The Criterion Collection

[repulsed]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I’ve found B&N employees to be generally courteous and helpful, when I could find one (my store is usually understaffed). It could be that a temp holiday employee isn’t familiar with how to find things. In the past, I’ve had success pulling up the listing on my phone and showing it to the employee.

Curious what store you are referring to. I'm in the same state but maybe not that nearby. Always interested in possibly checking out another store if in the area

One of the 3 neaest to me excited toys and shrunk movies a lot. They got rid of half the Criterion section, they seriously only had half the alphabet out, and they left it that way. The other I just don't like where it is. The "good one" hopefully didn't expand the toys like the first I mentioned. I'll find out when I go in the coming week

[Mose Harper]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

But overall, I generally find the B&N employees by far the best of the Big Box stores -- not counting the holiday temps.

My experience too- across several B&N's I've visited in various states, as well as the local ones I more regularly frequent.

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by jw007

Okay, unusual question for all you Criterion collectors...

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

Mine: Eating Raoul. I even sold it to a Second-hand media shop not long afterwards.

Really haven't had any regretful blind buys. I try to do my due diligence and research most of my blind buys, particularly Criterions. During the 90s I collected movies on VHS because Laserdisc was just to expensive for me. I did peruse the Laser section of my local Tower Records, however, always salivating over the Criterion discs. When DVD bowed in the late 90s, I was working for Sony and was able to buy a DVD player rather cheaply through my Sony store. I immediately began to build a DVD collection which included, finally, Criterions. I still remember my first purchase...Kurosawa's High and Low. To this day it is probably the greatest blind buy I have ever made. Not only did it introduce me to the great director, but it opened my eyes up to World Cinema in general. I haven't looked back since. I own a little over a quarter of their 1000 releases with some having been better buys than others, but non I have regretted. I love supporting the format, I love making blind buys and I love discovering new movies of all genres. Long live Blu!!!

[Scottie]

Janus Films update

The Hero (1966, Satyajit Ray)
http://www.janusfilms.com/films/1947

[AaronJ]

Yeah, I can't think of anything that I've actually regretted. And I've said this before, but when it comes to just regular, every day purchases almost everything I buy is a blind buy. That's 90%+ of the time the way I see a movie. For me, it's just an all-around better system.

Though, I'll definitely be leaving the house soon in order to go see Frozen II and whatever else I decide to see along with it.

[Makarov]

My worst blind buy was Picnic at Hanging Rock and I even read the novel before watching the movie, was sure I'd like it but I ended up being meh about the whole thing.

Recent non blind buy pickups:
Godzilla set
The Vanishing
Tree of Life

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by jw007

Okay, unusual question for all you Criterion collectors...

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

Mine: Eating Raoul. I even sold it to a Second-hand media shop not long afterwards.

I generally am very good with the films I blind buy. So, I haven't regretted any title that I have blind bought. 99% of the time I have a good idea of the films I have interest in blind buys. And usually even when I am blind buying a title I will do a fair share of research as in seeking out trailers, images, and film synopses, but not reviews because all of us have different tastes which is not to meant to be a knock on the majority of those who review films. So, to answer the question no I haven't regretted a single Criterion title I have and asking what my least favorite Criterion is like asking a parent who is their least favorite child since I love all of my Criterions.

[a priori]

Originally Posted by jw007

Okay, unusual question for all you Criterion collectors...

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

Mine: Eating Raoul. I even sold it to a Second-hand media shop not long afterwards.

Wings of Desire, Personal Shopper, Valley of the Dolls.

In all three cases, I was only able to watch them all the way through in 15-20 minute chunks over the course of a week or two; I just couldn't stand them.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by jw007

Okay, unusual question for all you Criterion collectors...

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

Mine: Eating Raoul. I even sold it to a Second-hand media shop not long afterwards.

I don't own that many Criterion titles, although I do own some large sets (Zatoichi and Bergman). Admittedly, some of the titles I own were blind buys, including Zatoichi. Fortunately, I have enjoyed all of the Criterion releases I have purchased, although with a couple of them I might have not purchased them if I had watched them first.

With that said, I have watched many, many Criterion releases that I have no interest in purchasing. The films were not necessarily bad in my eyes, but they just were not films that I would have any desire to watch again. There are many fantastic films that I have not wanted to view more than once. Just because a film is excellent doesn't mean it's something I want to view again.

