The Criterion Collection

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by jcs913

Looks great Pro-B...

One of the better upgrades in a long time!! Upgrade Bicycle Thieves and it will be one of the best years ever for upgrades!!

I know people will complain about the digipack, but please look past that. Many seem to either forget, or never knew, that most Criterion dvd releases from years past were mostly in a digipack, so this is consistent with what Criterion has put out for many many years. This release is worth it.

For anyone on the fence about 'blind-buying' this title. IMO, this is the kind of title that defines what Criterion is all about. This is one of the best films ever made and definitely should be in any film-lovers library..

I agree with everything you have written, JC.

This is indeed an excellent upgrade. I actually did various comparisons on Friday with the 2DVD set and the difference truly is like night and day. Also, if anyone ever wondered exactly how much better a lossless mono track can be, this release makes it very clear - the difference is huge

Originally Posted by brandon_260

Has anyone seen the French blu-ray or a screening of the new Hiroshima restoration? I'm sure it's a thing of beauty.

I have this disc, but it is not English-friendly and we can't post a review. (Maybe a mini-review is a possibility, but I need to check). The 4K restoration is superb. Criterion only need to borrow the transfer and add English subtitles for the American market.

Pro-B

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by GenPion

It seems to be that releases which contain a Blu-ray and multiple DVD's (i.e. 2 or more) will now be in a digipack style packaging

Yet another reason to dislike their redundant new combo format. Plus, the resale value for DVDs one plans on upgrading will drop dramatically now that potential purchasers can just buy the combo release. At least they don't charge you five bucks extra like Scream does.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by NoirFan

Yet another reason to dislike their redundant new combo format. Plus, the resale value for DVDs one plans on upgrading will drop dramatically now that potential purchasers can just buy the combo release. At least they don't charge you five bucks extra like Scream does.

There are a lot of libraries and churches that will accept the old DVD editions as donations. This gives less fortunate people a chance to enjoy amazing cinema, and one can even deduct donations during tax season if they are accounted for on paper, depending on circumstances.

If you can find a cool independent brick-and-mortar used store, though, then it's still possible to make some decent cash from unloading the DVDs.

I've sold some of mine at independent used stores, but I've also just given a few of them to friends and co-workers if I think that a certain movie matches a certain person's affinities.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by octagon

I love TCM-HD and am generally very happy with PQ/AQ but they don't seem to be quite so picky about the materials they use.

They used to be awfully reliable when it came to things like aspect ratio and subs vs dubs and the like but it seems like more clinkers are getting through lately.

I haven't been a subscriber to TCM for about 10 years now. But back when I was watching it almost religiously (and binge recording onto SuperVHS like nobody's business), it was obvious that when it came to titles that weren't controlled by Warner, they just accepted whatever was given them by the owners.

With respect to aspect ratio, for example, there were numerous Columbia 'scope films from the 50s and early 60s that they showed pan-&-scanned because that's what Sony gave them.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

I just came back from Nymphomaniac and it has got me so excited to check out what else is left for me in Lars von Trier's filmography. I had already seen Dance in the Dark, Antichrist, and Melancholia, but I think this was the final push that I need to finally crack open my Dogville DVD that has been unnecessarily sitting on my shelf for what feels like a year. It's also got me even more excited for Criterion's release of Breaking the Waves.

What you need to do is hunt down The Kingdom, Europa, and The Evidence of Crime on DVD. The latter two were released by Criterion.

The Kingdom (not to be confused with the thriller with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner set in Saudi Arabia) is a supernatural hospital thriller Danish TV mini-series, and it's excellent. At least the first one is. There was a second series (The Kingdom II) that was a bit of a let-down, but still worth checking out. While a third series was planned, it was never produced because two of the primary stars had died in the meantime, and Trier wasn't inclined to recast the roles.

[smoss469]

Speaking of TCM, Criterion related stuff on the horizon, others aren't but still great movies to watch. Some I've seen, and others are spoken of very highly around here.

The Great Dictator - Tuesday 2/11 @ 12:00am
Autumn Sonata - Thursday 2/13 @ 1:30pm
Bad Day at Black Rock - Saturday 2/15 @ 5:00am
North by Northwest - Wednesday 2/19 @ 12:00am
Anatomy of a Murder - Wednesday 2/19 @ 2:30am
Leave Her to Heaven - Thursday 2/20 @ 1:30pm
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre -Sunday 2/23 @ 3:30am
Le Grande Illusion - Monday 2/24 @ 10:00am
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold - Tuesday 2/25 @ 1:15am
Lifeboat - Tuesday 2/25 @ 8:30am
Key Largo - Wednesday 2/26 @ 7:00am
Grand Hotel - Saturday 3/1 @ 7:30am
On the Waterfront - Saturday 3/1 @ 12:00am
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner - Sunday 3/2 @12:00am

A lot of great stuff coming up.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Speaking of TCM, Criterion related stuff on the horizon, others aren't but still great movies to watch. Some I've seen, and others are spoken of very highly around here.

