Heads up!!!! 50% off Criterions
I recommend not buying BluRay cuz there’s gonna be an upgraded format for your films in the not so far away future…perpetual upgrades are a marketing department’s wet dream.
bluray is the last PHYSICAL format or so statements have been made. Expect HD (real HD) Streaming/cloud based/harddrive systems to be next.
That’s a depressing thought.
A very good sale. I got what I wanted but didn’t go crazy.
Blu-Ray:
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-Naked
-Shock Corridor
-Sweetie
DVD:
-Jules et Jim
The difference in quality between DVD and Blu Ray is not something that I really care about. The quality of a good print on DVD is excellent imo, combine that with a decent upscaling player and a good TV and I don’t see any need at all to upgrade any more. It’s the content of the film that matters – not being able to make out every last pixel. DVD players are cheap and ubiquitous. Blu Ray players can play DVDs but DVD players can’t play Blu Ray discs, so I’ll stick with DVDs – which I can play in any player and on any pc. The (very near) future is digital anyway. I picked up 22 in this sale – all on DVD :)
On a big screen tv (anything over 32" – which every cinephile should benefit from), the difference between blu ray and dvd is enormous I find.
On a smaller TV, it doesn’t really matter.
On a big screen tv (anything over 32" – which every cinephile should benefit from), the difference between blu ray and dvd is enormous I find.
On a smaller TV, it doesn’t really matter.
@PRUDENCE Unless you have a screen size on the order of hundreds of inches, an ‘upgraded format’ will pose no benefits. In terms of home movie viewing, blu ray is pretty much the end all.
As much love and effort Criterion has always put into packaging, I think they will continue to offer physical media. Until streaming can offer the same or better user experience (menus, commentary tracks, extras, etc), I have no interest. Plus you have to rely on host domains, your internet connection, more online accounts, DRM not causing clusterfacks, proprietary streaming apps/boxes . More fuss than its worth.
Home based HD storage would be my #2 choice behind physical media, although HD technology needs to improve a lot before I go that route.
@Dave – agree completely. Home based HD storage is my #1 choice right now except for my Criterion collection (I’ve only got about 50) – the rest I’ve converted to .avi format and archived on HDDs that can be played through pc, standalone DVD players or media players through USB. Very happy with that :)
CRITERION PORN – SUMMER 2011
THE TOTAL HAUL
A FILM TRILOGY BY INGMAR BERGMAN, TOKYO STORY, A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS/FLOATING WEEDS, YOJIMBO/SANJURO, HARAKIRI, FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, ANDRZEJ WADJA: THREE WAR FILMS, YOUNG MR. LINCOLN, BLACK MOON, ZAZIE DANS LE METRO, HIGH AND LOW, IKIRU, DODES’KA-DEN, METROPOLITAN, THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, DO THE RIGHT THING, LE MILLION, PALE FLOWER, CRAZED FRUIT, IVAN’S CHILDHOOD, DOWN BY LAW, NIGHT ON EARTH, STRANGER THAN PARADISE, MYSTERY TRAIN, INSIGNIFICANCE, KISS ME DEADLY, PEOPLE ON SUNDAY, BURDEN OF DREAMS, THE TAKING OF POWER BY LOUIS XIV, THE GREAT DICTATOR, THE THREEPENNY OPERA, SOMETHING WILD, FAT GIRL, BY BRAKHAGE: VOLUME TWO, FISH TANK, SECRET HONOR, CRIA CUERVOS, HARLAN COUNTY USA, WALKER, THE CRANES ARE FLYING, THE MUSIC ROOM, GIMME SHELTER
All in all I think it was a very successful couple of weeks. I actually managed to clear about 95% of my draft list I made shortly before going into the sale. Thanks Barnes + Noble and Criterion!!!!! ♥
Anyone get word on the when B&N is having its next sale?
Considering there has been a sale in November the last few years, if I had to guess……..
i feel like november would be too soon for another, but i would love it.
did you feel like that in November 2010 when it happened….?
Amazon has a few Criterion titles on sale today at intervals:
now: Videodrome DVD & BD $19.99
next: Darjeeling Limited
later: Gimme Shelter
best part of the sale was telling b&n 10 of my movies didnt ship then ending up with doubles of pedro costa-nikkatsu noir – salo -life during wartime-last year at mrrienbad and a few others -
hollar for swaps.
^^^Apparently the Eureka ‘Colossal Youth’ has a better transfer than the Criterion. still the boxset is great though.
I’ve received the following discs in the mail over the last week from B+N: Cria Cuervos, The Magician, Smiles Of A Summer Night, THe Seventh Seal, The Great Dictator, Fear and Loathing, Crumb, Naked, Walkabout and Solaris.
