The Criterion Collection

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by mande2013

I have no problem with people watching their pennies. I just get annoyed when people are entirely naive about how much certain things cost in life. I'll use fruit as an example. I have a friend who was taken aback to learn a kilo of cherries cost seven Euro. The reaction was that seven Euro a kilo was outrageous for fruit. The problem though of course is not every fruit costs the same, although people have internalized that 'fruit' is three Euro a kilo or so. Cherries by the kilo are more expensive than apples or bananas by the kilo. That's just how it is.

I dont mind either but Criterions are pretty specific and there are alternate version at a lower cost, even streaming. If you are that worried about a few extra dollars or whatever then stream or buy DVD's elsewhere. Don't ruin for others.

Criterions are pricey, yes. But they have the reason and they are unique and beautiful and usually packed full of incredible things. Now they are 1 by 1 losing all those unique qualities... cheap plastic cases, lacking artwork, cheap leaflets, loss of dual format which was a HUGE benefit. Soon we will be losing special features to cut costs.

I'd be better off sticking to MoC they are incredible price, have decent booklets, artwork, great transfers, supplements etc etc.

Just bugs me and annoys the hell out of me are losing these incredible bonuses cause someone people don't want to spend a little extra money.

Plus I'm pissy today anyway so whatever!

[TomN245]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I'd be better off sticking to MoC they are incredible price, have decent booklets, artwork, great transfers, supplements etc etc.

A few months ago you said they were crap.

What happened?

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by TomN245

A few months ago you said they were crap.

What happened?

I never said they were crap - I said I had never bought them and compared to `criterion I feel they weren't as good, but seeing as Criterion have been cutting back and back it seems MoC are offering more. Plus the have always had releases I really want that Criterion don't offer - just never got around to trying them until now.

I may have said some of the transfer were crap compared to Criterion but thats only a certain percentage .

Although my Metropolis artwork on cover is slightly cropped and cut so the border is wonky and off which is annoying.

Im mad as hell (and I'm not gonna take it anymore!) so will say anything! :P - sorry had to throw that little quote in lol.

[mande2013]

MOC probably made my year by releasing Le Pont du Nord of all films on blu-ray, so therefore they can do no wrong in my book. Releasing that film in HD must have taken balls. Now all we need is for Criterion to give us a Dillinger Is Dead blu-ray while I've brought us onto the subject of "Euro art" films falling outside the catalog of usual suspect Janus dinosaurs.

[TomN245]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Im mad as hell (and I'm not gonna take it anymore!) so will say anything! :P - sorry had to throw that little quote in lol.

Don't worry. "We all go a little mad sometimes".

Actually I prefer MOC to Criterion. The films tend to be better as well. Out of the 50 MOC's I have seen, the only two I passionately hate is Two-Lane Blacktop (which is also a Criterion), and The Birth of a Nation.

[jmclick]

So the big 50% off Criterion sale at Barnes & Noble starts this coming Tuesday, November 11, and runs through December 1. I've already got my list of "Must Buys" ready, including The Innocents, My Darling Clementine, It Happened One Night, and a couple of others.

My question is, what's the latest word on titles that may be going out of print on Criterion blu?

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by mande2013

MOC probably made my year by releasing Le Pont du Nord of all films on blu-ray, so therefore they can do no wrong in my book. Releasing that film in HD must have taken balls.

I'm still in awe of this disc. It was my release of the year for 2013, and I think it might be my favourite Blu-ray ever. MoC invited me to write the inaugural "My Favourite MoC" article for their new site and there was never any question over which title I'd go for.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by TomN245

Don't worry. "We all go a little mad sometimes".

Actually I prefer MOC to Criterion. The films tend to be better as well. Out of the 50 MOC's I have seen, the only two I passionately hate is Two-Lane Blacktop (which is also a Criterion), and The Birth of a Nation.

I like both companies a great deal. I own more Criterion titles, but own every MoC.

[Mansinthe]

complaining that much about booklets and cover art. first problems.. here we go again

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

complaining that much about booklets and cover art. first problems.. here we go again

How is it? We are paying a price for what Criterion offer 'the whole package' - the booklet is important to some of us an include some incredible information, essays or even behind the scenes stuff.

I read ALL my booklets and revisit them as much as I do the film.

Now I am paying same price and losing one of the key parts of the purchase. I have EVERY right to complain and moan.

Would you like it if say Criterion removed all supplements from every release? Exactly.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

How is it? We are paying a price for what Criterion offer 'the whole package' - the booklet is important to some of us an include some incredible information, essays or even behind the scenes stuff.

I read ALL my booklets and revisit them as much as I do the film.

Now I am paying same price and losing one of the key parts of the purchase. I have EVERY right to complain and moan.

Would you like it if say Criterion removed all supplements from every release? Exactly.

Booklets were a relatively late addition to the standard Criterion package. The way I see it we're just going back to the days where only certain titles came with a full booklet.

If you think about it it's quite a task putting together a 40 page booklet for every film. It's not cheap either, outside of the printing costs you've got to pay the author (when I last did wrote an essay for a Blu-ray booklet I spent a good three months working on it), and it's a bigger job for the designer of the package too.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Yes, I know. I can understand the disappointment. I think that may be why Vampyr went out of print, to toss the giant book. They seem to be downsizing their physical releases, but I was just pointing out that plenty of films in the collection have always been leaflet-only.

