The Criterion Collection

[TheDot]

Any Tarkovsky fans checked out the Chris Marker documentary 'One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich'?

Worth picking up?

Speaking of pick ups, my second (and final.....I hope) Barnes and Noble order has gone in, brings me up to 16 titles from the sale. Thank god it finished at the end of the month.

Went for....

Beauty and the Beast
High and Low
Pierrot Le Fou -been meaning to rewatch this, so may as well get this while it is OOP.
Paris, Texas
Yojimbo
Sanjuro
Hunger -late addition to the much mulled over basket, a film I was blown away by at the cinema and have meant to revisit.

On DVD...

Le Samourai -couldn't wait any longer for the Blu and couldn't resist at this price)
Hoop Dreams -wonderful film if I remember rightly and very cheap with 50% off and coupon_
Rossellini's War Trilogy -wanted a boxset from the sale, considered a few and then remember how much I love Bicycle Thieves, how great Rome, Open City was and how I wanted to watch more Neorealist films. Great looking, and seemingly stacked, boxset.

Spent more than I planned at the sale, but could have spent a lot more! Must have had half the collection in my basket at some point, nearly all the Blu-rays I don't own. Justified removing most by saving them to my wishlist and telling myself "It can wait til November"

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Monty70

I am a bit surprised how many people come to this board to say they dislike Black Narcissus. For my money the film is a masterpiece, perhaps the most beautifully photographed film I have ever seen. (The scenes during sunset at the films conclusion are utterly breathtaking) IMO, every aspect of the film's production is exemplary, from the acting, to the direction, to the set design. (and the story is a powerful tale of the age old conflict of faith versus flesh)

To each their own, but I really don't get this one.

I really enjoy Black Narcissus as well, Criterion made me discover it when I saw the name of Jack Cardiff attach to it. I like the story and cinematography but I can understand why it may not be as appealing for others as it may well be difficult to get attach to some of the characters in the story but it's only my opinion.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Monty70

I am a bit surprised how many people come to this board to say they dislike Black Narcissus.

It's the internets, Jake.

[Banned User]

I don't get the Black Narcissus hate either. Loved the movie. It had a haunting beauty to the whole thing and was beautifully filmed, but different people different tastes.

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Making this list of my 10 fav releases of Criterion just brings it to my attention even more than it is, that "World Cinema" in Criterion is lacking and I have so many fav films from South America that makes this list look like poop. Anyways here is 11 (hard to knock down to 10, just think the 2 Godard are 1),




There is alot of other things (I can put the 2 Godards' together and bring in Closely Watched Trains or Fists in the Pocket).

Man I wish Criterion would get the rights back for Blood for Dracula and release a Bluray. That movie cracks me up every time..
Also speaking of Underworld. I'd love to see a Bluray release of Hawks Scarface. I still think its the best Mob movie ever made.
So much better then the remake IMO. Paul Muni is enthralling and unstoppable and George Raft flipping that coin created the stereotypical gangster image for decades to come. Until I watched Underworld I had no idea that the same writer was involved with both. So many things from Underworld were used in Scarface.

[Beta Man]

I watched Naked for the first time last night.... Very much enjoyed it, and watched some of the Neil LaBute interview when it was over.


I also watched Beauty and The Beast which I've seen numerous times, but this was the first time I elected to go with the Opera audio-track and I found it to be very enjoyable as well.

[BohemianGraham]

I made the mistake of looking at the loonie this morning, and orderd Blow Out and High and Low. No more now.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by chuckywang

I think I'm in love with Irene Jacob (from 20 years ago) Wow.

Get in line!

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I was going to suggest they reduce their new spines and do more upgrades, perhaps a couple times a year if not every month, but they are basically doing 50/50 as it is. They are just never usually the titles I want them to upgrade most.