I strongly recommend watching before you buy. I try to follow this rule with all movies, whether they are Criterion releases or not. With The Criterion Channel as well as an excellent public library I can watch pretty much any Criterion Release before purchasing it. I rarely do any blind buys any more. This is true for Criterion and non-Criterion media alike.

[Gacivory]

Finished my first trip to the store. Was only planning one trip, but they didn’t have Matewan on the floor, despite the website saying it available.

Ended up getting: The BRD Trilogy, Berlin Alexanderplatz, Chimes at Midnight, Wanda, & Polyester!

[AaronJ]

Interesting.

I don't know Valley of the Dolls well, and so didn't buy it. I mean, I know what it is, of course, and I have seen good parts of it. It just doesn't really interest me.

Wings of Desire is a film which I've gone back and forth on a number of times over the years. I'm still, to this day, not sure how I feel about it.

But Personal Shopper -- oh, wow. I think that's one of the best films I've seen that has been made in the last decade. I thought it a beautiful commentary on how mankind sees his place in the cosmos.

[theEXORCIST]

Originally Posted by jw007

Okay, unusual question for all you Criterion collectors...

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

Mine: Eating Raoul. I even sold it to a Second-hand media shop not long afterwards.

Whit Stillman trilogy and Jean Vigo. If I could turn back time I would've never bought them but
I liked them enough to keep them in the collection

[Jobla]

The three Silver Platters stores in the general Seattle area stocks all new Criterion releases, and have some older releases as well (some sealed, some used).

Sometimes during B&N Criterion sales, certain titles, especially new titles, aren't always on the sales floor. If you ask an employee, they will sometimes go to their "Receiving" department and find new merchandise that hasn't yet been unpacked.

My local store had four copies of MATEWAN on the sales floor, but I didn't see the GODZILLA box although the online site claimed that it was "in stock in my store." Maybe GODZILLA was back in the Receiving department?

[Ray Jackson]

Would you describe Haxan as a disturbing horror film, or something else.

What are the chances that someone who generally doesn’t like silent pictures would like this one?

An oxymoronic question perhaps, but please...indulge me.

[sawdustandtinsel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Would you describe Haxan as a disturbing horror film, or something else.

What are the chances that someone who generally doesn’t like silent pictures would like this one?

An oxymoronic question perhaps, but please...indulge me.

You could say it was disturbing by 1922 standards perhaps. I have no idea if you would like it or not but it is in the public domain so you can watch it for free here.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by jw007

What is your least favorite or most regretful blind-buy Criterion purchase?

No regretted purchases but least favorites are easy - Love on the Run from the Truffaut box set and All These Women from the Bergman box set. Awful, awful films.

[drownsoda]

I didn't realize Barnes & Noble had launched their Criterion sale this early. I was in the mall today and stopped by; I couldn't resist, and grabbed Cat People and Blue Velvet, which have both been on my "to-be-checked-off" list.

[Kaiju no Kami]

Originally Posted by BenOswald

You get what you pay for. They probably make minimum wage.

I will never except that excuse. I worked at Best Buy for 5 years and I knew my customers by name. I knew what their likes were so every Tuesday I would pull certain movies aside for them that fit what they usually bought to see if they had an interest in them.

Anyway, I'll show save that sku so I can have them look it up with that.

[Professor Echo]

I think my biggest Criterion regret was KING OF JAZZ. I love early talkies, I love 2 strip Techincolor, I love 1920's jazz. What went wrong? Well, for one, it really didn't have any jazz in it, it was all popular vocals from the era, not what was then classified as legitimate "jazz." For another, it was a revue and I learned from watching it that I much prefer some semblance of a story and characters rather than just a parade of musical numbers. So off to the selling block it went.

Another blind buy regret was THE AWFUL TRUTH. I don't know how you can go wrong with Cary Grant, but I never laughed once and found the whole thing tiresome. I read that it was largely improvised and that Cary had trouble keeping up and it shows. Plus, I'm not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the line I got really bored with Irene Dunne as an actress. I never used to think one way or the other about her, but these days I just find her to have zero screen charisma and a whole lotta nothin'.

[evanft]

Had to bite on that $40 Before Trilogy deal on Amazon.