The Criterion Collection

[Ctzalman]

^consider yourself lucky.. i bought black moon from barnes and noble, it sat on the shelf for a few weeks before i opened it. after removing the plastic, i noticed that the bottom corner of the case was shattered and the paper insert was torn. i emailed criterion asking for a replacement and never even got a response..

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Ctzalman

^consider yourself lucky.. i bought black moon from barnes and noble, it sat on the shelf for a few weeks before i opened it. after removing the plastic, i noticed that the bottom corner of the case was shattered and the paper insert was torn. i emailed criterion asking for a replacement and never even got a response..

Some people have had luck calling them directly.

(212) 756-8822 (main)
or
(212) 756-8850 ("extra" phone, not sure what that means).

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

After reading some of this I also wanna weigh in and say I've never once received a damaged digipack in the mail and thats where I pretty much get all of my movies from.
Theres been a bit of wear over time and some little marks on the back or creases from being sandwiched between other titles on my shelf but its really no big deal as my plastic cases have been worn down too.

I HAVE however received a good few damaged plastic cases. My copy of Beauty And The Beast is all weird and closes funny and I've also received a couple of these:

[Show spoiler]Attachment 80498

And these:

[Show spoiler]Attachment 80499

Plastic cases really aren't some miracle of design either. I'll keep my digipacks thank you very much!

Oh god the thin red line was worst buy for me or atleast hardest, ended up buying DVD 3 times with refunds to get a non damaged one and then upgraded to bluray and took 2 buys to get decent condition, customs kept cutting the boxes open and it sliced through DVD and others had melted plastic wrap on them :/

Actually my main damaged on my plastic cases was melted plastic wrap - no idea what caused it but got refunds, was horrible as it affected the spine the most so on shelf it wasn't readae due to melted plastic spine lol

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Meek12345

The May release lineup looks good to me. Currently planning to purchase the following titles:

Red River!!!!: This is my top release for the month. Howard Hawks is one of my favorite directors and the Clift/Wayne pairing was unexpectedly awesome. I have never been a John Wayne fan, but I enjoyed his performance in this film. Wayne gave another great performance in The Searchers . Hmmm...I might be more of a John Wayne fan than I previously realized.

Not necessarily. I'm not a fan of John Wayne, either. Quite frankly, I think he's a terrible actor. He was always more of a star than an actor. That said, I probably have more films in my collection starring him than any other actor. He just had a knack for finding himself in some great films from some great directors. Even John Ford, who worked with him regularly, was surprised by his performance in Red River. He reportedly commented, "I didn't know the big sonofabïtch could act."

Anyhoo, I hope that Criterion will be able to release more films by Howard Hawks in the future. Scarface would be nice.

Me, too. There aren't a lot of Hawks film out on BD yet. There is Rio Bravo from Warner, which is definitely worth getting. Same with Rio Lobo from Paramount (I'm surprised that he didn't title Red River "Rio Rojo"). And in just about a month, Paramount will be releasing Hatari! and El Dorado.

With respect to license-friendly studios, I'm hoping that Criterion can get Sony to let them do His Girl Friday and Only Angels Have Wings. Scarface is actually a fair possibility, given that Universal owns it.

Unfortunately, some of Hawks's most desirable films are in the hands of license-unfriendly Warner: The Big Sleep, To Have and Have Not, Sergeant York, and The Thing from Another World.

Ace in the Hole: Just realized that I don't have any Kirk Douglas or Wilder in my collection. Need to remedy that with this release.

Not to dismiss Ace in the Hole -- it's a solid film -- but there are better examples of films from both of those worthies already out.

Douglas: Paths of Glory (from Criterion), Spartacus (Universal), and Champion (Olive). And Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is coming out from Paramount in a few weeks, and The War Wagon (co-starring John Wayne) from Universal a few weeks after that.

Wilder: Sunset Blvd. and Stalag 17 from Paramount; The Seven Year Itch from Fox; Some Like It Hot and The Apartment from MGM; and Double Indemnity is coming from Universal in mid-April.

