The Criterion Collection

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by octagon

I've only watched it once so far and while I didn't exactly love it I did like it quite a bit and I expect it to grow on me. Which is exactly what happened with Repulsion. And Chinatown, now that I think about it.
The Tenant might be the only Polanski film that really grabbed me from the first viewing.

Chinatown's usually cited as the example of a Polanski movie sneaking up its slow creeps on you--
But I remember showing the Harrison Ford "Frantic" to a non-movie-buff fan who had never seen any Polanski, and even they pointed out the progression of growing paranoia.

[alexvega]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Send an e-mail to the Jon Mulvaney address that Criterion has listed on their site.

Hey, thanks!

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Admittedly, that one was borderline for me Monty70, which I almost replaced with the 'Clockwork Little Tramp' cover for Modern Times.

In the end, I've never seen Jarmusch's Mystery Train, and so far, that busy, cheap playbill cover has actually put me off opening and watching it. Maybe when I finally get around to seeing the film, it will repudiate that impression, but off-putting design seems like a fundamental flaw for any kind of promo art. Heck, even the garish, 'circus madhouse' cover for House succeeded in enticing me in...

Wow, the second stupid post of the day in this thread. Not watching a film because of its Blu-ray cover art. Amazing.

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by Roninblues

Hope you find a site that agrees with your outlook.

Criterion Forums reviewer seems to be the harshest. They seem to admit that whatever flaw they see in the video is inherit to the source Criterion is using, yet they still blame Criterion in their reviews.

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by moumou1210

It's quite sad that Criterion has decided to opt for Region A-locked releases. Otherwise I probably would have bought the majority of the movies.[IMG][/IMG]

They have NOT decided to "opt for Region A-locked releases." North America is the only region they are ALLOWED to release their products in.

Seriously, there should be some new forum rules, no more questions about where to get replacement cases, no more Region A only complaints, no more Wes Anderson hate speech. We get it, you're cool for not liking him.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by DionJP

Wow, the second stupid post of the day in this thread. Not watching a film because of its Blu-ray cover art. Amazing.

I strongly disagree. Cover art is a huge influence in whether or not I immediately find a Criterion appealing or not. The more impressive covers not only make the collecting even more enjoyable, but if I had a choice...I'd read about them first, then read about the less impressive cover's film.. A lot of us think that way. It's why we've got a poll going on the best and worst covers, why people on these boards are so obsessed with slipcovers and packaging... they matter when it comes to collecting/collections

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by melo4mvp

There is a seller on ebay that has them in larger quantities. Says they're the same ones criterion uses.

Will you link that please?

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by DionJP

Wow, the second stupid post of the day in this thread. Not watching a film because of its Blu-ray cover art. Amazing.

Whoa...dial it back bud. I have thousands of DVDs and hundreds of Blu-rays, including all Criterion titles released to date. I'm still working my way through the collection as the mood strikes, and unfortunately, that Mystery Train cover just didn't "pull me in"...at least not enough to fast track opening and watching it (although I've enjoyed most of the Jarmusch films I've seen to date).

Sheeesh, we're comparing cover artwork here, not content. My subjective opinion about that topic is just as valid as yours or anyone elses here. So try to muster some perspective and civility on that point. Thank you!

[DionJP]

And don't stick up for the weirdos who will buy a movie ten times to get ten different slip covers. I throw those suckers away.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by DionJP

You didn't say anything about collecting. You said you would not watch the film BASED ON THE COVER ART. Which is ignorant and silly. Like you can blame Jarmusch for what Criterion decided to put on the cover of his film.

Oh lordy...carry on this nonsense in your own head. I have movies to watch...

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Whoa...dial it back bud. I have thousands of DVDs and hundreds of Blu-rays, including all Criterion titles released to date. I'm still working my way through the collection as the mood strikes, and unfortunately, that Mystery Train cover just didn't "pull me in"...at least not enough to fast track opening and watching it (although I've enjoyed most of the Jarmusch films I've seen to date).

Sheeesh, we're comparing cover artwork here, not content. My subjective opinion about that topic is just as valid as yours or anyone elses here. So try to muster some perspective and civility on that point. Thank you!

I wasn't talking to you, bud.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

To me 5* PQ reviews should be reserved for reference discs only, although to my knowledge there aren't particularly many Criterion discs that received 5* PQ anyway. Perhaps a few of the transfers should have been in the 3* range that received 4*? I certainly don't think too many Criterion discs would need to use the whole scale, and go down to 1* or 2*. Not based on what I've seen anyway...Criterion seems to pull out a decent 3* or 4* even when working with the most challenging materials (again, just based on what I've seen on blu-ray so far).

