The Criterion Collection

[octagon]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

The only thing that has me not anxious to see it is the fact that it comes across as a very political film, which I often stay away from because most of the time I am unaware of the political context/backstory of the film, and therefore somewhat lost while watching it.

It really doesn't come across as all that political and it certainly doesn't bang any drums (at least I didn't think so). If anything, it plays like a heist movie (which makes sense given both the director and the subject matter).

Which is not to suggest the resistance/war are just backdrops (ala Kelly's Heroes). That couldn't be less true. But a lot of the group dynamics and storytelling methods are extremely similar.

[Illy Scorsese]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

The only thing that has me not anxious to see it is the fact that it comes across as a very political film, which I often stay away from because most of the time I am unaware of the political context/backstory of the film, and therefore somewhat lost while watching it.

I mean it obviously has those undertones... How can a film that takes place during a war not?... But I wouldn't think of it as a political film. Not at all.

It's about surviving World War 2 from the perspective of the French Resistence... Or not surviving.

Whatever knowledge/backstory you may need can be found in the Special Features. Some really great ones with this Blu.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

The only thing that has me not anxious to see it is the fact that it comes across as a very political film, which I often stay away from because most of the time I am unaware of the political context/backstory of the film, and therefore somewhat lost while watching it.

Even though, the film touches upon "political" subjects (And with this I mean it is about war), I never felt it was a political film in any way. In fact, most of my enjoyment came in the way of character interaction more than the backdrop itself. The way each character reacts differently to the same events is quite amusing. They always have a main and common objective but each one of them want to reach it in different ways (But never stupid ones ). You may try renting it before pulling the trigger but I don't think the "politics-ness" will be a problem at all.

[ianungstad]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I'm sure many of you have upgraded DVD editions for Blu-ray editions...I wanted to ask: what do you guys do with the DVD editions after the upgrade? Are the Criterion DVDs that have received an upgrade still desirable at all?

I have just been donating some of my old Criterion and other dvds to the local public library. The majority enters their catalog though some of the product ends up getting sold at book sales but at least then money goes to a good cause. The value of dvds have decreased enough that it's not worth the hassle of selling stuff on forums and worry about shipping and related issues. (Don't really need the money anyways)

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

What do you all think of Robinson Crusoe on Mars? It looks so odd, trippy and cool! I have a giftcard and may be buying a Criterion later. Also thinking of Crumb and For All Mankind.

I can only comment on two of your questions,

Robinson Crusoe on Mars is a fun movie but I am surprise that it was added to the collection. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that it was but it seem a odd choice. Even as a kid in the 70's I felt that movie was cheesie. Still the Criterion release mean's we get a beautiful restoration that we probably would not have if done by someone else.

For All Mankind is a beautiful documetary. In general I think a lot of people find it a bit monotone or drab (is that even the right word?) It capture the essence of the travels to the Moon and the experiences of the handful of men who made this incredible journey in our history.

[Illy Scorsese]

Also have to say... The news that "The Last Temptation of Christ" has been teased at for March is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

Now just add in a Kurosawa(Ikiru, Stray Dog, Drunken Angel, Roshomon, Throne of Blood) or a Bergman(Silence Trilogy PLEASE... Or atleast "Winter Light" & "Ingmar Bergman Makes A Movie").

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Hendershot737

I ended up recording Tiny Furniture when it showed on the Sundance Channel. Has anyone actually seen this flick? I figure I shouldn't really knock it till I try it...

Sort of....we turned it off halfway through. It is not that I hated the movie, but both my girlfriend and I found it to be so uninteresting we decided to watch something else. We also found just about every character to be annoying. I rarely ever turn off movies. The trailer pretty much sums it up.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by octagon

Which is not to suggest the resistance/war are just backdrops (ala Kelly's Heroes). That couldn't be less true. But a lot of the group dynamics and storytelling methods are extremely similar.