The Great Dictator - Tuesday 2/11 @ 12:00am
Autumn Sonata - Thursday 2/13 @ 1:30pm
Bad Day at Black Rock - Saturday 2/15 @ 5:00am
North by Northwest - Wednesday 2/19 @ 12:00am
Anatomy of a Murder - Wednesday 2/19 @ 2:30am
Leave Her to Heaven - Thursday 2/20 @ 1:30pm
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre -Sunday 2/23 @ 3:30am
Le Grande Illusion - Monday 2/24 @ 10:00am
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold - Tuesday 2/25 @ 1:15am
Lifeboat - Tuesday 2/25 @ 8:30am
Key Largo - Wednesday 2/26 @ 7:00am
Grand Hotel - Saturday 3/1 @ 7:30am
On the Waterfront - Saturday 3/1 @ 12:00am
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner - Sunday 3/2 @12:00am

A lot of great stuff coming up.

Their 31 Days of Oscar programming which runs from Feb. 1-March 3 is pretty repetitious from year to year but they do squeeze in a few surprises-this year I managed to record Tess, Z, The Battle of Algiers, Babette's Feast, Closely Watched Trains and The Shop on Main Street and a couple of non-Criterions-The Age of Innocence and Cavalcade.

[kuro_sawa]

What do you guys think will be in the hinted Tati box set? Think it's safe to sell off Playtime?

[lordmorpheus72]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Speaking of TCM, Criterion related stuff on the horizon, others aren't but still great movies to watch. Some I've seen, and others are spoken of very highly around here.

The Great Dictator - Tuesday 2/11 @ 12:00am
Autumn Sonata - Thursday 2/13 @ 1:30pm
Bad Day at Black Rock - Saturday 2/15 @ 5:00am
North by Northwest - Wednesday 2/19 @ 12:00am
Anatomy of a Murder - Wednesday 2/19 @ 2:30am
Leave Her to Heaven - Thursday 2/20 @ 1:30pm
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre -Sunday 2/23 @ 3:30am
Le Grande Illusion - Monday 2/24 @ 10:00am
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold - Tuesday 2/25 @ 1:15am
Lifeboat - Tuesday 2/25 @ 8:30am
Key Largo - Wednesday 2/26 @ 7:00am
Grand Hotel - Saturday 3/1 @ 7:30am
On the Waterfront - Saturday 3/1 @ 12:00am
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner - Sunday 3/2 @12:00am

A lot of great stuff coming up.

Nice! Thanks for the heads up on these, looks like my TiVo is going to be full soon! So many good movies here... just watched Anatomy of a Murder last week.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Nice! Thanks for the heads up on these, looks like my TiVo is going to be full soon! So many good movies here... just watched Anatomy of a Murder last week.

What'd you think of the movie?

[themoviefanatic]

they haven't said much about a flash sale, have they?

[jw007]

Originally Posted by smoss469

My new stance, avoid any future Digipack releases if possible. I know losing 1 sale won't hurt them but at least I'm voting with my wallet.

I've already pre-ordered some that might be released in Digipacks but after that, no more if I can help it.

As much as I dislike digipacks, what is the logic in avoiding these releases if the films are really good and possibly favorite films of yours? It's really the blu-ray disc itself that is the value and not the packaging, since one cannot watch a film without the disc. I'm not going to wait for years until Criterion decides to possibly release plastic jewel case editions for some of these digipacks and meanwhile avoid having really good films (such as Nashville or Jules and Jim) in my collection. I'm just going to accept what Criterion is doing now.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jw007

As much as I dislike digipacks, what is the logic in avoiding these releases if the films are really good and possibly favorite films of yours? It's really the blu-ray disc itself that is the value and not the packaging, since one cannot watch a film without the disc. I'm not going to wait for years until Criterion decides to possibly release plastic jewel case editions for some of these digipacks and meanwhile avoid having really good films (such as Nashville or Jules and Jim) in my collection. I'm just going to accept what Criterion is doing now.