With that said, one would have expected La Dolce Vita to get a more deluxe treatment like Breathless or Amarcord, but I guess not. Perhaps it's currently somewhat out of fashion among 'important'/'canon' films, so that's why. Who knows...

Everyone should pick up a copy of Criterion's VAMPYR while they have a chance to get the book. But it has been in print for 6 years and, given the home video market, it makes sense that once they sold out of the current printing that they'd drop the book as it is doubtful that they would sell enough of a new printing to cover the cost of the packaging.

As for LA DOLCE VITA, Paramount may have wanted them to get the title out fast (to recoup some of the money spent proving they owned the film), so Criterion may have been a bit crunched for time and had to forgo things like a big booklet.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Booklets were a relatively late addition to the standard Criterion package. The way I see it we're just going back to the days where only certain titles came with a full booklet.

If you think about it it's quite a task putting together a 40 page booklet for every film. It's not cheap either, outside of the printing costs you've got to pay the author (when I last did wrote an essay for a Blu-ray booklet I spent a good three months working on it), and it's a bigger job for the designer of the package too.

Ive worked in design and print and its VERY easy, what criterion offer in terms of booklet is a fast turn around, depending on designer but would be 2 day max to design the entire booklets, print turn around can be very quick especially when in bulk and the cost is VERY low anyway and the amount Criterion do would make it even cheaper.

The only delay in design is depending on what other projects are going on and response time to feedbacks and for approval. Besides they have the over approved, I would guess, so the design for booklet would mirror that design so technically the booklet shouldn't take as long as the cover.

Seriously, if they are a good designer and can give the client what they want they can get it turned around quite quickly, so long as proofing goes ok and there are no delays on content.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by jmclick

My question is, what's the latest word on titles that may be going out of print on Criterion blu?

As far as I know, nothing's in danger of going out of print for the time being (knock on wood).

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Ive worked in design and print and its VERY easy, what criterion offer in terms of booklet is a fast turn around, depending on designer but would be 2 day max to design the entire booklets, print turn around can be very quick especially when in bulk and the cost is VERY low anyway and the amount Criterion do would make it even cheaper.

The only delay in design is depending on what other projects are going on and response time to feedbacks and for approval.

Seriously, if they are a good designer and can give the client what they want they can get it turned around quite quickly, so long as proofing goes ok and there are no delays on content.

But there's more to it than just design. The content needs writing, and like I say, that takes time (when I worked on Violent Saturday I spent three months researching and writing that). I'm at the cheap end of the scale and my fees for such a job are substantial enough, I can only imagine how much a big name writer commands for such a gig.

[mande2013]

I know I asked this before, but it got drowned, so I'll ask again. If Criterion were to get back a bunch of Studio Canal titles would they be phased in gradually as part of monthly announcements over a period of time or would they be "returning to the collection effective at the beginning of such and such a month" as notified in a press release?

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

But there's more to it than just design. The content needs writing, and like I say, that takes time (when I worked on Violent Saturday I spent three months researching and writing that). I'm at the cheap end of the scale and my fees for such a job are substantial enough, I can only imagine how much a big name writer commands for such a gig.

Yeah I get that, but they can always buy existing essays and such. Also I'm sure they will have in-house writers if need be.

Bu the still pissed off they are releasing these 'half assed' packages.

[StLouisRibs]

Originally Posted by mande2013

I know I asked this before, but it got drowned, so I'll ask again. If Criterion were to get back a bunch of Studio Canal titles would they be phased in gradually as part of monthly announcements over a period of time or would they be "returning to the collection effective at the beginning of such and such a month" as notified in a press release?

I'd say slowly phased in. Criterion has to make an announcement and include it in press releases when they even change the packaging, so if it were to return to print they'd likely make some hoo-haa out of it (not to mention that, oddly enough, it'd give the first oppurtunity for the BD titles to be upgraded to newer scans; I had hoped the Dual-Format change could do this with nice new 4K scans for 400 Blows and Breathless, but they simply stuck to the old discs (compare with Playtime, which was given a new scan that's apparently much improved))

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Yeah I get that, but they can always buy existing essays and such. Also I'm sure they will have in-house writers if need be.

Bu the still pissed off they are releasing these 'half assed' packages.

if you are really that much into background infos for a movie you are able to read that up on the internet as well. there are lot of essays avaible for free.
even commentary tracks...

i have some early criterion DVD releases. some of them dont even have a booklet. the cover art isnt great either. not to mention the cheapeast DVD case i probably own.

its not like they startet doing "half assed" releases recently.


maybe sometimes its better to have not that much bonus features instead of boring ones. i went trough a few criterion movies that had some bonus features that nearly bored me to tears...alot of people just dont care for a audiocommentary by some movie buff etc...

[CinemaBlu]

Originally Posted by jmclick

My question is, what's the latest word on titles that may be going out of print on Criterion blu?

Shout Factory recently bought Westchester Films which has some films licensed to Criterion. They may decide not to renew the licenses once they expire. Titles that could possibly go OOP include Foreign Correspondent, Stagecoach and Godzilla.