That's good to hear. I'm up for it more if it focuses on the characters as you describe. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Illy Scorsese

Whatever knowledge/backstory you may need can be found in the Special Features. Some really great ones with this Blu.

That's good too.... When I recently watched Hunger, I felt I needed some backstory there too, so I did a search on the internet and briefly read up on the events. I loved the filmmaking aspect, but that was also an instance where I was a bit lost with the political context. Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by Darkcritic

Even though, the film touches upon "political" subjects (And with this I mean it is about war), I never felt it was a political film in any way. In fact, most of my enjoyment came in the way of character interaction more than the backdrop itself. The way each character reacts differently to the same events is quite amusing. They always have a main and common objective but each one of them want to reach it in different ways (But never stupid ones ). You may try renting it before pulling the trigger but I don't think the "politics-ness" will be a problem at all.

Yeah, I won't pull the trigger too soon, but from the replies here, I'm fairly certain I will look out for it. Thanks.
(By the way, I did reply to your message from a while back)

[Criterion Collector]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I'm sure many of you have upgraded DVD editions for Blu-ray editions...I wanted to ask: what do you guys do with the DVD editions after the upgrade? Are the Criterion DVDs that have received an upgrade still desirable at all?

I would say that there is still a market for old Criterion DVDs. Some people just absolutely refuse to make the jump to BD, so the DVD editions still hold value in that respect. Also, just for the simple fact that it is a Criterion release and not just a run of the mill effort from a random studio release.

I actually give all my DVDs away once I buy the BD version...it's not worth the hassle of selling/shipping them IMO.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

I'll be watching Topsy Turvy for the first time in 45 minutes. It's on Starz Cinema.

[Criterion Collector]

Originally Posted by Hendershot737

I ended up recording Tiny Furniture when it showed on the Sundance Channel. Has anyone actually seen this flick? I figure I shouldn't really knock it till I try it...

I have not yet seen it, but watched the trailer after reading the chatter about it here...I thought the trailer was really funny.


Checked to see if it was streaming on Netflix...it's not.

Oh well, I watched Great Expectations last night (I really liked it quite a bit more than I thought I would. A lot of twists and turns that you do not see coming), and planned on following up with Oliver Twist tonight...if I end up staying home.

[dag]

Argh! This morning I put in the Television Version BD of Fanny & Alexander and, for the first time ever, my player did not (or could not) read the disc. I have a Panasonic DMP-BD30 that I purchased in July 2008; I have never updated it with any firmware. I tried the other two discs that came with the rental - the Theatrical Version and the extras - and they both loaded fine. Last night I watched the BD of Friends With Benefits and had no problem.

I called the video store and they suggested that my player should get updated firmware. I had thought, when I purchased my computer in July 2008 (I bought all this stuff when I moved from my parents' house to my condo, but unfortunately I'm technologically illiterate), that it could write CDs, but, of course, I have never used that feature. So after I got my flu-shot today, I went to Future Shop and bought some writeable discs, as the Panasonic website recommends downloading the firmware and burning it onto a disc, and then placing the disc in the player (their instructions seem very clear). But when I tried to move the firmware onto the disc, I discover that I apparently do not have such application. No such command appears when I input the disc in the computer.

Curses! I was really looking forward to this all week. I had my heart set on it. Now I think I'll just return the rental, and ask Panasonic to mail me the firmware on a disc. And I'll have to swallow the cost of the rental ($4.50) and the useless discs I bought ($10). I know I could watch the theatrical version of the movie, but I really want to watch the extended director's cut. I'm so exhausted from yelling and swearing at my computer, Blu-ray player, and myself (and it doesn't actually make me feel any better; I need to get a handle on my temper), that I don't feel like putting on the shorter version.

Really, really disappointing.

[Criterion Collector]

Originally Posted by dag

Argh! This morning I put in the Television Version BD of Fanny & Alexander and, for the first time ever, my player did not (or could not) read the disc. I have a Panasonic DMP-BD30 that I purchased in July 2008; I have never updated it with any firmware. I tried the other two discs that came with the rental - the Theatrical Version and the extras - and they both loaded fine. Last night I watched the BD of Friends With Benefits and had no problem.

