The Criterion Collection

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Clare2904

Is the sale online & site wide (ie Criterions)? & are there any online coupons (for any item)?

Thanks

B&N e-mailed three 30% off coupons on 12/21, 12/22, and 12/23. However, each coupon had the same exact code. At first, I thought that B&N simply lifted their "smart coupon" policy (once the coupon is used, it is no longer valid) for the week before Christmas to boost sales, but after buying three items, the coupon was invalidated with my fourth purchase. Luckily, I was able to talk my way through to having the sales clerk override the invalid purchase.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

B&N e-mailed three 30% off coupons on 12/21, 12/22, and 12/23. However, each coupon had the same exact code. At first, I thought that B&N simply lifted their "smart coupon" policy (once the coupon is used, it is no longer valid) for the week before Christmas to boost sales, but after buying three items, the coupon was invalidated with my fourth purchase. Luckily, I was able to talk my way through to having the sales clerk override the invalid purchase.

Wait, so you used all three of those 30% off coupons?

And I received FOUR of them via e-mail. Still planning to use one today.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

I missed a Bond conversation in the Criterion thread! Damn it.

I've found TWINE has only improved with age. Denise Richards sucks but the character was always going to be a walking joke (plenty of Bond Girls are like this) so it's not entirely her fault. Sophie Marceau is one of my favorite Bond villains and the most sympathetic by far. To date she's the only female main Bond baddie (the twist being that Renard is actually her subordinate).

I think most agree with you there... Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones ... talk about suspension of disbelief! And then the stretch for Christmas coming twice a year.... I know it harkens back to the double entendres of old... but it was a stretch.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

B&N e-mailed three 30% off coupons on 12/21, 12/22, and 12/23. However, each coupon had the same exact code. At first, I thought that B&N simply lifted their "smart coupon" policy (once the coupon is used, it is no longer valid) for the week before Christmas to boost sales, but after buying three items, the coupon was invalidated with my fourth purchase. Luckily, I was able to talk my way through to having the sales clerk override the invalid purchase.

Geez, i've got to email or call B&N. I hardly get the coupons anymore, they're not even in my spam filter. Thankfully my wife is still getting them.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

I think most agree with you there... Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones ... talk about suspension of disbelief! And then the stretch for Christmas coming twice a year.... I know it harkens back to the double entendres of old... but it was a stretch.

lol I remember endless debates with my middle school friends as to what "I thought Christmas only came once a year" actually meant (although as an adult it's obvious). Stupid? Yes. But like with most things Bond-related, Die Another Day's final lines were worse. In fact, I think the Brosnan era would be more fondly remembered if his last film wasn't so terrible. Then again, Connery and Moore also ended their runs with bottom of the barrel entries...

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Always love seeing people's Collection pics!

This was snapped before I picked up The Last Emperor, Pale Flower, or the Zatoichi set:

[Show spoiler]

I've got to get a separate shelf for my Criterion discs. I've got four of the larger ones that you see in my pic for my BDs and DVDs (from Target), and then one more for my Cds, and I'm running out of room... again. Thinking if I get a smaller one like in your picture for my Criterions, it'd free up some room as such.

Mind if I ask how many that one is supposed to hold? Looks like a smaller one I've seen at Target.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

What's the quality of the Zatoichi movies like overall? Do they stay consistantly excellent from 1st to 25th movie? Or are there some duds in there? Are the stories all pretty much the same or are the stories all very different? I'm on the fence about the Zatoichi set. On one hand I want to let criterion know that they should definitely take chances like this because it'll pay off, but on the other hand I'm not sure how many I'll actually enjoy from the set.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

I've got to get a separate shelf for my Criterion discs. I've got four of the larger ones that you see in my pic for my BDs and DVDs (from Target), and then one more for my Cds, and I'm running out of room... again. Thinking if I get a smaller one like in your picture for my Criterions, it'd free up some room as such.

Mind if I ask how many that one is supposed to hold? Looks like a smaller one I've seen at Target.

Mine are running short of space as well, but I'm struggling with disc storage all around. I have them EVERYWHERE now it seems.

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Mine are running short of space as well, but I'm struggling with disc storage all around. I have them EVERYWHERE now it seems.

I Know the feeling... luckily my wife doesn't give me grief about it..

