The Criterion Collection

[Jexes23]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Not to sound like Dr Phil, but what kind of personal enjoyment do you guys get when purchasing Criterion titles? Anybody here living vicariously through Criterion? I guess the real question is: Why do we buy Criterion titles?

The best I can come up with trying to give an answer that is a statement:

They continually put out some of the most important and culturally significant films that exist. They take pride in their work and rarely put out bad or problematic transfers. They almost always provide great supplements.

The most honest answer:

Why do people collect Pokémon cards? Why did people collect beanie babies? Why do people collect anything?

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Not to sound like Dr Phil, but what kind of personal enjoyment do you guys get when purchasing Criterion titles? Anybody here living vicariously through Criterion? I guess the real question is: Why do we buy Criterion titles?

how exactly does one live vicariously through an inanimate home video distributor?

[Vigojean]

Originally Posted by Jexes23

The best I can come up with trying to give an answer that is a statement:

They continually put out some of the most important and culturally significant films that exist. They take pride in their work and rarely put out bad or problematic transfers. They almost always provide great supplements.

The most honest answer:

Why do people collect Pokémon cards? Why did people collect beanie babies? Why do people collect anything?

I guess I was trying to gauge how much pleasure it gives people. I don’t think anybody is exactly “living” for Criterion, but we put so much emphasis on its monthly announcements, it certainly means a lot to many people. Personally, I think of Criterion as an art history course but for movies, and I feel like they’re “preserving” great works of art, hence why I support them. It feels good knowing I’m a little bit a part of that (I’m just buying their products, though).

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Not to sound like Dr Phil, but what kind of personal enjoyment do you guys get when purchasing Criterion titles? Anybody here living vicariously through Criterion? I guess the real question is: Why do we buy Criterion titles?

Perhaps in the DVD age, I had some special joy from Criterion releases, but I'd say at least in the last 10 years, several labels have stepped up to the plate in terms of catalog selection, quality of transfer and supplements/packaging. So while I do put Criterions in their own shelf, as I do with Arrow, Eureka, BFI, Indicator releases it's really more because their spines look nice and uniform, rather than because I think there is something intrinsically extraordinary about them.

[BunyipPouch]

Is there a list that exists of releases that come with an extra feature film? Like, Stranger Than Paradise also includes Jim Jarmusch's full-length film Permanent Vacation as an extra.

I was wondering if ya'll knew of others with 'bonus' feature films included?

[mmarczi]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Not to sound like Dr Phil, but what kind of personal enjoyment do you guys get when purchasing Criterion titles? Anybody here living vicariously through Criterion? I guess the real question is: Why do we buy Criterion titles?

I guess the best way to give a good answer to this is that any enjoyment that I get purely and specifically out of buying a Criterion release is that the vast majority of films I purchase, I haven't previously seen, and in my experience, Criterion's catalogue is easily the best in terms of filmography, so I'm always confident that I'm going to like what I'm buying, and perhaps even love it. I know this is blasphemous, but I'm also the type that prefers supplements over encodes (not that it's one or the other), and Criterion obviously competes favorably on that front with any label in the world.

I think the thing that most interests me about the Criterion Collection's catalogue is that I'm always opening up new branches of movies that previously weren't on my radar and/or which I didn't think I would have much interest in. It feels like every sale when I go through their releases I see things that I checked out streaming, or that I watched something related to, that made me realize I would actually be interested in these things after all. So it's basically been a perpetually unfolding library for me, though I feel like I'm pretty much getting to the point where I'm 'caught up' with most of the scenes they tend to dip their toes in. Preston Sturges will be one of my latest targets during the next sale.

Obviously the vast majority of what I said above can also apply to varying degrees to most other major boutique labels out there as well. Criterion was my entry point, but I'm not a dogmatist about the label and understand they have their faults and that there are things other companies do better. But nobody releases what I consider to be better films than they do.

[mmarczi]

Originally Posted by BunyipPouch

Is there a list that exists of releases that come with an extra feature film? Like, Stranger Than Paradise also includes Jim Jarmusch's full-length film Permanent Vacation as an extra.