[ShellOilJunior]

Ford was a character.


Bogdanovich: I bought Duke a book for his birthday
Ford: Duke's got a book already.

Bogdanovich: I really love how that scene came together. How did you shoot that?
Ford: With a camera.


Random fan: I loved your picture Red River.
Ford: thank you!

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

Just seems incomprehensible to have all these duplicated discs and wasted space, I don't think I've ever watched a DVD out of any combo pack ever. Not even once. What is the point?

Yes, the packaging is not for you. I generally find it useless as well, but Criterion put out an open letter explaining their reasons, which basically comes down to it being more economical for them. And for those who still use DVD, and think that maybe they'll switch to Blu-ray won't have to rebuy later.

The fact that many of the major studios are releasing new films in combo packs suggests that they all think there's a point (probably the same economical one as Criterion's). A number of consumers like having both formats, because they can loan out the DVDs to friends and family that don't use Blu-ray. In some cases, people sell off the DVDs, and in such cases can almost make back what they paid for them in the first place.

My wife and I have only one Blu-ray player at the moment. In some cases, she's used the DVDs to watch in the bedroom while I'm watching something else out in the living room.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Let's take a look at Criterion's upcoming releases...

[Show spoiler]
February 25

• Blue Is The Warmest Color will be released in both a single-disc BD and a single-disc DVD release. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.
• Breathless will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• King Of The Hill will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• Tess will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

March 11

• George Washington will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

March 18

• A Brief History Of Time will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• The Hidden Fortress will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

March 25

• The Freshman will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• The Great Beauty will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• Persona will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 8

• The 400 Blows will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 15

• Breaking The Waves will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

April 22

• Master Of The House will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• Riot In Cell Block 11 will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 28

• Il Sorpasso will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

May 6

• Ace In The Hole will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

May 13

• Overlord will only be re-released in a single-disc BD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.

May 20

• Like Someone In Love will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

May 27

• The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou will only be re-released in a single-disc BD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.
• Red River will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

A combination of single-disc BDs, dual format BD / DVD combos, single-disc DVDs, and the like. (I did guess on a couple of the dual-format releases for May, but I feel accurate in my assessment. I won't know until the final press sheet is released.)

Thanks for the breakdown... I've been wanting to do something like this on my own. Nice concise list of the next few months, much appreciated!

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by JoeBuck

Plastic cases really aren't some miracle of design either. I'll keep my digipacks thank you very much!

While I have a preference for the plastic cases, I don't have a problem with the DigiPack releases. The only problem I've had with a DigiPack is with The Night of the Hunter, where the case got a bit squeezed, so the spine is a bit buckled. And that was my mishandling it after buying it from the local B&N.

On the other hand, there have been any number of times that I've ended up with a cracked or broken plastic case.

[ShellOilJunior]

Criterion could solve the case debate once and for all by discontinuing DVD's and including a UV copy with blu-rays.

I'd imagine it wouldn't go over well with the DVD stalwarts.

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Yes, the packaging is not for you. I generally find it useless as well, but Criterion put out an open letter explaining their reasons, which basically comes down to it being more economical for them. And for those who still use DVD, and think that maybe they'll switch to Blu-ray won't have to rebuy later.



The fact that many of the major studios are releasing new films in combo packs suggests that they all think there's a point (probably the same economical one as Criterion's). A number of consumers like having both formats, because they can loan out the DVDs to friends and family that don't use Blu-ray. In some cases, people sell off the DVDs, and in such cases can almost make back what they paid for them in the first place.



My wife and I have only one Blu-ray player at the moment. In some cases, she's used the DVDs to watch in the bedroom while I'm watching something else out in the living room.

Well said.

I've never understood why those who don't use the DVDs included in combo packs can't at least understand why a lot of people out there like them and find them very useful.

