Criterion vs. Arrow - Which is the best to you?

[Mr. Odessa]

Can't understand how Criterion didn't add part 2 to Jackie Chan's Police Story box set. Though it's a bootleg company, it seems that Hong Kong Rescue is doing hella-great work on their Blu-Ray releases. It's been a month since I've ordered The Killer and I have yet to get an email from them.

[formula_nebula]

Originally Posted by Mr. Odessa

Now if only Arrow can release some Hong Kong movies...

If your region free, check out 88 Films and Eureka.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by slimjean

I think Criterion tends to rub out detail. Compare Weird Science and Sixteen Candles to the Criteri Breakfast Club.

I hate DNR (even a little "managed").

I believe the CC if The Breakfast Club shares a transfer with a Universal remastered blu-ray. Universal of course loves their DNR.

[Mr. Odessa]

Originally Posted by formula_nebula

If your region free, check out 88 Films and Eureka.

I am Region Free. So far, I don't like the releases they've brought out so far. And I'm so past The Story of Ricky and I didn't like Erotic Ghost Story (the first one). I'll wait and see what else they release, but I've heard they won't be releasing flicks from Cinema City or maybe even Golden Princess.

[beamish13]

Originally Posted by dylrichard02

To Live and Die in L.A. is fantastic! It's shocking to me that Criterion has no William Friedkin or Abel Ferrara.

One issue is that both of them have frequently worked with studios that won't license to Criterion

[panasonicst60]

Until Criterion releases 4k, they are a far second place to Arrow imo.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by beamish13

One issue is that both of them have frequently worked with studios that won't license to Criterion

It doesn't help. But I could see CC doing Sorcerer from WB. Hopefully Friedkin pulls the magic he did for Cruising and somehow gets WB and Arrow to do a new BD for Sorcerer.

[DukeTogo84]

I really do enjoy Criterion, but I find myself buying a lot more titles from Arrow on a monthly basis. I enjoy thrillers/gangster/horror films more than anything which is what Arrow releases a lot of of.

My biggest gripe with Criterion is the HUNDREDS of films they have the rights to, but release them at a trickle's pace especially their Japanese selection. I've been waiting for Hunter in the Dark for years. My biggest hope is that they lose the license and Arrow picks it up.

[Mr. Odessa]

I do not care for David Cronenberg's Crash. Maybe when I was much younger, but I don't see the point in that. While Criterion did have much better PQ, the Arrow package was looking really SUPREME! Posters, a booklet, photo cards! I saw the specs for both. Arrow really put their foot in that release, and their new re-issue of King of New York

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by Mr. Odessa

I do not care for David Cronenberg's Crash. Maybe when I was much younger, but I don't see the point in that. While Criterion did have much better PQ, the Arrow package was looking really SUPREME! Posters, a booklet, photo cards! I saw the specs for both. Arrow really put their foot in that release, and their new re-issue of King of New York

The Criterion BD of Crash is better than Arrow's UHD release of it?

[drownsoda]

Arrow has a different ethos than Criterion—they release a mixture of highbrow and utter trash. I like the variety, and I am a staunch horror fan, so Arrow rules that domain. That being said, Criterion has the more wide-ranging catalogue of truly great films. Poring through the Criterion catalogue is like getting a DIY film studies degree, whereas Arrow's oeuvre is more focused on exploitation films, many of which were under-seen upon original release and/or plucked from obscurity. They are very different labels, with the only real common thread being that they both love movies and (usually) give them premium home video treatment.

[Mr. Odessa]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

The Criterion BD of Crash is better than Arrow's UHD release of it?

I have only seen specs and comparisons on a website. I'm not interested in the movie - I was when I was 15, but I don't see the point, though I understand it's artistry.

[mep]

Originally Posted by Mr. Odessa

I've always loved Criterion even back in the stupid idiotic Laserdisc days. But it seems that Arrow steps their game up and is even more indiscriminative in their releases.

From what I've seen, Arrow releases for Dressed To Kill and Branded To Kill are superior to the Criterion releases also, in terms of PQ and special features. Thoughts?

