The Criterion Collection

[jedidarrick]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In the Twilight Time thread, the rep made a comment about how 2020 would be viewed as the "make it or break it" year for physical media.

I kinda have a hard time believing that. With streaming you have to deal with buffering, which annoys a lot of people (including myself). With physical media you don't have to deal with that.

[theater dreamer]

I agree with mja345. We're all film enthusiasts, and more specifically, fans of the Criterion Collection.

There is no right way to love films. Some people have big collections like mine. Others have collections that dwarf my own. Others prefer to have digital media for whatever reason-the convenience, the portability, whatever. I prefer the physical media because I never have to worry about the whims of my internet provider screwing me out of watching what I want. I don't have to worry that somebody might autonomously decide to start charging me for access to my digital content. I like the way the physical media looks and sounds. And, I like the way the collection looks. I like the graphical presentations of the different films. And, there's something about the tactile joy that comes with owning a classic film, holding it in your hands.

Would it be easier if I had fewer films to store? Sure. They will be a pain come moving time. But the joy they give me, the diversity of my collection, and the ability to just grab whatever I want at a moment's notice, and not have to worry about the other variables I mentioned--that makes it all worthwhile.

Movies will always exist in some form. They're not going away. Maybe 40 years from now I'm the last old man owning these films in the physical form. I'll still be happy to have them. I won't marry a woman that doesn't love film, and luckily for me, the woman I'm dating enjoys movies, and has an open mind about exploring the older films.

[mja345]

2020 is a very aggressive timeline. I think BDs will continue to become more and more niche, but won't die off anywhere near that quickly. We've gotten to the point where these indy labels are releasing all these really rare films on BD, which is incredible for cinephiles. The early days of BD were all about the mainstream titles getting hi-def treatment. The increasingly niche nature of film collection has allowed these companies to deliver a lot of obscure stuff that, frankly, I never thought would get this treatment 5 years ago.

I mean, stores and online retailers still sell CDs and I don't know many people who have purchased a CD in the last 10 years. I don't think I've purchased a CD since maybe '07 or '08. A lot of people still buy physical copies of books even though amassing a huge book collection is far more impractical than a film or album collection because of how time-consuming reading is. My girlfriend has a pretty big book collection, but she maybe reads one book per month. I enjoy reading, but read books on my tablet now because I'll maybe read 8-10 per year if I have time. On the other hand, I can watch 5 or 6 films on a Saturday if I'm in the mood to sit on my ass all day.

[hoytereden]

Maybe my film collecting came from growing up with a love of movies but before there was a a practical way of getting them. Back then it was see them on tv or in the theater. My first purchase was a 8mm copy of the 1925 The Lost World back in the mid-'60s. Once VHS and Betamax came along that was it-I started collecting with a passion. I have slowed down with each new format that has come along since those very early days of home theater viewing. Part of that has been because I liked/disliked a film on the previous format and other priorities like raising a family. One thing I'm really happy about is that my kids grew up enjoying a lot of the same films and movie stars that I did at their age.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by mja345

mean, stores and online retailers still sell CDs and I don't know many people who have purchased a CD in the last 10 years. I don't think I've purchased a CD since maybe '07 or '08

Cds are still the most popular physical music format by far. The hype is around vinyl but the number of total units sold is still dwarfed by cd. Vinyl is more profitable per unit because of mark ups (i.e it is a sucker's market). Much of the shift away from cd is due to peer pressure in my view, not just convenience. It is the same with other physical formats. People just go with the flow and don't want to appear like they aren't 'with it' or 'up to date' so the death of these formats becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I don't judge people by the format they choose, but the simple fact is that it is a zero sum game at this point. When you move from physical to digital you are hastening the decline of the former. There is no getting around that.

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by mja345

[Show spoiler]2020 is a very aggressive timeline. I think BDs will continue to become more and more niche, but won't die off anywhere near that quickly. We've gotten to the point where these indy labels are releasing all these really rare films on BD, which is incredible for cinephiles. The early days of BD were all about the mainstream titles getting hi-def treatment. The increasingly niche nature of film collection has allowed these companies to deliver a lot of obscure stuff that, frankly, I never thought would get this treatment 5 years ago.

I mean, stores and online retailers still sell CDs and I don't know many people who have purchased a CD in the last 10 years. I don't think I've purchased a CD since maybe '07 or '08.

A lot of people still buy physical copies of books even though amassing a huge book collection is far more impractical than a film or album collection because of how time-consuming reading is. My girlfriend has a pretty big book collection, but she maybe reads one book per month. I enjoy reading, but read books on my tablet now because I'll maybe read 8-10 per year if I have time. On the other hand, I can watch 5 or 6 films on a Saturday if I'm in the mood to sit on my ass all day.