[The Great Owl]

I only watched the first hour of Foreign Correspondent last night, because I was sleepy before I even started the movie, and, although I was drawn into the story, I decided to wait until this evening when I'll be able to give my full attention to the film. Even so, I was hugely impressed by what I saw in that first hour, and I think that the Blu-ray picture quality is phenomenal. I'll chime in with more thoughts when I've seen the entire film and the extras, of course.

[lordmorpheus72]

Wow, I've been off the boards for a while and coming back I feel like Han after reading all the digipack.plastic case arguements... "I'm out of it for a little while, everyone gets delusions of grandeur!" I really do love this board!

That being said... concering the May titles, pretty excited myself. Red River & Life Aquatic are day one for me. And I've not seen it, but Like Someone in Love looks very interesting, going to head to Hulu to see if they have it streaming. Overload is another I don't really know anything about, but may check out. I was never a war-film fan, but after Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan my attitude changed.

In current releases, I picked up Jules and Jim Thief and Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World both this month using BN coupons and Amazon sales. Still have to watch Jules and Jim, but had to watch Mad World as soon as I got home... love this movie!

[KrugerIndustrial]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Let's take a look at Criterion's upcoming releases...

[Show spoiler]February 25

• Blue Is The Warmest Color will be released in both a single-disc BD and a single-disc DVD release. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.
• Breathless will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• King Of The Hill will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• Tess will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

March 11

• George Washington will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

March 18

• A Brief History Of Time will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• The Hidden Fortress will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

March 25

• The Freshman will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.
• The Great Beauty will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• Persona will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 8

• The 400 Blows will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 15

• Breaking The Waves will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

April 22

• Master Of The House will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.
• Riot In Cell Block 11 will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

April 28

• Il Sorpasso will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

May 6

• Ace In The Hole will only be re-released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

May 13

• Overlord will only be re-released in a single-disc BD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.

May 20

• Like Someone In Love will be released in both a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack and a single-disc DVD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its two-discs.

May 27

• The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou will only be re-released in a single-disc BD. Accordingly, it will be released in a plastic case due to its one-disc.
• Red River will only be released in a dual-format BD / DVD combo pack. Accordingly, it will be released in a DigiPack due to its three-discs.

A combination of single-disc BDs, dual format BD / DVD combos, single-disc DVDs, and the like. (I did guess on a couple of the dual-format releases for May, but I feel accurate in my assessment. I won't know until the final press sheet is released.)

The Great Beaty is a three-disc release.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Wow, I've been off the boards for a while and coming back I feel like Han after reading all the digipack.plastic case arguements... "I'm out of it for a little while, everyone gets delusions of grandeur!" I really do love this board!

That being said... concering the May titles, pretty excited myself. Red River & Life Aquatic are day one for me. And I've not seen it, but Like Someone in Love looks very interesting, going to head to Hulu to see if they have it streaming. Overload is another I don't really know anything about, but may check out. I was never a war-film fan, but after Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan my attitude changed.

In current releases, I picked up Jules and Jim Thief and Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World both this month using BN coupons and Amazon sales. Still have to watch Jules and Jim, but had to watch Mad World as soon as I got home... love this movie!

tad off topic but check out Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and Paths of Glory, I have never been big on war films but like you, Thin Red Line changed me, as did Full Metal Jacket, just shame only Paths is on Criterion.

[Tardis20]

Anyone notice that on the Criterion website Red River is list price $50 but Amazon has as $40 with the preorder price being $27?? Almost 50% so I preordered! Wonder if Amazon will correct their price?

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Hold on for a moment, I never said anything about liking dual format. I said I like digipack packaging (which has been and could be done for blu-ray only and dvd only releases). I'm no fan of dual format for the record. I would rather have a slim box of just blu-ray or dvd than a wider box of useless discs.