Because there's really no other way to show displeasure. If they're like most other companies, they do what they want to do until it hurts their bottom line. Oh they take suggestions but I doubt that my displeasure via email will make them change their minds. Best I can hope for is to at least cost them a few sales. If enough people do it, they'll hopefully reconsider their horrible packaging.

It's not the best plan in the world, but it's about the only option at the moment. I don't NEED their films to live my life, but they need my/ (and I'm assuming) our business.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Because there's really no other way to show displeasure. If they're like most other companies, they do what they want to do until it hurts their bottom line. Oh they take suggestions but I doubt that my displeasure via email will make them change their minds. Best I can hope for is to at least cost them a few sales. If enough people do it, they'll hopefully reconsider their horrible packaging.

It's not the best plan in the world, but it's about the only option at the moment. I don't NEED their films to live my life, but they need my/ (and I'm assuming) our business.

The packaging isn't that horrible. It's far better than their old digipacks that came without a slipcover for the inside booklet/tray. They have improved their packaging design in my opinion. As much as I'd like to see them use more plastic cases instead of cardboard, I'm not going to start a war or boycott their products. It's a waste of energy in my opinion. You might not need their films but I'm sure you'd want them and for me, I'm not going to let a stupid cardboard digipack stop me from continuing to purchase their releases.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by jw007

The packaging isn't that horrible. It's far better than their old digipacks that came without a slipcover for the inside booklet/tray. They have improved their packaging design in my opinion. As much as I'd like to see them use more plastic cases instead of cardboard, I'm not going to start a war or boycott their products. It's a waste of energy in my opinion. You might not need their films but I'm sure you'd want them and for me, I'm not going to let a stupid cardboard digipack stop me from continuing to purchase their releases.

With all sincerity, buy as many as you wish, I hope you enjoy them.

For me, I'm going to show my displeasure by avoiding them.Who knows, if months down the road they show no signs of stopping them, I might pick them up again but at least for the time being I'm going to do what everyone says is the best course of action when you're unhappy with a product. Vote with your wallet by not buying it.

My choice won't have any impact on anyone else so I'm not understanding why people seem to be irritated by it.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

What do you guys think will be in the hinted Tati box set?

I have little doubt that it will at least include the four Hulot films -- M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, Playtime, and Trafic -- all of which Criterion had released on DVD (and the first three on LD) at one time or another.

The only real question in my mind is whether they'll also include the two non-Hulot films -- Jour de fête and Parade -- both of which they released on LD, but not on DVD.

I suppose it'll depend on whether they consider it an "Hulot box" or a "Tati box".

Think it's safe to sell off Playtime?

Probably, but don't blame me if it turns out not to be.

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I have little doubt that it will at least include the four Hulot films -- M. Hulot's Holiday, Mon Oncle, Playtime, and Trafic -- all of which Criterion had released on DVD (and the first three on LD) at one time or another.

The only real question in my mind is whether they'll also include the two non-Hulot films -- Jour de fête and Parade -- both of which they released on LD, but not on DVD.

I suppose it'll depend on whether they consider it an "Hulot box" or a "Tati box".



Probably, but don't blame me if it turns out not to be.

Well, considering the Cassavetes box set I think it is entirely possible Criterion is following BFIs lead again, but why pull Playtime so early? Possibly they negotiated some deal afterward, very recently. It's interesting. But it does tempt me to sell off my copy

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

Well, considering the Cassavetes box set I think it is entirely possible Criterion is following BFIs lead again, but why pull Playtime so early? Possibly they negotiated some deal afterward, very recently. It's interesting. But it does tempt me to sell off my copy

That's exactly what happened. They had lost the rights to all four of the Tati films they released on DVD -- Playtime being the only one they had gotten around to upgrading to Blu-ray -- because of Studio Canal's deal with Lionsgate. Rumor has it that they had help from the Tati estate in reacquiring the rights to his films.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by smoss469

With all sincerity, buy as many as you wish, I hope you enjoy them.

For me, I'm going to show my displeasure by avoiding them.Who knows, if months down the road they show no signs of stopping them, I might pick them up again but at least for the time being I'm going to do what everyone says is the best course of action when you're unhappy with a product. Vote with your wallet by not buying it.

My choice won't have any impact on anyone else so I'm not understanding why people seem to be irritated by it.

I'm not irritated by it, but I was under the impression it was basically all digipacks from here on out, thanks to the dual format releases.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

I'm not irritated by it, but I was under the impression it was basically all digipacks from here on out, thanks to the dual format releases.

At least the ones which are more packed with extras (which need 2 dvd's).

I think the best way to avoid damage if you can't get them at a local store is to wait to order several at a time for them to be better packaged.