What's new

The Value of Criterion (1 Viewer)

rich_d

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2001
Messages
2,036
Location
Connecticut
Real Name
Rich

That being the case - don't purchased them - rent them or get them from the library. As you live in Indianapolis, you should have no trouble finding the titles you mentioned.

In fact, a quick check of the Indianapolis Library system (assuming you meant *that* 'Indy') shows they have the Seven Samurai Criterion DVD at three library branches and that doesn't include whatever college library you go to.
 

LorenzoL

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 20, 2004
Messages
313
Real Name
Lorenzo

Marc, I agree with you 100%.

I basically buy the Criterion version of movies that I absolutely love.

I think being selective is the key and you have to do the research to make sure the Criterion version is the "one" to get.

Prices are crazy in Canada where the cheapest Criterion goes from $45 and up in B&M stores. You can save some money by pre-ordering from Amazon.ca which have decent prices before their release date. However, those prices goes up soon after.
 

Marc Colella

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 19, 1999
Messages
2,601


That's exactly how I've been getting my Criterions.

You can get a nice 2-disc Criterion as soon as it's up for pre-order for $36 CDN - plus you can use a $5 promo GC to bring the total down a bit. I usually add another pre-order Criterion to the order in order to bring the order over $39 (for free shipping).

Other than that, it's difficult to find good prices on Criterions in Canada.
 

Marko Berg

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Messages
856
I'm sorry to continue the off-topic conversation regarding online retailers but I have to do what I can to stop people from making bad mistakes, i.e. buying from DVD Planet. Under no circumstances should anyone place an order with this company unless you want to keep pulling your hair out six months later in frustration. :angry:
 

Rich Malloy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2000
Messages
3,998
You know, it costs the same to rent a Criterion disc as it does to rent any other, so I don't really sympathize with the argument that people are being priced out of seeing great films because they bear the Criterion banner.

(And, just as an aside, this bizarre compulsion to own every disc you watch is certainly not the most economical way to see the widest variety of movies available to you.)
 

Marc Colella

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 19, 1999
Messages
2,601


Sure, if you can find a place that rents out Criterion discs.

There aren't any rental places around me that rents out Criterion discs.
 

Rob Tomlin

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2000
Messages
4,506


I was going to make this very point. Rich, I couldn't have said it better!

Netflix is a very valuable resource, and they rent the vast majority of Criterion discs.
 

Mark_TS

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,704
I will chime in again if this hasnt been mentioned already-but about October of last year, someone of weight here said that in 2004 we would see Criterion rereleasing many of its flat titles with Anamorphic enhancement.
The announcement year is almost over and not a word on that that Ive seen;
Some titles I would like to see enhanced:

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK (a good 16x9 edition exists in Germany now)
BRAZIL(a nice 16x9 available from Korea)
WALKABOUT
VAGABOND
HARDER THEY COME....

I would rather upgrade with Criterion, but some of these other zones discs make it mighty tempting...
 

Rob Tomlin

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2000
Messages
4,506
Thanks Mark, I didn't know.

I don't get great customer service from Deep Discount either, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
 

Ernest Rister

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
4,148
I started to lose a wee bit of respect for the Criterion label when they chose to add Barbara Streisand's Prince of Tides and Michael Bay's The Rock and Armageddon to their line of "important and classic films" on Laserdisc.

All three are neither important, nor classic, in my opinion.

Then again, they did a great LD release of the uncut version of Lars Von Trier's Breaking the Waves, so what do I know.
 

rich_d

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2001
Messages
2,036
Location
Connecticut
Real Name
Rich

Brian,

I hope that you enjoy the Tati films. :) Certainly, his films are not for everyone (then again, what film is?) My only suggestion it that you watch his films when sharp/alert. Tati's films are energy draining experiences - not because they are boring - but because they require such involvement from the successful viewer. At least that is my take.

Knowing that I'm reiterating a plug to use the libraries - the two libraries nearest to me (both within a few miles) both have several Criterion DVD titles. (Small aside, I'd love to know how many copies of Rashomon libraries (as a group) have purchased - certainly many in my area ...)

A quick check of one of the libraries shows that they have 49 Criterion DVD selections (at present) including some box sets. DVDs can be kept for 7 days and there is no charge. Sweet mercy .. just getting in ... drum roll
.
.
.
.

The Leopard ... one guess who just put that title on hold ... :) Sounds too good? For those in my neck of Fairfield County, Connecticut:

http://catalog.westportlibrary.org/i...=30&y=13#focus

So, your mileage/library may differ. Heck, your library may not even have DVDs yet. Understood. My point is that it may be a very decent option to (at least) check out.
 

george kaplan

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Messages
13,063
No, but it's the best way (IMO) to see movies you want to rewatch many times, and that you want to assure will still be available in OAR. There are certainly many films already that are either no longer available (and not even easily rented), or available only in p&s or otherwise altered versions.
 

Joe Reinwald

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 12, 2002
Messages
65
In trying to be as candid as possible, a definite downside to Criterion is that after a few, you'll want to become a completionist. With the exception of the few mentioned already (the Armageddons of the bunch), they really do have a wonderful array of great films. Yes, there are some out there that disgaree with me putting Argmageddon in that sort of light, but move along!

I went through a stage a while ago where I was buying several Criterions from DVDPlanet (I had no problems from them, but it was maybe 2 years ago) whenever I had the extra money. You buy a few, but then you find yourself wanting them all. Then you hit the Woos and the Tatis which have been out of print for a while, and you finally realize that Criterion is an obsession to itself.

The other value to Criterion is its website, which often had insightful articles.

My local BlockBuster has probably 50 or 60 Criterions, and NetFlix--as has already been mentioned--carries a large amount of them as well.

When in doubt, rent it.

-Joe
 

Lars Vermundsberget

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 20, 2000
Messages
725
Well, I have about half of Criterion's DVDs now and, believe it or not, I really don't feel like going for a complete collection - even though I do put them in spine-number order on the shelf.

This may seem weird, but I'll tell you what's likely one reason why I don't have the completion urge in this case. There is something I dislike about the Criterion numbers.

If I'd had a complete collection (up until now) I'd like the highest number to tell me how many titles OR how many sets I'd have. Take for example the first CC DVD box set (because that's when the damage was done IMO): The Orphic Trilogy. The set as a whole has the number 66 while the three individual titles in the set have the numbers 67, 68 and 69. This is what they should have done IMO:

Either give the set one number (66) and the individual titles in that set "sub-numbers" (66-1, 66-2 and 66-3 or something like that)

OR give the titles one number each (66, 67 and 68) and designate the set as a compilation of those numbers ("66-68").

That way the number would tell us how many sets there were or how many titles. The way it is, it's harder than it should be to figure out how many (titles or sets) have been released in the Criterion Collection.

All that aside, I base my buying decisions on reviews and sometimes the way I think a title "tastes", or should we rather say "gut feeling". Practically all of them have been blind buys in the sense that I haven't seen them before.
 

ChristopherDAC

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2004
Messages
3,729
Real Name
AE5VI
Back in the LaserDisc days Critetion would release the CAV boxset with full extras for $100, and 9 to 18 months later a barebones CLV edition for $40 [about equivalent to other labels' pricing in those days, except for the odd $9.99 Image disc]. I wonder why they don't do the equivalent now -- while the extras are a recommendation, there are surely plenty of people who want just the crystal-clear special transfer of a film otherwise unavailable in R1. Unless their license specifically forbids it, I'd think this one would be a no-brainer.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,815
Messages
5,123,800
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top