'll be in when they arrive, and you won't have them in hand right away.

yes, this is true. As I mentioned, many people like that piece of mind. I won't begrudge anyone that.

Originally Posted by jayembee

Why look at a dozen different places, when you can go to one place and get a reasonable deal. It doesn't have to be the best deal; for the most part, a reasonable deal is sufficient.

absolutely fair enough.

Originally Posted by The Keeper

I pay very close attention, and it is RARE that I can find a better deal than the best deals (a few times a year) at Barnes and Noble as a member.

I bought my last 39.99 MSRP Criterion titles for the following prices: $14.60, $17, $18, and $12. I bought one OOP title for $19.99 and a 'like new' title for $14.99. I got the Lean box set for $46.50. Allegiances to other web sites that do not require a $25 annual membership can get you just as good if not better deals.

Originally Posted by Icemouth

You don't understand why someone would want to pay half price?

"50% off" is a marketing tactic to bring people in the door. 50% off, extra coupons, membership privileges, bonus points.. it's all B.S. what matters is the bottom line - how much are you paying?

Originally Posted by jayembee

Besides, as others have said, some of us also buy books.

Also buying books doesn't say anything to validate the worth of the membership. It all comes down to this:

if you buy 25 items (books, movies, whatever B&N sells,) you have to average doing $1 better than the next best deal just to break even. I doubt that.
if you buy 50 items, you have to average 50 cents better than the next best deal (again) just to break even.

It is an 'okay' to 'good' sale. I'm sure some people get their worth out of the membership. Jay - it seems like you do. I'd be willing to bet, however, that I can do better than more than half of you over the course of one year.

Sorry.

I'll be quiet now.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

What do the other directors have to do with Refn?

They're really good directors that have set themselves apart from the mainstream style and because of their uniqueness became adored and Refn falls under that.

I agree that Refn really should be in the Criterion Collection. I have a feeling we may get either Bleeder or The Pusher Trilogy now that he's a big, quirky star with an intense, artsy visual/audio style and a dedicated and seemingly rabid following.

[manunited1]

Got my membership with zatoichi... 50% off + 30% coupon + 10% off member = zatoichi for $96+ free membership. I have barely used it since and still saved around $350 so far, and there are still two more major sales left for this term.

Most recently I grabbed Rififi, thief, and throne of blood for around $16 each with free shipping

[StLouisRibs]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

"50% off" is a marketing tactic to bring people in the door. 50% off, extra coupons, membership privileges, bonus points.. it's all B.S. what matters is the bottom line - how much are you paying?

Less than you, apparently.

What I don't quite understand is why my post triggered this rant - it's a fairly good price for a Criterion title, which after a year or so are generally about $25. This would save maybe $5. I buy plenty of Criterion stuff from Amazon and will be buying in (presumably next week's) Criterion.com flash sale - I just think that BN tends to be much more consistent and offer, sparsely but definitely, very best deals around. Case in point - On the Waterfront BD, $14.44, after tax, Black Friday weekend. Some who have an interest in it could have got Zaitoichi, MSRP $224.99, for a tad less than $65. I don't believe Amazon had it for even $100 more than that.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Also buying books doesn't say anything to validate the worth of the membership. It all comes down to this:

if you buy 25 items (books, movies, whatever B&N sells,) you have to average doing $1 better than the next best deal just to break even. I doubt that.

Of course buying books is relevant to the question of whether or not a membership is worth $25 or not. Hell, buying coffee can be relevant. Every December they send out snail-mail coupons including a B2G1 or B1G1 for Starbucks beans. It works out to be a pretty good price and the four or six or however many bucks I wind up saving is absolutely part of the conversation.

B&N memberships aren't the license to print money they used to be. But if you have stores nearby and you have decent luck with coupons and you frequent more than the Criterion 50% sales it can still be well worth the money.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by FaceInTheLeaves

I'd kill for Eraserhead and Picnic at Hanging Rock.

Wait. You're based in the UK, would kill for PaHR and haven't got the near-definitive Second Sight release? Its only defect IMO is that it lacks the theatrical cut that was included as a bonus in SS's 3-DVD release of the film.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

Less than you, apparently.

I don't know what has become apparent about anything that anyone has said to argue for the B&N membership. ??

Originally Posted by StLouisRibs

What I don't quite understand is why my post triggered this rant - it's a fairly good price for a Criterion title, which after a year or so are generally about $25. This would save maybe $5.

I'm sorry STL... has nothing to do w/ you. Might have just been a slow day and that's why I brought it up again. No offense.

but you mentioned The Red Shoes... I got mine for $17 recently and it can be had online right now for $20.98. just as an example.

but I will certainly acknowledge some of the good points that have been made - if you bought the Zaitochi set, then you got a great deal... if you bought other box sets and used the 20% coupon, then you probably did well there, too.

if you buy coffee and enjoy visiting the store and like the convenience of having disc or book in hand, then hey - it's all good.

