The Criterion Collection

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I see that a number of people have expressed rather tepid reactions to the four films announced on Monday. Having been a Criterion patron for nearly six years, I find myself squarely in the other camp. These months, comprised of titles that are obscure to me, often end up among my favorites.

Before I began exploring the Collection, the likes of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini, among many others, were foreign to me. And now, largely based on the discussions we’ve had here, I’ll be watching The Piano Teacher tonight; it will serve as my introduction to both Isabelle Huppert and Director Michael Haneke. And this illuminates one of Criterion’s greatest strengths: exposing our community of cineasts to works, and talents, that have not received the due they so richly deserve. I would remind those who are unhappy that, while it’s great when movies we already love get the “Criterion treatment”, that’s not their primary objective. Criterion is not on the decline when they announce a group of films that “nobody asked for”. Rather, they are fulfilling their true mission.

Blind buys from Criterion (on laserdisc) introduced me to Andrei Tarkovsky, Jean Renoir, Sam Fuller, Seijun Suzuki, Michael Powell (& Emeric Pressburger), John Woo, Yasujiro Ozu, Shohei Imamura, Jacques Tati, Max Ophüls, Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Cocteau, Kon Ichikawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Andrzej Wajda, Luis Buñuel, Costa-Gavres, Nicolas Roeg, and John Schlesinger -- none of whom I was familiar with beforehand.

[Sommerswerd]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Blind buys from Criterion (on laserdisc) introduced me to Andrei Tarkovsky, Jean Renoir, Sam Fuller, Seijun Suzuki, Michael Powell (& Emeric Pressburger), John Woo, Yasujiro Ozu, Shohei Imamura, Jacques Tati, Max Ophüls, Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Cocteau, Kon Ichikawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Andrzej Wajda, Luis Buñuel, Costa-Gavres, Nicolas Roeg, and John Schlesinger -- none of whom I was familiar with beforehand.

Lucky for me my local public libraries carries most of the Criterion titles on DVD and/or Blu-ray so I was introduced to all of those same directors as well without needing to blind-buy.

[F-O]

Has anyone ever made a list of all Criterion titles not available for sale in Canada? I can't find one anywhere.

[JasonMichael]

I didn't even know they had titles unavailable here.

[aviosis]

GeekGab claiming on Twitter that Kindergarten Cop is going to be Criterion’s first 4K UHD lmao

Even using the same cover that Criterion used to troll us a few years back for April fools

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by F-O

Has anyone ever made a list of all Criterion titles not available for sale in Canada? I can't find one anywhere.

Here:

[yoloswegmaster420]

Janus Films will be distributing William Klein's 'Muhammad Ali, the Greatest'.

[Nori]

Originally Posted by aviosis

GeekGab claiming on Twitter that Kindergarten Cop is going to be Criterion’s first 4K UHD lmao

Even using the same cover that Criterion used to troll us a few years back for April fools

He always uses non official covers. Sometimes he’s right though. Personally I would love for Kindergarten Cop to be released on UHD.

[gigan72]

Originally Posted by Nori

He always uses non official covers. Sometimes he’s right though. Personally I would love for Kindergarten Cop to be released on UHD.

Throw enough (commonly rumored) stuff at the wall and something is bound to stick.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by aviosis

GeekGab claiming on Twitter that Kindergarten Cop is going to be Criterion’s first 4K UHD lmao

Even using the same cover that Criterion used to troll us a few years back for April fools

His “unofficial” mouthpiece on here claims it’s a “joke”.

[captainron_howdy]

Originally Posted by aviosis

GeekGab claiming on Twitter that Kindergarten Cop is going to be Criterion’s first 4K UHD lmao

Even using the same cover that Criterion used to troll us a few years back for April fools

If this is true it will not at all be a bad look for Criterion. Hell, Arrow went ahead w Chud and kinda made Criterion look silly imo.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by aviosis

GeekGab claiming on Twitter that Kindergarten Cop is going to be Criterion’s first 4K UHD lmao

Love it.

[F-O]

Originally Posted by koberulz

Here:

Maybe my question wasn't clear enough, but there definitely are titles that can't be sold by Canadian distributors (ie. they can be imported from the U.S. but can't be bought in Canada) because some studios have exclusive Canadian rights for some movies.

Boyhood

Three Colors trilogy

In fact, Unobstructed View is Criterion's official distributor in Canada and they list 658 blu-rays, while Criterion.com lists 728. That means there could be up to 70 blu-ray titles not available in Canadian stores (although Criterion keeps OOP titles online too so the actual number is lower).

[aviosis]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

His “unofficial” mouthpiece on here claims it’s a “joke”.

Yeah it’s fake. I hate him

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by F-O

Maybe my question wasn't clear enough, but there definitely are titles that can't be sold by Canadian distributors (ie. they can be imported from the U.S. but can't be bought in Canada) because some studios have exclusive Canadian rights for some movies.

