Boutique Sales Megathread: Complete List of Current/Upcoming Sales

[manwithnoname64]

Originally Posted by Katatonia

They've really cut back on the Criterions they stock at my local B&N store. They used to carry literally all of them with multiple copies on the shelves. They probably stock a third of what they did on the last sale now.



I can't recall ever buying a new Criterion and seeing any visible scratches....and I own a fair amount of them. I bought a couple of newer ones just the other day, and one was a 3-disc 4K/Blu-ray combo.

Criterion has been a problem for me over the past year or so. I had to go through 5 copies of Blow Out 4K to not get a severely scratched disc. I only needed three copies of four of my eight 4Ks this time. Although, it took me more than three copies for two of the eight. That means I only had two movies that were not scratched. Kino is the only boutique label that I’ve seen that has improved over the past six months when it comes to scratched coming from the Mexico plant.

[TolerancEJ]

Just reading the OP. I noticed historical Vinegar Syndrome SummerFest sales in August. I wonder if that is still planned for 2023, since we just finished the half-year subscriber event.

[Braktastic]

Forgive me if this isn't the appropriate thread to ask, but does anyone know when the next Criterion Flash Sale might be?

[Bradsdadg]

Originally Posted by TolerancEJ

Just reading the OP. I noticed historical Vinegar Syndrome SummerFest sales in August. I wonder if that is still planned for 2023, since we just finished the half-year subscriber event.

I had forgotten about that. Here's the blurb and banner from last year:

Our first annual VS SummerFest Sale starts this Friday August 15th at 12:01am EST! This event is focused on showcasing our ongoing physical and digital preservation efforts, and will feature a select group of titles that are being preserved in our film archive discounted to 50% SRP!

The event will also see the unveiling of a brand new VSA release, two new Peekaramas, new catalog slipcovers and a whole slew of new merch and shirts!

vssf.jpg

Originally Posted by Braktastic

Forgive me if this isn't the appropriate thread to ask, but does anyone know when the next Criterion Flash Sale might be?

Thinking it should be sometime in Oct

[Video Ghoul]

Originally Posted by Braktastic

Forgive me if this isn't the appropriate thread to ask, but does anyone know when the next Criterion Flash Sale might be?

Vinegar Syndrome just can't be stopped. They really do want all my money...

[someguy28]

Originally Posted by Braktastic

Forgive me if this isn't the appropriate thread to ask, but does anyone know when the next Criterion Flash Sale might be?

It's usually held in March and October.

[Katatonia]

Originally Posted by manwithnoname64

Criterion has been a problem for me over the past year or so. I had to go through 5 copies of Blow Out 4K to not get a severely scratched disc. I only needed three copies of four of my eight 4Ks this time. Although, it took me more than three copies for two of the eight. That means I only had two movies that were not scratched. Kino is the only boutique label that I’ve seen that has improved over the past six months when it comes to scratched coming from the Mexico plant.

I'll eat my words now. I bought Dazed & Confused 4K yesterday, and the 4K disc had a bunch of deep looking circular scratches on it... so I'm returning it today. Ugh.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by playsignal1976

I've reached a point with Criterion where I have everything I want from their catalogue. So unless something new comes out their sales are pretty light for me.

Now Kino on the other hand I find myself dropping copious amounts of cash on from sale to sale. Whenever they do decide to do their next sale, I will no doubt be making a haul or two (or three).

I'm with ya on that, man. I have two Criterion 4K titles I'd like to have, but even during their 50% off sale I could wait until KINO has their own sale and score maybe three Blu titles for the same price as just one of the Criterion 4Ks. It depends on the films, of course, but the potential KINO deal seems more attractive to me.

[sa5150]

Luckily I only own 4 Criterion titles . and the Godzilla set is #$$%^^ up . worst package ever made , Now Kino rules for selection !

[playsignal1976]

Originally Posted by sa5150

Luckily I only own 4 Criterion titles . and the Godzilla set is #$$%^^ up . worst package ever made , Now Kino rules for selection !

The Godzilla set is one of my favorite things Criterion has put out and that's with the awful packaging (I agree, it really is terrible). I had used these custom cases someone put together when it was first released, and they look beautiful. With that said we shouldn't have to make our own cases to make something usable lol

[Trekkie313]

Originally Posted by playsignal1976

The Godzilla set is one of my favorite things Criterion has put out and that's with the awful packaging (I agree, it really is terrible). I had used these custom cases someone put together when it was first released, and they look beautiful. With that said we shouldn't have to make our own cases to make something usable lol

Need those!