Some very interesting comments in this thread today. I would like to comment on this post because there are some great points.


"Reference discs/quality" - Well, I am in full agreement. Five-star reviews should be reserved for "reference quality", and that's exactly how I have been grading my reviews.

But we need to agree first on what is "reference".

Let me give you a couple of examples here.

1. I am much more impressed by what Criterion have done with Seven Samurai, and just recently The Rules of the Game, than I am with Life During Wartime. To be able to accomplish what Criterion has with the available elements for Seven Samurai and The Rules of the Game is a lot closer to "reference", as far as I am concerned, because in all likelihood neither of the two films would look any better if tomorrow the BDA introduced a 4K BD spec and they arrived on 4K BD. However, if 4K BD existed, Life During Wartime could potentially look even better.

But it seems to me some people believe that "reference" is some magical audio/video standard which all reviewers should respect. For me such standard does not exist, never has. I like to look at the bigger picture and consider what is and what wasn't possible, what elements the producers did or did not have access to, whether there are changes that have been made to the film/transfer and whether they were blessed by the director, etc. These are the key factors that, for me, determine what is or isn't "reference".

2. "Transfers" - There is a small group of people whose criticism is very often built around the lovely "It is an old scan" statement. Once again, I am a firm believer that it is quite naive to judge someone else's work in absolute terms - "new" vs. "old" scans. If the former always came with "better/excellent" attached to it and the latter with "poor/bad", then right now everyone would be praising the "new" UK transfer for Straw Dogs. And if your only rebuttal is: Yes, but the film could have looked so much better on Blu-ray with a new scan, then you clearly are investing into the wrong format, because by default (and possibly only with the exception of releases such as the earlier mentioned Seven Samurai and The Rules of the Game) even the most praised BD releases can look better - and when 4K BD becomes a reality and some of these releases get (let's use a very old but handy term here) the "superbit" 4K BD treatment, they will.


Lastly, here's a quick comment on the "new" transfer Pathe used for their BD release of The Leopard as well (since the same critics are throwing the usual jabs there). I tested Pathe's release and I still prefer the Criterion release. While some people might be impressed by the better refined grain, it is my belief that the color-scheme is off. Actually, some of the new color nuances are beyond strange. I will pick up the upcoming Italian release as well, but as far as I am concerned money spent on Criterion's BD release of The Leopard are money very well spent. And anyone arguing that Criterion's release is "garbage" is simply seeking some sort of extra attention, which she/he does not deserve.

As always, thanks for reading our reviews.

[melo4mvp]

Originally Posted by DionJP

Will you link that please?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220876944651...84.m1423.l2649

They sell them in increments up to 100 I believe.

[DionJP]

Originally Posted by melo4mvp

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220876944651...84.m1423.l2649

They sell them in increments up to 100 I believe.

Thanks Carmelo.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by DionJP

Why are you even talking to me? I was quoting CoopFilm, not you. He said he hasn't watched Mystery Train because of its cover art. Why I am the only one that finds that stupid is beyond me. Go back to your cave.

Oh, there's been a mixup. ROclockCK DID say that about Mystery Train, not me. I was the one defending him, not the other way around. I do want to buy Mystery Train eventually, actually.

[DionJP]

In the original statement when Criterion went Blu, they mentioned releasing Contempt. How come they never did?

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by DionJP

In the original statement when Criterion went Blu, they mentioned releasing Contempt. How come they never did?

They lost rights, that's probably why they didn't fit it in. The DVD went out of print a while back.

[Strevlac]

Originally Posted by octagon

I've only watched it once so far and while I didn't exactly love it I did like it quite a bit and I expect it to grow on me. Which is exactly what happened with Repulsion. And Chinatown, now that I think about it.

The Tenant might be the only Polanski film that really grabbed me from the first viewing.

The Tenant is by far my favorite Polanski film right up until a plot turn in which there is a major, left-field personality change for a major character...from which point on the film turns into a comedy. I can't think of another film that had me in it's grip so tightly to so suddenly "nuke the fridge" like that.

[TylerDurden]

What an amazing film Bleu was! So glad that I own this set. Now onto watch the other two White & Red.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Some very interesting comments in this thread today. I would like to comment on this post because there are some great points.


"Reference discs/quality" - Well, I am in full agreement. Five-star reviews should be reserved for "reference quality", and that's exactly how I have been grading my reviews.

But we need to agree first on what is "reference".

Good point Pro-B, as "reference quality" is a very subjective term and has different meanings to many. I am curious as to how much the Criterion dvd release has to do with your overall PQ/AQ rating of the film, when the title is upgraded? My assumption would be that it is a significant factor, but only you would know...