[smoss469]

I just walked 3-4 miles home through the snow after abandoning my car on the side of the road at the top of a mountain, today has been awesome. To keep it CC related, I just started watching Night and the City

[Polaroid]

Hope announcement is tomorrow NOT monday D:!

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

They're really good directors that have set themselves apart from the mainstream style and because of their uniqueness became adored and Refn falls under that.

I agree that Refn really should be in the Criterion Collection. I have a feeling we may get either Bleeder or The Pusher Trilogy now that he's a big, quirky star with an intense, artsy visual/audio style and a dedicated and seemingly rabid following.

Couldn't have said it better myself, my friend.

Can't wait for Bleeder/Pusher Trilogy to arrive on blu ray. Day one purchases for me.

[Snicket]

Cauron fans: he is doing a AMA on reddit at 5 PM EST. Time to ask the question we ask every month.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jw007

I keep putting off this film because I have this feeling I'll be bored to death watching this, but now after hearing this, I'm a bit more motivated to finally see this movie.

Well, be warned that it will seem a tad boring with the repetitiousness of events. It's almost like watching an SF story about people being caught in a time loop. But the excellent cinematography and minimalist-but-effective music distract you from that. But don't watch it if you're feeling tired.

I do gravitate towards apocalyptic dramas. I just recently saw this indie sci fi film called "Monsters" which I thought was fantastic (right after I saw a couple of other recent indie sci fi films - Another Earth and Moon - the latter I had seen previously a few times before).

As an apocalyptic drama, it's more metaphorical than literal. Maybe.

I absolutely loved Monsters. I'm not sure how much I should look forward to Gareth Edwards's Godzilla, though. It could be as brilliant as Monsters, or having a gazillion-dollar budget just might make him lose the creativity of how he made do with a bottom of the barrel budget.

Also loved Moon. Have not seen Another Earth, but I'd like to. I've heard lots of good things about it. Have you seen Europa Report?

On edit: As for apocalyptic dramas go, if you haven't seen Peter Weir's The Last Wave, do so. It's available on Criterion DVD (I've love to see a Blu-ray upgrade of this even more than of Picnic at Hanging Rock).

[FaceInTheLeaves]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Wait. You're based in the UK, would kill for PaHR and haven't got the near-definitive Second Sight release? Its only defect IMO is that it lacks the theatrical cut that was included as a bonus in SS's 3-DVD release of the film.

Of course I have it! It's listed in my collection. I've also got the 3-disc DVD edition. Like you say, the near definitive blu-ray doesn't include the theatrical cut. I'm hoping a Criterion release will rectify that. Not sure it could better the Second Sight special features though.

I have no qualms about buying multiple copies of films I love.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, be warned that it will seem a tad boring with the repetitiousness of events. It's almost like watching an SF story about people being caught in a time loop. But the excellent cinematography and minimalist-but-effective music distract you from that. But don't watch it if you're feeling tired.



As an apocalyptic drama, it's more metaphorical than literal. Maybe.

I absolutely loved Monsters. I'm not sure how much I should look forward to Gareth Edwards's Godzilla, though. It could be as brilliant as Monsters, or having a gazillion-dollar budget just might make him lose the creativity of how he made do with a bottom of the barrel budget.

Also loved Moon. Have not seen Another Earth, but I'd like to. I've heard lots of good things about it. Have you seen Europa Report?

On edit: As for apocalyptic dramas go, if you haven't seen Peter Weir's The Last Wave, do so. It's available on Criterion DVD (I've love to see a Blu-ray upgrade of this even more than of Picnic at Hanging Rock).

I have not seen Europa Report! The title already sounds cool though. Am going to look it up on Rotten Tomatoes shortly.

Yes, I wish Criterion would just release 5 Peter Weir films for their next announcements so that way we can all finally be happy. His movies just need to be on Blu-ray. Believe it or not, I have not seen The Last Wave! I am going to borrow it from the library, pronto.

Monsters was totally awesome indeed. I just can't believe how much more effective these small budget films can be. In contrast, I also borrowed Oblivion, which I had not gotten around to seeing, and watched it the night after I saw Monsters. I have to admit, there is just something more "real" about Monsters when everything looks far more realistic, but no, I cannot compare 2 films like these. Another Earth is even a smaller low budget film... I mean literally it was made with a handheld digital video camera and a skeleton crew. It's also very watchable and that emerging director, Mike Cahill, is one to watch.

And I will make sure not to watch The Turin Horse late at night when I'm really tired.

[smoss469]

Looking through Peter Weir's work, I really need to check out The Cars That Ate Paris.

Sounds very interesting!

[brandon_260]

Finally got my copy of Jules and Jim today, in pristine condition, I might add. I'm very much looking forward to revisiting this, but I'm not sure when it'll happen, as I also just received a large stack of DVDs from the UK that I have set as a priority right now.