I don't have sales figures, but I would think Seven Samurai, The Seventh Seal, etc. would contradict this (or perhaps not ) but one theory is this:

I think we are in the minority based on purchasing habits..... Many people out there see the releases and buy what they don't have, and don't give the first-thought to the concept of "upgrading" so by announcing BDs of their more popular DVDs (like The Bicycle Thief) they immediately get a large portion of their customers who say "Oh... already got that one"

By releasing things like "Fat Girl" (which I love, but I realize it's polarizing) there may be many people who said "ahhh I passed on the DVD, so I don't have it in my collection..... I'm buying Blu-rays now, so perhaps I'll add this one to the collection now"

It's pretty odd in a way, but I think there are a fair number of consumers who think that way.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Anchor Bay had put out previous editions on DVD, but StudioCanal/Rialto are handling the current theatrical run of the new 35th anniversary print. Perhaps there is another Blu-ray edition in the near future, but I doubt it will be from Criterion.

It wouldn't have to be a Criterion for me, but the few titles that StudioCanal has already taken back and gotten out on blu-ray (Ran, Third Man, Le Pierrot Fou) apparently haven't worked out too well by comparison. So I guess that doesn't bode well for Man Who Fell to Earth either. If it's an "equivalent transfer" I would look at it, otherwise probably not. The issue for me when it's an (apparantly) inferior release, yet Studio Canal also charges Criterion-like prices for a few of these titles. It would be too hard to stomach paying $27 for a single disc as it is, impossible knowing Criterion already did a better job with it.

[djkest]

What's this about new spines?

I guess the following movies are the new cases:
M
Army of Shadows
Blow out

And this is an example of an old case:
Seven Samurai

Am I correct?
My 7S case was smooshed and creased, I am exchanging it at B&N soon because for that kind of money I feel like I need a pristine product. I like to take care of my stuff!

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by djkest

What's this about new spines?

I guess the following movies are the new cases:
M
Army of Shadows
Blow out

And this is an example of an old case:
Seven Samurai

Am I correct?

You are kind of correct. The clear, plastic cases are what people are referring to as the "new" cases. The "old" cases were thin cardboard and were only part of 9 of the original Criterion blu-rays. Replacement cases, aka "new" cases, can be ordered directly from Criterion now for the original nine blu-rays that came with this "old" packaging. Here is Criterion's page for ordering those. If you look around the internet, I'm sure you'll find photos of the original packaging, if you haven't seen it already.

The multi-disc cardboard releases of Seven Samurai, The Night of the Hunter, etc. are the only option available for those titles because they have multiple discs and Criterion doesn't have a multi-disc plastic case for their blu-ray releases. There are also some single-disc releases with cardboard packaging, i.e. Breathless, Sweet Smell of Success, etc. These releases generally have thicker booklets which would not fit in Criterion's plastic blu-ray case.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I get what you're saying about people's habits, though. From the posts here it certainly seems many people who are interested in the Criterion films are willing to try whatever they put out on Blu-ray. I have no interest in owning them all or even necessarily even seeing them all. In my case, there are maybe a hundred Criterion titles I'd like to buy and I'd prefer to buy them on Blu-ray assuming they are ever going to come out on the format.

It's really silly because there could be plenty of new titles in the works that would appeal to me, and the Criterion DVD transfers are generally very good and I'm going to enjoy the film regardless, so Blu-ray isn't that important (). I don't know why I let Criterion's upgrade schedule cause me to hold off on buying stuff I want. During this sale I've bought 60% DVDs and 40% Blu-rays so I am slowly getting over it.

Well this is blu-ray.com

I can tell you I definitely have a hard time picking up DVD's. I've already gone through my DVD collection and basically sold off everything I could (anything that didn't have some pathetic $.50 value, which sadly was about half my DVD collection). Obviously I also looked at keeping anything that isn't inevitable to come to blu-ray at all, but other than that I painstakingly got rid of everything I could via whatever avenues were available (i.e. amazon trade-in, selling on amazon/ebay, and trading to DVD2blu). I'm glad I did because the prices for DVD's just continue to go down, and in a few cases I salvaged $5-$10 for titles that might now only get $2 or less.

