With all the movie talk that goes around, I thought some would like to know that Barnes & Noble has all Criterion DVD's 50% off (incl Blu Ray).
They had this sale directly from Criterion a month or two back, and I had to pass up all the great gems I am coveting. I need to someday get on Blu-ray so I can enjoy all these films like they were new. I have been holding out buying many of the films until they made the transition to HD, but some of the others I am happy to re-purchase (and Criterion is the sole exception for this for me). The one good thing that eases my mind (if only a little) is that unlike earlier Criterion DVD releases, the numbers of discs they are pressing is much higher, so I am not too concerned just yet about all these going OOP and never being available to me again, short of piles of cash.
Absolutely. No company in America puts together a nicer overall package than Criterion, and this has been true since the days of laser discs. From image quality to thoughtful extras to worthwhile commentary tracks they really can't be beat.
I really wish you said they sucked haha. Might get my girl the magician for christmas, She always talks about the movie but doesn't own it.
I know we may come off as film snobs, but Criterion is definitely the way to go. But all judgements aside, I think you need only look at their catalogue to know a bit of what the company is all about. Sure there are a couple I would disagree with, but hey, no one is perfect. Plus, the prices now are ridiculously cheap compared to what they once were. I don't know how they changed their business model but I am all for it. What toothaction said is spot on, you can't beat the treatments they have given these classic films. They really care about the product they are putting out, a rare thing in today's world, and it comes across in what they do. And further to this, for many of these films this is the only way you might get to see them on a digital format (in North America anyways). Don't let the hipsters ruin it, sometimes a good thing is just a good thing.
You might also want to note that this is a seasonal sale that takes place every six months - unfortunately, Barnes & Noble is a miserable shithole with horrible customer service. The first time I ordered, they canceled half the items. Oh, and their intntl shipping is cheap but incredibly slow (one month+ to Germany). Better. The boxset of Dreyer's Vampyr actually comes with a paperback BOOK collecting the original screenplay and the short story that inspired the film, Mizoguchi's Ugetsu includes a separate DVD with a documentary by Kaneto Shindo AND a book(let) with essays and the short stories the film is based on. Every cinema geek's ultimate wet dream...
I will echo what my fellow Criterion fans have said here: the company sets the bar really high, putting so much care and excellence into everything they put out. If there is a title that you love and you happen to see that it’s in their catalogue, buy it without hesitation- you will be super-pleased that you did. For folks on a budget (like me), though, I want to put this out there: Hulu Plus has every Criterion title- something like 530 films- available to stream in HD. Sure, you miss out on the excellent extras, packaging, booklet, etc, but it’s still an amazingly good deal, by itself worth the $8.99/month price for the service. A few times now I have gone to Hulu Plus, opened the Criterion menu and just “spun the wheel”, picking a Criterion flick at random; I have been anything but disappointed.
Can we get some best of lists ?? Ive been spending the last hour looking over titles and I'm stumped on what to pick up. As of right now I'm as far as updating my DVDs to Blu Ray : Seven Samurai ( Favorite movie of all time) Sanjiro Yojimbo Looking to add titles Ive wanted but never bought, but have seen and loved : 12 Angry Men ( although it comes out in a few weeks) Harakiri And looking to grab a few that Ive never seen but want to grab : The Killing Sword of the Beast Any other suggestions ??
Off the top of my head: Onibaba (which I'm guessing you may have seen before...); Playtime (sly, hilarious, understated-yet-incredibly orchestrated Jacques Tati comedy); Mystery Train; Haxan (I think you will love that one); as has been mentioned elsewhere on this board recently, you can't go wrong with Island of Lost Souls...