I must say that the transfer for The Magician disappointed me. It looks a little too soft and washed out at times, although it’s better than the old Tartan edition.
The Magician on BD is the embodiment of perfection.
^^really? i’ve only watched the first 40 mins and i must say i disagree strongly. it looks ‘too white’ in places to me, too grainy in others, and too soft as well.
the other Bergman films i’ve got look much better.
typically the “fall Criterion” sale has been in November. Just before thanksgiving, if memory serves. As soon as i find out any info, I’ll post it here.
sale keeps giving. the 6 extra dvds i had B&N send me for free i returned to FYI for a full 370 store credit..
WIN.
So basically you’re gloating about the fact that you stole 10 Blu-rays, great.
“A bit surprised at those of you buying tons of DVDs this round.”
I completely agree.
Of course, you’ve got to see a movie any way you can. More than three-quarters of all CC movies are only available on DVD. But when a movie exists on both formats, it blows my mind that some people in the Criterion fan community don’t go in for the blu rays and opt to stick to DVDs instead.
The CC is composed of wonderful films carefully crafted by genuine artists. What blu-ray does is it allows the viewer to achieve a film-watching experience as close to seeing the movie in its original form as possible. Comparing DVD versions to BD versions is really no comparison at all: BDs are always more film-like and don’t have as many “video” artifacts.
I can’t imagine that there is a dedicated appreciator of paintings that would be ok with studying a low-quality photograph of the Mona Lisa when there are higher-resolution versions readily available. So why are people so willing to accept low-quality versions of movies?
@Brett
But when a movie exists on both formats, it blows my mind that some people in the Criterion fan community don’t go in for the blu rays and opt to stick to DVDs instead.
But what if you already own a ton of dvds? The thought of having to repurchase these in blu-ray is really not appealing. Would I prefer to see the films in the best format? Absolutely, but practical considerations come into play.
Yes.
I often opt for DVDs over the Blu-Ray so that I have the option to share a film with those who don’t own a Blu-Ray player.
HD audio never really took off, did it. I feel that many don’t really think the extra $10 is all that necessary to enjoy a fine looking film in the first place.
HD audio never really took off, did it. I feel that many don’t really think the extra $10 is all that necessary to enjoy a fine looking film in the first place.
@Brett Here’s a copy of an earlier post I wrote about your question:
“I just chose a DVD over a bluray for the first time. It was a blind buy of The Makioka Sisters for less than $10.00. Criterion’s DVD quality is pretty good in itself. I watched Au Revoir Les Enfants on DVD the other day and I can’t say that watching it in high-def would’ve enhanced the experience any. The Makioka Sisters is a barebones DVD; it just comes with the trailer. The film is nearly 2 1/2 hours, which means even if I like it, it’s going to be hard for me to find another 2 1/2 hours in my busy schedule to sit down and watch it again. If I don’t like it, well, it only cost me less than $10.00.
In this case, I don’t think it was really worth spending an extra $5.00 for the blu ray upgrade. Mathematically, that’s a 50% increase. It’s just not worth the cost especially if it only comes with a trailer. If it came with a load of features, then I would rather have the blu ray disc for easy navigation. I hate having to turn off my player to slip in Disc 2 and turn on the player again and avoiding that might be worth paying the extra $5.00, otherwise I’ll stick to the DVD."
Also, just yesterday I watched the Criterion OOP DVD of STRAW DOGS. The transfer was beautiful and crisp for the DVD. I had never seen the movie before and it was engrossing. Sure, if it was available on Criterion bluray, which it’s not, the picture would’ve been crisper, but it wasn’t going to enhance my pleasure for the movie. The colors in that movie are muted anyway. However, I would’ve gone for the bluray edition if it existed, only because I hated having to turn off my player to pop in disc 2 for the special features.
I’ve just got Beastie Boys Anthology from B&N and it’s slightly different to the one described on the criterion page. I has no poster and the cover is in thew new rather than old style. It’s also not described as the criterion collection in B&N.
Also I looked for Criterion versions of the Rock and the royal tenebaums in the B&N sale but couldn’t find them online although there appeared to be special editions that might have been the same just with different artwork. I don’t think they’re OOP.
Have some of the more commercial Criterion discs been re-released without any fanfare with different cover art and why are B&N not marketing them as Criterion products?
Sorry if this has been asked before and thanks for any help.
Matt Parks
@ Dave
Their official position:
" . . . keep buying DVDs. It is going to be quite a while before the Blu-ray marketplace can support many of the titles Criterion releases on DVD. For new releases, if we think a title has a shot at succeeding on Blu-ray, we aim to put out both editions at the same time, so you can make an informed choice."