The Criterion Collection

[postmodel]

Chungking Express

Wow. Thanks to the Criterion Channel I just watched this for the first time. It was very well made and, to me, it does not seem dated in any way. Most films (specifically non-Blockbusters) from 1994 seem to look exactly like they were from 1994. This one, despite all the expiration dates, does not.

I know this one has been highly requested for an upgraded release (count me in on that list now!), but I noticed it's with Miramax. Apologies if this has been discussed to death, but would that prevent a new physical release, and the reason why it's OOP? Isn't there some issues with Miramax and licensing these days? Or am I way off the mark? haha. I'm never 100% on licensing deals.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by postmodel

I know this one has been highly requested for an upgraded release (count me in on that list now!), but I noticed it's with Miramax. Apologies if this has been discussed to death, but would that prevent a new physical release, and the reason why it's OOP? Isn't there some issues with Miramax and licensing these days? Or am I way off the mark? haha. I'm never 100% on licensing deals.

It might have something to do with Lionsgate having home video rights to Miramax titles in NA. The old release was licensed from Disney when they still owned the Miramax catalog.

[MifuneFan]

It was noted a couple years ago that Criterion has the rights to most of Wong Kar-wai's films.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Received Berlin Alexanderplatz and la vérité today.

I definitely plan on watching the Clouzot film tonight -- a first viewing.

EDIT: Poor French spelling. I should know better, and I apologize to all of France.

I also plan on buying la vérité too. I kind of hope the flash sale is in early March otherwise I will have to wait until the July sale or maybe pick up one of the titles from Amazon.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

The next Criterion announcement will include the following titles:
THE ELEPHANT MAN
KLUTE
DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
CATCH-22

The announcement after that will include the following titles:
AFTER HOURS
MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ
PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID
CALIFORNIA SPLIT

The announcement after that will include the following titles:
O LUCKY MAN!
STRAIGHT TIME
PRINCE OF THE CITY
I VITELLONI

The announcement after that will include the following titles:
THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS
STAR 80
FINGERS
BLUME IN LOVE

The announcement after that will include the following titles:
THE JOHN WOO COLLECTION (A BETTER TOMORROW 1 & 2, BULLET IN THE HEAD, JUST HEROES, THE KILLER, HARD BOILED)
FACE TO FACE (1976)
WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR?
JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN

This is all guesswork on my part, but I sincerely hope I'm not that far off with my predictions.

Damn, I wish those were true! I'd add ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD, Cronenberg's CRASH, Ken Russell's THE DEVILS, Kurosawa's DERSU UZALA, some Bertolucci and Pasolini, THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, and NIGHTS OF CABIRIA.


Of course, in reality, we likely won't get ANY of these, LOL.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by critterdvd

I loved the dual releases because I had no problem loaning the DVD out to friends, or being able to take it to work to listen to the special features during the slow season. But then again I'm in the minority as I loved the digi packaging. It just made the releases seem more special in my mind (and thus worth the steep price tag).

The dual format releases were a great deal for Blu-Ray owners, but not a great deal for DVD only users. I know a lot of us find this hard to comprehend, but there are still a lot of people and educational buyers who are only interested in DVDs. My local library still buys a lot of Criterion's on DVD only. If I'm a DVD only customer, why would I want to spend more money?

And that's why the dual format failed. DVD only users did not want to spend more money for a Blu-Ray copy they will never use.

I'm sure this plays into Criterion's thoughts as to whether they should produce UHD's. Are they going to run into the same problem? People not wanting to spend more money for a format they won't use.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by regeyer

The dual format releases were a great deal for Blu-Ray owners, but not a great deal for DVD only users. I know a lot of us find this hard to comprehend, but there are still a lot of people and educational buyers who are only interested in DVDs. My local library still buys a lot of Criterion's on DVD only. If I'm a DVD only customer, why would I want to spend more money?

And that's why the dual format failed. DVD only users did not want to spend more money for a Blu-Ray copy they will never use.