[lordmorpheus72]

Ok, so while this is not Criterion related, I just posted my first review on the site a few minutes ago... it is for A Streetcar Named Desire. It's nothing spectacular, but I as I was watching the movie this morning, I just felt like writing about the film. It's more based on the movie and not the blu-ray itself. Anyway, if you'd like to read it, it's here A Streetcar Named Desire

[Clare2904]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

B&N e-mailed three 30% off coupons on 12/21, 12/22, and 12/23. However, each coupon had the same exact code. At first, I thought that B&N simply lifted their "smart coupon" policy (once the coupon is used, it is no longer valid) for the week before Christmas to boost sales, but after buying three items, the coupon was invalidated with my fourth purchase. Luckily, I was able to talk my way through to having the sales clerk override the invalid purchase.

Originally Posted by Infernal King

Wait, so you used all three of those 30% off coupons?

And I received FOUR of them via e-mail. Still planning to use one today.

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Geez, i've got to email or call B&N. I hardly get the coupons anymore, they're not even in my spam filter. Thankfully my wife is still getting them.

Thanks for the replies

I'll presume that these are Member Only coupons?

After cancelling my free trial (I'm in Canada so Membership is a non-starter) I have not received anything from B&N, even though I re-entered my email addresses.

I'll check over at DVDTalk and see if they are usable for non-members and for spares.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Ok, so while this is not Criterion related, I just posted my first review on the site a few minutes ago... it is for A Streetcar Named Desire. It's nothing spectacular, but I as I was watching the movie this morning, I just felt like writing about the film. It's more based on the movie and not the blu-ray itself. Anyway, if you'd like to read it, it's here A Streetcar Named Desire

A great review of a wonderful film!

I watched A Streetcar Named Desire a few weeks ago, and, although I had too much on my plate to write a User Review at the time, I really found it to be an interesting film. While I prefer the other Kazan selections in my Blu-ray collection, I did love the performances from Marlo Brando, Vivien Leigh, and Kim Hunter. Watching Kim Hunter made me want to revisit the Planet of the Apes films and The Seventh Victim.


Last night, I watched the Kino Blu-ray of The Hitch-Hiker, the only film noir to be directed by a woman (Ida Lupino). It's an outstanding film!

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

A great review of a wonderful film!

I watched A Streetcar Named Desire a few weeks ago, and, although I had too much on my plate to write a User Review at the time, I really found it to be an interesting film. While I prefer the other Kazan selections in my Blu-ray collection, I did love the performances from Marlo Brando, Vivien Leigh, and Kim Hunter. Watching Kim Hunter made me want to revisit the Planet of the Apes films and The Seventh Victim.


Last night, I watched the Kino Blu-ray of The Hitch-Hiker, the only film noir to be directed by a woman (Ida Lupino). It's an outstanding film!

Thanks Owl, appreciate the kind words. I've been holding off doing a user review for a while, just unsure what to do, or how others would react.

What other Kazan films are favorites of yours? I assume On the Waterfront, but which others? And I haven't seen The Hitch-Hiker, nor did I know it was directed by female. I'll have to check it out.

Thanks again.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

What other Kazan films are favorites of yours? I assume On the Waterfront, but which others? And I haven't seen The Hitch-Hiker, nor did I know it was directed by female.

I've seen Kazan's On the Waterfront, East of Eden, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Wild River. They're all outstanding films. On the Waterfront is my favorite (and my favorite Criterion title of 2013), but I also recommend Wild River if you're looking for an underrated masterpiece.

Kazan's film noir, Panic in the Streets, is still in my noir stack waiting to be watched. I have a feeling that I'm really going to dig it.



Here's my User Review of Ida Lupino's The Hitch-Hiker.

[The Great Owl]

Since I'm going to be off the grid for the most part over the next day or so...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

just watched brian de palmas dressed to kill , liked that one a lot. same for blow out and obsession..
the fury was the one i didnt like that much, it was a well shot movie but the story didnt do that much for me.

I LOVE Dressed To Kill. I had seen it many times over the years and always generally liked it, particularly the Hitchcock references, but I watched it a few months ago for the first time in probably a decade and gained a whole new appreciation for it. In the meantime I had discovered the gialli films of the 70s and realized that DTK was less a Hitchcock homage than it was a Dario Argento one. It's so lurid and stylish, I really enjoyed it in a trashy way.

