Blu-ray.com Community's TOP 20 CRITERION RELEASES

[Dailyan]

Seeing numerous genre or decade voting threads I thought I'd do something a little different.



The Criterion Collection is one of (if not THE) the most well known "boutique" labels in home video. Releasing classic, foreign, arthouse, or contemporary films, Criterion has been going strong since the Laserdisc days. I check out member collections and notice there are a lot of Criterion releases (most getting their own dedicated category) and I wonder "what are some of the BEST Criterion Blu Ray releases?"


Complete Blu Ray releases

Criteria:
For ranking take into consideration transfer in video and audio, bonus features, cover art, the film itself (whatever YOU enjoy), overall cultural significance and essentially whatever you feel justifies the price tag. Box sets or double features will be considered ONE release unless a specific film in said set was released individually (Five Easy Pieces and Easy Rider for example from America Lost and Found). Box set exclusive films (The Last Picture Show, Alice in the Cities for example) should NOT be ranked individually as they are apart of "America Lost and Found" and "The Road Trilogy".

No DVD releases. 20 is the MAXIMUM. 21 or higher will not be counted in the final results. This is done because it makes counting in the final results slightly easier.

The point system, I take inspiration from Juels Winnfield.
Points:
Point System:
#1 50 points
#2 45 points
#3 40 points
#4 35 points
#5 30 points
#6 25 points
#7 20 points
#8 15 points
#9 10 points
#10 5 points
#11 4 points
#12 3 points
#13 2 points
#14 and below 1 point

Deadline is 05/19, happy voting!

[dunnbluray]

Top 20

1. Thief
2. Scanners
3. The Sword Of Doom
4. Harakiri (1962)
5. Rushmore
6. Rumble Fish
7. 12 Angry Men
8. The Leopard
9. A Night To Remember
10. Le Cercle Rouge
11. The Graduate
12. Straw Dogs
13. The Vanishing
14. The New World
15. The Killers
16. It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
17. Don't Look Now
18. Blood Simple
19. Blow Out
20. Night Of The Living Dead

[principehomura]

[Al_The_Strange]

Oooh, nice.

[In progress]

1. Seven Samurai
2. Qatsi Trilogy
3. Zatoichi Collection
4. The New World
5. Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
6. Brazil
7. On the Waterfront
8. Bicycle Thieves
9. Eraserhead
10. Battle of Algiers
11. Silence of the Lambs
12. Pan's Labyrinth
13. The Passion of Joan of Arc
14. The Thin Red Line
15. The Kid
16. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
17. Antichrist
18. Wages of Fear
19. Yojimbo / Sanjuro Collection
20. Lone Wolf and Cub Collection

[stvn1974]

Brazil
Eraserhead
Mulholland Drive
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Videodrome
Repo Man
Naked Lunch
Time Bandits
Pan's Labyrinth
Dead Man
Dr. Strangelove
Le Samurai
Solaris
Stalker
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman
Lady Snowblood
Silence Of The Lambs
Night Of The Living Dead
Carnival Of Souls

[qw0aszx]

#1 By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two
This is the set introduced the fascinating avant-garde cinema to me.

#2 The Complete Jacques Tati
All Tati films in one set with new restorations and extras, this is my dream set that came true.

#3 Dreams
I first saw this in my childhood, completely shocked by this film despite not knowing who Kurosawa was. After so many years without a blu-ray release, one day I found a 150-minute documentary about making Dreams exists and it was directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, another Japanese director I love (seriously, we need more Obayashi blu-ray releases out of Japan), but sadly found it only released VHS in Japan which was hard to find and outrageous expensive at that time. Then the following month Criterion announced they will release this blu-ray, 4K restoration with this rare documentary included as extra.

#4 Ugetsu
I never thought Ugetsu could looked so detailed and clear. The only complain for this release would be no 4K UHD attached, saw this in 4K in cinema and now I want it be one of the very first UHD releases Criterion do someday.

#5 Tokyo Story
My favorite Japanese film was treated so well by Criterion.

#6 Pina
Still the only 3D release from Criterion and one of the rare 3D films that actually explore new cinema language in 3D space.