[T-Rex]

Originally Posted by sa5150

Luckily I only own 4 Criterion titles . and the Godzilla set is #$$%^^ up . worst package ever made , Now Kino rules for selection !

I agree. The GODZILLA Set packaging is BAD. 4 of the 8 discs keep disappearing inside the backcover page. I have to put the set upside down on the shelf to avoid that.

[playsignal1976]

Originally Posted by Trekkie313

Need those!

I probably have the files somewhere still, if I find them I'll PM you

[SkinnyTwist]

Personally, I find most Criterion artwork to be abysmal. Likewise for Olive (who on occasion went with original poster art, otherwise, their own designs were the worst of the worst).

As for Criterion, for a company so noted for releasing treasured restorations of artful classics, they sure don't preserve the artwork that accompanied these releases when originally released. Kino Lorber is clearly the leader in using original poster art rather than the typical uninspired modern commissioned artwork that (dis)graces entirely too many cases in these (hopefully not) final days of physical media.

The few that still support physical media are hardcore film buffs who don't need modern interpretations to seduce them into a purchase. Preservation also includes the presentation.

[Video Ghoul]

Originally Posted by SkinnyTwist

The few that still support physical media are hardcore film buffs who don't need modern interpretations to seduce them into a purchase. Preservation also includes the presentation.

Ideally reversible cover art would be the industry standard, so everyone gets what they want.

[noiradelic]

Originally Posted by SkinnyTwist

Personally, I find most Criterion artwork to be abysmal....

As for Criterion, for a company so noted for releasing treasured restorations of artful classics, they sure don't preserve the artwork that accompanied these releases when originally released. Kino Lorber is clearly the leader in using original poster art....

The few that still support physical media are hardcore film buffs who don't need modern interpretations to seduce them into a purchase. Preservation also includes the presentation.

Criterion's original artwork isn't a marketing ploy to dupe casual Blu-ray buyers into purchasing movies they won't like. They have deliberately chosen to use original artwork as part of their aesthetic, and I assume it costs them more than simply using old poster art. It's fine that you don't like it -- I've liked less of their cover art in recent years, though there are some I still favor -- but your argument that because they try to be faithful to films' original look, they're obligated to "preserve" old movie poster art isn't that reasonable. They are not a film preservation organization, they are a Blu-ray/DVD company. If they have contributed to film preservation more than any other boutique label, that is not their purpose. Their goal is to sell movies and a few TV shows on Blu-ray and DVD. They do contribute a lot to film knowledge, and they do deliberately put out difficult or obscure films that they know they will take a loss on -- and offset that with the release of better-selling movies -- but since the dawn of the DVD era, their model has been the commentaries and other supplements they pioneered, high-quality video, correct aspect ratios AND original artwork. There are publishing houses that partly specialize in poster art books for "preservation." Personally, I'd prefer Criterion used old poster art a lot more, but also recognize not all old poster art is created equal -- many great movies have dull posters, and sometimes Criterion's original art is superior to the posters. They've put out a lot of films from the last 30 years, and most posters in that period haven't been that compelling.

You can write them and complain or vote with your wallet and not buy their products, but it won't change anything because the original art is part of their brand, and a majority of customers like enough of it that they've stayed with that model for over two decades.

One of the reasons Kino uses original poster art is because it's cheaper than what Criterion does. The earlier Kino Studio Classics releases had no extras or English subtitles. I'd rather have original art that I sometimes don't like and a bounty of special features than a barebones disc without English subtitles but with the original poster art.

I'd like it if all the companies scoured the world for the best poster art (there are some amazing posters from Poland among other European countries) and chose the best ones, and if the only posters available for a given movie are lackluster, THEN hire the best graphic designers to create original art. I also agree with the idea of every company offering reversible art if it includes the original or the best poster art.

[SkinnyTwist]

Originally Posted by noiradelic

Criterion's original artwork isn't some kind of scam to trick casual movie fans into buying films they won't like. They have deliberately chosen to use original artwork as part of their aesthetic, and I assume it costs them more than simply using old poster art. It's fine that you don't like it -- I've liked less of their cover art in recent years, though there are some I still approve of -- but your argument that because they try to be faithful to films' original look, every aspect of their packages also has to faithful to some idea or another of original-ness or oldness is not as logical as you might think. If you take that argument to its logical extreme, then they couldn't have commentary tracks, newly-produced documentaries or any other new video content because none of it existed when the film came out. Every title would have to be treated like a Woody Allen title (without any isolated scores!).

[...]