Well that's my main issue with the new packaging. The cases are now getting even thicker to accommodate the extra discs. Like twice as thick as a normal Criterion release - and Criterion's cases were always a few mm thicker than standard. Now it takes up too much space, AND is too damage prone. Who wants almost every single film release to be almost the size as a mini box set??? I like digi-packs as a change of pace, no OCD there. I just don't want them to be the norm.

Fortunately this month we are getting a couple of "blu-ray only" releases (I think?) - and Red River likely would have required a digipack regardless (similar to On the Waterfront). So I don't feel the case was necessarily dictated by the dual format.

However Ace In the Hole is likely to suffer from the new packaging - and some of the other upcoming months have multiple releases where the extra discs are forcing this terrible packaging (and we've already seen a handful come out, I own a couple of them and can tell they will be trouble if this continues).

[Tardis20]

[QUOTE=jayembee;8819172]Not necessarily. I'm not a fan of John Wayne, either. Quite frankly, I think he's a terrible actor. He was always more of a star than an actor. That said, I probably have more films in my collection starring him than any other actor. He just had a knack for finding himself in some great films from some great directors. Even John Ford, who worked with him regularly, was surprised by his performance in Red River. He reportedly commented, "I didn't know the big sonofabïtch could act."

Just a question for discussion but how can a terrible actor who is the main star be in great films? I'm not saying it's impossible but it seems like these two factors would go against each other happening more then once? I don't think Wayne is the greatest actor but he did very well in a lot of roles for the part, which is not something a terrible actor could do...

Nice quote from Ford, haha.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Yes, the packaging is not for you. I generally find it useless as well, but Criterion put out an open letter explaining their reasons, which basically comes down to it being more economical for them. And for those who still use DVD, and think that maybe they'll switch to Blu-ray won't have to rebuy later.

The fact that many of the major studios are releasing new films in combo packs suggests that they all think there's a point (probably the same economical one as Criterion's). A number of consumers like having both formats, because they can loan out the DVDs to friends and family that don't use Blu-ray. In some cases, people sell off the DVDs, and in such cases can almost make back what they paid for them in the first place.

My wife and I have only one Blu-ray player at the moment. In some cases, she's used the DVDs to watch in the bedroom while I'm watching something else out in the living room.

I get THEIR explanation - and I know it's a cost cutting measure. Period.

1+1 Combo-packs don't bother me per se - I have alot of these BD+DVD+UV combo packs. However in Criterion's case because of the change of packaging (required by 1+2), a have to take issue with what they are doing.

My opinion is they shouldn't have made *EVERY* release a combo pack. Only those that can fit on 1 disc + 1 disc. If it requires a box set, then you have to separate them. At worst, how much would it really hurt just to knock out an extra or two from the DVD to "make it fit"? Not to punish DVD-only owners, but at some point they do have to move on - don't they?

Look at Zatoichi set. That thing is just insane to me - 9 BD, 18 DVD(!!!).

[blu-bry]

Originally Posted by dsman71

My copy of Foreign Correspondent arrived safe and sound. I dont mind digipacks if they arrive safe - I care more for the image quality, overall presentation than packaging. All I do is line up the digipacks next to each other and the cases next to each other.
Never did I think Godzilla would be sandwiched between Foreign Correspondent and Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World !

My "Foreign Correspondent" from Amazon also arrived in good shape. I think it was a miracle though, because it was just in one of those flimsy manilla envelopes. As for the packaging - I like both forms, to be honest. Criterion has great packaging. The clear cases may be more safe, but I have both types and won't complain about either. Now, the ugly cheap looking blue cases that 95% of my other Blu-rays come in, that's another matter. I always felt that when we went from DVD to Blu-ray we sacrificed packaging for image and sound quality. Not so with Criterion.

[spargs]

Originally Posted by Tardis20

Anyone notice that on the Criterion website Red River is list price $50 but Amazon has as $40 with the preorder price being $27?? Almost 50% so I preordered! Wonder if Amazon will correct their price?

I'm not much into preordering more than a week before release date, but for that large a discount on a Criterion release, I made an exception and preordered it myself!