I was wondering if ya'll knew of others with 'bonus' feature films included?

This also includes short films and documentaries, so you'll have to dig, but I found this list: https://letterboxd.com/jacoblaloyd/l...n-supplements/

You can sort the list by genre, though, which would at least help get rid of the documentaries, though you'd have to go genre to genre. Here's what a list of drama films looks like: https://letterboxd.com/jacoblaloyd/l...s/genre/drama/

[BunyipPouch]

Originally Posted by mmarczi

This also includes short films and documentaries, so you'll have to dig, but I found this list: https://letterboxd.com/jacoblaloyd/l...n-supplements/

You can sort the list by genre, though, which would at least help get rid of the documentaries, though you'd have to go genre to genre. Here's what a list of genre films looks like: https://letterboxd.com/jacoblaloyd/l...s/genre/drama/

Thank you so much, this is perfect

[BillWatkins]

Originally Posted by BunyipPouch

Is there a list that exists of releases that come with an extra feature film? Like, Stranger Than Paradise also includes Jim Jarmusch's full-length film Permanent Vacation as an extra.

I was wondering if ya'll knew of others with 'bonus' feature films included?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._feature_films

[HuggyBear73]

I forgot .. NIGHTMARE ALLEY.. was put out by FOX.

So Disney gave the OK to Criterion for this?

[JasonMichael]

Originally Posted by HuggyBear73

I forgot .. NIGHTMARE ALLEY.. was put out by FOX.

So Disney gave the OK to Criterion for this?

Knowing how long Criterion can sit on titles, this was likely from an older deal.

[HuggyBear73]

Originally Posted by JasonMichael

Knowing how long Criterion can sit on titles, this was likely from an older deal.

Gotcha!

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Not to sound like Dr Phil, but what kind of personal enjoyment do you guys get when purchasing Criterion titles? Anybody here living vicariously through Criterion? I guess the real question is: Why do we buy Criterion titles?

For me, beyond having a history with them since the laserdisc days where they opened up an entire landscape of film for me, what makes them special is the sense of active, focused curation. It's not just about getting a spectacular edition, as they're not the only ones putting out fantastic sets. It's about being guided in a repertory sense. I feel like I'm getting a great baseline, ongoing film education through them.

(And I also like that Criterion sees its mission for each title as not necessarily jamming in every possible special feature, but like a great cineaste book, establishing a theme and then selecting extras and content that supports that theme. I like big projects with a viewpoint.)

[BamaDullard]

Originally Posted by JasonMichael

Knowing how long Criterion can sit on titles, this was likely from an older deal.

Fox titles have been showing up with some regularity on the Criterion Channel for the past few months. Hopefully that bodes well.

[Acer2010]

Originally Posted by BamaDullard

Fox titles have been showing up with some regularity on the Criterion Channel for the past few months. Hopefully that bodes well.

Which Fox titles?

[BamaDullard]

Originally Posted by Acer2010

Which Fox titles?

MASH, Unfaithfully Yours, The Razor’s Edge, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, Patton, The Hustler, etc.

[Dailyan]

Criterion Channel titles aren't necessarily an indication that Criterion have disc rights.

[BamaDullard]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

Criterion Channel titles aren't necessarily an indication that Criterion have disc rights.

I know.

[Vigojean]

Anybody willing to double dip on a Criterion release if it already has a 4K release elsewhere? I keep refraining from getting The Shining and Full Metal Jacket for fear that Criterion will release them. Of course, the 4K will certainly look better than Criterion’s Blu-rays.

[BamaDullard]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Anybody willing to double dip on a Criterion release if it already has a 4K release elsewhere? I keep refraining from getting The Shining and Full Metal Jacket for fear that Criterion will release them. Of course, the 4K will certainly look better than Criterion’s Blu-rays.

I can’t see WB licensing either of those. The only film they have licensed is Barry Lyndon, which is maybe Kubrick’s least seen major work. I’d go ahead if I were you.