There are still a few Criterion I would look at because it might be years before they are available on blu-ray, some might NEVER be on blu-ray. Yet I still have a REALLY hard time pulling that trigger. I do think I'm going to end up getting the Nikkatsu Noire set though as long as the 20% coupon comes back, that's one that seems way out there or might never come to blu-ray...

[aggienader08]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

Well this is blu-ray.com

I can tell you I definitely have a hard time picking up DVD's. I've already gone through my DVD collection and basically sold off everything I could (anything that didn't have some pathetic $.50 value, which sadly was about half my DVD collection). Obviously I also looked at keeping anything that isn't inevitable to come to blu-ray at all, but other than that I painstakingly got rid of everything I could via whatever avenues were available (i.e. amazon trade-in, selling on amazon/ebay, and trading to DVD2blu). I'm glad I did because the prices for DVD's just continue to go down, and in a few cases I salvaged $5-$10 for titles that might now only get $2 or less.

There are still a few Criterion I would look at because it might be years before they are available on blu-ray, some might NEVER be on blu-ray. Yet I still have a REALLY hard time pulling that trigger. I do think I'm going to end up getting the Nikkatsu Noire set though as long as the 20% coupon comes back, that's one that seems way out there or might never come to blu-ray...

I gave up months ago trying to purchase every Criterion that was released for a few reasons:

1.) All the Criterion DVDs I've seen I own now, and don't plan on changing that.
2.) They release an average 4-5 titles every month on blu and if I purchased all of them, including ones I don't even know I'll enjoy, then I wouldn't have the funds to purchase other non-Criterion titles I want.
3.) I don't get a rush out of blind-buying a film I've never seen like some who desire to own the "complete collection" just for the sake of owning the Criterion name. (that's not a knock on those folks that do, I truly respect the name and the game, I just don't strive to collect every film in a collection of which I've only seen approximately 40% of.) I'll Netflix it, and if I like it I'll try to purchase it.
Example: I want to see The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor, because I would like to add them to the collection, but I've never seen them, so if I watch and don't like, I won't buy. Plain enough.

With that said, buying any DVDs (Criterion or not) is against my buying rules, because I don't like to play with the chances of them rereleasing it in the future on blu. I've played that game and lost on multiple accounts, i.e. Fear and Loathing (which I just upgraded yesterday), Seven Samurai, M, and Metropolis. In fact, the last DVD I purchased was Grand Illusion, and I mean to keep it that way.

My rule is, that if there's any question whether or not they'll release it on blu, then I will stay at arms length away from it in the store. Speaking of, I need to find Breathless before this sale ends.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by aggienader08

I gave up months ago trying to purchase every Criterion that was released for a few reasons:

1.) All the Criterion DVDs I've seen I own now, and don't plan on changing that.
2.) They release an average 4-5 titles every month on blu and if I purchased all of them, including ones I don't even know I'll enjoy, then I wouldn't have the funds to purchase other non-Criterion titles I want.
3.) I don't get a rush out of blind-buying a film I've never seen like some who desire to own the "complete collection" just for the sake of owning the Criterion name. (that's not a knock on those folks that do, I truly respect the name and the game, I just don't strive to collect every film in a collection of which I've only seen approximately 40% of.) I'll Netflix it, and if I like it I'll try to purchase it.

With that said, buying any DVDs (Criterion or not) is against my buying rules, because I don't like to play with the chances of them rereleasing it in the future on blu. I've played that game and lost on multiple accounts, i.e. Fear and Loathing (which I just upgraded yesterday), Seven Samurai, M, and Metropolis. In fact, the last DVD I purchased was Grand Illusion, and I mean to keep it that way.

My rule is, that if there's any question whether or not they'll release it on blu, then I will stay at arms length away from it in the store. Speaking of, I need to find Breathless before this sale ends.

