The Criterion Collection Thread

[The Cunting Death]

I have:

Being John Malkovich (case cracked when I was moving, but the movie itself still works)
Hausu (my first)
Brazil
Pans Labyrinth
OG Godzilla
Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Mr Fox
The Breakfast Club (which I got for free)

all the releases are pretty good imo

Also Target and Bluray.com accidentally leaked the #1000 spine
it's going to be a collection of Shojo era Godzilla films

What even is a Criterion?

WALL OF TEXT COMING THROUGH (I have nothing better to do so I typed this up)


It's a product line by arthouse distributor Janus Films that licenses movies from all over the world, from very obscure films like the early works of Akira Kurosawa; to blockbusters like Armageddon or The Rock; Dark Comedies like John Waters early films, the Belgian satire Man Bites Dog, or the 2001 Thora Birch/Scarlet Johannson film Ghost World; to even Music Video Collections and Concert Films

What makes it different from all other home video lines though:

• is that they restore the films to the highest possible quality, with the director's supervision if possible. (if not, they go with someone close to the production of the film, like the cinematographer. If no one who made the film is alive, they just do what they can)
• Release films that would almost never get released here without them. EX: Hausu (a film that was forgotten until colleges around the US began watching it and requesting for a print which got sell out crowds), White Dog (famously anti racism film from 1980 that was suppressed by Paramount due to allegations that the film promoted racism, with very sporadic releases happening until Criterion released it in 2009)
• Get extras you would never find with the regular releases of the films (examples: Criterion is the only way to watch the uncut version of Brazil in North America (long story short, Universal fucked with the American release), Breakfast Club includes an extra hour of footage that was never released outside their version, Heaven's Gate has the definitive directors cut that Michael Cimino intended, True Stories comes with the original soundtrack for the film and not the studio mandated Talking Heads version)
• Comes with a booklet essay explaining why the film is important to film culture, usually be a famous author, film critic, or a historian. And these aren't just normal booklets, sometimes they fold out to make posters like the Fantastic Planet release.

Most interestingly, they more or less invented the idea of a Commentary Track, found on their Laserdisc release of King Kong in the 1980s.

The thing is though, these come with a hefty price. You can usually find movies for like, $10-20, but with Criterion you will usually spend $20-50 depending on the title. But I and several other posters here mean this when I say, you get what you pay for.

List of Criterion Collection releases - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

they're up to almost 1000 releases on DVD and Bluray

 

[Gordon Cole]

I bought a blu-ray of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me for $15 at my Barnes & Noble the other day. They do CC deals all the time, so keep an eye out for them if you're looking to get some on discount.

 

[Gordon Cole]

Anybody else subscribed to The Criterion Channel?

It has a great selection of movies, but it really only works on my iPad. Any time I try to get it to work on my computer, it won't play due to their arcane DRM policy or their video player just flat out refusing to work. I haven't tried it out on the Roku yet, so hopefully that's an option?

I really just want Filmstruck to come back.

 

[Not Jewish Wario]

I've collected some over the past year.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Blood Simple
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
The Player
Bottle Rocket
Election
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Inside Llewyn Davis

Not the best movies, but it is what it is.

 

[AlexaAutismo]

I've collected some over the past year.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller
Blood Simple
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
The Player
Bottle Rocket
Election
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Inside Llewyn Davis

Not the best movies, but it is what it is.

Nice! Pretty good selection. Did you get them on the sale?
I recently got the Bergman collection cause it has all of his films programmed in a film festival style(which I think is just infinitely neat).
I really want to get the AK 100 box set at some point, but I know it's rare.
Still waiting on a Tarkovsky box set but I've already gone ahead and started collecting his films.
And lastly are you subbed to the channel? Really good for previewing Criterion's you may want to purchase down the line.

 

[Not Jewish Wario]

Nice! Pretty good selection. Did you get them on the sale?
I recently got the Bergman collection cause it has all of his films programmed in a film festival style(which I think is just infinitely neat).
I really want to get the AK 100 box set at some point, but I know it's rare.
Still waiting on a Tarkovsky box set but I've already gone ahead and started collecting his films.
And lastly are you subbed to the channel? Really good for previewing Criterion's you may want to purchase down the line.