Criterion recommendations? Yowsa, where to start? Here are a few personal faves... Wages of Fear Black Orpheus HaraKiri Kwaidan Rififi Le Cercle Rouge War Trilogy of Roberto Rossellini (includes "Rome: Open City") Drunken Angel High and Low Ran Paths of Glory The Thin Red Line Mishima The Exterminating Angel Simon of the Desert The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie Carlos Dazed and Confused If... Breathless 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her A Woman Under The Influence Nights of Cabiria Armacord Walkabout The Last Wave Gimme Shelter 3 Films by Louis Malle (includes "Murmur of the Heart" and "Au Revoir Les Enfants") Naked Lunch Carnival of Souls Equinox The River Grand Illusion Playtime The Leopard And just for fun for you haters and lovers and in-betweeners, here's Frank Kozik's top 10 Criterion titles list: Pickle Labbit
You can't go wrong with any of the Fellini titles. (Nights of Cabiria, La Strada, Amarcord...) Also, Criterion just released Aki Kaurismäki’s Leningrad Cowboys set! hmmm, Pasolini's "Mamma Roma" .... Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger than Paradise"..... just to name a few.
Any of the Sam Fuller stuff (Shock Corridor, Naked Kiss) Anti-Christ Any of the Kurosawa stuff especially Yojimbo/Sanjuro, 7 Samurai. Any of the Powell & Pressburger stuff (Black Narcissus, Red Shoes) Blow Out Breathless Days of Heaven (Malick) Chaplin stuff (Great Dictator & Modern Times) House(Hausu)!!!!!!!!! M (Fritz Lang) Rules of the Game Salo Le Cercle Rouge I'm sure some people will disagree on Salo even though Passolini is a genius and Anti-Christ got tons of discussion here they are both significant films worth the time. Le Cercle Rouge is one of the best caper films ever.
didn't criterion release john woo's the killer a while back? why is it out of print? it's maddening! then i read this today: John Woo's 'The Killer' Getting an English-Language 3D Remake i don't know which is more maddening.
Some titles not mentioned: Fanny and Alexander - and I mean the full 4.5hr(or so) version Seventh Seal (wish they stocked Virgin Spring) Spirit of the Behive Balthazaar Stranger Than Paradise Solaris
I'd say part two of your post is FAR more maddening. The Criterion disc came out kind of a while back - a little over thirteen and a half years ago It's been OOP for over a decade, standard 'rights' issues, but if you're nice to me I can point you in the right direction to find that which you seek Other early entries from the Criterion catalog that are now long out of print (and highly sought after) are Woo's Hard Boiled, and a little obscurity known as This is Spinal Tap. Fewer people seem to care about their OOP release of Robo Cop, but that's just because they have no idea what they're missing. Love me some Verhoeven of any stripe.
thanks for the heads up, also if you want to get an extra 10% use this code B3P8E4D at checkout, I just got seven samurais and fear and loathing in vegas
If I remember well both Ozu and Mizoguchi are on Criterion. Probably among the most amazing directors in the history of cinema (considering both Japanese and non Japanese cinema). If available I can't but recommend Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogatari and Sansho Dayu and Ozu's Tokyo Monogatari.
Thanks, been looking for an additional 10% code! As far as recommendations go, I think it's rather subjective - you could as well ask for everybody's all-time favorites... My personal MO is to just try to watch pretty much every film they released; if I like them, I buy them. That said, I'd like to second the recommendations for Hausu, Au hazard Balthazar, Nights of Cabiria, Gimme Shelter, Spirit of the Beehive, Paths of Glory, Wages of Fear (still have to catch up with a ton from Dean's list) and add a couple more that haven't been mentioned yet... -This Sporting Life (I couldn't help but think that this must have been part of Scorsese's inspiration for Raging Bull, Richard Harris' performance literally knocked the breath out of me - personally, I prefer this to Anderson's If...) -de Sica's Bicycle Thieves & Umberto D. -Videodrome -the incredibly lavish Brazil 3-disc boxset -Fellini's 8 1/2 & La Strada -Withnail & I -Man Bites Dog -and if you're a sucker for brilliant documentaries like me: Salesman, Harlan County U.S.A., General Idi Amin Dada - Autoportrait & Burden of Dreams (about the making of Fitzcarraldo) And don't forget to sign up for the CC newsletter, which also advertises the regular sales from B&N!
