The Criterion Collection

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Found some Reddit post of a person who had depression and he spent about $2000 worth of Criterion. It seems like depression is another reason why other than the quarantine people are spending a lot of money on Criterion. I didn't know film could actually ease depression that well (Or stop or cure. I don't know what to really say). I hope anyone who is having depression right now is doing fine and wish you the best of luck in the future.

I don't mind opening up a bit here about having depression for much of the past three years, after taking a job loss very hard. During that time, watching films proved invaluable; they helped my brain "relax" for a couple of hours, and were one of the few things I was able to consistently enjoy. I'll keep it at that, but will mention that things are looking up.

[Hellspawn28]

Originally Posted by jw007

And then it makes me wonder... why is there not a single John Carpenter film in the Criterion Collection?

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

[SteelyTom]

Originally Posted by Reddington

I don't mind opening up a bit here about having depression for much of the past three years, after taking a job loss very hard. During that time, watching films proved invaluable; they helped my brain "relax" for a couple of hours, and were one of the few things I was able to consistently enjoy. I'll keep it at that, but will mention that things are looking up.

Good for you. I'm finding movies are an essential way for me to cope with the ongoing apocalypse.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

[Show spoiler]

[Hasslein Curve]

My 50% off haul







The bummer is that i threw down full price for Seven Samurai just 3 weeks ago.
I'll just have to take that one on the chin.

Anyway, i watched Videodrome last night. Fantastic disk. Packaging, transfer & extras. Long live James Woods.

[dbhl3000]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Found some Reddit post of a person who had depression and he spent about $2000 worth of Criterion. It seems like depression is another reason why other than the quarantine people are spending a lot of money on Criterion. I didn't know film could actually ease depression that well (Or stop or cure. I don't know what to really say). I hope anyone who is having depression right now is doing fine and wish you the best of luck in the future.

Cheaper than therapy and safer than those damned drugs.

[The Great Owl]

A meteorite crashes on the outskirts of a small California town, bewildering residents and eliciting the fascination of Dr. Clayton Forrester, a visiting scientist played by Gene Barry. Curiosity soon turns to horror as the true nature of the object manifests itself in the form of Martian invaders, who take to the skies in manta-shaped ships armed with death rays that reduce anything in their path to ashes. Clayton flees the scene with Sylvia, a local girl played by Ann Robinson, at his side, but the two of them quickly realize that there is no safe place left on Earth. Fiery mayhem ensues when the alien ships, which are impervious to bullets, artillery, and even atomic bombs, make their way to the cityscapes of Los Angeles.

The 1953 Technicolor sci-fi classic, The War of the Worlds, produced by George Pal (The Time Machine), directed by Byron Haskin (Treasure Island), and based on the 1897 H.G. Wells novel of the same name, stands tall as a special effects pinnacle of the Golden Age of extraterrestrial invasion films, and it still packs a visually spectacular punch in present day. The contemporary America setting in this adaptation allowed the British imperialism allegories of the literary source to be replaced by overt nods to the 1950s unease about radiation and nuclear bombs, but the terrifying prospect of the human race falling prey to a technologically superior species is still the fuel that drives this eerily pulsating engine.

The War of the World completely and utterly rocked my face when I first saw it, by way of a television airing on TBS SuperStation during my childhood in the early 1980s. I was already a fan of the Wells novel, where the aliens execute their attacks with massive metal tripods, but I loved the brightly lit flying spacecraft with the long-necked probes that populate the screen story. I will never forget that initial viewing of the film's most fearsome moment, where an amphibian-like hand of a Martian reaches out to touch Ann Robinson's heroine on the shoulder while she and Dr. Forrester are taking refuge in an abandoned farmhouse.

Director Haskins, who survived the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 at the age of seven, effectively conveys the intense chaos of such a scenario during this movie's destructive conclusion on the streets of Los Angeles. The human danger of mobs and looters is almost as ominous here as the procession of Martian ships that effortlessly turn buildings to smoldering ruins.

At the time of this review, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ultimate conclusion of this film is all the more relevant and resonant. One of the predominant charms of sci-fi cinema of the 1950s is that science and religion went hand in hand in the stories. Now, more than ever, the idea that a greater good can overcome adversity in unexpected ways provides much-needed solace on a psychological level.

Thanks to its long overdue Blu-ray release, courtesy of The Criterion Collection, The War of the Worlds can now be seen in a format that brings out the best of its colorful exuberance. This really is one of the greatest movies ever made. Check out this edition at your earliest convenience, and remember to keep watching the skies.

[Show spoiler]One single Martian fails to observe social distancing protocols while exploring a farmhouse, and look what happens.

There's a lesson here somewhere.

[GasmaskAvenger]

Went back to Barnes & Noble a few hours ago and bought Andrei Rublev.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

I used to think Criterion should release big blockbuster films such as those made by James Cameron or Steven Spielberg, but the older I get, the more I realize that Criterion is a niche video distributor (a very large one when it comes to being "niche"), and so its very appropriate they don't tackle those huge blockbusters or "big" directors like Cameron or Spielberg. In a perfect world I'd like Criterion to be the only company out there releasing blu-rays and having every film ever made on the planet released by Criterion and given the "Criterion treatment" they are always known and famous for. But the world is imperfect and so is free trade/capitalism, so thus whenever a larger film does get released in the Criterion Collection (ie. The Silence of the Lambs or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), its a fun moment.