#7 The Qatsi Trilogy
I even consider Naqoyqatsi a fantastic film, so you know how much I love this trilogy.

#8 Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
One of the best Criterion upgrades from DVD to blu-ray recently.

#9 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
The Extended Version reconstructed in HD.

#10 Godzilla
The unexpected Godzilla head popped up when I opened the digipack.

#11 Barry Lyndon
Of all the Criterion upgrade of Kubrick we all dreaming about, this one came true.

#12 Repo Man
I blind bought this because the bad-ass cover design, what I didn't expected was the film itself would be even cooler than the design.

#13 A Brighter Summer Day
Criterion saved us out from watching this epic in an unwatchable LD version only.

#14 House
It introduced Nobuhiko Obayashi to me.

#15 Last Year at Marienbad
The only Criterion blu-ray I bought with a high price after its OOP.

[Juels Winnfield]

This is a good one! I'm in.

[clifford finch]

Night of The Hunter
On the Waterfront
Straw Dogs
Thief
Harakiri
Eraserhead
The Seventh Seal
The Third Man
The Vanishing
Pans Labyrinth
M
Island of Lost Souls
Fisherking
Brazil
In Cold Blood
Rosemary's Baby
Badlands
All That Jazz
Repulsion
Silence of The Lambs

[imsounoriginal]

Reserved, I'll do my best.

1. The Apu Trilogy

[Darth Marcus]

My Top 25 Criterion Releases

1. Seven Samurai
2. The Thin Red Line
3. Barry Lyndon
4. A Hard Day's Night
5. Shoah
6. Paris, Texas
7. The Silence of the Lambs
8. Paths of Glory
9. Wings of Desire
10. Thief
11. Sweet Smell of Success
12. Carlos
13. The Last Temptation of Christ
14. The Qatsi Trilogy
15. Night of the Living Dead
16. Days of Heaven
17. The Vanishing
18. Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
19. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
20. The New World
21. Rashomon
22. The Royal Tenenbaums
23. The Before Trilogy
24. Badlands
25. Fantastic Mr. Fox

[Ray Jackson]

My initial ranking:

...subject to change.

1. The Apu Trilogy
2. The Thin Red Line
3. Ikiru
4. High and Low
5. Picnic at Hanging Rock
6. Harakiri
7. Badlands
8. Days of Heaven
9. Le Samourai
10. Hiroshima Mon Amour
11. Sans Soleil/La Jetee
12. Pierrot Le Fou
13. World On A Wire
14. The Road Trilogy
15. For All Mankind
16. Mulholland Drive
17. Eraserhead
18. Three Colors Trilogy
19. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
20. The Battle of Algiers

[esteban²]

Nice idea. But we don't have those overhere, so I'm afraid I can't vote.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Are we just talking about our favorite films in the Criterion Collection per se, or taking into account the various elements of the releases such as cover art, extras, transfer quality, along with the movie itself?

For example, I like movie A more, but movie B has the better extras, cover art and transfer.

DVD releases included?

I think this would be more enlightening if we clarified the criteria...no pun intended.

My initial ranking, prior to clarification on the previous questions:

1. The Apu Trilogy
2. The Thin Red Line
3. The Human Condition
4. Ikiru
5. High and Low
6. Picnic at Hanging Rock
7. Harakiri
8. Badlands
9. Days of Heaven
10. Le Samourai
11. Red Beard
12. Hiroshima Mon Amour
13. Sans Soleil/La Jetee
14. Pierrot Le Fou
15. World On A Wire
16. The Road Trilogy
17. For All Mankind
18. Mulholland Drive
19. Eraserhead
20. Three Colors Trilogy

I did mention for taking into consideration of "video and audio transfer, bonus features, and cultural significance." It doesn't necessarily have to be a "movie B" situation. Every transfer and film is going to have people split down the middle, the list is what YOU consider a good release doesn't matter if the film is good, bad, or ugly; it's what YOU like. No DVD releases, I'll update the criteria.

[Hoke Moseley]

So this is blu-ray only and based more on the whole package than just the film itself?

