The Criterion Collection

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by octagon

Seriously. After years of pillaging the B&N sales I pretty much shifted almost exclusively to purchasing directly from Criterion during their flash sales but that should definitely change come July.

Same here. Without overstating it, recent events have reminded me of the simple pleasure of being able to browse around a B&N store.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

There’s more than a few of those for me too. Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, the Malick titles, etc.

At the advent of 4K UHD discs, I assured myself that 90% of my existing Blu-ray collection consists of obscure drive-in movies or old films noir that will never make it to the 4K UHD format.

Now that Blue Underground has announced 4K UHD discs of Zombie and Maniac, though, I am sadly coming to terms with the fact that nothing in my collection is safe from a possible 4K UHD release that will tempt me to double-dip.

[whiteberry]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I wonder how many people nowadays are aware of the role played by LaserDiscs and Criterion in the preservation of widescreen aspect ratios?

Originally Posted by MJD64

Well stated, Professor Echo. I would also greatly credit Criterion with pioneering and popularising audio commentaries - they were essentially de rigueur in the heyday of DVD, and largely thanks to Criterion paving the way on LaserDisc.

Entertainment Tonight: Criterion LaserDiscs - 1985 - YouTube

[BTSMGL]

Originally Posted by whiteberry

Entertainment Tonight: Criterion LaserDiscs - 1985 - YouTube

Wow, I just looked up Maltin's age and he's about 10 years younger than I would've guessed.

Which means he was, what, late-20s/early-30s in this clip?? That beard really made him look much older.

Awesome clip tho!

[mja345]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

At the advent of 4K UHD discs, I assured myself that 90% of my existing Blu-ray collection consists of obscure drive-in movies or old films noir that will never make it to the 4K UHD format.

Now that Blue Underground has announced 4K UHD discs of Zombie and Maniac, though, I am sadly coming to terms with the fact that nothing in my collection is safe from a possible 4K UHD release that will tempt me to double-dip.

I wouldn't worry too much brother. You and I own a lot of the same type of films and I have zero concerns most of them will ever reach the 4K UHD format.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

At the advent of 4K UHD discs, I assured myself that 90% of my existing Blu-ray collection consists of obscure drive-in movies or old films noir that will never make it to the 4K UHD format.

Now that Blue Underground has announced 4K UHD discs of Zombie and Maniac, though, I am sadly coming to terms with the fact that nothing in my collection is safe from a possible 4K UHD release that will tempt me to double-dip.

I’ve been trying to limit my UHD purchases to new releases that aren’t upscales and older personal favorites like 2001. I just don’t have the means or frankly the desire to go all in on another format. I’ve been at this since the days when 16mm and 8mm were the only options to chose from for home theater. It’s been an exciting time from then to now.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I’ve been at this since the days when 16mm and 8mm were the only options to chose from for home theater. It’s been an exciting time from then to now.

You know, every time this subject comes up I'm filled with a fresh sense of awe and just how far we've come and what a great time this is to be a film lover and/or technogeek.

The toys, the content, the prices...it's all insane.

A few months ago I fired up the projector and was watching an episode of Star Trek TOS when it hit me that I was watching that episode on a screen almost as big as the screen on the bridge of the Enterprise.

If somebody had told eight year old me that was going to happen some day I'm not sure I would have believed it.

Actually, I was a pretty gullible kid, I probably would have believed it. And while we're on the subject, where the hell are our jetpacks and flying cars?

I mean, I don't really want the jetpack anymore, I guess. I'm dangerous enough on a bike but the flying car would still be pretty cool.

[Egbert Souse]

Concerning Criterion laserdiscs, I managed to find the 1986 first edition CAV release of The Magnificent Ambersons, complete with a pamphlet, survey card, and letter.

Obviously, it doesn't hold a candle to the gorgeous Blu-ray, but the image quality is shockingly good for circa-1986 analog video.



Also, check out their very first logo:

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Gotta agree there; I grew up sitting in front of a ~25" Zenith console. I remember when my folks brought it home, cost them a fortune but it lasted almost 20 years. But when I watch my 55" LCD flat panel I have to pinch myself occasionally. Star Trek indeed.

Changing gears completely...I'm sure it's been answered here but when ordering directly from Criterion, will they ship separately if I have pre-orders mixed in? Or do they hold everything until it's all out?

[The Great Owl]

The silver lining to the expense of upgrading to 4K UJD is that, for the vast majority of films, ones shot on 35mm, there’s not much that any future physical formats would be able to do as an encore. 4K pretty much gets 35mm movies in their native resolution, so to speak.

[prkchopexpress]

the columbia noir collection that launched the channel last year was a fantastic grouping of films. and they’ve brought it back with 16 newer movies.

don’t know the logistics, but man would this make a fantastic box set.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I attended a seminar at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the 90's which featured many of the top cinematographers of the day discussing their art. To a man, each agreed that if it hadn't been for LaserDiscs and letterboxing there would likely have been no more movies made in 2:35. They said directors were sick and tired of seeing their films bastardized with panning and scanning on TV screens. Scorsese had said pretty much the same thing when he made CAPE FEAR, his first 2:35 film. He had no interest in that aspect ratio until LaserDiscs made it viable for watching those films at home.