I"m not rushing to buy every single CC release, but most of my purchases from the collection have been blind buys, based on user recommendations on here, genre, how similar the films are to other films in my DVD/Blu-Ray collection, and what I've read about the films through Wiki, IMDB, and other sites. There are quite a few in the collection I have no interest in, and outright refuse to buy. supposedly I'm some sort of unintelligent, uncultured idiot for avoiding those particular films, but that's another story. I've been lucky so far with my blind buys, but I am actively trying to watch more from my wishlist (currently 27 films) before I buy. There's just too many films that look good. I'm glad we get these sales though, because they help a lot.

Personally, I don't buy the CC DVDs because I find that they're still too expensive, especially in comparison to the price point on the BDs. I only own one CC DVD, and I bought that used. I've wanted to buy CC films that appeal to me for years, but I could never justify the price point. I'll still buy non-CC DVDs, however, especially if they're under5 bucks.

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

What I meant was that there is a lot of blind-buying or purchasing purely because it's something on Blu-ray format, with little attention paid to the actual film or whether or not it meets one's personal tastes. An omnivore mentality.

Oh. Well I certainly do alot of blind buying (not just Criterion, but in general). But I do that based on description of the film. Sometimes I go just on reputation. I certainly have no desire to own *ALL* of the blu-rays. There's quite a few Criterion's I have no interest in ever watching, let alone owning. I can probably go so far as to say I have no interest in the majority of them, just the descriptions of something like AntiChrist repulses me. There's plenty more that completely turn me away just based off description. Besides, even if I wanted them all, I cant afford it anyway. I can't afford to just buy movies to collect them. I buy only with the expectation that I will actually enjoy the film. If I don't enjoy it, usually I'll look to resell it.

I'm with you in there's probably only 100 or so that I will ever be interested in, but like I said I'm trying my best to stick with the blu-rays at this point and avoid DVD (again - not just Criterion, but in general).

[blurebel]

Why did they show the snippet of the ending of Diabolique in the supplements of Wages of Fear ?
It kind of ruined my experience while watching the film. At the end of the film they say not to tell ending to anyone, but some Idiot decided to show the ending in one the supplements for another film.

Any one yet to watch Diabolique DON'T watch the supplements for wages of fear

[aggienader08]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

I"m not rushing to buy every single CC release, but most of my purchases from the collection have been blind buys, based on user recommendations on here, genre, how similar the films are to other films in my DVD/Blu-Ray collection, and what I've read about the films through Wiki, IMDB, and other sites. There are quite a few in the collection I have no interest in, and outright refuse to buy. supposedly I'm some sort of unintelligent, uncultured idiot for avoiding those particular films, but that's another story. I've been lucky so far with my blind buys, but I am actively trying to watch more from my wishlist (currently 27 films) before I buy. There's just too many films that look good. I'm glad we get these sales though, because they help a lot.

Personally, I don't buy the CC DVDs because I find that they're still too expensive, especially in comparison to the price point on the BDs. I only own one CC DVD, and I bought that used. I've wanted to buy CC films that appeal to me for years, but I could never justify the price point. I'll still buy non-CC DVDs, however, especially if they're under5 bucks.

I think I know what films you're talking about and I try to stay away from them as well. You're not an "uninetlligent, uncultured idiot" for avoiding those in the slightest. It just means you have standards/values that these films may infringe upon. There's nothing wrong with seeing them at least once just to know what you can/can't stomach in the sense of subject matter, and I respect those who own them and give them multiple viewings, but that's not for me, and it's also not their place to tell you you're wrong and claim they're more sophisticated when... they're not. They just want to believe they are.

[Zen_Amako]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Get in line!

If you like Irene Jacob, be sure to watch Red in the Three Colors Trilogy...hopefully coming soon from Criterion.

[blkhrt]

Just an FYI, in the deals forum there is a post about a $5 coupon for Deep Discount:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/movie-tv-d...-facebook.html

With this coupon you can pre-order The Killing for 18.99. I know some people have had problems with DD, but the last time I pre-ordered something from them (The Buster Keaton Short Films set) it arrived 9 days before the release date.

[myka22]

My girlfriend just bought Antichrist and Fat Girl. We both love Criterion.