I called the video store and they suggested that my player should get updated firmware. I had thought, when I purchased my computer in July 2008 (I bought all this stuff when I moved from my parents' house to my condo, but unfortunately I'm technologically illiterate), that it could write CDs, but, of course, I have never used that feature. So after I got my flu-shot today, I went to Future Shop and bought some writeable discs, as the Panasonic website recommends downloading the firmware and burning it onto a disc, and then placing the disc in the player (their instructions seem very clear). But when I tried to move the firmware onto the disc, I discover that I apparently do not have such application. No such command appears when I input the disc in the computer.

Curses! I was really looking forward to this all week. I had my heart set on it. Now I think I'll just return the rental, and ask Panasonic to mail me the firmware on a disc. And I'll have to swallow the cost of the rental ($4.50) and the useless discs I bought ($10). I know I could watch the theatrical version of the movie, but I really want to watch the extended director's cut. I'm so exhausted from yelling and swearing at my computer, Blu-ray player, and myself (and it doesn't actually make me feel any better; I need to get a handle on my temper), that I don't feel like putting on the shorter version.

Really, really disappointing.

Dag,

Once you have downloaded the firmware to your computer, you can use disc burning software (I use Nero) to make a data disc with the firmware burnt to it.

Hope that helps.

[AreaUnderTheCurve]

Originally Posted by Criterion Collector

Dag,

Once you have downloaded the firmware to your computer, you can use disc burning software (I use Nero) to make a data disc with the firmware burnt to it.

Hope that helps.

Depending on his operating system, he should just be able to drag and drop the firmware file onto the disc in Windows Explorer. There's no need for a burning program.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by Criterion Collector

I would say that there is still a market for old Criterion DVDs. Some people just absolutely refuse to make the jump to BD, so the DVD editions still hold value in that respect. Also, just for the simple fact that it is a Criterion release and not just a run of the mill effort from a random studio release.

I actually give all my DVDs away once I buy the BD version...it's not worth the hassle of selling/shipping them IMO.

Frankly I believe that Criterion dvd's hold value is that most people that own them are only interested in the films and the extras. The majority of Criterion followers are not as interested in the increased resolution and lossless audio as people on this site may think and are trained to inherently believe every release must have. Remember, this site is about blu-ray and its advantages, but most CC followers could care less. They want the films and most importantly, the extras, any way they can get them. That is why so many still have laserdisc collections, as many of those releases have extras that even the dvd releases do not have. Again, the advantages of blu-ray is what this site is about, but the leagues of Criterion followers do not care about this, it's all about the films and the supplements... But this is just my opinion....

[retablo]

Originally Posted by CoopFilm

I'm sure many of you have upgraded DVD editions for Blu-ray editions...I wanted to ask: what do you guys do with the DVD editions after the upgrade? Are the Criterion DVDs that have received an upgrade still desirable at all?

I typically still get $10-$20 on ebay, even as soon as a few weeks ago. So, yes they are. There are still a vast majority who still haven't upgraded to blu, ro would rather pick up a DVD for cheaper.

Originally Posted by jcs913

Frankly I believe that Criterion dvd's hold value is that most people that own them are only interested in the films and the extras. The majority of Criterion followers are not as interested in the increased resolution and lossless audio as people on this site may think and are trained to inherently believe every release must have. Remember, this site is about blu-ray and its advantages, but most CC followers could care less. They want the films and most importantly, the extras, any way they can get them. That is why so many still have laserdisc collections, as many of those releases have extras that even the dvd releases do not have. Again, the advantages of blu-ray is what this site is about, but the leagues of Criterion followers do not care about this, it's all about the films and the supplements... But this is just my opinion....