For me personally Criterion ever was and most likely ever will be the standard of what a definitive home media release would look like.

Their backcatalog of over 1000 releases is also hard to beat. But they lost ground in the last couple of years. Often their Booklets nowadays are nothing more than a cheap foldout flyer, they include way less special features than they used to have (almost never a new audiocommentary; which I just don’t get why. To me audiocommentaries are the single best special feature a company can produce, they should be not to expensive to record and Criterion invented them in the first place. Why can KL add commentaries to most of their releases, but not Criterion anymore?) and for me personally their current releases seem more interested in the social or political or gender related merits of a movie as in its cinematographic relevance.

But I do prefer, that you get what you pay for from Criterion. No special limited release Slipcover bullshit, no fear of missing out, no booklets gone after the first pressing nonsense. And for me personally I‘m mostly interested in classic Hollywood films from the 30s & 40s and 80s & 90s. Normally Criterion releases at least one awesome release a month in this regard; to me Arrow is more inconsistent. There are months like September, where I already pre-ordered three of their new releases (Legend, ColdWar Creatures and Children of the Corn Trilogy), but there are also months where none of their titles appeal to me. That usually does not happen with Criterion to me.

But it’s great to see other companies like Arrow, Eureka, Indicator, Scream/Shout Factory or even Kino stepping up their game and releasing home media releases which often are not that far away from Criterion releases anymore or in some instances even better than Criterion would deliver. Criterion will stay special to me, because they are like the gold standard regarding physical media releases. But they are not the only relevant player in the market anymore. What is a good thing afterall, if you ask me.

[Member-682067]

I discovered here there’s a surprising number of people who genuinely believe that every single movie is mixed wrong rather than that their home system sucks. I’m also one of those people.

[guizhang]

Originally Posted by Kakihara

The Criterion BD of Crash is better than Arrow's UHD release of it?

nah, no way. the crash UHD by arrow is stunning. it's probably a close call when comparing the BD though.


i like arrow's variety. like mentioned previously, they have a good mix of highbrow stuff and trash. whereas criterion is mostly all highbrow... or stuff that pretends to be highbrow anyway.

i do really like the arrow box sets. they look nice on the shelf. and of course, they actually do UHD releases, so that's huge.

criterion has some of the best films ever made on their label though. i still consider the bergman box set to be one of the best things i've ever purchased.

[SpazeBlue]

Originally Posted by TV2693

I discovered here there’s a surprising number of people who genuinely believe that every single movie is mixed wrong rather than that their home system sucks. I’m also one of those people.

[aloop]

I think Criterion has a better library in general (at least to my tastes, of course), but Arrow has easily surpassed Criterion on a technical level.

[aviosis]

Which one’s better? The label that actually presses its 4K transfers onto 4K UHD.

Do better, Criterion.

[TM2-Megatron]

For me it'll always be Arrow. I love the mix of quality and total trash (with everything in between) they release. And their absolute dedication to putting out quality releases, whether something is a masterpiece or the biggest piece of trash on the planet.

Together with Vinegar Syndrome, they're my favorite label.

Originally Posted by Kakihara

The Criterion BD of Crash is better than Arrow's UHD release of it?

Not even close. You can compare them at caps-a-holic. The grain field and detail are much more refined on the UHD. I dont' see how it could've been any other way.

I'd wager the PQ on Arrow's blu-ray also beats on Criterion's, given their usual inferior encoding, but I don't have it to compare and screenshots aren't uploaded to that site.

[PowellPressburger]

Arrow for the win

Criterion once upon a time was what all Laserdisc, DVD and Blu-Ray labels hoped to attain to be.

Technically Criterion is no longer top of their game.

I would rank Vinegar Syndrome above Criterion in terms of delivering high quality releases that make Criterion look like an early DVD that's proclaimed bonus features were Animated Menus & Artwork on their discs.

According to my stats I do own more Criterion discs than Arrow, in fact I own many more boutique label discs than most major studios combined.

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I have so little space left on my bookcase with Arrow titles I will have to start taking over another bookcase. The Criterion bookcase has another row I can use (not shown in pic)

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CriterionBookcase.jpg