I've now clearly lived too long...

[mja345]

Originally Posted by ElliesDad

I've now clearly lived too long...

Don't get me wrong, I own quite a few books. I own Vonnegut's entire bibliography, Tom Robbins' entire bibliography, Tom Wolfe's entire bibliography, most of John Irving's stuff, most of Bukowski's stuff, and a lot of others. But if there's a current book I want to read, I tend to just read it on my tablet. If I'm going to collect something physically, I'm choosing films at this point. My girlfriend, on the other hand, buys a lot of physical copies of books and is a Netflix addict.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by mja345

Don't get me wrong, I own quite a few books. I own Vonnegut's entire bibliography, Tom Robbins' entire bibliography, Tom Wolfe's entire bibliography, most of John Irving's stuff, most of Bukowski's stuff, and a lot of others. But if there's a current book I want to read, I tend to just read it on my tablet. If I'm going to collect something physically, I'm choosing films at this point. My girlfriend, on the other hand, buys a lot of physical copies of books and is a Netflix addict.

I still buy printed books, because the idea of reading a novel from a tablet is still alien to me.

That said, I usually give away most of my books as soon as I'm finished reading them, because I don't want them to sit around taking up space.

There are a few exceptions. I have the collections of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett on my living room shelf for easy access and frequent revisiting. I keep Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 books at home. I have the entire Stephen King collection in hardcover (except for the books that were only released in paperback format) and all of my King books from 1983 onward are first printings, because that's when I started collecting them. I have all of the Cormac McCarthy books. I also have quite a few childhood favorites by way of the Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Books editions (Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft, etc.). I've got most, but not all, of the Ray Bradbury books lying around somewhere.

My existing book collection takes up space, but not a lot, and it's about a fourth of the size of what it used to be before I decided to declutter and give most of the books away.

About a decade ago, I started bringing most of my book collection to the community bookshelf in the break room at my old office. Over a period of months, I brought hundreds of books to the shelf for others to take as they wished. At one point, a co-worker realized that I was the one who was donating 99% of the books to the community shelf, and he discreetly asked me if I were suffering from depression, because he was concerned that I was giving a lot of my stuff away so suddenly. I had to explain to him that I was simply decluttering, because I'd probably never bother re-reading those books.

With movies, though, I like to keep everything, because I never know when the mood is going to strike me to revisit any given film.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

There are a few exceptions. I have the collections of Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett on my living room shelf for easy access and frequent revisiting. ... I have the entire Stephen King collection in hardcover (except for the books that were only released in paperback format) and all of my King books from 1983 onward are first printings, because that's when I started collecting them. I have all of the Cormac McCarthy books.

I don't want to derail a sidetrack, but if you haven't read anything by Joe Lansdale, give him a shot. Based on the combo above, you'd love him enough to keep the books.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by thatguamguy

I don't want to derail a sidetrack, but if you haven't read anything by Joe Lansdale, give him a shot. Based on the combo above, you'd love him enough to keep the books.

I've got a few Joe R. Lansdale books still at home, because he's one of the greats. Cold in July, The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, Sunset and Sawdust, Leather Maiden, Edge of Dark Water, and The Thicket are big favorites of mine. Sadly, I've never read any of the Hap Collins and Leonard Pine mysteries from Lansdale. Soon...

I also love the novels of Tom Franklin, who writes along the same lines.

[SammyJankis]

Decided to pop in La Notte on a whim yesterday. I had only seen it once and wanted to give it another go as I wasn't taken with the initial viewing like I was expecting.

Struck me as the antithesis of Antonioni's typical character dynamic. Instead of employing separation through environment, we're seeing the characters at a standstill in their relationship and the beginning of modernization. Every character that orbits around the couple represents a different way of living in the present: the man on a death bad who's as gracious as can be (who also could have provided a different life for Lidia); the single blonde at the party who is fascinated with the image of a writer, only to drop her facade at the conclusion; Vitti's character who flirts with the idea of love, but never commits out of fear. Lidia and Giovanni seem bound together on screen and off. They stray away from one another perceiving various levels of society that seemingly are able to find happiness on their own terms while inevitably reuniting out of sheer obligation. The dance scene before the party exemplifies this more than anything, with two people living life to the fullest from the simplicity of movement. Lidia constantly slips in a smile when she witnesses these moments, only to retreat to her monotonous way of living. Antonioni's compositions always call attention to themselves, but this one feels the most subdued in that regard. It isn't until the storm hits, which is as much of a climax as a film like this can have, where it feels his eye is no longer distant and more attentive to the frame. (Even during that initial viewing, that shot of Vitti turning the light off and standing there as a silhouette with her surroundings really stuck with me.)