I'd imagine they would care about BOTH. Some can't afford it, and sure, some people like myself keep laserdiscs, but would I rather have the best presentation possible? Of course.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Frankly I believe that Criterion dvd's hold value is that most people that own them are only interested in the films and the extras. The majority of Criterion followers are not as interested in the increased resolution and lossless audio as people on this site may think and are trained to inherently believe every release must have. Remember, this site is about blu-ray and its advantages, but most CC followers could care less. They want the films and most importantly, the extras, any way they can get them. That is why so many still have laserdisc collections, as many of those releases have extras that even the dvd releases do not have. Again, the advantages of blu-ray is what this site is about, but the leagues of Criterion followers do not care about this, it's all about the films and the supplements... But this is just my opinion....

Reading that reminded me....I remember a couple instances where Criterion would announce their own version of a title that had already had an old DVD release (things like 'Kiss Me Deadly' or 'Something Wild'), the sales of the old non-Criterion DVD often increase on Amazon...and I've seen that, along with the pre-order listing for a Criterion that wasn't released previously by another company on DVD, it would show that it's frequently bought with the cheaper, non-Criterion version of the other film they're releasing that was.... now THAT I don't understand...

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by retablo

I typically still get $10-$20 on ebay, even as soon as a few weeks ago. So, yes they are. There are still a vast majority who still haven't upgraded to blu, ro would rather pick up a DVD for cheaper.



I'd imagine they would care about BOTH. Some can't afford it, and sure, some people like myself keep laserdiscs, but would I rather have the best presentation possible? Of course.

I too care about the presentation due to my setup, but I really believe from experience that most do not. I do not think that cost is a big issue, considering that if you can afford the dvd release from years ago, an assumption would be that you can afford an upgrade. It's funny, if you comb through some of the different Criterion sites on the internet, you will feel that sentiment also. Most people that are into Criterion films almost exclusively do not have 'high tech' setups, as they mainly do not generally watch action or blockbuster type movies, which are perceived as blu-ray boosters. They may have high-end 2 channel setups, but generally not 'multi' channel setups, which is really what blu-ray was adopted for. Again, from my experience with others that follow and collect Criterions, this seems to be the norm.

[dag]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to "move" the firmware update from my computer to the disc; I always got a message saying that there was a "problem", and pressing Retry always gave me that message. So formatting my own disc has proven unsuccessful.

My assumption is that my BD player does need an upgrade and that it isn't the Criterion blu-ray disc that is the problem. Tonight I watched Captain America (ridiculous) and had no problem. As I mentioned earlier, the other F&A two discs that came with the rental loaded without difficulty, but perhaps that 5 1/2 hour television version is just too much? I don't know.

I'll call Panasonic on Monday, and I think they can mail me a disc with the firmware. Perhaps I'll wait until some time in the new year before renting the movie again, but I really do want to see the television version.

To anyone her who watches Fanny & Alexander: enjoy the movie, and hopefully I'll be able to share my thoughts about it in the coming months.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by jcs913

I too care about the presentation due to my setup, but I really believe from experience that most do not. I do not think that cost is a big issue, considering that if you can afford the dvd release from years ago, an assumption would be that you can afford an upgrade. It's funny, if you comb through some of the different Criterion sites on the internet, you will feel that sentiment also. Most people that are into Criterion films almost exclusively do not have 'high tech' setups, as they mainly do not generally watch action or blockbuster type movies, which are perceived as blu-ray boosters. They may have high-end 2 channel setups, but generally not 'multi' channel setups, which is really what blu-ray was adopted for. Again, from my experience with others that follow and collect Criterions, this seems to be the norm.

I disagree.. I mean, why would anyone who wants to COLLECT films - and Criterion issues the types of films that are generally collected by cinema connoisseurs - want to have a middle-of-the-road version? Remember, laserdisc was a niche market, for die-hard film lovers, and Criterion made a big splash in that format. You seem to have it backwards - the average moviegoer, like my mom, WON'T have super high end equipment, and really won't care as much between DVD and blu-ray... but its the cinema snobs/geeks/connoisseurs, the ones who often collect Criterion and classic films, who will.