The Criterion Collection

[Knaldskalle]

I'm oddly relieved to learn that I'm not the only one struggling with the B&N website. And the changes they introduce only tend to make matters worse. I've had times when I couldn't check out, couldn't add things to my "bag", couldn't update my wishlist, couldn't move items from "save for later" to the "bag"....

Not to mention all those times I've clicked on a title "from $19.99" only to find that it was only available from third-party sellers starting at $37.99. I let my membership lapse last year, when it became clear that they weren't including Criterion's on their coupons any more. And given that the nearest B&N b&m is 70 miles from me, I won't be giving them a lot of business one way or the other.

[UncleBuckWild]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Not sure if anyone saw this yet, but Ferris Bueller's Day Off will be released next year.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=299753

We did!

Well that and Sofia Coppola joining the club feels like Christmas day already!

OMG ... This could mean Lost In Translation might be a real possibility now!

[Show spoiler]

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8Rx...youtu.be&t=560

Coppola confirms Virgin Suicides.

there's a member named sleazyforweazy, or something like that, who will be doing cartwheels. he/she has posted "still no Virgin Suicides" every month in the comments section on the main page for about 3 years now.

[I KEEL YOU]

Another Paramount title that makes a lot of sense is Bringing Out the Dead.

[javy]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Another Paramount title that makes a lot of sense is Bringing Out the Dead.

That would be cool, but personally, I would like to see After Hours first.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Reddington

Having said this, when I was in my local store yesterday the place was buzzing with holiday shoppers. I got some coffee, picked up a copy of a magazine about collecting albums on vinyl, and sat back for 20 minutes. It's good to be able to do this, and as you say, it's probably important to support the physical stores.

See, I definitely love this sort of vibe.

Another main reason I should have mentioned above for letting my membership lapse is that, since I bought a home two and a half years ago, I now live farther away from a Barnes & Noble with a media center (Blu-rays/CDs/etc.).

When I rented an apartment prior to 2015, I lived just a couple of miles from a Barnes & Noble that had an amazing Blu-ray media center, and I was there all of the time buying Criterion titles and such.

There's a Barnes & Noble just a couple of miles from me right now, but they don't have a media center. It's a cool place to chill, read a magazine, and buy one of those awesome leatherbound B&N hardcover classics, but I don't do that as often as I used to.

I had pre-ordered a few November Criterion titles from Amazon Prime, and they ended up costing me just a dollar or two more than they would have from a brick-and-mortar B&N.

The fact that I let my B&N membership lapse does not mean that I'll never set foot in one of the stores, because I definitely will, but I've found that I don't save enough money with it each year to justify the $25.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I let my Barnes & Noble membership expire this year.

I grabbed a handful of Criterion titles in a brick-and-mortar B&N store in November, but, for the most part, B&N has been replaced by Amazon Prime.

I just got tired of the unwieldy B&N website, I got tired of the way that new Criterion releases are often mysteriously missing from availability during the sales, and I got tired of seeing certain Blu-ray titles listed online as being available at certain stores, only to arrive at the stores and find out that they didn't actually have the Blu-ray, but only the DVD, and I got tired of seeing all of the non-Criterion Blu-rays jacked up to $30 or so on the website.

The few dollars that a membership would save me during each Criterion sale would not justify the $25 membership fee.

I am tempted to renew my membership just to support a brick-and-mortar bookstore chain in a world where there are not any left, just on general principle, but their day-to-day business style keeps exhausting my patience.

No doubt Amazon knows how to do it better when it comes to overall service and savings. I kind of lost my passion/excitement when B&N got tough and outlawed coupons during 50% Criterion sales. That's when I realized Amazon with my Prime membership was just a better deal overall (plus I don't have to worry if my packages are damaged in shipping - as I had this experience often with B&N).

[Jobla]

I still enjoy shopping at B&N in person. However, their web site, which used to be good, has become a chore to use. I don't know why, but the website degraded in the last year or so.

[bwdowiak]

I watched a couple documentary films on the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl in 1986. It was something that I was aware of, but never read or watched anything about it. Fascinating stuff.

The reason I bring it up here is because it is uncanny the way in which modern day Chernobyl resembles the Zone in Stalker. I'm sure its been said before, but if these kind of revelations are new to you, like they are to me, then I highly recommend watching some Chernobyl documentaries and/or Stalker. How Tarkovsky's images fore-shadowed what was to happen years later is quite prescient.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Not sure if anyone saw this yet, but Ferris Bueller's Day Off will be released next year.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=299753

Nothing against Ferris Bueller...but really? No reason to Criterionize this film when there are so many films yet to see the day on Blu-ray.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Nothing against Ferris Bueller...but really? No reason to Criterionize this film when there are so many films yet to see the day on Blu-ray.

I agree, but the way I look at is this: If putting out these blatantly commercial money-grabbers allows them to put out titles such as the recent Olympics set, then I'm ok with it. Just no more than one per month, please.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The fact that I let my B&N membership lapse does not mean that I'll never set foot in one of the stores, because I definitely will, but I've found that I don't save enough money with it each year to justify the $25.

How do you save enough to justify the $100 for prime?

[ShellOilJunior]

[javy]

As far as Paramount comedies go, Orange County would have been great to have on Criterion.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFontane

the current Ferris blu-ray is $5.99. I doubt the masses will spend 24.99 +tax on it.

The masses, no. The fanboys, yes.

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by Reddington

The B&N website is awful, and was the main reason I let membership lapse.

Having said this, when I was in my local store yesterday the place was buzzing with holiday shoppers. I got some coffee, picked up a copy of a magazine about collecting albums on vinyl, and sat back for 20 minutes. It's good to be able to do this, and as you say, it's probably important to support the physical stores. But B&N does need to "get a grip" on many aspects of its operation.

I can understand where a lot of you are coming from but I guess I’ll stick my neck out a little in defense of B&N and the endangered b&m experience you describe in your last paragraph. While they’re far from perfect, I still keep my B&N membership alive for books, especially since Amazon can rarely deliver one that doesn’t look like it spent a week at Mardi Gras on its way to me. With the 10% plus regular coupons that the membership provides, I come out fine. And the Criterion sale still comes in for less than Amazon - even without the coupons.

I use Amazon for a ton of other business - in fact, I don’t even use the B&N site. But no retail source is perfect and I really don’t look forward to a day when I can no longer enjoy the tactile experience of shopping for books, music and movies. I hope they can stay vital enough to survive.

[thatguamguy]

If Ferris is released by June, I'd expect it to be the bestselling disc Criterion puts out next year. (Breakfast Club getting a full year of sales might be a lot to overcome if FBDO comes any later than June.)

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

How do you save enough to justify the $100 for prime?

I do it at $10.99/monthly. Pays for itself tenfold.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Finally picked up Sid and Nancy. Can't wait to watch this new transfer tonight.

[mrjohnnyb]

Alexander Payne’s Closet Picks - YouTube