On paper, the couple has everything that would suggest contentment, but time and the notion of place have nullified this. It's devastating to witness and it feels like the most introspective and downright bleak depiction from Antonioni. The sexual connection is absent (as evident by the request of a sponge), the intellectual wavelengths now differ, but they remained trapped because of the past. I'm usually turned off by a verbal summation of the film's thesis at the end, but the monologue from Lidia was so precise and natural (and delivered phenomenally by Moreau) that I couldn't help but be floored. Giovanni's only response is to take action in order to retain a spark, but it's no longer possible.

"I think love restricts a person. It creates misunderstanding all around."

Maybe in Antonioni's world, Vitti's character is right.

Anywho, this enthusiasm has prompted me to watch the rest of the trilogy (which I love). Going to watch L'Eclisse tonight.

[RalphoR]

I was watching TCM recently and dvr'd The X From Outer Space and saw a Criterion logo in the beginning. Do they own the rights to this classic Kaiju movie? Any potential bd?

[xxnomad]

Originally Posted by RalphoR

I was watching TCM recently and dvr'd The X From Outer Space and saw a Criterion logo in the beginning. Do they own the rights to this classic Kaiju movie? Any potential bd?

yeah check this out - https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/92...me-to-shochiku

one of the better eclipses. not for the quality of the films but because of how eccentric they all are.

[bingtau]

How long before Silence comes to Criterion collection are you guessing. Seems like a good companion to LTOC.

[20th Century Boy]

I keep all my books and movies so I can revisit them or use them for reference anytime I get the itch to do so. I never know when that itch'll hit so I keep everything.

[ShellOilJunior]

Maintaining a healthy collection of 100+ blu-rays is strongly recommended. One never knows who might pay a visit and see copies of L'avventura and Persona strategically placed on the coffee table near hardbound editions of Swann's Way and Dubliners. Most commonly used as a soporific, A Safe Place provides an excellent surface for adult beverages. It adds a little something extra to the ambiance of a living room/home theater which should be more than just a couch, a 4K television, Strauss music on a record player and the Monets and Cezannes hanging on the walls.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by jedidarrick

I kinda have a hard time believing that. With streaming you have to deal with buffering, which annoys a lot of people (including myself). With physical media you don't have to deal with that.

Buffering is due to bandwidth issues, often intentional (throttling). A lot of technical and political (see net neutrality) issues will have to be resolved before reliable 1080p (forget about UHD) is available to everyone. That could happen by 2020, I don't know, but I'm not betting on it.

I enjoy streaming with Amazon Prime, Netflix, TCM and FilmStruck, but for movies I really care about, I would rather not be dependent upon the kindness of strangers.

[Rory]

As things stand at the present time, 1080p Blu-rays and 4K ULTRA HD BDs are the only platforms that deliver true HD at home. Thanks to a lack of adequate infrastructure here in the US to deliver uninterrupted, fully HD streaming to many areas, and licensing agreements that companies such as Criterion, Twilight Time, Kino, etc., have with the major studios for library titles that will take years to roll out, I think it's safe to say that no one should be worried that disc media is going to disappear anytime soon.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bingtau

How long before Silence comes to Criterion collection are you guessing. Seems like a good companion to LTOC.

Seeing as how I just purchased the existing Blu-ray of Silence earlier this morning before work, I'm fine with Criterion taking their sweet time.

[jbieste]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I still buy printed books, because the idea of reading a novel from a tablet is still alien to me.

That said, I usually give away most of my books as soon as I'm finished reading them, because I don't want them to sit around taking up space.

Glad to hear you're passing along books. As to the alien tablets, I do have a little experience with these. When tablets first started showing up, it was easy to write them off as a fad, something that would most interest the under 25 demographic. That turned out to be a misleading. In talking with book groups, the biggest initial age group that seriously took to tablets and eReaders were the over 60 age group.

The light weight compared to Large Print books were a defining attraction but also the ability to easily change font size, quick return to last page read were also mentioned. While younger age groups have continued to drive growth another secondary category is now 30 - 40ish buying readers as gifts.

I don't wish to down play the tactile appeal of physical media but there are physical attributes to readers that have become very enticing and it's something you might want to try as the price of eReaders have become so affordable.

Formats and rights issues are a mess but eventually that will get sorted out.