1. The Night of the Hunter
2. The Graduate
3. Thief
4. Mulholland Dr.
5. Dressed to Kill
6. Il Sorpasso
7. Paris, Texas
8. Rififi
9. Brazil
10. Au revoir les enfants
11. Barry Lyndon
12. Three Colors
13. King of the Hill
14. They Live by Night
15. The Killers
16. Rumble Fish
17. Election
18. La Dolce Vita
19. High and Low
20. One-Eyed Jacks

[Rodney-2187]

Reduced my list to titles I own:

1. Inside Llewyn Davis
2. Brazil
3. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
4. Only Angels Have Wings
5. Harold and Maude
6. The Asphalt Jungle
7. His Girl Friday
8. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
9. Time Bandits
10. Sweet Smell of Success
11. Kiss Me Deadly
12. Lady Snowblood
13. The Game
14. Thief
15. The Darjeeling Limited
16. Mulholland Drive
17. The Lady Vanishes
18. Night Train to Munich
19. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
20. The Night of the Hunter
21. My Own Private Idaho
22. The Killers
23. The Royal Tenenbaums
24. The In-Laws

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

I did mention for taking into consideration of "video and audio transfer, bonus features, and cultural significance." It doesn't necessarily have to be a "movie B" situation. Every transfer and film is going to have people split down the middle, the list is what YOU consider a good release doesn't matter if the film is good, bad, or ugly; it's what YOU like. No DVD releases, I'll update the criteria.

Okay I missed that...thank you.

But our opinions of the films themselves should be taken into account, yes/no?

I'm going to take a film I love that has a mediocre transfer and bad extras over a film I like that has a reference quality transfer and amazing extras.

But the extras/transfer quality will come into play, in some cases, as a tie breaker or in terms of numerical order.

[filmbuffTX]

01. Fanny & Alexander
02. On The Waterfront
03. Eraserhead
04. Y Tu Mamá También
05. 12 Angry Men

06. Hoop Dreams
07. Rosemary's Baby
08. Andre Gregory & Wallace Shawn: 3 Films
09. Pina
10. Seven Samurai

11. The Ice Storm
12. Harakiri
13. Mulholland Drive
14. The Fisher King
15. Don't Look Now

16. Repulsion
17. The Thin Red Line
18. Medium Cool
19. The Tragedy of Macbeth
20. Antichrist

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Armchair NZ

so far I only have maybe a dozen Criterions.

but easily that many again (and then some) are on my want-to-buy list. Almost all of them for movies I've already seen. Have read reviews for the Criterion releases, looked at screencaps to assess PQ, am aware of their extras, and in most cases I've even looked at photos of their packaging etc.

... any objection to me adding a few of these to my list? so that I'd have enough titles to make said list worth submitting?

You don’t necessarily have to have a Top 20 (I have 22 myself and 7 are from a box set); 10 or a top 5 is just fine, heck you can even do a top 9, somebody above even did 35. For this ranking I would go with stuff you actually own, have viewed, examined bonus features, etc.

[kingdoxie]

1. On the Waterfront
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Bicycle Thieves
4. The 400 Blows
5. Diabolique
6. Yojimbo/Sanjuro Collection
8. Seven Samurai
9. Anatomy of a Murder
10. Harakiri (1962)
11. The Manchurian Candidate
12. Rififi
13. Three Outlaw Saumurai
14. Paths of Glory
15. The Executioner
16. The Battle of Algiers
17. The Wages of Fear
18. The Killing
19. M
20. The Gold Rush

[Juels Winnfield]

1. Night of the Living Dead
2. Mulholland Dr.
3. Thief
4. In a Lonely Place
5. Night of the Hunter
6. The Asphalt Jungle
7. The Killing
8. Kiss Me Deadly
9. The Killers
10. Sweet Smell of Success
11. Ace in the Hole
12. Night and the City
13. Rififi
14. Mildred Pierce
15. Gilda
16. Elevator to the Gallows
17. The Wages of Fear
18. Le Samourai
19. Diabolique
20. They Live by Night