Originally Posted by hustlermane

There aren't many stars who alone would make me buy or even watch a film, I'm more of a director guy. I think only Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck would bend that rule for me. But that said, Marilyn was in so many great films and worked with so many great directors (which obviously is testament to her talent, and guys like Wilder and Huston had nothing but overwhelmingly positive things to say about her) that most of her films are pretty essential. This Xmas I'm definitely getting the Monroe set. And as they're all slightly different by region, it seems compared to the US set we lose Misfits but gain Bus Stop and Niagara - Misfits is great, but that seems like a decent trade to me.

And on Bond, it's a weird and mostly terrible movie but I would buy the **** out of a Casino Royale (1967) blu-ray

EDIT: It seems there is a solid blu-ray of Casino Royale. Very interesting...

I am in Canada but I bought the Aussie version of the Marilyn set. I much prefer Bus Stop and Niagara to Misfits, plus the packaging is way better (two standard sized Region B keepcases with 4 discs each).

The Casino Royale 67 blu-ray is wonderful, I love that film, such a classic piece of late 60s psychedelic camp. And the music by Burt Bacharach is so much fun.

Trivia #1 - The Look of the Love was the first Bond song to earn an Oscar nomination.

Trivia #2 - Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass played the theme song. Alpert also played trumpet on his wife Lani Hall's performance of the Never Say Never Again theme song, meaning he was involved musically with both "unofficial" Bond films.

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Jane Seymour is definitely one of the reasons I loved that film when I was young... that and the boat chase!

The boat chase is fantastic. The rest of the movie is fun if you're a fan of the early 70s blaxploitation cycle because LALD is basically Bond Meets Superfly. So much of it is extremely dated, from the funky music to those garish outfits, but I still enjoy it. Baron Samedi is a cool villain, but the "exploding Kanaga" at the end is embarrassing.

Originally Posted by Infernal King

lol I remember endless debates with my middle school friends as to what "I thought Christmas only came once a year" actually meant (although as an adult it's obvious). Stupid? Yes. But like with most things Bond-related, Die Another Day's final lines were worse. In fact, I think the Brosnan era would be more fondly remembered if his last film wasn't so terrible. Then again, Connery and Moore also ended their runs with bottom of the barrel entries...

The one thing I hated about the Brosnan era was a seemingly self-conscious effort to shoehorn "quips" into the films rather than let them flow naturally. It's clear that Richard Maibaum was a huge part of the success of the Bond films over the years. Even the films that he had no involvement in pre-Brosnan (YOLT, Moonraker, Live and Let Die) tended to have some of the poorest writing. People seem to love Goldeneye, but the scene where Bond jokes about, and I'm paraphrasing here "No chit-chat? No one takes the time to do a really good interrogation anymore" was too self-mocking for its own good IMO. Brosnan tried to be too many things at once, he attempted to be a serious man of action but it was hard to take him seriously when he starts doing stuff like the tie-straightening bit during the boat chase in TWINE.

[Clare2904]

Time to try Safety Last! with the audio commentary. Here's hoping for a better reaction 2nd time around

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Since I'm going to be off the grid for the most part over the next day or so...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone checks out A Christmas Tale and Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Since I'm going to be off the grid for the most part over the next day or so...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Have a safe and happy holiday.

I'm just about to do the same. So...what he said.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

The one thing I hated about the Brosnan era was a seemingly self-conscious effort to shoehorn "quips" into the films rather than let them flow naturally. It's clear that Richard Maibaum was a huge part of the success of the Bond films over the years. Even the films that he had no involvement in pre-Brosnan (YOLT, Moonraker, Live and Let Die) tended to have some of the poorest writing. People seem to love Goldeneye, but the scene where Bond jokes about, and I'm paraphrasing here "No chit-chat? No one takes the time to do a really good interrogation anymore" was too self-mocking for its own good IMO. Brosnan tried to be too many things at once, he attempted to be a serious man of action but it was hard to take him seriously when he starts doing stuff like the tie-straightening bit during the boat chase in TWINE.

Hmm. I mostly feel the opposite and let's be honest: EVERY single Bond film has at least a few terrible one-liners. That's part of the charm (or curse, depending on your point of view).