Boyhood

Three Colors trilogy

In fact, Unobstructed View is Criterion's official distributor in Canada and they list 658 blu-rays, while Criterion.com lists 728. That means there could be up to 70 blu-ray titles not available in Canadian stores (although Criterion keeps OOP titles online too so the actual number is lower).

And just to show there is some idiot who will take on any ridiculous project no matter how pointless, I cross-referenced the Criterion.com list to UnobstView Criterion list.

Overall I found 648 items that appeared to be the same. The CA site had around 20-25 double listings (usual a combined listing of DVD and Bluray that had to be dropped). There were also several I found on search that didn't appear in the usual Criterion Filter, but were on the site (Jacques Demy Box, Scorsese Project boxsets, some preorders I think). I never did figure out a way to get it to filter Bluray+DVD Combo packs -- Bluray missed them, DVD/BD missed them, and DVD missed them.

That leaves 80 Bluray items listed on Criterion.com that UV doesn't appear to carry. 14 of those are OOP titles, so net 66 in print that UV is missing (or I couldn't find). Of that 66, 16 had Criterion Releases at some point in Canada, and 50 never had a Criterion release that I can find and several no CA Bluray release at all. I'll leave it to you guys to figure which just aren't there/backordered and which can't be sold in Canada or weren't released. There are a couple older items like Benjamin Button which Criterion doesn't list in its OOP list, but might as well be.

[Show spoiler]
OOP
Chungking Express
Days of Heaven
Don’t Look Now
Harold and Maude
Howards End
La dolce vita
Last Year at Marienbad
Le cercle rouge
Léon Morin, Priest
Nashville
Rosemary’s Baby
The Confession
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Third Man



Not Carried at Unobstructed View
Released by Criterion in Canada
45 Years 3/7/2017
Antichrist 11/9/2010
By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two 5/25/2010 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com
Carlos 9/27/2011
Certain Women 9/19/2017
David Lean Directs Noël Coward 3/27/2012
Following 12/11/2012
Foreign Correspondent 10/7/2014
King of the Hill Dual Format 2/25/2014
Naked 7/12/2011
Persona Dual Format 3/25/2014
Scanners Dual Format 7/15/2014
The Brood 10/13/2015
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 5/5/2009 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com
The Devil’s Backbone 7/30/2013
Y tu mamá también Dual Format 8/19/2014 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com

Never released by Criterion in Canada
100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
A Brief History of Time
A Christmas Tale
Beyond the Hills
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Boyhood
Certified Copy
Che
Christ Stopped at Eboli
Close-up
Dheepan
Diabolique
Everlasting Moments
Fish Tank
Frances Ha
Gomorrah
Graduation
Gray’s Anatomy
History Is Made at Night
Hunger
I Married a Witch
I, Daniel Blake
Inside Llewyn Davis
John Cassavetes: Five Films
La promesse
Let the Sunshine In
Life During Wartime
Like Someone in Love
Me and You and Everyone We Know
My Winnipeg
Pan’s Labyrinth
People on Sunday
Pina
Stagecoach
Still Walking
Summer Hours
The Double Life of Véronique
The Forgiveness of Blood
The Great Beauty
The Kid with a Bike
The Secret of the Grain
The Wages of Fear
Three Colors
To Be or Not to Be
Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro
Two Days, One Night
Visions of Eight
White Material
Wildlife

[BaronVH]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Blind buys from Criterion (on laserdisc) introduced me to Andrei Tarkovsky, Jean Renoir, Sam Fuller, Seijun Suzuki, Michael Powell (& Emeric Pressburger), John Woo, Yasujiro Ozu, Shohei Imamura, Jacques Tati, Max Ophüls, Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jean Cocteau, Kon Ichikawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Andrzej Wajda, Luis Buñuel, Costa-Gavres, Nicolas Roeg, and John Schlesinger -- none of whom I was familiar with beforehand.

Gonna get on my soapbox. I totally agree with you. There is a huge problem with people not being exposed to phenomenal films. Some communities have a robust art house cinema, but many, even very large cities, do not. I worked in a video store for a few years, and it befuddled me the number of people that would only rent new releases. I would say it was 99%. Now you have streaming services that recommend the lowest commend denominator with their algorithms (with one exception). At least another, HBO, has an easy way to find classic films. What is more, many of the popular films today are remakes of vastly superior foreign films or are rehashes/copies from the same material.

Please note, I am not meaning to be elitist in any way. I love the popcorn blockbuster too. There is a place for films like Army of the Dead (which I found entertaining). I could go through many recommendations: like Psycho, watch Diabolique. Any modern creep out? Eyes Without a Face. Any modern police procedural? High and Low. Annihilation? Give Stalker a chance. This could go on all day.