I'm sure this plays into Criterion's thoughts as to whether they should produce UHD's. Are they going to run into the same problem? People not wanting to spend more money for a format they won't use.

I'm a librarian and we've been looking into adding BDs to our catalog but never do because our customers, who for the most part, are either poor or just not videophiles and are more than content with DVDs still. For instance, I had a customer the other day return some DVDs because he didn't like that they had black bars "filling his 65 inch OLED" screen.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

I'm a librarian and we've been looking into adding BDs to our catalog but never do because our customers, who for the most part, are either poor or just not videophiles and are more than content with DVDs still. For instance, I had a customer the other day return some DVDs because he didn't like that they had black bars "filling his 65 inch OLED" screen.

Exactly. That's what Criterion is dealing with.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by regeyer

Are they going to run into the same problem? People not wanting to spend more money for a format they won't use.

Not if they maintain their existing Blu-ray price-point for UHD/Blu-ray dual releases.

[ShellOilJunior]

I think Criterion should keep it simple for a potential UHD trial balloon.

Take a movie like Days of Heaven. Create a page on Criterion.com where fans can submit their pledge to purchase the film on UHD if Criterion deems there's sufficient interest. If there's enough interest and the movie is released those who follow through with their pledge receive a $10 gift code.

If Criterion receives 10,000 submissions and 50% of those follow through then they sell 5,000 copies. That may be a bit high but I think they'd receive a lot of interest.

[DaBargainHunta]

Criterion Channel Movie of the Week

Albert Finney Double Feature: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Tom Jones.

The crappy DRM they turned on last week means this is still broken on most web browsers (Safari works and Edge might) and presumably still broken on the Roku VHX app as well (haven't checked yet).

It was flawless the first week with Mikey and Nicky but has been a giant mess ever since. Really hope the official Criterion Channel app doesn't have these issues.

[GeoffOliver]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

I'm a librarian and we've been looking into adding BDs to our catalog but never do because our customers, who for the most part, are either poor or just not videophiles and are more than content with DVDs still. For instance, I had a customer the other day return some DVDs because he didn't like that they had black bars "filling his 65 inch OLED" screen.

That doesn't surprise me. Libraries are low-key what helped kill video rental stores like Blockbuster because some have VERY extensive DVD collections that people can rent for free with their library card. I can only imagine the customers taking advantage of that.

But I would imagine that most people collecting Criterion discs DO care about quality to some degree because they're paying for a very nice, premium product.

[KJones77]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

Criterion Channel Movie of the Week

Albert Finney Double Feature: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and Tom Jones.

The crappy DRM they turned on last week means this is still broken on most web browsers (Safari works and Edge might) and presumably still broken on the Roku VHX app as well (haven't checked yet).

It was flawless the first week with Mikey and Nicky but has been a giant mess ever since. Really hope the official Criterion Channel app doesn't have these issues.

Haven't watched one of the Criterion Channel streaming films yet (I'd seen both), but I will watch Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

Its inclusion should also signal that Criterion won't just be streaming films they put out on disc (previous announcements made that clear, but people still seemed to be confused), but also whatever they can get the streaming rights for. Great stuff!

[jordan-r]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

That doesn't surprise me. Libraries are low-key what helped kill video rental stores like Blockbuster because some have VERY extensive DVD collections that people can rent for free with their library card. I can only imagine the customers taking advantage of that.

But I would imagine that most people collecting Criterion discs DO care about quality to some degree because they're paying for a very nice, premium product.

I'm a librarian and I work in a library (academic) which just started adding popular DVDs to our collection last year. Circulation skyrocketed, even of titles that are widely available on streaming services. It's been thrilling to see what people check out, even the titles I didn't think would circulate much.

I like to think of all this as proof against the idea that physical media's dead or dying -- seeing college students checking out things like Breathless is such a good sign.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

Not if they maintain their existing Blu-ray price-point for UHD/Blu-ray dual releases.

