The Criterion Collection

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Criterion have no choice about that, it's about rights issues. It's also the reason why they only offer English sub on the releases and no others

I'm not sure about that. CC dvds are a mixture of region locked and region free releases, but their blus are all locked. Unless every licenser made an implicit new contract stipulating that all releases must be locked on blu, I'd say that it is a Criterion decision.

As far as I'm aware, CC has never commented on their region locking policies while other companies (MoC, TT, etc) have made their policies on the matter clear.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by ccg1978

should I get Sullivan's Travels on DVD or hope for a Blu-ray release?

Sullivan's Travels is one of my favorite Criterion releases, and I love my DVD. If you can find the DVD for an inexpensive price, I'd say go for it. It's such a fun film.

[ccg1978]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Sullivan's Travels is one of my favorite Criterion releases, and I love my DVD. If you can find the DVD for an inexpensive price, I'd say go for it. It's such a fun film.

Thanks, how is the PQ / SQ on the DVD? I watched this through Netflix a while back and I'm not sure if it was the Criterion release. Also, no chance for a Blu-ray on this one? I don't mind double-dipping!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by ccg1978

Thanks, how is the PQ / SQ on the DVD? I watched this through Netflix a while back and I'm not sure if it was the Criterion release. Also, no chance for a Blu-ray on this one? I don't mind double-dipping!

It's one of the better old movies on Criterion DVD as far as picture quality and I haven't noticed anything lacking on the sound. I will upgrade to Blu-ray in a second with this movie, but I have not heard of any Blu-ray release over the horizon. Of course, I might say that and then Criterion will release a Blu-ray in May...haha. There's no telling these days.

[jj5206]

Completely random comment, but I was thinking last night how I don't own enough Criterions. I need to invest in some more (mainly the Charlie Chaplin movies).

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Same here however I don't mind getting it from Europe or Asia if it's cheaper

Eh, I'm a bit lazy. I have a few region B titles, but I don't order a lot from the UK. Although did order a cover for my Kobo Glo from Amazon.ca, and it came from the, UK via Royal Mail. They even gave me a free sample of Yorkshire tea. I wish all my UK orders included tea in them, I'd probably order more.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I've never regretted pulling the trigger on Le Silence De La Mer.

I'm thinking that I'll pull the trigger on a purchase of Le Silence De La Mer from Amazon UK after the next paycheck. It looks like a great price for a Melville flick that I have not yet seen.

Incidentally (and straying a bit from Criterion fare), I spotted a region-free stand-alone Blu-ray of Jurassic Park on Amazon UK that I'll probably buy together with Le Silence De La Mer.
Here in America, the only way to have Jurassic Park on Blu-ray is to buy the flimsy box set with the two sucktastic sequels included. A cheap (roughly $12 US dollars) stand-alone region-free edition of the first film is highly preferable for me.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Eh, I'm a bit lazy. I have a few region B titles, but I don't order a lot from the UK. Although did order a cover for my Kobo Glo from Amazon.ca, and it came from the, UK via Royal Mail. They even gave me a free sample of Yorkshire tea. I wish all my UK orders included tea in them, I'd probably order more.

Cold day here in upstate NY...took the day off, as the entire family had the flu over the Christmas break. Out at B&N with the wife drinking latte (while the boys are at school) and surfing the iPad. No plans to buy anything, as nothing great price-wise and only a 15% coup to boot. I hope to watch my recently received Fantomas with her over the weekend and I've still got the new Hitchcock to see as well.

Speaking of the Royal Mail...fingers crossed on getting Ugetsu in the mail today...would be a nice way to cap the week.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm thinking that I'll pull the trigger on a purchase of Le Silence De La Mer from Amazon UK after the next paycheck. It looks like a great price for a Melville flick that I have not yet seen.

Incidentally (and straying a bit from Criterion fare), I spotted a region-free stand-alone Blu-ray of Jurassic Park on Amazon UK that I'll probably buy together with Le Silence De La Mer.
Here in America, the only way to have Jurassic Park on Blu-ray is to buy the flimsy box set with the two sucktastic sequels included. A cheap (roughly $12 US dollars) stand-alone region-free edition of the first film is highly preferable for me.

You wouldn't be sorry...I nabbed it directly from MoC, when it first came out and they had it marked down to £10.99. It's a great transfer and a great film. I just ordered their version of The Blue Angel and it shipped on Wednesday.

You'll drive yourself crazy with trying to second guess a region B release and if/when it will be released in region A land. I opted for the Kino "Die Nibelungen" and sans the booklet, it's pretty close to the MoC version. I did burn myself on Fear and Desire, figuring that MoC wouldn't release those other shorts (which they did, of course). As a Kubrick completist, I'll pick that one up at some point and sell or give away my Kino version. If you're considering the von Sternberg blu, I'd go with the UK version...nice extras and a commentary...Kino version is bare bones.

Hulu, at least is allowing me to check out a number of films I've never seen and discover new directors, whose films I had never seen.