I cannot express how much I appreciate Criterion. I have great fear for this form of entertainment. It is obviously struggling, and the studios and theater owner are not exactly on the same page with one another. The studios are getting content with not caring much about their catalog films, but labels like Criterion are still moving forward.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Americo

So glad Amazon is willing to license their stuff.

I agree, but they also have non-arthouse films from the last few years that still deserve a disc release. Or something like The Report I've never been able to watch because I don't have Prime and it never played the local cinema.

[F-O]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

And just to show there is some idiot who will take on any ridiculous project no matter how pointless, I cross-referenced the Criterion.com list to UnobstView Criterion list.

Overall I found 648 items that appeared to be the same. The CA site had around 20-25 double listings (usual a combined listing of DVD and Bluray that had to be dropped). There were also several I found on search that didn't appear in the usual Criterion Filter, but were on the site (Jacques Demy Box, Scorsese Project boxsets, some preorders I think). I never did figure out a way to get it to filter Bluray+DVD Combo packs -- Bluray missed them, DVD/BD missed them, and DVD missed them.

That leaves 80 Bluray items listed on Criterion.com that UV doesn't appear to carry. 14 of those are OOP titles, so net 66 in print that UV is missing (or I couldn't find). Of that 66, 16 had Criterion Releases at some point in Canada, and 50 never had a Criterion release that I can find and several no CA Bluray release at all. I'll leave it to you guys to figure which just aren't there/backordered and which can't be sold in Canada or weren't released. There are a couple older items like Benjamin Button which Criterion doesn't list in its OOP list, but might as well be.

[Show spoiler]
OOP
Chungking Express
Days of Heaven
Don’t Look Now
Harold and Maude
Howards End
La dolce vita
Last Year at Marienbad
Le cercle rouge
Léon Morin, Priest
Nashville
Rosemary’s Baby
The Confession
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Third Man



Not Carried at Unobstructed View
Released by Criterion in Canada
45 Years 3/7/2017
Antichrist 11/9/2010
By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two 5/25/2010 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com
Carlos 9/27/2011
Certain Women 9/19/2017
David Lean Directs Noël Coward 3/27/2012
Following 12/11/2012
Foreign Correspondent 10/7/2014
King of the Hill Dual Format 2/25/2014
Naked 7/12/2011
Persona Dual Format 3/25/2014
Scanners Dual Format 7/15/2014
The Brood 10/13/2015
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 5/5/2009 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com
The Devil’s Backbone 7/30/2013
Y tu mamá también Dual Format 8/19/2014 CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE at Criterion.com

Never released by Criterion in Canada
100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
A Brief History of Time
A Christmas Tale
Beyond the Hills
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Boyhood
Certified Copy
Che
Christ Stopped at Eboli
Close-up
Dheepan
Diabolique
Everlasting Moments
Fish Tank
Frances Ha
Gomorrah
Graduation
Gray’s Anatomy
History Is Made at Night
Hunger
I Married a Witch
I, Daniel Blake
Inside Llewyn Davis
John Cassavetes: Five Films
La promesse
Let the Sunshine In
Life During Wartime
Like Someone in Love
Me and You and Everyone We Know
My Winnipeg
Pan’s Labyrinth
People on Sunday
Pina
Stagecoach
Still Walking
Summer Hours
The Double Life of Véronique
The Forgiveness of Blood
The Great Beauty
The Kid with a Bike
The Secret of the Grain
The Wages of Fear
Three Colors
To Be or Not to Be
Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro
Two Days, One Night
Visions of Eight
White Material
Wildlife

Wow thanks so much! It seems like a decent portions of these are licensed by Mongrel Media in Canada. Also the Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro is OOP too by the way.

Did you do it manually or did you automate it somehow? How hard/long would it be to do the main list of all titles not carried at Unobstructed View (without separating them into different categories) with DVDs too? That would be amazing, but no worry if you can't or don't have the time.

Thanks again!

[blujazz]

Anyone have a handy list of MGM films on criterion?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by blujazz

Anyone have a handy list of MGM films on criterion?

1984
12 Angry Men
Arabian Nights
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez
The Black Stallion
Blow Out
Blue Velvet
La Cage aux Folles
Bowling for Columbine
Bull Durham
The Canterbury Tales
Cul-De-Sac
The Decameron
Dressed to Kill
A Dry White Season
Fellini Satyricon
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The Fugitive Kind
Ghost World
The Graduate
The Great Escape
Heaven's Gate
House of Games
In the Heat of the Night
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Kes
The Killing
Koyaanisqatsi
Kiss Me Deadly
Love Streams
The Manchurian Candidate
Matewan
Midnight Cowboy
Moonstruck
My Beautiful Laundrette
The Night of the Hunter
Paths of Glory
Powaqqatsi
The Princess Bride
Red River
Roma (Fellini)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
The Serpent's Egg
Sid & Nancy
The Silence of the Lambs
Some Like It Hot
Something Wild (both 1961 and 1986 films)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sweet Smell of Success
Thief
Women in Love

Source