[Bn43]

Originally Posted by jw007

I used to think Criterion should release big blockbuster films such as those made by James Cameron or Steven Spielberg, but the older I get, the more I realize that Criterion is a niche video distributor (a very large one when it comes to being "niche"), and so its very appropriate they don't tackle those huge blockbusters or "big" directors like Cameron or Spielberg. In a perfect world I'd like Criterion to be the only company out there releasing blu-rays and having every film ever made on the planet released by Criterion and given the "Criterion treatment" they are always known and famous for. But the world is imperfect and so is free trade/capitalism, so thus whenever a larger film does get released in the Criterion Collection (ie. The Silence of the Lambs or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), its a fun moment.

Eh.

I don't see most other companies cramming as much data on single discs as Criterion, sometimes five HD hours (Berlin Alexanderplatz, Dekalog, Fanny and Alexander, all of which suffer compression artifacts). Even the loads of supplements on the same disc hurt the picture. You can bet Lawrence of Arabia in 4K would be on a single disc if Criterion had printed it.

I also wouldn't buy nearly as many movies if they all cost as much as Criterion's.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

With the top-end Hollywood directors (in terms of clout) like Spielberg and Cameron, they get to do what they want in terms of home video releases of their movies. The transfers are approved (maybe even supervised) by them and they usually ship with a boatload of supplements. The reason why Abyss or True Lies hasn't yet come onto a physical HD release is Cameron himself. If you're not getting the original mono for T1 or whatever you imagine to be the faithful theatrical look of T2, it is again down to Cameron, not Studio Canal or whoever currently owns the distribution rights. The likes of Spielberg and Cameron have no need of a Criterion label to give them a 'prestige' release when the studios are willing to bend over backwards to do their bidding.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by GasmaskAvenger

Went back to Barnes & Noble a few hours ago and bought Andrei Rublev.

I've seen the 50% off sale has started there.
What other online retailers offer this? I can't shop at amazon nor B&N as they refuse to ship with exception to a few countries.
Thanks for the tips

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

Criterion used to release a lot of totally mainstream stuff in the laserdisc days and they’ve returned to some of it over the last decade (compared to the 2000s - it’s like half that and half their laserdisc days.) It’s not that Carpenter is too mainstream, it’s that there are lots of other people who are also interested in releasing his stuff.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

Criterion probably thinks that Carpenter's films are too mainstream for them. Same reason why James Cameron films are not in the Criterion Collection. I would love to have Criterion to release The Abyss, True Lies, and Terminator 1-2. They would do proper justice to Terminator 1-2 than a mainstream studio would do.

We've already done the Carpenter thing (Criterion released Halloween on laserdisc). But you do realize that who gets represented on Criterion has less to do with who they think would fit, and more to do with whose films they can license from the studios that own them.

Cameron is a bad example of this kind of thing. His movies make bundles of cash for the studios (mostly Fox, now with Disney) involved, and they are less likely to want to license them out than do it themselves. Further, Cameron seems bound and determined to personally oversee and sign off on any home video releases of his films. And he never has the time to actually do that.

As far as thinking Carpenter or Cameron or whomever is "too mainstream" for Criterion, it wasn't all that long ago that people in this thread were questioning why Criterion was releasing such mainstream films as Tootsie and Shampoo.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Reddington

I don't mind opening up a bit here about having depression for much of the past three years, after taking a job loss very hard. During that time, watching films proved invaluable; they helped my brain "relax" for a couple of hours, and were one of the few things I was able to consistently enjoy. I'll keep it at that, but will mention that things are looking up.

I've had bouts of depression now and then, though I've only had one instance of depression so bad that I needed professional help and medication for it. That lasted about two years. There are two things I've noticed happen with me when I'm depressed.

(1) In the instance of clinical depression, I found myself not wanting to do the things that make me happy. So I watch fewer movies/TV, read fewer books/comics, etc.

(2) Misery loves company, sort of. When I'm feeling down, I'm more likely to wallow in movies in that don't end well.

Oh, and back in the day when I played guitar (I haven't played in close to 20 years now; I keep meaning to get back in the habit), I would tend to play depressing songs to match my mood.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by dbhl3000

Cheaper than therapy and safer than those damned drugs.

Not necessarily. Celexa was my best friend for a couple of years.

[malakaheso]

Originally Posted by jayembee

We've already done the Carpenter thing (Criterion released Halloween on laserdisc). But you do realize that who gets represented on Criterion has less to do with who they think would fit, and more to do with whose films they can license from the studios that own them.

That was true 20 years ago when they realised they couldn't compete with the majors in the early years of dvd and had to become more specialist, but since that time it has been pretty obvious that, with few exceptions (and yeh, the mainstream releases like Breakfast, Button etc are just that), they do select films that are either 'important' in some way, generally speaking, or made by name directors, and/or are at least popular in certain cliques/crowds.

Night of The Living Dead, which somebody mentioned earlier, was a safe choice. It is now regarded as a significant American film.

I'm sure that Criterion would release Halloween if they could.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by ravenus

The likes of Spielberg and Cameron have no need of a Criterion label to give them a 'prestige' release when the studios are willing to bend over backwards to do their bidding.

Perhaps not, but...

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/02908...pecial-Edition

[SlaughterX]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I've seen the 50% off sale has started there.
What other online retailers offer this? I can't shop at amazon nor B&N as they refuse to ship with exception to a few countries.
Thanks for the tips

What movies are you looking for, I might be able to help, and where are you located?

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

What movies are you looking for, I might be able to help, and where are you located?

Thank you, this would have been the first sale I wanted to really take advantage from, as I eventually passed on the last two.
Ill have a look at the list first

Also wanted to thank you the users being so open about their depression and similar ailments: it's not easy and thank you for speaking up.
Also because too many people think that movies and series are just entertainment: for many they are their lives, or a life saver.