[paulgeneacepeter]

Bottom line, I care about the movie but I want that movie in the best PQ & AQ possible and I feel Criterion releases always do the job. Definitely also love Criterion packages, especially when they do art covers, not just photos of the actors. I remember when DVD's use to come with some kind of booklet but that slowed faded away, very happy that Criterion has kept this up.

I have all my known movies I want on blu ray so I love Criterion to discover new movies that I have never heard of. 75% of Criterion releases are movies I never heard of.

Only downside is that I can really own buy Criterion's twice a year during the Barnes & Noble sale, otherwise they are just way too expensive here in Canada.

So what's up with Repo Man? Checked imdb and it got a low rating yet it seems to be a cult favourite. Love Sid & Nancy which was written by Alex Cox but is Repo Man worth a blind buy?

[Yami]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

I'm not sure about that. CC dvds are a mixture of region locked and region free releases, but their blus are all locked. Unless every licenser made an implicit new contract stipulating that all releases must be locked on blu, I'd say that it is a Criterion decision.

As far as I'm aware, CC has never commented on their region locking policies while other companies (MoC, TT, etc) have made their policies on the matter clear.

I've also heard that, as CC region lock their titles without exception, they insist that other labels do the same when they overlap - that's why quite a few MoC's, such as M and For All Mankind, are region-locked.

[KJH6926]

any one know if Häxan might make it to blu? Or should i just go ahead and purchase the dvd?

[JHas]

In this modern age of blu-rays I hate buying DVD's but I think I am going to have to make an exception for the Kobayashi set. I've only seen two of his films (Harakiri and Samurai Rebellion) but they are two of the finest in the collection, the intensity and tension felt while watching these films is incredible. Planning a lazy weekend and will try to get through the entire series of "The Human Condition."

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by rock, stone

I'm not sure about that. CC dvds are a mixture of region locked and region free releases, but their blus are all locked. Unless every licenser made an implicit new contract stipulating that all releases must be locked on blu, I'd say that it is a Criterion decision.

Maybe it's so they never have any issues with their customers raising uproar about gaps in the spine numbers in their "Collection" due to region locking. "Either you can watch all of them or none of them, make up yer mind" type thing.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by paulgeneacepeter

So what's up with Repo Man? Checked imdb and it got a low rating yet it seems to be a cult favourite. Love Sid & Nancy which was written by Alex Cox but is Repo Man worth a blind buy?

Repo Man is a cult film, through and through. I would not go so far to say that it was an obscure film during the 1980s, because the VHS tape was always prominently displayed at rental places even in the small rural Georgia city where I grew up, but it was definitely one of those films that does not necessarily click with every viewer.

For me, Repo Man admittedly fell into my wannabe-pseudo-subversive-punk persona of my teenage years in the late 1980s, when I was addicted to bands like The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, early R.E.M., British punk/new wave, and all of that. Repo Man and Return of the Living Dead always, without fail, made for a killer double-feature movie rental night, because the general hardcore punk aesthetic of both movies went quite well together.

Repo Man is one of those beloved 1980s movies that seems rather innocuous today, but seemed quite subversive when I was younger. Just like Return of the Living Dead, Blue Velvet, Near Dark, Sid & Nancy, The River's Edge, and the like. It was a movie for its time in so many ways, but it also plays well now in 2013.

There are some movies that just do not seem to scream "high definition Blu-ray" to me, because I grew up watching them on old worn-down VHS dubbed copies taped from HBO and such. I was chuckling at times when I watched my recent Blu-ray purchase of Near Dark for this reason, because the high definition format seems somehow antithetical to how I always enjoyed the movie during my teen years. I feel the same way about Repo Man, but I'll be buying that Blu-ray instantly nonetheless.

I'm hard-pressed to recommend blind-buys to people on this site, but it's probably safe to say that, if your pulse was quickened by 1980s movies like Sid & Nancy, Return of the Living Dead, and such, then Repo Man will probably be up your alley.

Repo Man has the "coolness stamp" of a Harry Dean Stanton appearance, and that's the greatest thing that the movie has going for it. I always knew through the years that, if Harry Dean Stanton starred in a movie, then it would be a cool movie. Even his recent appearance in The Avengers upped the prestige scale of that movie quite a few notches.

[RandyK]

I like the sound of Repo Man and love the cover so I will definitely pick this up.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by Randyman94

I like the sound of Repo Men and love the cover so I will definitely pick this up.

Good thing Repo Men was already released by Universal, so you can already go ahead and pick it up.

[RandyK]

Originally Posted by greekak229

Good thing Repo Men was already released by Universal, so you can already go ahead and pick it up.

Whoops. I knew it was one or the other. Thought i was right and didn't bother checking.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by Randyman94

Whoops. I knew it was one or the other. Thought i was right and didn't bother checking.

Haha, just kidding. Please don't pick that up.

[Yojimbo]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm an odd bird, though.

You're not an odd bird...you're a great bird. A great owl, that is.