That means Criterion makes less money. Not only do they need to pay additional licensing fees, but they'd need to provide two discs. That's not going to fly.

[tama]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I think Criterion should keep it simple for a potential UHD trial balloon.

Take a movie like Days of Heaven. Create a page on Criterion.com where fans can submit their pledge to purchase the film on UHD if Criterion deems there's sufficient interest. If there's enough interest and the movie is released those who follow through with their pledge receive a $10 gift code.

If Criterion receives 10,000 submissions and 50% of those follow through then they sell 5,000 copies. That may be a bit high but I think they'd receive a lot of interest.

I don't think they're too far off from UHD potential. Between the relationships they have with Sony/Universal/MGM alone if they were to release say 1to 2 titles per month I think that could hold them for a year or two as far as monthly releases are concerned.

If region coding is an issue they should do what they majors do now. Dual format release with the UHD being the main feature only while the BD is carrying all the extras on a region A locked Disc as they do now.

Honestly I think the only thing holding them back now is whether they believe there is enough of their consumer base on the UHD market that would make those purchases needed to sustain it.

[KJones77]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I think Criterion should keep it simple for a potential UHD trial balloon.

Take a movie like Days of Heaven. Create a page on Criterion.com where fans can submit their pledge to purchase the film on UHD if Criterion deems there's sufficient interest. If there's enough interest and the movie is released those who follow through with their pledge receive a $10 gift code.

If Criterion receives 10,000 submissions and 50% of those follow through then they sell 5,000 copies. That may be a bit high but I think they'd receive a lot of interest.

Their biggest buyer are libraries and people who prefer DVDs, they haven't upgraded all of the previously released titles they have the rights for, and the last time they tried a dual-format release (only way they sell more UHD's is via dual-format imo) it bombed out and everyone hated it.

I can't imagine they will go to UHD anytime soon. They were late adopters of blu-ray and I'll be surprised if we aren't a few years off from them moving onto UHD. The market just isn't big enough for a lot of the films they release.

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by jordan-r

I'm a librarian and I work in a library (academic) which just started adding popular DVDs to our collection last year. Circulation skyrocketed, even of titles that are widely available on streaming services. It's been thrilling to see what people check out, even the titles I didn't think would circulate much.

I like to think of all this as proof against the idea that physical media's dead or dying -- seeing college students checking out things like Breathless is such a good sign.

Although circulation is down across the board at the library system I work at, which covers 8 branch locations in the SF Bay Area. That includes books, cds, and DVDs. And it isn't just a small drop, it's pretty significant. Fortunately, we're keeping up with the times by offering streaming services such as Kanopy and Hoopla along with ebooks and eAudiobooks. Still, if you happen across a Solano County Library location and see a lot of Criterions and other art house movies, you can thank me for it!

[jonsax201]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

I'm a librarian and we've been looking into adding BDs to our catalog but never do because our customers, who for the most part, are either poor or just not videophiles and are more than content with DVDs still. For instance, I had a customer the other day return some DVDs because he didn't like that they had black bars "filling his 65 inch OLED" screen.

I can relate to this. I still subscribe to netflix DVD to watch modern films that I don't want to spring for to see in theaters, and for a film I'm just going to "rent" and only watch once, I don't care much what the quality is. If I'm buying a film (to watch multiple times in the future), then I'm buying blu ray obviously.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by regeyer

That means Criterion makes less money. Not only do they need to pay additional licensing fees, but they'd need to provide two discs. That's not going to fly.

In this case, the potential added costs would probably be more negligible than in any previous format transition. Many times, UHD rights are included with Blu-ray rights, with no additional licensing fees required. In the case of a movie already mastered in 4K, the cost of adding a single UHD Blu-ray disc to the package is pretty low, as well. Meanwhile, this is all weighed against the invisible cost that comes from the progression of the marketplace ie. customers like me who are buying fewer and fewer Criterion Blu-ray releases because we're holding out for UHD and we would spend big again on releases that include UHD.