I wonder how many people nowadays are aware of the role played by LaserDiscs and Criterion in the preservation of widescreen aspect ratios?

I was sooooooo ignorant about aspect ratios in those days and my first experience with a letterbox film on VHS (Manhattan) had me cursing about wasting my rental money on it. “Seeing more with those damn bars on the screen, my a$$!” It took a display of a Laserdisc player in Tower Records showing the difference of quality of VHS to LD to really get my attention. After that I did my research on OARs in film and then realized what they meant about seeing “more.”

[JulesAndJim]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyHighGuy

Changing gears completely...I'm sure it's been answered here but when ordering directly from Criterion, will they ship separately if I have pre-orders mixed in? Or do they hold everything until it's all out?

You will have choice to either have them all shipped together or have the ones that are available ship asap. However, choosing the latter option means you'll get charged for two shipments (unless both your pre-orders and in-stock orders are over $50 and qualify for free shipping).

[KubrickKurasawa]

Originally Posted by FragnitoM

Maybe we’re getting an Eyes wide shut announcement on Wednesday....

https://twitter.com/janusfilms/statu...573261826?s=21

That's interesting.

[Mose Harper]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I was sooooooo ignorant about aspect ratios in those days and my first experience with a letterbox film on VHS (Manhattan) had me cursing about wasting my rental money on it. “Seeing more with those damn bars on the screen, my a$$!” It took a display of a Laserdisc player in Tower Records showing the difference of quality of VHS to LD to really get my attention. After that I did my research on OARs in film and then realized what they meant about seeing “more.”

The big problem with the letterboxed Manhattan on VHS was that the letterbox bars were milky grey, not black.
Someone in charge must have thought that having the bars blend into the middle tones of the film would make people subconsciously feel the whole 4:3 area was still "live".
To me it was a distracting eyesore.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by dragon53

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, FAIL SAFE and THE GREAT ESCAPE---no more slim pickins at the next Barnes & Noble Criterion sale.

Slim is already part the Collection from being in Dr. Strangelove.

[Page14]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The silver lining to the expense of upgrading to 4K UJD is that, for the vast majority of films, ones shot on 35mm, there’s not much that any future physical formats would be able to do as an encore. 4K pretty much gets 35mm movies in their native resolution, so to speak.

I agree ... but I can't help thinking that the same kind of thing was said when DVDs first came out. (So glad that it keeps getting better and better).

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I was sooooooo ignorant about aspect ratios in those days and my first experience with a letterbox film on VHS (Manhattan) had me cursing about wasting my rental money on it. “Seeing more with those damn bars on the screen, my a$$!” It took a display of a Laserdisc player in Tower Records showing the difference of quality of VHS to LD to really get my attention. After that I did my research on OARs in film and then realized what they meant about seeing “more.”

I remember having a "discussion" with someone on Usenet back in the day about the letterboxed Criterion Blade Runner. He was on a rant about the letterboxing cutting off part of the image by pointing out a scene of Deckard in his skimmer in close-up, and how the top of his head was cut-off by the upper black bar. I told him to watch the same scene on a pan-&-scan tape, and he'd see that Ford's head is still cut off, but he doesn't notice it because it's cut off by the top of the scene rather than a "black bar". But he's missing things on the sides.

There was a another time when I was in a discussion about 2010. Someone brought up the scene with the "Time" magazine cover of the American President and the Soviet Premiere, with Arthur C. Clarke as the former, and Stanley Kubrick as the latter. I then mentioned an earlier scene when Roy Scheider and James MacEachin were on the park bench with the White House in the background, and that Clarke has a cameo feeding the pigeons on another bench.

Someone came back with, "I just checked that scene out, and didn't see Clarke at all!" I put on my LD to get the exact time code where Clarke appears, and realized that that guy had obviously watched a p&s tape, and Clarke was cropped out.

I sometimes wonder what went through the minds of people who insisted on buying "full screen" DVDs after they eventually upgraded to widescreen TVs and found those "annoying black bars" on the sides instead of the top and bottom.

[nitin]

99% of people still don’t like black bars on their widescreen TVs unfortunately. I know plenty that zoom in anything with black bars.

[postmodel]

Originally Posted by nitin

99% of people still don’t like black bars on their widescreen TVs unfortunately. I know plenty that zoom in anything with black bars.

When I was at my in-laws we were watching something that was in 4:3 and my father in law went on this weird rant about how with technology today “why am I looking at a square on a rectangular screen?” My brothers/sister-in law were all high and mighty in agreement then when I explained why it wasn’t filling up the screen and if it did why it would be an issue the room went silent and felt so awkward.

In other words...many people would rather watch a stretched or zoomed in image than black bars. So I agree with you completely.