Most of these are from sales yes. I am from Canada though, so shipping costs means I am spending too much money regardless.
I've only seen one Bergman film in full, The Seventh Seal. I liked it well enough. Maybe someday I will watch more and get the boxset.
I don't know if a Tarkovsky boxset is going to be released because with the Mirror getting a release, all of Tarkovsky's films are on blu ray now since two of his films are licensed to another distributor (Kino Lorber).
As for the Criterion channel, I get one month subscriptions from time to time. Usually if there's something I really want to watch during a particular month.

 

[AlexaAutismo]

Most of these are from sales yes. I am from Canada though, so shipping costs means I am spending too much money regardless.
I've only seen one Bergman film in full, The Seventh Seal. I liked it well enough. Maybe someday I will watch more and get the boxset.
I don't know if a Tarkovsky boxset is going to be released because with the Mirror getting a release, all of Tarkovsky's films are on blu ray now since two of his films are licensed to another distributor (Kino Lorber).
As for the Criterion channel, I get one month subscriptions from time to time. Usually if there's something I really want to watch during a particular month.

Oh wow Canada! There's some sites I'm sure you're aware of that get Criterion's and then will redistribute them in Canada or EU for a cheaper shipping fee(but you pay more on the blu-ray/DVD). And yeah I don't know if one will come out either, but I really do love their box sets and would love to see them do more for a lot of the super famous directors they like to showcase(famous in the film buff sense). Honestly as a member that pre-subbed to it after Filmstruck went under, I have a hard time wanting to unsub, even if I don't end up using it for the entire month, mostly because of the founders sub(like $10 cheaper) they were offering. Also staying subbed gets you 2 gift cards a year from them(in my experience). Still, at the end of it all, I still want FilmStruck back, that was truly magical.

 

[Boston Brand]

I would have a much higher opinion of them if they would focus more on classic films and less on whatever twee indie crap Wes Anderson shits out.

For every COME AND SEE, they drop five FRANCIS HA's.

Thier Kurosawa releases are great, but it kills me they don't include dubs for any of thier Asian releases, even the ones with approval by the OG studio or filmmakers. Only exception they made was for the Bruce Lee box set was his estate requires the dubs be included.

 

[I.B. Niggin]

I've only got a handful from when I lived five minutes away from a Barnes and Noble and managed to get some on 25 to 50 percent off sale.

Seven Samurai
Yojimbo/Sanjuro
Videodrome
Hausu
Koyaanisqatsi

 

[Jason Wynn]

I have a few dvds they’ve put out (Salo, La Belle et la Bete) but I don’t go out of my way to get released by them. Usually only if it’s on sale

 

[Scarlett Johansson]

Not to revive a dead thread but anyone see the June/July announcements? Looks to be their biggest one yet

New 4K of The Virgin Suicides
Shaft
Okja
Drive My Car
Rouge
Raging Bull
Pink Flamingos
Devil in a Blue Dress
Summertime
The Worst Person in the World

Rouge looks exciting. It's a Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui new wave drama. Perfect alongside the World of Wong Kar Wai and the Gong Li/Zhang Yimou collections.

 

[Scarlett Johansson]

The Heroic Trio films are coming later this year! I imagine an announcement this month.

 

[B'owl]

Not to revive a dead thread but anyone see the June/July announcements? Looks to be their biggest one yet

New 4K of The Virgin Suicides
Shaft
Okja
Drive My Car
Rouge
Raging Bull
Pink Flamingos
Devil in a Blue Dress
Summertime
The Worst Person in the World

Rouge looks exciting. It's a Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui new wave drama. Perfect alongside the World of Wong Kar Wai and the Gong Li/Zhang Yimou collections.

It's mainly because of the Barnes and Noble 50% off sale that they hold twice a year (July and August). They also recently had a 24-hour half-off sale on their website.