Personally, I'd like it if all the companies scoured the world for the best poster art (there are some amazing posters from Poland among other European countries) and chose the best ones, and if the only posters available for a given movie are lackluster, THEN create original art. I also agree with the idea of every company offering reversible art if it includes the original poster art.

Well, my initial demonizing of Criterion's art wasn't really connected to my secondary thought of commissioned art. I didn't intend to suggest Criterion were trying to seduce modern audiences. That just happened to flow while typing the reply. Mind you, I'm not really a fan of most of Criterion's designs, but I do see it as a consistent brand in their cover art, so I will concede that.

My true disdain with commissioned art is the true lack of design skill. The 70's in particular really arrived in its blend of art and commercial appeal. Even those cheap Paramount posters (ie, Badge 373, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, etc.) which took great designs and budgeted them with tinted color rather than full color, still had character. And they knew how to use open white (or black) space, which seems to be a lost art. I just picked up a handful of Hammer 70's flicks this week, and the new art is so busy! This is also the case with a lot of Arrow releases -- who at least typically use original poster art on the reverse side.

These older films mean a lot to me for their era, among other attributes. Having the original artwork speaks to that time, much as the film itself. I wish my copies of Two Lane Blacktop, Vanishing Point, The Poseidon Adventure, etc. reflected the original associated imagery, just as I want the original aspect ratio and mono soundtrack. And since 20th Century Fox took the brunt of that last sentence, look at what they used for the initial release for this film:

as opposed to this... phantom2.jpg

or Olive's...

when they had this on deck... hell-harlem2.jpg


By the same token, I wouldn't want record labels adding newly designed covers for Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. classic albums.

And while oldschool Polish poster art is often fascinating, they are dominated by abstract, symbolic designs that rarely reflect the actual film. They would make great alternative sleeves (the reversible back side); topside placement would be a sales killer -- at least in the USA. And I sure don't want the Italian poster art for "Per un pugno di dollari" on my USA copy of...



YMMV

[noiradelic]

Originally Posted by SkinnyTwist

Well, my initial demonizing of Criterion's art wasn't really connected to my secondary thought of commissioned art. I didn't intend to suggest Criterion were trying to seduce modern audiences. That just happened to flow while typing the reply. Mind you, I'm not really a fan of most of Criterion's designs, but I do see it as a consistent brand in their cover art, so I will concede that.

[Show spoiler]
My true disdain with commissioned art is the true lack of design skill. The 70's in particular really arrived in its blend of art and commercial appeal. Even those cheap Paramount posters (ie, Badge 373, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, etc.) which took great designs and budgeted them with tinted color rather than full color, still had character. And they knew how to use open white (or black) space, which seems to be a lost art. I just picked up a handful of Hammer 70's flicks this week, and the new art is so busy! This is also the case with a lot of Arrow releases -- who at least typically use original poster art on the reverse side.

These older films mean a lot to me for their era, among other attributes. Having the original artwork speaks to that time, much as the film itself. I wish my copies of Two Lane Blacktop, Vanishing Point, The Poseidon Adventure, etc. reflected the original associated imagery, just as I want the original aspect ratio and mono soundtrack.....

By the same token, I wouldn't want record labels adding newly designed covers for Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. classic albums.

And while oldschool Polish poster art is often fascinating, they are dominated by abstract, symbolic designs that rarely reflect the actual film. They would make great alternative sleeves (the reversible back side); topside placement would be a sales killer -- at least in the USA.....

YMMV

I agree with you about 70s posters, and you're right that Olive's original art, while usually inoffensive, can't compete. I edited my last post to make the point that Criterion has released a lot of films from the last 30 years and most of the posters aren't that interesting, so in those cases the original art makes more sense. They've released some more-or-less current movies and not changing the art in those instances would actually be repetitive and boring. I also agree that some of Criterion's art is pretty bad.

When it comes to style -- like the 70s poster art you're advocating for -- sometimes you can't really go home again. Artists can deliberately try to imitate it (though there's little financial incentive for companies to pursue it), but most of the time, it's not going to feel the same.

I love the Polish posters and I'm cool with them being abstract, but it's true they wouldn't help to sell most BD titles in 2023.

Sorry to you and everyone else that I edited my last post so much, but it's a long post and I wanted to get it right (or at least righter!).

[Ishai]

ICYMI The Kino sale will start tomorrow, 600 titles on sale

[Shr0ve]

Originally Posted by Ishai

ICYMI The Kino sale will start tomorrow, 600 titles on sale

oh no. my body isn't ready.